The city both old and young, Boston!

The city of Boston surpassed all my expectations during my two-day trip to this city this summer. Boston is one of the oldest cities of the United States, parts of it reflect the olden times with cobbled stone streets and old architectural buildings while the other part showcases lush green city full of young and intellectual people with such a vibrant outlook. With just so much to explore, we walked endlessly for two days which felt really short. Nevertheless I had such a great time with my friends in Boston.

My love for gardens took us to begin our adventure at the Boston Common and Public garden right next to each other in the heart of downtown. As soon as we parked our car, we walked out to the hustle and bustle of the cheerful little kids relishing the water fountains to beat the summer heat. We relaxed by the huge oak trees next to the lagoon while the tourists lined up to enjoy the swan boat ride. We then walked up to the bridge to catch a bird eye view of the lagoon and then made our way to the downtown area.

I was really excited to see the water front harbor in Boston. So we started making our way to the harbor exploring through streets of downtown. Strolling by the main shopping streets that was meant for just the pedestrians with restricted vehicle entry was such an appealing idea to me. I just love walking on streets with no cars and buses around. After shopping for a bit and keeping time in mind we then reached the Quincy market.

Quincy market is a little art and craft market that we crossed on our way to the harbor. The little unusual things such as the free chess tables and book shelves made me believe that Boston is indeed a city full of opportunities to learn and explore. The market was filled with all kinds of handmade jewelry, lamps and lanterns. We also spotted the freedom trail in the Quincy market which connects all the historical churches and museums in Boston. After wandering through the market and enjoying delicious gelato by the carousel, we finally stepped onto the Boston Harbor area.

The harbor was even more beautiful than what I imagined. The creepers making their way through the dome-shaped walkway by the waterfront was a sight I would like to go back in a blink of an eye. We walked all over the harbor spotting all the outdoor restaurants and bars with very lively atmosphere. We also visited the New England Holocaust Memorial dedicated to the Jews who were killed in the Holocaust. I have never seen something like that in my life and it melted my heart to read those heart wrenching notes from the Jewish families who encountered the death of their loved ones. We ended our day at an outdoor park with lovely music and relaxing ambiance.

A trip to Boston is incomplete without a visit to the Harvard University. Our second day in Boston was occupied for the visit to Cambridge neighborhood which is like a little college town in the city. The Harvard square full of book stores and hustle and bustle of the students reminded me of my school days. We basked under the sun for quite some time in the campus and then after spending some time in the Harvard square shopping for some souvenirs made our way to the airport to catch our flight back to the Midwest.

In all, Boston felt like an absolutely beautiful city to explore. With such a short time visit , I wished I had few more days to get more familiar with the pretty neighborhoods of Boston. Oh well there is always a next time 🙂

Cherry Blossom Festival, Washinton DC!

Year after year Washington DC celebrates Spring Cherry Blossom festival in the honor of the 1300 Cherry trees gifted by the Mayor of Japan to the city of Washington DC to represent cordial relationship between the two countries hundreds of years ago. I personally think it is such a beautiful gesture and wanted to experience this phenomenal event of watching pink bouquets of flowers all over the city for a long time now. Finally my yearning came to an end when I recently visited the green and clean architectural capital of United States with my friends.

Library of Congress

US Capitol

Washington Monument

The historical and architectural vibe of the city made me fall in love with it the moment I stepped in. We started our day at the US Capitol and mostly explored the city by foot. Strolling around the colorful tulips and pink/white cherry blossom trees along the streets, we made our way to the enormous Washington Monument. As a part of the spring festival, kite festival was being observed at the Washington Monument over the weekend that we were there. We were amazed to see hundreds of people flying vivid kites around the monument. My favorite ones were the Kung fu Panda and the Minions, those were the most adorable ones 🙂

Floral Library

US Capitol

The White House

Right across the road from the Washington Monument stands the World War 2 Memorial with pillars embedded with all the States of the United states surrounding the magnificent water fountain. Walking all day and exhausted at the end, we relaxed by the refreshing breeze of the water fountain for a while and then headed to the tidal basin which has rows of cherry blossom tress with the backdrop of Jefferson Memorial. The floral library by the tidal basin had beautiful tulips at its peak bloom and plenty of tourists around to get a picture. The sun was setting and the day ending while my heart was greedy and wanted some more of it.

The Reflecting Pool

Cherry Blossom by the Tidal Basin

Lincoln Memorial

Cherry Blossom

Next day we visited the Alexandria Old town which is a cute little neighborhood in Virginia. After our slow day spent there sipping on coffee and munching some fine dining, we headed towards the White House which is definitely a spot not to be missed in Washington. The White house was well surrounded with security and we managed to get some beautiful pictures with the security guard of course. We also went back to the Lincoln Memorial to catch a view of the Washington Monument in the reflecting pool. During sunset , the reflection looked spectacular. After a long day, we chit chatted and relaxed by the serene reflecting pool. My favorite part of the trip was the walk from the Lincoln memorial to the World War 2 Memorial. There was something very romantic about the site with the benches surrounded by lanes of lush trees. I had a great time strolling by that area and could sit there forever.

