Kelocity.com

A runner with an appetite for adventure!

An Accidental Trip to Philly! December 29, 2011

Filed under: Baby,Pennsylvania,Travel — Kelocity @ 8:51 pm
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Dear Baby,
If there is one thing your father and I want you to know about us, it’s that we have a fierce love of travel, exploring and finding adventures. You probably already know this since we’ve been going non-stop this year, but we wanted to show you how easy it is to see the world. It’s all about seizing opportunities when you find them and learning to roll with the punches.

Sure, we love to plan robust vacations with driving directions, plane tickets and advanced reservations, but sometimes the best trips are the ones you go into knowing nothing about. Allow us to explain. Say (hypothetically, of course), your cross country flight has become so delayed you missed all connections out of that city. You might choose to freak out…or you might see it as a blessing in disguise.
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Perhaps Philadelphia had been on your bucket list anyways… then you’d realize that a 24-hour layover = a free vacation. Little one, make sure you always travel with your netbook so you can immediately visit tripadvisor.com to scope out the top ten attractions before you get there. I’m sure you’ll have much more complex tools than our little Dell computer by the time you travel solo, but man, those things come in handy when you need it.

Before you know it, you’re booked in a four-star hotel all cozy under the covers excited for what the next day will bring. If you keep an optimistic attitude and always make lemonade out of your lemons, you may find yourself here:
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The Liberty Bell has been a symbol of our great country for centuries, and to see it up close was pretty amazing. Your daddy had been here before, but he was still a little guy back then too.
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I’m not sure if you got a close enough look at the beauty of the bell or the details of the ‘crack’ down the middle…
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…But don’t worry, we’ll bring you back here someday when you’re old enough to learn about it’s history. You’ll read about it in your textbooks and you will be able to tell your classmates you had been there before! We look forward to seeing you learn about these things in school and get excited about seeing them in real life. We already dream about what field trips we’ll take you on someday, based on your interests too!

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Before we left the bell, we stopped in the gift shop to look around. We didn’t get you anything this time, but we had a blast trying to figure out what you might have picked out if you were old enough. Would you have gone for the Colonial Wardrobe paper dolls? The George Washington posters? The bag of ‘pick your own gem stones’? We seriously giggle out loud when we think about this stuff. Nerds.

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Then we wandered around the old government district of the city. Hard to imagine our country’s greatest men walked through those doors. Ben Franklin, George Washington… all the men who signed the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution. (Don’t worry, I was bored with that stuff in school once too, but someday you’ll learn to appreciate the significance of it and how lucky you are to live here).

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We go around the world to see capitols, old buildings and the such, but we’ve got so much great stuff in our backyard too.

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This is the old courtroom where laws were made and justice was served. The painting in the back was an original.

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This is the exact room where the Constitution of the United States was signed. The chair in the center is also an original!
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(Here’s a painting of what happened in that room!
File:Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States.png
[source]

This is the room that Congress met in. It looked almost exactly like this back then too.IMG_0999

And the senate met upstairs in this room. Word on the street is that Congress and Senate didn’t get along even back then. =)
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After our morning history lesson, it was time for lunch. Of course we had to get Philly Cheesesteaks!! We waited in line for about 15 minutes and your daddy got the traditional one: with Cheese Whiz and Onions (which we found out you have to order like “Wiz Wit”.) I chickened out and got Pizza Fries. I know, I know. Don’t judge me, baby.
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Then we walked for a few miles to the other side of town for a few last minute stops.  (All that walking to balance out the Cheese Whiz. It’s all about doing things in moderation.) We loved how French this building looked. I think that’s the current city hall.
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You would have LOVED the oversized game pieces they had on display out front. We can already picture you running in and out of them.
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Finally, in the bitter cold, we reached our final stop of the day. Love Park.
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What do you think, baby? Your parents are super good-looking right? Bahaha!IMG_1019
PS: Thanks for the fleece, Mom! I seriously would have froze in Philly if I didn’t have that!

Is this where the Monopoly board gets the “Pennsylvania Railroad” from? So cool if it is! Do all those squares on the board actually exist somewhere? If so, it’s now my life goal to visit all of them!
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We made it back to the airport and enjoyed our first class seats on the way back. You’re not even born yet and you’re riding in first. You are already the luckiest baby in the world.
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Welcome back to LA, little one. It’s way warmer here than it was on the east coast, but I hope you had as much fun as we did!

 

And the next big adventure is… December 6, 2011

Filed under: Baby,Travel — Kelocity @ 8:35 am
Tags: ,

It’s no surprise that we love to travel to new destinations.  My blog has turned itself into a travelogue over time. Every year we try to pick a unique destination that will excite and challenge us and give us a sense of purpose in this world.
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We usually have the following year’s trip planned before we even leave on the next one. It’s fun to have something to look forward to all year long.
Dubai & Egypt- Day 2 (30)

People keep asking us where we’re going next. We had some ideas… China keeps popping up in conversation, and Spain is also pretty high on our list. But in 2012, we have other plans.
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Our next big adventure is booked for June 2012. Let me give you a few hints what it will be:

1.) It’s not a trip per se…. it will be a TRIP!!

