Travel Guide – Boston, MA

Adam and I traveled up to Boston, MA last October and it was one of the most fun trips I have ever been on. He’s been trying to get me up there for years (since I’m such an NYC girl) and I am so sad it took me this long to go. We went right in the middle of the month which is the perfect time for ideal weather and fall foliage. With fall just around the corner, I thought it would be a great time to share a little travel diary and trip recommendations. If you are looking for somewhere to get away to this fall, I would HIGHLY recommend New England.

We went over a long weekend and our trip basically consisted of three legs. The first leg was spent touring downtown Boston. The second leg was spent (on Friday the 13th!) touring around Salem, MA and yes, it looks JUST like the movies! The last day we spent driving through some of the oldest, most picturesque towns of the state and up through some adorable coastal towns (I will do another blog post in a few weeks with more detail on our MA state road trip!). It was packed full but like I said, it was one of my favorite trips and I would do it again in a heartbeat! 

 

What We Did:

Downtown Boston – This was my first time to Boston so I definitely was out to get the full tourist experience. We landed early morning, checked into our hotel, and immediately headed out. Our first stop was Fenway Park! It’s such an iconic place and even though we didn’t go inside, it was so cool to see it and read all of the history about it. We made our way down Boylston St. on foot and of course stopped at the Boston Marathon Finish Line. The Boston Marathon is a world major on our bucket list so it was exciting to see where so many greats have ran through.

The Freedom Trail – This was a no brainer for us. Adam loves history and I love exploring cities on foot. The start of it is in Boston Commons. We went to the visitors center and paid for a map and proceeded on our self guided tour. It was such an exciting way to see so many things around Boston. I would read Adam the short stories from our map and he would just travel back in time.

Salem, MA – As a lifelong Hocus Pocus fan, I needed to go to Salem. Since it is such a short – and scenic – drive up the coast from Boston, it was a no brainer to go spend a day there.  We were there on a Friday the 13th in October, so it was obviously a bit crowded but it didn’t seem to bother us. People were in costume and definitely in the full Halloween spirit. We got there early and walked around a good bit, we did a Salem Witch Trials history show,and spent the afternoon taking in all of the sites. I will say it is more spread out than you may think. There were a few things we would have liked to see but we would have had to drive and because of the crowd, we didn’t want to leave our parking spot. But, there was PLENTY to do within walking distance of the main downtown. The town website also puts out an event calendar for the month of October (I’m not sure if they do it throughout the year or not, too) and we had already picked a few things off of that to do and see.

Road Trip – After we left Salem, we headed inland a little bit to a small town called Sudbury to stay the night in a very old historic hotel, the Wayside Inn (which I talk more about below). We stayed one night and then continued on our journey where we headed southeast to begin a driving tour that I had planned for us. As you can tell from my other travel diaries, we have gotten to where we really like to rent a car for a day or so on trips and just spend some time driving around seeing things that we wouldn’t normally get to see. We took all back roads (no highways) and absolutely soaked up every moment of gorgeous Massachusetts. Before our trip, I looked up the best Massachusetts road trips from this website. I put a few together that worked for our timing and route and it was just a blast! I am going to do a full blog post in a few weeks about all of the fun stops we made along the way.
Where We Ate:

I will preface this with I LOVE seafood. And I reallyyyy love clam chowder. So it was a must that we go to seafood places when we’re on the coast.

Blackbird Doughnuts – I know Bostonians are totally Dunkin’ people, but I researched to find a well known gourmet donut shop. They have a couple locations in town but we went to the Fenway Park location, as it was right at the start of our plan to walk the city. Oh em gee they were good. I got an apple cider and a chocolate covered donut and a coffee and I could have eaten about a hundred more. They were delish and I highly recommend a stop at one of their locations.

Union Oyster House – Very famous, this place is known as the country’s oldest operating restaurant. It is right on the Freedom Trail path and about halfway through, so I knew it would be a perfect spot to stop and have lunch. We ordered some clam chowder, fresh oysters, and then I had a fish sandwich. I am literally not lying when I say I love seafood. We sat upstairs and the whole place is just filled with history. It was such a cool place and I the food did not disappoint.

Caramel Patisserie – Macaroons in Salem. This place needs no explanation!

Sea Level Oyster Bar – We ate lunch here while we were in Salem. When we travel, I do like to find places that take reservations so that I know we’re not wasting a lot of our site seeing time on waiting around for food. This place was on the water and the menu looked amazing, so I was all in. And boy was it good. We sat at the bar looking out over the harbor and stuffing our face with clam chowder covered fries and oysters.

