Onboard the Gravytrain

day 9: salerno to rapallo [a guest post!]

2015-09-17T09:35:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's been a while since my last check in little blog! I guess life just happens like that sometimes. In honor of it being almost a year since Kurt and I went to Italy last (gasp!) I thought I'd finally get around to posting all our photos from the trip! What better way to get back in the swing of things than with a guest post. Our trip was amazing (let me remind you of our previous day in Positano) but certainly hit a few rough patches along the way. Kurt really tells the story/stories best, so I'll let him share the tale with you. Enjoy!

Let me first start this off briefly by saying it's an honor to be invited back, thank you Melissa. My last post around these parts was already 3 years ago!

In the afternoon our final day in Positano we boarded a bus headed down the the Amalfi Coast for Salerno on a road I had only previously experienced in video games.

We arrived into Salerno just in time to hike to our AirBnB, clean up and head out for La Passaeggiata and then dinner.

Day 9 was planned to be a leisurely day of train riding back up the coast all the way to Rapallo. We would go from Salerno to Rome with a brief stop in Napoli on the Frecciarossa (Italy's new high speed trains). Then change in Rome to catch a slow local train traveling up the Mediterranean coast through Lazio, Tuscany, and ultimately Liguria.

I bought our longer-distance train tickets for the trip more than a month in advance - but even then I wasn't early enough to get us the Economy Class from Salerno to Rome. So we were forced to spend a little more money for Business Class seats which came with a free newspaper and coffee - Melissa chose to sleep, clearly she does not love High Speed Rail (HSR) as much as I do. This was a Friday morning so I pulled out my laptop and worked on my weekly College Football Pick'Em email while occasionally gazing out the window at the Southern Italian landscape while cruising along at speeds around 200 MPH. Upon arriving in Rome we got off to transfer to the local coastal train. After the long walk down the platform from business class (the back of the train) we were gazing at the departures board for our connecting train's platform. A good 5 minutes later, I glanced back towards the high speed train we had arrived on and thought "I don't have any photos of the high speed trains...I should take one now in this beautiful morning light..." It was at the end of this thought that I realized that my camera was not in my immediate possession. It dawned on me that I had left it under my seat on the train we were no longer aboard.

While Melissa settled in for a nap I happened to take a photograph of the train car as we departed Salerno. It looks like something is under my seat. Upon closer inspection, it is my camera in its case.

I frantically tell Melissa and said wait here, I'm going to try to get it before the train leaves! I didn't even take my huge backpack off, I just started sprinting down the platform. Within a few moments - and already out of breath - I saw a conductor and I splurt out a few words (everything from here on out that isn't a conversation between Melissa and I occurs in Italian). I said that I left my camera on the train and what should I do!? His response was: RUUUN! So I continue my full-out sprint towards the end of the train and I know that it must be preparing to leave shortly.

Because the Frecciarossa train we took from Milan to Rome was direct with no intermediate stops I assumed that when the doors closed on this train it would be bound non-stop for Milan. I identify the business car and get aboard, it's in this moment that I'm happy to have trekked that distance with my backpack as I dump it in the doorway to jam the doors if they close while I'm onboard. Huffing and puffing and completely out of breath, I exclaim to everyone settled into their seats "I LEFT MY CAMERA HERE. HAS ANYONE SEEN IT?!?!" Nothing, no one knows what I'm talking about (but they could also just be ignoring me since I appeared to be a crazy, panting, sweating, maniac). I pop down on all fours to scour the floor beneath the seats. Nothing! I don't see it anywhere! I turn around and my bag has been thrown out of the doorway onto the train and the doors are sliding closed, all of my New York City Subway riding experience comes to a head: I leap towards the doors and throw my arm into them just in the nick of time to prevent them from closing. They reopen, I grab my backpack, and jump off of the train. Now down on the platform with my backpack the doors close shut and the train begins to slowly pull away.

Immediately the conductors on the platform begin yelling at me (in Italian) and say that they should give me a fine. But not only are we in Italy, but we're in Rome, I know and they know I know, that they don't really intend to fine me. Melissa's back where I left here without any idea where I am or what's going on - in fact, she's certain that I'm on the train and headed to Florence or Milan. After moving past non-threat of a fine I explained to the conductors that I had left my camera aboard and was trying to find it. They're immediate response was: you're an idiot, the next stop on the train is another station in Rome. I could've stayed aboard the train, found my camera gotten off at Roma-Tiburtina then simply returned back to Roma-Termini.

At this point that option was neither here nor there, so they pulled out their closed circuit cell phone that communicates directly with trains. They try using it to call the train but it's not connecting and they're not sure if they even have the right number which is based on the train number - that was the 9524, right? or does it change to 9514 after Rome!? In between attempts to call the departed train, and speaking with the trains dispatchers the platform conductors are also calling and texting their buddies to discuss what they're smoke-break plans are - is Fabrizio meeting us? I could go for a brioche... These are the things that don't happen in Germany.

Still with no idea where I am Melissa makes an expensive international call to me as we're walking back down the platform. She's obviously relieved to hear I'm not on the train. Once we finally made it back to Melissa, I'm still chatting back and forth with the conductors as they're finally able to get in touch with the train: THEY HAVE MY CAMERA! The conductors at this point are happy to take us to the customer service desk on their way out of the station for their long-awaited smoke break.

