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By kilax, May 28, 2010 6:20 am

When traveling for pleasure, who do you prefer as your travel partner? Does it depend on the length of the trip and where you are going?

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A few people had their spouses with them this week for the work-training in DC. Of course, I thought about how Steven was with me when I came for work in September, and what a fun time we had. I still had fun this time without him, and actually struck up a lot of conversations with local people (something that is probably less likely to happen when you are with someone), but knew he would have enjoyed being in DC.

I think it’s very hard for me to find someone (that isn’t Steven or family) that I can travel with for a long duration of time, to a place far away, where we will be together the entire time. I traveled with a few classmates to various places around Europe when I lived in Rome and found myself constantly craving alone time. I like to be around people – but I need time to myself too! I did go to Denmark in college (after I returned from Rome) and had a great time with one other student – actually, the only female I’ve ever met and traveled with and not been annoyed with in the end. I could be upfront with her and tell her when I needed alone time, and she was cool with it.

Wow. I sound like a pleasure to travel with, don’t I?

Now, I like to travel with Steven, but don’t mind being alone, like in DC this week. I would love to try a trip with some girlfriends or a girlfriend (if I had some/one). And I wonder what it would be like to actually travel with my family. They came to visit me in Italy and I had a great time, but didn’t actually travel with them from start to finish (Steven did though!).

With Steven in Aruba, on our honeymoon.

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By kilax, May 24, 2010 8:44 pm

Look at what was in my Chipotle burrito tonight:

After I was served bacon and cheese on my salad for lunch, along with chicken as the main course, I took it as a sign from the universe. It is time to start eating meat again.

No more vegan Kim.

Ha! You guys know I am just kidding, right?!

I was served those things for lunch but I politely asked that they bring me a vegan dish (of course, this started a whole conversation I did not want to have with a bunch of people I just met!) and they did. And this burrito? It has Gardein “meat” in it!

Steven shared* this article with me about certain Chipotles trying this Gardein alternative. None of the locations are in Chicago, but you guessed it – there is one in Washington DC !

They call this fake meat the “Garden Blend” (see on menu below). I ordered it in a burrito, along with beans, rice, peppers + onions, guac, lettuce and salsa. YUM! It added a chewiness and spiciness to the burrito that was much welcomed. And it is a lot different than tofu!

I wanted to make sure to tell the manager how awesome I thought it was, in hopes they will continue to have it and bring it to other stores. He told me Dupont Circle is the only Chipotle that has it (contrary to the article) and that people come in from PA to eat it. He said they have had it four months and it has been a huge success.

Do you share product/service feedback with the provider – whether good or bad?

It’s really easy to share negative feedback on a product/service, but I try to share positive feedback as well. As much as we love to bitch, it is important to let people know what they are doing right! I will call the store owner tomorrow!

Now the question is, did I run far enough with Carla today to earn a burrito (and chips)? Ha ha… like I care! You will have to wait until Sunday to hear about my fun run with Carla! BUT, if you are a runner and looking for new blogs to read, check hers out! She runs in DC and is getting married in Brazil in November! I think her blog is very interesting!

Me and Carla after our super sweaty run

*Yes, Steven and I share blog posts with one another on google reader – ultimate dorkiness!

Comments (43)

By kilax, May 10, 2010 5:58 am

When you are traveling somewhere you’ve never been before, do you ask a colleague/friend who’s been there for tips on what to see/where to stay/what to eat?

Well, you know I do! That is kind of where my last Friday Question stemmed from – I was looking for camping recommendations (and I got them – thanks!).

I have coworkers who are traveling to Spain + Portugal*, Italy, and London this summer. Two of them have asked me to give them pointers on “must sees.”

Of course, if I was open about my blog at work, I would tell them to start here!

Since I am not, I am going to compile a list of my favorite sites (in Venice, Florence, Rome, Madrid and Barcelona). I bet a lot of my favorite sites will be highly common ones to travel to, so I am going to have to look back at my notes and see if there was any place off the beaten path that I just loved (Santa Maria Della Concezione**, anyone? Ha ha. )

Sagrada Familia – you cannot visit Barcelona without visiting ALL of the Gaudí sites! That would be a shame

You know, I wasn’t going to add a picture to this post, but decided to throw one in, since I have so many, and people often say how they prefer posts with pictures.

