our bodies were still two hours ahead, so when we woke up early friday morning, we decided to make the most of the day and start out with a workout at otf albuquerque. a short 5-minute drive away, we arrived at the studio and were politely cautioned by the front desk staff about exercising at high altitudes (less oxygen, folks). we did heed their warning and felt a big difference even in just the first few minutes of the warm-up! i quickly realized i needed to slow it down and pace myself if i was going to last the entire class, which i somehow did (even if just barely). coach greg was kind and checked in on us regularly and thanked us for joining him.
with our bodies now feeling a little more tired but also a little stronger, we naturally now needed to refuel them. cue the next food scene! we were ready for some brunch action over at the range cafe. this place is funky and cozy and warm and open all at the same time, and the smells that hit our noses right as we walked in had me thinking, “yes, i think this is gonna be good.”
like many folks, phillip and i had built up airline rewards over the past couple of years, and one of them (the companion certificate by delta) was set to expire soon. however, “soon” was sooner than we though, as instead of having to only have booked our trip by the end of january, we had to have taken our trip by the end of january. so, it was adventure-planning time!
we considered many possible destinations but very randomly decided to check out new mexico. aside from visiting a state we hadn’t yet, there were no specific reasons we chose the land of enchantment. quite different from the typical big city vacations we take, i’ll spoil it all for you now and tell you that new mexico did not disappoint.
we landed in albuquerque just before noon, checked into the hotel early, and then bundled up to begin exploring. we learned very quickly just how cold the high desert gets in winter; we had our boots and big ski jackets with us always! with it being lunchtime, we checked out the first of many restaurant recommendations: frontier right across from the university of new mexico campus (go lobos!). we’d previously been educated about proper chile-ordering etiquette so started with the breakfast burrito (per the cashier’s suggestion) and chicken enchiladas (with Christmas chile on the side). we were quite excited for our first serving of authentic new mexican cuisine, and although we did eat everything we were served and even ordered a sweet roll for dessert, everything tasted only fine (especially compared to the other new mexican food we would eat later in the trip). i don’t know if disappointed is the right word but do think phillip and i secretly wondered, “is this the best of the best?” good news, folks, it was not.
on our way to frontier (which, by the way, was via THE route 66), phillip had spied a cookie shop. you know what that meant, we had to stop in for some dessert (er, second dessert in this case). we popped into rude boy cookies and were extremely pleased. phillip had a deconstructed ice cream sandwich. it included a mammoth scoop of chocolate blue bell ice cream (although i would have liked some homemade ice cream, you generally cannot go wrong with blue bell) and warmed up and crumbled chocolate chip cookies and double chocolate cookies. i think his face says it all.
ice cream and popcorn (for national popcorn day!)this was his “i’m getting full but still going to eat it all” face
i went for something a little less complex but equally satisfying: a homemade oatmeal cream pie. you read that right, folks, and although i would not call myself an oatmeal cream pie expert, i could find nothing wrong with this one. it had a perfect balance of slightly spicy but deliciously sweet flavors. and that filling? i could have eaten it by the batch.
we were a little tired from our travels so took a couple hours of rest back at the hotel. what i’ll say is that it is very easy to get around town. the duke city is essentially a grid, and so long as you can locate i25 and i40, you should be able to find your way. if you ever are in abq and have a car, though, heed this warning (which a local was kind enough to share): leave nothing visible in your car. apparently, there is a lot of property crime in the city. so, essentially anything not tied down can be a target. rest assured we stayed smart and never felt unsafe during our visit.
refreshed and not quite ready to call it a night, it was time for more eating! this next spot was highlighted on the local map, and little did we know we were trying a spot that had been featured on albuquerque’s “best of” list in 2022. i present to you clowndog hot dog parlor!
i know hot dogs gross lots of folks out, which just means more hot dogs for the rest of us! clowndog is as fun and circus-themed on the inside as you would hope it would be, and with an extensive menu, tvs, a bar, and outdoor seating, they have something for everyone. phillip and i started out with a couple of local brews and then dug into our generously-topped hot dogs.
phillip went for the tailgater clowndog creation. i promise there was a dog underneath all those pinto beans, coleslaw, bbq sauce, and bacon! these hot dogs definitely require a fork and knife, so don’t be shy to ensure each bite includes some of each mouthwatering ingredient.
