Tradition

This past Thanksgiving was the third year in a row that my aunt, uncle and cousin were able to come out for the weekend. We officially named it it a tradition. It was filled with so much food and cocktail fun and the memories will last a lifetime. This year my cousin's new husband and my other uncle joined us in the festivities. It's so fun to see the family growing and it's wonderful to know that others want to join in the fun and spend time with us. Since we all live around the country, it's difficult sometimes to make arrangements and see each other; but boy, is it worth it when we do.

As we've done the passed three years we went to Twin Anchors. Home, to what we believe, has the best ribs around!!! The place opens at 5pm each weeknight, and unless you are there by 4:30pm, you will be waiting for a taste of the almighty ribs...trust me, it's definitely worth the wait. It's also in one of me and my husbands favorite Chicago neighborhood, Old Town. The homes are adorable and the town has a great environment with Zanies and Second City adding to its flavor.

Before heading to Twin Anchors, it has now become our tradition to go to Ditka's in Chicago for a Bloody Mike and some appetizers first. Even if you do not like Bloody Mary's, I am pretty confident that you will like a Bloody Mike. We've changed over three folks who claimed they weren't a fan, but definitely enjoy it from Ditka's. 

East Coast Road Trip - Boston

After our night in Connecticut, we drove down to Boston where we stayed for three nights and four days. I loved it there and would love to go back repeatedly. Kevin has an aunt, uncle and some cousins who live there, so I'm pretty certain we'll be back soon. 

I love searching and researching places to stay, things to do, restaurants to eat at, and hotels/motels/bed and breakfasts. For trips like this where I know we plan to walk a lot and get out to explore, I refuse to spend a lot on lavish hotels. I also love the quaintness of a sweet bed and breakfast. I found us a room at Oasis Guest House which worked out perfectly. It was just around the corner Berkeley College of Music, super close to the T (which is their train system), and about a mile away from Fenway Park. 

I'm also a huge fan of asking the locals what to do, where to eat, etc. The guy working the front desk at our B & B suggested Trident Bookseller and Cafe. So cute and very good! 

Kevin is a huge fan of beer! He loves drinking it, making it, trying new kinds, learning more about it, and going to any brewery we come across. We knew Sam Adams was in Boston which we had intended to try. But, while at the wedding in Philadelphia, someone suggested we go to Harpoon which had free tastings in the afternoons. We were sold and had a blast...and the beer was delicious too!! Can you tell I loved Boston?

 

East Coast Road Trip - NJ

After the wedding near Philadelphia, Kevin and I made our way to Westfield, New Jersey where father was born and raised. My grandmother still lived there at the time along with a few aunts, uncles and cousins. Unfortunately, we only had a few hours to stop and say hi since we had to make it up to Connecticut by nighttime. It was still great to see family, but man, we were stuffed by the time we left town. We first had to stop at Vaccaro's Bakery and pick up some crumb buns. If you've never tried one, it's a must!! They are heaven! We brought these to brunch at my aunt and uncles house where they had Taylor Ham!!! Kevin was in heaven. I've learned that this is a NJ delicacy. After brunch we stopped over to see my grandma and other uncle who took us to lunch!!! Kevin's godmother just so happens to also live in the same town so after lunch, we stopped by to see her along with her husband and she had pie for us. Needless to say we were stuffed and ready for our hours of driving up to Connecticut where we stayed at Kevin's grandfather's house for the night and saw a few of this aunts and uncle's. 

 

East Coast Road Trip - Philadelphia

While we didn't have a lot of time to see the sights while in the Philadelphia suburbs for a wedding, we did manage to sneak away for a few hours to check out the city. I fell in love immediately and would love to go back and stay in Philadelphia for a long weekend. The weather was great and we walked quite a bit; the homes were quaint and you could tell they had been around for a long, long time. We tried to see the Liberty Bell, but didn't realize that it was enclosed and we would have had to wait in quite a long line to see it. So, that'll be on the list for next time.

I'm a foodie and of course had found a restaurant online prior to arriving in Philadelphia that we had to have lunch at. It was delicious! It's name is Garces Trading Company. It is an elegant yet casual (if that makes sense) environment that has a tasty menu, wine, and charcuterie. If and when we ever go back, I definitely want to stop in for another delicious meal.

East Coast Road Trip

Last fall my husband (fiance at the time) was invited and accepted the offer to stand up in a wedding which was taking place just outside of Philadelphia. While we were heading out that way anyway, we might as well make a longer trip out of it. I have family in New Jersey, and Kevin (my husband) has family and friends there as well along with New York, Connecticut and Boston. So, we fit in as much driving as we could, packed the car with our luggage and some goodies to much on and headed out east. I love road trips. I love the ability to stop and go as you please, not having to wait in long security lines only to arrive at an airport gate two hours early and probably wait for a delayed flight. With road trips, you are free to go where you want and when you want. Plus, there are so many great sites to stop and see along the way. 

The first leg of our trip was to reach Kind of Prussia, PA which is just about 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia. We got there just in time for Kevin to head out with the guys for his friends Bachelor party. They were going camping for the night, so I had the hotel and night to myself. I checked out the very large mall near by; nothing fancy and it had all the stores I'm familiar with at home. I then went to Wegmans Grocery store which I could have stayed in for hours. I love grocery shopping and get excited to find new grocery stores to wander through. But, this place was amazing. It had tons and tons of already, pre-made dinners that were home made - not processed. They had a sub shop, a sushi spot, an entire restaurant, and much more. Needless to say this is where I had found my dinner, which I took back to the hotel and got in my comfy's and settled in with a movie. Pretty great night if you ask me. :)