The City Flea

This past Saturday was The City Flea downtown. Modeled after the Brooklyn Flea, The City Flea had an inaugural summer this year. The City Flea is another project that is helping to revitalize Over-the-Rhine. It was the first Saturday of June, July, August and September. I was lucky enough to make it to three of the four fleas. Many of the shoppes have vintage items, antiques, homemade crafts, jewelry and foodstuffs. There are also a number of great food vendors; My favorites are Streetpops, Fireside Pizza and Cafe de Wheels. My favorite purchased item were little necklaces made out of Scrabble pieces and they have little quotes on the front. They are made by Sunday Afternoon Housewife. I purchased the Paris one and the letter S was on the tile. It was meant to be!

The Location:

Whirleybird Granola: Delicious and Homemade!

Some random yard art!

Homemade Toys and Lovies:

Vintage Goods:

I am already looking forward to next year.

Cheerful Flowers

We are having a snowstorm here on Thursday. I actually like the snow when I don't have to drive in it. But, it is gray here still, so I thought some lovely pictures taken last Spring at the Chicago Botanic Garden would be cheerful.

This is probably my favorite picture - all the tulips in bloom. I keep thinking I need to have this developed into a bigger size and frame it.


I would love to see these flowers in a cluster in a pretty white vase.


The refreshing and pretty waterfall.


The Bell Tower on Evening Island. In the evenings during the summer they have concerts on Evening Island and also bring in bell ringers from all over the world to do a concert.

Keep thinking Happy Spring Thoughts!

Cheers to Art

As part of my 2011 Resolutions, I am trying some new hobbies. Last Friday, we went to Cheers to Art in Madeira. This store/studio is amazing. As you walk in, they have a cheerful reception desk with shelves of locally made jewelry, funky purses and a BAR. Yes, you can have a cocktail as you create your own work of art.

The space is clean and airy. They have tons of art on the wall. Each class paints the same picture with your own interpretation. They also have open studio time, where you can paint your own canvas. This wall shows a few of the options that are available.

This is me working on my masterpiece - of course it is pink and green. It is titled "Swirls"!


Once it dries, you can take it home and hang it up.

Vintage 338

One of my favorite places in Lincoln Park is Vintage 338. It is a wine bar that also serves an amazing brunch. I really like the building it is in and the decor inside is a little contemporary and a little retro.

I enjoyed a new take on a Croque Madame. It was delish!

The Wine Bar.

I love this chandelier. I like the luxury of the crystals, but the toned down look of the shades.

Cruisin'

This year for my birthday, all the besties pitched in and presented me with a wonderful Trek Cruiser in Pink! Here is a picture of my lovely bike. I love the attention to detail. The pink handlebars have dark pink stitching as does the seat. Everything on the bike is perfect. And pink!

They even put an adorable pink bell on my bike! Now all I need is a little basket for the front. I have been scouring the internet for the perfect basket (at the perfect price). I can't wait to spend the summer riding my cruiser.

Let the Sun Shine In...

Today, I had an appointment downtown and took the opportunity to walk around and soak up the sunshine. It was also about 30 degrees, which is practically summer to me at this point.

The Sunshine:


I walked right by Millennium Park, a Chicago favorite and snapped this photo of the Park Grill. This is where you can ice skate at night. It gets very crowded though. During the summer, I like to sit outside and have a burger and beer. The Park Grill has some of the best burgers. Oh, summer I am ready now!!!!

The Park Grill:


I also snapped a lovely view of the building.
The Smurfit-Stone Building:



Do you recognize this building from one of the greatest 80's movies of all time? Yes, Adventures in Babysitting, starring Elizabeth Shue. This is the building Sara climbs out of after being chased.
Which brings me to my favorite part of the movie, the beginning. I love this song by The Crystals. I used to dance around the room just the same way after seeing the movie. I even a dress super similar to that one. There is a good chance, I would still wear that dress today if it fit.



TGIF!

Bistro Marget

A few weekends ago, the JLC (Junior League Chicago) girls and I ventured into Old Town for a little lunch. Old Town is a small area, just north of the city. It is very cute and even a little quaint.
The entrance to Old Town:


For lunch we went to Bistro Margot. Bistro Margot is a little french/parisian eatery.
The outside sign:

The inside is very warm and cozy, decorated in red velvet, marble floors and lovely little pictures.
The inspiration for the sign and my favorite picture:

I had a traditional french lunch. A cup of French Onion Soup and then Kim and I shared a Croque Madame with Pommes Frites. T'was delish! It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon with the girls.

Apple Fest in Long Grove

This past Autumn, the girls and I ventured to Long Grove, IL. Long Grove is about 35 miles outside of the city. Each October they celebrate Apple Fest. Everything is apples, apple cider, apple donuts (Yum!), caramel apples, apple butter, apple cocktails, apple beer, brown bag apple pies, the list goes on and on. In addition to a wonderful festival, Long Grove is seriously adorable. There are cute shops, cute restaurants and cute buildings. I love the coziness of LG and how perfectly cute the little town is. It was still warm in October, that the flowers were still in bloom.