2.) Everyone who has been there says it’s an absolute blast.

3.) We won’t know what it looks like til we get there.

4.) It ain’t cheap…

5.) …But we’ve never been more excited.

 

Drum roll please….


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And just like that… a travel blog turns to a travel/baby blog. Let the adventure begin!

 

Eastern Europe: Bite by Bite October 20, 2011

Filed under: Contiki,Dining Out,Europe,Food,Travel — Kelocity @ 6:24 am
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Oh Europe, why do you make such amazing food. As if your chocolate wasn’t delectable enough, you have to have things like strudel, schnitzel and french fries (why, WHY are the fries so darn good in Europe?!) I admit, I’m not much of a foodie. I don’t venture out to try strange foods, taste the art of famous chefs or pick restaurants based on reviews. Maybe someday my palate will be more refined, but that’s not to say I didn’t thoroughly enjoy my culinary experiences while on our recent trip.

Here is my recap of all things food from our 17 days over seas, grouped by category.

THE RESTAURANTS
We dined at so many different restaurants. 15 full days x 3 meals a day = 45 places to eat. Here’s a few of our favorites! I think the winner goes to Zapieck in Krakow for their award winning pierogies.
Exteriors

SOUPS
Some highlights included Borsht in Warsaw, Paprika Soup in Budapest and French Onion Soup in Vienna.
SOup

 
SALADS
I ordered mainly vegetarian meals every night (with the exception of a few chicken dishes) so I really enjoyed the European salads. The goat cheese is creamy like in Greece, and totally melts in your mouth. And all of the veggies were fresh from the earth. And the tomatoes! Oh, they were fantastic.
Salad

CHICKEN
Skewered on kabobs, deep fried, swimming in sauce and paired with rice or fries. Nothing special, but all delicious.
Chicke

BRATS
I admit, I am not a huge fan of brats, but my husband LOVES them. I think there were some that went photographed, because there were a lot of brats on this trip. His favorite were the boiled ones from the Hofbrauhaus.
Brats

BREAKFAST
Breakfast was included each day of our tour. Some hotels had better choices than others. My favorite (by far) was the IBIS in prague because they had fresh watermelon both days they were there.
Breakfast

MAIN COURSES
Irving ate just about everything, but I opted for mostly vegetarian. Contiki definitely does a great job accomodating and I felt satisfied after each meal. Here’s just a sample of the good (carb loaded) food that we ate.
Main Course

SHNITZEL
There are no words. We thought the chicken was better than the pork and our favorite was served at the Summer Palace in Vienna. Austria sure does love this dish. There is even a fast food chain called Wienerwald dedicated to serving schnitzel.
Schnitzel

PIEROGIES
I’ve already declared my love for Pierogies in my post about Poland, but here they are again so we can honor their amazing-ness.
Pierogi

PIZZA
It’s Europe. Pizza costs about $4 for a whole pie. There was lots of pizza for on-the-go lunches and quick snacks. And you don’t have to share. You’re expected to eat the whole thing. Love.
Pizza

FRIES
Yes. European Fries get their own collage. They are SO GOOD. And they go with juuuust about everything.
Fries

DRINKS
We aren’t huge drinkers to begin with, but we did indulge when appropriate (ie. German Beer Halls).
Drinks

PRETZELS
It goes with beer. Enough said. (I always try to buy mine without salt though.)
Pretzels

DESSERT AND SNACKS
I’m pretty sure I had dessert every night we were there. The hands down favorite was the Hotel Sacher chocolates from Vienna. Coming in a close second would be my nutella crepe from Slovakia. My least favorite? The Rum Raisin custard from Krakow.
Dessert and Snacks

 

Skidaddle to Seattle October 14, 2011

Filed under: Seattle,Travel — Kelocity @ 1:59 pm
Tags: , ,

All weekend we kept saying Skidaddle instead of Seattle. It just sounds fun. It was nice not having an agenda, timeline or any expectations. We definitely relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. We stayed in the Vintage Park Hotel right in the heart of downtown. We found a deal through Priceline and would definitely recommend it.
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The next morning, we decided to walk along the water and find the famous market. The seafront is beautiful. I’m sure it’s hopping in the summer, but it was quiet when we were there.
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We found the first Starbucks! This is where it all started! But far too crowded to want to wait in line for a coffee.
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And finally the market!
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(PS. These will be among the last pictures of me ever in this sweater. My dear husband shrunk it in the dryer this week. It’s 100% wool. Oy vey. Oh well. It was nice while it lasted. LOL)

