New York Roadtrip

Last week, Josh and I flew to Buffalo, New York, to buy Josh a car (I mentioned it here).  The car didn't work out, but we managed to have a pretty fun time in spite of the disappointment.  More than 18 hours on the road, and more than 1,000 miles later, here's our adventure.

The first day was an adventure.  We arrived a little before noon, and then had the afternoon to spend exploring Buffalo and get up to Niagara Falls.  The Falls were simply amazing.  I've never seen something quite so beautiful in my life...and I don't even like things outside.  That's saying something.  God knew what he was doing when he made this! We walked around the whole park, then ventured over to Canada for a couple of hours.  On our drive back to our hotel, we stopped at Duff's Famous Wings in Amherst.  The Buffalo wings were delicious...not breaded and perfectly spicy.

On, he second day, Friday, we did the car thing in the morning, and then kept our rental car.  We drove from Buffalo, New York, up Lake Ontario and ended up having an amazing late lunch at Baranga's at the Beach in Hamilton, Ontario.  The restaurant, oddly enough, was like being at a Mexican resort.  The stucco building, fresh food, and light beaches along the water felt like the resort Josh and I spent our honeymoon in Mexico.  On a whim, we decided to head up to Toronto, just to say we'd done it.  Then, we drove to Sarnia, Ontario, to see Lake Huron.  After a couple pictures, we hopped back in the car and drove to our hotel near the Detroit airport.

The third day, Saturday, consisted of lots of driving.  We drove from Detroit to Lake Erie for a couple of pictures, and then passed through Toledo (again, just to say we'd done it) on our way to have lunch with my family in Elkhart, Indiana.  After lunch, Josh test drove another car, and then we drove to Chicago to meet Rod and Michaun.  We went to dinner with our Chicago tour guides (aka:  Rod and Michaun), and then walked around Millennium Park.  It was so fun to see the park at night which was very different from when I saw it on a morning walk in April.

The fourth day, Sunday, was filled with lots of sun and outdoor Chicago activities.  After brunch, we went on an architectural boat tour along the Chicago River.  I learned so much about Chicago history and architecture, like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer was created by Montgomery Ward in Chicago in 1939.  I guess I thought he has been around since Santa...but that's probably just my sheltered childhood coming through.  Once the boat tour was over, Rod and Michaun took me to Lake Michigan to check it off my 30 before 30 list.  We quickly freshened up, and then went to dinner at Chop House.

By the fifth day, Monday and Memorial Day, Josh and I were exhausted, but not too tired to see two more cars before we left Chicago.  Once we returned the rental car at the Des Moines airport and drove home, it was close to 5 PM.  So, from Thursday at 5 AM to Sunday at 5 PM, we logged more miles, experiences, lakes, and memories than I could have ever imagined.  It's a good life I have...  Thanks for being a part of it!

Niagara Falls, New York

I'm in two places at once!

Duff's Famous Buffalo Wings | Amherst, New York

Baranga's at the Beach | Hamilton, Ontario

Lake Huron | Sarnia, Ontario

Rod & Michaun at Buckingham Fountain | Chicago

In front of Buckingham Fountain | Chicago

Chicago Skyline

Chicago River Architectural Boat Tour

Lake Michigan | Chicago

Great Lakes

Josh and I flew to Buffalo, New York last Thursday to buy a car.  We decided to not purchase the car, but we did get to cross off a few things from my 30 before 30 list:  I got to see four of the five Great Lakes.  We did quite a lot on our five day trip (including visiting Rod and Michaun)...more on that later.

Lake Ontario | May 2012

Lake Huron | May 2012

Lake Erie | May 2012

Lake Michigan | May 2012

Chicago in 45 Minutes

I had about 45 minutes to walk around Chicago when I was in town for KBIS.  On the last day, I spent the morning enjoying a little bit of the sights.  I walked from my hotel to Jamba Juice (after I was sick of paying $24 for room service breakfasts).  On the way, I spotted this gem, The Chicago Theatre.

The Chicago Theatre

 Then, I checked Google maps (which apparently only is reliable for me in a large city), and noticed I was just a few blocks away from Millennium Park.  So, I made my way through all the business people on their way to work to see what I could see.  I'm so glad I did - it was beautiful and so enjoyable because it wasn't crowded.

So, that was my little 45 minute walk around Chicago.  Then, I had to shower and get ready to head to Luxe Home for a brief tour before catching a flight back home.  For some reason, I didn't take pictures on my Luxe Home tour until I was in a hardware showroom and was inspired by this wall of cabinet doors.

Kitchen and Bath Love

I worked at a kitchen and bath magazine for more than three years.  In that time, I interviewed a lot of designers and homeowners.  I have some favorites - one of whom is Rebekah Zaveloff from KitchenLab.  I love her style.  It's classic with a touch of modern and always fresh. 

