I wanted to do a circuit workout at the gym today.
I wanted to get my heart rate pumpin’ to the tune of mountain climbers, plank holds and pushups, but the scrapes, scabs and bruises on my elbow and knee from Friday’s bike accident ruled out that possibility.
Instead I brought back a treadmill interval incline workout!
I forgot how hard interval treadmill workouts are… especially when you throw inclines in the mix. The speeds and inclines on this workout weren’t particularly crazy, but I was super sweaty at the end.
I completed the treadmill workout after a light 20-minute warm up on the elliptical and 10 minutes on the stair master.
Breakfast
I changed up breakfast a bit today!
Okay, that’s a blatant lie, but I did swap the muenster cheese on my egg, cheese and jelly sandwich for sharp cheddar.
Things are getting craaazy up in here!
A sliced apple was served on the side for some added sweetness and fiber.
City Dreamin’
On Tuesday’s hike with Ryan and Sadie, Ryan and I began talking about our desire to go on some kind of a vacation in 2012.
Longtime blog readers may remember when our initial honeymoon plans to St. Lucia were canceled 48 hours before we were supposed to leave because of a hurricane.
We ended up going on a “Tour de Florida” which was really fun, but we promised ourselves that we would make it to St. Lucia for our one-year wedding anniversary.
Well, that obviously didn’t happen.
With our unanticipated move to Ocala and Ryan beginning a new job, taking a week off work didn’t seem like a good idea, so our St. Lucia plans have been postponed. We’re now thinking St. Lucia might make a good five-year anniversary trip.
Anyway, we are hoping to take some sort of a vacation together in 2012. When we began talking about what we were looking for, we both agreed we want an active vacation with lots to see and explore.
The more we talked, the more we realized that a city vacation is what we’re looking for at the moment. New York City? Barcelona? San Francisco? Washington D.C.?
We obviously have no particular city in mind and haven’t started to research places yet, so I figured I would look to you guys for guidance since you always provide the best recommendations when it comes to travel.
So, I ask you…
Question of the Morning
- What is the most memorable city you’ve visited and what made it so special?
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Chicago is my fave US city to visit – been there more times than any other city besides NYC. It’s fun, clean, the people are friendly, good shopping, good restaurants. I’ve been almost everywhere you mentioned and this would be my #1 recommendation. Been to Barcelona, too, and if you’re thinking Europe I don’t know if that’d be way up on my list.
I vote for Seattle!!! There’s tons of stuff to do and see just within the city, but if you don’t mind driving an hour out of the way, you can find dozens of hiking trails that offer fantastic views of nature. Seattle is also very dog friendly, so you could always consider bringing Sadie!!
Hi Julie I have been reading you blog for a few months now.. never left a comment until today!
Boston is one of my favorite cities in the US. So much history to see, you can walk almost everywhere if you want to or hop on the subway. Harvard, Sam Adams brewery, the Freedom trail, tour Fenway! Amazing Food and everyone was super friendly, you should definitely consider it if you haven’t been. Otherwise… NYC is always a good time 🙂
Awwww, St. Lucia is beautiful, I hope you make it there for your 5 year!
My husband and I went on our honeymoon to Puerto Vallarta Mexico, and it was simply incredible. The combination of culture, history and the food, oh the food…. we returned for our 1 year anniversary and it was just as amazing. Some friends joined us on the anniversary trip, and it was so fun playing tour guide since we’d been there before!
Tokyo!!! My family lived in Japan for 2 yrs when I was little bc my dad was in the Navy. We were an hour away from Tokyo so we visited a few times. It’s such an amazing city!! I would def go back there first before exploring Europe.
I’d recommend SF personally. Obviously that because I live in California, but I’ve been to SF several times and have never done all there is do to. There’s Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz Island, which is AWESOME! Ghiradelli Square, and we must not forget the crooked street, plus more.
Also Napa isn’t to far away from SF, lots of great wine tasting, but California can also boast Yosemite National Park which is amazing with all of it’s wonderful trails and scenery, and some gorgeous waterfalls.
Best of luck with your decision. Wherever you and Ryan decide to go will be amazing!
Boston! I know that’s not one you mentioned, but it is by far mine and my husband’s favorite city. It may be pretty cold there now and for the rest of the winter, but it’s an awesome walkable city.