The thing is, I do not prefer posts with (a ton of) pictures. One or a few are fine with me, but I really don’t mind picture-less posts. Unless the author is talking about something you would expect to see pictures of (recipes, a race, their garden, their new bike, their new haircut, blah blah blah) I don’t mind if they aren’t there.

And the posts with a ton of pictures seriously slow me down and deter me from reading. Big time. It takes forever for my small computer to load them, and sometimes, they aren’t necessary (in my opinion). I try to get around all of the photo-heavy posts and look for the content – it’s just that when there are a lot photos, I lose track of what I am reading (hmm, maybe I am the only one with this issue?***).

Of course, this doesn’t mean that I don’t write posts with WAY TOO MANY pictures from time to time too. I sure do – my weekly workout recaps, race recaps, recipes, reviews, weekend updates – these all seem to be photo heavy. And I expect people to skim them.

And remember, this is just MY opinion! I know a lot of people disagree with this, so I am anxious to hear what you think! Maybe my thinking will change!

What do you think – what is your sweet spot for posts with pictures? Do you prefer them? How many (poll below)? If you do prefer them, what deters you away when posts don’t have pictures?

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I really like how Erin does her posts – one related photo at the top, then maybe more photos if she is doing a race recap or a recap of a long run. I always love Mica’s photos too – especially of Bodger! In my opinion, you can’t have too many pet photos!

*Have not been here (yet).
**A crypt made of bones.
***I think that the posts with a lot of photos tend to be more of daily-diary posts anyway, which while I find interesting to read, I do have a hard time following, because there is so much content. I feel like I need to take notes while reading. I will often leave a comment then be thinking “wasn’t there something else I wanted to say?” Again – I am probably the only one with this issue!

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By kilax, September 19, 2009 11:23 pm

Warning: Picture Heavy Post!

On Friday and Saturday I finally got to do some touristy DC things – visit the monuments and some of the museums. We were lucky in that we had gorgeous blue skies both days… and uh, some gorgeous high temps. I got super hot walking around in jeans on Friday. I had to go back to the hotel and take a shower at 4:00 in the afternoon!

Why does this lion have such an unsure look on his face?

It’s funny how you cannot see the capstone of the Washington Monument when you are below it!

Steven picked up (free!) Washington Monument tour tickets for us and my coworker while we were in class on Friday morning. I loved going to the top of the monument! It’s always neat to get that bird’s eye perspective. And I love seeing how the roads are laid out from above.

View of the Mall and Capitol. I didn’t expect the Mall lawn to be in such bad shape.

View of the WWII Memorial and Lincoln Memorial.

In the top of the Monument.

After the Washington Monument tour, we visited the WWII Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. I wish I could have seen more, but I was feeling MISERABLE in the hot sun! Plus, I didn’t want to be too gross because…

World War II Memorial.

Steven is growing a flag out of his head!

I wish that was ME running.

… I was meeting Alice at a coffee shop! I was bummed when I found out Alice was in town for BlogHer and I didn’t get to meet up with her (okay, even though I was out of town that weekend!), so I had to when I was in DC! I am happy she was able to fit me into her Friday night schedule. She is so charismatic and a great story-teller. I wish I could have chatted with her longer.

Kim and Alice at Bourbon Cafe.

Steven and I went to Café DC for Greek food (ah, twice in one week!) for dinner. Nom nom nom. I want to re-create some of this food at home, especially the salad with chickpeas. We got an appetizer sampler, and falafel pitas.

We walked around a bit more in Georgetown after dinner. It was pretty happening – lots of people out and about. I even met a new friend, who made me miss Data!

New cat friend.

We toured the Capitol Saturday morning, which actually turned out to be very neat and educational! It actually made me want to learn more about our nation. Hmm, I wonder if that was intentional.

I found the history of the Capitol’s architecture very interesting. I didn’t know (or recall, I guess) until a few weeks ago, that the Capitol was burned down in 1812. The Exhibition Hall had neat models showing how the construction of the Capitol progressed over the years, and how the landscape around it changed.