Ok so what next, how do I get it back? Can we just send it on to Milan and pick it up there on Saturday? Can it be sent back on the next train from Florence to Rome and we just hang out for a couple hours and wait? The woman at customer service, we'll call her Maria, was quick to explain that on all Italian trains except the Frecce there is nothing they can do for lost items. Furthermore, for the Frecce trains there still is not a proper 'Lost and Found' but only a (as I understood and recall) 'Same-Day Courtesy Pick-Up/Return' policy. Meaning that once the camera arrives in Florence it either gets returned on the next train to Rome or it stays in Florence for the day for me to get up there and pick it up, there are no other options. So after a lengthy review of the train schedules and the logistics of how we could still make it to Rapallo at a decent hour we decided it made sense to go to Florence to pick up the camera. At some point in our time working with Maria a tourist in her 20s came in with a problem. She told Maria (all of their discourse was in English) that she had just left her camera on a train. Unfazed and seemingly unconcerned in any way, Maria asked to see her train ticket. Maria quickly looks it over, hands it back to the tourist and blankly says: there's nothing we can do. And that was it, the poor girl turned around and walked out, she would never see that camera ever again. Then Maria turned to us, printed our new tickets, I had to pay a very small increase in fare for the stop in Florence, she told us that once we arrive in Florence to go to customer service desk 18 where I would be able to retrieve my camera. We walked out together slightly frazzled but in the end happily knowing that I'd soon be reunited with my camera and all of the photos we'd taken on the trip to that point.

In Florence we had about 30 minutes to wait in the customer service desk 18's line (not insignificant) to retrieve the camera and get to our next train. After some explaining, and signing a surprising number of documents I was reunited with my beloved camera.

From Florence we took a regional train to Pisa, made a transfer in Pisa to another regional train which traveled along the Ligurian coast, through the Cinque Terre and finally to Rapallo. After all was said and done I think we arrived about 2 hours later than originally planned. From there we met up with a friend I met in New York at an Architecture for Humanity event a year or so prior who took us out for an evening tour of Portofino (✮✮✮✮✮), then a great dinner in Santa Margherita at a local establishment with his wife and some friends.

Thanks, Kurt! So dramatic, right?! Thankfully the camera was found and we weren't delayed too much. Just to prove the day wasn't a complete wash, here are some gorgeous photos from Portofino and Santa Margherita.

More Italy photos coming soon! I promise.....errr.......I hope!

engagement photos

2015-06-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

[Thanks for all your votes for our apartment in the Small Cool Contest! Sadly, we didn't win but had a great time competing. Maybe we'll enter again next year!]

In other news, Kurt and I had some engagement photos shot! Weddings are expensive, so I was honestly prepared to skip engagement photos and direct that money towards the BIG day. Luckily, I met Karen Kristian at NYC's Big Fake Wedding back in February and won her giveaway for a free engagement session in May. How exciting is that?! Karen is a FANtastic photographer based in Brooklyn (and Missouri). Kurt and I had such a fun time with her and she made us look pretty damn good (if I do say so myself). We shot at a few of our favorite spots in Prospect Park and Park Slope in our beloved Brooklyn. It was freeeeezing and drizzly that day, but I got my first blowout at Drybar, so that sort of made up for it :) I hope you enjoy lots of photos of our goofy grins.

Thanks again, Karen! You are a rockstar!

home tour

2015-05-19T13:57:00.001-04:00

I've lived in six Brooklyn apartments (and counting!) since living in NYC and they've all been very tiny. I don't claim to be any sort of expert on small space living, but I have learned a few things along the way. Each year I've loved pouring over Apartment Therapy's Small Cool Contest entries and seeing how other people manage to live stylishly in small footprints. I've always wanted to enter myself but never felt like my place was up to the challenge....until now! After moving into our new apartment last December, Kurt and I ditched some of our crappy old furniture in exchange for nicer investment pieces and made a huge effort to pull our space together. We entered the contest and are so excited to be featured! We're up against some stiff competition, so we would love to have your vote! See our entry page HERE or follow the link on the sidebar.

Thanks so much to Kurt for taking all these amazing photographs! Sadly, we could only submit five but here are all my favorites.

The living room. I'm in love with our couch. We sat in tailgate chairs for three months waiting for it to arrive and it's been life changing. Plus, it can be arranged to fit twin or king sheets and doubles as a guest bed. I loved the gallery wall at our last apartment but decided to use picture rails here for our extensive "art" collection.

Kurt and I watch TV while we eat together and love to have friends over for dinner, so carving out some dining space in the living room was key. The table is reclaimed wood with hairpin legs and we've finally graduated to a set of matching chairs.

I call the nook off the living room our "Map Room".

Of course our state of Ohio flag is still prominently displayed.

Some of my first DIY projects were painting the doors and kitchen cabinets black. I think it makes such a difference. We hang our bags and hats by the door on a piece of wood from Kurt's parents' front yard back in Ohio.

The bedroom. I've still got some work to do in here. Those walls are too bare :)

The plan in all its 450 SF glory.

Aubie says hi! and DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

day 8: positano

2015-04-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

Our Positano terrace! I miss that place!

Our last day on the Amalfi Coast, we did some lounging and exploring around Positano before catching a bus in the evening. The town is built into the hillside and all the buildings are are one road that switches back as it makes its way down to the beach. There is also a complex system of stairs for pedestrians that take you down to the beach. Needless to say, you don't want to forget anything at the top and have to go back up for it!

Kurt sat at the beach while I browsed some shops and searched for some good photo ops. Positano was truly one of my favorite parts of the trip. I can't wait to go back sometime!

Sadly, we finally had to pack up and leave to catch a bus to Salerno. Thankfully that ride wasn't as harrowing as our arrival!

day 7: positano and capri

2015-03-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

Kurt and I woke up to this gorgeous view from our Positano window and enjoyed breakfast provided by our hotel on the terrace. Talk about a pleasant morning!

