Yes, this city had an insane mayor, but maybe we should know a few other things about it.

Well, this is chilly Toronto, Ontario. About 3 million people call the metropolitan area home, and that population is steadily on the rise. Believe it or not, it’s also a multicultural hub. Over half of the residents were born somewhere else. In fact, over 180 languages are spoken here. Along with a vast array of…

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Exploring Whistler, But Not in Winter

It’s no secret that Whistler is a little slice of heaven. People have been traveling there to ski for ages. What I didn’t know is that this place is even better in the summer! The ski slopes morph into mountain biking trails, the hiking and biking paths are unparalleled, and the gondolas are fun to…

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Exploring Vancouver: a shiny seaport by the seashore

For being in such a rainy part of the world, Vancouver is a brilliant place. The skies may be grey, but there is color in the streets (and the water ways). This coastal seaport was the first stop on a long weekend road trip to Whistler. Before I get ahead of myself. Let me show you…

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Exploring Napa

After a quick weekend in Napa, I am blown away by the beauty that big ol’ plot of land has to offer. It reminded me very much of the soft, sloping hills of the European countryside. Here’s a list of what we did while we were there: stayed at Napa Valley Marriott went hiking in…

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The Land of Those Who Face Water From A Cliff (aka San Diego)

San Diego, named for Diego de San Nicolás by the Spaniards, was the first spot visited by Europeans on the West Coast of the United States. As you probably already guessed, Native Americans had been there wayyyy before 1542–the Kumeyaay people to be exact. Kumeyaay translates to “those who face the water from a cliff.”…

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checkin’ a few more items off the good ole gotta-do-this-before-I-die list (2018 edition)

It’s that time of year again–when we take stock of big events and personal hurdles. I find it encouraging and exciting to go back through the last 365 days come the first of every January. If you couldn’t already tell, my current pass times of choice are travel, art, music, as well as good food…

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Brugge is the Winter Wonder Land You’ve Never Heard of

Okay. So maybe you have heard of Brugge, but I never had before planning the Christmas vacation of my dreams. It truly is one of the most magical places I’ve ever laid eyes on. Of course, I happened upon Brugge as giant floppy snowflakes fell from the skies, so I may be extraordinarily partial. It’s…

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Solvang

Solvang, California, located in the Santa Ynez Valley, is the unofficial capital of Denmark in America. I also heard someone refer to it as Poor Man’s Wine Country. If that means it’s a place where you can buy a reasonably priced bottle of wine, I’m sold! In the early 1900s Danish immigrants who’d been living…

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Sunny Seattle

Sunny Seattle: those words sound as though they don’t belong together. I’ve visited the beautiful city many times, and this trip was so beautiful and the weather was so pleasant–it felt like a different place. Where I Stayed: The WestinMy Favorite Meal: The Premium Sushi Omakase at Shiro’s SushiMy Favorite New Brewery: Cloudburst and FremontMy Favorite New Beer…

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Jenny’s back in Chi!

I finally made it back to Chicago after moving around a year ago. It was good to be back! The weekend went by super fast, but I still got up to some trouble. Here’s what I did: Stayed at The Gwen (where they have a great bar and curling on their terrace) grabbed coffee at…

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