world travels

It's been hard to keep up with my blog recently. I haven't been doing anything too exciting and work has consumed me for the last several months. But not for too much longer. Hence this post.

For a very long time I've been wanting to travel around the world. After the first few years living in NYC after college, I figured I'd save up some money and take off. Except that didn't happen. Life got in the way and 10 years later, I'm still working and living in NYC. Which has been pretty great mind you. I think that's why the last decade went by so fast. 

But I'm now 33 and it's time to make this dream of mine a reality. 

I quit my job and in less than one week, I'm getting on a plane with a one-way ticket. I'm going to be running, blogging, taking photos, trying all sorts of food, experiencing local culture, trying beers, and whatever else I can think of.  

So yes, you have questions. And since my FAQ to my friends and family seemed to be a hit, I'm going to do it here as well. 

How long are you gone for? 
I'm not sure. Probably around 6 months or so. I have a tentative itinerary, but want to remain somewhat flexible. I want to meet people, learn and absorb the local cultures. I don't want to feel like I'm rushing through this experience.

Where are you going? 
First stop will be Istanbul. From there I'll explore some more of Turkey and then head to Israel and Jordan. And this is all I have figured out for the moment. Thenprobably onto India and Sri Lanka (maybe Nepal?). For the longest time I've been wanting to go to Southeast Asia, so will be exploring as much as possible. And why not run a marathon and spend Christmas in Thailand? Then spend the New Year in Australia and New Zealand. South America is going to be my last continent before I come back home. 

Tentative itinerary follows. 

September: Turkey

October: Israel/Jordan/Sri Lanka

November: India/Myanmar/Vietnam

December: Malaysia/Cambodia/Thailand

January: Australia/New Zealand

February: Ecuador/Peru

March: Argentina/Chile

I welcome any and all suggestions of where to go and things to do!

Why aren't you going to Italy (because really aren't you just doing Eat, Pray, Love)? 
I've been very fortunate to have spent a lot of time in Europe from studying abroad, going on vacations, and traveling for work. My only technical stop in Europe will be Istanbul. I really want to explore parts of the world that I haven't seen yet.

Are you going by yourself?
Yes, I am. I know. I know. I'll be safe. I'd like to think 10 years in NYC has given me some good life experience. I know safety is a concern and I plan to be smart about my travels. But this is something I don't want to distract me from the experience. And I won't always be alone. I will meet new people, and also meet up with friends and family around the world. 

What are you bringing? 

I have a long list of items that I will be squeezing into one large and one small backpack. Yes, that's it. Don't judge when you see me wearing the same clothes, over and over in photos. 

Are you running on this trip? 

We all know the answer to that one. I have signed up for the Chiang Mai Marathon, which is on December 20th. I officially kick off marathon training about 2 weeks ago. I imagine I'll be in a different place each weekend for my long run, which will be pretty cool. I also want to find races leading up the big one in different countries to really see what the running culture is like around the world. 

This sounds amazing and I want to follow you along on your adventure. How do I do that? 
That's obvious. Follow my blog. You can also find me on other social media. Warning: you may get sick of all the photos I'll be posting. 

That is it for now. Keep coming back to get updates! 

i did it.

I did it. I ran the Boston Marathon. After several years, a handful of attempts, and a humid day in upstate New York back in 2013, I finally got to run the most historic and competitive race in the world. And what an experience it was. 

Come April 20th, I was ready to tackle the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boylston. I put the miles, hills, and freezing mornings in. I got advice from my sisters, teammates, and friends on how to "not go out too fast" and "watch out for the downhills". I was excited for the crowds of spectators, kisses from Wellesley girls, and even those raucous Red Sox fans. 

hanging out at the expo.

On a beautiful spring morning, I accompanied some friends and teammates who were also running, from NYC to Boston. I spent the weekend carbo-loading, buying stuff at the expo, shaking out my legs, and hanging around the finish line. As each hour passed, and Monday morning approached, I checked the weather to see if there were any changes in the forecast. There weren't. So there it was: chilly, windy, and rainy. Perfect running weather. Did I mention those winds were headwinds and not tailwinds? Yeah, bring it on. At least it wasn't 80. Or a Nor'easter. 

