RoadTrip

a trip to bring me back

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Standing on the beach tonight reminded me why I love to travel so much. While I agree that it offers an escape, it also helps me see the world as a much smaller place. When I travel from a mountain to the ocean in one day and enjoy the ride with those I love most, it helps me to put life into perspective and see that we all are sharing one connected community. Exploring, adventures and having conversations with strangers along the way is a gift. We met so many people this week while on our road trip through New England. Everyone had a story to share, like the New Yorkers spending their Labor day in Maine in the condo next to us. They helped us carry our cooler up the stairs and played with Maggie. Or the mother/son duo from New Hampshire that is doing a beer themed road trip together that we met waiting in line at Hill Farm Stead. Everyone has a story and often a great bit of advice, from the best beer taps in Maine to the perfect lobster role and even how to tame a wild two-year-old.

 

This week has been an adventure and one full of many stories. I vowed to myself that if the blog ever became a chore, I would take a break. And as a new job, getting our house ready for sale and life got in the way, this summer deserved a break. And now, I have been inspired once again to share my finds.

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#PureMichigan Summers

 

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Summers wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Traverse City. I have said this before, but I believe it is THE most beautiful area in all of Michigan and a top 10 in the United States. Perhaps it’s the cherry orchards, the sleepy mainstreet, the breathtaking bay views or the locally owned restaurants and wineries that keep us coming back. It may be the combination of these things or just a certain kind of magic that helps us to forget our normal lives and slip into a moment where we can feel a sense of wonder and freedom. I think it is that element of wonder that makes us crave vacations and as I have added more responsibility to my life, I find it harder to attain. Yet, this place has the ability to make me put my hand out of the window, feel the breeze in my hair, savor some bubbly and enjoy the moment.

 

Here are a few of our favorite places to explore: 

 

BlossomDays33 BlossomDays32 BlossomDays31http://www.morselsbakery.com/
Morsel Bakery – Exquisite bite-sized pastries and hand-crafted coffee. 321 East Front Street . Traverse City, MI BlossomDays24

http://www.highergroundstrading.com/
Located in one of our favorite areas in Traverse, The village at Grand Traverse Commons or the former Northern Michigan Asylum, Higher Grounds joins many of our top bakery, restaurant and shops. The coffee shop roasts their own beans, provides pour overs that rival the best cups I have had in SF and are green friendly. So, don’t expect a traditional to-go cup, if you need it to-go you will be walking out with a thrift store coffee mug with no lid. So take some time, enjoy the patio and savor the hand-crafted taste of outstanding coffee. 806 Red Dr #150, Traverse City, MI

BlossomDays21 BlossomDays20Family park without the crowds (our secret find from the locals) South West Bay Shore (22) just outside of Traverse City on your way to Suttons Bay.  BlossomDays19 BlossomDays18 BlossomDays17 BlossomDays16 BlossomDays15 BlossomDays8https://www.shortsbrewing.com/
It is a little bit of a drive from Traverse, but the beer makes it well worth the pilgrimage. Most nights they have live music and the food is locally sourced, gourmet-inspired and absolutely fantastic. 121 N Bridge St, Bellaire, MIBlossomDays34 BlossomDays5 BlossomDays4http://www.lmawby.com/index.php?route=/
LMawby – You can’t go wrong with bubbles. BY FAR, my favorite vineyard in Michigan. The wine is fantastic, the people are fun and the design is the best! 4519 Elm Valley Rd, Suttons Bay, MI BlossomDays3

http://www.tandemciders.com/
A new addition to our Suttons Bay loop, Tandem Ciders feels like Michigan. They have a worn wooden bar with pickled eggs and ciders from orchards all over the peninsula. Located in a restored barn, the tasting room is nestled in the country side and feels like a get away. 2055 N Setterbo Rd, Suttons Bay, MI BlossomDays2 BlossomDays

http://www.fortyfivenorth.com/
The wine is decent, but the tasting room and the attitude of this vineyard always seems to make it the last stop on our tasting tours. 8580 E Horn Rd, Lake Leelanau, MI 

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America’s best roadtrips: route 66

Today, a co-worker and I were talking about an upcoming trip of mine and he mentioned he would like to use one of my guides. We started opening up some files (San Francisco, Scottsdale, Alabama and Route 66). Our cross-country roadtrip in 2008 is one of my favorite family memories. The sunsets we witnessed driving along route 66 were breathtaking. Some of the highlights include the tourist traps (world’s largest – just about everything…), random art installations (cadillac ranch) and mountain vistas that help you see the fingerprint of God.

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We are headed to Arizona in less than a week and a couple of things I can’t wait for:
1. The view looking over the grand canyon. I think I am going to cry, again.
2. A hug from my mom. I dream about the safety of her hugs. I really have missed her since Christmas and I hope Maggie will love my hugs as much as I love my moms.
3. Seeing my dad look at Maggie with love that only a grandpa can give.
4. Doug and I enjoying a beautiful Arizona sunset together, building more memories and experiencing another adventure as a family.

