Beantown

Boston Public Garden

Utilize public transportation--check!

I'm pretty sure my parents didn't send me across the country to college so that I could learn how to ride a bus, but, lucky them, they now have a bus riding, taxi savvy, full-fledged rider of public transportation for a daughter. I'm pretty good on foot as well.

My two roommates, missing the fourth, took a trip to Boston this weekend for Hannah's belated birthday. We've been saying that we were going to go for about a year now, so we finally bit the bullet and followed through on something.

We arrived on Friday afternoon only to figure out that our hotel was slightly further away from the actual city than we had hoped but still ready to take it by storm. After arming ourselves with a map and a bus schedule, the three of us managed to get ourselves into the city. How we planned on getting back was just something we planned on solving later...Have cash, will travel--plus taxi's take credit!

Traveling Roomies

The weather was absolutely perfect and after walking around for a few hours and relaxing in Boston Public Garden, we met up with a friend of Hannah's and found an awesome restaurant called Figs.

Fortunately my friends are "try-ers" of all types of food so when we saw Calamari Pizza on the menu, we gave it a go. The pizza was piled with the crispiest and freshest of calamari as well as tomato sauce, arugula, hot peppers & lemon aioli. One bite in and we were already LOVING Boston.

Having a little Calamari with our Pizza

The next day, slightly more comfortable with the bus system, we met my cousin Tommy for a walking tour of the Freedom Trail. It is crazy how much history there is in Boston. Walking around with Tommy was great because after living in Boston for most of his life as well as being an architecture buff, he was able to share things about the city that we never would have found on our own.

On the Freedom Trail

The only downfall about the tour was that the girls and I had decided on fashion over functionality and had all worn flip flops for the nearly four mile jaunt...not one of our smarter ideas. However, after the tour we had a chance to hop on a Duck Boat leaving from the Museum of Science and tour Boston further without having to walk.


After the Duck Boat we hopped on the T train to Boston College only to find ourselves two miles away from our hotel. So, we did what any good iphone users would do, got ourselves some walking directions and started on foot. That lasted about 1 mile until the 95 degree weather and worn out feet conspired to hail us a cab, best ten dollars we spent all trip!

Sunday was our last day in Boston and we made our way to the New England Aquarium and the Barking Crab before making the drive back to New Brunswick. Seeing as we were a seafood haven, we decided to splurge on some lobster and crab cakes to make the food tour complete. There is not a lot more amusing in life than two college girls in a bib squealing over lobster brains...somethings are just made for immaturity.

Emma modeling our lunch

And then it was back on the road, back to belting out Celine Dion and Kelly Clarkson, back to Emma and Hannah minding my blind spot, and bye-bye Beantown. Lobster Brains aside, Boston was amazing! Not only is it a beautiful and fun town to explore, but the trip was a great learning experience for us all. There are not many girls that can suck it up and go with the flow when they've walked across a city in Old Navy flip flops, but luckily for me, my two friends can. Now fully recovered, I sit in my apartment, listening to the downstairs boy's band play, and think...where to next?

Girl Power and the Great State of NJ

So here I am back in the Garden State AKA Dirty Jersey AKA home of the Jersey Shore AKA home of the Rutgers Volleyball Team. Normally I save the mushy for talking to my dog but hey! every once in awhile you simply have to give it up for good old fashioned girl power. I got back to New Jersey on Monday to find myself coaching camps until Wednesday so I didn't actually get a chance to see all my teammates minus the ones I have class with until today. But camps were actually a really great time to reflect on all my friendships back at home, most of them the result of playing volleyball. Funny how it's just a sport, but it has been so much more in my life. Volleyball has not only kept me sane in the crazy times but also introduced me to some of the greatest girls there are out there. Volleyball is so much a part of my life, even Julia and I found time to "pepper" out on the East Cape in Cabo.



But, I digress. Girl Power. With my first full day off since I got back to Rutgers, my teammates and I found ourselves on the way to Belmar Beach to try and catch a few rays before the weekend. We all went to lift together and then hightailed it down Route 18, with a slight stop for Wawa subs. It might have been the sun, it might have been the amazing sandwiches(I literally cannot say enough good things about Wawa!), but more I think it was that we were all so glad to finally be back together.


Spending hours on end in a aircondition-less(there I go making up words again...) gym and even more on the road can drive any group of girls to fight, yet for us I think the time has made us closer. We are as different in personality as is humanly possible but we fit, we fight, and we figure it all out. So tonight I am simply basking in the glory that is girl power. As I sat on the beach and listened to the various conversations going on, from weddings to diet soda to summer love, I could not have been more happy to be somewhere. And now as I sit in my apartment, surrounded by three more of my teammates, and on the phone with several more I am thankful for how this summer has ended up. Sure, New Jersey could be slightly less humid, and I would rather do something more productive than watch a video in Biology about coral intercourse, but this has finally become a home away from home. For that I am even more thankful.

