It’s embarrassing to admit that sometimes I’m still stuck in my childhood stereotype of how I expect a place to be. When I learned I was traveling to Texas, I excitedly imagined a “Fievel Goes West” destination with dusty grounds, blowing tumbleweed, lawless saloons, and lazy cattle.
Greeted by the towering structures and modern buildings in Dallas wasn’t unanticipated, but rather “not up to scratch” with my vision. Where were all the cowboys? I had been warned that Dallas was not my imagined Texas, yet I still longed for spurs and saloons, not suits and skyscrapers. (more…)
Something magical happens when traveling to a new place and different travel dots begin to connect. It’s like independent neurons in my brain crash into each other in a brilliant fireworks display. Or like that eureka moment when I realized that the names in Harry Potter novels had a deeper literary and contextual meaning. The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas, TX is where these ah-ha connections happened for me.
Welcome to the top of Mount Bonnell! I wonder what happened to the stone sign. Anyone know?
When it’s a scorching 100° in Austin, TX and a climb up Mount Bonnell is on the day’s agenda, the unknowing tourist may start perspiring simply at the thought of a mountain hike. Trust me, I felt that way. But fear not! At about 780 feet above sea level, much of the mountain’s trek is up the winding roads via automobile. The journey that includes steps is not intimidating. Count to about 100 and you’ve overcome the climb. (more…)
“We HAVE to get chicken & waffles.” It wasn’t a question, it wasn’t a statement, it wasn’t even a thought… it was a definitive command.
My boyfriend (as he prefers a low-key online profile, for the sake of this blog, we shall call him Mystery Man (MM?) until he decides to reveal his secret identity) has raved about this chicken & waffles place since our first date. It’s crept up in conversations. Other chicken & waffle meals never compared. That bag of Lay;s Chicken & Waffles flavored potato chips only served as an unsatisfying reminder of this life-changing chicken & waffles restaurant in Texas. (more…)
If we want to get scientific about summer, we can talk about the tilting of our planet’s axis and other cosmic-speak buzzwords, like orbit and hemisphere, OR we can talk about summer in terms of warm weather, good company, and beer. Yes, beer.
If there’s one way to spend the longest day of the year, it’s in Detroit at the Sumer Beer Fest. Sweet libations! Did the beer pour on June 21 in the heart of downtown Detroit. It was an offering to honor the summer solstice – here is my liver, give me the sun (and I think we got Mother Nature a little too drunk on craft beer, because the weather’s been rainy ever since)!
Testing local brews is a unique tool to learn more about a place – whether in your neighborhood or across the pond. Let’s say you meandered into Detroit Beer Co., ordered up a Red Dwarf (after all, the name captured your intrigue), became chummy with the bartender and conversed about the tale behind the label. You’d learn about some Detroit folklore that you may never have discovered otherwise.
The Beer. Over 200 beers – local, craft, seasonal, amazing. My favorite of the evening? Zombie Killer from B. Nektar Meadery. I even used two tickets for this brew. I’m a slight beer pansy, preferring fruity to IPA and smooth to bitter bite. And a beer pansy like me was neither dissatisfied nor thirsty throughout the event. I even tried ginger beer for the first time… that was my surprise taste of the night. My guest prefers the dark, bold, “manly” flavors and he was equally as happy. What I’m trying to say is that there was something for everyone. In fact, there was too much for everyone.
Yes, I know, you want this BBQ burger topped with coleslaw from Rub BBQ Pub.
The Food. It’s a sin to go to any summer celebration amid alcohol without getting a fill of the food vendors. The typical carnival trucks parked at the perimeter (elephant ears, pretzels, etc.), but there was a fair share of local food establishments. We were instantly attracted to the smoky sent of barbeque wafting from Rub BBQ Pub’s outdoor grill. Rib tips from a local Detroit restaurant will trump a carnival hot day any day.
Hammerschlagen.
The Fun. Hammerschlagen. No, I did not type that word after 3 hard ciders from Motor City Brewing Works. I was introduced to this game at DSBF. Each participant has a nail. The first person to successfully hammer this nail into the tree stump wins. Men can use one hand, women, two. You only take one swing at a time per turn. Sounds stupidly simple, but it’s a bit more challenging at a Beer Fest. Hammers, nails, and beers… absolutely the safest and smartest drinking game ever. Oh the irony of getting hammered.
A manageable, friendly crowd at a Beer Fest.
The Crowds. A huge round of applause to the event planners for strategically placing the beer vendors throughout Campus Martius Park. This avoided congestion of the guests and minimized wait times at the tents. No attendees were overly rowdy or out of control, making this event mature and enjoyable.
The start of the evening. The end looked rather comparable with the amount of orange left over.
