Tag Archives: Travel

Take Me Back Tuesday – Chicago!

Happy Take Me Back Tuesday!  I’ve had Chicago on my mind this week.  After those crazy storms ripped through the area I made sure to check in with some friends who live there.  I have visited Chicago three times over the past few years in both summer and in winter!

It’s an awesome city; tons of sights, fun things to do, friendly people, and great little neighborhoods that all have their own little feel.

Looking back at my pictures and remembering my different trips there I realize that I should clarify these Chicago trips were all taken in my early 20’s.  This means while yes we saw some of the main sites, the trips mainly consisted of a bunch of girls in their early 20s reuniting and having a lot of fun!

Here is my list of my favorite things to do in Chicago. 

Cubs Game at Wrigley Field – Wrigleyville

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Wrigley Field is one of the oldest baseball stadiums in the country.  It’s a great thing to do on a summer day.  The Chicago Cubs aren’t the best team in the league so you don’t have super competitive fans (like you might find at a Yankee / Red Sox game).  It’s really just a bunch of baseball fans having a good time!  Wrigleyville is an entire neighborhood around the stadium that has some awesome bars.  Be prepared for drinking marathon if it’s a game day!

The Bean!

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By far one of the coolest monuments I’ve seen.  I always have to make a stop here every time I visit Chicago.

The L

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I love that their trains are raised above the streets.  And I thought Boston was unique!

Crown Fountain

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This exhibit is right near The Bean.  It has a rolling display of random people’s faces.  It’s a big fountain and a great place for kids to play around in the summer.

Navy Pier

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The Navy Pier is a must tourist attraction.  There are a ton of food vendors, souvenir stands, and a giant ferris wheel.

Lake Michigan

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Lake Michigan definitely doesn’t look anything like a lake.  It’s huge! I’ve gone to the beach on the Chicago side, which is cool being right next to the city.  We’ve also driven over to Michigan to my friends lake house.  The sunsets here were amazing!

Take Me Back Tuesday – Cancun, Mexico

I woke up this morning before the 6AM mark.  It was cold, dark, and SNOWING! What the heck? Since  I’m really just not ready for the snow flakes I think a little Cancun, Mexico edition of Take Me Back Tuesday will put me in much better spirits!

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This past May me and Andy ventured off to the beautiful beaches of Cancun, Mexico.  Funny story about why we decided on Cancun.  We were planning on being there for my birthday, Cinco de Mayo (pretty awesome birthday).  Silly me thought how fun it would be to celebrate the Spanish holiday in Mexico!  Well come to find out, Cinco de Mayo is not very Spanish at all.  Americans have basically made it what it is, which is primarily a drinking and partying holiday.

With that aside, we ended up having an awesome first vacation, in a beautiful place, for very cheap! Here were the details of our trip.

Booking

We booked our trip on CheapCaribbean.com.  This site is awesome!  You can find some fantastic deals, many which include flight and all-inclusive hotels.  We ended up booking our 5 night vacation, including airfare, hotel, and airport transfers for under $1000!

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Hotel

We stayed at the Grand Oasis Cancun.  This hotel was huge!  Definitely not a 5 star resort but we had to keep in mind how much we paid.

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Positives

  • We scored an Ocean View room.
  • A few different pools, some with swim up bars.
  • A small gym.
  • The beach was big, clean, and beautiful.
  • A good buffet breakfast place.
  • A great Brazilian Steakhouse and awesome Sushi restaurant.

Negatives

  • You had to book reservations for most of the restaurants in the resort the day before very first thing in the morning.
  • You had to reserve beach chairs very early in the morning if you wanted to get any.
  • No wireless connection.
  • At certain restaurants, the best items on the menu were “extra.”
  • It seemed one half of the resort was filled with college kids on spring break while the other half was for couples/families.

Excursions

Isla Mujeres, Snorkeling, and Swimming with Dolphins

We bought this excursion from the CheapCaribbean reps that we had to meet with once we got there.  This was an absolutely awesome excursion that included three exciting activities.  We started the morning sailing off on a catamaran.  We were completely catered to by the crew.  They served us drinks until we got to the snorkeling area.  The snorkeling was so great I think it may even beat Aruba’s.  We saw some really cool fish, and the water was so blue!

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After snorkeling we headed to Isla Mujeres, an island off the coast of Cancun.  I absolutely loved it here.  The island has a fisherman village type of feel and makes you feel off the beaten path, especially compared to the touristy hotel strip of Cancun.  Here we really just walked around, took some pictures, and found some cool secluded beaches.  I would spend a few days here next time if I could!

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Our last stop of the day was to Dolphin Discovery!  I have wanted to swim with Dolphins since I was a little girl so was ecstatic for this part of the trip.  You can read my review on Trip Advisor to get all of the details.  All you have to know is if you ever go to Cancun, you should definitely swim with the dolphins at Dolphin Discovery!

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A Night on The Hotel Strip

For my birthday night we decided to leave the hotel and explore the restaurants and bars on the hotel strip.  We went to a fantastic restaurant called Lorenzillo’s where I ordered an amazing surf and turf meal.  Filet Mignon stuffed with lobster!  We also had a friendly visitor during dinner.

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After dinner we headed to Senor Frogs for some good ol’ touristy shenanigans.  They very much so celebrated Cinco de Mayo here for all of us Americans.

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I really enjoyed Cancun.  It was the perfect, relaxing vacation where we didn’t feel pressured to do too many activities or sight see. Where is your favorite relaxing destination?

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Take Me Back Tuesday – Boston

A big part of me will always be in Boston.  The day I graduated from college (the University of Massachusetts, Amherst) I decided to pack up my apartment and move to Beantown!  I spent the past four years there from 2009 to 2013.

I started my career in Boston, had what I call my “first adult relationship” in Boston, started practicing and found my love of yoga in Boston, and navigated the ups and downs of my early 20’s in Boston.  It’s been quite the transitional year moving back to Connecticut.  While I know it was the right choice there are just some things about Boston that I will always miss!

10 Things I Miss About Boston

Running along the Charles River

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Fenway Park – The fans, the sunsets, the beer, and the singing.

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The T – Never thought I would say that! But I miss being able to hop on the train to go to the store or dinner, and all of the “interesting” people you encounter.

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Newbury Street – What a beautiful street lined with brownstones and has great shopping, food, and people watching.

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The North End / Waterfront – My first company was in this neighborhood.  The North End is the “Little Italy” of Boston with fantastic restaurants and some great Italian American culture.  It also sits right next to the waterfront which is just a beatiful place bustling with tourists.

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Running around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir – I lived close to the reservoir most of my years in Boston.  It was about a mile and a half around, a perfect place to run, and had some great sunsets.

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The Skyline 

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Hip Hop Yoga – My very first yoga class was at Sweat & Soul yoga to try out Hip Hop yoga.  It’s not what you think it is!  It’s just vinyasa flow to loud music and so, so much fun!  This picture was at a hip hop yoga event near Copley Square hosted by Lululemon.

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The Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics, & Patriots and all of their crazy fans.  

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The Boston Common & Public Garden

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I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend four years of my life in one of the best cities in the world!

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