From Positano, we took a ferry to the nearby island of Capri. Once we arrived, there were tons of boats around the harbor offering tours of the island and stops by Capri's most famous attraction, the Blue Grotto. Normally, Kurt and I try to avoid touristy things on our travels, but I wasn't about to miss out on THE thing you're supposed to do there. We swallowed our pride and bought tickets for a two hour ride around the island. It was expensive and cheesy at times, but I really enjoyed it!

The thing about the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzura) is that the entrance is super tiny. Our ferry boat got us close but then we had to get into little row boats (another fee, of course) that take you inside.

I was so terrified we were going to crash into the rocks!

But once you are inside it really is incredible!

Kurt even went for a swim. That required a nice tip to our row boat captain :)

After getting everyone back on board the ferry, we set off around the rest of the rocky island. Our tour guides told us all about Capri's history and pointed out all the vacation homes of the rich and famous perched on the cliffs.

Once back to the main harbor, we took a funicular to the top of the hill where the main town is. We got some snacks and enjoyed the view of all the boats coming and going.

After we'd seen enough of Capri, we walked back down the hill and took a ferry back to Positano. Arriving by boat really gives you the best view of the town. It's breathtaking!

day 6: rome to positano

2015-03-27T10:52:00.000-04:00

One part of the trip that I was most excited about was our brief stop on the Amalfi Coast. We said our goodbyes to Rome and took the train south to Naples to catch a ferry. We heard less than flattering things about the safety of Naples and had a narrow window to make our connection, so we practically ran from the train station to the harbor and just barely made it on the next ferry. Next time we are back in Italy, maybe we will brave a day trip to Naples for some tasty pizza and a side trip to Pompeii.

The ferry took us to Sorrento which was a lovely hillside, resort town. Sadly, we were only passing through to catch a bus to Positano but I would like to go back sometime. The views were gorgeous and it was easy to reach by trains, buses, or ferries.

The bus ride to Positano was pretty terrifying. We were driving right to the edge of cliffs on crazy winding roads trying to traverse the mountainous terrain. The views were gorgeous but at times I couldn’t watch because all I could imagine was us plummeting into the water. Thankfully we made it safely!

We found our cute little bed and breakfast and were amazed by the incredible views from our terrace. At times I couldn’t believe the landscape was real and that we were fortunate enough to be enjoying it. Kurt and I are so lucky to be able to travel like we do and it certainly wasn’t lost on us while we soaked up our time on the Amalfi Coast.

Positano is a popular beach destination but we were visiting in October which is considered the off season. Most businesses and restaurants were still open and the weather was warm and gorgeous but the entire town was pleasantly quiet. I can’t imagine being there in the height of summer and dealing with the crowds.

We enjoyed some seafood and pasta at a peaceful open air restaurant before strolling back up the hill to our hotel. More Amalfi Coast coming soon!

day 5: rome

2015-03-02T14:03:00.000-05:00

Italy posts! Yay! I'm trying to extract as much warmth and happiness from these photos because guess what? It's snowing in NYC again. Spring can't come soon enough!

Rome is one of my absolute favorite cities. I did a study abroad session there while in college, so it will forever hold a special place in my heart. This was our main day of sightseeing there, so as much as I hate to be that girl with the itinerary, there were highlights I wanted to hit, so I had us on a pretty tight schedule and we logged some miles walking.

A couple mornings while in Rome, Kurt and I went out before breakfast for a run around the gardens of Villa Doria Pamphili. It was a beautiful way to start the day and made a dent in all those pasta and wine calories.

View over the city from Gianicolo hill where our hotel was.

Appallingly, I never saw the Sistine Chapel when I lived in Rome, so I made sure to plan a trip to the Vatican Museum on this trip. There were so many people!

The entire museum is gorgeous, but everyone is obviously there to see the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

And it's so small! And surrounded by so many other paintings. I won't say the visit was disappointing because "the painting" is very beautiful, but it was a different experience than I had expected--and much more crowded.

Staircase at the Vatican Museum

OLD BRIDGE!!!!! This gelato shop is nearby the Vatican and was on the route between our residence and classrooms when I studied in Rome. It was an almost daily fixture in my study abroad diet. #StracciatellaForLife

Castel Sant'Angelo

Ara Pacis

Our Italian traveling partners, Manuela, Claudio, and Enea. They were all troopers for keeping up with my ~~death march~~ schedule.

Piazza del Popolo

Spanish Steps

The Pantheon!

Coffee and pastry at Sant'Eustachio--rumored to have the best espresso.

Courtyard of Saint Ivo Alla Sapienza

Piazza Navona

Rome's public fountains were life saving while traipsing around the city in unseasonably warm temperatures

Sigh. My dear, sweet Santa Maria della Pace. When studying in Rome, a friend and I were assigned a group project to study the church and do some sort of project/report about the site. I can't even remember what our project was about but that church has left such a mark on me. It's so small and beautiful and tucked away on a tiny, winding street. I was so happy to share it with Kurt. [The only thing that could have been better is if you had been there too, Jen!]

Campo di Fiori

I was pretty satisfied with our tour after seeing my beloved church, so Kurt and I settled in for a couple drinks at a bar on Piazza del Fico--aptly named Bar del Fico. ('Fico' is 'fig' in Italian and that was a gorgeous fig tree in the center of the piazza.) For being in the center of a very touristy area, the bar was really low key and frequented by locals. We chatted with one guy and asked for a dinner recommendation. He named a few places but ultimately said the restaurant connected to the bar we were at was the best. We were sold and went on to have a fantastic dinner. Other (extremely important) item of note: I've discovered my new favorite type of white wine. If you ever see 'Falanghina' on a menu, order it. It's light and dry and crisp and delicious. You're welcome!