i was inclined to try the frito dog but last-minute decided to build my own. mine included an all-beef hot dog on a traditional bun with heaping helpings of mac’n’cheese, bacon, and (per the waitress’ recommendation) green chile sauce. folks, don’t you dare make a grimacing face. this combination slapped (as the young folks say these days). to translate for those who don’t know the modern saying “slapped,” that means it was EXCELLENT. the rich mac’n’cheese with the zippy green chile sauce made for a heavenly bite so good to finish. if you ever visit albuquerque, i implore you to give clowndog a chance. you might surprise yourself how fun (and delicious) it is to go outside the box sometimes.
so, that was a wrap on our first day in new mexico. everyone we encountered was quite polite, the food redeemed itself by the end of the day, and we went to bed excited to explore more of this new-to-us state. stand by for what happened next!
this post and this greeting are a little tardy, but happy new year nonetheless! and happy reading as i catch you up on all the things we did in greenville, sc for thanksgiving last year. as i often say, better late than never. 🙂
the company
phillip’s uncle steve and aunt pam hosted us, his sister natalie and her boyfriend dave, and cousin tony for thanksgiving. it was a day full of resting, football watching, spirit drinking, and delicious eating. i don’t mind getting fancy every now and then, but it’s so nice to be with folks who are happy just being together. can’t wait to see them all again soon!
the activities
of course we did do a lot of eating (more on that soon), but all things require balance, so we did stay active while on vacation. we squeezed in a couple classes at the local orangetheory fitness and enjoyed walking all the bridges and seeing the sights in downtown. i can only imagine how scenic it is in the spring and fall seasons!
the eats and the drinks
now, it wouldn’t be a phillip and kelsey trip if we didn’t eat our way through town, and greenville was no exception. some places the locals recommended, others we stumbled upon on ourselves, all were good enough to go back. check out these spots if you’re ever in town!
this bagel had honey and pecans and peanut butter and a banana. REAL GOOD. (coffee underground)
phillip ordered this fancy mocha with lovely latte art on top. (coffee underground)
can you guess where we were? (eggs up grill)
phillip loves coffee! and so do i. 🙂
we split some eggs benny. (eggs up grill)
we also split a side of salty, crispy corned beef hash. yum! (eggs up grill)
we lucked out with gorgeous weather this day. nice enough to enjoy a pint outside! (fireforge)
cheers! (fireforge)
pretzels, mustard, and pimento beer cheese. heavenly. (fireforge)
a nice little wine flight at foxcroft.
more carbs! truffle and parmesan french fries at foxcroft.
more smiles!
caprese salad at trattoria giorgio. the pastas were pretty good, too.
last stop, sully’s steamers!
I LOVE BAGELS.
more bagels! (sully’s steamers)
all in all, our visit to greenville was 100% enjoyable and made better by the fact that it is only a quick 2-hour drive from our house! i expect we will find ourselves back again in 2023.
to celebrate my birthday earlier this month, phillip and i decided to enjoy a getaway weekend just a few hours northeast in asheville, nc. phillip hadn’t been, and it feels like a lifetime ago since i visited for a bachelorette weekend. so, with really no reason not to go and a junk ton of breweries ready to welcome us, to asheville we went!
we were a bit parched from our travels, so after dropping our luggage, we hit downtown by foot and started taking in the city. it was a bustling thursday night, and eager to up our own energy, phillip’s eye was caught by double d’s coffee & desserts bus. what a lovely, unexpected surprise to begin our adventures!
i mean, how can you walk by this and not stop. 🙂 phillip ordered an iced mocha, of course, and i tried their unsweetened peach tea, which was perfectly refreshing on a warm summer evening. there were plenty of tables and benches around, so we sat back and relaxed as we enjoyed this little oasis plopped right in the middle of the city. i highly recommend you put this bus on your list!
caffeinated and ready for more, we strolled down to wicked weed brewing. this place seems like an asheville staple to me, and instead of sitting in the main dining room, we walked downstairs to find a couple stools at a hightop. there were lots of folks with their doggies nearby, and i noticed throughout our trip that all of asheville seems to be pretty pet-friendly. perhaps next time grace can join us!