So for those of you who are reading this, I encourage you all to be thankful as well. Give thanks for second chances, we ALL deserve them. Be thankful for good eats(I had to throw food in there). Be gracious toward sunny days. There should be gramercy for the good and almost perfectly imperfect people we love, boys included(especially Adam who hangs out with my girlfriends and teammates more than I deserve). But most of all, for the girls and teammates out there, I personally am beholden, content, grateful, gratified, indebted, much obliged, pleased, and satisfied with good ole fashioned girl power. And of course RUVB.

Off to Boston now...for a fun weekend of history, new places, great eats, and east coast touring!

Baja Roads and Humid Summers

I recently took a little drive down the peninsula of Baja California to the formerly unknown fishing village that has become Cabo San Lucas. "Little" being the operative word for this 25 hour drive that is...or three days in a car if you like to stop for fish tacos, empty waves, or hidden mountain towns. Cabo may be sin city for some but for my family it has always been as oasis from the realities that an imperfectly perfect life can bring you. With Gramma finally out of the hospital, Rodeo being taken care of by family, and thick fog covering Coastal San Diego, this perfectly imperfect life took me to Baja for a little surf, a lot of tortillas, and the occasional game of beachside Scrabble.

Passports Ready!

Waiting for some fish tacos

El Mercado de Pescado

I never cease to be amazed by the nostalgic quality that Mexico inspires in me. I remember playing with my barbies in the tide pools at Punta Elena, fighting over the boogey board with Molly, and my fear of the imfamous Cascadas Shark Pool. Now as I return to Baja as a young adult(Scary word!!!) I continue to be calmed by the ethereal nature of the country, simply happy to bask in the low latitude sun and collect shells along the beach.

Nine Palms' Sunset

While Cabo has changed in many ways--no longer a small town but a buzzing city, there are still many things that remain special. There is nothing in the world like waking up to the sun rising over the Sea of Cortez(those eastern facing beaches always freak me out!) only to find random horses and donkeys grazing on the beach.

If only I could get my friends to pose this much...

One of the best parts about the trip this summer was that my friend and blogging muse Julia got to come with my family. My mom has always called her "our favorite Baja traveler," a title that continues to inspire jealousy in my boyfriend Adam. Julia has one of those "go with the flow" attitudes that I can only hope to fractionally emulate. She keeps me grounded and reminds me constantly that the stress that I claim to love isn't really as necessary as I make it. Plus with her constant mixing up of spanish words, there is always something to laugh about.

Julia-Always ready to dig in a random shell pile on the side of the road

We spent 12 days eating good food and simply relaxing. We found an amazing restaurant called The Hangman in San Jose which served dollar tacos, sauteed spicy potatoes, and cactus quesadillas. In Guerro Negro, at the Malarimo, my Dad, Julia, and I dined on medallion sized scallops(hands down the best in the world) and seafood stew. In the mountains above Cabo Pulmo we bought mangos fresh from the tree. Somehow this blog, and my life, always falls back to the food.

Potatoes and Salsas at The Hangman

Yet now, as I sit in my bed in New Brunswick,NJ thousands of miles away from those warm, sandy beaches I continue to remember my trip with fondness. Sometimes, it is the simple things in life, like golden buttons on a vintage sweater or fresh fish tacos from a stand in Ensenada that remind us that life is not as hard as we'd like to make it out to be. There are treasures to be found in the everyday, sometimes they solely require a deep breath and the realization that they are possible. I'm back on the blogging train now, refreshed from my Latin American vacation, the LSAT behind me, and ready to see what my beautiful senior year will bring me. Ciao Bellas!

Burrito Night!

For as long as I can remember, I knew that summer was finally here once "Burrito Night" began. It is a tradition at our neighbor's Heather and John's house to have their friends and a few neighbors over on Monday nights in the summer to eat burritos and other delicious treats together. Heather is an AMAZING cook, and was also my babysitter when I was younger. I remember when my parents went to Italy and Heather and John watched me while they were away...she would wake me up with heart shaped pancakes every morning! Needless to say, Mom and Dad coming home was kind of a bummer...

Anyways, Burrito Night is a great time to decompress and spend time with family and friends. Julia, my blogging muse, usually joins me as well. We love wandering around the house looking at the enormity of creativity be it food or crafts.

This week I experimented with Belgian Baking Chocolate and made Katharine Hepburn's Brownies with a little twist of my own. I substituted whole flour for the white and also swirled in Organic Peanut Butter.

They turned out pretty yummy and the whole wheat flour makes me think I'm almost being healthy!

There are so many delicious things to savor at Burrito Night that it's nearly impossible to not try them all. Heather cooks beans all day, Mexican rice in this darling heart-shaped pot, and steak. Plus there are a variety of salsas, corn casserole, and Heather's famous Cesar Salad that has a homemade lemon dressing. My other favorite dish is Sue's hot carrots, they are the perfect blend of spice and crunch!

And now, in a dramatic cliched finish, I'm going to tell you what the best part of all about Burrito Night is....cue to the drum roll.

