Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Put-In Bay Stay

When Sarah and I were planning our drive back to Omaha, we wanted to make it like a little road trip.  We were both fairly stressed with life, and we just wanted a little break.  Ohio seemed like a good first day break location, but I have never hear someone say,"You're going through Ohio?  You have to stop in (insert city name) and see _______!!!"  Have you?  So on a whim I looked up B&Bs and found Put-In Bay!


Put-In Bay (not the island pictured above) has 130 inhabitants and is less than two square miles.  Everyone bikes around or rides golf carts.  It seems like such a magical place, as small islands do!  You would never guess that it was on Lake Erie and not the ocean.



Sarah and I took the ferry over and recycled our Starbucks cup to enjoy our box of red wine!


We saw a sign for lobster bisque and headed straight there for dinner and drinks, and a beautiful view of the lake :)




Our bed and breakfast was in the perfect location, just a block away from the main strip which included a brewery, the shortest bar in the world and the longest bar in the world (supposedly).




The sunset was absolutely perfect, there was wildlife everywhere, the place was just serene!!  We were extremely tempted to stay on for a few extra days :)


 



The next day, we borrowed bikes from the B&B and road around the whole island.  It took about an hourish, which included a lakeside walk.  I named my lake house ("The Gatsby House") and saw Canada.





If you ever happen to find yourself driving I-80 through Ohio and wondering what to do for a night or two, check out Put-In Bay!  I promise you will not regret it!

Monday, June 17, 2013

Long Island Weekend

Our time in NYC was so much fun, but it seemed like we just kept going, going, going.  Once we got to Long Island, we slowed down and got to enjoy the outdoors for a while.  Sarah and I went on a hike through the local park.  


It was more fun to enjoy the view without a camera in front of my eyes, but I did get a few shots.


On Memorial Day, Sarah and I went to the house of some of her classmates for a grill out and game day. It was a gorgeous day, and their flowers were blooming and smelling wonderfully aromatic! Perfect day :)





The dog had chewed through the volleyball net, so the boys got to fix the situation (the face mask is completely unrelated...)

Poll time:  how many of you have tried grilled pineapple?  Because nobody at the picnic had!!  It's delicious, and if you haven't, you should try it soon.




We had such a fun and relaxing day, and it was great to meet a bunch of Sarah's school buddies.  After that, we headed home to finish packing and get some sleep before our full day of driving!!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Behind the Scenes: Natural History Museum

My first day in the city, I totally planned to go to MoMA, since I'd gone to the Natural History Museum when I was a kid.  But it turned out that Ellie could give us a back stage peak at the mammalogy department, so we switched things up and were definitely glad we did!



Her office had a mascot named...Suzie or something, I'm terrible but I forget.  She is the lion with the bow :)  And she gave us a tour of the back library and storage area.


All of the field notes from the hundred-some years of the museum's existence are up in this room.  It was so crazy to be among such a history.  It felt like we were going back in time.



We made it up into the attic of one of the biggest buildings in NYC (crazy, right?!), to what they call the "elephant graveyard."  Back in the day if you brought animal bones back from your travels, your trip would be partially paid for, so the museum has tons of elephant bones from safaris that are just lining the attic walls!  It was eerie!



And I leave you with a super old sperm whale tooth.  Your welcome!


Wednesday, June 12, 2013

NYC Part One

Right after finishing school, I hightailed it to NYC to visit one of my best of friends, who happens to also be named Sarah.  We had a wonderful few days in the city, then we went back to Long Island to hang with some of her grad school classmates and pack her car up for the halfway cross-country trip back home.


Our first night out we went on a girl date with her wonderful friend Jay, who took us to this wine and cheese restaurant called Caselulla, where every cheese is paired with its own topping, such as truffle mushrooms or sun-dried tomatoes.  It was so delicious and fun!


After dinner (a delicious gourmet grilled cheese), we headed to another wine bar to cap off the night!

The next night, we met a few of my favorite Omaha people at The Malt House for some tasty microbrews and good laughs.  I'm pretty sure we stole someone' reserved table...


Ellie and Andy, a fantastic couple :)



We then headed over to Artichoke Pizza for, you guessed it, artichoke pizza.  Andy wanted to take a taxi a few miles away for dinner to get this pizza, but we wanted to stick around.  So we asked the doorman what he would recommend in the area, and he said we had to have Artichoke!  Turned out there was one a block away!

We had a fancy dance party in the small restaurant with a random stranger to some classic rock while eating pizza that tasted like artichoke dip.  Then we headed off for another beer :)


The next day, the four of us went to what is commonly known in NYC as "boozy brunch."  For a set price, you get breakfast and one hour to drink as many mimosas, bloody marys and margaritas as you want/can handle.  I was a little too busy during brunch to take any pictures, but I'm sure you can imagine the scene :)

Sarah and I went and picked out bridesmaid dress fabrics in the garment district (so much fun!) then met back up with our friends to watch the final UEFA soccer game!



I promise I did more than just drink my way through New York!  I just thought I'd get all our liquid adventures out first!  Photos from the touristy things are coming soon :)

We had such a fun time with these three, and I was so thankful to have some people to show me around the fun places in the city.  I definitely can't wait to go back someday!