The rotunda inside the Capitol.

The “frieze” inside the rotunda.

After that we had time to visit the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, and walk by the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian. And that was it. We were really pressed for time. And we actually thought our flight left an hour later than it did, so when we checked on it, we basically had to head back to the hotel to grab our bags. I am happy Steven got to walk around during the week and see things. There is a lot I wanted to see and didn’t – I guess I will have to on the next trip.

It’s so nice that the museums are free. I was surprised that they were not too crowded. I am so used to only visiting the Chicago museums when they have a special exhibit, and I feel like I am being herded and trampled on just trying to go through. It was not as bad as I thought it would be.

I really enjoyed the Mammal exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History. If I had the energy, I would probably post all of the pictures of the neat animals, but I don’t, so you’re lucky.

On the walk to the National Museum of American History from the Capitol, we passed a little squirrel that was sort of begging tourists for food. I had a granola bar, so I sat down to give him a piece. Apparently, I didn’t move fast enough, because he stood up, put his paws on my hand, and started grabbing at the wrapper! I gave him a piece and he scurried away to chow it down.

My little squirrel friend.

It’s so nice to be home, and have my laundry almost done, and not have to think about whether or not I can find a place that myself, my coworker, and Steven all want to eat at. Oh gosh, and MY bed. I cannot wait to fall asleep tonight. With Data (and Steven).

I think there is a lot more I want to say about DC, but who knows if it will come out cohesively. We’ll see over the next few weeks, I suppose.

Comments (12)

By kilax, September 17, 2009 6:56 am

Shaina was right – Georgetown is the place to hit up for people watching. I honestly didn’t realize DC people are so fashionable… a lot more fashionable than what I see in the Chicago Loop. It’s like a walking fashion magazine in Georgetown (between all the runners). I wanted to stop and ask people what label they were wearing and ask if I could take their picture for outfit inspiration (some people might be flattered by that, others… creeped out). Unfortunately, I didn’t, so I don’t have anything to show you. Except my imaginary DC outfits…

Here is what I would wear to the office, you know, if I had a meeting with an important client…

Oscar de la Renta Ruby-Embellished Dress

Or just on a regular day (I love you Rachel McAdams! Bonus -this movie is set in DC.)…

And here is what I would wear to meet with the President…

Jason Wu Rosette Covered Sheath

Okay, enough of that.

In reality, Steven spent yesterday exploring Georgetown, and we went back to there in the evening for dinner and exploring (It’s so nice to have him explore during the day then become my nightime tour guide). What a neat area. I love all of the old houses and shops. That would be a fun area to live. Yeah, I’m sure it’s super expensivo. I would have to be one of these people to afford that lifestyle. A girl can dream.

Cute colored houses/shops

Remember my old tagline?

DC sure is happening! Too bad I missed this yesterday. Oh, PETA people, you amuse me. Your heart is in the right place.

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By kilax, September 16, 2009 4:07 pm

DC  is full of runners. I see them every where, no matter the time of day.

It’s making me sad. I really wanted to run here.

I just got done charging another classmate’s 405 (she forgot her charger), then I showed her a bunch of little tricks in the settings. We brought our 405. It will be used for WALKING. LAME-O.

Anyway.

Steven arrived here on Monday night and spent Tuesday exploring the Mall…

The White House

The Washington Monument & Reflecting Pool

The Lincoln Memorial

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The Capitol

… while I was in class. My evenings have been more focused on the “culinary” side of DC – both good and bad.

Last night, we visited Sticky Fingers, an all-vegan bakery. There must be places like this in Chicago too! I just need to find them.

Sticky Fingers

We got a chocolate chip cookie, an oatmeal raisin cookie, a brownie with nuts, a brownie without nuts, and a white cupcake with strawberry frosting. I had a migraine and only ate part of the chocolate chip cookie (Steven ate some and the nut brownie). It tasted really buttery. I am looking forward to trying some of the other treats while I am here.

Vegan Bakery Selection

After we went to Sticky Fingers, we had to stop and get custard for my coworker who claims to not like any sweets except ice cream. WEIRD!