Each morning in the week leading up to the marathon, I woke up at 5 or 6am. Well Marathon Monday was no different. For once, I could sleep in the morning before a race. I was in wave 2 and was slotted to start at 10:25am. Yes, I had to get to Hopkinton, but I could have slept in to like 7. If my nerves had allowed it. So I got ready and made my way to Boston Common to catch the bus. So that rain? Well it was predicted to start at 11am. Which would be a few miles into the race. Great. Except it started while I was on the bus. That was not in the plan. I didn't bring trashbags or anything else to keep me dry. Fortunately for me, it stopped before we got to the starting area. 

On arrival, I bee-lined it to the porta potty. I ate some food, drank some water, and tried to stay off my feet. I ran into a fellow BoMF volunteer and we chatted until it was time for another porta potty run. At this point we parted ways, and I made my way to the corral. Except I wanted to go to the bathroom ONE more time. Of course at this point, I'm slightly stressing. Boston is a big race. Lots of runners milling around in a pretty decent size start village. After finding an empty line and getting everything out of my system, in a slightly rushed state, I continued on my way. I had been stripping off my throwaway clothes on my journey to the start line, while taking in all the 'good lucks' from the Hopkinton residents. It's highly unusual to see anyone other than runners and volunteers before starting a race of this caliber, so it was a pretty cool send-off. I finally made it to corral 4 and fortunately found my friends pretty quickly. A couple of minutes later, we were off!

My friend and I made a plan to run in the 7:30-7:35/mile range for the first half of the course. We did a pretty good job to sticking to our plan, especially with all those downhills. A few miles were a little faster than I would have liked, but figured it would even out in the end. Even though it's apparently tough to negative split on this particular course. I enjoyed all the spectators in Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick and Wellesley as we approached the half marathon point. All the while getting slightly wetter with the drizzly rain that started shortly after I started running. Spectators embraced the weather with tents in their front lawns and beverages in hand. I heard Sweet Caroline blasting from a few speakers. As we approached Wellesley, I could hear all the screaming girls as they were giving out kisses. I couldn't help myself but move a bit closer. But no kisses. Maybe if they were cute guys. After the college, we approached downtown Wellesley and shortly thereafter I heard my name being screamed by my own personal spectators--my sisters and friends. Of course I was super happy to see them. I was also happy since I hit 1:38:41, which was right on target to finish with a 3:15. 

After the half marathon point, things were still going pretty well. But then I lost my friend going down a hill, probably around mile 16. She's really good at them, so I wasn't too concerned. I figured I'd catch her on an uphill since I did such a great job of practicing them. I had her in sight for a little while, but at some point I completely lost her. 

half marathon point. 

Based on my splits, things literally and figuratively started going downhill at about mile 17. My split wasn't too far off, so there was no cause for alarm. Mile 18 was a little slower, but then mile 19 was faster. Not at target pace, but at least in the 7:40 range. However after that point, every mile I would run was at least 30 seconds off my pace. I can't pinpoint where I was exactly, but there was a point where I knew I wasn't hitting my goal time. And another point later on, where I knew I wasn't going to PR. My muscles were tired and sore. It's always hard to assess what went wrong. Did I overtrain? Did I spend too much on my feet the days leading up the race? Did I not get enough sleep? Did the cold, wind, and rain catch up to me? Should I have worn more clothing? Well at mile 20, none of this mattered. I had to power through and finish the rest of the marathon. 

mile 25.2.

So as I made my way through Newton, Brookline, and eventually to the last mile in Boston, I tried to enjoy as much as I could. I took in the spectators, the views, and the experience of running a race I've been waiting years to do. Even with the pain I was going through. I had to keep reminding myself I was running THE Boston Marathon. Just try to enjoy what I could and avoid as many puddles as possible. 

The spectators got me through to the end. I saw a few of my teammates out there, and at mile 25.2 (one mile to go), I saw my sisters again, with my aunt. I steadily made my way down Commonwealth in a little bit of a haze. Suddenly, I was turning right onto Hereford. I was almost there. I heard some more friends calling out my name and finally turned onto Boylston. Yes, the finish line was in sight. But it was SO far away. I hadn't realize how far in my wanderings over the weekend. Maybe that was a good thing? With one last cheer from the spectators and my friends, I crossed the finish line. I almost cried with all the emotions that overcame me. But was so thrilled that I couldn't stop smiling. And then I experienced some mild hypothermia. The volunteers were amazing though. They all made sure the runners were ok. Shivering and with chattering teeth, I slowly made my way to the hotel to get showered and warmed up. 

after the finish.

My finish time of 3:24:52 (7:49 pace) was off my goal by about 10 minutes. Seems so drastic. However, my time was my 2nd fastest finish. So I can't complain. I finally ran Boston. And now I'm plotting my return. Of course I had to celebrate and enjoy some Sam Adams marathon brew. While kissing my medal. 

drinking some marathon brew.

