GIVEAWAY! West Elm Travel Set

Today I'm here with a little something fun - I'm giving away a 4 Piece Travel Set from West Elm!

The set includes:

• Ear Plugs
• Jersey Eye Mask
• Inflatable Neck Pillow with removable (aka washable!) Jersey cover
• Jersey Storage Pouch

I use this set myself and it has served me well. I love that you can inflate/deflate the neck pillow, so you aren't stuck carrying it around for your entire trip. The eye mask is incredibly soft. And the little drawstring pouch fits everything inside for easy packing!

Entering is easy, just use the Rafflecopter below to enter! And follow along for extra chances to win. PLUS, share this Facebook post for 2 extra entries (4 chances total!)

Good luck! The winner will be announced on Monday.
xo

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*This is in no way sponsored or connected with West Elm or any of their sister or parent companies*

24 Hours in Memphis

We recently road tripped to Memphis to complete our Global Entry Interview & take a bonus pit stop at Ikea. Once I started researching Memphis (I've never been!), I realized that we had to stay at the Peabody Hotel.

It's super old and historic, has gorgeous high ceilings, and has the DUCKS! There's a whole history around this, but there are ducks that live at the Peabody. They live upstairs on the roof in a special duck penthouse, except every day from 11am-5pm where they live in the fountain in the lobby. They march into the elevator when they hear the John Phillip Souza march - it's adorable! If you are going to see the ducks (you don't have to be a hotel guest to go!), I suggest getting there at least 45min-1hr in advance and grab a seat. You can't be standing unless you're behind certain areas. We snagged a seat at the bar and had a drink while we waited for the little quackers to do their march :) I loved it!!!!

We ate dinner at South of Beale and it was so good! It was located in the arts district about 1 mile from the hotel & Beale St. It had a lot of vegetarian and non vegetarian options. It was casual, had a good beer list, and they give you this incredible popcorn (that I think might be laced with crack) when you sit down. I would definitely eat here again. Matt's side of mac & cheese was absolutely delicious!

We had a drink at the ultimate dive bar - Ernestine & Hazels. This place was a brothel back in the day, and it definitely hasn't been updated since. Like Santa's in Nashville, they serve 4 or 5 different type of bottled beer. It was awful and awesome all at the same time. 

Beale Street, or Memphis' version of Broadway in Nashville, was underwhelming at best. This photo was taken around 10:30pm on a Saturday night - I couldn't believe how few people were out and about! The street is blocked to cars, so pedestrians can wander in and out of bars. Many of the bars were charging a $10 cover, so we didn't head into any. But if you wanted to hit up some live music, this is the place.

 

This was pretty much it! We hit up Ikea the next morning on our way back, but I didn't take any pictures of the Ikea, since it looks just like all the others :) But good news, Nashvillians - this over an hour closer than the Atlanta Ikea. (it took us about 2hr 45min)

Have you ever been to Memphis? Did you see the ducks? What did we miss?
xo 

Wine Tasting in Niagara-On-The-Lake (aka, the cutest town in North America

In August, we did a Home Exchange in Toronto for a week. We also still had our Southwest Companion Pass then, so instead of flying into Toronto, we flew into Buffalo, NY and drove to Toronto (it's about a 2 hour drive). I went to Niagara Falls when I was 11 or 12 years old, so I have a faint memory of the Falls, but I thought it would be fun to visit again as an adult. When telling our friends who used to live in Toronto about our upcoming plans, they suggested we stop in Niagara-On-The-Lake for some wine tasting and dinner. And I'm so glad they did! We absolutely loved it.

Since we were there in August, it was SO HOT. Plus the mist from the falls made everything extra humid. We were basically drenched in sweat and mist all day. But it was still really fun to see the falls. I have to say, the Canadian side is SO much better than the American side. If you're feeling nerdy, Google pictures of what it looked like when they put up a dam in 1969 to stop the flow of water to the American Falls in order to study the rocks. It's crazy looking! They're apparently going to do it again in the next few years, and I can't wait to see what crazy stuff they find down there.

After we got our waterfall viewing on, we drove about 20 minutes north towards Niagara-On-The-Lake. Before we got into the town, we hit up a few of the famous ice wineries. Ice wine is special, because they pick the berries while they are still frozen on the vine, which makes a very sweet, concentrated dessert wine. Not necessarily my cup of tea, but it was fun to try.

We went to The Ice House & Inniskillin.

THEN we actually got to Niagara-On-The-Lake! It might be the cutest place I've ever been. This adorable downtown main street, perfectly sculpted landscaping, with cute shops and restaurants lining the boulevard. I loved it.

We found a brewery and did a tasting, and spent a few hours wandering in and out of shops. Adorable. This would be a great place for quiet getaway where you stayed in a B&B and did wine tasting every day. That actually sound idyllic to me... booking that now ;) 

Seriously - could this place be more adorable? We only spent the afternoon here, but I'd be happy with a luxurious long weekend to enjoy all of its cute corners.

Have you ever been to Niagara-On-The-Lake?
xo

This Week in Travel: Vol. 48

• A beginner's guide to first class
• Burn extra calories by walking instead of taking the NYC Subway (besides the fact that I'd actually have to swim across from the Brooklyn apartment we stayed in, this is a good idea ;) 
• You can upgrade your food without upgrading your seat!
• A good guide to Sanibel Island (the best beach in the world in my opinion!)
• How to talk about American Politics abroad
• Stop checking your email on vacation!!!!!!!!
• How to have a green vacation

Fun Ways to Make Money & Travel (seriously)

• Live in the Mall of America (they'll pay you)
• Get paid to drink beer around the world (no, really!)
• New Zealand just wants you to take the interview & get some cash in return (and possibly a job!)

Mad Cap Coffee in Grand Rapids, Michigan

I spent last week in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a work trip. I've never been to Michigan before, and while I was pretty busy for the most part, we did get to enjoy a few local spots! MadCap Coffee has been on my list for years, since a few other coffee loving friends had mentioned how great it was. I brought a bag of beans home and am enjoying another cup of their perfectly roasted beans as we speak. I was also able to hit up Perrin Brewery, which had a fun atmosphere, delicious food, and really unique beer. I'd suggest doing a beer flight so you can try a few of their brews!

It was my first trip (other than driving two hours to Memphis for our Global Entry interview) since Costa Rica in November. I truly don't think I've gone 3 months without traveling in the last 10 years at least... but more likely 12 or 13 years. After a nice, luxurious break, the next two months will definitely be crazy over here. We've got New York, London, Amsterdam, Panama City Beach, going home, having visitors, going to weddings, having another work photo shoot (locally, at least!) so it's going to be a wild ride. 

I hope everyone has a great week and keep your eyes open for a few posts later this week!

xo