Filed In: photography
the big apple
We’re off this weekend to visit some friends in New York. I love visiting this city – there is just so much to see and explore. My first time in NYC we went to this delicious little spot called Murray’s Cheese Bar and ate cupcakes at Billy’s Bakery in Chelsea. My girlfriend snagged two tickets to Spring Awakening at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre and we dined at The Modern after checking out the exhibits. I spent hours at the Guggenheim Museum. My first trip was pretty incredible. I expect this weekend to be nonstop too. So tell me anything we shouldn’t miss? Markets, restaurants, shops or anything at all you love in New York City? I’d really love to check out the High Line. It’s this public park built on an historic elevated freight rail line on the city’s West Side. Have you heard about it? I’d also like to see New Museum – this place just looks so cool! You can follow our adventures here!
photo solarski
Like on Facebook
Pin to Pinterest
Share on Twitterplaces to go | sedona arizona
We drove into Sedona late at night and woke up to these towering red rocks all around us with names like Cathedral Rock, Steamboat Rock, Chimney Rock and the Mittens. Sedona was a fascinating town and exactly what I imagined the desert looked like. We ate breakfast at The Coffee Pot – a fun kitschy joint that serves 101 “famous” omelets and lunched at Sedona Memories – a recommended local spot with delicious sandwiches. We dined at Cowboy Club for cactus fries, rattlesnake meatballs and prickly pear cactus juice cocktails and ended the trip with tacos at Javelina Cantina. The Red Rock Jeep Tour was intense but really fun! We spent an afternoon visiting some of the local wineries – Javelina Leap, Oak Creek and Page Springs Cellars. With several bottles of wine in hand, we then found our way up Airport Road and took in a beautiful red sunset with a glass of wine and some cheese and crackers. I spent some time browsing the shops in the Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village – I loved the glass sculptures and jewelry at Kuivato Glass Gallery. I was told we had to check out Slide Rock while we were in Sedona. The water was ice cold but it was a thrill going down the “slide.” We hung around afterwards and snapped a ton of photos because the landscape there was incredible! On our last night we found a little spot with some lounge chairs, opened a bottle of wine and took advantage of a sky full of stars.
Other than at Tlaquepaque, I didn’t have a chance to visit any of the art galleries Sedona is known for. I heard Exposures International is a great place to see glass and jewelry and Lanning Gallery for contemporary art.
eat the coffee pot | drink prickly pear margarita | do slide rock
photo credit kate zitzer
places to go | grand canyon
We left Scottsdale and set out toward the Grand Canyon for a night. I loved the drive – red rocks and eternal desert surrounding you, the road stretching out for miles and miles. We stayed at the historic El Tovar Hotel – original architecture dating back to 1905 and beautiful views of the South Rim. We spent the day taking it all in – hiking the trailheads, exploring the canyon viewpoints and snapping hundreds of photos. We ordered pork chops and vegetable pasta at the El Tovar Dining Room and sat in front of a big picture window watching the sky change from day to night. Early the next morning we drove down to Yavapai Point and watched the sun rise. Afterwards we grabbed a quick bite and a coffee at the nearby Bright Angel Lodge and then hopped on a bus to Page, Arizona. From the base of the Glen Canyon Dam, we boarded a raft and headed down the Colorado River for a three hour/15 mile float trip (highly recommended!). We saw tons of wildlife, admired petroglyphs along the canyon walls, ate lunch on the beach and took a very quick and very cold dip in the 52 degrees Colorado River. I wasn’t sure what to expect but the Grand Canyon was so beautiful and inspiring – that place can really change your perspective.
sleep el tovar hotel | do smooth water float trip | see sunrise
all things stylish
Sometimes you come across a site that is so well designed, so well curated that you just cannot get enough of it. As you scroll through page after page, their style, their taste just comes through and you connect. I came across All Things Stylish a few months ago and it has been inspiring me ever since. The photos are so romantic to me and the subject matter is spot on – art, travel, food, fashion, interiors and “all other things that define style.” Go take a look!
source all things stylish tumblr
a year in travel stories and photos
Looking back 2012 was a big year for us. There are still so many places on our must see list but I’m so grateful we had the opportunity to mark off a few this year and make some truly wonderful memories. Here are a few of my favorite travel moments from 2012 –
In January we escaped the brutal Chicago winter and landed off the coast of Mexico. We stayed at a beautiful resort in the Riviera Maya where we sipped pina coladas, ate fresh fruit and had our fill of the most delicious empanadas. We lounged in the sun and soaked in the pool. We took long walks on the beach at sunset and made a promise we would come back someday. 
We celebrated our first anniversary window shopping and wine tasting in Galena. We ate popcorn and made a list of all the things we wanted to do in our second year of marriage.
We spent ten days running around the desert with our best friends. We took a hot air balloon ride, drank too many John Daly’s and bought Indian pottery in Scottsdale. We hiked the Grand Canyon, watched the sun rise, ate lunch on the bank of the Colorado River and spent the night at the historic El Tovar hotel. We woke up to looming red rocks all around us in Sedona, drank prickly pear cactus juice cocktails and watched the sun set. We explored ruins, wine tasted and stared at the stars for hours wishing this trip would never end.
I flew down to Miami with my mom and my sister for our second annual girls weekend. We made breakfast every morning, ate lunches by the pool and drank all the peach bellinis we could. We sunbathed. We took naps when it rained. We stayed up late watching movies and slept in every morning. Returning home I felt rested and rejuvenated.
We rented a house in Michigan at the end of summer. We took long boat rides and ate corn on the cob. We stayed up all night playing card games and made s’mores around the bonfire. We took naps on the porch. I realized getting out of the city was exactly what I needed.
In September, we spent time in Tampa with family. We rode roller coasters. We ate lobster and drove to Clearwater for the day. I loved the way the ocean air felt.
Sharing these photos and stories makes me happier than I can say. I’d really like to thank you for following along with me this year. Twenty twelve was so good to us. I’m not sure yet where 2013 will take us but I know we won’t stay idle for long.
