Being the avid thrill seeker that I am, I have always wanted to glide amongst the treetops on a zip cord! Traveling to Hawaii was a great opportunity to try new things and experience some of these outdoorsy adventures that aren’t exactly abundant in my home of the concrete jungle–NYC. This may be a little repetitive for those who read my entire Hawaii post, but for those who chose to read the slimmed down version, you may find it interesting. While on the island of Kauai, we found a treetop tour in Lawai, which is on the south side of the island. We were up bright and early to get there and meet a guy on an ATV who directed us into the forest to the start of the zip lining course. This course had 7 lines ranging from long, medium, one mini zip, and a bunch of different rope bridges to cross as well. We got all our gear on, and they took us up on our first zip. I was a bit nervous at the start. Although I enjoy scary adventures after they are over, I still get that huge pit in my stomach before partaking in them! The scream from the woman in front of us on the first tour did not help my nerves! We climbed to the top of this rope bridge to start the course, and WOW, was it high! The first zip was a little freaky, but definitely fun, and I think I got the hang of zipping pretty quickly! We continued along the tour taking photos, across bridges, and swinging on swings above the treetops. We were pretty high up there, and luckily, Zack and I were able to get a couple cool videos of us on the zip line. (although I was terrified I might drop my camera and lose all of our honeymoon photos haha.) Our guides were all really nice and gave us great tips for the rest of our trip in Kauai. At the end of the day, I felt like a pro, and zip cording was not nearly as scary as I thought it was going to be! The monster swing we did at the end of our treetop tour ended up being the scariest part of the day, dropping you 60 feet in the air. Definitely a rush! I’m happy to have completed yet another adventure on the list! Check out some photos and a video of the monster swing at the bottom of the post 🙂
May 21, 2011-June 6, 2011 (Condensed Version…Extended Version Below…)
While many of the items on my bucket list consist of traveling internationally, Hawaii was definitely on the top of my list of places to visit within the United States. Zack and I chose Hawaii as a perfect honeymoon destination for the two of us—plenty of gorgeous beaches to relax on, but also plenty of adventures to be had. Going to Hawaii was fantastic, because it has the feel of going to a different country with a whole new culture, but it has the comfort and safety of being in the United States.
My new in-laws were extremely generous in offering up their timeshare to us for our two week Honeymoon in Hawaii. The available condos we found were both on the island of Kauai, and we couldn’t have visited a more romantic, beautiful, amazing place.
After a sleepless night in New York (too much excitement),a stop in LA and about 11 or so hours of travel, we finally touched down in the Garden Island. We picked up our rental car that we would use for the two weeks, and decided on a Mustang convertible instead of the compact car we had signed up for. It was only $80 bucks more for the two weeks and come on…it was our HONEYMOON! We found out later that ALL the tourists in Kauai get a Mustang, so instead of blending in, we definitely stuck out, but I still think it was totally worth it! The first thing I noticed at the airport was a rooster, hen, and a family of baby chicks. We knew there were wild chickens on the island, but after spending two weeks on the island, we realized they are EVERYWHERE. On the streets, on the beach, even in the woods! Apparently, there was a hurricane in 1992 that swept through and ended up hitting a bunch of chicken coops and all the chickens were freed. Hence, there are now wild chickens all over the island.
Our first week was spent in Princeville, on the North Shore, at a resort called Ka’eo Kai which was right on a golf course and beautiful. Having a 5 hour time difference made it all the more possible for us to rise early with the roosters and enjoy the daytime. We discovered really cool species of animals including my favorite, the Brazilian cardinal, and we saw a Bird of Paradise flower for the first time. The North Shore was definitely my favorite part of the island—it’s a tropical rainforest with a road of twists and turns and one-lane bridges. There are many yummy restaurants and fun shops, stunning views, plenty of beaches, cool caves , and great snorkeling. We enjoyed Hanalei Bay, Haena Beach, Ke’e Beach (personal favorite), Queen Emma’s Bath, tunnels, shave ice, Kalua pig sandwiches. We did a raft boat tour of the Napali Coast which was just amazing! We rode around with our crazy captain, went inside cool caves, saw gorgeous views, and even went snorkeling.
The only downside to the North Shore is that is gets a LOT of rain. (which is how I’m sure it keeps it’s green color!) When we saw the weather forecast for that first week, I have to admit, we were a little depressed. We quickly realized how fast the weather can change though, and how small the island of Kauai is. We discovered that the South Shore of the island is usually sunny, and it was only about an hour or so drive to get there. Down on the South shore, we discovered the beautiful beaches of Poipu, the Waimea Canyon where many hikes took place, we went zipcording and horseback riding on the beach for the first time, saw sea turtles & some really awesome fish.
The second week, we stayed in Kapaa on the East Coast of the island. Kapaa is a little town with many shops and restaurants that causes most of the traffic getting around the island. Many locals were happy, because while we were there, they opened up the back road so you could pass through Kapaa if you wanted to avoid traffic. Our hotel here was even nicer than the first one, with a great view of the ocean. Kapaa was a great location, because we could either go north or south in a short amount of time. While in Kauai, we also did many hiking trails, we kayaked through the river to a secret waterfall, jumped off a rope swing at Kipu Falls, did sunrise yoga on the beach, played putt putt golf, saw the Kiluea Lighthouse, went to a rodeo, rode bikes along the coast, went to a real Hawaiian Luau, went out to some great restaurants, and also cooked up some delicious meals on our own. I checked off many bucket list items on this trip, and they will be featured in upcoming posts of “The Great Freakin’ Adventures of Gina.”
This was seriously a dream vacation in paradise, and it was the perfect place to visit with my brand new husband!
Shave IceTop of Waimea Canyon looking over the Napali CoastBrazilian CardinalLuau KalamakuInside the caves on the Napali CoastScared to death hiking the Nualolo TrailCruisin' the East Coast of KauaiThe 'StangPoipu BeachKilauea LighthouseIn between zip cordsSwimming Hole at Secret Falls
Ke'e Beach...my fav!
Ke'e
CJM Stables Horse Ride
***For more photos of our trip, check out my facebook albums:
***SIDE NOTE: While in Hawaii, I documented our adventures day by day. This is a shortened version of our trip because the original is super long, but if you are interested in reading about the whole experience, you can do so below:
After being too excited to sleep the night before (I stayed up watching TV shows, straightening up the apartment, and fantasizing about Hawaii), I was pretty tired by the time it came around to go to the airport. As a wedding gift, my boss paid for Zack and I to have a car service to the airport which was amazing, because we didn’t need to worry about hailing a cab with all our luggage. Plus, Rafael (our driver) got a spiffy new Mercedes Benz S550 4 Matic, so it was a nice ride. We got to the airport early, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and sat down to nap before boarding our flight. We first had a 6 hour flight to LAX which seemed to take an eternity (I think because we were just so excited to get there.) During the flight we realized that we forgot the book on Kauai that Zack’s mom had given us, which was a bummer since Zack had read it front to back circling everything he thought might be fun to do. Thank God for the internet right? At least we had a backup plan. After landing in LA, we grabbed lunch and navigated our way through the construction at LAX until finally finding our gate which was in the most obscure part of the airport. Even the airline employees didn’t know how to function in this tiny area they stuck us in. Luckily, we made it on the flight with no problem, and had a comfortable ride to Lihue Airport in Kauai. I slept a lot to catch up on what I had missed the night before. We sat next to a nice gentleman who gave us tons of secret local tips. His brother had just moved there to retire, and so he was telling us about great farmer’s markets, secret meadows, and great beaches. We FINALLY touched down in Kauai at 4:40pm (which was 10:40pm on our EST body clock), and we were starved for dinner. We picked up our rental car that we were planning to use for the two weeks, and decided on a red Mustang convertible instead of the compact car we had originally booked. It was only $80 more for the entire two weeks, and come on…It’s our HONEYMOON after all! The first thing I noticed at the airport was a rooster, hen, and a family of baby chicks. We knew there were going to be wild chickens on the island, but we didn’t know there would be so many, and we didn’t know the story behind it. Apparently there was a hurricane in 1992 that swept through Kauai once, and then came right back through for a second round. It hit a bunch of chicken coops, and all the chickens were freed, hence now there are wild chickens all over the island of Kauai. Pretty crazy. After picking up our ‘Stang, we drove off into the sunset screaming with happiness while we tried to find a place to eat. The place recommended to us by the car rental place was closed, so we decided to just ride until we found something. We came across this place called Hanamaulu Restaurant Tea House and Sushi Bar. It looked packed and smelled delicious from the road, so we figured we would check it out. Upon arrival, we quickly realized that this was definitely a local joint which made us excited. There were two parties going on, a gorgeous outdoor garden, and some people sitting at the sushi bar, so we decided to take a seat there. After dining on tea, a pupu platter, multiple sushi rolls, and some green tea ice cream we decided this place was legit! We met two local couples who were sitting next to us, and they were full of friendliness and advice for us. It was a great way to start our trip in Hawaii. After dinner, we were exhausted, and it was getting dark, so we drove to find our resort, and found a gorgeously landscaped place in Princeville. By this point it was way past our NY city clock bedtime, so we crashed and figured we would wake up super early to enjoy our first full day in Hawaii!
