Version 2.0

REMEMBER ME?

 It's been a while, I know, but I'm back for good with a new look! I have a chalkboard in my kitchen that I update with fun messages and when my friend pointed out that it still said "Happy New Year!" I knew it was time for me to update a few things in my life. The last few months have been crazy-to say the least, but I'm ready to bring it home to Chicago and share my favorite things to do in and around town. What have I been up to, you ask? A trip to my birth town Nagasaki, Japan, with a pit stop in Tokyo, Hong Kong and the marvelous Macau, a girls trip to NYC, quick trips to San Diego and of course, quality time spent in Chicago. So in brief, a few tschotskes and a few thousand photos have brought me to where I sit today. 

Please come back to see me soon, I've got some good stuff for you!

And Happy New Year =)

Hello! From Hong Kong's Victoria Peak

Bright lights in Macau

Hanging out with my buddy in Kumamoto, Japan

Grinning after a delicious sushi lunch at Tsukiji market in Tokyo, Japn

The roof top at our apartment is finally open!

A little wedding dress-up fun

XOXO, In Love with Chicago

Martin Creed Plays Chicago

Martin Creed Plays Chicago is the name of the year-long MCA residency of the famous British artist, Martin Creed. He has been presenting a different exhibit every month for the whole year in Chicago; one exhibit, Mother's is a huge neon steel structure that rotates on a central axis and is located right in front of the actual MCA and his September exhibit, Half the Air in a Given Space, is literally the Water Tower half filled with red latex balloons. I had to sign a consent form that I wasn't allergic to latex, which I immaturely giggled at. Anyway, there are apparently three other sites that are half filled with balloons of different colors, but I was pleased to randomly find this one while strolling down Michigan Ave. What a great city! The MCA website explains this exhibit as:

Creed fills half the space of a room with balloons, giving tangible form to something that’s usually invisible: the air around you.

The tourist in me, strikes again!

Halloween 2012

To take a little break from all these travel posts:

Three blind mice, three blind mice, see how they run, see how they run.....

Our friends had some creative costumes this year!

Happy Halloween from Chicago!

NYC: Shop

Last, but certainly not least, I'll end this NYC installment with a shopping segment. As with anything else in NYC, you could spend days, months and years perusing the streets and you wouldn't hit all the best things to see, shop, do and eat. This time around I enjoyed a little Kelly Wearstler in the attic of Bergdorfs, Uniqlo basics shopping...which is rumored to be coming to Chicago, Brooklyn flea market...where I signed a consent form for a reality tv show on flea markets, while being filmed in one of the booths. Funny thing is that I saw the show on HGTV or Travel Chanel not too long ago and prayed to the heavens that my slightly hung over face would NOT show up. I digress. Fishs and Eddy is one of the stores that I try and visit each time that I'm in NYC. Think of the home section of Anthropologie as one huge store. So obviously the photos of the spoon chandelier below are from my recent trip.

Hope you enjoyed reading about my recent trip to NYC...I'm sure the next is right around the corner!

NYC: Do

A few fun shots from a few fun and random activities in NYC.

Justin Bieber at the Today Show, my favorite store in the world Kate's Paperie, a jazz bar, photo op in Bryant Park,  random things you find in Brooklyn and Belvedere Castle in Central Park

NYC: Eat

I love that you can visit New York City, on any budget, and still eat better than you would in most other cities. Michelin star restaurant or Octopus ball street vendor, I love it all. This last trip, I enjoyed a mish mash of different cuisines, on actually a pretty reasonable budget. Reasonable budget equals, more money for shopping. Win. Win. 

We had....Breakfast salmon bagels at Russ and Daughters, almond pastries in Central Park at Petrossian, Ramen at my favorite Ippudo, which is almost at 4000 yelp reviews! Tako yaki (Japanese Octopus balls), Bento box (Japanese) at the Japanese bookstore by Bryant Park, Kinokuniya, snacks at Dean and Deluca while shopping in Soho, pizza at Eatlaty, a 50,000 sq ft market of Italian goodies and sit-down eateries. 

I can't wait to go back!

 

Autumnal Equinox

I'm not even quite sure where to start with this "here's how my summer vacations were" entry as summer passed by just as quickly as my tan faded and I only had the time and patience to write less than a dozen posts. But considering Autumnal Equinox is right around the corner, it only feels appropriate to try and squeeze in everything about summer before the official date is here. I said it. Autumnal Equinox.

So I guess I will start with a summary, work backwards and post each detailed account because it was definitely a world wind. Literally.

Mid June: NYC
Agenda: Wedding & girls weekend with mom

End of June: Hawaii
Agenda: Wedding & soak up as much Maui Babe as possible

August: Italy-Capri and Rome
Agenda: Wedding 

As you can see-it is obvious what brought me and Sean to all of these wonderful destinations. The W word!

Up next: NYC Agenda