Ditch That Itinerary

For years I have traveled with an itinerary for each place I go, not by choice though, usually something planned by family or another reason.  After my 6 month hiatus, I've decided to re-enter the blog world which I have missed so dearly now that summer is here and I have time to travel.  I am very thankful that my site has still been getting so many views, even over the past few days.  You all rock!  Anyways...

If I only one piece of advice to give you right now, I would tell you to leave that itinerary of yours at home, or better yet--never create one!  Well, unless this is a business trip or something of the sort.  Using an itinerary is only going to create stress will you are trying to enjoy time away from your hectic life.  Isn't the point of a vacation to enjoy those around you as well as your destination with not a care in the world?  That is always my plan!

This past week, my old college roommate and I packed up and headed south.  While she resides on the west coast and I live close to the east coast, we both have this crazy desire to travel whenever possible.  Our trip consisted of three days in the Big Easy, while ending our trip in Death Valley.  I have been to both these exciting hot spots before, but with family so my experience was limited.  This time, we hit the streets of the French Quarters with no plan in site and made some great memories I'm sure we don't exactly remember.  Our time up in Baton Rouge was a little more planned, since we were attending the Bayou Country Superfest, but still had an excellent experience and even had a home style craw fish boil!

Exploring without a plan gives you the chance to experience the touristy and non-touristy things to do.  Granted I do not love the tourism attractions, but they're also great to experience because that is what they are there for.  I believe finding the hidden gems within the area are even more exciting, they're not commercialized and you get the true experience of a place.  Now do not go on a trip completely blind!  I prepared for this trip by looking up maps of the local area and also looking up some of the tourist attractions.  By doing this simple and quick research, you will be able to find the items you really want to explore, and also discover where the safe and not so safe areas of town are.  Also be open minded and make some new friends.  Let the locals tell you some of the best places to check out, while also being cautious.  We talked to some bartenders, servers, and other travelers we met and got some excellent trips.  I am fortunate to have had such a great Louisiana experience!

What's for dinner?

The age old question of what's for dinner.  This week I got to experience two dinners inspired by two different regions miles from where I live.

My aunt and uncle from Louisiana are in town for the week, and my uncle being born and raised Louisiana thought it was only appropriate to share his love of Cajun food.  My aunt served us all with some homemade jambalaya, craw fish pie, and Cajun shrimp.  Since I'm not a huge fan of fish, I passed on the craw fish pie--even though everyone else said it was absolutely delicious.  I did eat the rest though.  The Cajun shrimp was amazing, perfect kick of spices and southern zing, just how one may imagine Cajun food making your taste buds go wild.  The jambalaya was a nice pallate cleanser, neutralizing the spices of the Cajun shrimp.  Altogether, a wonderful southern home style meal.

This week, I also took my love of Italian food and created a delicious meal for my mother and I while my dad was out golfing (he missed out!). 

So for inquiring minds, here's my little recipe to make a delicious Summer Pesto Pasta.  Also a healthy meal!

You will need:
One garlic clove
Basil
Whole wheat thin spaghetti or capellini
Feta cheese
Cherry tomatoes
Zucchini
Pesto Sauce
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil

-Boil whole wheat thin spaghetti or capellini until it is al dente (moderately soft, still semi-chewy.)

-Peel & slice a zucchini, place round slices on a cookie sheet (sprayed with cooking spray).  Drizzle some olive oil over top, season with pepper and basil.  Broil in the oven for 10 minutes on eat side.

-Slice cherry tomatoes into fourths.

-Once zucchini is finished, let cool for 5 minutes and cut into halves or fourths depending on size.

-After pasta is drained, mix in enough pesto sauce to coat the spaghetti.  It's not meant to be overly covered in sauce.

-Mix in feta cheese, the cut cherry tomatoes, basil, fresh pressed garlic, pepper, salt, and zucchini.

Enjoy!

Soggy Summer Vacation

Seattle is known as the rainy city, when quite frankly where I live is worse than it is there.  The rain is not as terrible as it is said to be, usually a light mist, even though a lot of cloud coverage is depressing.  The winters are never fiercely cold like the Northeast, usually mid 40's-50's sometimes 60's-- I never wore my winter coat once while I was there in very early January.  And the summers are quite pleasurable with the ever-green colors and scenic, mountainous views.  This is my new pick for a quick summer trip!

Aside from the previous beauty I stated, the real reason I am heading out there is to visit my old college roommate who is from Sammamish, WA and now resides in Seattle.  After visiting there earlier this year, I fell in love with this place.  The mountains are gorgeous, especially Mt. Rainier, and there is so much adventure out there.  It's a small, quaint city capturing the city life-style while be extremely clean and just minutes from the suburbs.  You get the best of both worlds with Seattle--outdoor adventures and city living.  Now I could go on for a while about how this appeals to young and old, the naturist and tourist, but I'm writing this for the sake of "Future Friday," and what I will be doing this summer.

(To the left: myself & the old roommate, January 2011)

Seattle rests quietly on a beautiful docking area, leading out towards ever-green hugging lakes and the majestic Pacific Ocean.  If you play your cards right, you'll even be able to take your boat by Bill Gates' house!  Aside from boating, hiking, camping, and other outstanding outdoor adventures await out there.  This summer, my old roommate and I plan to take the boat out for a couple of days, head on up to islands right off of British Columbia, Canada and enjoy the sun and "post card" views.  We'll spend a day or two in the city, exploring my new favorite, Pike Place Market, watch at least one Mariners game in Safeco Field, and head up the space needle to hopefully find a clear, beautiful view of Mt. Rainier.

 (To the right: Pike Place Market, also where the original Starbucks resides!)

Seattle is a wonderful place, and for those of you who think it's nothing more than a "rainy city," you may want to give it a chance.  The climate is enjoyable and there is so much to do there.  So jump outside of your little bubble and try something new.  I highly recommend this city for any and everyone.



Mt. Rainier from the plane, Jan. 2011



Qwest field, home of the Seahawks.