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Solo Trip – Montreal – Old Montreal, Poutine & a Basilica

April 9, 2016

Work life has been extremely busy with major changes, but I have still managed to squeeze in a trip. Due to this reality, my lack of free time and exhaustion and due to the fact that I took so many good pictures during my trip, this post will be more photo heavy than words. So, let start at the beginning…

A few weeks ago I finally pulled the trigger and booked a flight and hotel to Montreal by myself. After the hesitation in booking it and questioning whether I should really even go prior to departure, I finally arrive in Montreal on Friday morning. My hesitation came from this being my first solo trip. Meaning that, I was going completely by myself and would know no one. I picked Montreal because it was close (less than 2 hour flight) from DC, its heavy French influence, it being a big city with lots to do, and importantly, the fact that its known to be very safe. I happen to take all these things into consideration over and over again before getting on the flight there. I figured, if worse came to worse and I got scared when I was there, I would just stay in my hotel the entire time and veg out. Luckily, that did not happen and I did a bunch of exploring, took a bunch of photos, and had a great time all by “solo traveling” self!

My first stop was for coffee at Kafein Cafe Bar in downtown. Kafein is a two story cafe with good coffee, a good cafe menu selection and a sweet little bar downstairs. It was very chill in there and had kind of a hipster vibe.

On my walk to Kafein…little did I know there was much more of this (graffiti art) to come on day 2 – Saturday.

Thanks to my husband for letting me use some of his points for a free weekend stay at the Ritz Carlton (got to love Marriott points and being married to someone who has a boat load of them)! I plan to write a detailed post about my stay here, so more to come in the future.

I was only in the hotel for a minute before I ventured into Old Montreal. My first stop was for some poutine at Montreal Poutine. For those who don’t know, poutine is french fries, gravy and cheese curds, and its heavy and delicious. Since it was my first time, I went with the regular poutine and enjoy every bite I could get down.

Next was a stroll through Old Montreal’s quaint historic streets and a visit to Notre-Dame Basilica where I was able to capture its dramatic old world architecture.

The next two stops were wine bars of Old Montreal. Accords Bar a Vin is a super cute wine bar that prides itself on it’s natural and organic local and international wine selection. I sat down with the bartender and told him what kind of french wine I liked and he had me taste two different wines before I made the selection. My second stop was Bistro le Modavie Bar a Vin. Modavie’s was a pretty lively bar and restaurant with a large wine selection and it apparently gets even more lively during the night as it plays live jazz music 6 nights a week. Both bars had attractive wine cellars on display!

After Old Montreal, I hustled back to my hotel for a massage session at St James Spa and a sauna session from its roof top pool area.

And lastly, for dinner I went to Maison Boulud. Maison Boulud is an award winning French restaurant and just happen to be in the hotel I was staying (two birds, one stone). I sat at the bar and ordered the Gnocchetti Au Homard (lobster gnocchi, yum yum) for my entree and Chocolat Coulant (more yum yum) for dessert. They also served me a compliment starter dish. I somehow missed the server’s description but it appeared as arancini or the italian dish of fried rice and cheese balls. Regardless, it was an awesome free surprise! This meal was all things delicious!

After a crazy busy week at work, a long day (6am flight to Montreal) of exploring Montreal and a lovely dinner, I took the elevator upstairs and fell asleep swiftly in my cozy hotel bed. More to come…

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A Girls Weekend in VA Wine Country – Lansdowne Resort

February 29, 2016

Thank goodness for local travel! As much as I like idea of quitting my job and traveling the world (and admire those who do), it’s just not an option for me. I love spending time with my husband and dog and, for the most part, I enjoy my job (and making a stable income) as well. With all this being said and according the travel blog world, this technically makes me a part-time travel blogger. Luckily for me, I live in a great part of the country where after a long week of work I have the ability to get in my car or hop on a train and get to some neat local areas quickly. This weekend, I did just that with two of my friends and headed about 30 miles outside of DC to the Lansdowne Resort aka “the gateway” to Virginia Wine Country.

There was great anticipation for this weekend getaway! We found a really great deal at the Lansdowne Resort. Two words that are like sweet music to my ears: “Wine & Unwind!” This special includes 2 night accommodations, a 60 min spa service, a Saturday wine tour and daily buffet breakfast for about $340 per person. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited about this type of weekend! So, the Lansdowne Resort promotes itself as a luxury resort. It’s located along the Potomac River and features both a spa and golf experience. For those who like to jog or take a stroll, there is a nice 2.5 mile path that runs along part of the river. Unfortunately, none of us took advantage (we were in it for the spa & wine).

