We visited Kentucky this past weekend and realized we couldn’t visit the state without a visit to Louisville and the Brown Hotel. It just had to be done. Last year for our anniversary we made Hot Browns, which is a dish the Brown Hotel is famous for and ever since then it has been a dream of ours to visit Louisville and try the original for ourselves.

The Brown Hotel, which is conveniently located in the heart of Louisville, is a gorgeous luxury hotel that originated in the 1920s. During that time people flocked to the hotel each evening for its dinner dance and would stay dancing well into the night. Because of this Chef Fred Schmidt decided to create a dish that wasn’t quite breakfast or dinner but a happy mix of both, and thus created the Hot Brown, an open-face turkey sandwich covered with bacon, tomatoes and smothered in a delicious mornay sauce. Just writing about it now is making me hungry!

This isn’t your ordinary turkey sandwich so don’t be fooled. You can get it at the J. Grahams Cafe at the Brown Hotel for a very reasonable price. I can’t tell you how perfect of a lunch this was. I ate up every bite and even finished my sister-in-laws! Please don’t make a trip to Louisville without tasting this bite of history. Watch out for copy cat Hot Browns at restaurants throughout the city- if you want the original you must visit the Brown Hotel.

And who could forget about dessert? I was told on the plane that I couldn’t leave Kentucky without trying derby pie- I mean the name itself screams Kentucky, so I was delighted to see the Brown Hotel have it on the menu. Wikipedia describes derby pie as a chocolate and pecan tart, but I would describe it as a combination pecan pie with chocolate and a warm half baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. Clearly it’s indescribable and really just something you will have to experience for yourself!

The hotel was beautiful and the food and atmosphere perfect. We can’t wait for our next visit!

I know what you must be thinking- Isn’t this a travel blog? Doesn’t she normally sit here and try to convince and persuade me to travel even if I don’t have any money or time?

Yes- it’s true, I’ve crossed over to the dark side. Ok not really. I am still a huge travel advocate and would love to see more people venturing out and telling me about their trips so I can be oh so deliciously jealous of their adventures, but there are a few reasons you may want to rethink your travel plans.

Reason #1: If you are disgustingly sick or contagious. Sitting on a plane, I want to be thinking about my destination or recounting the fabulous time I just had visiting my best friend in Southern California. I don’t want to be sitting there paranoid about what kind of germs or diseases I am catching from the guy sitting next to me coughing in my face and blowing snot (or whatever else) constantly. I know there are times where this cannot be avoided but if you are knowingly sick and contagious- do all of us a favor and just opt out of traveling. I think airlines should consider a deathly contagious re-book policy.

Reason #2: You are going to complain about everything. Why spend so much money and time if you are not going to enjoy your vacation? Yes TSA goes overboard sometimes and it can make you grumble (oops I have been known to do that), and yes the overhead bin was crowded and you had a middle seat in between two bigger guys on a red-eye to JFK, or yes gas has gone up ridiculously for the holiday weekend, but who cares! You are getting out and exploring and doing something fun! Don’t focus on the little things that go wrong, focus on your experience and who you are with and making memories. And if you can’t- you probably should just stay home and not ruin everyone else’s time.

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Laguna Beach is a gorgeous seaside town located in Orange County, Southern California. A few weeks ago it was also the setting of a girls night out with just my best friend and I. If you are a guy and feeling a little left out, don’t stop reading. Laguna Beach is a great town that has a lot to offer both sexes and you just might get a few ideas for a romantic getaway.

Right after my friend picked me up from John Wayne Airport we drove the twenty or so minutes to Laguna Beach. All I wanted to do was put my feet in the warm sand and explore the tide pools. Unfortunately it was completely overcast and high tide so I wasn’t really able to enjoy either of those things. We spent the afternoon walking along the coast next to the Montage Resort and just enjoyed talking and catching up. The water was a beautiful shade of blue, and even though the weather was overcast it was calm and peaceful.

While we could have spent all night on the beach gabbing we had to jet to our dinner reservations at the fantastic restaurant the Sapphire Laguna. It’s a romantic restaurant located in the northern part of Laguna Beach, and while we weren’t going for the romantic feel it was also a great setting for friendly conversation and laughs. Did I mention the food is to die for?

I had the pan seared beef tenderloin with lobster ravioli and had the Japanese sweet tomato salad to start. It was amazing. The beef tenderloin was juicy and tender and the lobster ravioli was the perfect pairing. Whatever you do don’t forget dessert and don’t even look at the menu, just ask for the Australian passion fruit pavlova. I promise you, even if you just ate your mom’s good home cooking and are in the area, stop in for this treat! I know I will be making a return trip and that will be my highlight!

You know that song, A foggy day in London town.  Had me low, had me down?

Well that song has a whole new meaning after having spent a few days in London.  It was certainly foggy, and rainy, but that didn’t stop us from seeing everything we wanted to. Most of the reason we were able to is because we bought tickets for a hop-on, hop-off bus tour.  This allowed us to see the city without getting soaked (we even got free ponchos!), but we also got to explore different areas or buildings, as we wanted.

There are two bus tour companies in London.  The Original Bus Tour and the Big Red Bus Tour.  We used the second company mentioned…for no particular reason.  They are quite comparable in price and value.  The Original Bus Tour may have nicer buses, but I can’t be sure since we didn’t actually ride in one.

The Big Red Bus tour covers all the major landmarks like Big Ben, London Bridge, and Buckingham palace.  There are more than 70 stops…but we didn’t get off at each one.  There are two bus routes, one with a pre-recorded tour offered in 8 languages and the other buses have an English-speaking tour guide. 

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Of the 58 National Parks in the U.S., many go unnoticed. Sure, everyone has been to Yellowstone and probably a few other parks throughout the country, but I’d bet not many of us have been to more than a handful.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Mesa Verde National Park and boy was I surprised. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but after I did some research, I realized, “Oh, that’s where those Navajo cliff dwellings are.”

I’m sure most everyone has seen pictures of the famous Cliff Palace or other ruins in history class, but until you see it up close you don’t realize how impressive these structures really are. Another surprise is that there are over 600 cliff dwellings in the park as well – some which appear nearly impossible to reach, let alone build.
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