Central Warf Company – Sitting right on the water, this was the perfect last night dinner spot for us. We sat out on the patio and took in the beautiful view. Again, ordered seafood *big surprise* but the food was great and the cocktails were a-plenty. I also thought it was priced pretty reasonably considering it’s menu and location.
Where We Stayed:

Embassy Suites at the Airport – So we stayed here for two reasons…we knew our trip was going to be broken up with one night here, one night in Sudbury, MA, and our last night here. So we really wanted to be close to the airport rental car places so that we didn’t have to waste time doing that and we also wanted to be close to the airport for our early morning flights. Im sure there are really great places to stay in downtown or other parts of Boston, but this location really worked for the whole of our trip and Embassy Suites are usually nice hotels. It’s an airport hotel so obviously it was close for our flights and rental cars, but it was not a bad commute to get anywhere we wanted to go downtown.

Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA – After we departed Salem, we headed east. We wanted to stay in a picturesque historic Massachusetts place and stumbled across the Wayside Inn. It was an ideal location for what we wanted to do the following day after we were planning to check out, and Sudbury is the cutest town. Especially in the fall. The Inn was absolutely beautiful. It is the oldest operating inn in the United States. It sits on 125 acres that also house a chapel, a grist mill and an old barn among other historic landmarks. When we checked in, they handed us a KEY (not swipe card!) for room 6! (I know no one is used to this anymore!) The inn also has a restaurant that was packed! I think they had several bars too that were crowded. We checked in around 5pm and we were told the restaurant is one to rave about. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to eat dinner or breakfast there but we heard great things. I had printed out a property map and we immediately went to explore the grounds. It was so beautiful. By night time, the restaurant cleared out and the inn quieted down. I’m not going to lie, it was a bit eerie to me but that was part of the fun! Overall, I would absolutely recommend staying a night or two here and I would do it again. I think next time I would roam around the grounds more and definitely try the restaurant!  

Blackbird Doughnuts

 

 

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Travel Guide – Southern California & Las Vegas

Let me just say that this was a trip totally done up for my 30th birthday experience. I lived in LA for a summer back in college so I had seen it before (though Adam had never been) and I knew what I wanted to do and what I didn’t. I, shamelessly, am a Bravo fanatic and the loyal housewives follower that I am wanted to totally do it up in that way. We did not do a whole bunch of touristy things but I will include some things I have done in the past and are certainly worth taking the time to do and see.

What We Did:

San Diego – We flew into San Diego. Adam had never been to California so this gave us a great way to see more things, and you know we have started to love making little road trips out of our travels. We didn’t do a whole bunch here but we stopped in La Jolla for lunch and stopped off and hopped around a few of the famous beaches. We stopped in Laguna Beach at the 1000 Steps Beach and yep, it was 1000 steps alright! Good thing we’re in shape 🙂 Once you walk down the stairs, the ocean is just breathtaking. It was well worth the *trouble to find street parking* and hike up and down the stairs for that view.

Griffith Observatory – Sooo…the wildfires in Southern California have been so bad this year and unfortunately they were acting up while we were out there. That meant that the trails and the observatory were closed. I was actually really excited because I did not go here when I lived there so it would have been a new adventure for me. To say we were bummed is an understatement, but we moved on. All that to say, if the Observatory is open, I would recommend going to take in all of the views.

Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive – Obvi. The shopping on Rodeo Drive is iconic. Obviously I can afford none of it, but window shopping is a favorite past time. We were walking through and all Adam could say was “Wow, it really does look like it does in the movies!”

Westwood – I lived in LA the summer of 2009 and stayed at UCLA in Westwood. Adam wanted to go see my digs and it was so fun to drive around there and reminisce about that fun summer.

Santa Monica/Venice – When I lived in LA for a summer in college, my office was in Santa Monica 4 blocks from the pier. So I’ve been there done that, but Adam hadn’t and I hate hate hate that we did not make it out to Santa Monica or Venice on our trip. We had the intention of going the day after my birthday, but the night out completely won and had us needing a lounge chair by the pool the entire following day. I wouldn’t trade it, but I do wish I could have show Adam this iconic place and I would definitely recommend making the trek there if you’re anywhere in or around LA.

Beverly Hilton Pool – We spent one whole afternoon at the pool (mostly because we were hungover from going out a little too hard celebrating my birthday!) and we had so much fun. The pool staff was so friendly and helpful and offered everything we could have needed and wanted. It was the relaxing time that we definitely needed before heading to Las Vegas the next day.

Las Vegas – And that brings me to VEGAS, BABY! Cliche?? But honestly, Adam and I had never been and we thought “what the heck” since we were out on the west coast anyways. We were so lucky that my parents and my aunt and uncle flew out to meet us there and finish off my birthday week celebration. We stayed at The Bellagio, where we had booked a pool cabana for the day. July in Vegas is HOTTT, and that is the understatement of the century, so I thought a pool day would be perfect! The cabana was so nice and we had our own waiter and just drank froze’s and Miami vice’s all day long. We also of course saw an amazing show and gambled the night away!

