Phun in Philly: Days Three and Four

Our first full day in Philly was so jam packed, we thought we'd start Saturday off easy. Our friend Kristin highly recommended a place for breakfast; really, she gushed about it. So we headed off to South Philly to Carman's Country Kitchen. This tiny little corner joint (literally 3 tables inside, an 8 seat counter, and a pick up truck at the curb with a picnic table in back) was so awesome! It's full of kitschy tchotchkes and mismatched vintage dishware, and hidden among the Betty Boop cookie jars were penis pepper shakers, boobie mugs, and all sorts of fun things to laugh at while you ponder the menu. The menu, by the way, changes every day and offers four choices, all whipped up by Carman in a kitchen so tiny I don't know how she turns around. E went for the Jewish New Year special: brisket with fried eggs, toast, and country potatoes. I had challah French toast topped with baked peaches, apples, and blueberries and a mound of homemade whipped cream. I could have died. Trust me, when a woman's business card says, "She puts the Cunt back in Country" you know you're in good hands. Just call ahead to make a reservation; it's a local fave and we were lucky to get in!

We rolled ourselves out the door and walked down to the Italian Market on 9th Street. More amazing food stalls, specialty shops, and cafes. The cheeses alone got me dizzy, but E was more thrilled staring at meat. He made me walk into every butcher shop to ogle chops even though we couldn't buy anything. He was equally impressed that you can buy a whole boneless roasted pig there. How the hell they do that I have no idea, but it sounds impressive! On our way out, we passed the Magic Gardens, an art installation made of found objects, broken glass, and concrete created by Isaiah Zagar. Next time, I'll take the time to go inside, but even the outside is stunning and I imagine kids would love it!

We moved on to my absolute favorite part of our whole trip: The Eastern State Penitentiary. I wasn't really joking about the going to jail thing! We spent hours wandering this old prison, home to some of the notorious criminals in American history. It's truly amazing how they've kept this place as a ruin with only a few restorations. I took an insane amount of photos, and now I know I really do need a good camera! These were the best I could do with my old point and shoot, and I have tons more on flickr if you care to look. I'm not really a history buff, but the stories about what took place in the prison are fascinating. It's also got some very cool artists' installations scattered throughout the ruin, all linked in some way to exploring the prison system in America today compared to how it was when the ESP was built. I just wish I could go back next month to do the haunted tour!

We were smart on that afternoon and actually went back to the hotel for naps, then out to dinner at Lolita. It's one of the several restaurants and shops on 13th Street owned by Marcie Turney, one of the hottest female chefs in town. We went early since they don't take reservations and it's really popular, and the food was so delicious! We had guacamole (duh), roasted poblano and chihuahua gorditas, and short ribs. The ribs were crazy good, but left us, sadly, with no room for dessert. Lolita is also another another BYO place, but they call it BYOT for Bring Your Own Tequila. They bring a big pitcher of Blood Orange or Strawberry Basil Margaritas and you spike your own. Fun! We did some more shop hopping (oh how I loved you, duross & langel!) and called it a night.

Sunday was time to head home, but not without a stop at one of Philly's most famous places: The Philadelphia Museum of Art. No, we did not run up the steps and jump around like Rocky. No, we didn't even take our pictures with the statue of Rocky. I don't even like Rocky. I just wanted to see the art. Honestly, I think it would take a full day or at least two trips to really see everything inside. The place is huge and they have some gorgeous exhibits. It was perfect for such a gray drizzly day and a nice way to end a very long weekend. I'd go back in a heartbeat, if only to eat at more restaurants, but for now I'm keeping my walking tours to a minimum. It took two days for my feet to stop throbbing.

Phun in Philly: Days One and Two

Ever feel like you need a vacation from your vacation? I'm feeling that way right now. E and I got home yesterday from a four day mini-vaca to Philly, and my legs are jello. I wish I'd worn a pedometer because I feel like I walked a hundred miles. Two hundred maybe. Anyway, it's a good thing, because I definitely needed to walk off everything I ate: milkshakes, cheese steaks, Thai, and Mexican, plus the best brunch in the history of brunches. Philadelphia is foodie heaven, people. Luckily for us, it's only a two hour drive, but if you get a chance to swing by, do so immediately! It's a really fun city, full of amazing American history, great shopping and food, and too much to do in only a few days. I took a ridiculous amount of photos, so I'm just going to highlight a few of them and add links so as not to lull you to sleep with my grandiose photo stylings :P Every place we went I would go back to, so hit them up if you can!

Day One: We checked in to our hotel right across from City Hall, and then hit up La Scala for Happy Hour. We ordered these insane little risotto and mozzarella arancine (basically risotto and cheese rolled into balls, then breaded and fried) and the calamari, which was also good. Then it was on to McGillin's Olde Ale House, the oldest bar in town. They opened in 1860 and still serve beer made from original recipes, plus they serve sauerbraten, which makes E happier than a pig in sheisse. It's charming and full of locals, so you won't feel surrounded by tourists.

Day Two: Our official sightseeing day and the day of a million footsteps. We started at the National Constitution Center, which is so interesting, even if you aren't a big history dork. It takes about an hour and is right downtown, so you can stop there after seeing the LOVE statue and head over to Reading Terminal Market aka Heaven. 

I could have spent all fricking day in this place! Holy crap, you guys, food for miles. Fresh and local produce, meats, specialty foods, tons of little places to sit and eat any kind of cuisine you want, plus adorable Amish girls hawking bread, old dudes with homemade sausage, and it smells some kind of amazing I can't even describe. Basically, I want to move in. If you dig food, this place is a must see. 

From there we walked through Chinatown to Liberty Bell Center, then stopped for beer at City Tavern. This is another place that has been around forever is is full of history, and they make the poor staff dress up. It's a little like traveling back in time, and the food is supposed to be great. 

Next we wandered over to Penn's Landing, where we had cheese steaks at Campo's and milkshakes at Franklin Fountain. Honestly, cheese steaks don't do much for me, but that little ice cream shop was the cutest thing ever. 

By then I needed a nap. Instead we went to Ben Franklin's house, shop hopped, and went out for Thai food. See what I'm saying about needing the walking? We had lemongrass soup, lettuce wraps and green curry at Aqua, which was all so good. It was a little loud thanks to a couple of big loudmouth parties, but the pricing was really reasonable for the area and the food we had. It's BYO, which it seems like may of the smaller restaurants are in town, so stop for booze on your way! After that, we went back to the hotel and I passed the f out. Philly made me tired! 

