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On My Way to the City by the Bay

25. October 2012 · 1 comment · Categories: Life Updates & Recaps, Travel · Tags: , , , , , , ,

(I’m a poet and I didn’t know it).

san fran collaga On My Way to the City by the Bay1, 2, 3

As you’re reading this, I’m most likely boarding a plane for my first ever trip to San Francisco- also known as The Golden Gate City, The City of Freedom, Everybody’s Favorite City, Sucka Free City (my personal favorite), and Frisco. It’s been in the number one spot on my “must visit” list for quite awhile now, so I convinced two of my best friends from college to coordinate a fall getaway with me. Let me tell you, buying three decently-priced plane tickets from three separate cities based around three very different schedules was not easy, but we managed to pull it off!

In a few short hours, I’ll land in SFO, meet my friends in baggage claim, and take my first BART ride into the city. We’re staying with one of our guy friends from college, who is surprisingly calm about the impending chaos that three giddy young women kids will bring.

We have several ideas of what we want to do, but the most important thing for me to remember is that having fun with great friends is my number priority…and I’ll always get another trip back to San Fran!

A few ideas we’ve tossed around:

  • Explore the Mission
  • See Lombard St
  • Visit Alcatraz
  • Take a day trip to Napa for wine tastings
  • Wander around Berkeley’s campus
  • Enjoy dinner with one of my friend’s cousins
  • Hang out down by the port?
  • Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Meander through the Redwoods

A few things are for sure: we’ll be drinking tons of coffee and some adult beverages, telling tons of silly jokes, acting like goofy college girls again, and snapping tons of photos. Bring it on, San Fran!

P.S. Have you noticed that I have a weird obsession with city nicknames? See my posts on Nashville and New Orleans!

A Day Trip to Blowing Rock, North Carolina

15. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Photography, Travel · Tags: , , , , , , ,

As we sat at Hollymead on Saturday, we contemplated what to do with our last day. Our top choices included a trip to nearby Blowing Rock or a day at a local vineyard. Since we went to Shelton Vineyards last time, we opted for the hour drive to Blowing Rock, which I had never visited but had heard rave reviews about.

This time it was just me, my sister, and Larry- we managed to have a good time even with Larry there (just kidding- Larry reads my blog and I wanted to poke [more] fun at him!). It was a marvelouuuuus day in an adorable little mountain town. The drive to town through the mountains was beautiful, even though the leaves haven’t fully turned yet. We grabbed lattes at Revive Java, wandered through the shops, snapped a bunch of pictures, saw a couple we know from Raleigh (hi guys!), played a prank on Larry, ate lunch at Storie Street Grill (pot roast with mashed potatoes and green beans for me!), and then got ice cream at Kilwin’s (I got half cashew toffee and half signature turtle).

I would absolutely love to go back to Blowing Rock for a day or overnight. It’s a perfectly picturesque place and the perfect daytime excursion from Hollymead! Thanks for taking us, Larry icon smile A Day Trip to Blowing Rock, North Carolina

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Just Another Day in Paradise

13. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Photography, Travel · Tags: , , , , ,

I guess I should have put more thought into the word “relaxing” yesterday. Does mowing a pasture count as relaxing? Larry was gracious enough to “allow” me to use a zero-turn radius mower on the lower pasture again- my sister got to ride horses, I got to ride the John Deere! There is nothing like sitting on that mower seat on a perfect fall day in the country with the radio playing on headphones. I’m secretly a farm girl…

Other highlights of yesterday: 5pm snacks of spicy hummus and margaritas, delicious gluten-free eggplant parmesan and red wine for dinner, watching a very sweet 50th birthday video, and watching a few episodes of Modern Family.

On the agenda today: more mowing! Then a field trip to either a vineyard or Blowing Rock!

DSC 00042 1024x682 Just Another Day in Paradise
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(Yup, had to have my Starbucks cup on the farm!)
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(Should read Welcome to Paradise…)
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(The Kabota, which we nicknamed the Katubah)
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DSC 0031 1024x632 Just Another Day in Paradise

Good Afternoon from Hollymead

12. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Life Updates & Recaps, Travel · Tags: , , , ,

Another weekend at Hollymead, this time just me and my sister!

