beer | for the love of nike

Exploring Napa

May 23, 2019 by jennifermdarling

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 Sugarloaf State Park–all the way to the top of Bald Mountain for sweeping views of the Bay Area did a little wine tasting at Castello di Amorosa […]

Categories: shoes • Tags: beer, craft beer, hiking, Napa, Nike, photography, Russian River Brewing, Sonoma, things to do in Napa, Travel, travel blog, wine

Exploring San Diego / for the love of nike

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

May 2, 2019 by jennifermdarling

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.” It’s got a ring to it. I recently took a weekend trip to this beautiful coastal city. It was my first time back since I […]

Categories: shoes • Tags: art, beer, craft beer, fine art, food, Nike, photography, San Diego, things to do in California, things to do in San Diego, Travel

Happy Nike New Year! Celebrating 2018, Moving into 2019

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

January 8, 2019 by jennifermdarling

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 and beer. I’m sure these will change as I mature, but for now, I’ve checked a few more items off the good ole gotta-do-this-before-I-die list. […]

Categories: shoes • Tags: 2018, art, art museum, beer, fashion, fine art, new year, Nike, reflections, sneakerhead, sneakers, Travel, travel photography

Christmas in Brugge, Belgium / for the love of nike

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

December 21, 2018 by jennifermdarling

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 the largest city in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The canal-based layouts create an atmosphere like that of a fairytale (in fact, the region has […]

Categories: shoes • Tags: art, beer, Belgium, Brugge, fine art, history, Nike, photography, things to do in Belgium, things to do in Brugge, Travel, travel blog, travel photography

Solvang

August 21, 2018 by jennifermdarling

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 in the midwest were eager to ditch the winters, and established their own community inspired by their homeland in more hospitable climates. It’s pretty remarkable […]

Categories: shoes • Tags: architecture, art, beer, California, Danish, Denmark, photography, Solvang, things to do in Solvang, Travel, wine, Winery

Sunny Seattle

July 3, 2018 by jennifermdarling

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 Westin My Favorite Meal: The Premium Sushi Omakase at Shiro’s Sushi My Favorite New Brewery: Cloudburst and Fremont My Favorite New Beer Shop: TeKu Tavern Best Quick Tourist-y Thing to Do: The hour long harbor tour with Argosy You Can’t Miss: Pike Place Market, […]

Categories: shoes • Tags: art, beer, fine art, foodie, Nike, photography, Seattle, sneakerhead, sneakers, things to do in seattle, Travel, travel blog, travel photography

Jenny’s back in Chi!

April 12, 2018 by jennifermdarling

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 Eataly brunched at HopCat with friends went to Emporium (an arcade bar) in Wicker Park had pizza and beer at Piece visited Shed Aquarium

Categories: shoes • Tags: animals, art, beer, Chicago, fine art, food, photography, sneakers, things to do in chicago, Travel, travel blog, travel photography

The Dirty D

April 10, 2018 by jennifermdarling

After years and years of visiting Detroit for work, I finally got the chance to give the Motor City a decent run through. I ate and drank so much deliciousness. Here’s what I got up to: Stay at the Aloft Brunch at Grey Ghost Astro Coffee Walk around Corktown, see the old train station Drinks at Hop Cat Dinner at Selden Standard Walk around the downtown shops Drinks at Jolly Pumpkin Brewery Thai food at Takoi Drinks at Batch Brewing […]

Categories: shoes • Tags: art, beer, Detroit, fine art, food, food porn, Michigan, photography, sneakerhead, sneakers, things to do in Detroit, Travel, travel blog, travel photography

Auckland

January 8, 2018 by jennifermdarling

Y’all, New Zealand is one of the most remarkable places on earth. Stay tuned as I take you on a whirlwind tour of the North and South Island. Trust me, you’re gonna love it. I spent less than 24 hours in Auckland. For New Zealand, it’s a very urban area–the largest in the country to be exact. Here were a few of the things I did there: Depot Eatery (with the best oysters on earth) Sky Tower Observation Tower (for […]

Categories: shoes • Tags: Auckland, beer, fashion, food, New Zealand, Nike, photography, Travel, travel blog, travel photography, urban, what to do in Auckland, What to do in New Zealand