Burrito Night is the one of the few places I know where everyone is accepted, and everyone is loved. It is a group of highly genuine, gloriously brilliant, and majorly creative people who all get together for the sole purpose of enjoying each other's company. We talk about books we've read, recipes we love, swap meets we've scored at, and anything else anyone wants to bring up. In an age of social networking, this sense of community can be hard to find beyond the walls of facebook and I am so grateful I have it a few houses away. Right around the corner is the house where I, and everyone else, is free to be celebrated as the creative and wonderful human being they are. Ideas and love are plenty, as is the food.

Father's Day

According to my dad, this was his favorite Father's Day ever. According to Rachel Ray, the meal I intended to make could be done in 30 minutes. One of them is lying...

If my sister and I had known all along that all it took to make Dad happy was to wake up at seven and surf with him, we probably could have saved ourselves some money over the years, not to mention spared my dad some pretty lame presents. I had also previously promised earlier in the week that I would undertake the making of the Father's Day meal. Normally reserved for my mom and Grandma Vi's Beef Stroganoff recipe, I thought it was time I took a little domestic initiative. I've been reading a lot of foodie blogs lately, and I thought to myself "Why not?". So after a fun, full family surf session(yay for warm water finally!), my dad and I ventured to the market to collect all the ingredients that I needed for this supposed 30 minute meal. Note to all the readers(and when I say "all", I mean all five of you), if Rachel Ray makes something in 30 minutes, a beginner should add two hours. But, alas, it is the journey. And oh what a journey it is to make Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Chicken in a Mushroom Sauce! Especially if you decide to add Sundried tomatoes and Sauteed Artichoke Hearts into the mix as well...

Nevertheless, with a little help chopping and stirring from Mom, I managed to complete my first attempt at cooking for a large audience. Even, dare I say, with some degree of success and deliciousity(so not a word!).

But the thing is, I didn't make this meal to prove to anyone that I could be some gourmet chef, I made it because I love my dad and I love my family. And like I've said earlier, sometimes one of the best ways to show that love is to make something. Because, in the end, it is not the things we say or the cards we write or the amazing gifts we buy that show people that we care. Sometimes, it is the acts we do that prove that we are unequivocally devoted, that we are willing to sacrifice precious summer hours to labor in a kitchen for them.

And the payoff is great. It was so fulfilling to sit around a table filled with people I love(Mom, Dad, Molly, George, Puppa, and Jade) and watch them eat something that I loved making for them. From my beautiful older sister who still tries to get me to hold hands and tandem surf with her to Puppa who was just happy to sit and drink a couple Pacificos(Courtesy of Jade!), there was joy all around. Although this summer has been a somewhat tumultuous one, it has still been filled with incredible joy at times. As a family we have learned to accept the bumps as they come and savor the tiny moments when we are all together and laughing. There is no such thing as a 30 minute meal in life, everything good takes time, effort, and the occasional spill. Unless you are Rachel of course! Ciao Bellas!

Comfort Food with Dad

I am a firm believer that food can solve most of the problems of the world, in moderation of course! My dad and I cooked an awesome meal tonight while waiting for my mom to get home from a day of taking care of my grandma. First, we flash browned pork chops in olive oil and onions. Just a little browning on both sides is all that is needed. Then we cut up about four apples, fresh from the tree outside and placed them into a casserole dish with the pork loin. Covered it all with a little brown sugar and dry sherry and threw it into the oven at 425 for 30 min and then 325 for another 30 or so. We cooked up some garlic mashed potatoes and organic green beans from Puppa's yard, and VOILA! Healthy Comfort Food.

Sometimes it's retail therapy and sometimes it's a good book, but there are often times in life that a homecooked meal made with love is simple the only thing to make the stress and problems of the world disappear, at least for a half an hour. Then it's back to the grind of ringing cell phones, new emails, crashing stocks, facebook updates, and a world that seems to be constantly running on overdrive. So in the time of all this chaos, it's important to remember that comfort is simply an oven and some fresh ingredients away. Don't forget to throw a little love in before it hits the oven!

Friendship

Friendships among girls are a funny thing. They can often be plagued by cattiness and gossip, yet above all things they are resilient. Throughout the tiffs and arguments, deep down it is simply known that the friendship can always endure. I have always been blessed with the greatest of friends, regardless of the coast that I happen to be on at that moment. They are the girls that I laugh with and cry with, but mostly they are the girls I am myself with. We all come from different upbringings, we have different opinions about the gulf spill and hostels, but we are bonded by our indefinite love and loyalty for each other. I often think that if people would approach any human being they meet on the street in the same way that they approach their best friends, the world would be a much more enjoyable place to live in. Because, after all, it really doesn't matter if we don't all think the same thing as long as we have the ability to lend an ear to listen with and a heart for caring. In the worst of times, the times when we think that the world probably couldn't be an uglier place, it is the friendships that we have cultivated that remind us that love is simply a call or text away. Thanks to all my friends, from the ones that I talk to everyday to the ones that I can pick right up where we left off with, you mean more to me than I ever tell you--probably because I'm rambling to you already.