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Chicago: Top Chef Guide

So I am a big fan of Top Chef. I have watched it from the original episode and have found that the talent on the show delivers when you visit their restaurants. I put together this guide for some friends about a year ago and was reminded of it when I had the chance to visit a Rick Bayless restaurant on a recent layover in O’Hare. This is a city that loves it’s food and has seen a number of chef-testants over the years on Bravo’s hit show Top Chef and Top Chef Masters. Here are a few of my favorite characters from the show and their restaurants:

Chicago Top Chef Restaurant GuideGirl and the Goat 
season 4 winner: Stephanie Izard
809 W. Randolph

Hours: Sunday – Thursday 4:30pm – 11:00pm . Friday – Saturday 4:30pm – 12:00am

Girl & the Goat has been serving fun foods, craft beers, and making wine in a rustic and bad ass environment since summer 2010. The restaurant opens at 4:30 every day, and stays open until 11pm on weeknights and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays (until those last late night eaters scrape their fork across the plate for the last time, or finish licking their plates until they’re shiny and clean). The Goat’s menu is divided into three categories: Vegetable, Fish, and of course Meat–while vegetable, fish, or meat are respectively the main stars of their categories, there are crossovers in each area so you’ll get a little bit of everything. Bread is baked daily, and there are always new creations on the menu.

Doug and I loved this place. We sat outside with Maggie and enjoyed our community table style experience. Mag’s was a fan of the goat (we got an incredible pasta dish that was a special that night). The bread was a “I will remember this for years” flavor experience, so make sure to make room for carbs when you visit! 

 

Frontera - Rick Bayless Top Chef Frontera2XOcO
season 1 winner  Top Chef Masters: Rick Bayless
449 North Clark Street (enter on Illinois St.) 

Hours: Tuesday – Thursday: 8am–9pm, Friday & Saturday: 8am–10pm, Sunday & Monday: Closed

Part of Mexican street food’s allure is it’s rustic immediacy—experiencing the aromas, sights and sounds of each dish being crafted, interacting with the cooks, customizing your choices. That’s why your first step into XOCO is a step into our kitchen, where each torta is built, each baked good is fashioned, each hot chocolate is whipped to a froth as you watch. Just as street food stalls attract passersby with the rustic allure of wood fires and boldly aromatic offerings, the centerpiece of XOCO’s kitchen is its wood-burning oven where tortas get crisped and suckling pigs for cochinita pibil and lamb for barbacoa are braised overnight in banana leaves.

Tortas Frontera
O’Hare International Airport:
Terminal 1 / B11 – 5:30am-9:30pm **
Terminal 3 / K4 – 5:30am-9:30pm **
Terminal 5 / M12 – 6:00am-9:30pm **
** Depending on flight schedules. Restaurants will remain open until the last scheduled flight.

Tortas Frontera features hand-crafted tortas, fresh-made guacamole and hand-shaken margaritas. Now, the type of quick-service gourmet you expect to find in a downtown hotspot is available (to go!) at the nation’s busiest airport.

I will now gladly stop over in O’Hare (which used to be one of my least favorite airports in the country). This has got to be the only time I have ever seen a chef tasting on the line at an airport restaurant. They have a dedication to quality flavors here that makes it clear that this is not just a celebrity chef endorsement (like the wolfgang puck stands). The housemade chips and guac was some of the best I have ever had. Can’t wait for my next trip! 

 

GE Bistro
season 1 Top Chef Masters: Graham Elliot
841 W. Randolph St.

Hours: Sunday: 11am-4pm, Tuesday – Thursday: 5pm-10pm, Friday -Saturday: 5pm-11pm, Monday: Closed.

A host stand made from a Marshall amplifier. Devotional candles dedicated to “saints” Johnny Cash, Lou Reed, Anthony Bourdain, Charlie Trotter and many more. A cocktail named for Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah. Background tunes recognizable by their bass lines — which is good, because when the restaurant is full, subwoofer sound is all one can discern. It’s fair to say that G.E.B. revels in its rockin’ inclinations. The monogram stands for Graham Elliot Bistro, and by all appearances it’s the casual counterpart to Graham Elliot’s eponymous two-Michelin-star restaurant in River North. In reality, G.E.B. is the restaurant the chef had in mind in 2008, when he opened Graham Elliot after leaving Avenues, at the time one of Chicago’s most experimental restaurants.

Haven’t been here yet, but it is on the top of my list for our next trip to Chicago. If you make it here – let me know!  

What are some of your favorite foodie places in Chicago?

labor day getaway #puremichigan

Traverse City #PureMichigan

Traverse City #PureMichiganTraverse City #PureMichiganTraverse City #PureMichiganTraverse City #PureMichigan
Traverse City #PureMichigan

Every year we try to make it up to Traverse City for blossom days in May. But this year time got away from us and we kept saying were going to make it up to the Old Mission Wine Trail. After we realized that it was the end of August and we didn’t have any plans for Labor Day we snagged one of the few remaining hotel rooms and packed up Maggie to enjoy the last weekend of the summer in one of the most beautiful places in Michigan. We started our day with the Old Mission Wine Trail. We made our first stop at Chateau Grand Traverse and then made our way along the wine trail – catching the breath taking views at 2 Lads and Chateau Chantal. Taking in some fantastic reds (yes I said reds) at Brys Estate and then finding a new gem of a winery (with perhaps one of the best tasting rooms of the trail) Hawthorne. The second day of our trip we hit some of the vineyards on Leelanau peninsula wine trail but the highlight of every trip has to be L. Mawby. I am a sucker for a good bubbly, and I do believe they have some of the best. The wine trail had a great app that we found pretty useful in helping to navigate the 20+ vineyards.  In fact, we were having so much fun we couldn’t bare to go home on time. So we grabbed a hotel room for a second night and thanks to tripadvisor  we found an incredible independent owned place where we were able to get a 2 bedroom condo for the price of our hotel room the night before.  I will post more on some our family finds, but I hope you can enjoy the views as much as we did.