Sunday May 22, 2011
Day 2
Aloha! Being that our body clocks are still on EST time, Zack and I woke up with the roosters this morning around 5:30am, before the sun had even risen. I think this might be a record for me. We got ready for the day, and took a walk on the grounds of our resort. We are located right on a golf course, and we have found that most of Princeville is covered in beautifully maintained golf courses. I think this might be my father’s paradise. We walked the golf course makai (to the water ) where the cliffs have a dramatic drop down to the water. The view was stunning. Looking back mauka (toward the mountains), was equally, if not more stunning. The mountains are so massive and lush with greenery. I have never seen mountains like this before, and we saw our first Hawaiian rainbow! Not a double rainbow, but good enough for Day 2. Along the walk, we also saw other interesting species native to Hawaii; the Brazilian cardinal and the bird of paradise were on the top of my favorites list. We then made our way back to the hotel for a free breakfast where I was introduced to POG—pineapple, orange, guava juice. I think this might be similar to this drink Ocean Spray used to make called Mauna Lai which my dad always used to buy. Breakfast was good, and they had an information session there for everyone to learn about fun things to do on the island. We kind of got suckered into signing up for this second 90 minute info session about time shares in order to get really good discounts on all activities for the rest of our two weeks here. We’ll see how that goes tomorrow. The rest of the day, we pretty much just explored the North Shore of the island. We found the St. Regis resort which is beautiful, grocery stores, fruit stands, farmer’s market areas, shops, restaurants, etc. The drive along the North Shore is really tight and has lots of twists and turns with one lane bridges. There are also spectacular view points along the way, plenty of beaches, cool caves, and an area called tunnels, which is supposed to be good for snorkeling. We checked out Hanalei Bay, which was pretty quiet, and then made a quick stop at Waikoko which was also very quiet. Our favorite of the day was Haena Beach, where we were lucky to find parking. The first thing we did there was go across the street to this enormous cave opening and took some photos. It was a pretty cool sight. Then we went to the food truck nearby and I just had to get some Hawaiian shaved ice (rainbow flavor just like all the kids—pineapple, vanilla, and cherry.) Zack got a Kalua pig sandwich, which is basically a BBQ pulled pork sandwich that was also really delicious. In the food cart line, Zack also noticed some green avocados growing on a tree, and of course had to try and climb up to get one. We then walked down the beach admiring the lush mountains as we walked toward the coral reef (tunnels) so Zack could get in a little snorkeling. The entire day, the weather was kind of wacky. Rain, sun, rain, sun, rain sun pretty much the whole day. Luckily, we got enough sun to make it worth being out there on the beach for most of the day. We made our last stop at Ke’e Beach, and didn’t get out as it was packed, and we were ready to head home by this point anyway. We did see some trail beginnings which made us excited for the rest of the week. We will be back! We stopped at the grocery store on the way home, and man I thought NYC had expensive food, but I think Hawaii takes the cake! We came home, relaxed on our deck for a bit, took a bubble bath in our Jacuzzi, and the cooked up a yummy Italiano meal of linguine with clams, squid, & spinach with white wine. Perfection. In bed by 9:30pm and ready for Day 3.
Monday May 23, 2011
Day 3
Rain rain, go away. Come back to Hawaii some other day. The forecast had looked pretty promising over the next week with Mon-Tues looking similar to our day yesterday and sunshine the rest of the week. But the weather has decided to take a turn in Princeville, and it now looks like showers for the rest of the week. Of course, it’s unpredictable and there are pockets of sunshine, but it wasn’t looking good for the beach or hiking on the North Shore. Luckily, my genius husband discovered that the climate is different all over this wacky island. He found that the South shore was supposed to be completely sunny the whole week. Score! Although, it was a bit of a drive, it was totally worth it to explore the other side of the island and get out of the rain. Before we did this, we had to sit through a 90 minute sales pitch on time shares, which was kind of a drag, but worth the discounts on all the activities around the island. After this, we decided to drive to Waimea Canyon which strangely, is super close to Princeville, there is just no way to get to it without driving ALL the way around the island to the other side. One of the best things about Kauai is how natural it is and how well they preserve nature here. So as annoying as it is to have to drive around the long way, you have to appreciate what they have done to keep the island looking so clean, beautiful, and natural. We took the drive down to Waimea with the convertible top down and sunshine was blazing! Yes! After the long drive, we got a little hungry, so we stopped for lunch at a recommended spot called Shrimp Station. I got the coconut shrimp which was amazing! Zack, who is allergic to shrimp, went across the street to Island Taco instead and got ahi tuna tacos. After satisfying our appetites, we decided to make the drive up the mountain to view the canyon. Along the way, there were tons of pull-over stop off spots to take in the views. It was hard to be the driver on this portion, because you want to see everything, but obviously you have to keep your eyes on the road! So it was nice they had these pull over spots. I can’t even explain how breathtaking some of these views were of the canyon. Just stunning. We got even higher, and got a view of the Napali Coast, which honestly rivals the view I saw in Capri, Italy (which was previously my most favorite view in the world). After taking in the views, we decided to go for a little hike. We chose an easy trail for our first Hawaiian hike, called the Kaluapuhi Trail, it was only about 2.4 miles round trip, and pretty easy, but very scenic with lots of pretty trees, really gorgeous birds I wish I could name, and unbelievably, there was even a rooster on our hike! After the hike, we headed back down the mountain; this time Zack drove, so I could see a little more. At the bottom of the mountain we stopped to get some yummy Hawaiian flavored ice cream; pineapple coconut for me, and orange pineapple for Zack. We then wanted to see what the south shore beaches were about so we stopped at Lucy Wright Beach near Waimea to catch what was left of the sun and wash off my muddy shoes from our hike. We first noticed the color of the sand on this beach—black. It was kind of cool, but also a little weird. There weren’t too many people on this beach besides a few locals, and homeless tent village nearby. I guess if I were homeless, I would want to live on the beach in Kauai too! After the beach, we made the trek back to the North Shore, cooked up some BBQ chicken on the grill, tropical fruit salad, and black beans with a glass of wine, and we were spent.
Tuesday May 24, 2011
Day 4
ZIPCORD DAY!!! Amongst coming to Hawaii, I’m finding there are plenty of ways to knock things off my bucket list out here. One of which is zip cording! We found a treetop tour down in Lawai on the south side of the island. We were up bright and early to get there and meet a guy on an ATV who directed us into the forest to the start of the zip lining course. This course had 7 lines ranging from long, medium, one mini zip, and a bunch of different rope bridges to cross as well. We got all our gear on, and they took us up to our first zip. The group in front of us had a woman who had just let out a ridiculous scream, so that was upping my nerves a little bit! We climbed to the top of this rope bridge to start the course, and wow, was it high! The first zip was a little freaky, but definitely fun, and I think I got the hang of zipping pretty quickly! We continued along the tour taking photos, across bridges, and swinging on swings above the treetops. We were pretty high up there, and luckily, Zack and I were able to get a couple cool videos of us on the zip line. Our guides were all really nice and gave us great tips for the rest of our trip in Kauai. After the zip course, I kind of felt like a pro, but we weren’t done yet. The monster swing was next, which takes an individual up about 60 feet into the air until you let go and “Swing Away!” I let out a blood curdling scream on the way down, but it was such an awesome rush and tons of fun. Even Zack kinda screamed out on his way down as well! Lastly, we both climbed the 50 foot rock wall all the way to the top. Zack knocked it out quickly, but it was a little more difficult for me being of such short stature with short arms and short legs. It was definitely a tough challenge for me, and I did need a little break at one point when I was almost to the top, but the comment from one of the guides about 5th graders completing the course last week kicked my butt into gear, and I knocked out the rest up to the top. Afterwards, my arms felt like jello, and I’m pretty sure my arms will be sore tomorrow as well. After our adventuresome morning, we were starving, so we decided to check out Poipu, which was nearby, and had a cool tree tunnel entrance into that part of town. We got a delicious bite to eat at Brennecke’s on the Beach. Their ceviche was a pass, but their Kalua Pig Sandwiches were to die for. Melt in your mouth amazing. I also enjoyed a yummy Pina Colada to wash it down. The view from Brennecke’s was gorgeous and definitely what I had been looking for since coming to Hawaii. I pointed out a little tide pool area to Zack while we were eating, and he all of the sudden had a flash down memory lane that this was the place his parents brought him to when he was 5. We had found it! Poipu Beach was pretty cool. There were mostly resorts nearby, but we got some snorkeling gear, and went out to Sand Island to check out fish. Along the way, we saw two Hono, or green sea turtles near the shore which was pretty awesome. I hope they are able to get back out to the big ocean when they need to. Snorkeling was a lot of fun, and we saw some really cool tropical fish including Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (Picasso Triggerfish), Kihikihi (Moorish Idol), Kikapapu (Raccoon Butterflyfish), and more. We laid out on Sand Island for awhile, walked around the town of Poipu, and of course, got some Hawaiian Shave Ice. After a long day, we came back to Princeville, showered up, and went to dinner at the nearby St. Regis. After battling me on what to wear, Zack finally got in his dress clothes, and we headed down the street to the resort. The St. Regis was beautiful, and reminded us of something we would find in Vegas, except on the water and no casino. We went to dinner at the Kauai Grill, which we happily realized was owned by Chef Jean George. Holy delicious. We started with a Ginger Margarita and a Peach Saketini, both amazing and the Japanese raw Hamachi with macademia nut and green chilies. Nom nom nom. For our entrees, I got the Kona Lobster, and Zack got the Lehi which is a snapper with sesame shiso sauce. Everything was divine, and we had a really nice romantic evening together while living large for the night! Today was an A+ all around.
Wednesday May 25, 2011
Day 5
Today we started off the morning with Zack making a yummy breakfast of eggs, turkey bacon, and toast. We then set off for the final destination of the North Shore—Ke’e Beach. We had heard good things from a woman who worked at the surf shop, and the weather was looking good in the neighborhood, so we decided to try our luck. After stopping at the surf shop to pick up an extra set of snorkeling gear, we headed to Ke’e. By the time we got there, people had already filled the parking lot, and we ended up having to park super far away. It gets really crowded here, because aside from the beach, it also marks the start of the Kalalau Trail where hikers flock to navigate this Napali Coast trail. Ke’e Beach was awesome; we got tons of sun, and the snorkeling was great with many tropical fish, and cool looking coral and sea urchin to look at. After a few hours of swimming and sunning, we decided to take on the 4 mile hike down the Kalalau Trail. The trail actually goes a total of 11 miles down the entire Napali Coast with beautiful stunning views along the way. You must be a really experienced hiker to take this on, as it could take days to make it there and back with 22 miles of trail, and it’s definitely not easy. There is a shorter hike to a beautiful waterfall that probably would have taken us 7-8 hours had we attempted it. But being that this was really our first difficult hike in Hawaii, and we had no water, we decided just to do the 3-4 hour hike to the beach and back. The hike was a bit tough, but totally worth it. The views were absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking, and I’m so happy we decided to do this trail, even though we were hot and tired. Making it down to the beach was awesome, and we built a little rock tower next to all the rest to prove we made it. The hike back was pretty difficult, but honestly I think with water and having not laid out in the sun all day, it wouldn’t have been so tough. After the hike, we were completely exhausted, and we deserved rewards for our efforts. My reward came in the form of water and Hawaiian Shave Ice. Zack’s reward was water and Ahi Poke from Dolphin Market. We then headed home to shower up for dinner. On recommendation, we went to Tahiti Nui for dinner, which is a small local watering hole with really great food and live music every night. We ordered their famous Mai Tai’s and a green salad with papaya seed dressing to start. Then, I got jumbo sea scallops while Zack ordered Hawaiian pizza with Kalua pork and pineapple. Everything was really good, and the Hawaiian guitar player was really entertaining. He sang tunes like “Puff the Magic Dragon,” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” We had a great time, but it we couldn’t stick it out for the rock and roll jam sesh afterwards, because we were tired, and knew that we had an early morning coming!
