Sleepless in Seattle

Chihuly Glass

Yup, I was indeed sleepless in Seattle. Nope, not because of the beauty, although there was plenty of it to take in. Nor was I lovesick. I spent three nights in Seattle, and two of the three were nightmarishly scary!

Night #1. After arriving in Seattle late at night, we wanted nothing more than to fill our bellies and crash. We had been through a full day of work, and a flight. We went for Seattle’s own burger franchise, Dick’s. Nope, that wasn’t the scary part… the burger was ok. But that night I had the fright of my life when I woke up in the middle of the night with a stabbing pain coming from my back all the way to my chest. Every breath I took brought a piercing stabbing of pain that knocked the air right back out! As the drama queen that I am, I expected the worst.

“I am having a heart attack” I declared… to myself… in my head. Of course, these are not the symptoms of a heart attack.

I was with my guy, but I didn’t bother waking him. I debated calling 9-1-1, but I froze with panic.

“What if it’s nothing and I waste their time? I could be taking the place of someone who is truly ill!” – I reasoned with myself.

“Oh well, if I make it through the night, then it probably was nothing!” – My thoughts! What a crazy person!

Who remembers Real World Seattle?!?!

Who remembers Real World Seattle?!?!

It turned out fine. I barely slept that night because the pain was very stubborn and my crazy thoughts were even worse. I survived the night, and in the future I have decided I need to seek medical attention when scary things like these happen! You never know what it could be.

I had remnants of the pain throughout the weekend, but it didn’t keep me from seeing these beautiful sights!

Night #2. Now this one is for the books! Exhausted from a long day of touring around and taking in as much of Seattle as humanly possible, we both passed out as soon as our heads hit the pillows. But in the middle of the night I wake up to the sound of some jangling keys. I suddenly realize that someone is trying to get into our room! I could hear them putting a key into the keyhole (yes, this hotel is kind of old-school). I could hear them trying to force the knob open. Doesn’t work. They try another key. I hear whispers. I panic!

I wake my guy. “Someone’s trying to get in our room!” I say, with fear filling every corner of my body.

“Nah their probably trying to get in to the room next door” my guy says, half-asleep.

I shake him and say “Nope! Nope! They’re definitely trying to get into our room!” He falls back asleep.

Yup! If it’s up to my guy, we’d be dead meat! Again, I was only able to lay in bed with my crazy thoughts and staring at the door. Formulating escape plans, and cursing my guy for possibly sleeping through our very own horror movie!

He Smiles Because He Slept Through the Night!

He Smiles Because He Slept Through the Night!

Turns out it was just a pair of drunk tourists who confused our room for theirs. They never did get into our room.

Sigh of relief!

Definitely got a good scare, but now I can’t stop laughing about those two nights! Sometimes good scares make for great memories! Hope you got a good laugh!

But did I mention how beautiful Seattle is? I definitely want to visit again!

Chihuly Glass

Sleepless in Seattle - Life is My OysterHave you had any travel scares? do share! Have you been to Seattle? Any cool insider tips you’d like to share?

Follow Me:

Follow

The Importance of Good Travel Shoes… And Good Friends

I did a study abroad in Europe… but my feet didn’t quite like it. That’s when I learned the importance of good travel shoes… and good friends!

Back then, although I’d done my fair share of traveling, I was still a novice in all things travel packing. I was excited to see all the romantic places I’d seen in the movies. And talk about movies, I also wanted to look just like the dreamy characters that frequented such places. For this reason, my packing strategy was all fairy-tale-chic (or at least my deranged version of it). It included sparkly flats and cute lace tops and flowery headbands (yes, I know, what was I thinking?).

Life is My Oyster - NeuschwansteinI mean, can you blame a girl? I was promised the Eiffel Tower, the Seine River, beautiful mansions and fortresses… I was lured by a fairy tale castle for goodness sake!