known very much as a beer town, asheville has lots to offer in this category, so we wasted no more time. we both ordered a flight, grabbed some pretzels and yellow mustard, and took a seat. it was not too long before we were chatting with the folks at the other end of the table, getting their stories. you just never know who you might meet! we were lucky enough to get to know chase and tiffany over the course of a few more hours and a couple more rounds of beer. they are a pleasant couple from ohio and vacation to asheville every year, so we lucked out with our own tour guides! and although it was their last night in town, they shared with us the inside scoop on all their favorite places that we had to try during our visit. spoiler alert! everything they recommended was incredible. 🙂
with the pandemic upsetting some of our plans, extra time was then suddenly available for some spontaneous activities. phillip and i decided to take advantage and road trip to the outer banks of north carolina. i’d say for about a year now we’ve considered vacationing there but only recently made it happen and are so glad we did.
rather than the standard day-by-day format for my travels, i’m going to do a little something different and share our trip with you by category. so, if you mostly care about what we eat, you can focus there. if you’re more interested in what we did, that’s all together for you, too. enjoy!
the lodging
even though phillip and i knew we wanted to go to the outer banks, we hadn’t yet really planned on where we would stay. well, the good news is that aaa came to the rescue. my mom was browsing through their member magazine on one of her visits and found a quick blurb about the sanderling resort in duck, nc. she didn’t have to do much convincing, as we quickly agreed to splurge on a couple of nights at the four-star resort.
even during the pandemic, the sanderling did not disappoint. it’s hard to complain when you are within a two-minute walk of the beach or when the bar is just a few steps away from the lobby or when you have the perfect view for a sunrise or when the concierge provides complimentary s’mores packs to roast in the fire pit or when the staff takes extra measures to ensure the common spaces are clean. i can only imagine how the service is elevated when restrictions are not in place.
after a quick visit to the famed churchill downs friday morning…
…we ventured on over to biscuit belly, another sara-recommended spot. if i could only say one thing about biscuit belly, it is that we LOVED it.
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but! i’ll of course say more than just that. now, after being overcome by what my dad called an “ordering frenzy,” we all settled in with our coffees, both hot and cold brew style.
as i snapped a picture of the cute mugs and glasses, clark so kindly educated us about what the kids are saying and doing these days when it comes to social media. yes, kelsey, it’s more than just regular blogs like yours. i learned about “camera eats first,” which about made me die, and then also “influencers in the wild.” it’s funny how we were victims of these trends without even realizing it. thank you, clark, for helping your 32 year old sister stay current. 🙂
we put our devices down briefly as our food started coming out, and i think we all felt our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. so, what exactly did we order? well, let me tell you. for the table to share, we ordered the bonuts, the gravy train, and the pancake corndogs. if you want the inside scoop, try dipping the bonut into the chocolate gravy from the gravy train. you’ll be in biscuit heaven, i guarantee it.
bonuts.
corndogs.
gravy train.
corndog.
but don’t forget that we all also had our entrees, as if we needed more! we tried the love shack, the basic biscuit, and the rockwell.
the love shack.
the basic biscuit.
the rockwell.
i told you we ordered a lot! we were at our table for nearly two hours just eating and drinking and solving all the world’s problems. it was a homerun, and i think we all left wishing we had a location in each of our hometowns.
like many folks these days, our plans have been canceled or rearranged, and while some days we might feel down about it all, others you just have to make your own happiness happen. phillip and i did just that this past weekend with a quick getaway to louisville, ky. it was a good halfway point to meet up with my dad (who drove up from alabama) and my younger brother clark (who flew down from chicago).
phillip, clark, and i got in around lunch, so after we dropped our suitcases at the hotel, we took a walk to the highlands to try out el taco luchador. this spot was recommended by my friend sara, who lived here for several years, and is bright and fun, serving up delicious food and beverages.
round one was a couple of coronas, of course, while clark tried the frozen watermelon margarita. clark said his drink was tasty and only made better with an order of chips and queso. apparently, the only way they serve queso in chicago is fundido-style which, although good in its own way, cannot quite compare to the runny, mouthwatering white queso you find at mexican restaurants in the south. i think clark was in heaven with each bite!