The Resort partially won my heart at check-in… “why yes, I would love a champagne welcome!” I did opt for a $9 per night upgrade for a high room with a view and that was definitely provided. After check-in, our Friday night started out with our spa treatments. The special included the choice of a Swedish massage, facial or manicure. We all ended up selecting the massage. Honestly, and unfortunately for me, my massage was just OK. I would describe it as a light body rub down with excessive amounts of oil. However, my friends both thoroughly enjoyed their massages. So much, that one of them described her masseuse as an “angel.” And they said the amount of pressure and, more importantly, amount of oil applied to the body was just right. The spa also featured a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, which were all taken advantage of! After the spa, we ate dinner one of the resorts restaurant, Stonewalls Tavern. The restaurant had a nice selection of your basic American cuisine. We had a cheese plate, flat bread, burgers and, of course, wine!

Saturday started with breakfast at another one of the resorts restaurants, Riverside Hearth. This breakfast buffet featured an omelet and waffle station and had a decent selection of other breakfast sides, pastries and fruit. Breakfast was good, but the most anticipated part of our trip was the wine tour. We departed at the resort at 11am in a small tour bus that held about 12 passengers. After a bumpy ride, our first stop was approximately 30 mins away to Corcoran Vineyard and Cider. Now I have been to several wineries in VA Wine Country, and honestly, this was one of the most disappointing in terms of atmosphere. VA Wine country is quite beautiful with lots of rolling hills and scenery. This place was basically in a residential neighborhood and there was not much scenery besides a random blue horse statue outside their barn-like tasting room. We decided to make the best of it and just drink, so we went with their $15 cider and wine tasting. While we were not impressed with their wine selection, we did thoroughly enjoy their cider selection which is what they are really known for and award winning. This does make me question the Lansdowne Resort decision to include a place that is more of a cider brewery (with poor wine) into their 2-stops “wine tour.” However, two of us did walk away with a bottle of their PoPo Peach Cider!

The second stop was 8 Chain North Winery and, thankfully, it did not disappoint. It had a nice tasting room, even nicer outdoor patio area with a lovely view and, for the dog lovers, it was dog friendly! We enjoyed our $8 tasting, bought a bottle of their Francois Montand Brut Rose and enjoy the rest of our tour time soaking in the scenery and sun on the rare 60 degree winter day! Though we were sad to have to leave the winery, Lansdowne Resort did have a nice outdoor fire pit which was a good place to sit outside and enjoy another glass of wine. We were not alone in our thinking because the pit was pretty crowded. After enjoying the fire pit, we headed to Pub 46 Lounge at The Gulf Club on the resort. Another American cuisine restaurant that did have a little twist on their food, i.e.: Truffle Bacon Popcorn and Chicken and Waffle Fritters. All in all, we had a really nice weekend, enjoyed our accommodations and thought that it was a convenient and fun local weekend getaway!

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Another Day in the Pacific Northwest – Seattle, Fried Chicken & a Wine House

February 12, 2016

I am beginning to realize that brunch will be a running theme in many of my post. As I have mentioned before, I love brunch! What’s not to love about it…socializing, coffee, food and day drinks (possibly bottomless day drinks, if you are lucky). It’s a great way to spend a vacation or weekend day with a friend or significant other, especially if you are a foodie at heart like myself. So of course, in typically fashion, I met up with two of my high school girlfriends in Seattle to partake in this wonderful and fun activity. I guess I should have named my blog “coffee, brunch, wine & travel”, but it’s too long and too late for that.

I asked my friends to pick out the brunch spot and they made quite a unique pick, Ma’ono Fried Chicken & Whiskey. Ma’ono is a Hawaiian cuisine restaurant in West Seattle that focuses on fried chicken. In fact, the fried chicken is so popular there that it is encouraged to make reservations and pre-order your half or whole chicken for the table in advance, which we did. Don’t be confused by Ma’ono’s outside appearance (slightly “hole in the wall-ish” looking), inside it boost quite a hip and trendy atmosphere with a great brunch vibe. They do offer bottomless mimosa for $12 bucks, but we opted for bloody marys and local WA state beer. Our fried chicken came with gravy and biscuits. And with the additions of Coconut Banana French Toast, Mac N’ Kimcheese and Double Garlic Greens, we had a complete meal for sharing. So, I must be honest, I am not a food critic nor am I picky eater and I pretty much enjoyed it all. However, both my friends were not too excited about the mac n kimcheese (too spicy) or double garlic greens (well flavored, but tough). Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time there discussing life, love, death, babies, childfree life, travel, food and of course wine!