More Italy to come!

life lately

2015-02-23T13:38:00.001-05:00

Well, I've really fallen off the wagon with this blogging thing, haven't I? Things got crazy for a bit around the holidays and now I just sort of find myself lacking free time that feels like it should be devoted to photo editing and typing up a few words in this space. We moved (see below) so I've been nesting and tinkering and puttering around the new apartment trying to make it as comfortable and pretty as I can. Also, I've been doing a lot of thinking about wedding planning which is a bit of a time suck. I haven't actually done more than email some vendors, make lots of lists, and pin images like a lunatic, but hopefully, I'll be putting some things in motion in that department soon. Anyway, enough excuses. I'm ready to get back here regularly. I've got so much left of our Italy trip to share! So as a big catch up, here's what's been going on since Thanksgiving!

My dad was in town in December for a few days. It was such a blast to traipse around the city with him, drink lots of wine and eat lots of good food, and keep him up past his normal bedtime.

We went to Rockefeller Center one day to check out the tree and St. Patrick's Cathedral (which was sadly under tons of scaffolding).

A friend got us amazing tickets, so Kurt and I took my dad to see a Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays.

Then we moved apartments five days before Christmas! Now I've moved a few times in my NYC career (this is apartment number six if anyone's counting) and this occasion was kind of miserable. The culprit? Way. Too. Much. Stuff. Somehow when Kurt and I moved in together, we both become hoarders and accumulated an impressive amount of objects in a year and a half. I'm really good at squirreling things away, so our apartment wasn't exactly overflowing with junk, but once you start boxing it all up and contemplate piling it in a moving truck, we had a few "how in the world did this happen?" moments. Also, only giving ourselves a week to pack each night after work was a pretty terrible idea. Anyway, we got through it. Thankfully we had help from Erik and Silvia AND Kurt's parents who were in town to celebrate Christmas with us. I'm sure it's not how they planned spending the holidays but we are eternally grateful for all the extra hands.

We really loved our old place and would have stayed there for several more years but unfortunately it wasn't in the cards (long story) so we've found a new place nearby in Windsor Terrace. It was sad to say goodbye to our first place together, but it was only walls and doors and windows so I'm boxing up all our happy memories of the place and moving on with our adventure. I'll be sure to share some new apartment images soon enough!

Well, two days after moving, we abandoned all our boxed up things at the new place and flew to Alabama for the holidays. Here we are at bluegrass night at a local country buffet in my hometown.

Downtown Huntsville

My Auburn architecture classmates usually put together a mini reunion over the Christmas holidays in Birmingham. Schedules don't always allow Kurt and I to make it down, but I am so thrilled whenever we can. My college friends are such a fantastic group and I love getting to see their faces in person.

No trip to Birmingham is complete without a stop by Railroad Park. Looking good!

Back at home, Kurt took some photos of my mom with her horses, Annie and Morley.

Before flying back to NYC, we tooled around Nashville for a few hours and my mom insisted we take Kurt by the Opryland Hotel. It's a weird shopping mall kind of hotel but seeing it all done up for the holidays is fun.

Back in New York, we spent a few days unpacking boxes, rang in the New Year with some friends in Manhattan, watched lots of football bowl games, and went up to the Catskills to celebrate my birthday (29!!! eeeek!!!!). I had been dying to try out The Graham & Co. in Phoenicia so Kurt and I booked a short weekend trip.

It snowed while we were there which was super pretty but made driving around kind of tricky. And it didn't snow enough to try something fun like cross country skiing. We poked around Woodstock for an afternoon and did lots of eating and drinking to fill the rest of the time. I'm looking forward to going back in the summer when we can take advantage of the pool, fire pit, hiking in the area, and even a railroad tour!

In case you haven't heard the B1G NEWS: Ohio State won the football national championship! Before the game, Kurt pledged that if his team could beat Oregon, he would shave off his beard (almost 10 years in the making at varying levels). They won! He shaved it! Verdict: he looked like a baby and was very cold for several weeks. It's mostly grown back to a respectable level now, but the change took a lot of getting used to on everyone's part.

One of my bosses lost her mind back in the fall and bought the office tickets to see Fleetwood Mac at Madison Square Garden. We ended up with an extra seat so Kurt was able to join and enjoy our awesome floor seats. I'm ashamed to say I didn't know much of their music before going, but it was an amazing show and they killed it.

I'm slowly make progress on our new apartment, but of course some of the first projects were to address our alcohol/accessory storage. Hopefully I'll have more pieces to share soon!

Oh, and the weather has been relentless this year. It snows all the time and is bitterly cold. My snow boots are in constant rotation and my wardrobe has been reduced to the few sweaters I own. Spring cannot come soon enough!

Thanks for sticking with me! I'm hoping to have more posts soon, including lots more from Italy!!!!

P.S. - I hope you all like the new layout! I wanted something fresh and simple, so I'm pretty happy with it stripped down to the basics.

day 4: the wedding

2014-12-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

The wedding day! After getting all dolled up at our hotel, we set out for the wedding ceremony at Santa Sabina.

The church is on top of one of Rome's hills, so there are amazing views from a park that neighbors the church. In true Italian fashion, the ceremony was a little late to start, so we had some time to take photos of the skyline. Kurt's zoom lens got some great shots of Saint Peter's.

Gorgeous bride!

Unfortunately, a lot of the groom's American friends weren't able to make the journey to Italy, but we were happy to represent and support Scott on his big day.

The reception was held at a hilltop venue outside of Rome in a small town. The views back to the city were gorgeous.

The food! Oh, those Italians know how to eat.

All of the bride's Italian friends were the sweetest. Towards the end of the evening, they all gathered together with a guitar and serenaded the couple.