Stay tuned for Days 3 and 4, when E and I go to jail!

Moth Man

And now back to our weekend...
Sunday was game day, which means big beers, overloaded nachos, and Polish sausage. Thankfully we picked the right day, since the Red Sox won on Sunday and went on to lose 3 out of 4. The game was followed by naps, dinner in, and an Irish pub crawl. We hit up O'Callahan's and the Elephant and Castle before ending up back at Fado with a few other friends. By the way, none of these places actually qualifies as a real Irish pub. They are still fun, but if you want authenticity, check out this crawl.

Monday was slow going, since we were all so stuffed and a bit hungover, but we pulled it together and headed home. We have made the drive between Chicago and Ann Arbor many times, and never stop along the way, so we decided to hit a few "attractions". E and I did a quick wine tasting at Contessa, visited Grandpa's Cider Mill (Which you can skip, since it sucked. We were expecting kitsh at the very least, but got nothin'. The cider in the case was frozen, probably made last year, and it looked like an empty warehouse inside.), and got truffles at the Chocolate Garden, before buying a flat of peaches at Fruit Acres and getting back on the road. We listened to David Sedaris audiobooks and drove into a rain storm. Then we went to bed.

I had hoped this was the end of our saga, since E had a 7:30 AM flight to Charlotte and I had to work, too. Alas. I was startled at 3 AM by my beloved climbing out of bed and slamming full force into the dresser in the dark. He turned on the light and mumbled, "What the hell is that?" Now fully awake, I looked over to the window where he was pointing. Something was stuck in the vertical blinds, flapping against the window and causing a ruckus. It was a moth. Not a city moth, whose growth is obviously stunted by exhaust fumes and smoke, but a farm moth, one grown fat on the honey of apple blossoms until it reaches the size of a small bird. I can only imagine that it had stowed away in the flat of peaches we bought in Coloma, taking a little nap in the sweet-smelling box. Upon awakening in our pitch black kitchen, it must have been totally freaked out. Finding little greenery on the first floor, I'm sure it felt trapped, and careened up the stairway looking for escape. Spotting our bedroom windows, it smelled freedom, and flung itself at top speed into the blinds, where it got stuck and continued flapping like mad.

This brings us up to real time. E grabbed at the moth monster with a tissue, but only succeeded in setting it free. It flew behind the dresser and went silent. Hoping to get back to sleep, E put out the light and climbed back into bed. As if it would be that easy, my love. Literally the instant that I fell back asleep, I was awake again. The sound was like that of a playing card tucked into a spinning bike wheel combined with erratic heartbeats, and I had no idea where the moth was at this point. E got up again and switched on the lamp. Torn between it's desire to live and it's instinct to move towards light, the moth appeared and jumped into the lamp shade. I heard a sizzle, which could only be the tears of the moth hitting the hot bulb, as it realized it had made the wrong choice. E was on him in a second. He marched into the bathroom with the crumpled tissue, flung it down onto the tiled floor and pounded it with his fist before tossing it into the trash. "Are you sure he's dead?" I asked. Somehow I knew the moth was a male. All I could picture was myself, waking later to hear a soft thumping from the cabinet, Edgar Allen Poe style, then opening the door for the moth monster, crazed and desperate, to fly out and attack me in the face.

I never fell back to sleep. I lay in bed for several hours until E left for the airport and then wandered downstairs when my stomach started grumbling. How I could eat after this weekend is a mystery to me. I have yet to open the cabinet and am contemplating ways to avoid it until E gets home on Thursday and can take out the trash. I'm sure I'll be less paranoid once I sleep a little. We'll see.

Overindulged

I think that one word pretty much sums up my Labor Day weekend. I'm back home to rain, thunder and lightning, but I couldn't scare less. After our 4 day jaunt in Chicago, all I feel like doing is laying around and reading, and gray days are perfect for that. What I really need to be doing is a two hour workout followed by an acai berry detox, but I doubt that's going to happen.

Our Tour de Fatty Foodies began on Friday night, with 22 oz. Fat Tires and BBQ at Heaven on Seven. Saturday was to be a long day, and we would need our fuel. We gorged ourselves on brisket, pulled pork and sweet potato polenta, sampling every hot sauce we could get our hands on. We spent the remainder of the evening watching the Red Sox game on TV, too full to move beyond our hotel suite. We figured that was ok, since we had a long weekend ahead of us.

Saturday began with brunch at Frontera Grill, which besides the incredibly long wait for our food's arrival, was well worth the hype. Get in line early for the first seating and you won't need to wait longer than 25 minutes for a table! I had the Huevos Motuleos (two fried eggs on a crispy tostada with roasted tomatoes, country ham, peas, sweet fried plantains, queso fresco and black beans) and a tall Michelada. Heaven. Sadly, E was jealous of my food, having ordered something sort of boring, but he was happy after tasting the Habanero Salsa. It was insanely hot, forcing tears and sweat, which is why they offer it as an "all you can eat" condiment. I doubt anyone gets past the first bowl!

We followed brunch with a much needed stroll over to Millennium Park to check out all of the new sculpture and architecture exhibitions. All of the new installations are so futuristic, it looks like alien pods have landed, sustainable, eco friendly alien pods that is. We didn't get a chance to go back at night, but apparently the space is illuminated after dark, so it would be worth checking out! We wandered through the Jazz Festival, too, but didn't stay long, since jazz really isn't what we are into. I find it a little boring to be honest, sue me.

After exhausting our feet, we jumped into the car to drive up to Hot Doug's, where the line already stretched around the building. E spent our almost two hours in line surfing the web. Thank God for that Blackberry, or else I know he would have killed me. "You really want to wait in this line for a hot dog?" Yes. Yes, I did. When the hot dog is a Smoked Crayfish and Pork Sausage with Cajun Remoulade and Smokey Blue Cheese and the french fries are cooked in duck fat, yes. We also ordered the Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Sel Gris, cut both in half and traded. Once he took a bite, E stopped complaining. Hands down these were the best dogs we have ever eaten. Heaven on a bun, people.
On our way home we stopped at the Bleeding Heart Bakery since it is just down the road. I know, you are wondering how anyone could eat a cupcake at this point. I ordered a Half Acre and a Holy Mole in honor of brunch, but couldn't even think about eating them. They went into the hotel fridge and were nibbled over the course of the weekend. We then had to rush back to get ready for dinner at Shaw's with business people. I could barely make it through a martini, let alone more food, but had to order something to be polite. We definitely need to go back one night when we are hungry and sit in the little wet bar. It looks like a fish shop back home, and has an awesome menu. We spent the rest of the evening having beers at Fado with our friends the Robinson's, before passing out in the hotel.