I love DC. There’s tons to do and it’s very inexpensive (lots of free museums leaves money for great restaurants and shows!). I went to school there and lived there afterwards.
My brother lives in San Fran and loves it too. It’s very active and healthy lifestyle focused. There are tons of great restaurants and it is beautiful there. It’s also close to many other places like Sonoma, so you could easily tour wine country too, maybe stay at a B&B there for a night.
Internationally, I’d say I loved London best, but I think you’ve been there. My mom and brother lived in Barcelona for a semester and absolutely loved it. You could also take day trips to other parts of Spain.
Wow, I guess I’ve just told you all the places you were thinking of would be great. DC definitely isn’t as pretty as San Fran or Barcelona, so if I were going I’d probably pick one of those two.
Ohh…one you didn’t mention is Boston. I loved visiting there. It’s also near the Cape so you could visit there too.
I’m from NYC and obviously love it, so I could give you some recommendations if you choose to come! Obviously, given your pandora playlists, you’ll have to go to a broadway play (or two!). There are great museums, restaurants, parts of brooklyn, etc. Also, it is pretty dead crowd-wise in January, Feb, and April (March=spring break).
But having said all that, I LOVED SF and really want to go back!!!
My favorite city I visited was Venice in Italy. It’s such a magical place… instead of cars, you get to your destination by gondolas on canals!
My fiance and I went to San Francisco last December and LOVED it! There are so many awesome restaurants in the city, tons of things to do and Saulsalito, Miur Woods and Napa is super close too. We unfortunately went on the wettest week of the whole year so we had an umbrella attached to our hands the entire time but it was an incredible trip.
Well if you want to go abroad I have several cities that I absolutely LOVED: London, England; Budapest, Hungary; Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Paris, France! Budapest is seriously amazing..it was one of my favorite cities! But I also am in love with London :D. I’m sure you two will have fun wherever you decide to go!
I’ve traveled quite a bit and recently went to NYC for the first time. It was incredible!! Of all the cities you listed, I’ve visited them all, and NYC tops the list! There is so much to do; it’s a blast!
That being said, I have to say, of all the places I’ve been, my top 3 (I can’t pick just one), are Rome, Barcelona, and Alaska.
I’m such a homebody and have been to about 3 other states. I did love Vegas though! It was so fun. But that’s more about fun than touring a beautiful city! Can’t wait to hear where you decide!
I lived in Florence, Italy for about 6 months in college and fell in LOVE! It is not only beautiful and full of really awesome art and architecture, but there is never a dull moment. You would have thought that after 6 months I would have seen everything, but I really haven’t. It has everything, romance, fun, great food. If I could move back, I would in a heartbeat. I actually would recommend looking into renting an apartment for a week, it’s less expensive and then you could use it as a hub and do lots of day trips around the country.
As for the US, I fell in love with San Francisco within 2 seconds of landing. I thought it had so much to offer and a ton to do. It’s easily walkable, and we stayed at the Hyatt in Fishermans Wharf, which I would highly recommend (and it had the BEST breakfast place across the street).
The boyfriend and I are currently trying to plan our vacation, I want Europe, he wants US, we’ll see who wins!
Vail, CO is awesome. My family is not really into cold weather so we used to go to Vail in the summers. It’s a nice break from the hot summers we have in TX (and you have in FL) and there is a lot to do, like hiking and biking and shopping. I also second San Diego, though. Beautiful city, great weather, lots to do.
I love Chicago but you are well versed on that city already!!
My next long trip will be San Fran – I really want to se the city, the surrounding gorgeous shore towns, wine country, etc.
Boston is another fun city!
New Orleans 🙂 Always soooo much to see do & of course…eat 🙂
my husband and i were just having a similar conversation last night at dinner! we wanted to take a vacation that is scenic, active, and somewhere we haven’t been to before or at least explored much. i think we decided on San Francisco. i’ve been there once but it was a short day trip and wasn’t nearly long enough to see all the sights. there’s so many great cities out there to visit! it’s hard to choose.
I loved san francisco! There is so much to do there. I was there for 3 days and still didn’t get to experience all the things they had to offer. Great food, a lot of history, west coast beaches, and they even have a china town. It’s a big walking city, we walked everywhere!
