The start of our cross-country adventure

We have started our cross-country road trip and covered some serious ground in the past few days. On our first day we drove from Manhattan to Toledo, OH (with a stop for lunch in this adorable town: Grove City, PA).

Grove City, PA

After a home cooked meal at my aunt and uncle's house near Toledo, we got a good night's sleep and an early start towards Chicago.

Chicago and the open road

Trying to stay dry in Chicago. Umbrella (Marc Jacobs), Dress (JCrew), Purse (Louis Vuitton),  Sneakers (Converse)

While in Chicago, we got to enjoy the architectural boat tour (which we had been unable to do during our last visits) and then continued our drive to Milwaukee. We checked into one of our favorite hotels, The Iron Horse Hotel, and enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Honeypie. 

I love Milwaukee with its unique, family owned shops and restaurants. We decided to spend the day re-exploring this wonderful city (this is surprisingly not our first visit here) and had lunch at the Comet Cafe, which was also spectacular. We also spent time at the Milwaukee Museum, which was beautiful. With the help of the Food Network and a little personal exploration, this trip has provided us with some fantastic and unique foods. Tomorrow we have an early start to our next destination. More pictures of our adventure to come...

A peak at one of our favorite hotels - The Iron Horse Hotel

Alterra Coffe Shop, Milwaukee, WI

Milwaulkee Museum

Honeypie, Milwaulkee, WI - the pie in the top corner is banana caramel, amazing!

Comet Cafe, Milwaukee, WI - top corner is turkey dinner in a fried ball, below that is bacon wrapped meat loaf sandwich and last, but certainly not least a chocolate, raspberry cupcake

Historic District of Milwaulkee, WI 

Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, Milwaukee, WI - great apple pie ice cream

Snack Time

We are currently in a holding pattern waiting for the movers to come pick up our stuff so we can get a start on our cross country road trip. In the hopes of making our cozy car feel a little like home, I have baked some dried fruit and nut bars to pack as a snack. I created a variation of the not so oatmeal raisin cookie recipe and added in sunflower seeds and maple syrup.

Recipe:

Ingredients
2 1/4 C raw almonds
3/4 C walnuts
1 1/2 C pitted dates
1 1/2 C shredded coconut
3 eggs
1 C apple juice infused cranberries

3/4 C sunflower seeds
pinch of nutmeg

pinch of salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 C maple syrup

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor blend: almonds, walnuts, dates, coconut, nutmeg, salt, and cinnamon. Empty the blended ingredients into a bowl. Pulse half of the sunflower seeds a few times just to break them up and the add them to the rest of the mixture in the bowl. Add the remaining whole sunflower seeds and the cranberries into the bowl and incorporate them evenly into the mixture.  Add in the 3 eggs and maple syrup to the bowl and mix with your hands -- make sure the eggs and maple syrup are incorporated. Put the mixture into a greased casserole dish and push it down to spread it evenly. Cook at 350 for 30-40 minutes - until the edges start to brown the middle feels firms. Let cool and then slice the bars and enjoy!

I am excited to have a little taste of home while we are on the road!

Goodbye New York New York

Because of the upcoming move, I have been trying to explore new things about the city I've called home for the past three and a half years and say my final goodbyes. First I ventured out to a brunch place I had been dying to try, Egg in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The food was delicious and the restaurant is so close to the Brooklyn Flea Market. After brunch, I took a stroll with friends to enjoy the beautiful weather and gaze out at the amazing view from the flea market out across the East River. After a fun day in Williamsburg, I finally got the opportunity to ride the East River Ferry from Williamsburg down to Dumbo, which not only had spectacular views of many of New York's bridges, but also downtown Manhattan. (I also bought some new white Converse for all the walking and I have been LOVING them).

In addition to exploring I have been doing in the city, we have also branched and begun to explore the area outside the city. We bought a car (something that is unheard of to most New Yorkers) and have been exploring what the area outside of the city has to offer. We drove up to Woodstock, NY and got to explore this amazingly artsy town and all of the nature it had to offer. I can't believe all I missed while I was living here!

San Francisco Exploration

On our way to the airport in San Francisco, after a busy week of apartment hunting, we decided to try an ice cream joint I have heard so much about: Smitten. The ice cream here is made to order using dry ice and the texture of this ice cream amazing; so smooth and creamy.

Striped long sleeve T-shirt (Gap), Leather Jacket (Free People), Jeans (J Brand), Purse (Louis Vuitton),  Shoes (Toms)

I'm back!

I'm sorry for the long break. It has been quite the month (or so). I am picking up and moving to Northern California. I can't wait for the adventure, which will include a once in a lifetime drive from our current home in New York City to California. I can't wait to share our exploration of the food and excursions we have planned.

My other half and I spent the last week in California finding a new apartment there and explored just a little of what our new area has to offer (see below the beautiful pictures below). More on our adventure to come...