This is where my story gets put on hold. It's not much of a cliff hanger, but I don't want this post to get any longer than it already is. I'll come back later to tell you about the rest of what I ate all weekend long and why I didn't sleep all night last night :)

Celebrate good times, come on

I apologize if that song gets stuck in your head now!

I'm the kind of person who will come up with any reason to throw a party, bake or make gifts for people. I just like celebrating things, even mundane things. The past few weeks we've had lots of things to celebrate, so I got to tinker to my little hearts content.

First, our beloved D came out for a long weekend all by her lonesome. It was her very first time traveling by herself, and it also happened to coincide with her "5,000th Day." You may be wondering, "What, pray tell, do you mean by 5,000th day?" Well, I will tell you! My lovely dork of a husband was listening to one of his favorite albums from one of his favorite bands: Tool's "10,000 Days". He wondered, "How many years old is someone who is 10,000 days old?" Being a math guy, he banged out the figures and discovered that he and I are both several years beyond that, since 10,000 days equals about 27 and a half years. Suddenly he thought, "Wait! 10,000... 27... 5,000... 13... D money... bacon..." He's always thinking about bacon. A bit more figuring led E to discover that his little sister would be 5,000 days old on the Friday she arrived at our house. Of course, I had to throw her a party.

How to throw a 5,000, 10,000, or 15,000 Day Party:
Make dessert: Every celebration needs dessert. Find out your party recipients favorite flavors and make something to match. I hate when people make their own favorite thing for a party. "Oh, I just adore beets! Everyone must love beets! I'll make borscht!" Only to discover that the mere scent of a beet makes the birthday girl want to spew. ("Hey, Phil, If you're gonna spew, spew into this!" Random film quote of the day!) You also need to decorate the dessert with appropriate flair. I used toothpicks, a big circle punch, and a marker to make the little picks for D's cakes. Easy, cute, done.

Buy the appropriate number of gifts: Or make them if you are crafty and have an unlimited amount of free time. There was no way I was making 5,000 of anything. I couldn't even commit to buying her 5,000 of any one thing. Instead, D got 5 different things: M&M's, mini-marshmallows, index cards, paper clips, and post-it notes. It's back to school time, and she only had a carry on bag, people. Other fun ideas include anything you can buy in bulk at Costco, pennies, books equal to the days in pages, or prescription meds (if you are an Amy Sedaris type partier).

By the time D's plane came in, she was so tired that we didn't get into playing any 5,000 Day games; we didn't even eat cupcakes until the next morning. But you could go ahead and force the party person to walk 5,000 steps, jump rope for 5,000 seconds, eat 5,000 saltines, whatever amuses you. Just don't make anyone drink 5,000 ounces of hard liquor.

Aside from our long weekend with the little sis, we have had lots of babies born to our friends lately. We haven't gotten the chance to meet any of them yet, but it always gives me the chance to get crafty. I've made name letters for every baby born to a friend or family member since my nephew Nic was born 7 years ago. You can see some of them in my flickr set. Usually I mimic the colors and theme of the nursery or bedding, but I take other requests. I'm waiting for some hard core friends to want tattoo and flame letters, since I'm tiring of baby elephants and Pooh! This week I had to make letters for Parker, Vanessa, and Joplin (baby jungle animals, ladybugs and more ladybugs) and also need to make new ones for Nic, whose adorable kite themed nursery letters are a little young for a seven year old. He wants Batman now. I can't even stand it. When did he get so old? Bottom line, if you know somebody who is having or has recently had a baby, let me know. I'll whip 'em up for ya!

Our last little bit of celebration is this coming 4 day mini-vacation to Chicago for Labor Day weekend. We have Red Sox tickets, hells yes! I'm also determined to satisfy the food groupie in me by visiting some of the restaurants of the celebrity chefs with whom I am obsessed. In case you didn't know, I am not all that concerned with what SJP is wearing today, but I can tell you what flavor profiles Grant Achatz is toying with this week. I know, lame. While I will sadly not be visiting Alinea for dinner (just can't justify the $500 bill!) I will be pushing for brunch at Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill, a trip to the Bleeding Heart Bakery and a dog at Hot Doug's. We won't spend ALL of our time eating, (hello? I did mention a Red Sox game!) and there will be lots of time for any of the huge amount of events going on in the city this weekend. Here's a pretty comprehensive list in case you're in town, are lost, and are looking for something to do. We're thinking of doing some thrifting, hitting one of the 70 farmer's markets, and maybe the Jazz and Polish fests. Sweetness.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day everyone!

Red Alert!

or What to do in Detroit during the Western Conference Finals

Ok, so I'm not a hockey fan. Let's just get that out of the way. I've already made it very clear that I'm not a Detroit fan either, but when you live in Michigan, you at least have to pay your respects. Detroit is a fantastic sports city, which sounds blasphemous coming from my die-hard-Boston-fan mouth. But, it's true. Even if the unemployment rate has skyrocketed, businesses and residents are running for the hills, and the buildings look like they are crumbling around you, Detroit knows how to host sports fans. While the Lions continue to be one of the biggest jokes in football, Detroit still has the Tigers, Pistons and yes, the Red Wings. And you should see these fans.

Eric got us tickets to see the Red Wings at the Joe (that's the cool people's name for the Joe Lewis Arena), for game one of the Western Conference Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks. From the moment we got out of the car, it was obvious that the hockey nuts are insane here. Screaming curses and taunts at the few Blackhawks fans they could find, or even at their own friends in red jerseys, they were the loudest, most bearded and monochromatic hockey fans I've seen. The nice thing about the Joe is that you get right off the highway and drive into a parking garage, then walk directly through a tube to the arena, where beer awaits you. No need to walk or even drive through the city, which allows fans to ignore the desperate homeless and filthy streets while handing over $8.75 for a jumbo can of Miller Light. Woohoo! Everyone was drinking and milling around and hollering random chants until we got to go inside and find our seats. They turned out to be amazing.

