The Midwest tour continues: Ohio

What do you think of when you hear Indiana? That is the question my friend Jake and I tried to answer during the long drive through the flat, open state on our way to Ohio two weeks ago. I was making the trek to visit my friends Jon and Marisa who moved to Columbus nearly a year ago, and Jake was visiting his sister. I'm glad to have had a driving partner this time. I've made this drive solo once before, and it is longer than long. When I think of Indiana I really just think of farms. Farms and wind turbines. Jake thought of rest stops. I'm sure there is more to it and I'm just not privy to the details. If you are, please share. After about 8 hours of driving, we made it to Columbus where Jake and I parted ways for the weekend.

The first order of business was Pipsy proofing so the three of us could go grab some food. Pipsy did surprisingly well confined to their kitchen area with gate. She only pushed through once, and didn't do any damage.

Marisa found a great restaurant that had awesome veggie options. Though I can usually find something on most menus, I love being able to choose from more than three entrees. Betty's is in downtown Columbus, which as a city really reminds me of a city that combines both Milwaukee and Madison. That is to say I feel really comfortable there. Betty's is pin up themed neighborhood bar/restaurant that has an awesome collection of vintage "risque" photos posted on its walls. The drink menu was packed with specialty drinks as well as wine and local brews. After perusing the menu, I was reminded that I like White Russians (a drink I never think of ordering unless I see it on a menu. Here it was dubbed the Betty White Russian, and it was a tall.). For dinner I had the pumpkin chili that was just spicy enough and a warm mushroom salad. There were three types of mushrooms sauteed and served atop romaine lettuce topped with goat cheese. Pumpkin chili should really be on more menus, as should goat cheese items. Then, it was dessert time at Jeni's ice cream across the way. I was actually too stuffed to even take more than one bite of my scoops and saved them til the next day. Jeni's has adult ice cream flavors, some infused with booze, some with the bite of spicy curry and others with goat cheese (see, they took my more goat cheese idea before I even had it). I chose the Bangkok Peanut and Whiskey & Pecans. The Bangkok Peanut had a nice kick to it and the Whiskey & Pecans tasted just enough like whiskey for me to really enjoy it without making that face I do when liquor burns as I sip. You can get Jeni's online. If I wasn't such a procrastinator, I probably would have ordered some for Christmas, maybe I'll bring some to New Years.

Saturday I had the crazy idea of working out so Marisa and I went to their complex's gym. I miss having a workout facility in my building, and still need to get to Bally's to combat the winter weight that is sure to creep up on me. After the elliptical and treadmill it was time for brunch. I'm spacing on the name of the place now. I want to say Skillet, or something like that. The food was good, but we had to wait a while which is neither Marisa nor my strong suit when we're hungry. But, when the food came we ate, drank (OJ and coffee) and were merry. Brunch fueled us for a visit out to their new house. Well, really a pile of dirt next to a hole right now, but by spring it will be a house. I can't wait for the housewarming party! Jon and Marisa always make me feel at home. Their guest bedroom is nicer than most hotels, the bed is super comfy and their place has a playmate for Pipsy, their Westie named Tucker.

Saturday night we went to a brew and view type place for dinner, drinks, and a movie. We saw New Year's Eve. I have a weakness for chick flicks, and this was just what I needed to get my fix for a few months. If you've seen Love Actually or Valentine's Day, you've probably got the idea of this movie. But, it's sweet, fun and lighthearted. I always say that if I want to see something scary or dangerous or action-y, I'll turn on the news. Reality is scary enough, I like to escape with stories of friendship, love and happiness. Also, the idea of a brew and view is genius. We went from drinks and movies to drinks and arcade games at Dave and Busters. We played Skee Ball and tried to beat each other at basketball. Skee ball is still my favorite, even after Marisa and I tried Dance, Dance Revolution. Dance, Dance is a great way to make yourself feel uncoordinated and out of shape. Maybe I just need more practice, or to play before cocktails.

Sunday, my last day in town, we indulged our terrible television addiction by watching awful shows like Teen Mom and Scouted before going to brunch. I don't mind not having cable at home, but it really is fun to be able to watch ridiculous shows that come on when flipping through channels on a lazy Sunday. This Sunday brunch was at a bar with an awesome buffet. They had a Bloody Mary bar too, which I always want to enjoy, but I just can't get into Bloody Marys. Tomato juice is just not my thing. So, after eating delicious food yet again, it was time for me and Pips to say goodbye and make our way through good ol' Indiana.

Thanksgiving travels

Up until this year, my holiday travels were limited to Midwestern drives. But this Thanksgiving, I was invited to spend the weekend with Andrew and his family in Seattle (the city his brother and sister-in-law are lucky to call home). Though I was a little sad to miss the twins first Thanksgiving, and time with my family, I couldn't say no to the offer. Our flight left the evening before Turkey Day, and I was pleasantly surprised at the less-than-chaotic lines at O'hare. I got through security in less than a half hour, and managed to escape any grumpiness. I more than love to travel, but flying and me usually have our issues. But, no matter how awful the flight made me feel, I was happy to be able to share Thanksgiving with such a great family in one of my favorite cities.

Thanksgiving Day couldn't have been more ideal. I was able to go for a nice jog around Seattle University before dinner. The hills can be deceiving, and the rain a little chilling, but it was a good workout that helped me feel less guilty about the excessive amount of calories I was about to eat. The meal was delicious, and I was excited to have contributed Green Bean Casserole (a dish I really should incorporate into my weekly rotation, rather than a dish just for holiday buffets). There was no need for Tofurkey, the non-meat side dishes and pumpkin pie were more than enough, and the traditional flavors made me feel right at home. Our hosts did a fabulous job! We ended the night with Hot Toddies and a game with a forgettable name that incorporates charades, acting and clues.

There was no camping outside for black Friday deals, or early morning line standing. I've only been involved with the craziness of Black Friday once, years ago for a Nintendo Wii. I almost lost all hope in humanity. Never again. Black Friday for us involved a brewery tour, winery trip, a chocolate shop, and dinner at a dog-friendly pub. Red Hook Brewery was more like a funny lecture interspersed with tastings, and that was okay with me. I kind of wished I could have tasted the original Red Hook of the 80s that supposedly had a slight banana flavor, but all the samples were pretty tasty. If I remember correctly, my favorite was the Copper Hook, and the Pilsner wasn't that bad either. At one point our tour guide said one of the brews was like "a fairy-tale in your mouth," which I thought was worth repeating. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I liked hearing it. Though we didn't tour Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery nor Theo's chocolate shop, we did get to meander around their gift shops. Both worth the trip, I'm regretting not buying any Theo chocolates so much that I'll be checking online when I finish this post to see if they ship nationwide. At Theo they had a drinking chocolate that reminded me of this amazing chocolate shop that lasted for just a few months in Wauwatosa. It was creamy and rich and everything hot chocolate should be. Down the street from the chocolate shop is this adorable dog-friendly pub. Emmet, our hosts' adorable mini-pincher/chihuahua, was able to sit with for dinner. I wish more places were dog friendly, I would love to be able to go out to dinner with Pips.

