I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! It was so nice to be home, see family, enjoy lots of homecooked food and get a lot done while I was in town. I am back to school and ready to finish up my last week of classes and finals week before graduation. I can’t believe I am almost to the end.
Keeping up with my series of college posts, today, I am sharing a tradition that I have kept up with since I came to college, Light Up Night! It’s a night in the city when there are vendors, live performances, trees set up and fireworks to kick off the Christmas season. You can read my post from last year here. I headed down to the city with my friend Danielle and we enjoyed everything the city had to offer.
The city all ready for Christmas
We started off the night with burgers and shakes from Burgatory which were delicious, it was also so nice to be inside and warm before we hit the streets. After dinner on the North Shore, we headed over to Market Square to check out all the vendors. We made our way to PPG rink where we got some pictures and enjoy the tree with all the lights. Following the ice skating rink, we made our way over to the Point where we saw another tree and enjoyed seeing all the windows and building decorated. It’s so nice to see the whole city out and about for the holidays. There were families, couples, teenagers, and college students all out decked out for the holidays.
The Christmas tree at the PPG ice rink
We then made our way back to the North Shore to enjoy the fireworks. It was a 20 minute show and was fantastic. There were so many different kinds of colors and fireworks.
An incredible fireworks show
Although, it was chilly it was so fun. I have loved going down to the city for these events during my time in college, it’s so fun to see the whole community to come out and enjoy the Christmas spirit. This has been one of my favorite traditions to get into the holiday spirit while being away at school and considering we are already in the month of December there is no better way to get in the Christmas spirit.
And snagged a selfie with my favorite person
On Thursday, I will be sharing my Thanksgiving outfit, it was perfect for the occasion and you will be able to wear this outfit for the holiday season. See you on Thursday for a new look of the day.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and to our favorite dad’s I hope you had a great Father’s day on Sunday.
Oh hey there Chicago!
This past weekend, my family and I took a weekend getaway to Chicago! I had been to the Windy City a year and a half ago and I loved my time here. You can read all about it here! I was so excited to be going back with my family to share the city with them.
We left around 6:00 am on Friday morning and made our way out to the Midwest.
Once we arrived to the city, we started our time with a boat ride with a tour of the river and Lake Michigan. It was incredible to see all the buildings and get a bit of a history lesson on the area. It was amazing to see all the the city meet the sea. Ironically, all of my favorite cities, including my hometown are all by the water. I’ve always lived by the water and near the city, this is a feature I hope to have when I move in a few years.
Out at sea
The City from the River
Can it get any more beautiful than this?
After our tour on the river, we headed to Millennium Park and the iconic Bean.
Millenium Park
The Bean
We then took a stroll on the Magnificent Mile, where there were hundreds of stores, everything from Brooks Brothers, Tiffany’s, the Disney store, Nike, Nordstrom’s and more.
I was loving Nike’s decor!
We picked up some sweet treats at Dylan’s Candy Bar. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have the biggest sweet tooth, so this was definitely a highlight!
Dylan’s…YUM!
One of my favorite things about Chicago is how it is a walkable it is. We were able to walk to most of the sites, meals, and other attractions. It was also a beautiful weekend, cooler and cloudy at some points but definitely summer weather.
A beautiful day in the city
We headed to dinner at Rosebud, a delicious and intimate Italian restaurant, just a few blocks from our hotel. I had a delicious pasta with Bolognese sauce. Incredible! We ended up calling it an early night, with an early wake up call, full day of travel and sightseeing, we were ready for an early evening!
Such a delicious pasta
Day 2 had us up bright and early, we ventured out of the city to head to Brick World, a lego comic con event. One of my brothers is a big fan of legos so we went to check out this event. Let me tell you, I was very impressed with the creativity and design work at Brick World.
Here are some of my favorite designs!
This Harry Potter display was so cool!
Another Harry Potter display
And who doesn’t love Mister Rogers?!
We spent the day at Brick World before heading to Portillos for lunch, this 50’s diner setup had sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers and fries. I opted for a southwest salad which was delicious and so filling.
Portillo’s
I loved this Southwest Salad, it was such a good combo
We made our way back to the city for the evening, we did some walking around near our hotel before venturing out for dinner at Devon’s a seafood place. I had some spicy shrimp for an appetizer, which was so delicious and then Lobster Roll for dinner. The lobster roll was so flavorful and filling. It hit the spot!