I don’t know how these food bloggers do it. Whenever I take a picture of my food, my coworker is asking why I am doing it (none of my coworkers know I have a website), so I tell her it’s to show to my mom. I can’t imagine taking pictures of every meal and having people constantly ask me that. Well, I can’t imagine taking pictures of my every meal for A LOT of reasons.

I feel like I have been all over DC and have a really good feel for the layout of the city, but I wish this wasn’t such an artificial trip. I think I would (obviously) enjoy it more if I was here on holiday, rather than business. At least I get to live vicariously through Steven!

Comments (18)

By kilax, September 14, 2009 4:32 pm

This is my first time going on travel for the job I started back in December. I’m in Washington DC all week for training that is being held at the hotel where I am staying.

Mommy, don’t go!

Originally, I was scheduled to do this training with someone from another division that I don’t know. But, fate changed, and I ended up getting to go with my favorite work friend! She works in a different division now, but when I started, she kind of showed me the ropes. We think we’re pretty lucky that we got to come to DC together!

When we got here last night, we decided to squeeze in a visit to the Washington National Cathedral.

Washington National Cathedral

Washington National Cathedral

We arrived fairly late in the evening, so mass was starting. We could hear their beautiful singing and organ playing from the back of the cathedral. The sound really resonated throughout the space.

We spent a bit of time walking around inside and around the cathedral, but I realized I still feel a bit burned out from all of the church/cathedral visiting I did in Rome/Europe. It’s not like once you see one, you’ve seen them all… but to me, they just aren’t as exciting the second time around. They’re still magnificent and beautiful, just maybe not as awe inspiring.

We were starving after visiting the Cathedral, and visited the first place by Dupont Circle that looked appetizing – some place called “DC Cafe,” where I got a falafel pita. Nom nom nom. I need to quit eating these things.

I had a falafel pita on Friday too!

My lifestyle on travel feels so different than at home – I have a per diem to cover my food for the day (it’s very generous) and I have a 2 minute commute… that doesn’t require me to get into any sort of vehicle. Now, if only the bed was comfortable…

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By kilax, August 31, 2009 6:48 pm

I am traveling to Washington D.C. (for the first time!) soon for a work trip. I will be there a whole week, but will only have evenings free, and the Friday afternoon until Saturday afternoon that I am there.

Does anyone have any recommendations for “must-sees”* during my very short and limited trip? I have already contacted my senator to ask for tickets to visit the Capitol, and would like to go to the top of the Washington Monument, and perhaps visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum… but that’s it. Okay, that’s a lot.

But, Steven will be there too, and he doesn’t have to be in training all day, so you can give some recommendations for him (his brother is adamant that he visit the Air and Space Museum)!

Thanks!

*Or “must-dos,” but please keep in mind that I am not the partying type.

Comments (18)

By kilax, February 16, 2009 6:35 pm

The Denver trip was a success – I know because I have a bad case of the “I wish I was still on vacation” blues!

On Friday we drove to Estes Park and into Rocky Mountain National Park. We saw some elk up close, which I thought was pretty exciting! Their antlers are HUGE!!!

The Elk at Rocky Mountain National Park

I was amazed by the beauty of the park. I would love to go back when it is a bit warmer and do some hiking or camping there.

We started skiing on Saturday at Keystone. Steven and I took a one-day beginner’s course while our friends, Eric and Abbie, skied on their own. We learned the basics, like how to put our equipment on and take it off (good to know!), how to form the “wedge,” how to walk uphill, and how to turn. I thought the course was VERY helpful and necessary, but I was feeling a bit anxious to get out on my own. I was disappointed that I wasn’t all sweaty and sore that night when we got back!

Yes, I realize I look like a dork! I was afraid we were going to slide down the hill backwards so I grabbed onto Steven!

On Sunday, we started out by warming up on the very mild practice slopes. Eric and Abbie were SUPER patient with us and stuck by the whole day! They gave us very helpful advice that we didn’t cover in class. It was like we had our own personal ski instructors! I was very thankful that Abbie taught me how to get up when I fell over, and that Eric taught me how to form a big enough wedge that I could stand at the top of a large decline and not immediately start sliding down.