So it's been 3+ weeks since I crossed the finish line. I still can't believe I did it. But I did. I chased down the unicorn. And my supporters have been so great throughout this entire journey. So thanks to them for believing in me. 

I chased down my unicorn.

boston bound

4 weeks until Boston. 4 weeks until I run the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boylston. 4 weeks until a 6 1/2 year goal is achieved. 6 1/2 years. Yikes. I can't think of anything else that I spent that much time trying to achieve. Good thing I like running. 

Back in 2007 (you know, last decade), I decided to attend a Team in Training informational session about upcoming endurance events. I was slightly hungover and ended up winning a free entry into any race that season. This is what I blame for the start of my marathon career–residual alcohol in my system and free stuff, which affected my judgement. So I signed up for the Anchorage half marathon. I figured a half is easier to do than a marathon. Also I pronounced repeatedly that only crazy people do marathons. Except, in the middle of the training cycle, with a mix of peer pressure and my competitive nature, that half turned into a full. I bit the bullet and decided that this was a one-and-done sort of thing. Something to check off my life list. And I did it. I saw a moose, made my way to the finish line, and said "no more" shortly thereafter. 

Fast forward a year, and again, with a little bit of peer pressure, I decided to mentor and run the Marine Corps Marathon. After taking my time down from 4:14:19 to 3:47:48, and while I was out celebrating with friends later that evening, people started asking me about the Boston Marathon. Apparently it was within reach. This wasn't even something that had crossed my mind. Remember, I said one-and-done. But now Boston was in sight. The marathon. The one everyone wants to run, but only a few get to. I could possibly make that happen. 

That was the turning point. A year after that race I ran NYC, and then again the following year, then Amsterdam, and then Chicago. Each year I tried to qualify for Boston–unsuccessfully. Here's what went down: 

• 2009 NYC (3:49:19) – Didn't eat enough food before the start and almost fainted at the finish
• 2010 NYC (3:48:49) – Learned my lesson, but was still off of my 2008 PR. Maybe there were too many bridges?
• 2011 Amsterdam (3:39:04) – Had a really crappy training season (pretty much lived in hotels, was working too hard, and barely slept), but managed to have a good race, which lead to a PR under the coveted 3:40 qualifying time. However, Boston changed their standards to 3:35 a few months prior, so it was a no-go
• 2012 Chicago (3:40:20) –  Put in the proper training and with perfect weather, I expected a PR on the pancake flat course, but didn't quite pull it off. If I were to pinpoint anything, maybe I was too tired from traveling and spent too much energy the day before when I should have been resting, but who knows

After Chicago 2012, I planned to take a year off, focus on some shorter distances, and try again the following year. I also prolonged the inevitable and joined Central Park Track Club. I was too intimidated to join before, but after a year of what I thought was me trying my best, I decided I needed the support of a team. And what other team to join then the one my sisters and friends were on? 

A few months later, April 15, 2013 rolled around. I was at work regularly checking the progress of the marathoners. During a meeting a co-worker mentioned that there was a bombing. The rest of that day was unreal. I could barely concentrate on anything. I still get a bit angry and upset about the events of that day. But I was determined to run Boston and not let these bombers ruin something that is so special and important. 

I decided to run Wineglass later in the year to attempt Boston again. I worked out with CPTC and had a pretty good training cycle. In the week leading up the race, the weather forecast wasn't promising. It was expected to pretty humid, which is abnormal for upstate New York in October. Then I got sick 72 hours before. I won't get into the details, but it wasn't pretty. Race day didn't looking promising. I hydrated and managed to consume some food in order to carbo-load. Since I trained in the hot and humid summer of NYC, I was hoping I hadn't acclimated to the fall weather yet. With my family present screaming my name, being my own personal race photographer, and keeping me company in the last few miles, I managed to get a big PR and finally qualified with a 3:31:44. I was ecstatic. Of course, I just missed the registration period for 2014's race. Now I had to wait until 2015. Which seemed like ages away. 

Soon enough, April 2014 arrived. I went up to Boston to support my sisters, friends, and the city of Boston. It was a day highlighted with pride, resilience, and excitement. A lot of special things happened that day and I got to see it unfold at mile 25. I was anticipating how it would feel to run the following year. 

