Road Trip Revisited!- Day 1 Zion National Park

Last summer, JO and I went on a west coast trip that included visits to the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Park. Visiting Yosemite was a revelation for me. It was the first time that I truly enjoyed spending time in "nature." Then, in the fall Ken Burns' documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea aired. That's all it took... I was completely hooked and was determined to go on a National Parks trip this summer. Our first plan had us going to Wyoming to visit Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. Then we realized that if we went to Utah and Colorado we could probably visit up to five or six National Parks in one trip.

Our itinerary had us visiting five National Parks in five days- Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Arches National Park, and Mesa Verde National Park. Plus we would have time left over to visit some ski resorts in Colorado for some rest and relaxation after visiting the parks. I found this great travel guide at the Globe Bookstore in Harvard Square that covered all of the Utah parks. This proved to be a very valuable resource, both before the trip and during it.

Since each day of our trip was so amazing I'm going to blog about them in separate posts because each day seemed like a different vacation on it's own.

We flew into Vegas on the 9th arriving around 11:00 p.m. We wanted to get to bed as soon as possible since traveling into Utah would cause us to lose an hour, and Zion was about three hours away. I'm proud to say that I didn't gamble at all during our very brief visit to Vegas. I tried to play a quarter slot machine but it only took dollars and there wasn't any time for me to dig out a dollar from my wallet.

Last year we drove through the Nevada desert on our way to California and I hated it. It felt so isolating and empty. Our drive to Utah was much better. There was still a barren landscape but every so often we would drive through a gorge or pass a neat resort like this one so it didn't feel so empty.

We arrived in Springdale, Utah just outside of Zion around 12:30. By this time it was probably close to 100 degrees but not humid at all so it was manageable. We parked in Springdale and took the free shuttle to the park entrance. This park is wonderfully organized and the free shuttle is super. One line takes you through the town, and another takes you through the entire park. In fact, during the summer no cars are allowed on the main road in the park. This creates a very peaceful environment. They don't sell water bottles in the park since they have a fresh spring in the park which allows them to provide free drinking water at most of the shuttle stops. This was really useful since we were drinking a lot of water! The first thing we did was to go to the Visitor Center so I could get my National Park Passport and get it stamped.



Even though it was really hot we were able to do pretty much everything on our list for this park including Court of the Patriarchs, Weeping Rock, Emerald Pool Trail, and Riverside Walk. The great thing about this park is that you are constantly surrounded by the huge canyon walls. They are absolutely gorgeous and a rock climber's dream. Other than Yosemite this is the most popular park with rock climbers because of the sheer height of the walls.

The Emerald Pool was very fun because the small stream pouring off the edge of the rock provided visitors with a cool "shower" whenever the wind blew.



The Court of the Patriarchs are three large canyon walls. It was fun to try to fit them into my camera lens all at once.


The Weeping Rock was neat because of the flowers and greenery it provides the desert environment.


The Riverside walk was beautiful. This is where the river cuts it's way through the canyons. As it progresses it gets more and more narrow. The path takes you to "The Narrows" where you can continue by walking down the river. I wish we had done this but the clouds were getting gray and there is a big risk for flash floods in this part of the park. We'll have to go back to do that!


On our way back to the shuttle we saw a mule deer in the tall grass.



Zion National Park was a great way to start our adventure. It was beautiful and well organized and the exit is just as impressive, if not more, than the park itself. To exit the park on the east side you need to drive on Mt. Carmel highway. For the entire day we had been on the canyon floor looking up at the massive rock walls but now we were driving up the canyons. It was pretty unreal (a word I will use for most of what we saw on this trip since pretty much everything we saw seems unreal!) A really fun part of the highway is the Carmel Tunnel where you actually drive through one of the canyon walls.






It was hard to leave the park but we had to since our hotel was about an hour away and we had to get ready for Bryce Canyon the next day. As we drove away from the park we were amazed at the rock and mesa formations that we were surrounded by. For instance, we saw this rock mesa and were sure it was something special... turns out it was just a mesa!

Top 5 Things to do in Harvard Square

It's pretty darn hot here in Cambridge. Yesterday the heat index was around 105 degrees. Today it was in the 90s and tomorrow doesn't look any better.

As a result, I've been basically held hostage by Mother Nature in our bedroom due to the fact that the ac in there is better than in the living room. Except for a few hours, I've been in this room since 10:00 p.m. Monday night. I've watched a lot of House Hunters, Food Network, and World Cup Soccer. The upside is that I've also completely cleaned out my closet and drawers. The downside is that I am totally going stir crazy. I'm bored out of my mind! So I decided to put together a Top 5 list for Harvard Square.