Life is My Oyster - Eiffel TowerNeedless to say, it was a bad idea. At first it was all nice and dandy. I walked with fresh feet through the streets of Barcelona. My shoes took me to the likes of La Rambla, La Pedrera, Barri Gotic, Barceloneta, and La Sagrada Familia. It was going well.

Life is My Oyster - La Sagrada Familia

But then came Paris. So much walking! It was with much shame and embarrassment that I resolved to wear flip flops to Versailles! The horror!

The real trouble came in Neuschwanstein, the beautiful castle that is rumored to have inspired Disney’s Cinderella castle. This was it. I had reserved what I had dubbed as my “Cinderella Flats” for this event! I was so excited! Little did I know that I had to walk for hours just to get to the castle. “It’s ok! I can do it!” I kept telling myself. My travel companions were very supportive, walking slow when it seemed my feet would give up on me.

The shoes were killing me in every area possible! The back of my feet, the sides of my feet, my poor little toes, the sole of my feet. It was incredible! These shoes may have been designed to keep in a display box and never be worn!

Culprit Shoes Pictured Here

Culprit Shoes Pictured Here

At the end of our Neuschwanstein hike, my feet were so swollen and hurt, I could barely walk. I had two travel companions and one of them wanted so desperately to go to the Hofbrauhaus in Munich and meet up with some guys. I wanted so badly for us all to have every experience we’d envisioned for the trip, that I came very close to giving in and continuing on my trek to losing my feet.

Fortunately, my other travel companion gave me a reality check. “You can’t even walk!” she said. I barely knew this girl before embarking on this trip with her, but today she is one of my best friends! You know you’ve found a good one when she saves you from yourself… now if only I can have her pick my shoes next time. Needless to say, the grand majority of those pairs of shoes ended up in a trash can somewhere between Salzburg and Venice.

Me and My Best Friend

Me and My Best Friend

I have yet to learn my shoe lesson. But I am making an effort. Here are a few links comfy travel shoes to give a try and the bloggers who recommend them:

  1. Tieks by Gavrieli, these are foldable flats. Recommended by Legal Nomads;
  2. Toms, I actually bought a pair on my trip to Portland and they have been pretty comfy. Recommended by Travel Fashion Girl;

Do you have travel shoes you swear by? Do share!

Follow Me:

Follow

Spring, Don’t Leave Me! – Washington D.C.

Spring, Don't Leave Me - Washinton D.C.

It’s raining outside, and the weather is cooling down. It’s Fall.

I do like Fall with all it’s beautiful colors, and the cold lonely feeling it brings with it, I love it! But before I give in to this beautiful weather, and watch as the trees shed the leaves that Spring brought with it, I want to reminisce about the days when they bloomed! I know Spring is long gone, and Summer is the one leaving us now, but Spring brought the bloom, and Fall takes it away!

Spring, Don't Leave Me! - Washington D.C.

What better way to reminisce than by looking back at the cherry blossoms of Washington D.C. in all their bloom!

Spring, Don't Leave Me! - Washington D.C.These cherry blossoms aren’t native to Washington D.C., or the United States for that matter. They were gifted to the U.S. by the Japanese as a symbol of their growing friendship.

Every year there is a festival held to celebrate their bloom, and it’s quite possibly the most beautiful time to visit D.C. You have to plan it just right, because it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type of thing. Let me tell you, on the third day of my trip they had already started to change colors and losing most of the pink flowers!

Spring, Don't Leave Me! - Washington D.C.

But if you miss the cherry blossoms, there’s plenty of beauty to go around! The city is decorated with beautiful tulips everywhere! And then there’s the gorgeous Dumbarton Oaks!

Spring, Don't Leave Me! - Washington D.C.

The garden wasn’t in it’s full bloom just yet, but I bet it’s drop dead gorgeous once Spring is in full swing!

Spring, Don't Leave Me! - Washington D.C.

I fell in love with Washington D.C., and I hope to visit again soon! What do you miss the most about Spring?