Thursday May 26, 2011
Day 6
Today, we woke up before the sunrise and headed to Hanalei Bay for the Napali Coast boat tour. It started out rainy and cold, which was a bit of a bummer, but luckily, the weather cleared up while we were out on the water. We boarded our raft in the Hanalei River with 6 other people including a middle-aged couple with their 11 year old daughter, and elderly couple, and our crazy Captain. The tour was unbelievable, and I would recommend it to anyone. On the way out, we passed Ke’e Beach where we had hung out yesterday, and then we kept going all along the coast. We saw some hikers along the Kalalau Trail along with a few goats in the cliffs. We even witnessed a helicopter air drop of supplies to one of the beaches on the coast. The cliffs looked absolutely amazing from the water, and because we were in the smaller raft, we were able to go inside multiple caves which was really cool. We saw some waterfalls, some rainbows, and some sea turtles from the boat, and it was definitely a great experience. At the end of our route, we stopped and anchored the boat for some snorkeling. Apparently, my fins didn’t get packed, and I was having mask problems, but luckily the elderly woman on the boat with us (who couldn’t swim) decided after 2 minutes she was done snorkeling, and let me borrow her gear. I still was having issues with the new gear, but I was able to see some really cool tropical fish including an entire school by a coral reef. After swimming around for a bit, I then had a moment of panic about being in the deep water, and decided to swim back to the boat as fast as possible. We had a yummy lunch provided by the boat tour company, and heard tons of crazy stories from our Captain about life on Kauai. The ride back was faster since we had already taken photos, and the wind had picked up so there were a bunch of really big waves to ride over causing screams and squeals of delight from myself and the 11 year old. After the boat ride, Zack and I were both exhausted. I think all the adventure and excitement from the week was starting to catch up with us, and we decided to just go back to the hotel and lay by the pool. We both took long naps until we finally felt refreshed. Once we awoke, we decided to check out Queen Emma’s Bath, which is the hottest attraction in Princeville. Basically, it’s an entirely enclosed pool of water right on the ocean surrounded by a bunch of lava rocks, and you can go swimming or snorkeling here. We realized it was within walking distance to our hotel, so we took the walk down there to check it out. We heard stories that this area is dangerous, and people have died by waves crashing onto them on the rocks and dragging them out to sea. We researched the tides to make sure that we were going during low tide, and after talking to a few more people, we found that in the summertime, there is not much to worry about. (as long as you are being smart of course, and not straying too close to the edge of the rocks.) That being said, stay away from this area in the wintertime as it becomes much more rough and dangerous. After our little adventure, we were hungry, so we went on a quick shopping trip, and came back to our place to cook up grilled Opah, or moonfish, (which tastes a bit like swordfish), pasta with red sauce, and baby bok choy. Another good day in Kauai.
Friday May 27, 2011
Day 7
Call me girlie if you must, but my nails have hit the two week mark, and they are in desperate need of being redone! I tried the Shellac technique two weeks ago for my wedding day, and now I’m hooked! Thanks, Shirin! The stuff is amazing, the polish goes over your nails like regular polish, yet stays on as good as fake tips without chipping, you can touch anything you want immediately after your manicure is done, and the best part is that your nails are not ruined once the stuff comes off! Amazing. I found a salon in Kapaa off Yelp and went to check it out for a mani/pedi combo. It was pretty expensive, but I loved being pampered, and didn’t feel bad about it, because I am on my honeymoon, right? The weird part was that Zack of course stayed home at this time, and after spending 24/7 time together, I really missed the kid for those 3 hours! When I got back, we took a long walk around the golf course on our resort before the nighttime festivities.
Tonight was pretty exciting, as we made our way down to the south side of the island for Luau Kalamaku! Zack had never been to a luau, and I had never been to one outside of Disney World, so we figured we should get the full Hawaiian experience. We heard good things about this particular luau, so we decided to give it a shot. Our hotel has a shuttle service that picked people up so we didn’t have to drive all the way there, and the driver gave us a little tour as we took the drive down there. It was a little bit helpful for some things we couldn’t point out, but also a little bit repetitive since we had already done so much exploring on our own. We entered the luau to hear drums playing, we got leid, and had our photos taken, and were seated in an enormous tented pavilion with a big stage in the middle of the room. There was an open bar with yummy mai tais and blue Hawaiians and lots of vendors set up with jewelry, bags, hats, flavored almonds, Hawaiian games to play, and more. Right before dinner, they bring everyone over to bless the pig that has been roasting and they carry it away on a stretcher type carrier. Once we were seated for dinner, there was an appetizer and salad course followed by a buffet dinner with the Kalua pig, purple sweet potatoes (which were to die for), poi (which I would rather die than eat), vegetable curry, chicken with noodles, sweet and sour chicken and rice. Everything was pretty decent, and for dessert we had rice pudding with rum sauce and banana cream pie which was really good. The show started after we ate with tons of Hawaiian dancing, a sort of play intermixed and fire twirling which was definitely the best part! Our table was full of young people, mostly couples, one couple had just met face to face after 5 months of chatting online! Too funny. The girl was native to Kauai, and I was happy to report that she said all of the food at the luau was stuff that they would make at home, so it was pretty authentic. We had a great time, and I’m definitely glad we decided to take advantage of going to a luau while in Hawaii.
Saturday May 28, 2011
Day 8
Our first week in Kauai is now over, but we have a day stuck in limbo as our 2nd timeshare doesn’t start until tomorrow. Luckily, Ka’eo Kai let us stay in a studio room that they had open for the night for only $77! Definitely a steal! We did laundry and packed up our things to move to the studio for the day/night. I am going to miss our home we had for a week. Then, the rainy weather brought us down to Poipu Beach again. We were nervous that it wouldn’t even clear up down south, but the sun pulled through in Poipu, and we laid out all day long in the sunshine. We watched some boogie boarders catching great waves, and then Zack did some snorkeling while I feel asleep in the sand. We had a nice relaxing day until we got hungry, and decided to head home. On the way back, we stopped in Kapaa at a little shack called Mermaids, which we had heard some good things about. I ordered the chicken noodle stir fry, and Zack got the Ahi Tacos. Both were really good. We took a little walk around town, which is probably the biggest town on the island (and causes traffic daily on the only highway). We saw some really awesome local art at a gallery, cute knickknacks, and some nice clothes and jewelry at different shops. We also stumbled upon a natural foods store, which I am sure we will check out next week at our new place since it’s in Kapaa. After walking around for a bit, we headed back to the studio, and being Saturday night, we decided to hit the town. We weren’t really sure where to go, but decided our best bet was probably Tahiti Nui again, and we were right! It was packed with locals dancing to a reggae DJ all night long. We had some good drinks and met some nice people while also finally getting our dance on for once in Kauai. Last call was around 12:00am which is super early for us New Yorkers, but we have adjusted to the Kauai lifestyle quickly! I think it might be hard to take us away from this place!
Sunday May 29, 2011
Day 9
We woke up and packed up once again to finally leave Ka’eo Kai for good. We headed down to Hanalei for breakfast at the Wake Up Café where I enjoyed eggs, bacon, and hash browns with an OJ, and Zack had papaya, granola, and hash browns with coffee. It was really good, and I also liked that the restaurant was decked out with old surfing photos from the pros that had come to enjoy this café. After breakfast, we headed to the Waipa Rodeo, which we had heard about through one of the Kauai locals last night at Tahiti Nui. Neither of us had ever been to a rodeo before, so we weren’t really sure what to expect, but it was a pretty fun time. It was a small town rodeo, so there was no bull riding or anything like that, but there was calf roping and mugging, which was a lot of fun to watch, and just see the cowboy culture of the Hawaiians. After a couple hours at the rodeo, we decided to check out Tunnels which is a great snorkeling spot, and Zack was pumped. After getting way too much sun this past week, we opted for a shaded spot to read our books. We met a super Happy Hippie who was feeding a flock of pigeons by our towels when we got back from a walk on the beach. She was from British Columbia in Canada, and her husband and she were really nice, but she was definitely an interesting lady! Very deep thinker. We lazied it out on the beach for pretty much the rest of the day until we got hungry and decided to grab a bite to eat in Hanalei. We stopped at Neida for some Mexican/Brazilian food. I ordered a strawberry margarita with pork crazy nachos and Zack ordered a big steak with onions, rice, and beans washed down with a Dos Equis lager. The food was pretty good, and we then walked around the town for a bit exploring the little shops nearby since we had neglected to do it earlier, and we were sad to be leaving Hanalei. We both decided tonight that Hanalei is probably our favorite town on the island. After the sun went down, we finally made it to our new resort destination, Kauai Coast Resort in Kapaa. Upon arrival, we realized that this is a much nicer place to stay although there are plusses and minuses to both of the resorts. We took a quick walk in the dark around the resort grounds and noticed a very nice pool with tiki bar, hot tub, tons of lounge chairs, hammocks, and the Pacific Ocean just steps away. They also have a good looking restaurant on site with live music in the lobby every night. We unpacked all of our things at our new home for week #2, and we are getting excited about what we have in store for our next adventures in Kauai! Goodnight!
Monday May 30, 2011
Day 10
Today was an adventuresome day of exploration. We made our way to the Kuilau trail for a hike, but on the way stopped to view the Opaekaa Falls from the road, and crossed the street to discover an old Hawaiian village called the Kamokila Village. We quickly decided we must check this out on the way back. We continued down the road past Wailua toward the start of the Kuilau trail with the help of our book, Kauai Trailblazer, which has proven to be an awesome guidebook for trails, beaches, and fun adventures and ways to find little secrets on the island. The Kuilau trail, although a bit muddy, had some beautiful views of the Sleeping Giant mountain and the valleys below. We got some good exercise in doing about a 6-7 mile round trip hike for the day. As noted before, we did indeed stop at the Kamokila village after our hike. It turned out to be worth the $5 per person to stop and learn a little history about early Hawaiian culture. Most of the town had been rebuilt, but it was on the original grounds right on the Wailua River, and there were multiple descriptions of what the different huts were used for, many fruit trees, and some cool animals including two boar and three beautiful peacocks. After exploring, we got hungry, and decided to stop at Foodland to pick up dinner, since our new fridge in Kapaa was empty. We picked up tons of goodies, and then got home only to realize we were too tired to cook, so Zack ate his leftover steak, and I had a yummy bag of popcorn for dinner before passing out.