cheers!
queso for everyone!
as for the tacos themselves, we all three tried the baja fish taco and declared it the uncontested favorite. between the perfectly battered filet and crispy cabbage, it was a taco that would satisfy any taco-lover in town.
baja fish tacos & the al pastor taco.
also tried (and devoured) were the al pastor, carnitas, and chicharron tacos. they, too, were a tasty trio, and for me, the chicharron was so perfect and tender that i had to order a second!
the carnitas & chicharron tacos.
later that day, milo rolled into louisville and, inevitably, it was time to eat again. if you’ve ever been on a trip with my family, you know the plans largely revolve around food. surely we aren’t the only ones?
we wanted something good but not too fancy and soon settled on trying feast bbq. how did we decide on trying feast? i’d be lying if i told you it wasn’t because of the bourbon slushies they prominently feature on their site… 🙂 also, it was a short drive from the hotel.
doesn’t clark look thrilled, lawlz?
phillip was thirsty, lol!
dad had the brisket sandwich, which he rated as an 8 out of 10. i feel like that’s saying a lot seeing as how he has lived in the south over 30 years now and has tried his fair share of brisket.
clark went for the pulled pork sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries. he commented that it all was perfectly satisfying.
phillip and i were in a sharing mood since we were still full from lunch, so we munched on the simple salad (gotta get some greens, somehow, some way) and crispy mac & cheese balls (which, in our opinion, didn’t need the overpowering horseradish sauce at all).
simple salad.
crispy mac & cheese balls.
overall, we ended our first day in louisville two for two. not a bad start!
first things first – i’ve had my blog for 5 years! and it is time to pick back up in this new decade with a fresh, new post. here’s to great things in 2020 for us all. 🙂
somewhat on a whim, my mom and i decided to have a mother-daughter roadtrip after she spent the Christmas holiday with my younger brother clark up in washington, dc. as you will find, this trip was just as much about our appetites as it was our time together, and i wouldn’t change a thing about it!
day one was a drive from the nation’s capital to norfolk, va. for many reasons, it is a sentimental spot for my mother, and seeing as how i had never been, it was the perfect first stop on our trip. during our drive south on i-64 we caught up on anything and everything and solved all the world’s problems at once. if only someone would ask for our opinion, lol!
it ended up being quite a drive with lots of traffic and roadwork, so by the time we arrived in mermaid city, we were a hungry pair. we dumped our luggage at the hotel and had a mostly forgettable dinner at guy fieri’s smokehouse. even though there admittedly were generous lumps of crab meat atop our waffle fries, the best part may have been watching people trying to ride the mechanical bull. that’s always good entertainment. thankfully, dessert on the other hand was a bit better with a sweet treat from the fudgery, which my mom remembers from when she tended bar at a nearby waterside restaurant. isn’t it neat how we can recall things like that?
after a good night of rest, the next day we started with some breakfast at yorgos bageldashery. it had glowing reviews on yelp, and since i love a good bagel, we decided to give it a try. it turns out we have taste just as good as the locals, as they were swarming the place right upon our arrival. we chatted it up with another patron in line who recommended the chicken salad, so we split some of that along side a couple of bagels. mom had a pumpernickel bagel with olive spread (an ode to her mother florence) while i enjoyed a classic plain bagel with veggie cream cheese.
yorgos!
yo yo ma!
quite a spread. see what i did there?
while we waited on the bagels, we dug into the chicken salad first. was it tasty? yes, but when you come from alabama and georgia, your chicken salad tastebuds are a little different. i don’t think we would order it again, but everyone does chicken salad differently, and theirs was all their own.
mom loved her bagel, especially because there was an abundance of olives, both green and black! my bagel was also delicious. i think i would have gone with a different spread (and maybe doubled up on the cream cheese because we all know i love cream cheese) but still ate up every bite of mine.
fueled up with full bellies, our tour of norfolk continued as my mom drove us past a couple of houses her parents owned when they lived there. we even found the church where my parents married nearly 35 years ago now. even though the town may not be exactly as she remembered, it was still fun to be with her as she took a trip down memory lane.