Spring, Don't Leave Me! - Washington D.C.

Photo Credit to My Friend Arlene for Taking this Awesome Picture! View from Senator Harry Reid’s Office Balcony!

Follow Me:

Follow

The Oregon Coast and Oswald West State Park

Have you been to the Oregon coast? Well, let me tell you, it’s beautiful!The Oregon Coast

The Oregon Coast

Driving alongside the coast, there’s plenty of places to lookout and take in all the natural beauty.

But don’t just click and go! Pay close attention!

The Oregon Coast - Oswald West Beach

You may find an unassuming spot, with few parked cars, but no big signs saying “this is awesome, come look!” But it is, and if you don’t go see for yourself, you may miss a beautiful (somewhat) hidden treasure!

Oswald West State Park and Beach

It’s almost as if you’ve found a secret garden! The path takes you through a beautiful hike, surrounded by trees and streams. On this particular day it was close to empty, which adds to the feeling of finding a secret beach.

And you know you’ve hit gold when surfers are spotted coming and going.

The Oregon Coast - Oswald West Beach

And when you find the beach, you know there’s nowhere you’d rather be.

It’s almost as if it was waiting for you to arrive all along.

The Oregon Coast

And you’ve arrived at just the right time, because it’s the perfect place to catch the sunset!

The Oregon Coast - Oswald West Beach

The Oregon Coast - Oswald West Beach

Only hours away from Portland, the Oregon Coast and Oswald West State Park are sights not to be missed!

#wishingIwasthere

Follow me:

Follow

Cafe Saturdays (On Sunday) – PublicUs

You know a place is good when you can’t stop reading about it in your Facebook feed! Well, at least that’s been my experience. And PublicUs is a winner in my book.

Publicus

It’s a cute place in Downtown Las Vegas, on the corner of Maryland and Freemont. It doesn’t have a huge sign to announce it’s presence, but if you find it, you may want to stop by!

PublicUs - The SweetsThey have an assortment of pastries that look mouth-watering good! Except, I haven’t tried them so don’t take my imaginary word for it (haha!). What I have tried are the savory items on the menu, and I like!

PublicUs - Savory DishesPictured Above (starting from top left):

  1. Shishito peppers. Delicious! Served with green onions, and a delicious Sambal Gastrique! That red glaze made it so tasty! We asked the server what the sauce contained but no luck, it’s a delicious mystery!
  2. The Cu-Ban-Mi Sandwich. I really liked this sandwich! It had pickled veggies, which made it crispy and tasty all at the same time. It comes with a side of green salad and some potato chips.
  3. The Fried Chicken. I was a bit hesitant about this one because I don’t usually do chicken, and I am not into kimchi (sorry!). But man the chicken was perfectly crisp on the outside and perfectly juicy and tender on the inside. I mixed the egg with the rice and included a piece of chicken in every mouthful, a delight! This was recommended by a staff member, and I am glad he did!
  4. The Crispy Pork Belly Sandwich. This one was a bit of a disappointment. If you know me, you know I like my pork belly, but here I wasn’t very interested. It might’ve been the sweet potato? I couldn’t tell you.

PublicUs - The DrinksAt PublicUs, they have an eclectic beer selection. I’m going to say that sour beer is not for me, but I’m glad I tried it. Then there was the green tea with citrus, a blend of lime, green tea, and orange juice. It was tasty, and very different. It was still not a sweet drink, despite the juices, so I liked it.

And then they have this insane coffee machine that looks like a classic car. You know, the ones you see riding down the road, with black and platinum colors, and it probably cost a pretty penny. I had to try whatever concoction came out of that thing! What I thought was odd was that they sweeten the coffee for you.  It was sweet enough for my taste, but I still found it weird. The coffee was good, and I loved the little cookies it came with. Nice touch!

I like this place! Have you been? Let me know what else is good!

Follow Me:
Follow