Tuesday May 31, 2011
Day 11
Rise and shine early again today, this time for an outdoorsy adventure to the “Secret Falls.” We decided to book with Kayak Adventures (which we found out later also runs under Ancient River Kayak and Rainbow Kayak names) since they were literally a 2 minute walk from our resort. We grabbed breakfast at home before heading over, and geared up for our trip. The kayaks have dry bags so we were able to bring along towels and a camera, etc. We started out with a 2 mile paddle out on the Wailua River, which was really nice. It was early, quiet, and relaxing, even though I realized I would definitely be getting an arm workout today! We turned a corner off the river where it got skinnier until we were able to bank our kayaks and start our 1 mile hike to the falls. The hike was gorgeous all along the river with lots of jungle like vegetation, some rocks, some mud, and lots and lots of greenery. Our guide pointed out all kinds of interesting things such as mango trees, candle nut trees, guava trees, etc. Our hike landed us at the bottom of a gorgeous waterfall at least 100ft high with a swimming hole underneath of it that you could stand in. We immediately took off our hiking gear to get down to our bathing suits and plunged into the swimming hole. Our guide, Thomas, was nice enough to take some photos of us in the water in front of the waterfall which was pretty good. He then took out his machete to slice up a big pineapple for us to serve with our lunch of sandwiches, fruit, chips, etc. Our trip was complete with another 1 mile hike back through the jungle and then the 2 mile paddle in our kayaks back to the harbor. I was surprised at how clear all the river water was, and one of the best things about Kauai is that there is not much to be afraid of in terms of animals in the woods. There are no snakes on the entire island, and if anyone sees one, they fly in a helicopter to get rid of it. There aren’t poisonous frogs or other things to worry about and, there are no piranhas or alligators in the rivers, etc. Of course, I suppose sharks are a concern, but honestly there are only about 3-4 shark attacks on the entire state of Hawaii each year (which isn’t any more than most beaches), and it’s been proven that you are 15 times more likely to be killed by getting hit on the head by a falling coconut. So, I’m thinking my chances are pretty good?! We were very happy after our river/jungle/waterfall adventure, and being beat from the trip, we decided to go back to the hotel pool and get some sun and read our books while enjoying a frozen cup of deliciousness from the tiki bar. After a couple hours of sunning and swimming, a big downpour rolled through (typical), and we darted for shelter. Luckily, it was a quick rain passing through, and we were able to come back down shortly to grill up some yummy dinner that should have been cooked the night before. We grilled pork chops, shrimp, yellow peppers, and corn with Hawaiian seasoning, and made a garden salad to accompany our feast. We completed the feast with a bottle of red wine. I love vacation.
Wednesday June 1, 2011
Day 12
We started out our day this morning with a drive down to Poipu for a scenic beach and mountain horseback ride at CJM Stables. Remember our friend from Tahiti Nui and the Rodeo? Well, he also mentioned that if we wanted to do a horse ride, we should do it here, so we took his advice, and I’m sure glad we did! I’ve only been on a horse twice in my life—once was on my 7th birthday when my parents threw my sister and I a carnival birthday party (still my favorite birthday party to date). She hired the neighbor who had a stable to come up with one of her horses for “pony rides” for all the kids. We walked around the front yard a couple times with someone holding the reins from the front leading the horse around and we called it a day. The second time, I think I was about 10, and once again, I didn’t have full control of my horse, as we were at my Dad’s friends stable and she led the horse around the ring a couple times with me on it. I was very excited as 1) this would be my first time on a horse by myself where I would have to control it (btw, this also made me a little nervous!), 2) a romantic horseback ride would be another check off my bucket list, and 3) the horse ride is on both the beach and the mountain side. I really don’t think it can get any better than that! My horse’s name was Hoppa, and while she listened to my commands pretty well, she was definitely a little lazy one! I think it was definitely a good starting out horse considering I am a beginner though. Zack’s horse was a little more spunky, with the name, Dude, and he was just eating grass the whole time on the trail. The ride was beautiful. It was so amazing to be riding a horse right on the beach, and then up through the mountains. I picked it up surprisingly quickly, and had a really great time. Our guide, Chaz, was really cool, and we found out he and his partner actually won the roping competition at the Waipa Rodeo earlier this week! He took a couple pictures for us on the ride and we had some POG on the trail as well. At the end of the ride I was partly sad that it was over and I had to say goodbye to my horse, but my legs and bum were very happy that we were finished! After the ride, we headed over to the nearby Grand Hyatt for a bite to eat. We sat on the outdoor terrace overlooking a koi pond and the ocean to enjoy some Kalua Banana Coladas, ceasar salad, and Mahi Mahi sandwiches. Our waitress was super nice, and asked us all our advice for visiting the northeast area of the states. After lunch, we took a walk around the grounds of the hotel which was really nice. The pool area was huge with a couple restaurants, and multiple pools—one with sand! We decided to “Bonnie & Clyde” and plopped down on two comfy lounge chairs to sun ourselves and enjoy the pool. No one really seemed to mind or notice, so we spent a few hours there until we were all sunned out. On the way home, we stopped at Kipu Falls, which has a very hidden entrance from the road, but luckily there were a bunch of cars parked nearby, so we figured out where the path began. It was about a 5-10 minute walk back through some thick plant vegetation, but totally worth it! We reached Kipu Falls, which has about a 20 foot drop, and many people jumped from it with no problem. Zack jumped it twice (the second time, I promised him I would try really hard to come in after him, but ended up chickening out…boo, I know). I did, however, do the rope swing over the water, which also had about a 20 foot drop, but somehow this just seemed a bit safer to me. Zack, being the monkey that he is, had to climb up the side of the cliff to unhook the rope catcher which had gotten stuck, in order for us to eventually swing out on the rope. It was worth it, and I’m glad we checked it out! Feeling like exploring a little bit more, we went down a couple of other roads to discover a huge fish pond and a new area outside Lihue called Nawiliwili Harbor. Many boats were docked here, a canoe club and a yacht club as well as a lot of industry, but we kept driving down the road and found a lot of interesting shops and restaurants on the river which was pretty cool. We eventually made it back to our home for the week in Kapaa, ate our leftovers, and booked our adventures for the rest of the week. We are both getting sad that our trip is nearing the end.
Thursday June 2, 2011
Day 13
Today, we planned on hiking in the Waimea Canyon. We did not, however, realize that we were getting ourselves into quite the scary, life flashing-before-your-eyes situation. We woke up a little later than usual, and had a filling breakfast of bagels, cheese, and fruit. Then we made our way down south toward Waimea with the convertible top down on the gorgeous, sunny day. After driving 15 miles up the mountain, we stopped at the museum to check out the trail map and decide which one we would like to hike that day. The last trail we did in Waimea was the first one we did in Hawaii, and it was really easy and short. We definitely wanted something more challenging, but we weren’t really sure which one to do. We knew we did not want the swamp trail, because that one goes straight up and straight down, and we heard your toenails might fall off by the end because of the steep decline. The museum area was packed with lots of tourists (unlike last time when we were able to ask advice from the person working there), so we were kind of on our own with picking out a trail. We looked at the map, and decided on the Awaawapuhi Trail which neared the edge of the Napali Coast and also connected to the Nualolo Cliff Trail and the Nualolo Trail. The entire loop was 8.5 miles, but we weren’t sure if we were going to have enough time at first, so we thought we would just go down the Awaawapuhi Trail and then come back the same way for about a 6.5 mile hike. Once we got to the end of the Awaawapuhi Trail, though, we decided to go for it, and try the whole loop. Clearly, we should have done our homework to realize what we were getting ourselves into. The entire hike was really, really gorgeous. There were beautiful views of canyons, mountains, and the ocean. It was similar to what we had seen that first time in Waimea when we drove to the top, although this time, we were now hiking in that mountain. There were parts of the trail that were eroded, so we both got hiking sticks and were really careful to stay as far away from the edge as possible. Although parts were a bit slippery, we never really felt too much in danger. That is of course until we came to a sign that read: “Caution: the next .25 miles of this trail is extremely narrow and washed out. Please continue only at your own risk.” Umm…WHAT?!?! You’re telling me we’ve come all this way, and now we are going to have to turn around and go all the way back the way we came? Who knows if we will make it back by dark if we do that? But this part of the trail looks extremely dangerous, and seriously scary. To the left, was a wall of loose eroding rock and dirt. The trail was reduced to 1-2 feet at most of flat dry crumbly dirt that angled down 50 degrees about 4-6 feet at most and then cut off to a vertical death drop. I asked Zack what he thought we should do, and we both contemplated turning around. I don’t know what the hell we were thinking, but we decided to go for it. Zack went ahead first to make sure it was safe, and he made it down the first section with no problem. I was terrified, but I followed suit keeping one hand on the eroding rocks to the left and my head turned toward the mountain. We both rounded the corner, and HOLY SHIT the drop was insane. We read later that this drop is about 2000ft of a free fall. I quickly turned my head back toward the mountain as there was no turning back now, and kept moving along the ridge crossing the next section. We came up to the next section where we had to go a bit downhill facing outward from the mountain, and this was definitely the scariest part. All it would take would be one slip, and you could go sliding and flying right off this mountain. At this point, Zack instructed me to put down my hiking stick and sit down on my butt, dig my palms back into the mountain, and inch my way down. There was a big root that was fairly steady, at the bottom of this section that we used to guide us just in case we were to slip. We moved slowly inch by inch until we were finally past this ridiculous section of the trail. After we made it through that part, I stole a look to my right to see what we had actually just done, and Zack said, “Don’t look! Don’t look!” But I couldn’t resist viewing what we had just conquered. It was extremely scary, yet beautiful. Turning back toward the mountain, there was one more freaky section left in which I just kept my head facing the mountain and we both made our way. Breathing two HUGE sighs of relief when we finally got through that .25 mile part of the trail we hugged each other and could not believe what we just did. I repeated over and over that my parents were going to kill me when they found out what we had done. Covered in red dirt, we washed our hands, and continued along the rest of the trail. This section of the trail was a lot of uphill and also a little scary, but after completing what we just did, we were pretty sure we would have no trouble conquering the rest of the trail. 8.5 miles later, we were completely and utterly exhausted and dumbfounded about the hike we had just done. We were also pretty hungry, so we drove down the mountain and had dinner at the Waimea Brewing Station. Once again, we deserved rewards!!! I got the beer sampler with 4 different drafts to try and Zack enjoyed a brew as well. Zack ordered Thai veggie spring rolls and a big ‘ole bacon cheeseburger, and I ordered a cup of seafood chowder with a rack of baby back ribs. Both entrees came with sweet potato fries. The food was really good, well priced, and located on a beautiful plantation with nice cottages and an ocean view. We packed up our leftovers, and headed back to Kapaa full, exhausted, and happy to be alive.