Overall I loved my short trip to Washington DC and would definitely recommend to take this trip during spring to make it all the more beautiful. Is Cherry Blossom one of the items in your bucket list? Do share 🙂 I would love to read.

A Perfect day in San Francisco!

Can San Francisco be explored in a day? Yes, it can! I have done it. Here are a few highlights of the city that I enjoyed in just one day.

Golden Gate Bridge

Our day in the city began with the beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Fort Point. We enjoyed our walk along the pathways by the Pacific Ocean down the stairs all the way to catch scenic views at the bottom of the trail. I wish I was wearing more comfortable shoes, I wasn’t really prepared for a trail in the middle of the city. Nevertheless I had a great time. The ocean was perfect for surfing with huge waves and I caught a glimpse of a surfer swim on his board towards the strong tides.

Golden Gate Park

After enjoying the views of the Golden Gate Bridge we drove to the Golden Gate Park which was about twenty minutes’ drive. To my surprise the drive was very scenic with huge trees on our way with winding roads. That I think is the beauty of California, lot of surprises my way. We parked our car and made our way to the garden which was huge. It started with the rose garden, tea garden and then we finally reached the main area which has famous museums surrounded by lush greenery. My favorite was the huge palm trees which I hugged so tight 🙂

Union Square

By the time we were walking out of the Golden Gate Park, we were hungry and ready for a delicious lunch. So our next stop was Union square which is the Downtown area of San Francisco.  At this point we parked our car in one of the public parking garage by our hotel because finding parking in downtown is calling danger.We relished the authentic Indian buffet at ‘The Amber’ which had great variety of options in their lunch buffet and also was very appetizing.

After our lunch, I was very excited to ride the cable car which was one of the adventures in my bucket list. Cable car is one of the oldest way of commute in history and San Francisco is one of the very few places to still have it. The drivers have to manually rotate the cable car to ride the opposite way. It was a wait of more than one hour but completely worth it. We rode up the steep hilly roads of San Francisco city with our heads hanging out of the cable car which was quite an adventure. We rode the cable car towards our next spot and that was Fisherman’s Wharf.

Fisherman’s Wharf

I don’t know what that was but I always imagined Fisherman’s Wharf to be this beautiful place in San Francisco that everyone goes to. It turned out to be completely opposite of what I imagined. It was beautiful no doubt but it was very crowded and smoky. It was more of a tourist trap with shops around and crowded street performances around. To be honest I wasn’t able to enjoy much there because of the swarming tourists over the weekend. Probably would have been better over the weekdays.

The only thing I liked in the Fishermen’s Wharf was the Ghirardelli Square where you could actually watch how chocolate is made from scratch using raw cocoa. It was great experience to know how chocolate is processed.

 Lombard Street

Quick but not easy walk up the hill from Ghirardelli Square took us to the Lombard Street which is a steep winding street. It is one of its own kind and one of the must see stops in San Francisco. While other people were driving down the Lombard Street, we walked up the stairs to finally reach the top. The funny part was our Uber cab driver that we called to go back to the hotel was very kind to drive us down the Lombard Street. So we got to ride down the steepest winding street, yayy!

China Town

After relaxing in the hotel for an hour or so, we then went to China town for dinner which was just a few minutes of walk from our hotel. We enjoyed the Chinese food there and the jasmine tea which I still remember which was such a bliss after the long day 🙂

We crunched in everything in a day because we just had one day in San Francisco. End of the day I was contended to explore an awesome city full of surprises.

Things to do:

Explore explore explore

Hiking at the Fort Point

Ride Cable Car

Drive down Lombard Street

Places to Eat:

Amber (Indian)

Hunan Home’s Restaurant(Chinese)

Happy BlogAnniversary!

Today it has been one full year since I started blogging about my travel adventures. I would like to express my gratitude towards each and everyone of you, big thank to you all for being such a great community and for being a part of my journey. Each and every one of you has inspired me with your stories and I have enjoyed reading all your beautiful blogs. This whole year I have had my ups and downs like any other person. One thing that has kept me going and made me happy throughout the year are my travel adventures. Right from the historical cities of Prague and Budapest to the exotic islands in Michigan and Florida, I have enjoyed every bit of it.  On the occasion of my blog birthday, I wanted to share my most memorable memories so far that I am going to cherish forever. Given a chance I would go back and relive these memories that are so special to me.