The next day was skiing. Real mountain skiing. We drove the winding roads to Crystal Mountain. It had been 10 years since I'd skied, and that was on Wilmot "Mountain" in southern Wisconsin. The bunny hill at Crystal Mountain seemed larger than the entire run at Wilmot. After a few passes on the bunny hill we decided to take on the next run. The trail was called Tinkerbell, but it was scarier than the name implied. On the lift, my stomach began to churn and curdle half way up. It was a green run, the easiest after the bunny hill. But, to get there we had to go down a slightly blue section. That was my downfall. I had a little mishap off a few feet from the lift, but that was nothing compared to what happened on this blue-ish slope. I had the most epic fall. I was going too fast, couldn't make myself turn to slow down and ended up face down. When I lifted my head, through the cracks in my snow covered glasses, the tree stump was too close for comfort. One of my skis was buried deep in the snow and the guys had to dig to help me find it. I got up slowly, my quad burning, and got my boots back in the skis. I was extremely nervous to go down again, but made it the rest of the way with only one more (far less epic) tumble. The guys were ready to go again, but I opted for practice on the bunny hill. And after the bunny hill we took the gondola to the top of the mountain, about 2,500 vertical feet from the base. Some crazy people, Andrew and his brother, skied down, while others, like me, had their hot chocolate at the summit restaurant and took the gondola back down. At the top of the gondola, there is an unbelievable view of Mt. Rainier and the range. Being among this amazing natural landscape makes me realize how incredibly small we all are, and how lucky I am to have had the opportunity to be a part of the life of this mountain that has been accumulating stories for hundreds of thousands of years. My bruises and sore muscles were worth every moment.

Thanks to my hosts and Andrew's family for making this a fabulous trip. Until next time, Emerald City...

Oh the places you'll go

During the month of October I challenged myself to go to a new place every day. It forced me to take a different path, to open my eyes to different sights and take in more of the world around me. Below is the list of places I visited for the first time during the month. To be honest, there were a couple days that I missed (8 days in total), but I did make it to 30 new places in 30 days by doubling up a few days. My top 10 are bold.

Evanston Public Library
Twosided Gift Shop
Threadless on Broadway
Akira
Bobtail Icecream Shoppe
Aaron's
Hamburger Heaven
Dekalb Oasis
Clinton Hy-vee
Jake & Cyndi's
The Breakfast House
The Brucemore
Night Out Shuttle Bus Bars
Columbia
Forever Yogurt
MCA Lecture Hall
University of Chicago
Andersonville Galleria
Swedish History Museum
Andersonville Antique shop
Chicago Costume Store
Garfield Conservatory
Resurection Catholic Church
Jorie & Juleen's
Manhattan/Monee gas station
Gates Dress Shop
Illusions Dress Shop
Lanterman Park
Grissom's Apple Orchard
The Brew and Grow Shop

A long trip home

The flight to from Shanghai to Chicago should take about 11 hours. If you get to go non-stop. If you take the route less traveled, like I did, it takes about 72 hours. I was lucky enough to fly use a friend's buddy pass (a highly discounted ticket from a friend that worked at the airline that basically means you're flying standby) to get to Shanghai, it was no problem. I even got a seat with no one next to me, free wine and tv shows to take my mind off the time. The way home wasn't as easy. I got to the airport early Saturday morning. But, even if I got there at 2 in the morning I wouldn't have made it on the plane. You see, there was a typhon headed towards Shanghai. And, the airport preemptively canceled all of Sunday's flights. This meant that customers who paid full price were on the same list, way ahead of me. It was chaos at the counter, and when I finally talked to someone they suggested I would be stranded in Shanghai for a week if I didn't get out that day. There was no way I could be in China for another week.

I ran around the airport, trying and trying to find an open seat to Narita, Japan. If I could get there, the chances for getting to the US on a buddy pass were much greater. This airline only flies once a day from Shanghai to the US mainland, but from Narita they have a handful of flights. I bought a ticket to Narita (let's just say buying same-day tickets aren't cheap). I get in after dark, and decided to spend the night in the airport. I'd never done that before. I was herded with other travelers to a part of the airport they designated for overnighters. It was nothing like sleepover camp. They took my passport info and left me to stretch out across a couple seats cuddling my luggage. Morning took forever, it was as if the sun was hoping for a lazy Sunday. I started talking with reservations bright and early (and they were shockingly nice to me). I tried three flights that went back to the US, but others were ahead of me and I didn't make it on a flight until 8 p.m. And that was to Hawaii. I wish I had a photo of how relieved my face looked when I made it to my seat and they offered me champagne. Business class is awesome! Here is where you say, "Oh, poor thing. You had to go to Hawaii. And had to fly business class" But, the bad part of getting to Hawaii is that no one ever gets out of Hawaii on a buddy pass considering how many people are going there in the summer. So, when we landed I booked a flight to Seattle, took my swimsuit from my luggage, checked my bag and took the bus to the beach.

From the Honolulu airport you can take the city bus (unless you have luggage) to Waikiki beach for $2.50. I had the entire day on the beach. It was my saving grace. For two days I had been confined in airports or airplanes breathing stale recycled air. I have no idea how anyone leaves this island. The air and water are intoxicating.

I saw myself having a life there, it looked a lot like like Mila Kunis' life in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." I stumbled upon a hula dance recital, had a Hawaiian shaved ice, napped in the sun and swam in the clear blue water.

I didn't want to leave, but about two hours before my flight left, I packed up, dried off with my souvenir towel and caught the bus back to the airport. I got on the plane longing to return to the beach.

Seattle welcomed me with the Pacific Northwest charm that is forever calling me. But, I didn't have time to leave the airport. I tried and tried for a buddy pass seat, but failed and failed. And after a near melt down I bought a ticket for later that afternoon to Chicago. I got home at about 8 p.m. (which would have been Tuesday morning in China). I'm not sure I've ever been happier to land in ORD.

China - the last few days

China was one of the most tiring "vacations" I've ever taken, and so after 10 days I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough at night to write about the days happenings. So now, almost two months later I am going to try to recount the last few days we spent on the other side of the world. The day after the Great Wall adventure we went to an art museum and then to the art district. The main exhibit was technology as art, and had some pretty fun interactive pieces. An image searching program that brought up faces similar to yours (or just random images from the looks of it) after taking a scan was in the first gallery. Anna had a couple matches, but no matter how hard I tried I always got the "no match found" message. I gave up, and let the kids have a turn.