Friday June 3, 2011
Day 14
Still happy to be alive, we awoke this morning and praised the sun during sunrise yoga on the beach. We found an instructor online, and she met us out front of the Waipouli Resort on a public beach at 5:50am. We were able to see the sunrise as we laid our mats and towels on the sand for some mind and body strengthening. It was a great way to start our relaxing day, and we both felt completely calmed afterward. We then headed to Java Kai for breakfast in which Zack ordered bagels with lox and I got a Belgian waffle with bananas and macadamia nuts on top. Yum! After breakfast, we checked out some of the shops in Kapaa, and toured a Kauai hostel just to see what it looked like. Continuing the relaxation, we went to the spa located right on our resort, and got a 90 minute couples massage. Heaven. It was completely what we needed after all the hiking and horseback riding. My legs and buttocks were killing me, so this was the perfect fix. It was also perfect timing, because as soon as our massages were over, we came out of our euphoric states to find that it had poured down rain and thunderstormed throughout the entire massage! We had zoned out through the whole thing. Although the rain had stopped at this point, it was still a bit dreary out, and rather than spend the rest of the day at the beach as planned, we decided to rent bikes and ride along the east coast on the bike trail down Kapaa. It was a beautiful ride, minus all the little bugs flying into our faces, and we were glad we got the chance to view the coast from this angle. We popped into a couple more shops in Kapaa; Zack bought a cool one-of-a-kind hand-drawn hat with a rooster on it, and we also found out Zack’s Hawaiian name is Kaka, which I had a field day with. We started getting hungry, so we headed back to our place to shower up for dinner. Two locals we had talked to about places to eat in Kapaa both suggested Kintaro, so we decided we must try it, and I am happy to say it was a good decision! Probably the best deal on the island in terms of food! First they hooked us up with free crispy wontons by accident. We ordered pork gyoza , a spicy scallop roll, and a carafe of saki to start. We then ordered a seafood bouillabaisse which had shrimp, crab, fish, clams, etc in a light seafood broth with rice noodles. They brought us two miso soups with our meal instead of one. Everything was really awesome, and our bill was about $55 for the entire thing! (not including tip). This is unreal compared to every other place we have been in Kauai. Wow. I would definitely go back there again!
Saturday June 4, 2011
Day 15
Today was a day of trying to find the sun. We eventually succeeded, but it took awhile! We started off going to breakfast in Kapaa at Kountry Kitchen, which we had heard a lot of great things about. WOW, this place had portions bigger than I have ever seen! Both of us got a yummy sampler with eggs, bacon, and French toast with a side of corn bread and hash browns. I also tried coconut syrup for the first time, and it was amazing! Kountry Kitchen definitely lived up to the hype. We then decided to head to the North Shore one last time to Ke’e Beach. It had been raining earlier, but it had stopped by the time we got there. I laid out for a bit, and Zack did his last bit of snorkeling, but then the rain came around again, and we decided to head south. Unfortunately, driving south did not bring much better weather. It was actually getting worse! Torrential downpours flooded the South Shore while we were driving down, and it was getting tough to even see the road. Poipu was a no go, so we continued on, and it was even raining in Waimea. We stopped at Island Taco for some quesadillas, and luckily, the by time we finished lunch, the sun had come out in Waimea. The beaches in Waimea have black, kinda gross sand (and we heard the water contains baby hammerheads—yikes!) so we ended up laying out on the grassy area next to the beach instead. We caught up on some reading, and then enjoyed a shave ice from Jo Jo’s right as it was closing time. Today was probably the least best day in Kauai, and I say least best, because if on your worst day of vacation you still had an amazing breakfast, time to lay out in the sun, and get a shave ice, then you must be having an awesome time. We ended our night at the Hukilau Restaurant in our hotel resort for our last dinner. We were extremely and overly impressed with the quality of the food and the service we received here. We ordered a bottle of Petite Syrah at the bar while we waited for our table, and then sat down on the outdoor lanai, or terrace/deck. Zack enjoyed Ahi Poke Nachos as an appetizer, and the homemade vegetable lasagna as his entrée, while I ordered the filet mignon. We were really happy with everything, although sad this would be our last dinner on the island. We’ve had such an amazing time.
Sunday June 5, 2011-Monday June 6, 2011
Day 16 & 17
We were sad pandas today as it was time to pack up and leave. Our flight didn’t actually leave until 8:40pm, so we really had the whole day, and it was GORGEOUS outside, yet we were both hesitant to go to the beach, because we didn’t want to sit on a plane for two days sweaty and sandy. We opted to go putt-putt golfing on the North Shore, and I happily squeaked out a win by 1 stroke over my husband. Holler! Dad and new brother-in-law would be proud considering they just won their first tourney together. After golfing, we drove up to the Kilauea Lighthouse, which we had put off doing earlier in the week. It was a fantastic view, and then we did a little shopping in the town afterwards. For lunch/dinner we went to the Hanalei Dolphin restaurant for some pupus, or appetizers, and we ordered fish tacos and ceviche. We sauntered around the Hanalei shops and ended up buying some cute beachy clothes to take home with us. That’s about all the time we had, and we then made our way to the Lihue Airport to fly home. After two flights and a six hour time change, we are finally back in New York. We grabbed food, and we are now back in our NYC apartment exhausted. Tomorrow paradise is officially over, and it’s back to the real world of hustle and bustle. This was a honeymoon to remember, and I couldn’t have asked for a better location and person to be with for the rest of my life. We had such a blast spending so much quality time together, and I know we have a great long life ahead of us.
At the age of 9 in the 4th grade at St. Mary of the Assumption School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, I was introduced to a concept called “pen pals” by my teacher Sr. Myra. Since then, I have carried on having pen pals for many years, but in 4th grade, I had my very first pen pal, Angela. Sr. Myra had a teacher friend in Tucson, Arizona, and our entire class wrote letters to their class. I couldn’t have gotten luckier with getting Angela as my pen pal. She had the same name as my sister, she also had sisters, she was sweet, funny, easy to talk to, and I think if we grew up in the same area we would definitely have been in-person friends as well as paper writing friends.
Throughout the years, we constantly wrote each other letters updating each other on school, family, friends, vacations, and eventually boyfriends, living on our own, etc. Most kids in our class stopped writing their pen pals after they got to the 5th or 6th grade, but Angela and I continued on for years. Eventually a little thing called the internet was invented, and we started e-mailing more than writing, but we still kept in touch with holiday cards, pictures, e-mails, and more.
It’s crazy to believe that we have been keeping in touch now for almost 18 years! It’s always been a goal of ours to meet in person, but when we were younger, that was quite difficult being on opposite sides of the country. We always said we would probably meet at one of our weddings one day, so when Zack proposed, I knew I just had to invite Angela to our wedding!
It worked out to our advantage that Angela’s sister recently moved to DC, and she was able to stay with her on their trip to Maryland. I have to say I am still shocked that Angela and her boyfriend, Leon, actually made it out! I was so happy and excited that we were finally able to meet in person after 18 years. She is just as sweet in person as on paper, and I’m so happy to have had that opportunity. Many people who I tell this story think it’s amazing, and while I agree, to me I think “Why WOULDN’T we have kept in touch all these years?” You know a good friend when you meet one, no matter how you meet them, and there would be no good reason to let that go! My only regret is that we didn’t get to spend enough time together since we first met at the wedding, and we were running around like crazy people. I hope she had a good time, and got to meet a lot of our friends and family that she has heard about in letters for years.
Next steps are to take a trip out to Tucson so we can spend more time and she can show us her stomping grounds!
I’m sure many little girls imagine what it will be like to grow up and get married. They dream of who their husbands will be, what their wedding will be like, who will be there. Some have planned out everything about their wedding day—where it will be, what their dress will look like, their colors, bouquets, food, etc. Some picture the man of their dreams—tall, dark, and handsome, or the blonde laid back surfer type. Most little girls have thought about it at one point or another growing up. Of course, this notion also crossed my mind. However, I was not one of those little girls who knew exactly what I wanted when it came to getting married and finding a husband.
I had boyfriends growing up, broke some hearts, got my heart broken, had a little college fun, and then right when I was sick of it all—the drama, the heartache, the games—is when I met Zack. Of course, it happened right when I WASN’T looking for a relationship. I had gotten burned pretty badly and just wanted to have lighthearted fun, but something kept drawing me back to the short, Jewish, ex-Beta fraternity, working man that he was. Maybe it was his persistence in hanging out with me. Maybe it was his hilarious letters that he wrote me while he was away on business trips to Nevada, but I just could not get him out of my mind. We ended up dating for 2 1/2 years before deciding to move from Maryland to the Big Apple in New York City together. Basically, we were going to make it or break it in the big city. I am happy to say that 3 years after moving in together we were just as smitten with each other, if not more so.
He popped the question with my sister, her boyfriend, and my cousin in town in front of a restaurant of gawkers. I was completely and utterly shocked, because I was getting ready to sing “Happy Birthday” to my cousin, Marisa, when the waiter plopped a shiny ring on the table and Zack was on one knee! I could barely speak; I just kept looking to my sister for confirmation that this was actually happening. Of course, I said yes, called every single one of my family members and friends, and continued celebrating all night NY style.
When first beginning to plan our wedding, I had NO idea where to begin. There are a million things to do! We ended up choosing to do our ceremony at the University of Maryland Chapel since we both went there, and it was a special place for us. It was also a non-denominational chapel that allowed you to bring any religious ceremonies in, which was perfect for our Catholic-Jewish hybrid ceremony. After searching high and low for reception venues, we ended up choosing the Greenbelt Marriott for their exquisite ballroom and outdoor cocktail hour patio. We settled on classic black and white, modern yet vintage theme with bright pops of color from pink and orange flowers. I designed the cake myself inspired by a combination of many photos online, doused myself in bridal magazines for the latest trends, and splurged on one of most unique wedding dresses I had ever seen from Cymbeline.
All the details and stress of planning aside, I could not wait to walk down that aisle and marry the love of my life and my best friend for the past 6 years. We are so lucky to have a very large family and many friends that were there to celebrate our special day. Not only did they throw us an awesome Hawaiian luau engagement party, my bridesmaids also threw an amazing bridal shower, and kick-ass bachelorette weekend in Wrightsville Beach, NC. Zack’s equivalent was a near-death white water rafting experience in West Virginia, which only solidified their friendships when they pulled through to safety.
Our wedding day on May 14, 2011 was more than I could have imagined. I was fairly calm for most of the day and excited rather than nervous. The weather forecast didn’t look good, but the rain held off at just the perfect times for photos and cocktail hour. The ceremony was beautiful, and our reception was truly rockin’! The room looked stunning, it was an ultimate dance party, and my dad and I pulled off a Father-Daughter dance that could go down in history. I am so lucky to have so many family and friends, and such a wonderful husband who cares so much about me. I am truly blessed!
I am very much looking forward to spending many more years with Zack exploring the world, loving life, and creating a wonderful family together!
