Washington DC on Bikes

I have been to DC over a hundred times in my life, but this particular trip was different from all the others. Perhaps it was because I had Margit asking things like: “What’s the name of your village?”. And while we were standing in the National Archives (loud enough for everyone to hear) she asks: “Constitution? What’s that?”. Or maybe it was because we borrowed the hotel bikes and helmets to bike around the city… and rang my bell at pedestrians when we passed them. Or maybe it’s because I couldn’t walk peacefully without being punched in the shoulder by Øyvind or Margit whenever they saw a yellow car… (which must be a lot less common in Norway)! Or maybe it was the help of Anna-Maria, our Magic 8 Ball. Or maybe it’s the combination of all of that, plus the 3G love that made it such a great trip.

Hotel Fun

On our first day in DC we hit all the monuments and memorials… even the unknown ones like the George Mason Memorial. Because we were on bikes, we covered a lot of ground and had enough time to have a yummy lunch at District Taco. After lunch we went into the Archives (which is where Margit embarrassed me by asking what The Constitution is in front of hundreds of tourists there to see The Constitution).

After circling The Capitol Building, we found a nice ant-infested area of the park to lay down and share some laughs.

The next day we went to the Zoo to see our monkey friends. Margit and I managed to lose Øyvind by the bears. He eventually found us, and we biked over to Dupont Circle to grab some lunch before hitting the museums.

After reaching our maximum brain-power for the day, we left the museums and made our way back to the hotel for another koselig evening together. I made fun of them for eating burgers with forks and knives, we destroyed a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, and we started to watch a movie before falling sound asleep.

Another great trip with great people!

New York City with My Norwegians

Just over a year ago I parted ways with my Norwegian friends with nothing but tears and (very)tentative plans for their visit to the USA. To my surprise, (and delight,) their trip became a reality. Although they couldn’t all make it, (we missed you Maria,) Margit and Øyvind made the long journey across the Atlantic Ocean for two weeks of fun. And all this fun began in New York City…

We stayed in a nice hotel, with a loud rooftop bar and a mediocre breakfast spread. Øyvind tried Frootloops for the first time… “Woah, those are funny colors,” he said as he poured his cereal into the bowl.

We began the adventures with the Downtown Hop On – Hop Off Bus Tour. We had cameras, sunscreen, city maps… the whole tourist shebang.

You know you’re with a NYC newbie when they order an Everything Bagel with Blueberry Cream Cheese. We laughed at Øyvind a lot about this Bagel catastrophe… but they laughed a lot at me for being so short, so we are even.

I had never been to the top of Rockefeller Center, and it blew away my expectations. The view of the city was amazing, and unlike The Empire State Building, there were no lines.

On my last trip to New York I visited The Highline, which was a highlight of my trip despite the dead and dry vegetation. This time was even better, because the vegetation was green and luscious instead of dead and dry.

We visited the Statue of Liberty… well, we squinted at it from Battery Park.

It turns out both my parents and my sister were in the city on this same weekend. All of us in NYC for different occasions… typical Upadhyaya family situation. I got to spend some quality time with them– primarily over yummy meals.

We celebrated Kayla’s 23rd birthday with a brunch at The Smith Restaurant with her friend Caroline. Caroline wasn’t even one of Kayla’s weird friends… she was great company! Toward the beginning of the brunch I pulled a ‘kayla’ and spilled my drink and dropped my fork! I’m blaming it on the slanted floor… or the crooked table… or a momentary freaky-friday moment.

Stray questions/ comments/ concerns/ tid-bits/ add-ons/ fyi’s:

1. After taking a bite of his bagel, Øyvind exclaimed: “it’s definitely… edible.”

2. The Smith Restaurant was cool because it had a photo booth in the (unisex) bathroom. But the portion sizes of our dishes were way too big… next time I suggest sharing an entree. 

3. Yes, I am featuring two new hats in some of these photos… more to come about tHAT later! 

4. Our bus tour guide, Jamal, found it very comical that Margit and Øyvind had never heard of Norwegian Cruise Lines… We did some research and it turns out it’s a company based out of Florida… it’s not Norwegian at all! 

5. Of course we went back to LF, and of course we restocked on Broad City Bralettes, and of course we spent to much money. #YasKween

Lunch in Little Italy

Hope you’re not tired of our selfies, because there are a lot more coming soon!

A Wedding in Charleston

I spent this past long weekend soaking up the sun in Charleston, South Carolina. It was a weekend of farmer’s markets, craft fairs, and harbor-side rocking chairs.

When we weren’t relaxing, we were prepping for a party the night before the wedding. The party was a success, and my red velvet cupcakes were, once again, everyone’s favorite.

The wedding ceremony and service was at the Daniel Island Club, backset by beautiful wetlands and tall grasses.

We drove back on Monday in order for me to begin work on Tuesday. It’s officially summer swim season and these next few weeks will be crazy! Next up: NYC!

Airport Talk- Overhead Space

Hunted by all types, but only caught by the fittest and the swiftest: overhead space.

Overhead space has become something revered by all passengers. As airlines began fully booking flights, the struggle to find enough overhead space became REAL. There is nothing worse than boarding the plane with your roller bag, only to find it doesn’t fit in the seemingly always shrinking overhead compartments. As I said in my previous post, I usually board the plane first. This means I get to oversee people using, and more importantly misusing the overhead space. Here are a few rules that I think should be followed when regarding overhead space on airplanes:

  1. Get your essentials out of your bag before you board the plane. This will allow you to put your bag up, sit down, buckle up, and not have to hold up the boarding process because you forgot your KitKat and travel pillow overhead.
  2. On a similar note, act quickly. There is a whole line of people behind you who are holding their bags, overheating as they yell at their screaming children to quiet down, and they can’t move until you do. Don’t be that person that holds everyone up.
  3. You don’t have to put your luggage in your specific overhead space. So grab it while you can… it’s never easy to back track and push you’re way back up the aisle to use that overhead compartment you passed.
  4. If it fits under your seat, put it under your seat.
  5. If the compartment is deep enough put your bag in lengthwise to save room.
  6. Be aware of your surroundings. I have seen too many people whack their neighbor with their luggage as they put it into the overhead compartment. Ouch.
  7. Help your neighbors. If you see an old lady or gentlemen struggling to lift their luggage up, be a good citizen and HELP THEM.
  8. Lastly, if you’re cheap-o depot and bring an extra big carry on bag because you don’t want to pay the $25 to check it, (I don’t judge you), plane-side check your bag before you get on the plane. If it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t fit. I took physics in high school… so I’d know. And if you don’t want to plane-side check your bag… learn a new and more efficient way to pack! [Packing tutorial coming soon!]