Wanderlust – Page 12 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Personal November 4, 2013

Whirlwind Trip to NYC

I love, love, love New York City. It has so much energy. I adore walking around all day long, eating far too much (delicious) food, acting like a total tourist with my big Nikon DSLR, getting excited about things I’ve now seen numerous times, like Central Park and the Empire State Building. I spent a very brief 36-ish hours in NYC this weekend with a good friend of mine – play-by-play itinerary below. What are your favorite things to do in the city? We’re thinking about making this an annual trip, so I welcome suggestions!

Friday

Landed around 2:30 and took an Uber cab to the Ace Hotel
Walked to Eataly and roamed around, then went to nearby Mangia for a quick salad
Walked to the observatory level of the Empire State Building (totally worth doing once)
Returned to the hotel and drank at their very hipster bar
Walked to Almond for an early pre-show dinner (I highly recommend this Flatiron spot)
Cabbed to the Al Hirschfield Theater for Kinky Boots (a must see)
Walked through Times Square and then back to the hotel
Step count: 7.5 miles

Saturday

Breakfast at Pastis (we ran into one of my best friends and her boyfriend while walking, so they joined us!)
Sat awkwardly at Pastis while they filmed a movie right beside our table for 30 minutes
Popped into Kate Spade Saturday’s Pop Up Shop
Got a drink at Revel Garden Bar (gorgeous, gorgeous spot)
Strolled through Chelsea Market enjoying the aromas and sample sales!
Walked along the High Line
Left the Meat Packing district and walked to the Gramery Park Hotel bar
Walked to Barbounia for lunch – amazing hummus and falafel and the busiest restaurant I’ve ever been to
Returned to the hotel to freshen up and drop shopping bags, then cabbed it to Barneys (sigh)
Stolled through Central Park as the sun was setting
Went to Kate Spade Madison Avenue – I want it all
Walked to Bloomingdales and spent ages lusting at Equipment blouses
Took a taxi to Market Table, which is a perfect West Village restaurant (try the Brussels sprouts!)
Crossed the street for some froyo at 16 Handles
Walked back to the hotel for an early-ish bed (due to a 5am wakeup)
Step count: 12.5 miles

Kate Spade Madison Avenue changing rooms… I need this wallpaper!

Invitations October 29, 2013

Rustic NY Wedding & Invites

I’m heading to NYC this weekend with a girlfriend of mine, and when I stumbled upon these NY invitations on Oh So Beautiful Paper, I totally swooned. I love the save-the-date so much. The handpainting adds such a unique touch. The venue for this wedding is equally cool.

I decided to do more investigation into the venue via Style Me Pretty – it’s very rustic, and I love it.

City Guide October 25, 2013

Austin Travel Guide

View of downtown Austin

View from Mount Bonnell

Darrel K. Royal Stadium at The University of Texas at Austin

G’Raj Mahal on Rainey Street (delicious)

Amazing coffee (love the on “The Drag”)

My favorite independent book store

Hamilton Pool

Sixth Street

Austin City Limits

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I’m in Austin today for a UT Recruiting event, and as we have a little downtime (the first I’ve had ALL week), I thought I’d share some wonderful Austin guides:

Entouriste: A Local’s Guide to Austin
TripAdvisor: SoCo, Austin’s Strip of Wonderful
Design*Sponge: Austin Design Guide
Fodors: Austin Travel Guide

sources linked via image

Food October 14, 2013

Urban Harvest Farmer’s Market

On Satuday, I headed to the Urban Harvest Farmer’s Market (Eastside location) – something I’ve been meaning to do for ages and had never gotten around to. One thing’s for sure – I’ve been missing out. Enticing aromas welcome you when walking towards the long two rows of tents selling everything from brightly colored vegetables to fresh flowers, organic beef and vegan treats. I went with Sasha’s aunt, Zlata, who enjoys markets as much as I do. We left with a full (recyclable, of course) bag, stuffed with basil, portobello mushrooms, peppers, flowers (top left picture), limes, and last (but definitely not least) vegan pumpkin pie! I was giddy with excitement when I saw Sinfull Bakery‘s stand (my favorite), as I’ve been trying various vegan pumpkin recipes to little success, and wanted something tried-and-proven on that particular morning. Sasha scarfed it down when we got home and gave it two-thumbs up, which means a lot coming from a carnivore who eats eggs but doesn’t like desserts.

My favorite stands were:

Sinfull Bakery – as mentioned above, the vegan treats (and samples) are so tasty
Pat Greer’s Kitchen – I was handed a vegan sauteed veggie taster and it was heaven-in-my-mouth (need to head to her restaurant!)
Billabong Fresh Flower Farm – where I got my gorgeous flower arrangement
Utility Research Garden – the juiciest limes I’ve ever tasted
Shade/Canopy – I love the restaurants, so naturally loved the booth
Knopp Branch Farm – some of the best portobello mushrooms we’ve ever eaten
Revival Market – a little sneak peek before I headed there for lunch with friends on Saturday

My love for farmer’s markets dates back to my time in Austin at The University of Texas – I wrote an article for the UT newspaper, which was linked to here.