Before the year was done, I still had to squeeze in one more marathon for good measure before Boston 2015. Which turned out to be the best one (so far). I crushed my PR with a time of 3:19:55 in Chicago last October, which actually moved me up an entire wave for Boston. Very helpful since the race is a late-starter.

We are finally in 2015. I've spent the last 12 weeks preparing myself for this historic race. All the miles, sub-freezing mornings, extra laundry, and hills have been paying off. On Saturday, I raced the Sleepy Hollow half marathon to assess my fitness level and came out of it with a big PR for a finish of 1:33:15. I was 5th overall female and first in my age group, which was pretty cool. Given the hilly course (and the unexpected cold and snowy weather), I was really pleased and excited for what this means. 

Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon Finish

I, of course, have some goals and I feel like I can now formalize them a bit:  

1. Enjoy Boston from start to finish
2. Get a PR 
3. Get as close to (or surpass) 3:15

I'm also excited to: 

1. Running with my friends (all 30,000 of them)
2. Having my family on the sidelines cheering
3. Getting the coveted Boston medal
4. Conquering Heartbreak Hill
5. Chasing down Shalane, Meb, Desi, and Ritz (in my mind at least)

Can't wait! 

chicago marathon

It's been almost 3 weeks, but I'm still running on my marathon high and with the NYC marathon tomorrow, I wanted to write about my own race experience at lat month's Chicago Marathon. 

Last year I finally qualified for Boston–after several attempts. Registration for the 2015 race wasn't until September and to be honest, I didn't need to run a marathon this fall. And I said I wouldn't. However, given some of the hiccups from last year's race, I thought I was capable of more and set out to find a race in October. 

I deliberated between Chicago and Steamtown. One is a big-city, excitement-filled race that I've already run. The other was new, closer, small-town(ish) and easier to travel to. Both are flat. Since I had friends running, and I had a time qualifier and given the changing qualifications standards for big races, I figured this was a good opportunity to run Chicago again. Steamtown wasn't going anywhere and I'll probably run it someday. 

chicago.

Decision made. And it was now time to train. 

Earlier this year, after getting a PR at the RnR DC half (1:38:42) and then another one for the Brooklyn half (1:36:08), I was off to a good start. I spent the summer building up my mileage, and doing speed workouts and tempo runs. Fortunately, this summer was better than most others from a humidity standpoint. Although I still had a few tough runs thrown in there for fun. 

In September, I ran the Queens half, which was 4 weeks before Chicago. This was meant to be a test of my fitness and see what I could realistically aim for. I woke up to a cool morning and made my way to Flushing Meadows park to run with 950 other runners. And my training was paying off. I got another PR (1:35:51), placed 7th female overall, and 2nd in my age group. I was on track for Chicago. 

Fast forward 4 weeks and I had arrived in Chicago. Two years ago–the last time I ran Chicago–my race didn't quite go to plan. I'm still not entirely sure what went wrong, but one of the factors could have been traveling the day before the race and running around the city (airport, hotel, expo, etc). I may have just tired myself out and I felt it in the last 8 miles of the race. This year, I arrived on Friday instead and made my way to the expo to get it out of the way (and also where I spent too much money on race gear). I had a quiet pasta dinner at the hotel and tried to get some sleep (not quite successful). 

it is.

The next morning, I headed down to the finish line area in Grant Park for my standard shakeout run (approximately 3 miles). I met up with my friend and we took a few selfies at the Bean (The Cloud). After a shower, I spent the rest of the day eating, taking touristy photos, and walking around. I sorted out all my race day essentials and mentally prepared. 

But there was one thing I was still debating–what pace do I aim for? Literally up to the pasta dinner the night before, I was trying to decide whether I should aim for 3:25 or 3:20 or somewhere in between. 

the bean.

In the weeks leading up to the race, I spent some time inputting my half marathon PR into various calculators to help me determine what I should do. One told me I could do 3:19, another 3:22. My PR was 3:31. Any of these seemed a bit ambitious. I finally decided to start out at the 3:25 pace and see what happened. This is what I trained for and figured I could speed up if I was feeling good. 

Race morning arrived. 

lake michigan sunrise.

I ate my peanut butter sandwich, banana, and clif bar (I learned my lesson on ensuring I ate enough food after running the 2009 NYCM). I got dressed in my CPTC best. And walked to the race start in clear, mid-40 degree weather. Getting inside the race area took longer than expected due to the security measures. I was meeting some friends at baggage and was on time. Unfortunately I didn't see them and 5 minutes after our meeting time, I made my way to the porta potty for one last bathroom stop. I was cutting that a bit close, but I just made it into my corral (way busier and crowded from 2 years ago for sure). There was no way I was going to spot my friends, but I exchanged good luck with a fellow NYC runner that I ran into! I planted myself between the 3:20 and 3:30 pace groups and got rid of my throwaway clothes. 