After brunch, we headed back into Seattle proper. My friend was very excited to introduce me to a wine bar in her former neighborhood of Madrona. We pulled up to Bottlehouse and I could immediately tell we were in store for a fun afternoon tasting. Appropriately, Bottlehouse from the outside appears as a house. Inside it has the feel of an urban winery with a tasting bar that sells wine, beer and small plates. In the front of the restaurant there seemed to be an interactive hosted wine tasting. We decided to just sit down at a table and order a custom red and white wine flights based on our servers’ recommendation. We enjoyed our wine, cheese and charcuterie, and even splurge on their delicious dessert, House Pot De Crème! Honestly, I did not want to leave this place and I felt the pull of jealously wishing that my neighborhood in DC had a place like this. But as mentioned, this trip also involved visiting my family and it was time to head back home for the day.

It really was a great day. Travel and friendships are two things that are very important to me. I feel very lucky to incorporate the both of them together! More to come…

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A Day in the Pacific Northwest – Brunch, Beach & Winery

February 8, 2016

After a long direct flight from Washington, DC, I touched down in Seattle, WA late evening around 9pm. The best thing about the 6 hour flight from the East Coast to the West Coast is that you make up for time. If planned correctly (an evening flight in and red-eye flight out), you can truly maximize full days and get the most out of a long weekend trip. Well, that is, if you can handle the 3 hour time change which may bring a little bit of jet lag. My advice is to just power through it, rally, and drink lots of coffee!

My motivation for this trip was a quick visit home. My parents live just north of Seattle in Edmonds, WA. Edmonds sits on the beautiful shores of the Puget Sound. Though, traditionally, a homestead and lodging community, it is now a modern residential and commercial Seattle suburban city boosting a quaint downtown, several beaches and picturesque waterfront views. Some of the best things about the Pacific Northwest, Seattle and Edmonds are the mild winters and the beautiful nature that surrounds it. My first morning started off with a short run to a nearby lake, Lake Ballinger. Lake Ballinger is surrounded by homes, a golf course, a park, and biking and running trials. It’s a definitely great little lake to visit, swim and fish at the during the summer.

After my morning run, we headed into downtown Edmonds to what is supposed to be its best brunch spot, Rusty Pelican Café. The coffee there was served with heavy whipping cream which is thick, sweet and all things yummy. I had the best mimosa I have had in a long time. It was raspberry infused, very refreshing and it reminded me of the beach! Between the four of us we ate the crepes, french toast, pancakes and eggs benedict. All were very good! However, if you are a French toast lover, it is not to be missed here. After brunch we strolled down to Edmonds Ferry Terminal to spend some time walking around Brackett’s Landing Park, one of its bordering beaches with a great view.

Our afternoon involved a much anticipated visit to Chateau Ste Michelle Winery. The Winery is located in the popular Woodinville Wine Country about 30 mins from downtown Seattle. I have been on several wine tours in both Napa and Northern VA and I must say that this was a fun and informative tour. First of all, the tour is free! And secondly, it involves a complimentary 3 sampling wine tasting! It doesn’t get much that! The tour and tasting lasted about 35 minutes total. After, we enjoyed some of their “Themed Tastings” ($10) in their Tasting Room Bar, as well the Col Solare Bottega tasting. Col Solare is a winemaker partnership between the Chateau Ste. Michelle and Marchesi Antinori of Italy. It has its own tasting room within the winery and it is a very cool experience. And, I did end up walking away with a delicious bottle to take home!

Overall, we had a great day! I definitely recommend visiting both downtown Edmonds and Woodinville Wine Country for a not-so-typically Seattle day trip experience.

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Astoria, Queens & The City – A Weekend Visit

January 23, 2016

Friday

My first weekend trip of 2016! I headed to NYC via Amtrak from DC to visit a college roomie and very good friend who lives in Astoria, Queens. One of the best things about the Northeast US is the close proximity of big cities and the ability to travel by rail. I must admit, there’s something special about a Friday night Amtrak train to Penn Station; the movement, the crowds, the chaos…it makes me feel alive!

I arrived to Astoria via Uber (yes, I cheated) to my friend’s cute brownstone apartment. After a little bit of chatting and catching up, we headed to the heart of Astoria to one of its most popular Greek restaurants Taverna Kyclades for dinner. As expected, the restaurant was jam packed, but it was well worth the wait. Warning: portion sizes are big, as they should be. We indulged ourselves with fried cheese, greek salad, shrimp and sole stuffed with crabmeat. And of course, wine! Delicious all around!

