We left the hotel around 7 in the morning and made our way to Atlanta GA. The drive through North and South Carolina was beautiful and the weather was perfect. 

We looked up Poke Bros in Greenville SC. We ordered online and pulled up to the Poke Bros on Pelham Rd. I went inside to pick up our order and while Greg sat down at one of their patio tables with Fred. Greg's Hula bowl was good and I customized a tuna poke bowl. I loved how spicy their wasabi aioli was!

After lunch, we made our way into Georgia. 

Before checking into our hotel we decided to drive around and hoped to walk around Atlanta a bit. Our first stop was Little Five Points which is funky and unique! I loved the street art, the unique buildings, and the vibe of the neighborhood. We stopped into Cinnaholic Bakery for some vegan cinnamon rolls and unfortunately I wasn't thrilled with them. It's exciting to see the variety of frostings and toppings but it didn't hold up in the end. I ordered the acai bowl cinnamon bun and it tasted very artificial. It was extremely strong syrup they added to the frosting. I also ordered a brownie cinnamon bun and that one was better but there was again a strong artificial taste. 

From there we tried to go to Piedmont Park but couldn't figure out the best area to park since the staff was setting up for an upcoming music festival. We thought we should try to see something else and so we drove to Centennial Olympic Park. Unfortunately, there was a musical festival currently happening. We drove all over Atlanta and for now, we were content to see the city a bit. For dinner, we decided to give bbq a try and opted for Fox Brothers BBQ. Greg's pulled pork and sausage plate was good, my brisket was tender and delicious but the highlight of the meal for was the fried okra! The fried okra was thinly sliced lengthwise and was crispy, slightly salty, and very satisfying!

We checked into the Westin Atlanta Buckhead hotel. Mike at reception was very friendly and welcoming! Mike would always stop by to see how we were doing if he saw us in the lobby. Greg self parked the car (we usually valet) but since I would have to take him and pick him up from work it was just easier to self park. Our 2 queen beds room was clean, and mostly updated (the bathroom could use a little updating) and our view was of Lenox Square Shopping Center and Buckhead. 

On this trip we also made a choice we don't usually do, we opted to go Green and skip housekeeping service. Skipping housekeeping was convenience for us since we had Fred and the weather was 100 degrees.

During our stay at the hotel we enjoyed cocktails from The Palm Restaurant but in the hotel lobby so Fred could people watch as well.   

On Monday morning, I dropped Greg off at work and Fred and I drove to Historic Oakland Cemetery. Founded in 1850, the cemetery is now on 48 acres. We initially parked outside the cemetery and walked in but with the extreme temperatures, we hopped back in the car, drank some water and drove through the cemetery. There aren't as many elaborate monuments as Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah Ga but it is just as beautiful. 

I next drove through the Krog Street Tunnel to Cabbagetown to check out some street art. There were so many pieces that I loved. I can't wait to go back and have the time to explore a little deeper. 

Once Greg was back from work we enjoyed cocktails in the lobby before heading out to pick up dinner. We drove to Desta Ethiopian Restaurant for our first Ethiopian food experience! For appetizers, we tried Sambusas (a crispy roll) and Gomen Siljo dip which is a delicious mix of tofu and collard greens. 

For entrees tried filet mignon, lamb, and ground beef tibs with and without awaze. My personal preference with awaze which is like a savory spicy sauce. Injera is the Ethiopian bread you eat your meal with. Injera reminds me of a slightly thicker crepe mixed with sourdough bread. It is amazing!  

Tuesday morning I dropped Greg off at work and Fred and I relaxed at the hotel for the day. Fred usually doesn't mind summer temperatures but this heat was just too much for him!

That night I picked Greg up from work and fought traffic to go sightseeing. Let's talk about Atlanta traffic for a second. I'm from Boston and people think we drive crazy and sit in traffic for hours. What people don't understand is that there is a reason for it. Traffic heads into town in the morning and out of town in the evening. It's simple. In Atlanta, you have people going north, south, east, and west during both morning and afternoon rush hours. It took me 20 minutes to go 1.7 miles to Greg's work and 20 minutes to go back to the highway never mind to get into Atlanta. 