The Tickets. Okay. What were they thinking? 25 tickets worth approx. 5 ounces of craft beer? Each?! It’s a steal of a deal for a $45 entry fee, but had I honored each orange slip, I’d have been dragged to Detroit Receiving from serious liver damage. Kudos to the troopers who utilized each ticket. Every 30 minutes I’d stare in awe at how much orange remained in my purse, so taunting, so abundant.
When the first day of summer approaches next year, you can expect to find me at this festival again. There are a TON more brews I plan to try that I didn’t get around to in 2013. There’ll be more beer fests on my radar to carry me through the rest of the summer… any suggestions?
Although I won these tickets from Detroit Metromix, I was not asked to write a post about my experience. Nor did the influence of alcohol encourage me to write a positive review. All thoughts are truly my own. Cheers!
A close-up of Gaudí’s details in La Sagrada Familia.
I think my Spanish teacher lied to me.
It’s the same feeling of the childhood realization that Santa isn’t real: it’s probably true… but I just can’t accept it.
I distinctly recall sitting in the classroom trying to remember which Spanish artists, writers, and icons were associated with particular cultural significance for a high school exam. That is, until La Profesora offered a “Eureka!” clue… that the word “gaudy” originated from the surname of the famous architect Antoni Gaudí.
I suppressed my inner overachiever from planning Australian adventures that would last a month and narrowed the list to my top activities with 5 Days in Queensland:
Feel alive where coral thrive on a Great Barrier Reef Dive
A few days learning how to snorkel in Florida was practice for the Great Barrier Reef. Time to swim with the manta rays, maori wrasse, & giant clams!
The moment theCoral Sea swallows me and I am transported to this rich habitat off the shores of Queensland will be a moment of pure jubilation. An underwater kaleidoscope of vibrant fish and rich coral, the Great Barrier Reef serves as home to 1,500+ species. There’s no hesitation that I’d easily spend a day (or more) snorkeling below the surface marveling at this maritime universe designated as a World Heritage site and world wonder. Viewable from satellite, I’d dream to see our planet’s largest network of living organisms from above – perhaps parasailing like a pelican scouting for his meal? A Great Barrier Reef experience in the sea and in the sky.
Experience the aboriginal nation through my active participation
Equally as important as sightseeing is engaging oneself in a location’s history and culture. Sometimes this can be satisfied through museums, but in the case of Australia, I’d participate in an aboriginal cultural experience. At the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park I can play the didgeridoo, paint my face, throw a boomerang, and discover Australia’s indigenous roots. Tjapukai’s website even said, “Nganydjin-da Garran Ngundalna” (Come and visit us soon!). To which I respond, “I’m trying!”
Go off-track in the Outback (& try that good snack)
This is not the Outback. I’m overlooking meteor crater. But let’s pretend this is me in awe of the Australian Outback – and let’s make it happen!
The large, open, daunting outback – best spent cruising on a 4×4. A station stay is my accommodation of choice, where I can gather local tales & anecdotes. I won’t go hungry – I did my research and word on the web is that Birdsville Bakery crafts a curry camel pie that must embrace my tastebuds. After an active afternoon, I’d slow down to appreciate Queensland at dusk. Due to the outback’s sparse population, a dark sky offers the perfect stargazing situation to conclude the day.
Link up with a wildlife teacher to play with Queensland’s iconic creatures
Laugh with a kookaburra. Cuddle a koala. Hop with a kangaroo. Mingle with wombats. Australia is known for iconic animals. While it’s likely I won’t have time to meander through a wildlife reserve, I’d try my best to incorporate my animal meet & greets in my other Australian adventures.
*Bonus Activity* Attend the Problogger Conference! There’s a first time for everything! I’d consider attending this opportunity to take my travel writing dream to the “next level.”
Okay, so maybe I didn’t suppress my inner over-achiever. Even if I accomplished one of these items, my world would flip upside down. Or shall I say down under?
Sometimes when inspiration hits, my brain jumps on a roller coaster of ideas in words, images, plans… and like a roller coaster track, I need to harness these ideas and creatively channel them or else all is lost.
Never have I ever felt the solid concrete beneath my feet move to the pulsating bass of music. That is, until I attended Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit (or as I’ll call it in this post, DEMF). Although I love music, my concert résumé is skeletal and until that weekend, the list below my “Music Festival” heading was blank. That’s why the sheer power of the music moved me. Maybe that’s why they call it Movement?
I remember when it was just a window. A small little window tucked down a road off of Woodward. The first time I went there, I was impressed that something so good could be presented through such a tiny window… it was love at first taste. I’m talking about one of my favorite places in Detroit: Good Girls Go To Paris.
For the past few years I’ve raved about this restaurant and as the business relocated and expanded, so did my following. When I saw a post on their Facebook page about a special Mother’s Day crepe making class, I emailed my reservation within minutes.