My boyfriend and I are headed to NYC tomorrow morning for the Iowa State bowl game and New Year’s Eve! I am so excited!!
NYC is pretty cliche, but honestly you can’t really beat it. It’s amazing, just beyond incredible and for a city vacation it’s the best there is. No doubt about it!
I’m partial to NYC since I live so close to it! It’s a fantastic city with so much to do, obviously.
But I studied abroad and Spain in college, and few places are like it. I studied in Alicante (right on the southern coast) and it’s amazingly gorgeous. Barcelona was INCREDIBLE. Definitely recommend Barcelona!
D.C. is also so awesome, so much history, and so much to do!
NYC!! I love it. There have been 4 sites/sights in my life that truly invoked shock and awe. They completely lived up to my expectations. They were the Grand Canyon, Eiffel tower, the Cliffs of Moher (Ireland) and Times Square!! It is awesome. There is so much to see and do, I could go back over and over! Shopping. Eating. Site-seeing.
Plus, so many movies and television shows I love took place in NYC, so I loved being there. (Especially as an avid S&TC fan)
I’m from D.C. and think you and Ryan would love it! The city is full of history, free museums, and so much activity. I think y’all would fit right in as you see physical activity wherever you go–amazing running and hiking trails, kayaking on the Potomac River, pick-up soccer games downtown, etc. San Francisco would be amazing as well–I’ve never been but I’m dying to!! You can’t go wrong with any of the cities you mentioned.
NEW YORK!!! I’ve been so many times and ,love it so much, I had a NYC themed wedding. You can walk around Manhatten on foot and see all sorts of different neighbours and landmarks. HIGHLIGHTS: walking or running around Central Park– Taking in the memorial at the site of the World Trade Centre– Admiring the views from the top of the Empire State Building and going to a Broadway show! Times Square at night is magical, having lunch in a small deli in Greenwich Village makes you feel like you’re not a tourist and shopping in SOHO (or Canal St for deals) is so fun! I really loved taking the FREE Staten Island Ferry to sail by the Statue of Liberty and Ice Skating in Rockefeller Center as well (if you go in October-February.) Honestly, I could keep going and going (I’m the go-to NYC guide for my family and friends) but I’ll leave it at that. If you have any questions, let me know! I always say being in New York City really makes me feel…Alive! Good luck on your trip planning!! Jarod and I are hoping to go there in the new year as well 🙂
I personally love NYC. I’m from Tampa,FL and just can’t get enough of NY. My husband and I went for a fun trip with my sister and her bf and fell in love with the city. Then, last October we went and we got engaged and then when our Mexico honeymoon was a disaster, we up and flew to NYC. My advice in do all the exciting touristy stuff but definitely eat in the random places. We never eat at the “ny spots” but rather in soho where the locals go! Makes things much more affordable and better tasting!
As an East Coast girl, I would suggest a West Coast city, for sure! Seattle is awesome–easy to navigate and lots to do, see and eat, you can also make a side trip to the San Juan islands, which are simply incredible! San Francisco is one of my all time favorite places–again, here I recommend a side trip! Napa and Sonoma are beautiful and have lots of outdoor options and tasty wines.
My husband and I plan summer “city vacations” around baseball. We love traveling to new cities and going to baseball games! Our favorite so far is St. Louis. We grew up in a baseball/hockey city (Detroit), and now we live in a city with a team (Cincinnati) but we REALLY loved St. Louis, so much that would could consider moving! 🙂
Go to Chicago in the summer! It’s gorgeous you have the beach with the lake tons of parks, and running/walking trails.the cuty is very active and pretty. A lot of fun stuff to do and the heat won’t kill you there’s always a nice breeze. The architecture is amazing
My parents, husband and I spent four days in Rome this past March. It was amazing and I would do it again in a second. I can’t decide if my favorite part was the private tour of the Vatican (worth every penny), the gladiator training right down the street from the Coliseum, or the hours we spent drinking wine at cafes. 🙂
Most memorable: Maui – there was SO much to do there. Downhill volcano bike rides, white water rafting, hump-back whale sightseeing, hiking to waterfalls and in bamboo forests, luaus…
Fabian and I did so much stuff there and loooooved it.