As we settled in, I figured everything would continue like any normal hockey game. Nope. After a show full of pyrotechnics, huge banners and flags, and ear splitting noise, the National Anthem was sung by a tiny blonde with big pipes. Just before the end of the song, fans threw an octopus onto the ice. Then another. And another. I'm talking a real octopus here. Now maybe this isn't a surprise to other people, but I don't follow hockey aside from occasional highlights on Sports Center, so I was a little taken aback. The octopus seems to be the Red Wings mascot (who the heck came up with that?) so I guess it is acceptable, even admirable to toss seafood onto the ice at the end of the song without appearing disrespectful. Everyone went nuts and the screaming only got louder as each new octopus came flying through the air. Whatever floats your boat people.

The game itself was exciting in typical fast paced, body checking hockey style. We immediately realized it is impossible to get good pictures when everyone is whizzing by you at the speed of light, but extra large beers and Cheli's nachos made up for it. That and a very intoxicated young lady fighting with the guys behind us provided ample extra entertainment. She actually tried to climb into a seat occupied by a man twice her size who was with eight friends. She even came back for more after being escorted away by an usher. Just another example of why girls out drinking together must always follow girl law: Never let anyone out of your sight after consuming large amounts of alcohol! Especially not when she is young and cute and wearing a mini skirt.

In the end the Red Wings won the game in overtime, but we didn't get to see that. We left in the third period, while Detroit had a lead. Eric had to work in the morning and honestly, we were getting tired. Real hockey fans would probably say that the tickets were wasted on us, but to them I say, "Pbbllt!" We had a great time, had a new experience, and while I doubt we'll become true Red Wings fans ourselves, at least we earned an appreciation of them and their odd fish wielding ways.

The Windy City

Shop (and walk) 'til you drop or What to do in Chicago in the summer

Ok, ok, so I've been laaaazy lately! Somehow in the craziness of spring, I've neglected to post for two entire months! It's been so busy here with traveling home for my best friend's wedding, working on wedding planning, and finishing up the school year that I've been completely distracted. Jenny's wedding was gorgeous (how could it not be when you are on the beach in Newport?), and the most fun I've had in a long time! It was so fantastic to be home spending time with my friends! Just one more wedding to go... Luckily, things are really coming together in that department and I only have one more week of school!


In the meantime, I'll post some photos of our long weekend in the Chicago area, visiting my parents. Chicago is just about my favorite place to visit in the United States, so here are some of my highlights for Chi-town in the summer:

- Visit all of the usual Chicago landmarks: The Bean, the Botanical Gardens, Millennium Park(especially the amphitheater and the Crown Fountain), the John Hancock, and the Skydeck. Oh, and the Magnificant Mile (or anywhere really!) for some shopping. You can't visit this city without doing at least a little shopping, even if the sun is shining down on you. Take a break from your walking tour and retire to the AC at Nordstrom, you'll feel recharged :)

- Check out the Navy Pier. Just don't plan on spending lots of time there. It's very commercial and plastered with corporate logos, but it's classic. Spend the six bucks to ride the ferris wheel because the view is beautiful, grab a beer, walk the length of the boardwalk for people watching, and you'll be done with it. Or at least we were!

- Food. Period. Every time we visit Chicago we eat like kings. This time we went for lunch at my parents' favorite pizza place Pizano's and later went for French at Brasserie JO. I recommend both highly! If you want dessert after dinner, just skip the Godiva next store. Although the ice cream is delicious, it is not worth the 45 minute wait (yes, 45 minutes for a cone!) and the service is embarrassingly bad. I think they hand out free chocolate at the door so your mouth is too full to complain. Have pastries at the restaurant instead!

- Festivities Galore! If you plan accordingly, you can hit any of the huge summer events. We happened upon symphony practice for the Memorial Day concert at the ampitheater, but had to catch a train before the real event! I'm also bummed that we won't be able to get out there for the Taste of Chicago, which is supposed to be fab, but you know, I'm getting married that weekend.

What's this all aboot?

Let's go curling!
or What to do in Windsor, Ontario year round

This week Eric got a phone call one of the few people we actually know out here in snowy-even-in-springtime Michigan, inviting us out for the weekend. Ana is one of Eric's friends from college who just happens to be living out here, about an hour away. Usually when we get together, it is your standard dinner and drinks fare, but she had something else in mind. Curling. Yeah, I said curling.

It turns out that there is some radical underground curling movement going on that I have been sadly left out of. Ana's company sponsors a group of young professionals and they host little outings; this week's outing was to Roseland Golf and Curling Club, for a rousing bout of bocci on ice. Well, not quite bocci, but that's the best comparison I can come up with. You know by now that I am not exactly an athlete, nor is my darling husband, but the beer was free so we were all about it. We got a quick lesson from the most limber kid I've ever seen, and then we curled for almost two hours. Here are a few things I learned, for those of you who want to try:

- Curling isn't only for retired people. While the elders were there in force, there was also a big group of young people hanging out and getting hammered, which I'm not sure is a great idea when you are sliding around on ice.

- You must wear good shoes. Since I'm not about to spring for a pair of professional curling shoes, and neither are you, you need to wear a pair of shoes with super sticky rubber soles. You need one foot to grip the ice, the other gets wrapped in packing tape to create a glider. If you can't grip, you're going to fall on your face.

- You are going to fall on your face. Unless you have perfect balance or luck, which I apparently have, since I miraculously didn't fall once. So proud! I saw many people fall, however, including Eric at least 3 times. The winner of the evening was this poor kid Tim, who literally scissor kicked both legs up into the air before landing sprawled out his belly. I'm sure it left a mark.

- You are going to suck. For at least a while anyway. You'd think a sport that is played by old folks would be easy, but it is way harder than it looks. We sucked something awful for at least an hour. Then we started to get the hang of it. Don't get me wrong, we still sucked, but at least we were getting it.

In the end our team won by a slim margin, and I only bruised my right knee a little. It was a pretty good thigh workout, and lo-and-behold, it was pretty damn fun. We're thinking of getting some other friends together to go again, and maybe we'll improve our skills a bit. At least it's an alternative to bowling!