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At the market, we bought a bouquet of flowers for a friend we were meeting. It was GINORMOUS!
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We carried our flowers to a ferry where we had a 30 minute ride to Bainbridge Island to meet said friend.
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I started off outside, but it got cold real quick.
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I stuck around long enough to see the skyline from the water (which was amazing!)
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But then got inside to escape the wind. (I know, always on the phone. Bad bad habit).
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We got photobombed by a BIRD!
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Don’t lie, Irving.  You were cold too. =)
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We had a wonderful dinner with our friends. They prepared a homemade meal and much of it came directly from their garden!!! That was a nice treat. On the way back we watched the Seattle city come back into view. I loved all the colors.
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On Monday morning, our last day, we awoke to some rain drops. So instead of walking, we took the monorail (which was also built for the World’s Fair in the 1960s).
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To escape the rain, we headed to the Science Museum for an IMAX movie.
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We saw Rocky Mountain Express. Even if you don’t like trains, I thought it was a great movie. It was about how they built the Canadian railroad system through the Rocky Mountains. Pretty neat actually.
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We had lunch at Whole Foods and headed over to our last destination: REI. Seattle is home to the largest REI store in the country. Irving used to work there (ages ago) so this was fun to visit.
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We really loved Seattle and hope to visit again soon. It had the perfect mix of good food, good people and lots and lots of great attractions.
Seattle
Photo taken by the fine people who work at the Space Needle.

 

Bacon is Always a Winner

Filed under: Seattle,Travel — Kelocity @ 6:39 am
Tags: , ,

A few months ago, Virgin America won FOUR awards. So on twitter, they announced they were giving away FOUR free roundtrip tickets. All you had to do was tweet a picture of FOUR of something. They would be picking winners based on creativity, quality and that it represents FOUR of something.

So I tweeted this:
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Yes. I posted a picture of bacon that I took at the Larchmont Bungalow back in June. Anyways, long story short, I won!! So now I have a free roundtrip ticket on Virgin anywhere they fly. My mind was swirling with ideas. I can see my family, I can visit a friend, I can relax on a beach. And then I realized that Irving wanted to come too. Part of me was like “win your own twitter prizes” but then I decided to play nice and decide on a destination together.
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We decided on Seattle since it’s been on our list for a while and because it’s so close to LA (just a two hour flight!)
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We arrived early Saturday morning with no plans, no agenda and no idea what there was to see in Seattle.
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Oh yea! The Space Needle!!! It was a gorgeous day, so after dropping off our bags, we headed there first.
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The built the Space Needle in 1962 for the World’s Fair.
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By the way, look at those blue skies! I thought Seattle was supposed to be rainy?!
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But before we went up to the top, we explored the Experience Music Project which is a museum at the base of the needle.
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The first exhibit we visited was Nirvana. I loved (and still love) that band so I was very excited about this. They had some incredible items on display. Remember the MTV Moon Man?
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Here’s the guitar that Mr. Cobain used for Smells LIke Teen Spirit.
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And some original drawings he sketched himself when he was in school.
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After that, we jumped into the AVATAR section. It was dedicated to the making of the film and how they used technology to create the world.
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Irving did a little virtual reality game where HE got inside the avatar world.
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The the fun continued in the Halloween Exhibit. This was so funny. I wish I did a video of this. It looked like a puppet show, but your shadow animates into scary creatures, it was really neat!
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And because I can’t go anywhere without some kind of Michael Jackson mention… a costume from Thriller!
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When we were done, we noticed the clouds were starting to roll in (oh there they are!)
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So before the rain hit, we had to make it to the top.
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We waited in line for about an hour but it was worth it. So pretty from the top.
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I am in love with this picture. I might have to frame it. This is so us. Traveling, happy and in love. Awe. I’m glad I brought him after all.

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I think he was happy to be with me too. And also happy to spot a soccer stadium in the distance. bahaha.
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Seattle to me was a hybrid of Boston and San Francisco. It definitely felt east coast.
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Spotted! Pier 70! This was where the Real World house was!! I love pop culture tourism.
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After we were done, we headed over to the above mentioned stadium for a Sounders FC Game!
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Seattle loves its soccer. They recently won three consecutive US Open Cups (a first in history).
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The stadium was beautiful (it’s also home of the Seahawks). We were secretly hoping Seattle would lose because it would guarantee the LA Galaxy the Supporters’ Shield. Since 2006, the Supporters’ Shield winner has earned a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. (<—– info provided by Irving. I actually have no clue! Thanks, babe!)IMG_0142

But they have some serious fans there so we didn’t cheer too loud.
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It drizzled during the game and then turned into a gorgeous night. How perfect does this look?
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Part 2 coming later!

 

(PS… check out my latest post on Contiki’s blog! It’s about exploring Europe at night!

 

HAVE YOU BEEN TO SEATTLE? WHAT OTHER BIG CITY SHOULD BE ON MY LIST?