Love the Cararara marble!

I could totally do my makeup while sitting there!

 Here's a link to one of my favorite kitchens Rebekah designed.  I could totally live here...

I wonder if I'll ever be as cool as she is...probably not.  She was just on an episode of Kitchen Crashers.  That makes her even cooler.  Here's a picture of us.  I tried to act way cooler than I was when I met Ree Drummond last year at BlogHer (more on that some other time).  I hope I succeeded in not acting like a complete star-struck moron.  Tomorrow morning we're meeting up at the Merchandise Mart to chat.  I can't wait!

KBIS Update

Today was pretty great, as expected.  I saw lots of product at KBIS.  Saw lots of PR reps.  And my feet hurt.  This is all very typical of any trade show.  The day was spent at McCormick Place, a huge convention center in Chicago.  The night ended with the Moen Spa Event, an event I look forward to every year.  I literally plan every other press event around this one.  Tonight didn't disappoint.  I had amazing food, wine and conversation with some of my favorite PR reps.  Then, I was treated to a neck and back massage, air-brushed makeup, and ended with making my own blend of sea salt scrub.  It was fabulous.  And the best part - I got to meet up with my former boss, Marie, and some of my favorite kitchen and bath editors (who I use to work with for years).  It was pretty amazing overall.  It doesn't get much better than the Moen Spa Event.  If you haven't gone, you're missing out.

Some of my favorite kitchen and bath editors leaving the Moen Spa Event!

We got airbrushed makeup and had to document!

Also, I learned that next year's event will be in New Orleans the weekend of April 19.  I hope I have the opportunity to attend!

Catching Up

Tonight was pretty wonderful.  Michaun and I were supposed to have dinner with some other Chicago-area Kappas, but things fell through at the last minute, and we had an intimate dinner with just the two of us.  It was amazing.  She took me to Farmhouse (no, Emily, not the fraternity we stayed at the summer between sophomore and junior year of college).

The rustic touches and mouth-watering meals make me want to return.

Michaun had the following: Half Roasted Amish Chicken, Baby Cumin Carrots, Roasted Forest Mushrooms, Cracked Pepper Spaetzle and Rosemary Jus.  I had this tasty dish:  Tender Boneless Beef Short Ribs, Horseradish Whipped Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts, Crispy Buttermilk Onions, Natural Braising Jus.  Actually, this is from their menu online, which I'm noticing is a little out-of-date.  Michaun had chicken and I had the short ribs.  The sides were something else.  Detour...  Anyway, being the good Midwestern girls we are, we cleaned our plates.  Ok, I did.  Michaun was polite.

Catching up was fantastic.  The food was amazing, but the conversation was even better.  I may not have all my besties living in the same state, but it sure is nice to visit!  I guess this makes every moment together even more special.  Can't wait to visit again this summer and go on a super cool river cruise!

Tradeshow Fun

Every year since I started working, I've been lucky enough to attend the National Kitchen & Bath Industry Show.  This year, I'm back in Chicago (it's my third time here), and I'm really looking forward to the next few days.  I love Chicago, especially when it's not raining, super cold, or super windy. 

This week, I think I'm in luck.  The weather should be in the 50s and 60s with no rain (although it says nothing about wind, which is likely in the Windy City).  I'm staying at the amazing Hotel Monaco, and for the first time, I'm on the 12th floor.  I have an amazing window seat with a fabulous view of the Chicago River.

The pictured window seat is where I'm sitting right now.  It's perfectly normal to be jealous.

This is my view.  It's pretty spectacular!

Also, tonight, I'm having dinner with a few college friends.  One of which, is my dear friend Michaun.  I love her.  She's pretty great.  Not that my other friends aren't - they're all wonderful in their own way.  Michaun is one of the nicest people I know.  She's probably a tie with wonderful Joanna.  Spending any amount of time with Michaun is refreshing...even if she's hungover like she was this past December when I was visiting Chicago.  She's just so easy to talk to and makes everyone feel better (which is probably why she's so good working in HR).  So, I like spending time with her and I can't wait to see her later.  I have a framed picture of us in my living room.  It's from our first week as freshmen at Iowa State.  We were wearing our Kappa shirts and eating watermelon at Watermelon Fest, the welcome fest for all the new Greek members.  I made her hold up her slice of watermelon in the photo...and, of course, made sure it made the frame crop.  Below is my most recent picture with Michaun.  It's from this past February when we went to visit Heather and Baby T in St. Louis (and Emily joined us from Minneapolis).  She's my Mexican friend who is married to a Filipino.  I was born in the Philippines, so I feel an even greater bond with her now that she married Rod.

Emily, me (holding Alison), Heather (holding Baby T), and Michaun

I hope to have more updates later this week.  I already learned how to upload photos from my iphone to my computer.  It's the little things in life...