Gracie!

Eric and I were soo excited when we landed in Cagliari, Sardegna for our week long vacation. I had read several articles online, and in the newspaper about how beautiful and interesting this city is in the off season. "Skip the maddening crowd of summer tourists, the waiting in long lines, the trumped up hotel prices, and enjoy historic Cagliari at your leisure in November!" Sounds like heaven, right? Hmm, not quite. It appears we were misinformed.

We arrived at our hotel and were excited to find that it was beautiful, very modern and stylish, with a lovely bar, and personable staff. Our room was nice as well, although the view left a bit to be desired. We were of course, a bit outside of the city center, so we expected that. We had dinner in the four star restaurant and welcomed our first disappointment. Good wine, boring food. I thought this was Italy? Oh well.

Next day, we headed out to the downtown area for sightseeing. Cagliari is full of small cobbled streets, shops, churches, and cafes to see, as well as a bunch of cool historic landmarks. Saldy, most of it was under construction. Pitfall of visiting in the offseason. It's cool though, because the people watching is great. Everyone was gorgeous, and bundled up like it's the Arctic although it was 60 degrees. After walking through half of the city in an hour, we realized that this whole sightseeing thing could be completed in about a day, and we had six to fill. Then we got hungry. Little did we know, the entire city closes down from 1 in the afternoon, until 8 at night. You can't eat, drink, or shop much. Back to the hotel.

We spent our next few days trying desperately to find things to do, but it wasn't easy. Despite the promises of our in-room brochure, the staff actually had no information at all about goings on in the city. Not even restaurant suggestions. Luckily we are resourceful. If you get stuck in this predicament you should:

- Visit Iglesias, a nearby town with the most amazing cemetary I have ever seen. Sounds macabre, but it was awesome and I'll share photos as soon as I get them back from Eric! Just make sure you go early because they close the cemetary gates from noon until 3, and the walls are topped with shards of broken glass to deter burglars or overzealous tourists.

- Try to go the week of the European Jazz Expo. It's a huge event, but make sure you plan your transportation thoroughly. The bus stations don't post schedules, so you need to take your chances or talk to the drivers, and they don't speak English. Taxis are expensive, and if you don't speak Italian you'll get ripped off, so watch it! We saw a bunch of cool performances, even if we aren't huge jazz fans, and it was probably the most fun night we had.

- Visit the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari. We did a night at the symphony which was beautiful, and you can get cheap tickets.

- Eat dinner at the restaurant at the base of the Bation San Remy. I've forgotten the name, but you will walk past it at least ten times as you tour the city, and you can't miss the green awnings. Amazing food, by far the best meal we had, and the servers were very accomodating. Lots of sign language since our Italian is nonexistant, and they made great recommendations.

All in all, we did have a good trip, but mainly just because we were together and we can amuse ourselves wih very little (Italian talk shows and a bunch of beer! Yay!). This city requires better weather, a short stay, or some really thorough planning, for it to be a relaxing, romantic get away. I think we'll take a second honeymoon.

Let's Go Apple Picking

or Things to do in Rhode Island in the fall, Part 2

Last weekend I was appalled to find out that in her eleven years on this planet, D had never once been apple picking. For someone who lives in an area full of farms and orchards, I found that unforgiveable! So we packed up and headed out to Narrow Lane Farm for the afternoon. A few hours later we had walked up and down almost every row of trees, sampled each of the 10 varieties, picked four pecks of apples, and learned to juggle (courtesy of her dad). I learned that, just like me, D has a fondness for tiny things, so we gathered a bunch of the cutest apples, even if they will be a bitch to peel and slice later! We grabbed some pumpkins on our way home, too, so some carving is in store for next weekend.

I spent most of today peeling, cooking, baking, and canning the apples we brought home. I made apple pie filling (just pour into the crust and bake!), apple butter, and some baked apple tarts. Now I just need to find someone to give all of these jars too, before fall is over and the cute wrappings are out of season. Any takers? Send me an email and I'll drop some off for you!

As today was such a beautiful fall day (finally!) D and a friend decided to host a bake sale and take advantage of all of the Yard Sale traffic in the neighborhood. Being the crafty control freak that I am, I decorated their table for them. Mini Halloween pennants in potted mums, brownies packaged in brown paper bags with ribbon and creepy labels, and jars of apples. They made four dollars in four hours, but they had a blast running around all day and made a new friend. A new girl moved in across the street this spring, and today we got to meet her. She's adorable, and just D's age, so I hope they'll become friends! Once Eric and I are back in Michigan, things will get very quiet around here :(

RISD Student/Alumni Art Sal

Things to do in Rhode Island in the fall, Part 1

Yesterday was the first of this year's student/alumni art sales at RISD, one of my favorite places to go spend lots of money for no apparent reason in the fall. I love that everything at this art sale is created either by current students, or by alumni who travel from all over to come back to RI. They sell everything from clothing, accessories, and bags, to fine art, sculpture, and pottery. For a relatively small art fair, the variety and range of styles and prices certainly accomodate everyone's tastes and budget. As usual, I found myself coveting lots of things, trying on things I can't afford, and then feeling sullen because I'm not Richie Rich. I also met some very cool people, discovered a bunch of great new artists, and made one very selective purchase. I chatted with Chika Eustace, the girl behind Chikabird, while poring over her stuff for a very long time. I finally chose a clutch like the one here, but with blue and green leaves. She was really sweet, considering I kept touching everything, and she has an etsy, yay! I also met Teresa Levy of Sewing Stars, whose blog I have been reading for a while now. Her apple head dolls are even cuter in person, which I hardly thought was possible. Keep an eye on her shop for new arrivals, including kits to make your own stuffies, which I am ordering ASAP.