We moved on to my favorite exhibit: Nemo Observatorium. The plaque did a good job explaining the purpose of this transparent space with flying Styrofoam balls whirling about an armchair in the center.

"White particles are blown around in a big transparent cylinder. Visitors can take a seat on the armchair in the middle of the whirlpool or observe from the outside. In the eye of the storm, it is calm and safe. In this spectacular meditation machine one can follow the patterns, focus on the layers of 3D pixels or listen to its waterfall sound. One could call it a training device, challenging the visitor to find peace in a fast changing environment."

Relaxing in the "eye of the storm"

It was good, nerdy fun. As was the greenhouse exhibit upstairs next to a piece that created a windmill of sorts out of water bottles and LED lights. The sculptor used bottles filled with sand to focus attention on the fading availability of clean water. On the other side of the gallery was a quirky tent filled with growing garden vegetables (tomatoes mostly if I'm remembering correctly) that invited guests to dance inside with the plants. So, we did. Briefly.

We had Pizza Hut for lunch, which I should have known was a bad idea since even in the states I usually get sick from eating there. But, just like it didn't stop me from going to the buffet on weekends (especially for the dessert pizza) in college, it didn't stop us in Beijing. After our stomachs were sufficiently coated in grease, we made our way to the art district. I didn't get to go with Anna and Lei Ti to the art district in Shanghai, so I was excited about this trip. It actually reminded me of the third ward in Milwaukee, an industrial area taken over and reinvented by artists and gallery owners. The taxi ride there got me a little car sick, and combined with the Pizza Hut, my stomach never really recovered. But, other than my stomach hating me for the evening, it was a good time. It was refreshingly less crowded than we were getting used to, and there was a ton to see.

"Floating" Bikes

Love is a work of art. Aren't they cute?

"Wall art"

That night I went to sleep hoping my stomach would stop loathing me, and luckily when I woke up the next day I felt nearly 100 percent better. It was time to go back to Shanghai, High Speed Rail style. We made it back that evening to the same hotel we left a few days prior to go to Beijing, but Lei Ti wasn't feeling too well. Anna and I left him to his Chinese peaches and bed and we went to the French Concession where we had had the amazing fried bananas. This time we stumbled upon a Mexican place, after buying fabulously large, colorful lens-free glasses. It's amazing how walking away can get a vendor to really bring down his prices. For Mexican in China, it was a really great place, and the margaritas were 2 for 1 (something we didn't know until we got the bill, which was probably for the best). This was the most expensive meal we had eaten in China, and with a margarita my total couldn't have been more than $13 USD. I really could get used tot he restaurant pricing here.

Our last day in Shanghai was low key. We slept late, went souvenir shopping and watched our last night of Chinese dating shows. We were getting excited for our return trips home, though it was a bit bittersweet considering I wouldn't get to see Anna again for months.

We woke up packed and ready to go, but the weather would have something else in store for me. It would be another 72 hours before I made it home, after rerouting and airport overnights. More on that crazy weekend soon.

Beijing - Day 10

Day 10 (Tuesday) - Beijing

The Great Wall was an amazing feat showing the strength of China throughout centuries, and for a traveler in the 21st century it offers beautiful mountain views even in the foggy morning. But, after seeing the treacherous mountains it was built on, I would have thought the mountains themselves would have served as a strong enough barrier against the Mongols. I've been told it was more of a symbol of power, which makes sense. You'd have to have a lot of power to persuade your people to build the wall. Thousands of people died during it's construction. As you may have guessed, the great wall is packed with visitors. We went to the the second most popular entry point at Jinyong park and there were people everywhere making it nearly impossible to navigate the steep steps. I pressed on among the crowds to Beacon Tower 9.

Before the climb.

So many people!

Anna, Lei Ti and I made it to 8, but on the way up Anna remembered she was afraid of heights so they made their way back down and I pressed on. Right when I thought I made it to another tower, it was just a platform leading to more stairs. I climbed on. By this point my clothes were soaked through, my face was dripping and I could tell my legs would be burning the next day. The wall is a great place to remind you of your fitness level, for better or worse. I, for example, need a little work. The view from the beacon tower I made it to was beautiful, and would have been peaceful, maybe even spiritual, had I been able to climb alone instead of with herds of other people. I took in the view, took a few deep breaths of the fresh mountain air and carried on back down the stairs stopping periodically to look out among the landscape of green peaks and valleys.

Mountains

It was almost scarier on the way down considering one shove could have taken down so many people, and people are known to do their share of shoving here. I thought of buying a t-shirt to change into, but the only ones they really had were cheesy "I climbed the wall" shirts. According to Mao, if you come to China and don't climb the wall, you are not a man. Only true men make the climb. I would have bought a shirt that said "Mao thinks I'm a man," but had no luck.

These locks are attached to the wall. They are put there to ensure a couple's love will last.

To get to the great wall we took a tour van from the hotel. It wasn't the cheapest, but it was the easiest, even though we were shuttled to three factories on the way to the wall, Ming Tombs, and Olympic bird's nest. And it also included lunch, which wasn't bad. Veggies with a good sauce, rice and hot Jasmine tea. The first factory was jade, expensive jade. We saw a carved jade boat worth something outrageous like $57,000 USD, and learned the difference between real and fake jade during the elaborate sales pitch. I hate being followed around by salespeople, and so when after looking at some chotchkies I was swarmed by saleswomen I shut down and decided that even if I had the money I would save it to buy gifts elsewhere. The Ming Tombs aren't far from the wall, there are 13 Ming Emperors burried on the grounds. We only saw the tablet of one, and his three concubines. It was marked with a turtle symbolizing long life, and is supposed to bring luck if you rub it, and good health if you rub it's butt. I did both, but my cold was still hanging around, so I'm not sure it worked. The next factory was silk. Anna and Lei Ti went rogue right away from boredom. I listened for a little longer, until she tried to sell us quilts and then went back downstairs. We had to stay there 20 minutes, I'm pretty sure they get kick backs for bringing foreigners there to spend money. Again, we bought nothing. And then there was the tea house. I was happy to have some hot tea samples and even the pu er was drinkable. The pu er I remember from my days at the tea shop wasn't close to tolerable. The oolong is always my favorite, but Dr. Tea was too expensive. I almost wish I would have picked up a pee pee boy though, which is a ceramic or terracotta baby that when you put in water hot enough for tea it, pees. It was pretty funny. Next was pearls in a shop that seemed to be under the Olympic grounds, it was a weird location for a jewelry shop. They also had pearl anti-aging cream that Anna and I jumped on, considering our pushing 30 status. I woke up the next morning with an allergic reaction to it. Luckily I didn't spend any money on the two for one bargain cream. The last stop was the bird's nest. A cool building, sure, but I think it would have been cooler in color. It seems odd how much China is still banking on the 2008 Olympics. We took pictures in front of the nest like giants. It was a lot of fun and the pictures are pretty hilarious.