The photos below were taken by Joe Brier of The Happy Couple Photography in Northern Virginia, and we are thankful he was there to document our special day 🙂
***Blog update: Our wedding videography was done by Stephen Gradin of Dockside Video Productions, and the highlights can be seen here. Enjoy!
When I started my list of 100 Things back in June 2010, the closest thing I had seen to a ballet was a VHS tape of Save the Last Dance circa 2001 when I thought Julia Stiles was a ballerina goddess and Sean Patrick Thomas was her super cool boyfriend who brought her out of her shell with a little hip hop vibe. Unless of course, you count my ballet/tap stint at the age of 4 at the Upper Marlboro Community Center. My partner ditched me out of stage fright, and left me to pointe my little toes all on my own. Somehow, I had made it to 26 years old without seeing a single live ballet performance.
Living in New York City, I added this item to my list, figuring that if I were going to make an effort to finally see a ballet, then it better be a good one!
Since the creation of my list, I actually ended up being invited to see Casse Noisette aka The Nutcracker on my recent New Year’s trip to Montreal. Of course, I couldn’t resist, and had a blast at the show with my friend, Jordan. The dancing was magnificent, the costumes bright and cheery for the holiday season, and I didn’t realize how many of the songs from the score I actually knew and could hum along to! Amongst the many fun adventures we had in Montreal (attempting to speak French, drag show, eating crepes and fondue, after hours clubs, making new friends, and cooking “family” breakfasts/dinners), this definitely heightened my overall experience.
While I was tempted to count this as my ballet experience, I did specify NEW YORK BALLET on my bucket list, so as amazing as the Montreal ballet was, I still had a mission to see one in NY. In addition, I had promised my friend, Agueda, that she could be there to accompany me in ticking this item off my list! So, when I returned to NY after the holidays, I went online to purchase tickets for the New York Ballet.
I was just in luck as Swan Lake was playing for a 2 week stint! Perfect timing with the release of Oscar nominee, Black Swan, which I still need to see. I’m a huge Natalie Portman fan, and although the film looks quite creepy, it’s a must in my eyes! Agueda and I chose a Thursday night showing at the David H. Koch Hall at Lincoln Center to see the show. This also happened to be during NY Fall Fashion Week, so Lincoln Center was packed!
The theatre was gorgeous, and our seats, although a bit high, were centered, and you could see the stage very well. I had no idea what to expect of the show, and I must say I was very impressed! The live orchestra was phenomenal, the dancers were extremely entertaining, and the costumes beautiful. The lead, who played Odette, was ridiculously flexible and while she had the grace of a swan, she was as flexible as a flamingo! At one point, I think she had one leg on the ground, one in the air at a 180 degree angle, and her head surpassing the ground leg. It was insane. The amount of time the dancers spent on pointe was just astonishing. I don’t know how their toes aren’t killing them performing day in and day out! And if they are, they hide their pain well. While, I really enjoyed the lead, I think my favorite part of the show was the Dance of the Four Little Swans. I recognized the music, and was really impressed with how well they danced together while holding hands almost the whole time. It was really great.
Overall, I had a fantastic time seeing both The Nutcracker & Swan Lake, and had wonderful company seeing the shows with Jordan and Agueda. I feel all the more cultured and happy that I have taken advantage of such a wonderful arts opportunity in the city. I now need to get to the movie theatre to see Black Swan!
Picture this: New Jersey in November, a freezing cold lake, 12 miles of running, 10 foot walls, glops of mud, a raging fire, and let me reiterate…NEW JERSEY. This just might have been one of the most challenging items completed on my bucket list! To say it was tough is an understatement…it was grueling. But it was totally freakin’ awesome, and I now qualify as a hardcore bad ass. I guess I am my father’s daughter haha.
I must first thank a few people for allowing me the opportunity to participate in this event, thus checking the item off my list. First, Mike Cerrone, for pressuring me multiple times to join the “Tough Mudder Tinkerbells” until I finally caved in. Second, Allan Damkilde, for without your car, I would have had no transportation to Englishtown, NJ.
We embarked on our journey early Saturday morning, driving out to Dirty Jerz as a team. To give a little backstory on Tough Mudder, it’s basically a 12 mile race filled with 18 different military/boot camp style obstacles and a ton of mud. I have a lot of respect for those in the military, but I would never want to join myself. However, I have always wanted to do the military obstacle courses, and figured this would be a great place to get a similar experience (minus all the red-faced screaming military officers harassing me). The race was designed by the British army, and is not designed to be an every-man-for-himself-let’s-see-how-fast-I-can-go kinda race. Instead it is supposed to be a team effort–you help people through and make sure that everyone crosses the finish line. Upon arrival, it was exciting to drive up and see people already completing the course, and totally caked in mud! They staggered the start times so people wouldn’t get too backed up at each obstacle. We were surprised to find that not many other teams dressed up for this race, (I guess they were insistent about looking super tough) but the ones who did dress up were pretty funny. There were tons of HUGE dudes standing around either already finished or about to start the race, and some bad ass chicks (including the three on our team) were sprinkled in as well.
Our adrenaline was pumping when we heard the horn at the starting line, and we took off to see what would await us! While we had an idea of the course map beforehand, we really had no idea what to really expect out of this race. The first part was the “Monster Chase” where we started off running after a monster truck to get warmed up. The second obstacle was called the “Ball Shrinker” and our first foray into the water. Basically, it was a tightrope to walk across with your feet, but you had a rope up top to hold onto with your hands. The problem for me was that there were a bunch of huge guys weighing down the bottom rope, so while walking, all the sudden the rope disappeared from under my feet! I ended up having to monkey my way across the top rope using only my arms! After I successfully completed the obstacle, I thought “Damn, that was the first real thing we had to do, and already my arms are shot!” But there was no time for crying, it was time to press on…
Obstacle 3 was “Walk the Plank”, which was the HARDEST part of the day. Prior to the race, I was extremely nervous about the temperature of the water, and turns out I had every right to be! Mom, you should stop reading and skip to the next paragraph now…Okay, for the rest of you, we jumped off a 15 foot plank into the freezing cold lake, and HOLY SHIT was it ever cold! After plunging in, I swam to the top gasping for air. It was so frigid that my heart was pounding a mile a minute, and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. Some might say my body went into shock. My teammate, Paul W., jumped in after me, and he looked excited until he saw my gasping self. His look then turned to horror! I was immediately thankful that I decided to wear my swim cap, and I flipped over on my back to get my face and chest out of the water. Paul thought I was drowning and grabbed me, and helped to pull me while I swam backwards toward the shore. Luckily, it wasn’t that long of a swim to where I could stand, but we then came to Obstacle 4, which was the “Underwater Tunnels.” Three times we bobbed up and down into the water until we were finally out. My entire body was numb when I got out. I was running, but couldn’t feel my feet, and just when I was starting to feel good again….we had to swim back across the lake. NOOOO!!!!! Luckily, I made it through this time with minimal shock. I just swam on my back the whole way and was so happy to be finished with this part of the race!
I thought I would be shivering the rest of the race, but I was too numb to feel most things, and kept running happily along. Although the race was extremely tough, I thought our team kept a really good pace, and we pretty much had smiles going the entire time. The next few obstacles consisted of the “Mud Mile” of which we had to trudge through the muddiest and stickiest of water, “Cargo Nets” (which conveniently fell down right before we had to climb them–although I would have happily climbed them!), “Kiss of Mud” which was crawling on our bellies under the cargo nets through the mud, and a bunch of motorcross hills that had been sprayed with sprinklers for three days straight including a huge hill called, “Cliffhanger.”
We crawled through the “Boa Contrictor” which was a long skinny tube. Being small actually worked to my advantage in this one! The “Berlin Walls” were nice and high, so most of us used our team help to get over them. Although I do remember my teammate Warren superhero-ing himself over a wall or two on his own. I had done enough high knees in my soccer and basketball career throughout my entire life, so “Tired Yet” was actually pretty fun for me! Tons of tires were laid out football style and we had to step through them to get to the end. “Rubbernecking” was a little bit more difficult, because each person had to CARRY a tire around, and they were NOT light!!! My teammate, Dave, unfortunately chose the tire that happened to be full of water, making his even heavier! Whoops.
The “Fire Walker” was pretty intense, and Mom, you might want to skip this paragraph too! I was definitely really nervous for this one, and I told Dave “I’m grabbing onto you for this one!” Smoke was everywhere, firefighters were on deck, and 4 foot flames surrounded the path we had to run through. I covered my eyes/face, put my head down, and grabbed onto Dave while we ran through this mess. It was so hot and hard to breathe. At one point, I thought I might pass out from inhaling too much smoke, and it was at that point when we were through! Whew! Thank God! The second hardest part was now behind me.
The “Log Bog” wasn’t too bad, jumping over a bunch of fallen trees, although we did take a big spill in the swampy muddy mess! “Funky Monkey” was near impossible, as most of our hands were completely caked in mud at this point. On top of that, some of the monkey bars were greased up with butter (plus leftover mud) to help us fall more quickly. I did see a few tough guys make it across, but most people were falling after the second or third bar. I on the other hand, couldn’t even reach the FIRST bar!!! I stepped on the wooden bar, and reached up, realizing that I was too short to reach the first bar. I figured “I guess I have to jump,” so I jumped once–slipped off. Jumped twice–slipped off again. I decided to jump ONE more time, and gave it all I had. Third jump–BOOM!!! Slipped off and came crashing down on my right butt cheek. Holy cow. At the time, it hurt, but my body was pretty numb, so I shook it off and kept going. Later that night though, I realized there was a bruise as black as night and the size a grapefruit on my bottom! It stayed there for over a week, and it was so ridiculous that I just had to show it off to my friends and family so they could see how tough I am.
The last three obstacles were “Twinkle Toes”–walking across the wooden log that was on the water, the “Mystery” obstacle which ended up being that we had to run through live wire…yes electrically charged wire…and “Insane Bolt” which was a sprint to the finish line!!!
The entire event lasted about 2-2.5 hours, and the firefighters were there at the finish line to spray us down with a fire hose. Once I stopped running, I started shivering, and don’t think I got warm until I got back to Manhattan! Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for the after party, as I had 35 Italiano family members waiting for me back in the city for dinner. They had all come to town for Grandma Guaragna’s 80th Birthday! So they got to see me in Zombie mode pretty much after this race haha.
Before Tough Mudder, the coolest thing I ever did was the St. Anthony’s Triathlon, but I definitely think Tough Mudder takes the cake on this one! I am so proud to have completed this challenge, and I also congratulate my teammates, Paul Macknis, Paul Warner, Warner Hardwick Siebert, Mike Cerrone, Lori Dooley, Jim Yellion, Dave Ford, and Nadia Schwartz for taking on this endeavor! Special thanks to my fiance, Zack Notes, for being an excellent photographer and camera man. He must have ran about 2 miles tracking us down on the course!