You know it's a good party when Kurt swipes a bottle of prosecco :) We had a blast!

day 3: rome

2014-12-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Oh, Rome. Looking back through these photos reminds me that I love it so much. On our first day touring, we walked from our hotel in Gianicolo through Trastevere and all the way to the Colosseum.

The Tempietto

Tiber River

Piazza del Campidoglio

One of the civic buildings at the Campidoglio is like our City Hall where couples can get married by a judge. Here a Mariachi band awaits a newly married couple to emerge!

The Roman Forum

Approaching the Colliseum

Italian friends!

Inside the Colliseum

After our tour, we stopped for some gelato and a drink in Piazza Monti before taking a bus back to our hotel

day 1-2: nyc-milan-rome

2014-12-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm finally getting around to posting some photos from our recent time in Italy. Besides getting engaged, it was a really incredible trip. Bringing home a ring was just the cherry on top of a couple fantastic weeks abroad. While there were certainly some ups and downs (I'll get to those later), it was so much fun and I can't wait to plan our next adventure. On with the photos!

We found a good deal and flew Air Emirates direct from NYC to Milan. It was pretty deluxe and made the long flight time more bearable. After landing in Milan, Kurt's friend picked us up and toured us around the city a little bit before we caught a fast train to Rome. We stayed with a friend our first night there, so we quickly dropped our stuff at her apartment, showered, then headed out to dinner in her neighborhood. The weather was so nice, we were able to eat outside and then met up with more friends in Trastevere for drinks in a piazza. Although it was a whirlwind (ie exhausting) couple days of getting on the right time zone, it was great to hit the ground running. Many more photos to come!

washington d.c.

2014-11-17T22:20:00.001-05:00

Back in early October, Kurt, Erik, Silvia, and I took a quick weekend trip down to Washington D.C for a football game. It was the weekend before Kurt and I left for Italy, so we probably should have packing, but Kurt had been looking forward to watching Ohio State take on Maryland ever since he heard they were joining the Big Ten a couple years ago. You only live once! Packing can wait! While the boys went to the game, Silvia and I did some site seeing around D.C.

We saw the Capitol Building...

...toured around the Botanic Garden...

...used D.C.'s bike share to ride along the Mall...

...saw the Washington Monument...

...the WWII monument...

...the Lincoln Memorial...

...stopped for a bite at We the Pizza...

...saw a few exhibits at the Hirshorn Museum...

...and breezed through the Air and Space Museum just as it was closing.

The DC metro is so moody and clean in comparison to NYC.

We stayed at an awesome Airbnb in Columbia Heights which was convenient to Maryland's campus as well as central DC. The neighborhood was great and we found some great bars and restaurants nearby--Kangaroo Boxing Club for meat-heavy dishes, The Coupe for tasty brunch, and Meridian Pint for football watching on Saturday night and again for a quick breakfast before hitting the road on Sunday.

Thanks D.C.! See you next time!

the world famous canfield fair

2014-11-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

As long as Kurt and I have been dating, I've heard stories about the annual county fair in his Ohio hometown. Kurt and his brother grew up attending the fair religiously and even raised some prize winning turkeys and chickens for the 4-H competition. Since Kurt and his brother have moved away from home, they don't always make it back for the fair every year, but their parents still help out behind the scenes.

So after years of hearing all these amazing fair stories, Kurt and I finally took a Labor Day trip to Ohio to experience the greatness that is the Canfield Fair. Please excuse all the animal photos. I went a bit crazy but they were all so cute! And Mom, all those horses are for you!

BFFs!

Llamas!

Enormous pumpkins!

Kurt and his dad

Gorgeous blooms in the flower show. (Kurt's dad was in charge of the floral building and one evening Kurt and I got roped into emptying water out of hundreds of bottles of water, so a new show could be set up the next day. The full fair experience!)

There was an entire exhibit of hay!

Blue ribbon corn

Homemade beer and wine

Livestock/poultry auction

We spent a little time touring the horse stables and watching a few classes at the horse show.

Terrible fried food and people watching were plentiful.

On the last night, we even took in a few rounds of the tractor pull. You have to get the full experience.

I was very happy to finally witness the Canfield Fair and get a glimpse into Kurt's childhood. Next year, we've got plans to hit the New York State Fair!

welcome home!

2014-11-02T14:47:00.000-05:00

Kurt and I are back from our vacation to Italy! It was such an incredible trip and WE GOT ENGAGED! Kurt proposed in a gorgeous piazza in the hilltop town of Bergamo over a bottle of wine and tiramisu #luckygirl We're very excited about the future, and I'm thrilled to start planning the wedding. I hope to be able to share some fun details of the process here on the blog, but until then, you can see some ideas I've gathered on Pinterest. Confession: I might have had a few secret boards started before we even got engaged :)

This poor little blog has been neglected lately, but I'm hoping to get back to it and share some travels from as far back as the summer (!) and of course the million photos we have from Italy. At least the chilly temperatures outside make it easier to hole up in front of my computer with some hot cocoa--or probably more like a hot toddy :). Stay warm out there!

on the hunt: cross body bag

2014-09-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

Zara // Kate Spade Saturday // Mango

Madewell // Kate Spade Saturday // Kate Spade Saturday

Mango // Kate Spade Saturday // ModCloth

I've certainly refined my thoughts on handbags over the years. In high school, I had many different styles and colors (nothing fancy, of course) that got swapped out according to shoes and outfits. Be caught with brown shoes and a black purse? Absolutely not! (So serious in those days.)

In college, I kind of lost fervor for the cause when I was focused more on schlepping drawings and models and chipboard around campus. No one in studio noticed if my purse matched my shoes. I tried to keep a few "going out" things meant to hold lipstick instead of history books but they rarely got used.