The horn went off. 

A couple of minutes later, I crossed the starting line. At the recommendation of my friend, I turned on the manual lap lap on my garmin so my GPS wasn't screwing with me. Given the race is in a city (and we went through a tunnel), it was expected to be a bit off. I wanted to know the time for each mile and not have my watch beep too early. It took a couple of miles to determine what pace I was going and get into a groove. As my results later showed, I did go out a bit faster than I intended. I kept at it for the first 10 miles. The halfway point arrived and I hit 1:40:39. This was great. Assuming I could keep it up of course. I was on track for a 3:20 marathon.

The cheerers along the course were amazing (2nd to NYC). With an earlier race start, it's nice to see people come out and support the marathoners and the city of Chicago. I didn't know too many people out there, but got to see my friend's husband (and teammate) several times and a friend that lives in Chicago. There were some other NYC supporters and got a bunch of CPTC cheers. I also got a few "go Canada" cheers. This happens a lot since our uniform has a maple leaf on it. I was ok with it and just smiled. 

I approached mile 21 and felt pretty good. I was going to hold off on speeding up for another mile or so, but decided, what the hell, go for it. I picked up my pace and picked people off for the next 5.2 miles. A couple of miles from the finish, I was confident that I would get 3:20 if I didn't slow down. But of course mile 26 was in the middle of a hill. Now, on any other day, this incline is nothing. But after running 26 miles, it's killer. I feel like Harlem Hill would be better at this point. At least that's a real hill. But I had my sights on the finish line and after turning that last corner, I made a beeline to the finish. I knew I hit 3:20, but it wasn't until after checking my watch that I saw that my time was 3:19:55! I was so happy with a 3:20 finish. So I was beyond thrilled when I saw that I broke that. I got my medal and Goose Island beer, and reunited with my friends. 

I spent the rest of the day basking in my finish, celebrating with a few drinks and friends, and eventually made my way to the airport to head back to NYC. 

Later this year, I'll kick off training for Boston, which I'm really excited about. Not excited about the winter training, but I'm sure I can motivate. 

I'm sending fast thoughts to my sister, friends, teammates, co-workers, and everyone else running tomorrow! 

happy 4th

Happy 4th of July! Today not only marks America's 238th anniversary of independence from Great Britain, but the completion of my 40-day run streak. From Memorial Day on May 26th to the 4th of July, I ran every single day by participating in the Runner's World run streak. I only had run at least one mile every day for 40 days. Only. 

Now I didn't set out to the streak. I heard about it and tentatively thought I would participate. But it wasn't until over a week straight of running that I decided 'why not?'. It would way easier than the Thanksgiving to New Year's streak. No polar vortex, freezing wind and snow, and layers upon layers of clothing. And it was really only for 40 days. Some runners have been streaking for decades. I don't have a desire to do that and it would be incredibly hard to keep up. But figured a 40-day streak was doable. Although technically it's more than 40, since I ran the day before Memorial Day. And I'll probably run for the next couple of days. But you get the idea. 

Here are a few statistics from my streak:

Total days: 41
Total miles: 237.3 miles
Longest run: 16 miles
Shortest run: 1.8 miles
Locations: NYC, Boston, Nantucket, Ithaca, Locke, and Peekskill
Races: 2

I ran through mostly heat and humidity, but throw in some pouring rain, and thunder and lightning storms for good measure. I started and ended the streak in my very own backyard—Central Park. I ran with friends, teammates and by myself. And I officially kicked off marathon training. 

I know I'm going to end my run streak in a couple of days. I could potentially keep going, but I do believe in rest days. And definitely after big races like a 1/2 and full marathon, I like to take some extended time off. But maybe I'll do the holiday streak later this year. 

Happy running! 

boston marathon weekend

Last Monday was the 1-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. And I made good on my promise that I would be in Boston this year. I wanted to run desperately. I even went back on my plan to not run a marathon in 2013 and signed up for the Wineglass Marathon, where I finally—on my 7th attempt—qualified. But it was too late. Weeks before I even got on the starting line, the registration to run the 2014 Boston Marathon filled up. Even friends who had qualified were cut out because of the high interest in running. Everyone wanted to demonstrate that we will run again.  