The Lobster Roll was to die for
We got dessert at our hotel while overlooking the city at night. This rich chocolate cake that I split with my mom and brother completed a delicious meal.
How good does this cake look?
Our final day in Chicago began with mass at the Holy Name Cathedral.
Gorgeous Cathedral
After we finished with Church, we planned to go to the top of the Willis tower, however, it was VERY foggy and there was 0 % visibility.
The Willis Tower
The view from the bottom
We then opted to go to the Field Museum down by the water and see a few exhibits. The museum was huge so we only saw a few sections. I would definitely recommend going back and doing the whole museum, just make sure you have enough time to see everything the museum has to offer.
The Field Museum
Sue the Dinosaur
After we finished at the museum, we made our way out of the city. Although we were only there for a weekend, we packed a lot in. I was so happy I got to go back to Chicago. I know I will be back for sure.
Goodbye Chicago
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and great week ahead!
It’s so good to be back to blogging. I got back late Saturday night from Rome, Italy where I was for Spring Break. I have been a part of a leadership program during my time at college. During the spring semester of our senior year, we travel to Rome to study abroad. Since I’m graduating early I went as a junior, I’m so glad I was able to go with this group since I have so many friends who are a year older than me, it made it so much more fun. There were 13 student that went with 2 professors and a few other chaperones, we had a great group. I had the absolute best time this past week. I can’t wait to get into all the things I did while I was abroad.
I was able to rest up on Sunday and get things done before starting back to reality yesterday. It’s been a busy few days but they have been so good. Instead of having a huge post all about my time abroad, I’m going to break it up into two posts. Part One will be today and Part Two will be up next Tuesday. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s get started.
Off to the airport
I left early Friday morning for Rome. After an early wake up call at 3:30, I think I got maybe three hours of sleep. We were off to the airport. We went from Pittsburgh to Newark and were in Newark by 10 am. We then had a long layover until 5:45 when we jetted off for Rome. During our layover my group and I hung out, grabbed lunch and did homework.
A look at my travel journey
We took off at 5:45 to take an overnight flight to Rome. It was about a 6 hour flight. During the flight I watched Crazy Stupid Love, ate dinner, and tried to get a few hours of sleep. ( I think I got maybe 2?) This lack of sleep is consistent through the whole trip. Haha! We got breakfast on the plane the next morning before we landed.
We landed at 8:00 am-super early. We were all pretty tired but we dropped off our bags, walked around the area near our hotel and enjoyed a mid morning coffee.
Landing in Rome
We stayed at Via San Pio, it was near a Church, San Anselmo, which became our base. We were staying in a more residential area, therefore it was much more quieter and not as touristy. We were 20 minutes away from the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. We walked everywhere on the trip. I think I averaged between 25,000-30,000 steps a day. Because we walked so much we became very familiar with this area, as long as I knew where the Colosseum was, I could get you to our hotel, the restaurants, and the shops.
The view of the city near our hotel
After a mid morning coffee break, we got lunch at San Anselmo’s and we were able to eat with the monks and priests that live there. After lunch, we were able to check into our hotel, freshen up, shower and unpack. My friend Olivia, who was also on this trip, and I grabbed some gelato and and took a walk around the neighborhood we were in.
Morning Tea
It’s amazing what dry shampoo, mascara, and lipstick can do…does it look like I got 5 hours of sleep in 2 days?!
San Anselmo’s…The Church we were staying near
First Gelato of the trip
Since this trip was with an academic, leadership program, every night we had discussions and assigned readings and toasts were given out. We went to our discussion then went to dinner at Bucatini, a delicious restaurant that was a 15 minute walk from the hotel. It was delicious.
Dinner night 1…Bucatini
In Italy, the biggest culture change besides the time difference (they are 6 hours ahead), was the meals. First, they eat much later, most days we didn’t eat dinner until 8:00 and there are many courses and it takes a while to eat. Most nights, there were four-five course (appetizer, pasta, meat, dessert) and we would be there for 2.5-3 hours eating. We weren’t getting back to our hotel until 10:30 or 11:00 and then going straight to bed since we had to be up early the next day. The days were long, I think I averaged between 5-6 hours of sleep a night. Long days and short nights, to put it in perspective, when I would be talking to people back home before I went to bed it would be dinner time back home, by the time I woke up, they were still awake. Crazy!
After delicious dinner, I came back to the room and went to bed, keep in mind I had slept about 5 hours in the past 2 days so I was very tired.