Anna winning the 400 meter dash!

And from there the van drove us back to the hotel. Lei Ti picked an awesome dumpling place for dinner. They had like 50 different choices, including vegetarian. And the cook was cool. When a woman told him she thought he needed to cook the dumplings different, he said he didn't think so, and told her to leave, that he didn't need her money. I'm sure it sounded better in the original Chinese, some probably got lost in Lei Ti's translation, but that is pretty cool to feel so confident in your cooking that you don't take anyone's gruff. These restaurants have been some of the best Chinese experiences so far, and having Lei Ti translate is like being a fly on the wall, which is fun.

Beijing - Days 8 and 9

Day 8 (Sunday) - Beijing

Our plan was to go to the Forbidden City by way of Jin Shan Park, but like any good plan it only gets better with alteration. The taxi dropped us off at the park and from the start the butterfly theme smacked you in the face. Usually I'm not a fan of butterfly houses (too many bugs flying too close to my head), but this one wasn't so much a butterfly house as a big net with a few butterflies flying around. I even took a photo as a butterfly princess. Proof I may be over my phobia soon enough, which would mean I could quote things like "just when the caterpillar thought it's life was over, it turned into a beautiful butterfly" without concern. In addition to the butterflies were temples, and nicely landscaped greenery. One of the temple's was tall enough to provide a view of the yellow rooftops of the Forbidden City's. Before even going inside, it was obvious this would be one more thing in China that would be classified as too big.

By the time we pushed our way through to a good photo spot and then down a less traveled path that I almost slipped down, we made it to the gate about an hour before they let the last people in. But, they changed the entry gate from the north to south in the beginning of July which meant we really wouldn't have had time to get through after walking around the moated city. Instead, we went to Bei Hai Park. Bei Hai Park is one of the largest Chinese gardens with grand structures, pathways and scenery. It was built in the 10th century. Even though there were still a lot of people there, it seemed quieter and a little more peaceful (I give credit to the lake). And we didn't just look at the water, we eventually rented a pedal boat. That was after climbing to the White Dagoba through a few other temples where there was ghost food and ghost accommodations for the afterlife and prayer placards outside on trees that I imagine are like lighting a candle in the catholic church. After coming down from the highest point in the park (the Dagoba) and taking a rest looking out onto the lake we decided to rent a pedal boat. I was like a princess being pedaled around by Anna and Lei Ti.

My pedalers

We spotted jumping fish, joked about the other "lazy" foreigners in a motor boat who seemed to be always catching us, and closed in on a couple obviously trying to make out. There were also lotus boats we could have gotten if we only walked down the way a little more before opting for the pedal boat. The lotus might have looked cool, but ours was just as good, and wasn't as pretentious.

Other foreigners in the Lotus Boats. Fancy pants.

For dinner Lei Ti made another solid choice. We had food from the northern region. Square noodles that could have been put together like ravioli, tomato sauce and peppers. The veggies were potatoes and peppers that were like a Chinese breakfast potato and there was flat bread. Fresh bread with pizza-like herbs with a spicy kick. It was worth the wait for a fresh loaf. After dinner we walked down passed turtles in a suitcase and checked out the WuMart, which we're pretty sure is Wal-Mart in China. If it wasn't Wal-Mart, it was a great copy, and if China does anything well, it's make copies of brand name items for less. We walked back through a Hutong (a Chinese neighborhood down an alley) that I would have turned back out of if I was alone, but carried on with the senses hightened until we made it back to the main street on the way to our hotel.

Day 9 (Monday) - Beijing
We got up early with hopes of making it to two sites in one day. First, the Forbidden City. Like all of the tickets and talking, Lei Ti was nice enough to stand in line for us and buy our entry tickets. While we were waiting a Chinese girl asked to take our picture, and as we posed a group of about ten 12-year-olds gathered round with the cameras. If only we could have capitalized on this short bought of "fame" we could have made our money back for the tickets. We walked through the gate with what seemed like thousands of other people and began to look around. The Forbidden City is where the emperor, his wife and concubines used to live. A sprawling city inside a city. They had few small museums of paintings and jade, and a building displaying typical ceremonial wedding attire and items. Then buildings all had air conditioning, so we sought out each one. The history there is quite amazing, but with so many people and it being so hot, it's hard to get excited over temples and buildings that start to look the same after a while, even if they are beautiful and took great feats to build hundreds or thousands of years ago. It's the kind of place that would be awesome to get lost in after closing when you could pretend to be emperor and sit in his big chair. Then you could look over his kingdom from the highest point in the Forbidden city in the temple with the turtle dragons, cranes and iron vats out front. Anna and I did have a fun mini photo shoot with the yellow roofs of the city as the backdrop. I think I have like three poses and I'm spent, but it's always fun. We took a few breaks in the city to hide from the sun, but the best spot we found was by an "ancient garbage can" or a pagoda-covered hole in the ground people started throwing bottles into. I hope they have a special tool to get all the trash out, because it is going to get real gross real fast if they don't. From the Forbidden City we went to the Bejing Zoo. I love going to the zoo. The number one animal on my list to see was the panda, and it was the first exhibit we saw. Their houses aren't the best zoo cages I've ever seen, but the pandas didn't seem to mind too much. The first one, an adult, was just lounging around in the heat, but the second two were cubs and were playing with eachother. It was adorable. One took a tumble out of the short tree, but bounced back quick and climbed back up to bat at his playmate again real quick. We walked through and saw more animals, all laying around because of the heat, probably all thinking we were crazy for walking around that day. We saw a very regal looking eagle, and a bird with feathers that looked like he was wearing tiger animal print. He was Pulling. It. Off. There was a baby nursery with small monkeys and a chimp. The chimp was curled up napping close to the glass. The tigers, a ways away, were up and pacing though, I think it was close to dinner time by the time we found them. We got to hear one let out a growl, probably to get all the people to quiet down so it could rest in the heat. People weren't satisfied with hearing just one growl, and were trying to get him to do it again with their ridiculous attempts at animal noises, it didn't work. One kid even through a water bottle into the cage to try to get a response, and the only one he upset was me. Jerk kid throwing stuff into the animals cage! We took a rest after the tigers and called it a day at the zoo. We found the MRT, transferred and were back in our neighborhood in time for dinner. It was another good eastern food experience. Jasmine scrambled egg, Chinese brocolli, and sweet brown rice with bits of pineapple served in a pineapple.

