great freakin' adventures of gina Archives

#58 See the Grand Canyon

May 11, 2013

This is my final post about our trip to Arizona, and what better way to end the trip than with a bucket list check mark! I have been wanting to see the Grand Canyon for a long time as it is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and it’s right here in the U-S-of-A. I had seen photos previously, but there is nothing like seeing it with your own eyes. The pictures cannot do it justice. I’m not even sure my own eyes could do it justice! This canyon is so incredibly massive that it’s tough to even understand what you are looking at…where does it end? Where does it begin? Where is the other side? How deep does it go? These are all questions I asked myself as I viewed this natural wonder from the South Rim in Arizona. I was a little disappointed to find out the glass bridge was located on the North Rim…I guess I didn’t adequately do my research. But it was still phenomenal nonetheless. We drove from lookout point to lookout point stopping to take numerous photos along the way. Finally, we started to hear people around us saying, “Ok this is the last time we are stopping!” And I have to say, I started to jump into that same boat. I mean, honestly, how many photos can you take of the same thing? Haha…apparently a lot. The views were incredible, and if we had planned things properly, we would have packed a picnic lunch to eat at one of the lookout points while taking in the scenery.

While we were in the Grand Canyon, we had a lovely fancy dinner at El Tovar lodge, which I would highly recommend. We ended up staying at The Best Western for the night, which was not too far out of the National Park and was actually pretty decent with a free buffet breakfast. It didn’t hurt that the concierge upgraded us to one of their best suites in the hotel! Points to my handsome husband for that one.

The only bad thing about our visit to the Grand Canyon was that it meant our trip to Arizona was coming to a close. We headed back to Phoenix the next day for our last dinner at the amazing Parlor, and then jetted back to NYC.

Hope you enjoy the last of our trip photos!

I finally got my wish…it is SUMMERTIME in the city today. Whew!

Stay cool, my friends.

XO,

Gina

#44 Eat a Mangosteen

Saturday March 9, 2013

Have you ever heard of a mangosteen? Being a lover of all things fruit, this item made it to my great adventures list as something I just had to try. I had heard that it was the best fruit in the entire world, and it was super expensive and rare in the United States. This fruit comes from a tropical evergreen tree mostly found in Southeast Asia and in some South American countries. I hadn’t “googled” the fruit in awhile, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect it to look like or taste like when my husband brought a bunch home for us to eat on Saturday. He had been out exploring in Chinatown after his class, and stumbled across this rare fruit at a decent price (although still not cheap!) I think $8 a pound. When mangosteens first arrived in the US, they were sold for $43 a pound! So I’m thinking relatively here. Of course I had to photograph the little buggers, which kind of look like acorns from the outside. The edible inside part tasted sweet and tangy, juicy, and fibrous. The flavors were a bit like a type of small orange, and nothing like a mango. There wasn’t much meat on the fruit, and although it was indeed tasty, there is no way I am claiming this as the best fruit in the world. That being said, I am excited that I was able to try such a rare find in the U.S. I would definitely eat it again, although maybe next time I would wait to travel to Southeast Asia instead of paying $8 a pound.

Have you ever tried a mangosteen? If so, what did you think?

Hope everyone is having a good week so far.

XO,

Gina

#96 See Phantom of the Opera on Broadway

Friday February 22, 2013

When I was a little girl, my parents went to see Phantom of the Opera, and they came home bearing a soundtrack of the performance. My sister and I started listening to it, and we quickly grew addicted. We played this soundtrack day after day, memorized all the songs, sang them around the house, and fantasized about the day that we would get to see this show ourselves.

Fast forward to about a month ago. The hubby and I now live in the Big Apple with Broadway at our fingertips. We decided that we were going to check this item off my bucket list, and we bought tickets as our Valentine’s Day present to each other. To say I was excited would be an extreme understatement. I skipped around the city for the past month giddy with anticipation. I played the songs around the house to get Zack as equally pumped up for the show (well maybe not equally.) I counted down the days until I would finally be able to see the show of my dreams.

Well, let me tell you. It was everything I had dreamed of and more. The sets were absolutely stunning. The acting was superb. The music was phenomenal. You know how you wait for something for so long (almost your whole life), and the excitement builds up, and then when it finally gets here, you are just overcome and overwhelmed with emotion?!?! Well, that was me on Friday night. Blubbering in my seat to all of my favorite songs that I had been waiting to hear live for all these years. I almost felt silly for tearing up at a Broadway show, but I just could not believe that I was actually there seeing Phantom on Broadway. Before Friday, I only knew the music. Now I could put faces and emotions and stories to the tunes. It all came together, and it was just perfect.

I cannot believe it took me that long to see this show, but I will say that it was worth the wait. I will also say that I am pretty sure there will be a “second time” of me seeing this show. So Angela, (my little sister) you better get your butt up to New York. You have no idea what you are missing!