sightseeing

July 17, 2014July 21, 2020

Seattle sights and upcoming trip #SeaSFBlog

It seems like only yesterday I was buying plane tickets “too early.” And now my big trip is about to begin!

Saturday I fly to Seattle. I’ll do some sightseeing, so I can tell you how to get a taste of the city in a short time. I’ll also see my brother and family and a few friends.

Then I’ll spend a day in San Francisco before heading to the BlogHer conference in San Jose. I’ll be tweeting and Instagramming with hashtag #SeaSFBlog. (It comes from the three parts of my trip: Seattle, San Francisco, and the BlogHer Conference. It’s also kind of like “see Stef blog.”)

I’ve been reading up on what to do in Seattle. Here are a few sites/lists I wanted to share:

Visit Seattle is a non-profit dedicated to promoting the city and surrounding area. Their site features a ton of things to do, sample itineraries, and day trip ideas. They’re also helping us explore by providing us with City Passes.
See/Eat/Do Seattle [abridged] – My friend and Seattle local Luz has put together a list of landmarks, local food and coffee shops, scenic drives and walks, and artsy/designy spots in 13 different neighborhoods.
A most excellent 2 days in Seattle – Jeff, who shared words of wisdom in the Phoenix Comicon newbie post, also has an entertaining recap of 2 days he spent Seattle sightseeing.
Best “Secret” Views of Seattle on Queen Anne Hill – Seattle blogger Tim Lewis shares less-crowded spots to relax and take it all in.

Is there a Seattle sight that you’d like to hear about or have enjoyed visiting?

August 16, 2013August 16, 2013

Seeing the Denver Botanic Gardens

We really enjoyed visiting the Denver Botanic Gardens earlier this week! I would recommend it, if you’re in the Denver, Colorado area.

It was a beautiful Monday morning, and the gardens felt peaceful and uncrowded until about noon.

The main location is Denver Botanic Gardens at York Street. It’s made up of 42 individual gardens that you wind your way through. (“Make your own path!” the volunteer at the entrance said.) For most of our visit, we didn’t follow the map too closely. It was fun to be surprised at what we’d find around the next corner.

Currently, sculptures by Colorado artists are on display throughout the gardens, as part of the Catalyst exhibition.

There are lots of great little spots to sit and relax or take a picnic, as well as a couple of cafes. We ate at the Monet Deck Cafe, which overlooks a pool of water lilies. (And, yes, the food was delicious!)

There is also a children’s garden across the street (actually, it’s on top of the parking garage), which we didn’t visit but is included in the admission price. We spent about 3 hours in the York Street gardens, and you could easily spend 4-5 hours there – or more if you really take your time.

I wouldn’t mind spending a day there next time I’m in town.

August 1, 2013

Snapshots from Chicago (Whirlwindy City Photo Hunt results)

3 days.

16 sessions/keynotes.

5 Friday night parties. (Yes, 5.)

A whole pile o’ business cards exchanged.

With a super busy BlogHer conference schedule, I didn’t have time to see ~~all~~ much of Chicago.* But, the key question: Did I finish the Whirlwindy City Photo Hunt?

Oh, yes, I did.

Here is what I captured for each of the 10 Chicagoey items on my photo scavenger hunt list:

1. Windy city

2. Sears (Willis) Tower

3. Chicago hot dogs

Saw this stand after dinner…

…and got an actual Chicago dog at the airport and ate it at a phone charging station. It was surprisingly good, even though I usually don’t put yellow mustard on hot dogs. Or onions. Or unidentified diced peppers approximately the color of green jello. Somehow, it all worked.

4. Lincoln (Park)

Lincoln parked at O’Hare, waiting for his flight. Hope he gets a seat with extra leg room.

5. Wrigley field and the Chicago Cubs.

This is as close as I got to Wrigley Field (and most of those sites).

It’s hard to tell, but the girl in the background is wearing a Cubs hoodie. And struggling to carry like 4 mega-packs of toilet paper around the hotel lobby. Not sure why. It was a nice hotel. They provided toilet paper.

6. L Train

L Train as viewed from el shuttle.

7. Art institute(d)

Passed by the actual Art Institute in a cab but did do an art project at BlogHer’s Fly DIY party.

8. Lake Michigan

Now I’ve seen one of the Great Lakes! My friend asked if that was on my bucket list. I hadn’t thought of it that way. Maybe more like part of my duty as an American. Or something.

9. …And all that jazz.

Queen Latifah, known in Chicago as Mama Morton, emceed the Voices of the Year readings.

10. One more thing: Chicago River

It was really beautiful just sitting out by the river at night, watching the boats and feeling the breeze.

Melissa Lanz of The Fresh 20 found this on her Whirlwindy Photo Hunt:

Navy Pier.

…And there you have it! The #whirlwindyphotohunt!

The conference itself was amazing. And exhausting. I have a lot I want to write (and have started writing), but I am still processing it all. I’m also getting ready for our Colorado trip, which is just around the corner. So, with all these thoughts and ideas in my head, I’m not sure what will be ready to post next. I guess it’ll be a surprise for all of us.

*Just to warn you: Before you say “Awww, you didn’t get to see/go to _____?!”, you should know that there’s also a post in the works about just those types of comments.