 

Where We Ate:

George’s Ocean Terrace in La Jolla – This restaurant has a few different sections, like a fancier dinner part and a more upscale section. But there is a rooftop terrace overlooking the ocean and the views were perfect for a little lunch spot. The food was delish and the rose wasn’t bad either! I believe they take reservations but it was mid week and we were able to just walk up and get a table right away.

Villa Blanca – Helloooo Lisa V. No, we didn’t run in to her but my gosh if we had… However, the food here was SO GOOD. I was pleasantly surprised because with famous restaurants that have been made popular through reality TV, you just never know how the food and service is really going to be. We sat outside on the patio and it was lit with candles and string lights. I had a glass of LVP Rose and a huge plate of pasta! Adam had slipped it in there that it was my birthday and they brought out a delish dessert. We had traveled up from San Diego that day and with traffic and a hotel checkin fiasco, our wits were about done. So this was the perfect cap to the evening.

208 Rodeo – Adam discovered this little lunch spot for us on his way to get me after returning our rental car. He got back to the hotel and said “I found the perfect little terrace lunch spot next to Tiffany’s”…I mean swoon. It was in the middle of Rodeo so a tick pricey, but it was my thirtieth so who cares?! I had the french dip and it was delish.

Pump – We did not eat here, just came for the PUMPTINI! And yes, it was so good! It is just a block away from SUR, where we were eating dinner that night, so we had to stop in for the iconic cocktail.

Sur – Obviously, another Bravo superfan must. I’d say the food and service here was definitely not as good as Villa Blanca. Again, we sat on the patio which is perfectly fine because I am a patio gal. It was also a Friday night so it was crowded and I think they just try to pump through tables. We kept the drinks flowing and ended up having such a wild and incredibly memorable night here! Definitely one for the books.

Fleur – We went to see a show at Mandalay Bay so I wanted to go to dinner at a restaurant there so we could eat and easily get over to our show. We also had some sensitive palates in the group and Fleur had such a great menu that I thought everyone would enjoy. It also offered my favorite dish of all time – Osso Bucco – so I was sold.  

 

Where We Stayed:

The Beverly Hilton – I would totally recommend the Beverly Hilton. We had a slight hiccup at check in, but I won’t get into that. Otherwise, our stay was lovely and they actually upgraded our room for our troubles. The accommodations were great and the view from our room looked right out over Beverly Hills.

The Bellagio – The Bellagio was a gorgeous hotel. This was our first experience in Las Vegas, so we don’t really have anything compare to. We reserved a fountain view room and at only a few dollars more, it was totally worth the view and the show. We were able to check in online and avoid the long lines; we also checked out using the television in our room so it was a super convenient experience. We were only here for one night, so again I don’t really have a lot to go on, but we had a great experience.

View in La Jolla for a terrace lunch.

1000 Steps Beach, Laguna Beach

Room with a view – The Beverly Hilton

Villa Blanca with a Vanderpump Rose

UCLA

Rodeo Drive

Pump

SUR

The Bellagio

 

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Travel Guide – Denver, CO

Adam and I went to Denver, CO last August and it was a wonderful time of year to go. Though it was still a bit warm, the heat was dry and I could even throw on a light jacket at night. It was pretty much a whirlwind trip for us. We knew we wanted to go somewhere a weekend in August but we could not decide/agree on something. We ended up deciding on Denver two weeks before leaving and it was a great decision! We were only there for a long weekend so of course we had to pick and choose what was most important for us to do and see. 

What We Did:

Red Rocks – We are both huge music people so Red Rocks was an easy choice. It is such an iconic place, and it was absolutely breathtaking to see. The venue is open in the morning until mid afternoon on show days and all day on non-event days (see hours here and more about the venue here). There was a concert there the evening we went so we got there early in the morning. We hiked a bit, went through the museum, and ate lunch at the cafe. We also just spent a good bit of time sitting in the amphitheater and taking in the views. We of course still want to go to a show here some day but there weren’t any concerts of interest to us during our stay.

Colorado Rockies Baseball Game – One thing Adam and I love to do is go to baseball games in new cities that we visit. Baseball game tickets can be so cheap and we knew Coors Field was within walking distance from our hotel. We got upper deck tickets by the first base side because we knew that would give us the best view of the mountains, and it did not disappoint.

City Park – Denver City Park is HUGE! We wanted to walk there (it took about an hour from our hotel) so that we could tour through Capitol Hill and some other neighborhoods in the city. It was such a beautiful place and we could have really spent the whole day walking around it.

