Author: Laura Irwin

Italy 2018: Day 5

Laura Irwin

I’m just going to put it out there that today was not my favorite day of vacation. I mean, it was still Italy, so how bad could it be, but cities are not my thing and that’s where I spent the majority of my day. But let’s rewind to this morning, when I still had high hopes for the day. It must be the fresh Italian air… last night was the second night in a row that I slept for almost 10 hours. Or maybe I’m still recovering from jet lag. Either way, the sleep has been glorious. I’m not an alarm clock person at all; I can’t even remember the last time I woke up to my alarm. So when my phone alarm went off this morning, I nearly screamed as I bolted out of bed to turn it off! But it was all good because I was about to embark on my journey to Bergamo.

Italy 2018 556
Bergamo Città Alta

Continue reading →

Italy 2018: Day 4

Laura Irwin

Today it was off to the western shore of Lake Como to explore Lenno and Tremezzo. Both are relatively small villages, but lack the character and charm of Varenna and Bellagio. The attraction to both villages is the villas. Just outside of Lenno is Villa Balbianello and located in Tremezzo is Villa Carlotta. I took the boat first to Lenno to visit Villa Balbianello. I was looking forward to walking through the town as Tuesday is market day in Lenno. Unfortunately, the market was a mishmash of everything from underwear to shoes to cleaning products. There were a couple of stands selling fruits and veggies, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.

Italy 2018 495
View of Lake Como from Villa Balbianello

Continue reading →

Italy 2018: Day 3

Laura Irwin

Off to Bellagio! I know what you’re thinking… “But Laura, isn’t Bellagio in Las Vegas?” Why yes it is, and the resort was inspired by the town of Bellagio on Lake Como in Italy. Bellagio is at the northern tip of the Bellagio Peninsula, which separates the two southern legs of Lake Como, and was the location for today’s adventure. Ferries ply the waters of Lake Como during the daylight hours, carrying passengers and cars to villages around the lake. Along with Bellagio and Menaggio, Varenna makes up the mid-lake triad and boats regularly travel between the three towns. I boarded the 9:23 boat, and a mesmerizing 15 minutes later I was walking the streets of Bellagio. I say mesmerizing because from the boat you can see every part of the lake with the majestic Italian Alps rising to the north.

Italy 2018 429
Bellagio

Continue reading →

Italy 2018: Day 2

Laura Irwin

I love Italy. I know I say that about a lot of places I visit, but it is absolutely stunning here. And I know I’m not visiting any of the big cities like Rome or Venice, but this suits my style much better. Tiny villages where you only have to turn a corner to be away from anything even resembling a crowd. Cobblestone streets just barely wide enough for two people to pass. Italian villas tucked into hillsides. Delicious food. Who needs the sun in a place as beautiful as this?

Italy 2018 209
Lake Como

Continue reading →

Italy 2018: Day 1

Laura Irwin

Car, plane, bus, train…. it was worth every minute of the 18 hours it took to get to this week’s vacation destination: Varenna, Italy. Seriously. I am typing this as I sit on the outdoor patio at Bar Il Molo overlooking gorgeous Lake Como and gorging feasting on my first authentic Italian pizza.

Italy 2018 006
Bar Il Molo, Varenna

Continue reading →

St. Louis 2018: Day 2

Laura Irwin

First item on the agenda this morning: breakfast at Rooster in downtown St. Louis. Given that one of its breakfasts was named by Food Network as the best breakfast in Missouri, it had to be on the list. The Finnish pancake I ordered was interesting… a custard pancake with jam and syrup. It’s probably not something I would order again, but it was good. Unfortunately, the restaurant had a pervasive smell of grease, and I realized after I left that every piece of clothing I was wearing smelled like bacon.

St. Louis 2018 091
Finnish Pancake at Rooster

Continue reading →

St. Louis 2018: Day 1

Laura Irwin

You’re probably wondering why I picked St. Louis for my latest weekend escape. I’ve been a huge gymnastics fan all my life, and for the past several years I’ve been following NCAA gymnastics pretty closely. When I found out that the 2018 SEC Gymnastics Championship was being held in St. Louis, it quickly got added to my “year of travel”. Plus, I’ve only ever passed through the St. Louis airport, so it was a good excuse to explore a new city. I wasn’t sure I was going to do any blogging this weekend because I didn’t think I’d have much to write about. As it turns out, St. Louis has some pretty amazing food. So if you’re hungry (or even if you’re not), prepare to salivate.

St. Louis 2018 033
Butterfly Garden at the St. Louis Zoo

Continue reading →

Turks and Caicos 2018: Day 0

Laura Irwin

So it’s off to Turks and Caicos this week. I wish I could say it was a quick, easy trip, but that wasn’t in the cards. Yesterday morning, I learned my flight from Boston to Charlotte for this morning was canceled. Had I acted quickly (and decisively), I could have taken a direct flight to Miami and then on to Turks later tonight. Instead, I called hoping to get out to Charlotte last night and by the time I found out I couldn’t, all the seats on the Miami flight were gone. So I ended up making a white-knuckle drive to the airport in the snow first thing this morning to catch a (delayed) flight to LaGuardia, followed by another (delayed) flight to Miami, and eventually a final (on time) flight to Providenciales. I had a first class seat the whole way, so food and drinks certainly helped. But 12 hours in airports and on planes is still 12 hours.

PSX_20180218_191225
Flying into LaGuardia over Lower Manhattan

Continue reading →

Washington, D.C. 2018: Day 3

Laura Irwin
Washington, D.C. 2018 127
Ted’s Bulletin

Homemade Pop-Tarts. I’ll just leave that there for a minute. If you’re wondering why I’m bringing it up, well… I may have indulged in one with my breakfast this morning. Ted’s Bulletin is basically a D.C. area institution. Picture an old-timey, throwback diner-ish place tucked into a nondescript block of Capitol Hill and you’ll have Ted’s (they also have a couple of other locations). The back dining room even has a large screen showing old black and white movies! Well-known for these delectable treats, Ted’s also serves down home comfort food. In addition to a blueberry cheesecake Pop-Tart, I also had the biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs and hash browns. So good, this place deserves two photos in today’s blog post!

Continue reading →

Washington, D.C. 2018: Day 2

Laura Irwin

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I was a trouper today. I’m proud to say the cold and miles and miles of walking (I walked about 6 miles today) didn’t keep me from tackling the city head-on. I thought I might just take my time and eat breakfast at the hotel restaurant, but I woke up with a new resolve to be a cold-weather person for the day. It was 15 degrees when I set out from the hotel for the ¾ mile walk to Founding Farmers. Their latest claim to fame is boasting the most Yelp reviews in D.C. And deservedly so… I had a French toast that was basically like a deep fried Twinkie. I kid you not, they literally pipe the custard inside the bread. I know, I couldn’t believe it either. I was simultaneously thinking, “this is amazing” and “how did they come up with this?” the entire meal.  Anyway, I obviously had a lot to burn off after that feast (which I couldn’t even finish).

Continue reading →