Jasmine eggs.

Even though the broccoli really was more like bok choy, it was good, especially with the egg. And the pineapple rice was sweet enough it could have been called dessert. Beijing was definitely beating Shanghai for food at this point.

Beijing - Days 6 and 7

Day 6 (Friday) - Beijing

It was the first eastern meal that I considered a real success on the only rainy day so far in China. Of course there were the fried bananas and the rice and pieces of other meals, but at this place I genuinely enjoyed everything I ordered. I had noodles with a tomato-based sauce with cucumbers and stewed tomatoes with scrambled eggs that stayed warm the entire meal. The noodles kind of tasted like my Mom's chicken tettrizini minus the chicken and breadcrumbs. For dessert we had toffee covered yams that I thought were even better than the bananas, and like the bananas, the candied yams were sweet enough to be called dessert even in the US. We had chosen this place because it reminded Lei Ti of a noodle place in Taiwan, we lucked out when we ducked in an alley to get to it.

Delicious Candied Yams

After lunch we went out the other side of the restaurant to find a more traditionally Chinese street than Old Street. Vendors were selling fruit and chotchkies. Anna bought funny wallet for Lei Ti that said "Servr My Wife." Perfect and hilarious Chinglish is waiting around every corner. And, like a 12 year-old boy, I laughed out loud at the I heart BJ shirt. BJ in this instance of course the abbreviation for Beijing. Before the wallet though we got more famous Chinese peaches. We walked back to Old Street and made our way through the gates to Tianamen Square. The South gate is 600 years old and just across the way you can see Mao. It was closed when we got there, which was ok since we all seemed a little creeped out by it. We walked to the other side of the Mao memorial to the People's Hero monument and the site of the 1989 protests.

Tianamen Square

There really is nothing on the site mentioning it ever happened. I would have taken my picture there, but what kind of face do you make at a place like that? Anna chose a more frightened, nervous face, which seemed appropriate, but I opted out. There is also an iron sickle in the square now commemorating 90 years of communism in China. The sickles are a little disturbing, but we keep reminding ourselves that we aren't seeing signs of communism in Iowa, but in a country where they have been "communist" for nearly 100 years. Close to the square is the Museum of China. It was free and kept us from the rain, so it had those redeeming qualities, but otherwise it was pretty sparse. There were bronze and stone sculptures similar to Shanghai, and porcelain too. There was an Ancient China exhibit in the basement that was ok. My favorite was actually the Inca ancestry exhibit. Like the Maori in Shanghai, it seemed a little out of place, but it was a good display and a nice change of pace from Chinese painted porcelin and sculpted stone, which was great to see, but a break was much appreciated. We were loosing steam fast. We made it to H&M and then McDonalds before calling it a night. I noticed my throat feeling itchy that night and my head getting stuffy so I took some nose drops and cold and sinus pills, crossed my fingers and went to bed at like 9:30.

Day 7 (Saturday) - Beijing
We got a late start, but I was trying to psyche myself out of being sick, so it was worth it. I eventually sucked it up and we went out to the Temple of Heaven. A bicycle taxi took us to the gate where we saw a horse drawn cart with a man selling apples next to a man selling roasted yams. Anna let me have a bite of hers, yams are fabulous. The Temple of Heaven, like everything in China, is too big. It was nice to walk tree shaded pathways from temple to temple and through a small rose garden. Anna and I climbed to the perfect seat made from a cut branch of a centuries old tree for a photo op, and when we continued on the path we came across a traditional chorus and listened for a minute. According to my map, the Temple of Good Harvest is the most famous temple in the world, though, before walking up to the temple I had never heard of it. Here's a little bit of what Wikipedia has to say about the Temple of Heaven: "The temple complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor who was also responsible for the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The complex was extended and renamed Temple of Heaven during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor in the 16th century. The Jiajing Emperor also built three other prominent temples in Beijing, the Temple of Sun (日壇)in the east , the Temple of Earth (地壇)in the north , and theTemple of Moon (月壇)in the west . The Temple of Heaven was renovated in the 18th century under theQianlong Emperor. Due to the deterioration of state budget, this became the last large-scale renovation of the temple complex in the imperial time."

Temple of Good Harvest

I climbed the three small tiers of concrete steps to the azure tiled temple and got a view across Beijing. I tried to get a look in the temple, but there were too many people, it was hot, and they were pushing far more than I was willing to deal with at the moment. So, I stepped back and enjoyed the view instead. We stoped for ice, which to me tasted like frozen sweetened tonic water, so a few minutes later I had an ice cream break. Anna and I had our pictures taken with a Chinese family who were excited to see foreigners, and we were off to the sacrificial circle. Some people were having their pictures taken in the center, like where the sacrifices would have been made, I thought that was creepy. But it wouldn't be the most odd thing we've seen on this trip.

Our next trek was in search of a new hotel sans luggage so walking wasn't so terrible. We walked and tried a few different places and were almost done with looking when we found the "business" hotel we would stay in for the rest of the trip. We then lucked out again at the dinner place. The snack bar had noodles with a spicy nutty sauce and cucumbers and for dessert we had a chinese version of fried dough with sugar, both were really delicious. We walked in search of a night market. We found the shopping district, wifi, and cute couples taking engagement photos outside of a church. There were two couples, and I think one was winning. She was smiling and laughing, while the other was kind of bummed. Anna promised to be the happy one. We let the brides be, and found the "night market". Really though, it seemed like a watered down attempt at a night market. Sure, there were weird foods like scorpion, snake, stinky tofu and squid all on sticks, but all the vendors wore the same clothes and seemed part of the same company.

Starfish on a stick

Or maybe it was government run considering the government tried to "clean up" the city before the Olympics. We walked the row of vendors, and then headed home. Well, first tried to find a taxi that would take us and not rip us off. The first guy was an unmarked taxi which creeped me out, then the second wouldn't take us to where we wanted to go because he said it was too complicated and the third wanted too much money. It was nearly a Goldilocks situation, but though our last option wasn't just right, it got us home safe.