16th Street Mall – There is a huge stretch of 16th street right in downtown that is closed off to cars (but not the city bus!) and is just lined with shops and restaurants. There are normal stores like you’d find in a regular mall, tourist-y shops, breweries and restaurants, and funky little one-of-a-kind shops. We walked up and down the street several times during our stay and stumbled on new things each time.

Brewery Tour – After our tour of City Park, we spent the rest of the day walking around to different breweries and eating different food. Denver is famous for its craft beer and delicious food so we wanted to make sure we took advantage of that. Adam had a few in mind of beers that he enjoys so we just hopped around to some of those.

 

Where We Ate:

Ship Rock Grille – This is the restaurant at Red Rocks Park. We had planned to sit on the patio but it was full and instead got a seat inside right by the window overlooking the gorgeous park. The food was descent, nothing to write home about but it was totally about just taking in the sights for a little bit longer before we had to leave. And enjoying an ice cold Coors!

Wynkoop Brewing Company – We ate lunch here after touring City Park. It was a huge place but we were able to sit outside looking directly at Union Station.  The food was great and the environment was just fun and laid back, I love that about breweries.

Rock Bottom Brewery – This was not where we planned to eat dinner one night but I am so glad we stumbled upon it. We didn’t have to wait long, and while we did we just grabbed a drink at the bar. We sat outside on the patio right on 16th street.

 

Where We Stayed:

Embassy Suites Denver Downtown – This hotel was ideally located for our trip. We took a look at what all we wanted to do in town and chose this hotel because it was within walking distance to most of it. We had a great room with a view and the service was lovely. There was a complimentary breakfast which we ate one morning and also a manager’s happy hour that we took advantage of one evening before dinner.

Obviously Coors is a must. When in Rome.

Our seats had the best view.

 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…find a partner you can experience the world with!

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Travel Guide – Palm Coast, FL

Last June, My parents took Adam and I down to Palm Coast, Florida (which is not West Palm Beach btw) and though it’s looooong passed, I still wanted to share some of our trip. This was the perfect combination of fun, relaxation, good company and new adventures. And since beach trips can certainly be good for the soul year around, I though better late than never!

I would definitely recommend Palm Coast for a quieter getaway. It’s perfect for a summer beach week with the fam. We went in the middle of June and it still did not feel overcrowded, like a lot of beach towns do in the dead of summer. I’m sure we will go back soon!

 

What we did:

St. Augustine – What a beautiful place. We hopped right on the A1A and we were there in less than 30 minutes. There is so much history there (which Adam of course loved) and we spent a good bit of time exploring the Fort. After that, we walked around the town and just took in the ocean and the cute shops.

Flagler Beach – This is a pretty decent sized beach town (which I had never heard of) about 8 miles south of Palm Coast. There was beach access in the community we were staying at but dad decided he wanted a more popular beach and I liked the idea that it had lifeguards :). It wasn’t overly crowded but still had good people watching. The waves were high enough for Adam. And mom and I got our beach walk in. We camped out right near the Flagler Pier and it was really the perfect spot.

U2 Concert – One of our family’s favorite bands, U2, was on tour last summer celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of one of their hit albums. As soon as they announced their tour stops, my dad and I were looking at what show to go to. They did not announce an Atlanta stop (which would have been our go-to, obviously), so we came up with the next best option – Tampa, FL. We combined it with a beach trip and it was such an awesome time. The show was at Raymond James Stadium, which clearly brought up fabulous memories for Adam and I from last January. The band rocked the house and they played the entire Joshua Tree album from cover to cover. It was Adam’s first time seeing U2 and he had the best time.

 

Where we ate:

The Golden Lion Cafe – This restaurant was in Flagler Beach (about 8 miles from Palm Coast). It was right on the beach and we were able to snag a table on the rooftop deck and overlook the water and sunset as we ate.

The Columbia – I have been here before but no one else had. We spent most of the afternoon walking around downtown Saint Augustine but wanted to grab a quick bite and drinks before heading back. The food is mostly tapas style and it was AMAZING. They also have their own Sangria made in house and it knocked our socks right off. We actually went to the gift shop when we were done eating to buy a package of mix to make our own when we got home! I did make a reservation here because I was not sure how crowded it would be.

The Funky Pelican –  This is another restaurant right on Flagler Beach. We came here for lunch the day that we spent out at the beach and it was the perfect spot. Just a very short walk from where we had parked our beach bums so we were able to leave our stuff right on the beach while we took a lunch break. Again, we sat on the outdoor deck right on the sand. It was not crowded at all and the food was pretty good.

 

Where we stayed:

Hammock Dunes – This place was a dream. It’s kind of a retirement golf/spa community so that meant it was quiet and not crowded. We had a huge house to stay in with a pool. There was also a huge pool in the community that we had all to ourselves.

 

 

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