Our road trip to the farm consisted of eating at Smithfield’s BBQ (sans buns to make it gluten-free), listening to Basshunter, responding to several work emails, and updating my sister’s resume (in related news, I want to offer resume writing/critique services since people are always asking me to review theirs!).

So far today I’ve eaten pumpkin oatmeal and sipped Caribou Daybreak coffee for breakfast, helped load food for a school backpack program, and had lunch at a local pizza parlor. We’ll see what the rest of the day holds, but I have no doubt it will be a fun, relaxing day on the farm!

DSC 00091 Good Afternoon from HollymeadRoses from the gaden in a vase in the house

Cozy Images for a Rainy Monday

08. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Photography · Tags: , , , , ,

Feeling a little down on this gloomy Monday afternoon? I figured I’d share some cozy images from the past few months!

DSC 0033 1024x558 Cozy Images for a Rainy MondayVeil of Roses and Better Homes & Gardens
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A mug of coffee and a magazine
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Fall leaves (last year)
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Flowers at Duke Gardens
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More flowers at Duke Gardens
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And even more flowers at Duke Gardens!
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Bud Light at the lake mansion
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Shelton Vineyard in Yadkin Valley
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Sister and stepdad at Brightleaf Square in Durham

A Visit to the Opryland Hotel

05. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Travel · Tags: , , , , ,

On one of our days in Nashville, my sister suggested that we visit the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, which is next to the Grand Ole Opry. After exploring the 9 acre hotel, we were shocked that none of our friends had recommended it as a must-see in Nashville. So here is my official Opryland Hotel endorsement: if you are in Nashville, go! You will not regret it.

DSC 0090 1024x555 A Visit to the Opryland HotelI spy the Opryland Hotel (and maybe some fall leaves?!)
DSC 0095 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland Hotel The lobby of the hotel
DSC 0099 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelTo our right: a woman dressed as Little Boo Peep singing “Hoooooowdy” at the top of her lungs. The sound rang in our ears for the rest of the day and we took it upon ourselves to share the “Hoooowdy” love with other strangers
DSC 0130 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelHaha! Trying to pose like the statue. The Roman Sisters are a bit odd

DSC 0109 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelWe decided that late night hide-and-seek in the hotel would be epic
DSC 0138 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelLas tres amigas
DSC 0141 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelWe hit up the on-site Mexican restaurant for happy hour- appetizers were $4-$6! Tip: if you buy food in one of the on-site restaurants, they will validate your parking ticket (which is usually $20). We bought happy hour appetizers for a total of $12 and ended up with free parking- win!
DSC 0143 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelQueso con chorizos y guacamole. Come se dice “nom nom nom” en espanol?
DSC 0145 1024x682 A Visit to the Opryland HotelThe three musketeers- happy, full, caffeinated, and ready for a night at Tootsie’s!

For more photos from the Opryland Hotel, visit my Nashville pictures page!

“Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?”

02. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Life Updates & Recaps, Travel · Tags: , , , ,

On Wednesday night, my sister, our friend Colette, and I boarded a plane (for the first time all together!) to Nashville.

DSC 00011 1024x682 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?In the security line, we jokingly got called out by a TSA agent for being troublemakers. Before we sat down, we asked the man in the adjoining seat if he would cry if we sat next to him. We thought it was nice of us to give him a fair warning.

When we got to Nashville, we met our friend’s aunt and uncle, who we were staying with. The five of us hit it off immediately- they’re the kind of people you feel instantly comfortable around. We heard so many inspirational stories from our friend’s aunt over Mexican food and margaritas.

The next morning, Sara Rose and I met up with Sam Davidson, our TEDxRaleigh amigo, for breakfast at Marche, an adorable artisan eatery in East Nashville. We had the best ricotta, sun-dried tomato, and pesto omelettes with green salads on the side, giant mugs of delicious coffee, and scintillating conversation.

DSC 00231 1024x682 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?Our chauffeur (aka our friend) picked us up from breakfast to take us to see the Parthenon replica in Centennial Park but we left when we realized we would have to pay for the museum. I swear we’re cultured…
DSC 00271 1024x682 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?Peeking out to say cuckoo.
DSC 00401 1024x682 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?And speaking of birds…we ate lunch at McDougal’s in Hillsboro Village. My buffalo chicken salad was amazing- and gluten-free!
DSC 00611 1024x682 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?Time for Pied Piper- voted the second best ice cream place in Nashville. The guy working said Taylor Swift goes there sometimes. I ordered The Professor and sent a photo text to my boyfriend the professor haha.
DSC 00671 1024x1002 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?Then we spotted this across the street from Pied Piper: the city’s only full-service weenery. Obviously we thought this was hysterical and said “That’s what she said” a lot.