After dinner, as we strolled down Ditmars Blvd taking in the chill city vibe of Queens in January, a bouncer lured us into what we discovered was a new bar to the neighborhood, The Ditty. The Ditty, oh The Ditty…think hipster vibe, hipster model bartenders, good drinks, good music and games (board and video). In my mind, this is all that you can ask for in a neighborhood bar (did I mention hipster model bartenders). Anyhow, we finished our night out there enjoying good conversation in a fun atmosphere.

Saturday

I love brunch! But I guess I love any excuse to eat good food and have a day drink. I especially love a brunch that involves fried chicken. And luckily, my friend lives within a short walk to Burnside Biscuit, a restaurant serving southern food with twist that focuses on “giving back to the community that raised its founders while celebrating local, organic sourcing.” Or, a restaurant that serves some damn good chicken and waffles, which we both enjoyed thoroughly as we drank our coffee, tea and day drinks! Across the street from Burnside on 30th and 33rd resides the United Brother Fruit Market. The fruit look good, the place was buzzing and it made for a charming Astoria corner picture.

At night we ventured into The City (Manhattan) to meet up with friends for dinner and a birthday celebration. We ate dinner at Wildair, which serve flavorful and unique sharing plates. The restaurant was small, only seating about 40 people with no reservations. If you can time it well, it’s worth the culinary experience. After dinner we stopped at Wassail, my first cider bar experience. This place has over 90 ciders to pick from and my favorite was the Christian Drouin, Pays d’Auge AOP. I really just started enjoying cider this past year so I was excited about this place, however the lack of heat in the restaurant did hinder the experience some (note to restaurant: heat in January is a necessity in NYC). Our last stop was all about celebrating the birthday girl with some dancing at Pianos. We made our way to the “Upstairs Lounge” and spent the rest of the evening dancing the night away to 90s hip-hop and pop!

Sunday

Coffee, an early morning train and finding my way back home to DC!

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2015 Coffee Lifestyle Photography Quick Review Sedona Travel Wine

Coffee, Wine & Travel in 2015 – Sedona/Grand Canyons, Arizona

August 15, 2015

In August, on the way to Seattle for my sister’s wedding, we made a stop at the Grand Canyons via Sedona, Arizona. We stayed at the lovely and peaceful Enchantment Resort, placed in the beautiful setting of the Red Rocks. We were able to go on hikes directly from the resort and it was just a few minutes drive to the center of town where there are additional dinning and shopping options. We booked a guided Grand Canyon day tour via “All-Star Grand Canyon Tours.” They transported us from the resort to the Grand Canyons and made several stops within the canyons. The tour guide was great, super friendly and knowledgeable. I suggest the tour company for those who have a short period of time, but want to see and learn a lot without the stress of transportation. Hint: reminder that the altitude in the grand canyon is crazy high, I had one glass of wine with lunch and pretty much immediately feel asleep in the car on the way to the next stop (believe me, my tolerance level is way stronger than that). Luckily the next stop had a shop that sold coffee for a much needed afternoon pick me up.

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2015 Coffee Jamaica Lifestyle Negril Photography Quick Review Travel Wine

Coffee, Wine & Travel in 2015 – Negril, Jamaica

May 25, 2015

In May, we celebrated our 5 year anniversary at Couples Swept Away in Negril, Jamaica. All I can say is “no worries.” This vacation was what you would expect of a classic beach vacation in an all-inclusive resort. However, the resort had a phenomenal location; imagine calmly floating in picturesque clear water with a cocktail in your hand. The resort also includes excellent resort activities like a sunset catamaran cruise, snorkeling, water sports and shuttles to Rick’s Cafe for cliff diving. Our room had an amazing sunset view, the food was great and service was 5 stars. I highly recommend Couples Swept Away and Negril for those who seek a “worry-free” Caribbean beach vacation. And I can’t forget about the fresh brewed coffee and bottle of champagne delivered to your room each morning!

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2015 Athens Coffee Fish Pedicure Greece Greek Islands Lifestyle Photography Quick Review Travel Wine

Coffee, Wine & Travel in 2015 – Athens, Greece

April 14, 2015

In April, I traveled with my husband to Athens, Greece for his work. Athen appeared as a booming European Metropolitan city while we were there, which was about a month before their financial collapse. We visited the Acropolis, scored time for a 3-Island day tour, and I spent many hours walking around the shopping district (The Plaka, Monastiraki Flea Market, & Ermou Street) and enjoying traditionally Greek coffee, wine, and food. One of the highlights of my trip was the fish pedicure, nibble nibble = smooth feet. The highlight of our hotel, Athens Ledra, has a roof top a view of The Acropolis and a roof top pool.