The Long Grove Time Piece:



The Long Grove Apple Haus, where we enjoyed apple cider and hot, fresh baked apple donuts. Delish!

The 'town square'. All the shoppes surrounded this area. It was bustling with people the entire weekend. The sidewalks are brick and beautiful flower plantings are everywhere. It was so nice to be there with the crisp, fall air and the smell of warm donuts.

One of my favorite shoppes, Within Reach. I purchased a black and white polka-dot wristlet with a pink S on the front. I also purchased a lilac tea for one set and some apple tea sachets. This is the back entrance and was all decked out for Autumn.

After a little shopping and snacking, we decided to rest by listening to the music. The stage was in the covered bridge. So picturesque:

A little resting spot:

And my favorite photo of the day, a cowboy right in the middle of suburban Chicago. He was the real deal too.

Chicago French Market

A few weekends ago, I ventured to the Chicago French Market. The CFM is an indoor marketplace selling fresh groceries and flowers, along with many food stands. The purveyors are all local businesses and local ingredients (as much as possible). Because the CFM is pretty new, there are only a handful of vendors. The goal is to eventually have to be close to Milwaukee's Public Market. It was very pretty on the inside and I am glad there is a lot of room for growth.

The Apple Stand - look how shiny and yummy these apples look:


The Flowers Stands were also one of my favorite parts. I especially love pink and orange together in the form of gerber daisies.


My lunch was from Pastoral. Pastoral is a local artisan cheese and gourmet foods shop.

I had a lovely sandwich with herbed goat cheese, avocado, roasted red pepper, and tomato all on warm french bread. It was delish.

For dessert I had the best crepe this side of the Atlantic. It was a fresh made crepe with smeared Nutella, marshmallow sauce that was then broiled, with graham cracker crumbs and banana's. It was amazing.


Each weekend, they are adding more vendors and shoppes which is very exciting. I am already trying to figure out when I am going to visit next.

The Met Opening Night

Last night was Opening Night for The Metropolitan Opera. The production was Puccini's Tosca. This is also the opening opera for the Chicago Lyric Opera. The Met does something that I love; broadcasting Opening Night for free to open-air audiences to giant screens in Times Square and on Lincoln Center Plaza. I think this is an amazing way for everyone to experience the opera and in such a beautiful setting as Lincoln Center and an exciting setting of Times Square.

I love that their is still a glamorous opening night for the opera, especially in this economy. Originally, I was not an opera lover - much to my great aunt's chagrin. Over the past two years, I have been able to learn a lot more about opera and learn to not only appreciate opera, but really grow to embrace it. It was a little heart breaking to learn that Tosca was booed last night. How sad for the performers. From the articles I read, I am not sure it was deserved. If you are interested in see a Met performance, but cannot make it to New York, consider attending The Met: Live in HD at a local movie theatre. The opera is simulcast live from the stage to the screen. You also get to see the scenery changes and interviews with the cast. Last year, I was able to see all but one of the opera this way.

Oregon Trail - Day Five

Oregon Trail - Day Five
September 1, 2009
Locations: Hood River, The Falls, Troutdale, Portland

Our day started off wonderfully. We woke to the sun coming up over the Columbia River. We really enjoyed our visit to the River Lodge & Grill. It had a beautiful stone fireplace, great views and very plush rooms.
The River Lodge:

Our first stop of the day, was a scenic look at Mt. Hood. KMD tells me this is a great time to be here in the dry season because you can see so much. Many of the times she has been here, it has been too foggy and hazy to see the top on the drive in.
Since we were east of Portland and we had until 5pm to pick up the keys to KMD's new home, we stopped at the 'Falls'. We visited four different waterfall sites. The biggest is Multnomah Falls. It was stunning with a beautiful bridge intersecting the falls. We walked up to the bridge part for some pictures. This area was the most popular with a restaurant, gift shop and restrooms!
Multnomah Falls:

After visiting the gift shop for some postcards, we headed down the scenic drive to Ponytail Falls. Ponytail was smaller than Multnomah, but you could hike up half a mile and go behind the waterfall. We hiked up it, but it felt like much more the half a mile as we took a steep grade path up with hairpins turns. I definitely worked off breakfast. Being behind the waterfall was super cool, as you could see it rushing down below. The little waterfall below Ponytail is called Horsetail Falls.
Ponytail Falls (behind the falls):

Sheppard's Dell was a quick stop. We got out of the car, walked down a lovely bridge/ramp and snapped a picture.
Shepperd's Dell:

Latourell was my favorite waterfall. This one you feel the spray hitting you and it was so refreshing and natural. Somehow, I got brave and decided to use the rocks as stepping stones and walk into the waterfall. In case it wasn't clear, I am not a fan of nature in general. However, I love beautiful scenery and the majesty of the landscape of this country. Being up close and personal , not so much. I mean I live in a concrete jungle. Anyway, back to the story. I loved walking into the little creek and getting so close to the waterfall. My clothes were damp, my shoes were dirty, but I loved every minute of being in the waterfall and working to get there.
Latourell Falls (KMD walking in the falls):

After working up an appetite, we headed to Troutdale. Troutdale is a great example of not judging a book by it's cover. The name is not so cute, but the little town? Adorable. We had a ladies lunch of chicken salad and iced tea at a place called Celebrate Me Home. This was a home furnishings store, but with a little bistro inside. My favorite store by far was the Troutdale General Store. It had an old-fashioned soda and ice cream fountain on one side and the other was literally a whole store of cuteness. I could have purchased so many treats.