Shanghai/Beijing-Days 4 and 5

Day 4 (Wednesday) - Shanghai

When we went to the Shanghai museum the first time, we went from the fourth floor down and ran out of time to see the first floor. Just before entering the museum, close to the shrubs near the entryway, we saw a street cat crouch in anticipation of big game. Nothing I haven't seen before, but next the cat lunged forward and caught a pigeon.We left the cat to feast, and went in to see the first floor exhibits. One room was filled with sculptures, mostly leaders and icons from the Tang dynasty There was a head carved from wood and stone Buddas that survived centuries with only slight malformities like broken hands or a cracked nose. Looking at the Buddas I imagined how great it would be to reach Nirvana, but then recalled something about the belief that life is suffering. Personally I'd like to think we should live for whatever makes you happy (unless that something is something that harms someone else). The next exhibit was the Chinese bronze era. Who knew they drank so much wine (especially considering the less than delicious wine I've sampled from China and Taiwan)? There were dozens of wine vessels on display, some large enough to hold wine for what seemed like an entire family and some intricately etched personal jugs. Bronze doesn't age as well as ceramic or porcelain. Anna and I joked that bronze is how we'll age unless we start using amazing lotions and potions now. By the way, I've used sun screen and lotion on my face every day we've been here in attempts to curb that, considering I'm pushing 30 and all.The last exhibit was the Maori exhibit. It was a bit disorienting to be looking at New Zealand aboriginal artifacts in China, but I guess it shouldn't be any more odd than looking at Egyptian artifacts in Chicago. Shanghai has a sister-city relationship with a city in New Zealand, so it makes even more sense. It also made me wish I'd gone to New Zealand on my Australia trip, but I guess that just means another trip down under will be in order.

From there we look the MRT to Pudong, the tall skyline we saw from the other side of the river a couple nights before. Pudong is Shanghai's financial district and home to the Oriental Pearl Tower. We opted out of the view from the top and chose the History Museum closer to ground level. But, before that we took a short circle bus tour around the district. On that tour I felt like I was in china less and less. If the language was changed it could have been any huge city. We passed the Yacht Club and the most expensive housing in the city as well as the two tallest buildings, one of which we've been called the giant bottle opener. The Shanghai History Museum took us from early Shanghai where farmers were working the land (the sign told us to look at fun ways people worked with the land, but their faces were more like grimaces than smirks) to the Opium War invasion to the middle of the 20th century when foreigners were setting up colony type settlements throughout Shanghai. Some exhibits were like old time street displays, which I love. You can insert yourself into a bar scene or beauty shop of yesteryear with the snap of a camera.

From there it was back into the sauna. The financial district has a raised round about type sidewalk so pedestrians don't have to worry about getting sideswiped. And in Shanghai it was a welcome safety feature considering the traffic. We stopped in the Apple store and then went for dinner at an Italian restaurant in the mall. It was better than most mall restaurants back home, and had great cheese (a rarity in China). We took the sightseeing tunnel back across the river. I was really hoping for a willy wonks type off crazy boat ride, but it didn't quite deliver. The best explanation may be the inside of the gravatron minus the zero-g effect. Not super impressive, and a little over priced. So, after shaking the disappointment we headed home for what is becoming our Chinese nightly tradition of Reeb (yes that's beer backwards, and it's quite tastey) and tv.

Not exactly Willy Wonka...

Day 5 (Thursday) - Shanghai/Beijing
We grabbed a taxi to the train station early enough to have breakfast at McDonalds. I was glad Lei Ti was able to order my sausage Egg McMuffin without the sausage. Full of greasy goodness we shuffled through the line to the High Speed Rail. In China it has seemed less like lines and more like masses of people pushing their way closer to where they want to go. I was a little afraid to board considering the HSR crash earlier that week that killed 35 people when one train rear-ended a train that was stopped from a storm. But I kept reminding myself that it wasn't the same route, but what i kept remembering was that it was the same type of train. But, needless to say, we made it safely to Beijing 5 hours later. The regular train takes somewhere between 10 and 15 hours and there were no soft seats available, so I guess the nerves were worth the time saved. Once we figured out the new MRT we started our search for a hotel. We started out at a the MRT stop close to the famous Peking Duck place we ended up at later that night. We should have known by the name that "Rich Hotel" that it was on the pricey side, so we kept going, and going and going. The next hotel we came across couldn't accept foreigners (hotels in China need a license to host foreign travelers). We decided to ask a taxi driver if he knew where a close/cheap hotel was, but he was no help. The bicycle taxis knew the way. Anna and I hoped into one with one of our bags and Lei Ti took the others in the second bici taxi. I could never ride a bicycle on Beijing streets, let alone be a bicycle taxi driver. It's not just the actual peddling (our driver's bike was motorized), but the traffic is insane. They took us to what would eventually be our hotel for three nights. We dropped off our bags and went back out to find the famous Peking Duck place from Lei Ti's book. It was so popular that there was a wait, we picked up our number and waited on the small blue stools with everyone else.

Everyone waiting for duck.

I was concerned at first that I was underdressed considering I was wearing yoga pants to be comfy on the train, but then someone hauked a logie next to me and I felt better about it. The restaurant was more than 100 years old and has hosted dignitaries like the korea's Kim Jong-il, leaders from Kenya, Iran and the United Arab Emerites. Anna and Lei Ti order a half duck and ate the meat rolled up in a thin pancake like dough with duck sauce and scallions.

The famous, salty duck

I had fried tofu and white rice. They said the duck was worth the hype, a little salty like everything we've eaten in China, but pretty good. The tofu though, not so much. I could have been ok with just the rice. The tofu was too soft and wasn't cooked with any flavor. Dipping it in the duck sauce helped the flavor, but the texture couldn't be masked. We walked back to our hotel, not a short walk by any stretch of the imagination. Along the path home we walked down "old street," which is the street leading up to Tianamen square lined with stores like H&M, Starbucks and Haagen Das.

This was off on a side street off of "old street." A replica Taiwan night market,
but a bad one with nothing really going on except a little music.

The only way to cross from our hotel and to old street is to go up and over a bridge about a block out of the way. It seems so close, but yet so far. That's how it all seems in Bejing, on the map it looks like a block or two, in reality its a mile. Beijing is huge!

Shanghai China - Days 2 and 3

Day 2-

We had free breakfast at our hotel, nothing special. I really like breakfast food for breakfast, and so about a third of the buffet was off the table for me, and another third was off for the meat. But, the fruit was good, and they had mangoes so it wasn’t a waste. We went back up stairs for a quick nap before heading the streets to look for a new hotel. Anna and her fiancé had booked this hotel from Taiwan through the weekend because we wanted to be sure it wasn’t a dump before committing for our whole stay in Shanghai. When they tried to add nights, the price went up, and so we decided to go elsewhere. Anna suggested we wait outside while Lei Ti went in to negotiate price (since seeing two Americans were going to be in the room would have definitely upped the price), it worked and we had secured our next few nights in Shanghai. It was just about a block from an MRT and just as decent a place as any. The best part was that the room had a fake window. It was a stained glass window with a light fixture behind it that when lit up made it seem plausible to think it was sunlight coming through the glass.

