Niagara Falls, Canada

On an overcast Thursday afternoon, Zhanna and I made the trek out to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. The lines at the border were a breeze, and the subsequent drive was peaceful and serene. I've been to the Western side of Canada a few times and every time I enter the lovely country, I'm reminded of the beauty it encompasses. This time was no different than the others. As Zhanna and I followed the signs to the falls, we finally began to see a body of water to the right of the road. The river was calm, and I didn't think much of it until the river seemed to get choppier. Then all of a sudden, BAM! The falls seemed to appear out of nowhere! Niagara Falls is hands down one of THE most majestic, beautiful sights I've laid my eyes on. I think I might have even smacked Zhanna's arm out of excitement when I first saw it. Sorry, Zhanna! ;-)

Lucky's Cafe: Cleveland

Prior to flying in to Cleveland where Zhanna is from, she was raving to me about a cafe that she wanted to take me to for brunch as soon as I landed. So on a Thursday morning at 11am, Zhanna and I visited Lucky's Cafe in the historic Tremont neighborhood. Tremont is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Cleveland and is home to several historic churches built in the 1800's-early 1900's. 

Cool fact: Lucky's Diner was featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives!

Papa mocha and a latte.

House-Made Granola: Rolled spelt, flax seeds, rolled oats, wheat germ, sesame seeds and dried fruit served with plain yogurt, fresh fruit and honey.

Lucky's Cafe is located at 777 Starkweather Ave. in Cleveland, OH.

LagerHaus 95: Buffalo, NY

If you happen to find yourself in the West side of New York in Buffalo, a LagerHaus 95 detour is a must. This gastropub definitely hit the spot for Zhanna and me during our drive to Niagara Falls. 

Honey BBQ Tiger Shrimp: Chargrilled tiger shrimp with honey BBQ glaze and pickled apple slaw.

Beef and brie sandwich: Haus roasted top round with mixed greens, apple and red onion slaw, triple cream brie and horseradish mayonnaise pressed on brioche. Why haven't I ever thought of pairing beef with brie cheese?!

LagerHaus 95 is located at 95 Perry St. in Buffalo, NY.

Mariebelle Fine Chocolates: New York City

Seeing as how we had less than a week to explore New York City, Zhanna and I crammed a million to-do's in our schedule. One place we both really wish we could have spent more time in was SoHo. This artsy neighborhood in Lower Manhattan is filled with tons of trendy boutiques, architecture, restaurants and.....chocolate shops! I knew I couldn't come back to California without chocolate, so on a Sunday afternoon in SoHo, we tracked down one of the cutest chocolate shops I've ever been to - Mariebelle Fine Chocolates. The shop was so whimsical and colorful, I felt like I had stepped into a scene from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Mariebelle carries everything from gourmet chocolates to gelato to hot chocolate. After spending a good twenty minutes walking around aimlessly, I ended up purchasing the best caramel & sea salt milk chocolate I've ever tried and a few other chocolates, including one with peanut butter and another with a passion fruit filling.

Mariebelle Fine Chocolates is located 484 Broome St. in New York, NY.

TLC's Cake Boss Cafe: New York City

Am I the only one who likes watching cooking shows on the Food Network and TLC while I'm running on the treadmill at the gym? There's something about Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Cupcake Wars that really gets me through 40 minutes of cardio. No? Ok, maybe it's just me...

Anyway, during one of the sunnier days in NYC, Zhanna and I were making our way through Times Square looking for a latte, when we spotted the Cake Boss Cafe. I ran in and picked up a coffee and biscotti for breakfast. After speaking to one of the store associates, I learned that the original restaurant that is featured on the TLC reality show is called Carlo's Bakery, and it is located in Hoboken, New Jersey. This particular Cake Boss expansion in NYC just recently opened about one month ago in the beginning of May. 

Cake Boss Cafe is located at 625 8th Ave. in New York, NY.

Lombardi's Pizza: New York City

One of the items on my NYC bucketlist was "eat pizza." Really simple, right? Well apparently when you do a Google search on "best pizza in NYC," there are tons of listings. However, one pizza joint that seemed to be a recurring one on the lists was Lombardi's Pizza. This particular restaurant is actually considered to be America's First Pizzeria. Pretty cool, huh? Lombardi's embodied the typical New York hustle and bustle, as the servers hurried around to take orders and carry out pizzas. All I know is, I checked off another item on my bucket list after Lombardi's, and I got to do it on a satisfied stomach!

The walls were decked out with various awards, photos and autographs from celebs and athletes.

The menu was pretty simple - the pizzas all start out as Margherita pizzas with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and basil. Then, you choose your toppings from their options!

We went with wild mushrooms and sweet Italian sausage.

One of the best pizzas I've ever had!

Lombardi's is located at 32 Spring St. in New York, NY.

New York City [preview]

I'm super excited to dedicate this week's blog posts to my trip to New York City. My [awesome] friend Zhanna and I got to spend four amazing days in Manhattan and do all of the typical touristy things like watch a Broadway show (Phantom of the Opera), take a cruise around Manhattan and see the Statue of Liberty, visit the World Trade Center site, shop on Fifth Avenue (home to the largest Zara in the U.S.), bike in Central Park (my favorite part), hang out in Times Square (where we spotted Tom Hanks) and of course, EAT!!! We did not leave the city until we had a hot dog, pizza and a bagel. Luckily, we were able to stay in the lovely neighborhood of Noho, close to pretty much everything. By the end of our trip, we almost had the subway system down, which I consider to be an accomplishment considering I live in California and we pretty much drive our cars everywhere!

So, without further ado, please enjoy the upcoming posts dedicated to New York City!

Skagit Tulip Festival (Mt. Vernon, WA)

I'm a little late on posting this but thought I'd share anyway. It was a few years back when I first heard about the Tulip Festival in Mt. Vernon, Washington (one hour north of Seattle). Those who know me really well know that I LOVE tulips. There's something about them that really just shouts "SPRING!!!" It wasn't until this year that I finally flew over to Seattle to attend the lovely Tulip Festival in Mt. Vernon. Crazy thing is that I've been to Seattle at least ten times in the past three years, but my trips never fell on dates in April, and unfortunately, the Tulip Festival only runs through through the month of April. At the end of the month, the tulips are cut and distributed. Anyway, here you go.....tulips galore!