Since I've moved to NYC, the city of designer purses and "it" bags, I've completely fallen off the radar. I have one purse at a time (typically no more than $100) that I use until it falls to pieces. Only one option means one less decision when getting ready in the morning. Only having one bag means I also have to looooove it, so I've really distilled what I look for in a purse to meet all my neuroses:

cross body--for hands free metro card wielding and subway bar grasping

smaller strap--for over the shoulder/crook of elbow holding at parties

colored leather (or faux leather)--for not offending either side in the ongoing black vs brown debate (but I also feel a rich caramel brown can reach across the aisle sometimes)

So I'm the hunt for a new, perfect bag for our trip to Italy. I'm looking for something on the smaller side--enough for my wallet, phone, bottle of water--so I don't kill my shoulder while out being a tourist all day. I want it to be accessible for quick gelato transactions but also secure enough to ward off pick pockets.

Any suggestions that meet my wildly specific list of requirements? Which one do you like above? I like them all, I'm not sure I can decide!!

buongiorno italia!

2014-09-19T14:08:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that Kurt and I love to travel. We also love a good party. So when a couple NYC friends decided to get married in Rome (the bride's hometown), we booked our tickets without much hesitation. What a great excuse for an Italian vacation, right? (If you recall, we made a pretty similar trip back in 2010 for--you guessed it--another wedding. See all those posts here but please excuse the teeny photos!) We leave in less than 3 weeks (eep!) and are very excited about the 16 day journey. We're sticking to Italy and visiting the following places:

Rome

Naples

Pompei

Positano

Capri

Salerno

Rapallo

Merate

Milan

Lecco

Bergamo

Monza

Villasanta

Until we leave, I will be freaking out about packing (what's the weather like in October?!?!) and trying to cram as much Italian from the DuoLingo app I can (not sure how useful "the monkey eats bananas" is going to be but I'm sticking with it). And of course I always get the urge to buy new things before a trip (my old stuff just doesn't seem Italy worthy) so some shopping is probably in order.

If you have any travel tips or favorite spots, please pass them along. I'm all ears!

B1G network party

2014-08-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I forgot to blog about this event Kurt and I had the chance to attend earlier in the summer. So in honor of being in the great state of Ohio for the Canfield Fair this weekend and duh duh duh duh....the start of college football on Saturday (War Eagle!), here is the story of how Kurt and I lucked our way into the most over the top NYC event I've ever been to.

For those of your who don't follow college sports, Kurt's alma mater Ohio State is in the Big Ten Conference which has it's own television network. This year, the conference is welcoming in Rutgers and Maryland and the Big Ten Network threw a big party to welcome the new fan base.

Somehow Kurt--the ~~rabid~~ loyal fan that he is--ended up on the invitation list and got me an RSVP as well. We've been to events our schools have hosted before but they usually consist of buying your own drinks at a bar and maybe a sad cheese plate in the corner. I guess TV networks have a bit more funds available and completely blew our expectations out of the water.

The party was held at the super swanky Cipriani 42nd Street. (Like if I dumped Kurt and married a politician and his family estate on Martha's Vineyard was booked, we would probably have our wedding here. It's that fancy.) There were several fully stocked bars (totally free!) and food everywhere as well as passed hors d'oeuvres. There were even super elaborate sushi stations complete with kimono clad Japanese women who would place the rolls on your plate for you.

The main room was converted into a football field with turf and bleachers and even field goals. The place was crawling with cheerleaders and mascots representing all the B1G teams. We were serenaded by Mekka Don (up and coming rapper who went to Ohio State) as Brutus and his friends filled in as back up dancers.

There was a short presentation by the network executives and then they started introducing all these past B1G sports stars, including past/current coaches and players. Kurt was out of his mind with glee at this point.

And then they had lots of fun trophies you could take your picture with! (Not pictured: burly security guards ready to tackle you if you tried to touch said trophies.) We hit the Heisman and Rose Bowl trophies early on and a little later in the evening (i.e. a few gin and tonics in) we thought the camera operator at the Big Ten Basketball Championship trophy looked bored, so we gave him our "business".

Kid in a candy store :)

We finally tracked down Eddie George--former Ohio State football player AND Landscape Architect--so Kurt could talk a little shop and get a photo. We might have to photoshop out that beer bottle before this gets framed and hung in Kurt's future man cave.

"Go Bucks!"

newport folk festival

2014-08-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

Kurt and I recently took a voyage to Rhode Island to attend the Newport Folk Festival. Apparently it's a pretty big deal...like my parents even know about it big (no offense, Mom and Dad!). We just heard that Band of Horses was playing and that was enough to convince us to buy day passes for Friday. When the weekend rolled around, we took a bus to Providence Thursday night, and rode with friends to Newport on Friday morning. As soon as we got into town, the car got parked at the hotel and we immediately rented bikes to explore Newport.

Shandy was the theme of the weekend, starting here at Midtown Oyster Bar.

Tooling around Bowen's Wharf

If shandy was the theme of the weekend, lobster rolls have been the theme of my summer. I can't get enough! This was a tasty one from Smokehouse.

Biking was such an excellent way to get around Newport and to the festival. We zoomed past so many ~~suckers~~ cars sitting in traffic and got prime parking right by the festival gates. There was quite a crowd of bikes, so thankfully there was oodles of parking provided by Bike Newport.

Once Kurt and I got our bearings of Fort Adams and the stage setup, we watched a great set by Phox.

Cornhole at the beer garden

The park juts out into the water on a peninsula, so we were surrounded by water and got to watch sailboats all day. It couldn't have been more beautiful!

Next we saw Jenny Lewis. I only know a little bit of her work with Postal Service and Rilo Kiley but she was excellent. I'll have to study up some more.