Have you been to your local farmer’s market?

City Guide October 10, 2013

Houston Weekend Travel Guide

It is no secret that I love Houston. After moving back to the city from Austin, where I went to college, I became an adventurer of my own habitat. I wanted to try every restaurant, see every sight, walk on all the trails, etc. I also love to travel to new cities in the US, and in the last 2 years covered San Francisco (6 times), Los Angeles, Boston (3 times), Miami, Portland, Minneapolis, New York, Denver, Durango, Dallas, Austin, Chicago (2 times), Oklahoma City, Las Vegas, Bozeman (Montana), and Washington DC. I would always have a fully packed agenda for all of these places, which included food, event, and sightseeing recommendations. I thought it would be fun to create my own Houston weekend guide (Friday evening through Sunday night)! Hopefully you find this list useful.

Friday Evening

Take pictures at the Waterwall Park (Galleria)
Enjoy happy hour at Anvil (Montrose) – try the French 75! or go to Bar Boheme for a more relaxed vibe
If you go to Anvil, walk across the street and take a picture outside of Biscuit Home (#biscuitartwall on Instagram) and check out their gorgeous, slightly eclectic selection of home goods
Eat at Indika (Montrose) if you like Indian food or head to Benjy’s (Rice Military and Rice Village) if you prefer modern American cuisine
Head to Sprinkles for a cupcake or to Pinkberry (both River Oaks) for some frozen yogurt
Drive down Westheimer to Underbelly or Hay Merchant (both Montrose)

Saturday

Eat breakfast at Common Bond Bakery (Montrose), Empire Cafe (Montrose), Adair Kitchen (Galleria) or Buffallo Grille (Memorial)
Shop at the cool antique stores on Westheimer in Montrose next to Empire Cafe and Agora or Texas Junk Co. (Montrose)
If antiques aren’t for you, go to the Urban Harvest Farmers Market (Upper Kirby)
Drive to the Menil Collection (Montrose) – enjoy the museum and the gorgeous trees outside
Walk to Rothko Chapel
Enjoy coffee at Catalina Coffee (Fourth Ward)
Take pictures in front of the We Love Houston sign (Heights)
Stroll down the historic 19th street (Heights) for antique shopping (if you didn’t in the morning)
Eat lunch at Shade, Revival Market, Rainbow Lodge, or Cedar Creek (all nearby in the Heights)
Make your way to West End Bikes (Rice Military) and rent bikes
Ride along the Buffalo Bayou Trails (Rice Military, Montrose) – see my post here
Cycle by the Beer Can House (Rice Military) and the Blue Trees (off Memorial and Allen Parkway on Waugh)
Return bikes and rest/change for dinner or caffeinate at Antidote Coffee
Head to Discovery Green (Downtown) and walk around the park, then head at The Grove or drive to Sparrow (Midtown)
Enjoy post-dinner drinks at Mongoose vs. Cobra (Midtown)

Sunday

Enjoy brunch at Canopy or Hugo’s (both Montrose)
Drive to Memorial Hermann Park and take the train ride or ride a pedal boat – make sure you take pictures in front of the gorgeous Mary Gibbs and Jesse H. Jones Reflection Pool (Rice/Musuem District)
Head to Black Hole Coffee (Montrose/Rice) if you want caffeine or Lucille’s (Museum District) if you want a Bloody Mary
Eat lunch at Tiny Boxwood’s (River Oaks) or Local Foods (Rice Village)
Walk around Rice Village and window shop (or go in!)
Drive to Station: Museum of Contemporary Art (Midtown) if you enjoy artsy things (free on Sunday) or go to Dogwood (Midtown) if you want to watch sports
Eat dinner at Pondicheri (Upper Kirby) – request nicely to have some of the curried popcorn from the bar, or go to Coppa (Rice Military) if you’re in the mood for delicious Italian food, or eat at Roost (Montrose) if you want a smaller, more intimate setting – last, but not least, try Ruggles Green (Upper Kirby) for healthy, organic food
End the weekend by driving to Rice University campus at walking by the illuminated James Turrell Skyspace

Voilà. There you have it – some suggestions for a “perfect weekend in Houston.” There are, of course, tons and tons more fun things to do in this city, but I had to narrow it down. Some additional items include:

Visit the Bayou Bend Collection

Go to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Run at Memorial Park

Do a Segway Tour of Downtown

Visit the Saint Arnold’s Brewery

Take a cruise down the Bayou on a canoe or kayak

Go and experience Houston’s Theater scene

Laugh out loud at ComedySportz

Take a tour of Houston’s underground tunnel system downtown

I am always open to suggestions and also would love to help you plan a personalized trip if you’re coming to visit the Bayou City. Please email me!

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