We first drove to Piedmont Park again and parked at the Sage parking facility at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. We were just not meant to see the park! As soon as we walked into the park the sky became cloudy and started to thunder. Fred pretty much ran back to the car! Luckily the bad weather didn't last long and we were able to drive over to Centennial Olympic Park and actually walk around and check out the area. 

After that, we headed back to our hotel and started packing. In the morning, we're heading north to St Louis Mo.   

Greg's work asked him to go and spend a couple of days with his staff in Atlanta as well as St Louis. Normally, he or we would fly from Boston to those locations however this time would be different. We have traveled without Fred a lot this year and we all miss each other when we're apart. Fred is currently healthy with the help of a couple of medications. Fred has a heart murmur as well as an enlarged heart. Unfortunately, he will get worse and so we want to continue making him happy and creating as many memories as we can.

Very early on a Saturday morning this month we left the Boston area and made our way south via the Mass Pike and eventually Highway 81. We've previously driven through Shenandoah National Park so on this trip we made our stop at Natural Bridge VA. 

Before walking to the Natural Bridge you check-in and buy tickets inside the Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is pet-friendly and you can walk through it to get to the bridge. Down a steep set of stairs, you walk! While it was lovely to see and the walk was needed it was pretty awkward walking through a wedding reception area as well as pictures still being taken at the wedding ceremony site. 

After a short period of time Fred was pretty tired and hot (it's was probably close to 90 degrees and humid). So we trekked back up the steep stairs (thankful for my inhaler), hopped back in the car and made our way to our hotel for the night in Roanoke VA.   

The next post will be Roanoke to Atlanta GA and spending 3 nights there!

Saltie girl is one of my favorite restaurants in Boston. While the restaurant is small and causes long waits (the restaurant doesn't accept reservations) the service, drinks, and food are beyond worth it!

After an hour and fifteen minute wait (luckily there's a lot to do nearby). Our table for four was ready. We ordered cocktails to start and let the deliciousness begin!

We started with the warm spicy king crab roll which offers one large bite per person. Next is one of my favorite dishes the torched salmon belly. The salmon belly is a smoky and savory delicious bite. Greg really wanted to try a tinned item so we ordered spicy sardines. The sardines were a surprising hit! The addition of the vinegary vegetables and the piquillo pepper jam was amazing!

Our heavier dishes were the special uni and lardon brioche toast. This dish was outstanding rich, floral and slightly herbaceous. The steak tartar is luxurious! Perfectly season steak, buttery brioche, and tons of cheese! For entrees we ordered the special lobster pasta which offered a hint of sweetness from the addition of corn. We also ordered the lobster and waffles. I'll admit I wasn't looking forward to trying this dish. I ended up loving the sweet, spicy, and comforting dish!

I can't wait to go back for a third time! 

Side Note: None of this is dairy free for me and I don't mind!! Lots of lactaids are needed!

For a while now I have followed Pastry Chef, Dinara Kasko on Instagram. The pastries she creates constantly amaze and inspire me. I was thrilled to see Jonquils Cafe & Bakery was going to open up on Newbury Street.

I've tried to visit once before but the store was sold out of pastries. My father and  I were in town shopping for something else and I thought why not stop in and treat ourselves to some goodies!

We purchased Apple Caramel, Lime Basil, Pentagon, and Coffee Bean. At 8.75 each these pastries are a steal! My mother is one of the pickiest eaters I know and she enjoyed every single morsel of the Apple Caramel. My Lime Basil was bright, creamy, offered a crunch layer and was not overly sweet. My dad loved the Coffee Bean pastry which was like the evolution of Tiramisu. Greg enjoyed the Pentagon later in the day and again ate every single rich chocolate morsel.

I am dying to visit again and enjoy dessert while also sipping on some flower tea.

Last month was Greg's grandfather's 90th birthday! To celebrate we took a Jetblue flight on a Friday night, picked up our rental car at Hertz and drove north to Greg's parents house. 

Over the next two days we spent time with Greg's family. We enjoyed Lobster rolls shipped from Maine thanks to McLoon's Lobster and Goldbelly. We continued our celebration with steaks wrapped in bacon, cake and pie.

We loved spending time with his parents, grandparents, brother and sister in law, and of course our handsome nephews!