Biking along the Coast of Mackinac Island

As a kid, I always imagined island as a fairy tale land away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Mackinac Island actually transformed my childhood imagination into reality. Biking along the turquoise blue water and exploring the colorful neighborhood full of beautiful nature trails was like a dream come true.

See: A Fairy Tale Island, Mackinac Island!

Kayaking in the Caves of Munising

After my incident of toppling from a Kayak in Door County, it was a very challenging experience to make my mind to go kayaking in the caves of Pictured Rocks. It turned out to be the most beautiful experience and taught me such a great lesson of life. Never ever give up, no matter what!

See: Kayaking in the caves!

Exploring the Old City Market in Prague

I still vividly remember, I was in the middle of the Old Town Square in Prague with my hands freezing. I still wanted to go on and on hoping from one street shop to another, watching the artists carve the bohemian art. The colorfully sculpted egg shells in particular were so intriguing to me that I bought six of them and only two could make it and still sit on my dressing table. Souvenirs are just the best.

See: Welcome to Prague!

Enjoying the evening cruise in Budapest

One of the best nights of my life, out shined with warm weather in the month of March, taking the night cruise in Budapest was the best way to explore the city in such a short period of time. The bright strings of light on the Chain bridge, Hungarian Parliament and Fisherman’s bastion kindled the entire city and it was a sight which is encrypted in my mind forever.

See: A beautiful day in Budapest, Hungary!

Snorkeling in Discovery Cove, Orlando

A paradise in earth, Discovery Cove is one of the best theme parks which is worth every penny. Snorkeling in the salt water with the colorful fishes and stingrays and swimming into the fresh water caves that goes into aviary to feed the birds made me feel that I was in the midst of a tropical jungle. It’s a whole another world by itself and my words are just falling short of describing its charm.

See: Florida, The Sunshine State!

Now it’s a new year, new resolutions, new travels and much more to come. Over the past couple of months, I have started focusing more on healthy living. This year I will be sharing my healthy recipes and yoga postures along with my travel journey. I wish you all good luck for the ventures in your life and also thank you again for being a part of my travel adventures.

Blast from the Past, Wisconsin Dells!

Every year my parents visit me here in the United States and we usually plan our annual travel trip during the summer. Last summer, we traveled to Wisconsin Dells because it is at a driving distance from Chicago and there are just so many fun activities to do out there especially during the summer. In small towns such as the Dells, we prefer staying in bed and breakfast over a hotel. It feels more homely and you also get to enjoy breakfast first thing every morning. Our Bed and Breakfast was Victorian style old home with a pool right by the breakfast patio. We really enjoyed the home cooked delicacies every morning. The inn had a huge backyard that overlooked the Dells river. The evening we reached there we enjoyed sipping coffee in the backyard and then crossed over the road to walk along the river walk.

We spent our first day in Dells exploring the river area with Upper Dells Boat tour. Our guide gave us brief descriptions of rock formations and sandstone cliffs overlooking the Dells river. The boat took us to two scenic locations where we got down and explored the areas on our own. We walked down the mysterious pathway of witches gulch and enjoyed watching the dog jump over the stand rock. We did a short hike through the forest and reached back to board the boat that took us back.

We ended our first day in Dells enjoying delicious wraps at a local restaurant in Downtown Dells. Downtown Dells was walking distance from our Bed and Breakfast and that was one of the best part that we did not had to deal with any other means of commute. My parents loved our trip to the Dells and it is definitely one of the best destinations in the US for family vacation. We also went river tubing, jungle safari and horse canyon riding in the Dells which I can’t wait to share in my next post 🙂 Family vacations are just the best, where did you recently travel with your family? Do share. I would love to know.

Falling in love with Charleston!

I have literally fallen in love with the vibrant and colorful city of Charleston. It has been by far one of my best cities in the US without a doubt. The different hues of architecture in the historic district makes it such a unique place to travel. I being a fanatic lover of colors , wished the time just stopped while I was there. I just couldn’t soak enough of the city’s historic charm and definitely wish to return back if I get a chance. The warm weather made our stay even more pleasant.

Carraige Ride

Rainbow Row

Saint Philip’s Church

Charleston City Market

We started our visit with the carriage ride along the historic district in the heart of the city. Our guide briefly described the  historical significance of the mansions and old grand houses as we passed by. The ride was along the bay all the way to the White Point Garden which overlooked the beautiful architecture also known as the Battery. The city has a very interesting history and is known for its civil wars hundred or so years ago. The canons and historic sculptures in the park were very interesting to look at. Our carriage also passed by the Rainbow Row which had beautiful buildings of different colors. After getting familiar with the city, we decided to explore more by foot. We also walked to the Waterfront park and enjoyed sitting by the beautiful fountains.