a couple of weekends ago phillip and i had the wonderful opportunity to return to my college town of athens, ga. the occasion, yes, did revolve around georgia football, but we made the most of the weekend by visiting some places home to my fondest memories while i was in school.
we had driven in town friday night to soak up every minute of athens we could, and since we hadn’t stopped for dinner on our drive in, the first order of business was some food at none other than the famous keba. we both ordered double lamb sandwiches with fries as the side, and i think it was the quietest meal we’d had in a while because we were enjoying it all so much! keba did have a location in atlanta for a bit (with the great taste of the original), but it shut down and i’ve of course been craving it ever since. it was a perfect start to what would become a pretty perfect weekend.
pure joy.
we cleared our table and drove over to nathan and samantha’s house. i’ve known nathan since college when, as freshmen, we met in the redcoat marching band. he and samantha have lived in athens for several years now and always are kind to open their home to friends and family. it’s not often we get to see them, so it was a special treat to catch up on life and football and everything in between. we did plenty of that especially the next morning over coffee and bagels (which we brought from emerald city in east atlanta) before nathan, phillip, and i drove to campus to join in on the gameday experience. it was an extra special occasion because it was our homecoming weekend against kentucky, and even though it rained nonstop all day, the bulldog nation still showed up nicely to support the team.
nathan had redcoat duties, so phillip and i donned our ponchos and took a sloshy walk through north campus. as i imagine many graduates do when they are visiting their old stomping grounds, i pointed out to phillip all the different buildings and where i had class and which lobbies were the best for napping. the rain couldn’t keep our cheery demeanor down, especially once we arrived at the arch, because taking a picture under the arch is always something to smile about. 🙂
hungry for a bite, we shuffled into the taco stand. now, i did not do a lot of downtown eating when i was in college, but one spot i frequented was the taco stand, especially when my younger brother clark visited, as it was his absolute favorite spot in town. phillip and i lucked out with a couple of stools at the bar, so we de-layered, ordered chips and salsa and a couple of beers, and enjoyed the gameday atmosphere.
Our mission today was to travel to Cheswick, PA to find Deer Creek Cemetery and the graves of our Grandfather George and Uncle Felix. We had breakfast at the hotel and set off with an overcast sky. The scenery was beautiful, so green and so different from the Los Angeles area! We found the very old cemetery and set out looking for the graves. Gary had looked up the information, and we knew which sections they were in, or so we thought. We all got a lot of steps in as we went back and forth, row after row looking at gravestones.
deer creek cemetery.
I personally find old cemeteries very interesting and can wander for hours looking at the headstones and wondering who these people were, what their lives were like, etc. A lot of the people buried here were born in the mid- to late 1800s.
Kyle and Clark found George Despot’s headstone (1888-1941), and we gathered around. He died of black lung from working in the coal mines. It was emotional for Gary and I, remembering our mother had told us and knowing that she had been here when he was buried.
It started lightly raining as we looked for Felix’s grave. Back and forth, up and down we went in the grass. We couldn’t find the grave, but our shoes sure got wet! We finally went to the office, and the groundskeeper looked it up right away, so we followed him in his vehicle to the correct section. We found Felix’s headstone (1916-1947), who died of a burst appendix, and that of this daughter Judith. We thought of the stories our mother had told us of her big brother.
Our mother had a younger brother who also came to America; his name was Albert, or Uncle Al as we all called him. He joined the Navy and ended up settling in San Pedro, CA to work as a fisherman. After our mother’s dad and brother Felix passed away, she moved out to Long Beach, CA to be near her brother Al. Our next stop was in memory of him. We climbed into the van and headed to Oakmont Country Club where Uncle Al had worked as a caddie when he was a kid. Gary fondly remembers Uncle Al telling stories of working at Oakmont. A little history for those who don’t follow golf: the course at Oakmont Country Club, designed in 1903, is one of the most difficult in North America. It has hosted more combined USGA and PGA championships than any other course in the United States. We arrived at the guard shack and explained that we just wanted to go to the pro shop and pick up a few souvenirs because Uncle Al had worked here many, many years ago. The gentleman gave us the once over (being sure we were properly dressed because golf courses can have dress codes) and said we could go in. What we could see of the golf course was absolutely beautiful as well as the buildings. We picked up some gifts to take back home and set off.
kelsey v 