We also enjoyed walks in the area to check out the local scenery and sunsets! Sunday night definitely came too quickly. We hopped back on another Jetblue flight and made our way back to Boston so Greg could be at work on Monday morning!

In August, my best friend from Florida flew up for a visit with her fiance. During their visit we did a little sightseeing. The first day we went to Salem MA. We went by The Witch House, Salem Witch Museum, Hawthorne Hotel, and The Burying Point. We also stopped in at Crow Haven Corner where my friends signed up for readings.

There was a bit of a wait until their reserved times so we walked to the El Punto Neighborhood to check out the amazing street art at Punto Urban Art Museum! Walking back to Crow Haven Corner we detoured to Kakawa Chocolate House for some chocolate elixirs and truffles. Unbelievably delicious!

The readings were hit and miss for my friends one was okay and didn't seem very relative and the other was amazing and hit close to her heart.   

The next day we drove into Boston and met up with Greg who was hopping off a ferry from a work outing. We enjoyed drinks and appetizers at Tia's.

From there we walked to the North End. We walked by Paul Revere's House, Paul Revere's Statue, The Old North Church, and Copp's Hill Burying Ground. Before heading home, we stopped for pastries and calzones from Bova's Bakery. 

Over the weekend of their visit, we decided to try our luck at Encore Casino in Everett. I don't know if it's always like this or not but parking was a pain! We ended up circling and circling looking for a spot. We finally found one on a lower level and made our way inside. We didn't make dinner plans on this visit but are actually heading back there to try Mystique this weekend. 

Encore Casino is beautiful! It's elegant, modern, and a welcoming atmosphere plus it's smoke-free!!! We ordered drinks at the bar and luckily we got to do so just in time. The bartender starts at the person in front of him and then goes to their left. So if the person in front of them start and you go to that person's left-hand side you're out of luck!

​No one in our group one big but it was a terrific night out!  

I do not like celebrating my birthday! I love my family and friends and I don't care that I'm getting older but I hate being the center of attention. This is probably also why I blog vs vlog! 

I couldn't travel for my birthday this past July because we were already heading to California for the family trip. Greg came up with the idea to go to the newly opened Zuma since we love the one in Miami. In the end, we were a party of 6 plus my new nephew. 

My sister and brother in law were stuck in traffic so we ordered a couple of cocktails and small bites. Once we were all seated we all opted for the Omakase. Here's where the restaurant failed. The staff came out to say that because of my dairy allergy I would need to order a la carte because (and I quote) "the chef would like the Omakase served as it's meant to be." I've eaten twice at Zuma Miami and both times I've had a dairy-free Omakase experience that was amazing. I ended up taking several packages of Lactaid to get me through the meal. Considering this was my birthday dinner I wanted to go all out.

A few days later a manager from the restaurant called me (due to my Instagram post) and was hoping to find out what happened. While it was a nice chat and I received an apology there wasn't any compensation. 

Now on to the food. Each dish was plentiful, beautiful, and seasoned well. I found the salad to be the least exciting and the main course to be the most exciting. I didn't think Zuma's amazing dessert displays could be outshined but the platter of truffled steak, crab legs, and corn definitely did!

I would definitely return and recommend Zuma and I'm hoping that the small service hiccup will be corrected for the future. ​

On Tuesday morning, we woke up early and went to Banzai bowls for the one more delicious breakfast and ocean views. 

Greg dropped off my mother and law and me at the Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance to check-in and wait while he drove to John Wayne Airport to pick up my sister in law and nephews. 

The hotel is fresh-looking, clean, in a good location, and has friendly and helpful staff. Our King Bed room was spacious and offered everything we would need. Our theme park view is really a view of the parking lot with the very top of Disneyland view. The extra view is definitely not worth the money. The only other issue I found about the hotel was that the valet staff always made us feel as if we were bothering them. 

Once our group was all together and checked in we walked over to Disneyland. The walk really isn't awful except when it's 100 degrees and you've been exploring all day and still have to walk back to the hotel. Then it becomes tiring!

We visited California Adventure theme park first. We loved Grizzly River Run, Pixar Pier, and Cars land  

For dinner, we reserved tickets for the World of Color Dining Package. We enjoyed dinner al fresco at Wine Country Trattoria. Afterward, we explored the park a little more and loves seeing the differences from day to night. We then watched the World of Color Show! The show is water-themed, has great music, amazing images, and is sure to entertain everyone!  