A super cute photo of our free personal instructors friends Eric and Abbie.

One of the mild slopes we warmed up on.

We did A LOT of crashing on Sunday. Maybe one of us a bit more than the other… no, not me, for once! Steven had epic wipe outs – tumbling and turning, skis and poles in all directions – a few times I thought he seriously injured himself! He has huge bruises on his legs from his wipe outs. I only have tiny little bruises, so I guess I wasn’t crashing hard enough!

After we went down this hill, Steven said, “Turn around and take a photo of how steep that slope is!” Can you tell?

We spent our day on the green (easy) slopes. Even though the Saturday class was necessary, I had so much more fun on Sunday, actually spending time going down the slopes. The view of the mountains and forest is just spectacular. And it is constantly changing as you make your way down the slope. Every view feels unique and different.

Even riding the chair lift was fun… if not a bit scary.

A view of Breckenridge.

Us inside of a gondola, riding to the North Peak.

It took me a bit of time to get into the hang of things on Sunday. But once I did, I was hooked. I am a bit of a reckless/fearless/”adrenaline rush seeking” person, so I think that helped a bit. You can’t really let the slopes intimidate you, or you’ll be thinking more about that and not be able to let your body do its thing. On Saturday, I realized I was over thinking what the instructors were teaching us during class, and that was limiting me. But when I got out there, and just followed the instinct of my body, it went a lot smoother.

I wish we could have had ONE more day on the slopes. I would have liked to try a more challenging (!) slope or even just take longer runs. We did a lot of skiing and stopping on the green slopes, which I definitely think we needed, but once I started going, my body wanted to keep going. Except for my quads, which were burning like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I definitely got the workout in that I was missing on Saturday – I can still feel the burn in my calves, quads and hips a bit today!

I hope this becomes an annual trip. We had such a wonderful time skiing and sight-seeing (aka, gawking at the local beauty that is Colorado), but also hanging out with Eric and Abbie and Eric’s parents. I felt like staying with Eric’s parents was staying at a five-star hotel. Steven and I had our own little guest house over the garage (complete with welcome sign!). Every night, Eric’s parents cooked wonderful meals for us, and had snacks out waiting for us when we got home from skiing (they hand-dipped strawberries in chocolate for us on Valentine’s Day!). They were just incredibly accommodating and made me feel so welcome! I feel as comfortable around Eric’s parents as I do around my own (enough that his mom jokingly said, “I don’t remember Kim being such a smart aleck!”). We had wonderful conversations with them. Eric’s family is into health and fitness, and Eric and Abbie just signed up for the Disney Half Marathon, so I was able to blab and blab about our running without feeling stupid (of course, as I ate enough food for 10 people… oops). I can’t wait to see them all again.

Interesting story – on our way to economy parking at O’Hare today, I kept seeing a police helicopter hovering over the lot. I was trying to figure out what was going on, and then, as we drove out, Steven said, “Is Obama here this weekend?” Right after he said that, I looked out the car window and saw Air Force One!  We saw the plane sitting on the runway, then take off. After that, we noticed all the security and police vehicles on our way out. Apparently he was on his way to Denver. We just missed him!

Please bear with me this week as I get back into the swing of things with blogging, blog-reading, and emails. That will be me, leaving comments on your day old posts, because I’ve been away from the internet since Thursday!

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By kilax, February 12, 2009 11:15 pm

It’s 11:15 pm. My alarm is set for 2:45 am to make our very early flight to Denver. My bag is packed. I feel like I forgot something. It’s hard to pack for a skiing trip, when you’ve never been skiing, and aren’t sure you got what you need. Our friend was very nice and gave us a thorough list, but I still feel like something is missing. I hate that feeling.

Oh well. I’ll figure it out when I get there.

I’m so happy to have the next 4 days off. I need a break to have some fun. We’ll be busy, but be miles and miles away from home. I can let my mind wander. I won’t have to think of the all the things on my to-do list!

I’ll just get to that long list when I return, and start mentally planning our next vacation!

Excuse: I am feeling weird today. Please excuse the weirdness of this post, and the one I wrote for tomorrow!