Band of Horses came on next and they were soooooo good. Their sound is certainly more twangy live than recorded but it was still excellent and the lead singer has an incredible voice. These guys were worth the trip alone.

Apparently everyone else and their brother was there to see Ryan Adams. He was okay and kind of a funny character between songs, but his music wasn't all that thrilling to us. To each their own, I guess.

There were so many tempting festival eats being offered but somehow we limited ourselves to corn and ice cream :) And we only ended up getting a single beer because it was so hot and sunny. Lots of water though!

Once the festival was over, we joined the bike mob exodus that was leaving the park. It was pretty incredible to be in a bike group that size and revel in the fact that all the people who drove to the festival would be sitting for hours in traffic waiting to leave.

We rounded out the evening exploring a few bars around Newport before heading up to Boston the next morning.

Every previous time I've been to Boston, I've tried to see the Boston Public Library but have always missed the open hours. Not this time! I finally met with success and was very impressed with what I saw. I might have to do a separate post because I've got so many more photos of the gorgeous building to share.

Touring around Newbury Street

On previous visits to Boston, we've done the Harpoon Brewery tour (which is excellent) but the owners have since opened a beer hall which we of course had to try. Surprise, surprise but our favorite brew was the UFO Big Squeeze--a grapefruit shandy! At least we are consistent :)

Thanks again, New England! You've been good to us!

weekend in review

2014-08-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

Kurt and I have a couple friends who live in Astoria and have mentioned good things about Singlecut Beersmiths in their neighborhood. Kurt and I are not ones to shy away from a good brewery, so we enlisted a group to make the trek to Queens last Friday night for a few beers and music.

The brewery is a bit of a hike from the train (and across the street from a strip mall) but the vibe is fun and laid back with indoor and outdoor seating.

The beers were awesome. My favorites were the 19-33 and the Jån.

Kurt's brother Erik had a connection with one of the employees and was able to talk someone into giving us an impromptu tour. I always love hearing about the beer making process and how every place got its start. FYI, the brewery is named "singlecut" after a type of guitar and most of their beer varieties are named after musicians.

Way back in 2013 Kurt and I bought tickets to see Arcade Fire here in Brooklyn. The show finally rolled around and it was fantastic! Worth the wait! I'm such a big fan of their music and was thrilled to see it live. There was even a cameo performance from one of the Ramones.

On Sunday, I ran a bunch of errands around Brooklyn while Kurt and Erik made a big batch of their famous jalapeño mustard (thanks to Silvia for the photo!).

We spent the afternoon at a cookout at Supercollider with some friends before getting re-hooked on Homeland in honor of the new season starting in October! Don't get me wrong, I love love love summer and the hot weather, but there is something exciting about new TV shows on the horizon in the fall. Bring it on!

Enjoy this last week of summer, people!

north fork weekend

2014-08-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, Kurt and I returned to the North Fork for a fun weekend of wine drinking and bike riding. We enjoyed our visit a couple years ago so much, we convinced Kurt's brother Erik and his girlfriend Silvia to join us on the trip this time.

We stayed at the same Airbnb house in Mattituck. The host is so sweet and fantastic. The house is such a great find. After a harrowing train ride out on Friday afternoon, we gladly dropped our bags at the house before grabbing dinner nearby.

We had a nice seafood dinner at the Old Mill Inn overlooking the water. We had the deck to ourselves other than a few buggy neighbors.

Darts and beers at the Broken Down Valise

On Saturday, we had breakfast at the Love Lane Kitchen and enjoyed a street fair on Mattituck before setting off on our wine tour.

Our first stop along the wine trail was Pellegrini Vineyards. We had to compete with a few bachelorette parties but the courtyard and back patio overlooking the grapes was a great place to warm up.

Next, we stopped by Bedell Vineyards and played the most difficult game of cornhole ever. Slippery boards are not your friend! However, a good rosé is.

Next, we stopped one of my favorite spots: Osprey's Dominion Vineyards. The atmosphere is so laid back with picnic tables (bring your own spread!), sangria sold outside in the gazedo, an outdoor band, spots for byo grilling, and a net for volleyball. You could really spend all day there and be perfectly content.

Our last stop was Corey Creek (a partner to Bedell Winery). We shared some more rosé and the view over the vines and soaked up the last of the afternoon sun.

We had some dinner at Alure Chowder House overlooking the marina.

As suggested by my favorite food blog, we rode our bikes all the way back to Mattituck for ice cream at The Magic Fountain. They had tons of tasty sounding flavors and a huge line outside, but after much deliberation I settled on S'mores. Delicious!

On Sunday, we took the train to Greenport near the end of the North Fork to do some more exploring. Kurt and I got some incredible lobster rolls and local beers at the Rhumb Line. (Thanks for the suggestion, Colleen!!)

If we had more time in town, I would have loved to take a visit to the Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. Next time!

And we finally got a taste of the beach! It was only on the harbor side and a little rocky, so instead of sunbathing, we just rummaged through the shells before heading back to town to watch the World Cup final. After watching Germany take home the title, we got some ice cream for the road and piled back on the train and headed home.

I love the North Fork! It is such a fun vacation very close to the city. I'm already scheming a way to get back very soon!

domino factory exhibit

2014-08-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago when Kurt's parents were in town, we went to see Kara Walker's art installation at the defunct Domino sugar factory in Williamsburg. It was the final day of "A Subtlety" so the line was many blocks long even before the exhibit even opened. Thankfully, it moved pretty quickly and we were shaded under the Williamsburg Bridge for most of it. The sugar sculptures were pretty amazing but my favorite part was seeing inside the old factory that will soon be torn down to make way for a new development.

weekend in review

2014-08-18T15:11:00.001-04:00

I've been home in Alabama this weekend visiting my parents. Here was my Friday view landing into Nashville.