I have taken the time to edit together some footage of our experience into a 2 minute video, so please take a look and let me know what you think!
Well, I may not have sat front row. And they may have moved NY Fashion Week to Lincoln Center instead of Bryant Park, but I’m going to go ahead and say that my first three fashion shows in life is good enough to tick this item off my list!
I was super lucky and owe my friend, Christine, SO much for giving me this opportunity. She saw my blog, and reached out to help me achieve this goal on my list. She receives tickets to Fashion Week through her work, and she was out of town all weekend. Therefore, she forwarded all her tickets to me! I am extremely grateful and thankful, for this was truly an amazing experience.
To preface Fashion Week, I must say, I was also extremely lucky to run into two fashion geniuses on the streets of NYC the week before the festivities. First, was on my way to catch a bus, I saw Project Runway Season 4 Winner, Christian Siriano, who is completely and utterly fierce (and he also used to be the shampoo boy at my hair salon, Bubbles, in Annapolis, MD before he became a famous designer). His designs are just divine, and definitely show-stopping. I wish I had the guts to say hello, but it’s SO not a NY thing to stop celebrities on the street. Plus, he had his headphones in, and paid me no mind! Secondly, on a run back from Central Park, I saw none other but the fascinating, Betsey Johnson!!! Known for her rocker-feminine chic looks, she is just absolutely amazing, and I cannot even believe I saw her! I didn’t think I was seeing correctly at first, but who else can rock platinum hair with blunt bangs at the age of 68? No one. And to confirm my suspicions, she was holding the hand of a little girl whom she called Layla. Not being able to contain my curiosity, I looked Betsey up on Wikipedia to find that she does, indeed, have a granddaughter named Layla. So this was just the beginning to an amazing Fashion Week!
I had solo tickets to three events, but being on my lonesome did not stop me at all from going! My first show was on Friday night for the Academy of Art. I stressed about what to wear, but I settled on an all black ensemble complete with faux leather pants, booties, short sleeved top, with sequined vest. Hair was up with side bangs and a black jeweled and feathered headband. Walking toward Lincoln Center, I’m not sure why, but I was a little bit nervous! Clearly, I’m not cool enough or fashionable enough, right? But once I got there, I realized that most people in attendance seemed just as “normal” as me, and most of them were just dying to see what celebrities they could run into, or who’s awesome seat they could steal. It was a long wait before they let people in the doors, but once they dimmed the house lights, and the stage lights and music came on, it was just stunning! My only regret is that the show was over too soon!
For the Academy of Art (San Fran) Show, they give recent graduates the opportunity to break into the business and showcase their talent during NYFW, and this was definitely an interesting show! The runway was set up so that the models actually walked down one runway, turned a corner, and walked down another. My seat was 2nd row (AWESOME!) right as the models turned the corner, so I got unbelievable views of the different looks. This show was particularly interesting because there were about six different designers all with very distinct designs and styles. It ranged from faux suede/leather, bohemian, relaxing menswear, cage style dresses, and there were even 2 child models who walked in the show. In the front row was Kevin Christiana, Project Runway Season 4 contestant, and Leanne Marshall, Project Runway Season 5 winner. (She actually sat right across from me).
I returned to Lincoln Center on Sunday dressed in a floral print dress with brown belt, calf high caramel boots, and green blazer/jacket. Definitely less nervous the second time around. This time, I was more excited because I was getting geared up to see Lela Rose and Catherine Malandrino!
Lela Rose had just a stunning, stunning show. In the words of Rachel Zoe, “I die.” Christian Siriano was also in attendance in the front row, as well as some other famous people, who I could not recognize (but you could just tell they were “somebody”). I had to stand for this show, so I didn’t get the fresh baked lemon-almond biscotti treats that were left on the seats by Lela Rose herself, but I still had a pretty great view of the show. The best part about the Lela Rose show was just how wearable everything was coming down the runway. Although seeing a showstopper would have been cool, it was great to say that I could honestly have worn any single thing that came down her runway. I love love loved all of it! Her looks ranged from business casual chic, to bright cocktail dresses, a silver beaded floor length gown, and even a gorgeous wedding gown! Definitely my favorite show that I attended!
Catherine Malandrino came next, and this was quite an interesting show, because it did not actually take place on the runway. They set up the pool/fountain in Lincoln Center with 28 pedestals, and the models all walked out to take their places, standing around the pool. It was just a beautiful sight to see all the looks in such a way. They then opened the gates, and allowed everyone with tickets to walk around to each model and take photos of all the looks. Catherine Malandrino’s show seemed very resort-like to me, with huge floppy hats, giant gladiator sandals up to the thigh, light and airy sheer pants, crocheted knits, and beautifully draped print dresses. Overall, a very cool presentation.
I’m still in shock that I was fortunate enough to attend New York Fashion Week, and I’m so thankful to Christine for giving me her tickets! What an amazing time!
This week, I have decided to embark on one of the most challenging items on my bucket list of 100 Things: #93 Survive a Week in NYC Spending Only $20. I honestly don’t know if this will be possible. My good friend, Ailie, has decided to take on this challenge for her bucket list as well, so at least I will have some company to make it a bit easier. Because of my insane schedule, I have not had any FULL weeks in the city lately. I have been traveling every single weekend, making it difficult to even attempt this challenge. I originally wanted to start this challenge on a Sunday or Monday and go the full week, but a week is a week, and because of my traveling circumstances, I am starting on a Tuesday (Tuesday August 10) and will go for 7 full days, meaning my challenge will end after going to sleep on Monday night August 16th.
I have set some guidelines or rules for myself and this challenge which I will explain to you.
1. I am not including rent or utilities. Quite honestly, rent is way above $20 a week in NYC, and would just be impossible. I also do not plan on sleeping in the street for 7 days…I have to pay rent regardless. So this challenge will purely be about food, drink, transportation, entertainment, and life expenses OTHER than shelter.
2. For hygiene materials, I can use what I already have. (i.e. soap, deoderant, face wash, makeup, etc.) If I already have it, I can use it–I do have to be presentable at work afterall. However…I cannot purchase any more of that stuff unless I include it with my $20 budget. Guess that sucks my eyeliner ran out over the weekend…
3. For food, I cannot use what I already have if I have purchased it prior. This is to ensure, that I did not go to the grocery store on Monday and stock up with $200 worth of groceries to last me the week. I would feel as if that was cheating. So I cannot eat what I already have in the fridge or cabinets. Instead I must purchase all my food for the week using no more than the $20.
4. I have one exception to rule #3, and that is: I am able to eat or drink something if it was given to me as a gift or I got it for free and did not purchase it prior. For example…that bottle of champagne that was given to me an an engagement present? I can totally take advantage of that. That chocolate bar I won last week a that bridal shower? Come to Mama. But that 6 pack of Miller Light in the fridge that I bought last week? Sorry, that’s a no no.
5. I can take charity from others. HOWEVER, they cannot have any knowledge that I am doing this $20 challenge. For example…if my boss decides the office is going out to lunch tomorrow and the tab is on him? I can take advantage of that and get a lunch that does not apply toward my $20 since I’m not paying. BUT…I cannot beg or plead to someone saying “I only have $20 this week, can you cover my dinner?” That’s considered cheating in my book.
6. Subway transportation and taxis are included in my $20 tab…so I must be very selective about my traveling choices this week. I will be walking a lot or riding my bike more than usual to make up for this.
At the end of the day, I have a little bit more than $2.85 to spend per day. With so little money, and difficult transportation, I’m thinking my meals will be few and my exercise will be high…so who knows, I may lose a little weight this week? Although, this is certainly not the healthiest way to do so, and I don’t recommend! Regardless, I’m going to try and find creative ways to keep my tummy full and my brain from going bonkers with boredom.
So I’m off to start the challenge!
Day 1:
Tuesday August 10, 2010
10:15 am: Got to sleep in today, and had to be at work by 11:00 instead of 9:00. Sweet! Walked 2 miles to work this morning.
11:30 am: Tea is free at my office, so I drank a cup of Green Tea. Green tea is said to help curb some hunger, so it might be very helpful this week with my small budget!
3:30 pm: A busy day at work had me wait until now to get a slice of pizza for lunch. There is a new place right near my office called 99 cent Fresh Slice, so this seemed perfect for today’s lunch. All in all, the slice ends up being $1.00. My first purchase this week.
5:00 pm: Already hungry for a snack, I snapped off a piece of that chocolate bar I won at a bridal shower 2 weeks ago. It’s been in the freezer at work untouched, and since it was a prize I won for free, it’s fair game! Milk chocolate with almonds. I only took a small couple pieces, but hopefully the bit of protein will help me last until I can get to the grocery store/market later tonight. Already I’m feeling this challenge is going to be rough!
7:30pm: Starving, I finally make it to the market. Zack came along, and we went to the market on 82nd Street owned by our favorite Asian disco dude. We put three items into the basket, and decided it was all too expensive. Zack suggested a cheap market in the 90s, and we hurried to put everything back before leaving the store.
7:45 pm: This was the best suggestion Zack has ever made. This Turkish market has some of the cheapest options I’ve seen in the city! Score! Here is what I was able to come away with:
$.50 2 bananas
$.99box of mac and cheese
$.99 vegetable spread (aka fake butter)
$.99 bag of pasta
$1.00 bag of carrots
$1.00 carton of milk
$1.00 dozen medium eggs
$2.99 loaf of sourdough bread
$2.99 block of havarti cheese
Total with Tax Came to $12.53
9:30pm: Ate 1/2 box of mac and cheese with a side of carrots for dinner.
Total for Day 1: $13.53
Remaining Budget: $6.47
Not a lot of money left over for the week, but I’m thinking that this amount of food can get me through at least until the last couple days. Definitely don’t think I’ll be taking the subway at all this week. Hope it doesn’t rain.
Stay tuned.
Day 2:
Wednesday August 11, 2010
9:00 am: Got to sleep in one hour longer today, then made the 2 mile trek down to the office.
10:30 am: Made myself a cup of that green tea.
12:00 pm: Enjoyed a banana from my purchase at the market yesterday.
3:00 pm: Made a grilled cheese sandwich at work out of the bread, butter, and havarti cheese I bought yesterday. Also munched on a handful of carrots.
5:00 pm: Got out of work a little early today, and started the 2 mile trek back home. Chatted on the phone to Mom and Dad to make it go by quicker. Called Zack when I was halfway home, and he was only a few blocks away, so he met up with me and walked me the rest of the way home, which made it nicer.
7:00 pm: Decided to stay in this evening so as to avoid temptation. Did some core exercises while watching TV, painted my nails and toes, and read a book. Also ate the other half of my mac and cheese from yesterday.