Top 5 Things to do in Harvard Square
1. Start your morning in the Square with a cup of coffee, or tea if that's your preference. The Square offers many choices for coffee and tea. From more traditional choices like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts to cafes like Algiers Coffee House, Sweet, Crema Cafe, Tealuxe, and Peet's Coffee, there's a cup of coffee for anyone. Grab your coffee to go and find a relaxing place to take in the Square. Great locations include Harvard Yard and JFK park just behind the Charles Hotel.

2. Do a little shopping. Be sure to check out the Harvard Coop bookstore, Black Ink, the Brattle Street Flower Shop, Bob's Stationary, Urban Outfitters, and the stores in the Garage.

3. If it's a nice day out grab lunch at any number of restaurants featuring outdoor dining. I would suggest Small Plates for a quite meal or Border Cafe for a more energetic experience.

4. Watch a movie at the Brattle Theater, Harvard Square's independent movie house. You never know what might be playing here. A Muppets movie, a classic film noir, a recent classic, a cult classic, etc. You'll love the vintage feeling of the small theater with it's red curtain, balcony seating (but avoid sitting up there in the winter...you'll melt), and neon clock.

5. After the movie head over to Charlie's Kitchen for a drink before finding a place for dinner. I would suggest Daedalus for it's roof deck and perfect food, Trata for it's big, open windows, Small Plates for tapas if you didn't already go there for dinner, or Red Line for a more traditional Harvard Square bar feel. After dinner head over to Legal Seafood's outdoor bar in front of the Charles Hotel to enjoy the rest of your evening.

Fun Weekend Festivities

I love long weekends. They are even fun in the summer because that means my non-teaching friends are around for an extra day.

This weekend was full of birthday celebrations, couch shopping, Harvard Square, and the fireworks! We hit up The Bell In Hand Tavern for a good friend's birthday Friday night. The people watching in Faneuil Hall is always fun but it was certainly bumped up a notch Friday night due to the Lady Gaga concert.

Saturday was a gorgeous, summer day. It was a bit warm but not humid at all. We headed into the Square to settle up our March Madness bet. We had to wait for a gorgeous day to enjoy the large floor to ceiling windows at Sandrine's Bistro. Sandrine's is a French Bistro style restaurant in the Square. I had the snails as an appetizer and they were all smothered in butter, garlic, and parsley... just the way I like them! The large windows are a great feature of this restaurant. It takes a great "winter" restaurant and transforms it into a "summer" treat.



Sunday was all about the fireworks. We met up with friends at Tavern In the Square for dinner before walking down to Memorial Drive to see the fireworks. I love that we can walk from our apartment to the fireworks. Dealing with the T and that many people isn't my idea of fun. The fireworks were great and being with such great friends just reminded me how lucky I am!

Now I'm currently holed up in my bedroom in an effort to not melt in the ridiculous heat and humidity! I hate weather like this because I get trapped in my apartment and can't take advantage of the city!

Even Lady Gaga Loves Inman

Check out this story.

Apparently last night Lady Gaga was living it up at Bukowski's Tavern right across the street from my apartment.

Everyone loves Inman Square!!!!!!!!!!

Yoga at the Lily Pad

I've been doing my fair share of relaxing on this vacation, but I've also been trying to recommit myself to a healthy lifestyle by doing more exercising. I've been hitting up the gym and using the Couch to 5k app to make my time there more productive. I don't envision running a 5k but I do like the routine.

I've also been wanting to get back into yoga for a while now. The problem is my gym doesn't offer any classes and most of the classes around here are pretty expensive. I finally found an interesting option at the The Lily Pad in Inman Square. The Lily Pad is a small performance space in the heart of the square. There are always neat shows going on there and one of these days I will go to one. They also host an array of yoga classes throughout the week. I chose a teaching class because it was only $5. I looked up the style of yoga and it seemed to focus on lots of stretching and breathing.

I showed up to the class and one of the instructors offered to place my mat for me. Sounded good to me. I was sitting on my mat, waiting for the class to begin, when one of the instructors offered me a foam block. I looked around and most of the other participants had one so I figured I should take one. The class really filled up. I think there were about 20 of us in there and I started to get a little nervous. Most of the other people looked really experienced. They were doing stretches I have never seen before and it looked like Lucy and Athletica threw up in there. I felt a little bit better when the woman next to me asked me why she would need a foam block.

The instructors lit a bunch of candles and shut off the lights. I became very aware that there was no air conditioning in the room. The instructor started talking in a very calm, gentle voice. She talked about doing this for yourself, and letting your breathing take over. I felt very focused and relaxed and then all of a sudden she started using words and phrases that made no sense to me. This was definitely not a class for beginners.

I stretched and held poses for long periods of time and I'm pretty sure the tree and eagle stuff is going to prevent me from walking straight tomorrow. I tried to copy the people around me as best I could. I really started to panic because it was getting so hot in there I started to wonder if it was hot yoga and I just couldn't figure out how to go from a dishango push up to a downward dog without falling. I also was a bit freaked out by all of the heavy breathing. I've taken yoga classes before but this was crazy. It sounded like monks chanting. I started to wonder what my favorite author Jen Lancaster would do in this situation.