All trips are planned around meals, so after fetching me from the airport, my parents and I had some tasty Mexican food at Rosepepper Cantina followed by ice cream across the street at Jeni's. I tried the Saison with Sunflower Seeds and Golden Flax, Sweet Cream Biscuits and Peach Jam, and Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet. So delicious! We even continued our Jeni's love through the weekend by using her base recipe to make some blueberry ice cream on Sunday.

I went on a couple runs while at home (hopefully to combat all the awesome food we ate). The roads are flat but deathly boring...nothing but cow pastures and corn fields. However, trying to outrun a thunderstorm on Sunday made it a little more exciting!

I had big plans to spend all weekend in the pool, but with so many other things to do, I only got in once. I'm not much of a swimmer but I do love relaxing in the water and paddling around. I could stay in there for hours.

My mom and I walked through Lowe Mill in Huntsville and checked out all the artist studios. It's such a funky little hippy bubble in a very non-hippy town. I hope it keeps getting more popular and adding some much needed variety to the area.

We popped into Pizzelle's Confections for creative little chocolates.

When in Rome, right? Extra points for eating it in the mall food court.

I had dinner with my parents and sister at The Huntsville Brewery one evening.

My grandmother is turning 90 this year, so my sister thought it would be a good idea to gift her a portrait of our family. I did a lot of timer setting and running to be in the shot, but I think we got some nice photos.

Sadly, I had to head back to NYC. On the way to the airport in Nashville, I suggested having lunch at Pinewood Social (after hearing about it from Allie). It was so much fun and I loved the building! I can't wait to bring Kurt back next time we visit.

The building is part of a larger development that revitalized old warehouses/factories along the river in the downtown area.

I had a tasty catfish sandwich and an Alabama beer...at 11am. Don't judge. I'm on vacation.

There is a bowling alley inside...

...and a bocce court outside!

There is lots of outside lounge seating, an Airstream trailer serving tacos, and even a couple little swimming pools! (I seriously thought I was in Brooklyn.) I think it would be fun to come back at night and enjoy the awesome cocktail/beer list.

Until next time Alabama/Tennessee!

weekend in review

2014-08-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

It was such a fantastically full weekend (and summer...hence all the not blogging)! It all began with a twilight bbq in Prospect Park on Friday night. The sunlight hours weren't on our side but a strategic location (read: street lights) and candles helped us extend the gorgeous summer evening.

Some friends graciously invited Kurt and I to a matinee Cirque du Soleil performance on Saturday afternoon. What an incredible show! The way those people move is out of this world. I was in pain (and awe) just watching. We followed that up by trying out the Other Half, a new brewery in Carroll Gardens, and getting some snacks at Lavender Lake. Since we were already nearby, I also convinced Kurt to try the new Ample Hills Creamery. I waited in line for a stupid amount of time to try their new flavor "It Came from Gowanus" but it was delicious (so worth it!).

On Sunday, Kurt and I went to brunch at our friends' apartment in the Upper East Side. Their gorgeous home and impeccable entertaining skills made me feel like I live in a college dorm room but it was still a lovely time. Since I was already in Manhattan, I popped up to the Met to see the Charles James show before it closes. The dresses were lovely but I think the real art was in the construction (which was a little lost on me). I spent more time wandering through the American Wing of the museum. Did you know the Met has an enormous permanent collection of decorative arts? It houses everything from furniture to silver pieces to glass vases from colonial/Revolutionary times. The spoon collection alone is astounding. My fall resolution (those exist, right?) is to spend more time perusing all the fantastic museums we have here in the city once the weather turns chilly. Break up the eating and drinking with a little bit of culture!

berkshires wedding weekend

2014-07-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Back in May (oy, where does the time go?), Kurt and I went to a friend's wedding in the Berkshires (I gave a quick instagram rundown way back when). Sometimes life without a car is complicated and expensive, especially when trying to get out of the city. We thought we would be clever (i.e. cheap) and take a Metro-North train to Poughkeepsie and rent a car there to save some $$. The train ride along the Hudson is fantastic but we ran into some complications with the rental car. After some cursing and stressing, it all worked out and we sped to get to the wedding on time in our minivan :)

The wedding was at Jiminy Peak in Western Massachusetts. It's a cute little ski resort that seems pretty sleepy in the summer months. We dashed for our hotel room and changed into our fancy clothes just in time to beat the couple to the ceremony. The wedding was small and sweet; the crowd mainly family and a few friends. We ate and drank and even did some dancing. After the main festivities, the groom fell asleep and the bride demanded we party it on. Being a small hotel in the middle of nowhere, we convinced the restaurant bartender it would be worth his while to stay open late for us. I think everyone went to bed happy.

The next day we had to return the rental car to Poughkeepsie but on the way stopped in Hudson, New York for breakfast. The town was very cute with lots of shops and restaurants in the historic downtown. I want to take the train back sometime and do some antique shopping!

points of interest: Jiminy Peak Resort, Hancock, MA // Half Time Beverage (fun beer store!) Poughkeepsie, NY // Le Gamin Country, Hudson, NY

weekend in review

2014-07-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

This weekend is brought you by instagram. We travelled out to the North Fork of Long Island and did lots of train riding, food eating, wine drinking, bike riding, soccer watching, and general vacationing. It was fantastic. I can't tell you how many times we just paused from the enjoyment and commented "can't we just stay a little longer?" Sigh. Now we're back to reality and I will hopefully get around to blogging with real pictures eventually because if there are this many instagrams, you know we took a boatload of photographs.

Follow along @melgraveline and we are so special we assigned the weekend a hashtag. See all our photos from the weekend with #dynamic4donorthfork.