Since I could go on and on about the other artists I loved, I will instead give you a quickie list if links so you can check them out yourself...
- John Hung Ha Multimedia decoupage paintings of Koi and elephants, so vibrant and textured that they look alive. Plus, I love artists that are cool and down to earth, and he was definitely that. Even if Swizz Beatz digs his work.
- Jenine Bressner Fireworks - amazing glass beads and pendants, handmade by this kickass chick who my mother would call "a hot ticket"
- Milisa M. Galazzi - books, watercolor, and assemblage with adorable sewing motifs
- Amie Louise Plante - gorgeous fine art jewelry that looks like it was made by nature
- Nam Kim - very cool bags in great fabrics and unusual shapes made by Chika's friend

Craftsters Rock the DUCF

or What to do in Detroit, Part 3

All the craftster buzz had me psyched to check out the Detroit Urban Craft Fair today, and see in person the work of two of my favorite Michigan craftsters. After much ado, I ventured out, cash and camera in hand, to the Majestic Theater for an afternoon of oohing and aahing over all kinds of goodies. As expected, I wanted to buy tons of stuff, but luckily I had a sidekick, who helped me keep my budget in mind and my spending in check. There was a lot I craved but couldn't justify buying, like a $135 dollar diaper bag, cause you know, I don't have a baby. Or a clear vinyl Patti Smyth skirt, which rocks, but just won't go with the rest of my closet. I left without going broke, but with some fun treats and lots of business cards for shopping later!

First thing on the agenda was a brief visit with Miranda who makes such lovely crocheted hats, that I want to cast aside my "Just Say No to Hats" rule. If only I had normal person hair, I'd buy one of her little brim caps in every color! They are so cute, as is she, as you can tell from the photo!

I also love everything Miss Amie Miller makes for her shop enamor. Her booth was so well done, everything looked beautiful. The hostess aprons and totes are awesome! Alas, someone beat me to the punch and bought the whale tote I was after! It's my own fault for being late, but I'm still going to grumble.

Anyway, here is what I actually did buy. These kick ass postcards from Rar Rar Press make me laugh out loud. You know some of you can expect to see them in packages on your doorstep soon, the rest will go to Eric in Germany! I also bought a pair of amazing bark earrings by Heather Fagan of BirdsGather. My friend bought one of her cuffs and earring sets, too. They are so unique, and light as a feather. As for the laters, I will definitely be hitting up Lollibomb Beauty, formerly Lushbox, for some of her Sugar Plum Body Frosting as soon as her holiday line is released. I got a taste today, and I had to force myself not to eat it. Oh, and by the way, all of her products are vegan. For when that baby finally does come, I will be all over Rebecca Yaker's bags over at Hazel and Melvin's Room. The fabric and quality is fantastic, and worth every penny. Now I just need to have a husband who stays put long enough to knock me up. :P

If I had a million dollars...

I would have spent it all at the Ann Arbor Art Fairs last weekend!

The 'rents came out from Chicago, and we spent all day Sunday cruising through three of the four fairs in downtown Ann Arbor. With over 1,200 artists from almost all 50 states, this is no Gaspee Days, kiddos! No water balloon yoyos, no face painting, and no glittery fairy wands; this is a real, hard core art fair. We spent five hours, and still didn't see everything. There were so many amazing artists, that even though I didn't find a single piece I could afford, I have inspiration for months. Not to mention the awesome people watching, great food, and sales at all of the area shops. Well worth the tired feet! Next summer Eric and I will most likely be living in Ann Arbor, so you should all come visit. Bring comfy shoes! And your kids' college fund.

On to the fun part... while I did see at least 25 artists who I loved, there were a few real standouts. Bryan Cunnigham makes mixed media art inspired by tattoo art, pinup girls, old school comics and carnival freaks. And he wears gold Elvis sunglasses. Hello? He should be my boyfriend. All of his work is dark and funny and bold, and would look perfect in my house. If I had to pick favorites, they would be the huge Anatomy skeleton and the raven, which you can find on his site in the gallery. (p.s. he's also on myspace!)

I also loved everything made by Darrell Ezekiel, an artist from Alabama who does both painting and funky assemblage. All of his paintings were quirky and ironic, especially my favorite huge Mouseketeer. Too bad it was way over my budget, and too large to realistically fit anywhere but my imagination.

L. Lee Junge had one of the most interesting booths, not only for the art, but also the presentation. It was like traveling through a labyrinth full of color. Not all of this stuff is my style; my favorite piece was a mixed media 3D work (left), and it was the only thing like it. But the depth and color in these paintings is just magnificent. I wouldn't hang them in my house, but I could look at them for hours!

Sadly my most favorite person of all, Miriam Carter, does not have a website. She's a fourth generation felter who has been at it for 18 years. I wanted to cry when I tried on a 400 hundred dollar jacket that fit me perfectly. It was my favorite color, and honestly looked like it was custom made for me. Alas, I have a bullshit job and a wedding to throw, so no splurge shopping for me. However, I'm going to online stalk this woman until I can afford one of her pieces, even if it takes me 10 years.

More Tigers

or What to do in Detroit Part 2

Go see a Red Sox game! That is, if they are playing the Tigers at Comerica Park. It was girls day out with Kay, Aimee, and Sky and we scorched. While this series was one of the most embarrassing I have seen in a long time (one that led a coworker to follow me at work with a broom today), the game was still worth every minute. If we have to get swept by any team, it had better be the Tigers!

Comerica Park is ginormous, and if you are like me and used to Fenway, it's even a bit overwhelming. They have a carousel and ferris wheel inside the park. And you can actually get tickets for ten bucks. Try that in Boston! While the hotdogs are not our my favorite Fenway Franks, they are pretty darn good anyway, especially with a yard-long daiquiri. Mix your flavors, and you get a psychedelic cocktail with a straw so long you don't even need to pick your drink up off the ground. Hells yeah.

On your way to the game, stop at Cheli's for a beer. Cheli's Chili Bar, owned by Red Wings player Chris Chelios, has three floors including a rooftop bar, and a killer view of the stadium. Fun stuff, cheap Long Islands, and nice people, even if you wear your Sox gear. Which you had better do! Red Sox nation was out in force yesterday. I sported my jersey even in 99 degree heat, just to show the love. And I only had to give a hard time to one guy, who was probably trying to flirt more than heckle, since he was young and a bit drunk. I just told him, "Usually, I'd tell you to kiss my ass, but I don't bend over for Tigers fans." Pbbblllt! The ladies found that pretty funny, even if they themselves are Tigers people. Actually, Aimee is really a Yankees fan, but I like her anyhow. At the end of the day, we posed for photos with giant stone tigers, ate takeout in Aimee's backyard, and I was passed out by 8:30. You know that means it was a good day.