Second fave was def NYC. You will never be bored there.
Oh, and the snorkeling is the bomb there.
PRAGUE.
castles, cheap, only city in europe not affected by WWII bc it is where Hitler wanted to retire.
great beer
walkable
gorgeous
Oh my gosh. Definitely New York City. It’s completely unlike anywhere else in the country. There is ALWAYS something to do and there are SO many people. It’s just so full of life and excitement!
compton. enough said.
All 3 are wonderful! I think you should think about the theme or your trip. Do you want it fast paced, more historic, more culture? NYC is great for shows, shopping, the random little bars, cafes, etc if you want to do that. DC is just more historic and the sites are incredible to see. I am ALWAYS up for going to another country and getting out of your comfort zone. And take your budget into consideration as well! We are going to San Francisco in a couple of weeks and we haven’t been for years so I am pretty excited.
We absolutely love Boston and Seattle. Both have a lot of outdoor activities and they’re gorgeous cities to explore. Boston has so much history, and it really is as incredible as everyone says it is in the Fall!
Love DC (I am history obsessed!) and London- definitely a couple of my favorite places that I’ve gone. Recently, though, I have to say that Estes Park, CO (or CO in general) iss a front runner for a repeat vacation spot. It was where the hubby and I had a REAL vacation. Estes Park is so laid back and friendly and super close to RMNP where we did TONS of hiking! Plus nearby towns had awesome ziplining and white water rafting opportunities that we enjoyed as well! Definitely a great place for an active vacation!
I might be biased because I’ve lived here a while…but DC is pretty boring. Especially compared to Barcelona.
I live in New York and am absolutely obsessed with all that the city has to offer, but I definitely think Barcelona/somewhere outside of the US is the way to go for your anniversary trip! However, if you are leaning towards a US city and you have a week, why not do DC and New York in one shot? There are plenty of easy methods of transportation in between the two cities and if you travel during non-rush hours, it’s only about 4 hours!
Barcelona!!! I went in April, and it is an absolutely beautiful and romantic city! Plus, there’s a beach there, too. All of the different neighborhoods there are very distinct and unique, the food is amazing, and the people are wonderful. I highly recommend it 🙂
We’re trying to figure out where we want to honeymoon, and we really like the idea of New York because we’re getting married in December so we’ll get to see all the Christmas decorations. Our first trip together was to DC and it was wonderful. We hiked, biked through all the monuments, and had a really active trip, which was fun.
Head to Whitefish, Montana. I’m of course biased but it is an awesome place to visit! Also, a lot of celebs visit too so that’s something.
I vote SF! It’s not as busy as NY but its still got a nice city feel. I also love how it’s a walkabke city and it won’t be as cold either! Also there are some preeeeetty awesome foodie places as well 🙂
My husband and I went to St. Lucia on our honeymoon and loved it! It’s definitely a vacation worth going on 🙂 I’ve never been to NYC, but loved going to DC for a wedding last year, and wished we’d had more time to explore the city. I’ve also always wanted to go to Seattle, and have heard nothing but good things from people who have visited and/or live there.
Buenos Aires, Argentina is my recommendation. The city is so diverse, so my husband and I did a walking tour of a different neighborhood each day, using Frommer’s Day-by-Day as our guide. We absolutely loved the city. And the food was amazing too!
Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve gone on a vacation (visiting family in the “sunshine state” doesn’t count for me). I have been to a number of places in my teens and my 20’s so here are some of my favorites. San Francisco, Boston and London. So many things to do and see in these places. Just keep in mind if major events are going on while you’re there (ie London was probably a bit crowded during the royal wedding). Happy planning!
I love D.C, San Fran, and Seattle! All so much fun with so much to do. However, as a Colorado girl I must say Colorado! Maybe Denver! It is a city, but yet so close to outdoor fun, also!!
Actually I just got back from studying abroad in Madrid and it was amazing! Madrid is such an awesome city–it’s really big and there’s lots to do! I would love to write up an “itinerary” for you if you’d like! You could even do half in Madrid and the other half in Barcelona!
Of course, New York City is awesome too–I could give you lots of recommendations!