We made friends with the neighbors- including one guy we nicknamed Wendy- and they showed us a local burger joint called BurgerUp. Caramelized onions and gluten-free buns- I’m a fan! It was on par with Chuck’s in Raleigh.

DSC 00751 1024x533 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?The next day, we grabbed lunch at Calypso Cafe, a cute local Jamaican chain and rehashed our interesting night out on Broadway Street (it involved fireballs, card tricks, and giving nicknames to everyone we met, like Birdie, Bong, and Purple Stripe Man).
DSC 00771 1024x682 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?Jerk chicken, green salad, and a bean salad. So good and affordable! And let me tell you, that green salad was delicious at 3am too icon smile Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?
DSC 00811 1024x950 Sir, will you cry if we sit next to you?Haha black bean check!

To be continued…

Exploring Music City {Nashville}

26. September 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Travel · Tags: , , , , , ,

Off to Nashville this evening!

It’s has always been on my radar as a city that I had to visit, but my sister, our friend Colette, and I knew we had to book a trip when we saw $100 round-trip tickets on Southwest’s Fall Fares list.

We are again lucky enough to have someone to stay with in the city, which minimizes travel costs by quite a bit.

Since I’ve never been to Nashville- also known as the Athens of the South- I put up a Facebook status asking for ideas for what to do. Here are some of the suggestions my friends gave me:

  • See the Parthenon replica at Centennial Park

partenon nashville Exploring Music City {Nashville}[Parthenon replica]

hall of fame thumb Exploring Music City {Nashville} [Country Music Hall of Fame]

  • Listen to a show at Blue Bird Café
  • Bar hop on Broadway, especially Tootsies and The Stage

broadway nashville thumb Exploring Music City {Nashville} [Bars on Broadway]

One thing we know we’re doing is meeting up with Sam Davidson, who we met through TEDxRaleigh last year, for an authentic Nashville breakfast.

I’ve got my kicks and I’m ready to rock. You better believe I’ll be listening to Party in the USA- except this definitely is a Nashville party icon smile Exploring Music City {Nashville}

boots Exploring Music City {Nashville}

 Any other suggestions?! I’d love to hear them!

A Frat House by the Lake

21. September 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Photography, Travel · Tags: , , , , , ,

Last weekend, I stayed in a beautiful lake mansion with some friends. The following pictures make everything look very serene and calm. What you don’t see: the 200 Solo cups scattered around, the bar covered in handles, the ping pong balls all over the floor, the people napping on couches, the mess of a kitchen, and the dining room table covered in groceries. Oh the joys of young adulthood.

DSC 0009 1024x682 A Frat House by the Lake Fire pit
DSC 0007 1024x682 A Frat House by the Lake Back of the house
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Our dock
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Playing around with my camera’s aperture
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Lake!
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More pictures to come!

On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

18. July 2012 · 1 comment · Categories: Life Updates & Recaps, Travel · Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Transitioning back to the workweek after a family staycation and a fun birthday weekend is a challenge- as Nutritionella pointed out, ever feel like you need a vacation to recover from vacation?

I thought it would help to remind myself of the fun trips I have on the horizon for the rest of summer and the beginning of fall.

On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

Back to Hollymead

On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

Work & fun trip to DC

On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

Bachelorette party at undisclosed location

On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

First time in Nashville

On the Horizon: Upcoming Trips

First time in San Francisco

Thank goodness I have generous family, friends, family friends, and friend’s family in cool places! We’ll be driving to most of these places, so the gas split between multiple people won’t be too expensive. For the other places, I/we have managed to find great deals by browsing Southwest’s fall sales and planning trips around the cheapest dates {hooray for workplace flexibility!}.

Where are you headed this summer/fall? What tips do you have for affordable travel? 

P.S. For more travel inspiration, check out Linnie’s Summer Travel Series!

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+Cristina Roman