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!

or What to do in Detroit Part 1

Last weekend we ventured out to the Detroit Zoo, and I'm just getting a chance to upload the photos now... I know, I'm a bad person. Sorry. But, it was a great way to spend a Sunday, so add it to your list of things to do when you come to visit Detroit. (That is on the top of your list of things to do this year, right?) Actually, the Zoo isn't in Detroit. It's in Royal Oak, sort of like landing in Providence when you fly into T.F. Green. Anywho...

While most of this zoo is like any other you've been to, it has some very cool features unlike our beloved Roger Williams. It's ten times bigger for starters! They also have all of the big cats, fuzzy bears, gorillas, a pair of bald eagles, anything you could want. And you get to walk around with the kangaroos! Unfortunately we went on a hot and sunny day, so the kangaroos were in repose under the trees, but the idea that one of them could run over and kick you is still pretty sweet. They have a tunnel of glass that takes you through the seal tank, which is very fun to watch. The seals swim full speed at the tunnel, turning within 2 inches of smashing their noses against the glass, then come back and give it another go. It was entertaining, especially since one of them decided to drop a deuce right in front of us. Yum.

Also, unlike R.W. and most zoos I have been to, you can bring in whatever you want! Wagons! Coolers! Woohoo! There were lots of napping kids being dragged around by their dads, and lots of picnics going on. There may also have been some boozing, but I can't be sure. Next time we'll go prepared. I suggest you do the same, since the food and beverage options are like any other park: boring, overpriced, and not very appetizing. Unless 5 dollar hotdogs and 4 dollar frozen lemonades are your thing... Oh how I miss Del's!

Cleveland Rocks

That's right, I'm a convert.

While it wasn't the greatest place I've ever been, Cleveland was a good time. I made it there in less than three hours, with only three bugs plastered on the windshield, and a quarter tank of gas left. Thank God for fuel efficiency, or the trip alone would have cost me forty bucks.

Saturday night we went down to the Flats, the entertainment district of Cleveland. We were told to do our research before heading out. I learned that the Flats has an East side, featuring these highlights:
- After a night of drunken debauchery in 2000, 3 people fell off the pier and drowned
- Raids in 2001 led to the closure of nine bars
- The current demolition project has left only ten hot spots open
- The East Side has a rep for crime and sometimes violence

So you can see why we chose to go check out the West side! And we are glad we did, because we had a blast.The West side is home to many more bars, clubs and restaurants, including the Powerhouse. A huge brick complex right on the water, it used to supply power to street cars, but now houses a crapload of cool bars. We didn't leave that building all night. We had dinner and beers at the Rock Bottom Brewery, where they make the best nachos ever. Then we had to go to Howl at the Moon. Let's just say I'm a sucker for dueling pianos. The place has bras hanging from the ceiling, and the guys did a killer rendition of "Sexy Back." Add that to the fact that there were seven bachelorette parties, a bachelor party, and two guys wearing kilts, and you have a hell of a good time.

The next day we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I could have spent 6 hours in that place! There is so much to see it makes you a little dizzy. Although Eric did have to stop me from going "AWWWW!" every time we saw something owned by a dead rocker that I adore. Cause face it, most of them are dead.

It's definitely worth the 20 bucks, and you have to go. Wait til after the 25th of May when The Doors exhibit opens, though. That's one thing I'm sad I missed. Anyway, my favorite things were:
- John Lennon's first passport. He was such a cute Rockabilly boy! And his grammar school newspaper, where he drew comics and made up stories about "Mr S. Kull, whose wife left him for unknown reasons, which are unknown."
- Tom Petty's handwritten drafts of songs. It was so cool to see the thought process as he crossed out and reworked lyrics.
- The puppets from Alice in Chains' "I Stay Away" video.
- Janis Joplin's handpainted Porche
- The hotdog, soda, and fries from Phish's tours
- The Pink Floyd's "The Wall" exhibit, 'nuff said

All in all, what I saw of Cleveland was not bad, not bad at all. There is certainly a lot to do there, if you are into museums, sports, and drinking your little ass off. I'm sure you all fall into one of those categories.

It's May Day

When I was little and still in Girl Scouts, we used to weave paper baskets and fill them with flowers to hang on people's front doors for May Day. Then we'd ring the bell and run away. Does anyone still do that? Or is that where the flaming bag of crap idea came from?

Anywho... I've been stationary for a while now, but it's not so much better than when I was running constantly. That's because now Eric is running constantly. I could back track and go on about his last few trips, but instead I'll just tell you that he was home for only 10 of the 30 days of April. That makes for lots of working for me so I don't go nuts. I worked 12 shifts in 8 days. For some reason my feet are black on the bottoms. Weird. Right now Eric is in Mexico, then he'll be flying all over the States, and he won't be back for two weeks. Luckily I get to see him this weekend, as he has to stop for a few days in Cleveland. That's right, I said Cleveland. Ohio. Hoo-fucking-ray!

Now not to offend any of you who may be natives of Ohio, but it's just not on the top of my list of "1000 Awesome Places to See Before I Die." Ok, it's not on the list at all. The only thing I can think of when I think of Cleveland is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Mimi from the Drew Carey show, and... Well actually, that's it. That's my East Coast ignorance talking. Luckily, an old friend lives in the area, and may be able to entertain us by feeding us many beers and tequila for Cinco de Mayo. Not that he's Mexican or anything. He's actually Puerto Rican, but in this country I think that makes him Mexican on May 5th. It's like how everyone becomes Irish for St. Patty's Day.

I will leave you with some educational tidbits, as I now feel guilty for trashing Cleveland. While writing this and simultaneously searching the web, I have discovered that Cleveland is home to some pretty interesting attractions. Like:

The Indians, number one in the Central States, who knew? You can see them at Jacobs Field, where they serve hotdogs, beer, and SUSHI.
The West Side Market, one of the largest international farmer's markets around, started in 1912.
The Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland's largest local brewery, with ten beers on tap. I have a feeling I'll be a big fan of the Holy Moses White Ale. Nothing like a stab at the bible thumpers to brighten my day:)
And although I doubt you'll find him at home, Paul Newman is from Cleveland. So was Thomas Edison, LeBron James, Eliot Ness, Dorothy Dandridge, and Dr. Henry Schwan - Father of the Decorated Christmas Tree.

12 days...