Then, magically the air conditioning and ceiling fans came on and I snapped out of my panic. Sure I still couldn't do most of the moves, but because it was a teaching class there were several instructors walking around giving help on alignment and reach. The main instructor also talked about owning the time for yourself. So often we don't think we have an hour but you know what? Almost always we do have that hour, we're just afraid of letting go. I totally fell into the tranquil music and forgot about my aching muscles although I'm sure I'll remember them in the morning. I thought about how great I would have felt all last year if I did something like this once a week.

Depending on how much pain I'm in tomorrow I might go back next week. If not, I'm going to find a class in the neighborhood that I could take. Just another bonus of living in Inman- local yoga!

Summer Days!

I have so much to write about after an amazing city weekend.

Friday
I spent Friday morning reading in the Square and doing a little shopping. I was back in the Square at night for dinner. Thanks to amazing timing by our good friends we got a roof deck table at Daedalus. It's hard to get a roof deck table at Daedalus at any time during the day, but for dinner on a Friday night it's pretty impossible... but there we were! As usual, the food and drinks were delicious and the company great.

After dinner we wanted to continue to enjoy the beautiful summer evening weather so we headed over to Legal Seafood's Outdoor Bar at The Charles Hotel. This is one of the real Harvard Square gems and luck was on our side again as we were able to get a four person table with no waiting.

Saturday
Saturday night we headed into Boston for a good friend's birthday. Unfortunately she had to cancel the event. Since we were already in the city we decided to hit up Alibi at the The Liberty Hotel. I have recently developed quite an obsession with this place.

Sunday
JO and I headed into Harvard Square with the specific goal of hitting up the Farmer's Market that is held at The Charles Hotel on Fridays and Sundays. As we walked pass Grafton Street we realized that the England vs. Germany game was on. We were a bit disappointed to be missing it. Since I had just bought an iced coffee we couldn't really eat anywhere so we walked over to the Farmer's Market. After checking out the delicious looking fruits and vegetables we realized that there was a crowd forming at the outdoor bar at Legal's. The bartenders were prepping the bar for the afternoon and were letting people watch the game on the flat screens. We grabbed a couple of seats at the bar. One side was English fans, the other side German fans. It was a lot of fun.

At the half we headed over to Tory Row to grab an early lunch and watch the second half. Oddly enough, Tory Row was full of German fans. It was a lot of fun to watch the game there and my salad with pickled shallot "pink" dressing was very yummy!

We left with just about ten minutes to go in the game so it was over by the time we got back to our apartment. Just as we arrived home a group of disgruntled English soccer fans started a mini melee across the street. Luckily this older woman took charge, clapped in their faces, and gave them a look!

We spent the rest of the day at Jordan's Furniture shopping for a new sectional. Back when we started this quest a month ago we didn't think this would be that difficult. Unfortunately, most furniture is super-sized. This poses a lot of problems for us since we have four large windows in our living room. Not only do we love the light, but if we block the windows how are we supposed to soak in the neighborhood. We actually spend a lot of time watching the goings on. From goat deliveries, to soccer fights, to people falling in the snow, a lot of fun stuff happens out there and we don't want to miss any of it. We've been so frustrated by our couch shopping we were getting real close to learning how to build our own couches! Luckily today's trip left us with some options so we won't be signing up for woodworking classes anytime soon :-)

New Camera and Casa de Portugal

I just got a new camera in anticipation of our amazing road trip through the National Parks of Utah and Colorado. I tested out the camera on my morning walk to Harvard Square. So far summer vacation has included a lot of Harvard Square, watching soccer, going to the gym, and relaxing!
I couldn't help but take a picture of these. Blue is my favorite color!


This was my old reading spot. I'm really hoping the chairs and tables come back!

My current reading spot. A bit to loud for my liking but it will have to do.
I might try this spot tomorrow...but I don't love it being on the grass.... to much potential for bugs :-)


I spent some quality time at The Coop today trying to figure out what I should put on my summer reading list!

Earlier this week JO and I tried Restaurant Casa Portugal, a neighborhood restaurant here in Inman. I've walked by this place a hundred times and I can't believe we just now tried it out. The best word to describe the food was clean, crisp flavors. I got the shrimp in butter and garlic and it was served with homemade potato chips and a rice pilaf. JO got a chicken and vegetables dish that was also quite scrumptious. Everything was very simple but beautifully cooked. I will definitely be headed back there. The atmosphere reminded me of a small restaurant in the North End and would be a perfect place for a celebratory dinner or night out with good friends. I'm definitely excited to add this place to our restaurant repertoire!