I wasn't going to be running. No big deal. I'll be there in 2015. Instead, I went up to cheer on my sisters, my teammates, and my friends. I turned a terrorist and fearful act into a fun, but reflective weekend. 

After going to the Red Sox game the night before, I got up early to join 8,600 other runners to race 3.1 miles around the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. And it was a great morning. Under cool, blue skies, and to a cheerful crowd, I ran along a part of the marathon course, including the finish line on Boylston. A fellow runner told me as we approached the finish line, "You ran very consistently", which was nice to hear as I race towards a personal record. My final time of 21:10 was a 56 second PR from last fall and I finally achieved my goal of breaking 7-minute pace from 2011. It meant something that I had such a big PR in Boston, and that it was done marathon weekend. 

boston 5k finish line.

The rest of Saturday and Sunday was spent with friends and family, where we enjoyed the spring weather, supported a friend's fundraiser, and had Easter brunch. Sunday afternoon, we went down to the marathon finish line area. After racing through it on Saturday, I wanted to see it up close. It was great seeing so many people taking pictures and getting excited for when they would finish there on Monday. Very festive spirits all around. A part of me was definitely wishing I was racing on Monday. 

memorial on boylston.

I also went to see the Dear Boston marathon memorial at the Boston Public Library. As expected, I had to hold back tears as I walked through the items that were all left at the finish line last year. I would normally want to read everything, but I couldn't. I felt like I would have broken down. I can't even imagine what it would have been like if I was present during the bombing. It was really reassuring to see the outpouring of love and support that people from all over the world gave the victims, the cheerers, the runners, and the city of Boston. 

sneakers left at the bombing site last year.

Marathon Monday finally arrived. As I do every marathon morning that I cheer, I get up early, stake out my spot, and wait for the runners. My sister, brother, friends and I parked ourselves right before mile 25 to see the wheelchair racers, the elites, and then our sisters and friends make their way along the marathon course from Hopkinton. We were rooting for Shalane and Desi, the top American women. Both of who had great races, but Rita Jeptoo was able to secure her 3rd Boston win. On the men side, we had hopes for Meb and Ryan, but others were predicted to win. So were were all surprised and very happy to see Meb leading the pack at mile 25. And he came through. An American finally won the Boston Marathon, the last one in 1985. A little behind Meb (ok, more than a little), my sisters came on through and both had great races. It warmed up quite a bit that morning and afternoon, and was quite different from the multiple polar vortexes they trained through, but they were pretty pleased on how they did. One got a PR and the other came pretty close. 

All in all very inspiring. We celebrated all the finishers on a beautiful day in Boston. Next year I'll be back and will race from Hopkinton to Boylston. And I can't wait. 

louisiana

bourbon street.

Over a week ago I checked off my 28th state—Louisiana. Since the Rock n' Roll Half Marathon and Marathon series launched in NOLA, I've been looking to go. However, I didn't go for running reasons on this trip. Although I did have good intentions of getting a longer run in and take advantage of warmer temps. But my sneakers remained in my bag since there were non-running on the agenda. 

My friend Sue is getting married in March and she chose NOLA to celebrate her last weeks of bachelorette-hood. Her friends from high school, college, and NYC converged onto the Big Easy. Unfortunately there were some travel issues. Apparently the south can't handle the mild winter conditions us Northeasterners are used to. Fortunately everyone arrived—eventually. 

oak alley plantation.

We stayed on Bourbon Street and got a snapshot of what Mardi Gras would look like (or even the summer) and I'm glad we went when we did. I won't get into too many details of the weekend (I do want the bride-to-be to maintain some level of mystery from her fiance). There was drinking, eating, live music, and dancing. There may or may not have been a fake (or real) penis that made an appearance. That's all I gotta say. 



One fun excursion we did go on, was a plantation tour. We headed out of the city to Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, about an hour from New Orleans. It was pretty cool. We got a tour of the mansion, while drinking a Mint Julep of course. We learned a little bit of the history of the family that has owned it during the late 1800s and how it became what it is today. Even with the beauty of the place, you can't help but think of the existence of slavery all over the south. We saw a list of how much slaves were bought for and where they lived. We didn't get much history about the slaves that were at Oak Valley, but they are expanding the tour and will be including a more detailed history in the future. 

live music.

I had a great time and very glad I went. But two nights were definitely enough for me. When I go back, it'll be less drinking and more wandering around and exploring. Eating and music would still be on the agenda though.