Our Wednesday morning plans were breakfast with Goofy and friends. We walked past Disneyland, through Downtown Disney, and into Disneyland Hotel. 

We checked in for breakfast and took pictures with Goofy inside his kitchen. From there everyone split up and hit the breakfast buffet. It was a little harder than it should have been but I was able to get dairy-free Mickey waffles. I was disappointed that the potatoes in the buffet had a hair in it. 

The boys loved having the characters sign their books and they especially enjoyed dancing with the characters!

After breakfast we made our way over to Disneyland and Star Wars. As a special surprise for the boys Greg and I booked Savi's Workshop for them. They were going to customize and make their own lightsabers! Star Wars area in Disneyland is amazing! It's like being in the movies! We waited in line for over an hour for the Millenium Falcom and while it was annoying that there weren't fans or spritzers it was totally worth the wait!

We scored reservations for Oga's Cantina but it ended up being a total fail. The staff tried to seat the 6 of us along with 4 other people at a table meant for 5 people tops. It was insane and we just left. While walking to lunch at the Carnation Cafe we enjoyed riding the Haunted Mansion and checking out on the shows along Main St.   

Wednesday night we headed back to Disneyland and after years of battling nerves, breakdowns, and long lines I finally got to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. 

Most of us got food at The Golden Horseshoe but because of my intolerance to milk Greg and I walked back to Star Wars and ordered dinner to go from Docking Bay 7. I'm sure you'll think I'm exaggerating but my Braised Shaak Roast was the best thing I ate during our 2 days in Disneyland! 

Once we all met up again we watched the fireworks and rode It's a small world together. From there we split up a bit and most of us went to the hotel but my nephew was hoping for some more rides and his wonderful grandmother obliged!  

On a Sunday in July, we were heading to the airport basically in the middle of the night when we got bad news from my mother in law. My sister in laws dog was sick and needed to have emergency surgery. My mother in law was still flying to California from Colorado but the rest of the crew were staying to make sure their fur baby was going to be okay. 

We boarded our Jetblue flight which was perfect and arrived early until we sat on the runway at LAX until a gate opened up. Greg and I grabbed our rental car in record time thanks to being a Hertz Gold Member. I can't recommend Hertz and Jetblue enough this year!! Once in the car we rushed from LAX to John Wayne Airport to pick up Greg's mom. We found out that the sweet dog made it through surgery and was in recovery. My sister in law and kids would be flying out to meet us Tuesday Morning and unfortunately, my brother in law would fly in the same morning we were leaving.

We checked into the Hilton Orange County even though we weren't staying there (my mother in law asked us to stay with her at their Airbnb). We used the Hilton to freshen up from our flights and to kill some time before checking into the Airbnb. For lunch, we went nearby to Wang Cho for some Korean BBQ. Where we enjoyed a plethora of delicious meats and side dishes. My one criticism would be that the staff left the burner on too high and so our burner plates needed to be changed out often.   

In Newport Beach, we checked into our Airbnb which was small but very clean, and in great shape. The beach was only a block away so we walked down to the beach and put our feet in the sand. Continuing down the beach we explored the Newport Beach Pier as well as some shops on the way back to the house. 

At dinner time, we were still pretty full from lunch so we stopped at Avila's El Ranchito for drinks, chips, and small bites. 

Monday morning we were up early and walked to Banzai Bowls for breakfast. I am still dreaming of my Maui Sunrise bowl and hope they will open a franchise near Boston!

The rest of the day was spent letting all the stress go by listening to the ocean, putting our feet in the sand and enjoying the warm weather!

We thought we would give Bear Flag Fish Co a try for dinner. Unfortunately, everything we ordered was unavailable. It was early on a Monday night and the restaurant was out of half of their menu. We ended up just leaving and headed to Pavilions grocery store. Our meal of beautiful American Wagyu steaks, jumbo shrimp, seafood salad, and potato salad was enjoyed on the deck of our Airbnb. 

After dinner, we walked back down the beach with some contraband (wine in plastic bottles) and enjoyed one of the best sunsets of this year!

A perfect end to a relaxing couple of days before we make our way to Disneyland!