Our time was winding down and we needed to get the keys to the new home, so we hopped in the Viv the Volvo and headed into Portland. KMD is living in a totally cute area called Lake Oswego. After picking up the keys and making the mandatory trip to Target, we headed to Trader Joe's for a few groceries. It will be nice to have our own food and not eat out all the time. Although lots of places to dine out will still be had.

Happy Portlanding!

Oregon Trail - Day Four

Oregon Trail - Day Four
August 31, 2009
States: MT, ID, WA, OR

We are in the home stretch of driving. Today we covered about 600 miles of road. Our day started in Bozeman, MT. We had a very nice stay at the Wingate. Options are extremely limited and we were pleasantly surprised about nice this hotel was. After breakfast we made a little stop at Target for some magazines that I could read outloud. We have had a lot of music and needed a change. In toto- I spend $44 on magazines, from the trashy to the classy. It was pure enjoyment. We also picked up this lovely magazine called Sunset. It is a magazine about how to live in the west. It is really beautiful.

This leg of the trip was beautiful with changing landscapes, but also one of the toughest in terms of changing terrain. We went up and down huge huge hills and mountains.

The lush green mountains and hills, the vast farmland, rows and rows of trees - all stunning. For a long part of the drive, we drove next to a beautiful river/creek. It was straight out of A River Runs Through It.

Our big sightseeing stop today was Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. It was amazing. This crystal blue lake, rows of boats, the towering mountains in the background - we just took it all in. We walked around, visited a few cutie shops. Papillion Stationary was my favorite store there. We ended the little diversion with Idaho potato french fries and homemade ice cream.
The sign to the harbor:

The main street with shoppes and cafes:

The prettiest picture ever:


Our final leg of the day's drive was supposed to conclude in Pasco, WA. Upon arrival, we decided to keep on driving. There wasn't really anything there. Pasco was picked because on the map, it was the largest word, which usually means a larger city. As we kept driving, we noticed a complete lack of dinner options and we were getting really hungry. As a whim, we exited at Boardman and decided to give the River Lodge and Grill a try. It was really that or a pizza shack (eh). We were so completely surprised by how cute and nice this lodge was. We went into the dining room for dinner and sat by a big window overlooking the Columbia River. Our dinner was such a pleasant treat, we decided to stay the night here. I will have pictures of the lodge and lovely river setting tomorrow.

Ciao!

Oregon Trail - Day Three

Oregon Trail - Day Three
August 30, 2009
States: SD, WY, MT

This morning was another early morning for me. I was up and showered before 7:30am. I spent some time organizing my pictures and blogging while KMD got ready. Breakfast was communal style at the B&B. We had a strada (eh), yogurt, fruit and granola mixed together (like crack to me), cheese and bread. Very Euro. It was good and we sat with our new besties, Bev and Mary. Before we left, Bev approached us with her 'business card' and asked us to keep in touch. We felt this gesture warranted a picture with them. Bev kept saying we felt like her family. Weird, but nice. After saying our goodbyes, we took off for Mt. Rushmore.
The B&B:

This was what we drove along out of the black hills:


Mt. Rushmore was amazing. As we drove up the hill to the monument, we turned a curve and there it was! We stopped for a picture and kept going to the parking lot. Mt. Rushmore was very majestic. We walked through The Avenue of Flags. I loved walking through all the flags of the states and then Mt. Rushmore appears. I took a lot of pictures from different angles and spot around the park.
The Avenue of Flags:

Mt. Rushmore:

Departing, Mt. Rushmore we headed to Deadwood. Mostly, because ECW really wanted us to go there. He loves the show and we love him, so of course we had to stop. It was very cute and almost looked like the backlot of a movie studio. The weirdest part was everything was a casino. I mean everything. Every hotel,shop, bar - had slots and tables. We struggled for a while to find a place to eat. It was harder than you would think. Finally, we ended up at this dive bar (to us, others probably liked it) with bar food. This was the same place Buffalo Bill was shot. At least that was interesting.

Upon finishing our meal, we really needed to hit the road and get some miles under our belt. We went through the northern portion of Wyoming and it was less than beautiful, but my cell service was amazing. Most of SD, it was dicey. We paused in Billings, MT for a quick dinner and then headed to Bozeman. We stopped in Bozeman for the night.

After leaving Deadwood, this is the most time we spent in the car just driving with no sightseeing detours. It sounds like a lot, but there was lots of laughing, reading gossip blogs and chatting.

Good Night - I'm Dozing in Bozeman.