We made our way to the People’s Park in search of the art museum. We found the old mansion that used to overlook the race track. Now it has ivy climbing up the side and the inside reminded me of a library. Some of the most notable pieces came from an “artists of the year” exhibit. There were portraits that had been photoshoped to alter one feature that to me through the who photo off in a disturbing way, like a toddler with adult teeth. There was an iron box sculpture which may not have been a sculpture at all but a packing box, and, my favorite, a photo series of trees in different seasons and a photo looking through a window and onto a rural scene.

We walked through People’s Park in search of the Contemporary Art Museum only to discocver it was closed for the installation of its next exhibit. On our way through the park in search of the museum, we stopped at a huge lilly pond for some photos. Peoples Park is built on the old horse race track, but now feels more like a jungle with the amount of fauna and loud bugs combining with the humid summer air. The crickets were super loud.

The Shanghai Museum is also in People’s Park, and is home to hundreds of thousand-year-old pieces. At some points, it felt like a centuries-old Crate and Barrel, if crate and barrel had soul. There was beautiful pottery from thousands of years ago, ceramics that retain color and designs, ancient Chinese paintings, furniture made with pieces that simply fit together without using nails and calligraphy writings (which is kind of like looking at handwriting, but since Chinese has something like 50,000 characters it’s a bit more impressive). We didn’t have time to go through everything before it closed for the night, and made plans to return.

For dinner we walked through French Concession to find a hunan place Anna scouted in a travel book in the museum gift shop. It was here that we had probably the best dessert I’ve had since chocolate volcano cake. The chef cut up bananas, breaded them slightly, fried them and then topped them with sticky toffee. The waitress dipped her chop sticks in water to unstick them for us. They were crunchy and sweet on the outside, and once you bit in there was a fresh, slightly mushy, banana. It was simply amazing.

Best. Dessert. In. China.

After stuffing our faces, we walked a bit through French concession but called it an early night, and like the Shanghai museum, said we’d try again another day to explore more of the area. When we got back to the hotel, we checked to see if my luggage arrived. Yes, while I made it to China, my luggage was not there waiting for me. It made customs easier I guess, but I was running out of clothes quick and hadn’t worn makeup in a couple of days so I crossed my fingers that the next day would be the day. We watched an awesome Chinese dating show and part of a movie with English subtitles that was hard to follow even with the English.

Day 3 -
We decided to follow a guide book walking tour of old town. The first stop was the shopping district. The shops were nice, but they were too expensive and didn’t really seem that Chinese. They did make for a good path to the building where the first communist congress took place. They are celebrating 90 years of communism in China this year. It's odd to see the iron sickle in so many places, especially adjacent to shopping centers like the one we had just walked through.

Later on in the walk we found ourselves in a flea market of sorts. It seems like in order to make things look like antiques the shops just let everything get dirty. None of the things can actually be antique since it's illegal to take anything old out of China. Fans, clock necklaces, happy buddas, old posters, bronze chotchkies, "jade" animals repeated every few shops. I was happy with my necklace and fan purchases. The fan was bought at the second fan shop we stopped at after the first shop was over-the-top aggressive salesperson. Even though she went down in price quite a bit, she lost my sale the second she grabbed my wrist to try to keep me from walking away. That was not ok. But the next fan lady was much nicer, and gave us a decent price considering the heat.

From the flea market we went to a flower and bird market, more of a pet store/pet supply market. I would have thought Mexico would have prepared me for this with the little turtles for sale and the sad pet stores, but I was still a little disturbed by the mounds of meal worms and all the animals in such small spaces. The first animal I saw was a squirrel that looked dead, feet in the air and everything, but we eventually saw him move. And they had crickets in cages too, sold to be fighters. I couldn’t help but think of Jiminy Cricket. Even though up close they have barely any of the anthropomorphic characteristics Disney drew, I still felt bad.

A longer ways away was the Yu Garden, which is through the largest tourist bazaar in Shanghai. The Gardens were once private. It zig zags leaving lots of ways to explore, or get lost. The "fake mountains" and dragon wall, along with the koi pond and temples create a space anyone would want as their backyard. Well, minus the koi for me considering how creepy they are. They always look like they're going to grow legs and climb out so we all can see evolution in action. No thank you!

Creepy Koi!

After the garden closed for the night we walked around the bazaar a little, finding food at the food court. I had asparagus and green beans. Anna and Lei Ti filled their trays with fried rice, crabs, a egg/seafood dish, and a lotus root dessert. I tried the lotus root, but as is most sweet food here it's just a little more sweet than the supposedly savory dishes, and the texture is slightly off. I usually like my hot foods really hot and my cold food really cold, so luke warm is already something I have to get over, and texture too, it is often too much. I'd like to think that if I was here long enough I could get used to it, but I'm not 100% sure.

This dragon turtle was outside the cafeteria.

After dinner we stumbled upon the last few minutes of a dance performance and then treated ourselves to Dairy Queen and a trip to the Chinese Medicine shop for a look around. I'm not sure what dried sea horses are supposed to do, or lizard skins, but they had them.

The MRT took us home again for beers and TV. This tome the girls were choosing from a group of men on the dating show, a refreshing change in the game.

China - Day 1

I had no real expectations for my trip to China. It kind of snuck up on me, and that was ok. Landing in Shanghai, I was excited to see my friend Anna and meet her fiancé, and the fact that it was happening in China was a bonus.

Most of what you’ll read here was originally written on my iPhone during the trip. Since coming back to the states, I have spent some time correcting the misspellings caused by my chubby fingers on the touch screen keyboard, trimming the run-on, confusing sentences caused by the exhaustion (China is big and we walked a ton in the summer heat), and writing this “intro.” By the end of my two weeks in China, I was craving a vacation from my vacation (which, due to some weather-related rerouting, I would get on my way home. You’ll read more about that part of the trip a little later.)

After 16 hours in the air watching romantic comedies, drinking red wine and taking numerous naps, I landed in Shanghai. I was expecting to be able to take a deep breath to reintroduce my lungs to fresh air, but I quickly learned that if fresh air is what you’re searching for, China is not the place to go. Soon enough I was joining the herd of other travelers onto a bus that would take us from the tarmac to the airport. I think it was on that bus ride when I first realized just how packed this country really is, and I would be reminded of it every day on the city streets.