On Sunday, our first full official day in Rome, we were up early for Mass and then we took a walk as a group to see a few sites such as the Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Novena, and the Pantheon. It was so nice to see what a Sunday morning was like, by simply walking the streets, seeing the markets and the locals. After a nice morning walk we got lunch at a small Italian restaurant where we had the best pizza and bruschetta. After lunch we stopped for gelato. The orange and chocolate raspberry was a favorite for me. We then took a long walk back where we passed a few Churches, my favorite was Saint Maria Della Vitoria. It was absolutely stunning. I couldn’t get over the beauty and the detail of the art work. We also passed the Colosseum on our way back. We had some downtime before we had our discussion and dinner. We had a big dinner with five courses, the pasta was delicious and I tried everything that was offered. The Arch Abbot of our school was in Rome for a few days and he joined us for dinner too which was an honor. After a lively dinner, we all went back to the hotel to get some rest before the full week began.
Walking around the markets early Sunday
St. Maria’s
Lunch- Bruschetta
Pizza
150 flavors of Gelato
Gelato
First look
Dinner- Appetizers
Bread and cheese
Pasta
Pasta
Meat and Potatoes
Variety of Tiramisus and Desserts
On Monday, we woke up bright and early, grabbed some breakfast and were off to explore the Palentine Hill, Roman Forum and the Colosseum. The Palentine Hill was the residential area of Ancient Rome and the Roman Forum was the city area. We saw some amazing views from the Palentine Hill. The Roman Forum was quiet impressive as well, it’s amazing how well preserved everything is from hundreds of years ago. The pictures don’t do it justice. We ate lunch at a nearby restaurant were we were served Panchetta (an egg/cheese pasta) and veal along with Tiramisu. We ate these same meals often, but every place they were different. In the afternoon, we spent time in the Colosseum, exploring the ruins and just imagining what life was in Roman Times, once again the pictures don’t do it justice. We took a scenic walk back to our hotel and went straight to our discussion and dinner. For dinner, we had delicious thin crust pizza (I don’t know how I can go back to eating American pizza) and a mushroom pasta. It was such a fun time to eat together and share our favorite moments of the day. After a late dinner we went back to the hotel to get to sleep since we had a big day on Tuesday.
Views from Palentine Hill
My two buddies for the trip. My roomie Marion and my good friend Olivia. We had so much fun!
The Roman Forum
Recognize this place?!
Lunch- Panchetta Pasta
Veal and Vegetables
Tiramisu
The Roman Ruins
Dinner- Pizza for an Appetizer?! Yes Please!
Bread and cheese
Meat and Pasta
On Tuesday, we woke up very early and took a bus to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica where we had mass in the crypt next to St. Peter’s tomb, along next to where many of the other Pope’s in history lay. It was so amazing to be praying and have mass in St. Peter’s, it was one of my favorite moments. We had a fantastic tour guide of St. Peter’s and the Vatican. She was so knowledgeable and friendly. The artwork, the detail and the history behind this Bascilica was incredible. I was in awe the whole time even though I have been there before. I loved seeing the artwork and paintings and hearing how they all came to be. Without a doubt, the Sistine Chapel was phenomenal, no words can describe it. I could have spent hours there. After a full morning of touring, we went to lunch where we had Panchetta and Veal with Tiramisu. We then had the afternoon free to shop, see other sites around the Vatican and just relax. We spent most of our time shopping and getting gifts for people at the Vatican. We then made our way back to our hotel where we rested and got ready for discussion and dinner. We had dinner at one of my favorite places, we had a flavorful appetizer, delicious pasta and gourmet chicken. We decided after dinner to check out the Colosseum at night which was a must see in Rome. We then made our way back to the hotel very late and got some rest before the next day.
The Vatican
The Hall of Maps
Taking it all in
Pictures don’t do it justice
Looking out to the city
Stunning entrance
I was in awe the whole time
Some famous artwork you may recognize
Does this look familiar
So much detail
Lunch-Mushroom Pasta
Veal
Tiramisu
Dinner- Appetizers
Pasta
Meat and Vegetables
The Colosseum at night
We were a little excited to see it
Whew, that’s a lot, for those of you stuck with it, THANK YOU! Part 2 will be up next Tuesday. I hope your enjoyed part one of my Rome recap, it was truly the best trip I have ever been on, from organized tours, free time, good food, shopping and downtime. It was the best time. See you Thursday for a look of the day! See you then! xoxo