Pineapple Fountain

Old Vintage Car

Another interesting part of the historic downtown was the Charleston City Market which was four blocks of market with exclusive handicrafts which reflected the culture and beauty of the city in numerous ways. Undoubtedly Charleston will come in my top list of cities that I have visited so far. I will definitely recommend this trip to travelers who are seeking for a vivid yet serene place to travel.

Saturday Market in the City of Portland

During my short trip to Portland, I had an opportunity to explore the Saturday Market in the heart of the city. Our hotel was in the downtown of Portland and we walked to the market during morning hours to check out the local handmade shops.

I loved strolling through the cute little shops of handmade jewelry, scented candles, and soaps. The other fascinating creative items were the paintings, lamps and pottery which were carved by the locals who sold them in the market. There was a lavender shop that caught my attention and had lavender eye pillows, bath salts and almost everything there was lavender flavor. I and my aunt ended up buying the irresistible crystal candles, clay bowls and handmade artisan soaps.

After spending some time in the market, we were hungry and headed towards the food trucks in Downtown Portland. The food trucks is one of the specialties of the city of Portland and we definitely wanted to try some of them. We ended up trying Korean, Mexican and Thai food trucks and to my surprise all of them were delicious and made us so full. We then headed towards the Vodoo Donuts which is the most famous place in Downtown Portland for donuts. We waited there for about an hour in the queue to get our Donuts and it was definitely worth the wait to get those mouthwatering chocolate, raspberry creamy donuts.

My trip to Portland was very short yet sweet. I have had such great memories that I am going to cherish forever 🙂 How was your Thanksgiving week? Do share, I would love to read.

My Thanksgiving trip to Portland, Oregon.

Thanksgiving is one of the best time of the year to travel. This year thanksgiving took me to visit my aunt and uncle in the North West Pacific of the US. We drove to Portland from Seattle over the weekend. Our drive was about three hours and we enjoyed watching the stunning snow covered peaks of Mount St.Helens and Mount Hood on our way to Portland.

As soon as we reached there, we made our way to the Columbia River Gorge scenic area which encompasses numerous waterfalls in the midst of Mount Hood forest area. We started hiking a short trail that stretched from Wahkeena falls to Multnomah Falls. Our hiking trail was along the Columbia River and overlooked the huge trees by the river. After trekking for about half a mile, we caught a site of the Multnomah Falls which is the second tallest waterfall in the US and the tallest one in the State of Oregon. To get a closer look view of the waterfall we climbed up to the bridge located halfway through the falls. I could spot some of the visitors all the way at the top of the falls.

Overall my trip to the scenic area was very refreshing, away from the city on a chilly yet sunny day. I and my family had a great time in the woods and I would recommend this visit to all the nature lovers who would like to take a short get away from their day to day city life.

Throwback Tuesday, Mountain Biking at Pikes Peak!

This year spring took me to the beautiful Colorado peaks where I experienced Mountain Biking for the first time in my life. The most interesting thing about my adventure was I got to see all kinds of weather in my journey down the Pikes Peak. Snow, rain and sunshine to name a few although I wish it should have been just the sun. We started our biking right from about 10,000 feet above ground level at the top most point of Peaks Pike and made our way down the mountain. The start of the trip was the most challenging part of the trip as the wind was very chilly high up in the mountains. As we made our way down, it was much more pleasant to bike.

The biking was almost downhill all the way so we all had to be very careful with the brakes and of course the speed. We also made some stops to see the scenic overlook which was a wonderful sight to the eyes and a break from the rigorous biking as well. Our guide showed us the oak trees around, their barks resembled human faces naturally and it was quiet fascinating. The most enjoyable part of the ride was the last 2000 feet, when the sun was out with a light breeze which was just perfect. We then made our way to the Garden of Gods, and relaxed there soaking the sun and that was the part I loved the most. All in all it was a great adventure and I would definitely recommend it to thrill seekers who wish to take up a challenging experience during their travel. The best time to do this is definitely summer.

Scenic Overlook

Garden of Gods

At the top of Peaks Pike

Biking down

Pikes Peak

Another one at the top

Last Hike this season, Matthiessen State Park.

Most of us are now relishing the few last days of summer this year. It is the time to say good bye to the long days of summer and welcome the lovely colors of fall. The weather being super nice last week, we decided to hike at Matthiessen State Park which is right by the Starved Rock State Park in Ottawa, Illinois. We walked about 5 miles around the canyons and waterfalls enjoying the nature and appreciating it. The most challenging part of the hike was climbing up the unending flight of stairs. The entire park is in circles and there are just so many stairs to go down and then climb back up. Since it rained the previous night, the ground was damp and it was very enjoyable to step on the pebbles and cross the streams of water to make our way to the canyon. We also enjoyed making our way up to the canyon to get a close view of the water fall. How have you been spending the last days of summer? I would love to read. Do share!