China is huge. Huge and filled with tons of people. Walking down the streets in Beijing, I found myself longing for the crowded Belmont bus for the personal space. Shanghai is the world’s larger city with something like 23 million people. In comparison, New York City has about 8 million. Beijing has 19.6 million people, which is nearly ten times the population of Chicago, which has 2.7 million. In cities this large, people are not accustomed to the pleasantries exchanged among strangers when they accidently knock into someone in front of them. No “excuse me,” no “sorry.” You might be thinking, “how do you know? You don’t speak Chinese.” But, silence is the same in any language. I never got used to being pushed and shoved, and am pretty sure I never really could. It gave me the impression that people there are rude, which probably isn’t the case when people are among friends and family or at the office, but it rubbed me the wrong way. I spent a lot of the trip trying to get over the pushiness. But, blocking that part, and a few others, China wasn’t all that bad. Some of it was even fun, and all of it was interesting, different and new (all things I love to surround myself with, honestly).

I arrived in Shanghai on a Sunday, and began my two week adventure in a country that would continuously shock, awe, and amaze me (in both positive and negative ways).

Day 1 (Sunday) - Shanghai

I opted for the easy way out and took a taxi from the airport to the hotel to meet Anna and lei Ti. From inside the taxi, Shanghai could have been any other non-descript city. The only clue that I was in China was the language. At the hotel I tried to explain that I was meeting my friends who already checked into our room, but I was failing miserably. I am not used to not being able to communicate the simplest things. I thought I was pretty decent at using gestures to help get my point across, but some things just don’t work. I took a seat in the lobby and waited for Anna and Lei Ti. I put my things in the room, snacked on a peach (apparently China is known for its peaches, and as well it should be. It was yummy.)

My first night in Shanghai we walked to the Bund, a river walk along the Huangpu River. On the way I saw one of the most disturbing things I’ve seen in a long time - A man was wiping his daughter's butt on the street corner because she just pooped in the street. She was probably four years old, and, later, we saw another kid peeing in the street. I'm all for embracing different ways of living, but letting your kids use the street as a bathroom might be a bit too much for me. The Pudong skyline across the river was impressive. I think it is what most people think of when they think of Shanghai, but until I came back home and looked up some photos I can’t say I would have been able to pick it out of a city skyline line up. The colorfully lit oriental pearl building stands out among the other financial district buildings like the giant bottle opener. There were lit boats cruising the water that looked kind of like pirate ships. We sat, relaxed, caught up all while I tried to remind myself, oh yeah, this is China. For some reason, it hadn’t really sunk in yet.

The far left is the Oriental pearl and the far right is the bottle opener.

Lucky for us, Lei Ti speaks Chinese so we were able to know what we were ordering at a small restaurant near the bund. It’s was the kind of place I probably wouldn’t have ventured into on my own. I had ordered noodles, not realizing they would be in a soup. I am a little weird when it comes to eating hot food when it’s hot outside. Soup to me screams chilly November, and it’s hard for me to really enjoy soup when I’m sweating from the summer heat. The noodles were ok and the veggies were so-so. Anna raved about the dumplings, well, the sauce mainly, and the pigeon. I took her word that it was good.

Rave-able dumplings

On the way home we got giant beers after Lei Ti and Anna got street barbecue (seriously, one of these days I’m going to crack after smelling street meat). Next to the stand were kids probably no more than 14 years old drinking and smoking while they ate with their shirts off. Shirts really seem to be optional here for men, I've seen more than my share of men with their shirts lifted up to display their bellies. So, a beer or so and a shower later (the shower is worth a quick mention since there was a curtain on the outside that anyone in the room could pull back and see through the glass wall into the shower and bathroom. A trust test for sure.) I was ready to crash.

New Maehlerville and our day trip to the Derby (o Nuevo Maehlerville y nuestro día al Kentucky Derby)

After about two weeks home, I jumped in my car for a road trip to Ohio to visit some of my favorite people, Jon and Marisa. They moved while I was in Mexico, and have since set up an amazing home in Columbus, Ohio. This was my first time in Columbus, and it really reminded me of Milwaukee. A place that could easily feel like home, especially since we chose a brew pub for the first night of catching up. A flight of microbrews and a cookie dessert later, we were spent. The next morning I slept in, in the best guest room I'd stayed in in a while. Pips and I were living like queens that weekend with our own room, a super comfy bed, and air conditioning. I had been living in Mexico without air for four months, this felt like heaven! After being a bum, lounging around Friday morning while Jon and Marisa were at work, I met Marisa at her new job at the Center of Science and Industry. We grabbed a quick bite, and I got to explore the museum for the afternoon. After nerding it up at the museum, we went for Italian and then began our search for big hats (a tale that will be told in a little more detail shortly). We called in an early-ish night in preparation for the Derby Day in the morning.

This year was my second run at the Derby. Things may have quieted down a bit since Hunter S. Thompson wrote his infamous article "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved", but not enough to call it a quiet affair, or even a family show (although there were brave souls walking through the infield with their children). The infield is where the cheap seats are, and by seats I mean places to throw a blanket down and peak through a mess of people to catch a glimpse of a couple horses chasing the rabbit. The point in the infield doesn't really seem to be focused on the racing, but on racing culture, mainly Mint Julips and hats.

I learned from my first time at the Derby that you have to let the ice melt before attempting to drink a Julip. They are not messing around with the bourbon. They add maybe a splash of water and sugar, top it off with a few mint sprigs and call it a day. The hats aren't nearly as quick of a process, although last minute shopping for Derby hats is quickly becoming a tradition. Target came through for Marisa and I this year. We both opted for black, mine a little smaller than I would have liked, but it worked. Jon opted out of the hat, a look that very few can pull off at the Derby, but he did quite well. (I would like to have a picture here of the Maehlers sipping their first Derby drink and Marissa and i in our fabulous hats, but blogger is not cooperating at the moment, so if you really want to see a pic, check out my fb page.)

Neither of us bet on the winning horse, but, lucky for us, no one bet more than $10. I only bet based on name, so my choices were Midnight Interlude and Mucho Macho Man. Animal Kingdom, with 20-1 odds, won the 137th Derby. It would have paid out $43 for a $2 bet. Next time I'll bet on the long shot in addition to the horse with the best name.

The Kentucky Derby is just one race out of 13 for the day. For the last two races we "snuck" up to Andrew's family's section (and then into a box that was begging to be sat in since it's previous owners left it after the Derby). He "slummed" it for the actual Derby race with us in the infield, but beforehand took us to the stables to look at the horses before they raced. We pushed our way up to the gate, I stood on my tiptoes, and raised my camera above my head for a few photos of the horses. So, after seeing the horses in the ring, we trekked back out to the infield for the Derby, and after Animal Kingdom crossed the line a shocking winner, we walked back to the not-so-cheap seats. I sipped my last Julip and we said goodbye to Churchill Downs once again. Until next year, hopefully!