Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts

Thursday, September 8

Let the fun commence....

Okay, maybe a little premature (come on, 5pm), but today is my Friday!
Three day work week + road trip with Stephanie to Nashville = Winning!

Why Nashville, you might ask.
The Script:
In concert,
Again.

You may remember my mentioning them before. And no, I'm not some obsessed The Script fan (I feel like that should read "And no, I'm not some obsessed Script fan", egh)! When Kiera and I went to Chicago to see them, Stephanie couldn't make the trip because it was mid-week. So when they announced their fall US tour and I saw they were coming to Nashville, I thought--what the heck? They put on one heluva good show and who couldn't use a road trip with a life-long friend?

And, despite my dozen (or so) trips to Nashville, I have never had the opportunity to experience its nightlife. When I mentioned this to Stephanie, I was surprised to find that she hasn't either.

Must. Rectify. Immediately.
I don't even know where to begin, so I enlisted the help of my friend Michelle who lives in Nashville. At the risk of coming off as pretentious, Michelle is Conway Twitty's granddaughter. It doesn't get more Nashville-in-the-know than that! I'm sure she'll point us in the right direction.

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Vanderbilt is located just outside of Nashville, so, as luck would have it, I will be able to spend a little time with Jana while I'm there. She's still in the process of her transplant and is as well as can be expected, but that qualifying "as can be expected" is a problem. :/ I definitely need to get some face time in with her.

For now...back to the work grind. And watching the clock move ever-so-slowly towards the 5:00 mark.

A watched pot never boils.

Yes, I know.

Wednesday, June 8

As promised... (Action Item 2 Completed)

Chicago...

Ahhh, where to begin?

It’d take far too long to go over all the details of our trip, so I’m going to cap myself at ten minutes and see how far that gets us. And, since a picture’s worth a thousand words, I’ll supplement via pics.

The trip:
I was a little apprehensive regarding the Amtrak by the time we made it to the station thanks to a multitude of horror stories from my co-workers about the passengers, the delays, the ride, the stench (yes, I said stench), the air conditioning (or lack thereof) etc. Initially, my fear felt founded as I stared at my fellow-passengers, but all went well and the train was a much more comfortable ride than I’ve ever had by plane. It was not ideal for sleeping though (as I was hoping). We arrived on time to and from Chicago and didn’t experience a single problem (nor stench).

The hotel:
One word: Amazing! It’s located right in the heart of the loop of downtown Chicago, which meant we were able to take the El everywhere. The service was impeccable (they even let us check in five hours early), amenities were bountiful and the entire hotel was beautiful—not to mention full of history.



And, since it’s taking forever to compose this amidst the interruptions, I’ll finish out via photos

The sights:

The Willis (formerly Sears) Tower, 103 stories high above Chicago
These plexiglass ledges made my stomach go crazy, and I'm not even remotely scared of heights.


Picnic Lunch at Millennium Park with DJ Ron Trent
This was one of the best pieces of art I've seen (and is housed in Millennium Park)

Aragon Ballroom & The Script in concert
We were right beside the stage.
Check out my YouTube or FB for some awesome videos before YouTube flags and removes 'em.

 

Sailing on Lake Michigan
Kiera even helped lift a sail!


Funhouse Maze on Navy Pier
(With the most wicked optical illusion I've EVER experienced)

Rainforest Cafe
Cheesy, but it was kiddo's picked and she totally bought into/loved it!

Shopping at Magnificent Mile
This was the (ten story tall) Macy's where we indulged in a little summer dress shopping

7-11
(Yes, I know, but don't underestimate the value of a 7-11 (and Slurpee) to two girls who lost access upon their move back from California. It was right across from the hotel and we were there constantly!)


Well, that about sums it up. Obviously there are a million other pics (all on Kiera's FB if you're interested), but these are the highlights.

The trip was a blast and we had loads of fun (thanks to all who have inquired).
(++)
B.