For what is likely to be our last weekend trip, we headed to Nuernberg to visit with Andreas and Doreen and go to Germany's "Biggest" Christkindelmarkt. Like all of our past trips, this one was not without it's weird and fun moments.

- There is not a single hotel or hostel available in the whole city, so we have to settle for a pension. This is where you get to rent out someone's apartment for a night. Sounds ok, especially for only 35 Euros. We arrive at the office to pay and pick up our keys and meet the two weirdest guys in the country, for sure. One holds Eric hostage in the office for 25 minutes with his woeful tale of being deserted by his American son-in-law ten years prior, from which he has clearly never recovered. He looks near tears. The other tries desperately to talk to me, while I try desperately not to look at his crusty, purple sweater and peeling, bloody lips. I pretend I can't understand German, so he starts speaking in damn good English. Blast!

- It rains the whole day while we wander through the market. Luckily I have a giant red umbrella, but rather than keep us dry, I end up maiming people since there is such a huge crowd. It wouldn't be so bad if the all older women here didn't insist on transporting their tiny dogs in baby carriages. Apparently they are afraid a Yorkie on a leash would get trampled. They push these dogs around like they own the place, rolling over your feet with the carriages, while wrapping the dogs in sherpa and feeding them gingerbread.

- Early on we have mugs of Gluehwein and Feuerzagenbowle, both hot and spiced, but the latter also involves soaking sugar cones in rum and lighting them on fire. It's damn tasty, and fully responsible for why I have now run out of stories of that night. I know somewhere in there we ate dinner, tried beer that tastes like ham, had a drink at a Mexican place and something else. I just don't really remember the rest.

- The next day is gorgeous and sunny, so I drag Eric through the market to do some actual shopping. I get excited to find pickle ornaments, having heard of the "German Christmas Pickle"legend before. The story is that you hide a pickle on your Christmas tree and the first person to find it gets a year of good luck and prosperity. Plus, the ornaments ar so cute and shiny! I buy four of them as gifts. Turns out the "tradition" is a load of quatsch (German for bullshit)! We ask Doreen and Andreas later and they have never heard of it. We look it up online and find this article. Another conspiracy, man.

- We have lunch, say goodbye to A and D, and almost miss our train. Another crazy, pricey weekend, but at least my Christmas shopping is almost done! Two weeks to come home, not that I'm counting.

Christmas is in the air!

We took a day trip to Zuerich, Switzerland this Saturday to get a head start on our holiday festivities. It was a beautiful day, but the most expensive daytrip in the history of the world, and we didn't even buy that many presents!

- Train ticket from Friedrichshafen to Zuerich: 2 hours, 100 Euros. And still no passport stamp! I've crossed this border three times and no one wants to stamp me.

- We had to make an emergency McD's stop for fries and another stop for caffiene. You know what happens when Eric gets hungry and I get sleepy, it ain't pretty. Large fries: 6 Francs. 2 Cappucinos: 10 Francs. (p.s. This was during a transfer, so we got to get back on a train and watch a grandmother smack her two obnoxious little grandkids around for an hour. They told her off in French the whole time. Sweet.)

- We arrive in Zuerich and walk around the entire city, which is decorated in hundreds of lights and miles of evergreen. Miraculously, it's not at all tacky. No big fake Santas, no inflateable snowmen, no plastic reindeer! It's so clean and sparkly I want to move in. There are beautiful department stores windows that put Macy's NY to SHAME! However, we can't afford to buy anything in these stores. I'm hunting for birthday boots, but one pair of tall leather boots: 549 Francs! Ouch.

- We find the outdoor Christmas Market and stop for my first Gluehwein. Red wine with sugar and mulling spices, served hot. Hell yes. Two cups gluehwein: 10 Francs.

- You just can't go to Switzerland without buying chocolate, so we stop in a chocolatiers. They have the most beautiful sweets I have ever seen. Little marzipan candies made to look like sushi! We buy five gorgeous wrapped chocolate bars for gifts and struggle all night not to tear them open and devour them! One bar fancy Swiss chocolate: 6.90 Francs.

- Hours of walking and window shopping equals hunger. We read every menu of every restaraunt we pass looking for something reasonable. And by reasonable I mean something that will fill us up without costing over $100. It's not easy. We settle on Bar Cantina, a bit redundant, no? The food is good, the service is fantastic. Finally a waiter with a personality! I was actually starting to miss the annoying friendliness of Friday's girls with all the apathetic German servers I've seen. Anyway, the only downside is that smoking is allowed everywhere, so the woman next to us chain smoked for an hour, pausing only to gum down her meal and stare at Eric. Dinner, no drinks: 60 Francs.

- It's getting late, so we head over to the indoor Christmas Market at the train station. The famous Swarovski tree is up. This is the original, as tall as the tree in Rockefeller center and covered in about 6000 crystal ornaments on long white ribbons. The base is surrounded with a wall of glass, and little scenes of glass and crystal are displayed inside. Crystal penguins and polar bears on smoky crystal iceburgs, jeweled parrots on crystal trees, huge glass cornucopias full of jeweled fruit, it's so gorgeous I could cry. Instead we drink more gluehwein:) 2 cups of gluehwein: 10 Francs.

- The booths at the Christmas market are actually not all that impressive. In addition to the handmade cheeses, sweets, preserves, and sausages, there are lots of booths full of junk. It's the type of thing you might get at Gaspee Days: essential oils and incense, tapestries, sterling silver, kitschy crafts. There are petchouli stankin' hippies in Germany, too! Some of you dolls would fit right in ;) We decide not to buy any gifts, since we can get all of it cheaper in Friedrichshafen, but we do get a block of excellent cheese. That's our treat for the day; we like cheese, so what? One block Emmentaler Schaukaeserei: .33kg, 9.90 Francs.

- On our way to the train we decide to check a newspaper kiosk and are happy to find they have magazines in English. Eric snags a Playboy and I say go for it; they do have excellent writers! At the register we find out it costs 22.50 Francs! All set. The cashier tries to convince Eric to buy it, "It is very good!" Dirty whore. No thanks.

- It's a long train ride home. We get in at midnight, with our block of cheese and a bunch of chocolates. Not much to show for our holiday trip to the "World's Best City to Live In." They should rephrase that to say, "World's Best City to Live In If You Are Filthy Stinking Rich." It's very beautiful, but the next time I visit Zuerich, I will make sure I have won the lottery first.