8:30 pm: Cooked myself 2 eggs with 2 small pieces of toast. Hey, maybe this challenge won’t be so bad afterall 🙂
Total for Day 2:$0.00
Remaining Budget: $6.47
Day 3:
Thursday August 12, 2010
9:30 am: This challenge sucks. It’s raining outside, and I have to walk to work. I made sure to dress comfortably for the rainy walk, and of course, carried an umbrella. I’m praying that the rain does not continue for the rest of the day because I was planning on walking home from work and then biking to and from my soccer game tonight. Go figure…it rains the day I have to be outside the most.
10:30 am: Enjoying hot tea in my dry office.
12:30 pm: Having a banana for a snack.
3:00 pm: Enjoyed a grilled cheese sandwich, since it was so yummy and filling yesterday. Also some carrots, and another green tea.
6:00 pm: Walked home from work. Luckily it didn’t rain this time.
7:30 pm: Made some yummy pasta noodles for din din, and saved half for lunch tomorrow.
8:45 pm: Ok…my most feared moment of the day. Riding my bike to my soccer game. I live all the way on the Upper East Side on 80th and 2nd. My game was at Pier 40, which is located on Houston Street all the way at the West Side Highway near the Hudson River. Normally it takes me at least 45 minutes to subway there…so this was a LONG bike ride! Thank God, Zack came with me, because I was terrified. I hate driving through the traffic. Once we got to the bike path on the West Side Hwy, it wasn’t so bad…until the rain hit. It was pretty awful riding there in the rain…I couldn’t wait to just get there!
10:00 pm: Played my soccer game also in the rain…seems to be the theme of the day.
11:00 pm: Time to make the bike trek back to my apartment. Still raining.
11:45 pm: Finally home. It stopped raining during the ride, and was actually quite nice to ride in the peace and quiet of the city at night time. However, I am SO glad to finally be home.
Total for Day 3:$0.00
Remaining Budget: $6.47
Day 4:
Friday August 13, 2010
9:30 am: Friday the 13th! It’s actually a gorgeous day outside, so I’m headed off on my 2 mile trek once again. I’m getting kinda used to this.
10:30 am: Get to the office, and stop at the fruit stand outside to grab a banana for $.30.
1:30 pm: Ate the banana and some leftover pasta noodles for lunch with some chocolate bar pieces.
2:30 pm: Got out of work early today and walked home.
3:30 pm: Stopped at the library and got 2 movies for free.
7:00 pm: Made 2 eggs with toast for dinner.
10:00 pm: Hung out with the gang for a game night. Some ladies brought wine to share, so I had a glass or 2.
12:00 am: Headed out to the bar with the group. The bartender made a mistake on making someone’s drink, so I got a freebie! Score!
2:30 am: Came home tipsy and made myself a late night snack (grilled cheese sandwich) before going to sleep.
Total for Day 4:$0.30
Remaining Budget:$6.17
Day 5
Saturday August 14, 2010
11:00 am: Slept in and then woke up and watched a movie, Dear John.
2:00 pm: Ate some carrots, 2 eggs, and toast. My rations are still going strong. Wondering where the hell my money goes during normal weeks when I’m not doing a $20 challenge.
3:00 pm: Spent a lovely day in Central Park with my fiance–laying out, reading, playing cards. Great day.
6:00 pm: Was treated to a burger, fries, and shake at the new Shake Shack on the Upper East Side. Felt amazing to eat something other than grilled cheese, eggs, or pasta.
10:00 pm: Rooftop party for Maria’s birthday celebration! I contributed that bottle of champagne I had been given as a gift at our engagement party.
12:00 am: Bar hopped with the gang, and managed not to spend a penny.
3:30 am: Late night grilled cheese sandwich before bedtime.
Total for Day 5:$0.00
Remaining Budget:$6.17
Day 6
Sunday August 15, 2010
2:00 pm: Had a pretty late night, so managed to sleep a lot today! The rain outside helped, since I didn’t feel as if I were missing too much outside.
3:00 pm: Cooked 2 eggs and watched Mamma Mia in bed. Also chatted on the phone to Teri (who was checking in about my challenge), and my friend Whitney (trying to coordinate transportation to her Labor Day Weekend wedding in Maine). Unpacked all my clothes from last weekend and straightened up the apartment a bit. Had a pretty lazy day today.
6:00 pm: Made pasta for dinner and saved the 2nd half for lunch tomorrow.
10:30 pm: Watched Entourage and read my magazine before bed.
1:00 am: Bed time.
Today for Day 6:$0.00
Remaining Budget:$6.17
Day 7
Monday August 16, 2010
9:30 am: Woke up. Last day of the challenge!! Thank God! Left far too late to make the walk to work in time, so I ended up taking the subway which knocks off $2.25 from my remaining budget. Kinda bummed because I wanted to use the last $6 to get something yummy. Oh well.
11:00 am: Drinking hot tea at the office.
2:00 pm: Ate the last of my pasta and the last of my carrots!
5:00 pm: Ate the last of that chocolate bar! Impressed with myself that I was able to keep it going this long.
6:00 pm: Started my trek home–it’s raining lightly.
6:15 pm: Ok now it’s pouring!!! There is no way I can walk 40 blocks in this. Thank God, I saved some emergency money. Bus ride = $2.25.
7:00 pm: It’s gross outside. Decided to spend the evening in tonight. Read my book, watched TV, hung out with Zack.
8:30 pm: Cooked the last of my eggs, cheese, and bread. All my food is gone just in time!
12:00 am: CHALLENGE COMPLETE!!! Time for sleep 🙂
Total for Day 7: $4.50
Total for Entire Week: $18.33
Remaining Budget:$1.67
I’m completely astonished that I was able to make it through 7 days in New York City with only $20, and I still had money leftover! It just goes to show you that maybe it isn’t always necessary to spend so much money. Granted I have a stack of laundry that needs to be done, bus tickets to purchase for future travels, toilettries to replenish, etc that I have been waiting a week to be able to complete…but at the end of the day, maybe I should start walking a bit more or riding my bike. It’s healthy, and it saves money. I am definitely glad to add meat and vegetables to my diet this week, but I honestly didn’t starve at all this challenge besides the very first day before I made it to the market. So it is doable to cut back and make things work even while living in this expensive city. I’m pleased to say that my friend, Ailie, also completed this challenge successfully. The best part is that we were both still able to have a great time, and we figured out ways to have fun with a very small budget. I don’t think I will be anxious to do this challenge again, but I have definitely learned ways to save money in the city while still maintaining a fun life and my sanity!
After spending 3 summers in New York City, I have been out to Long Beach, Jones Beach, Robert Moses Beach, (all in Long Island) and of course down to my favorite 1.2 miles Dewey Beach, DE and favorite family vacation spot, the Outer Banks, NC. But never had I ventured out to what Manhattanites call the Manhattan summer extension…The Hamptons. I had heard stories of luxurious houses, pools, beaches, clubs, and parties, but never had I the time nor the money to make it out there myself. Not that I ever got that money…but I did get the opportunity to check out the Hamptons this summer…finally…on 4th of July weekend.
I was invited out by my good friend Ailie. Her family was generous enough to have a whole boatload of us stay out at their July rental in Sag Harbor. We headed out in what I would like to call “The Pimp Van” owned by my friend Jimmy’s family. Jimmy drove, I navigated, and the rest of the crew watched “Cinderella” (typical) on the two hour drive out to the Hamptons.
If I’m being honest, I have to say that the Hamptons trip did not turn out the way I imagined that it would. But I will say that it was definitely a learning experience! I realized that sleeping in a room with 8 people and 3 dogs results in little to no sleep. I realized that unless you own a house in the Hamptons or know who to call, there is no beach parking on the weekends resulting in a $100 ticket. I realized that in order to go out to a cool bar or club in the Hamptons you must call a cab days ahead of time instead of hours. I realized that most Hampton regulars do not enjoy wandering Manhattanites resulting in loud “Go back to the city!” chants from their cars while laughing at us walking the streets. And lastly, I realized that you should read signs BEFORE getting into the bay in Sag Harbor, or else you may dive into toxic waters unknowingly. Whoops.
Despite having to figure out the Hamptons the hard way, we had an amazing crew of people, and you couldn’t help but have a great time! Ailie had all her Aussie family there including some cousins from London, and two other friends (Roz and Sharms) visiting from down under. We had Jimmy who was kind enough to drive us back to Manhattan at the end of the trip. From NYC we had Zack, Nicole, Karina, Adrienne, Steve, and his friend Mark (maybe Matt? sorry I can’t recall). And representing CT we had Sarah and Melissa.
The trip was made complete with champagne mimosas on the beach, lots of sun, pool parties, multiple BBQs, tennis/volleyball/made up pool games, pool diving photos, fireworks, flip cup, great conversations, relaxation, walks through the cute town of Sag Harbor, an amazing drive viewing the ridiculous and luxurious houses in Southampton (complete with tennis courts and sky high hedges), and chatting until the wee hours of the morning.
All in all, it turned out to be a wonderful trip, and I owe a huge thank you to the Jenkins clan for their hospitality in their summer home. Next time I am able to venture out to the Hamptons I will now know the ropes!
This July marks my 3rd year and the start of my 4th summer here in New York City. I honestly can’t believe the time has gone by so fast! While I have done a lot of truly amazing things while living in the Big Apple, there has always been something I have been longing to do, and it takes place in my most favorite part of the city–Central Park!
So Saturday morning, I set out to complete the first item on my bucket list–row boating in Central Park! Hand in hand with my fantastic fiance, Zack, we stopped at Agata and Valentina (our favorite grocery store) for fresh sandwiches–prosciutto & mozzarella for me, ham & cheese for Zack–and fruit to enjoy on our boat ride.
I have to say, the row boat ride was awesome! We couldn’t have had a more gorgeous day. Luckily, there was no line, so we got right out there and enjoyed the sunshine. We didn’t actually realize how big the lake by the boat house was! We rowed around until finding the perfect lunch spot in the shade. About 5 minutes later, a tourist couple started creeping on our spot. We were wondering why in a lake this big did they need to creep on a spot right next to us! We quickly realized their plan which was to make us their photographers haha. I guess we looked nice enough. So we took their photos and figured we might as well have them take ours too since they were already there!
After eating our lunch, we continued exploring the lake–going under the bridges, seeing turtles and an adorable family of mallard ducks. Lucky for me, Zack did all the rowing work and he let me just sit back and enjoy the scenery. It was a blast, and they even let us stay out on the boat for 15 extra minutes, no charge! Hey, that’s great for NYC!
So happy I was able to knock off my first item on my list of 100 things, and I can’t wait for the next adventure!
