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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I’ve never been to New York, San Francisco, or Washington D.C…..but I have been to Barcelona and it was AMAZING!
My sister actually went there for her honeymoon for 2 weeks and absolutely loved it as well. I was only there for 3 days but that was enough time to take my breath away–horseback riding in the mountains, dancing to Spanish music in local hangouts, leisurely walks through the beautiful city streets..I die:)
I really want to go to New Orleans! That would be so fun. We recently had a blast in Philadelphia. The city is SO walkable and most of the historical things are free. It was a budget friendly, but very fun trip! Tons of museums, tons of bars and nice restaurants, cheesesteaks!, America’s first zoo, Liberty Bell and shopping 🙂
100% Barcelona. It is by far my favorite city in the world – it is insanely gorgeous, fun, and romantic. I studied abroad there in 2009 and fell in love with Spain so much I moved back there for a year after college.
I love US cities (NY, DC, SF…) but there is something about Barcelona that is insanely magical! Here’s a link to my write-up about my Barcelona “musts”: http://thatsg.com/2011/04/29/destination-bcn/
That’s too funny! Beau and I are going to St. Lucia for our honeymoon at the Sandals resort there. Praying for no hurricanes in April! haha
Las Vegas is our #1 favorite place to visit. Even though my husband and I used to live there, it is still one of our favorite places to visit!
Our next vacation with either be an all-inclusive resort or cruise out of Boston that doesn’t require a flight (and stops in Bermuda for a couple days)…
Here’s a recent blog post I wrote about 10 places I want to visit…
http://bloghelloworld2012.blogspot.com/2011/08/10-places-i-want-to-visit.html
How do you go about planning a trip to SCotland?? Id love to go!
Edinburgh, Scotland is HANDS DOWN the best city I have ever been to! It is gorgeous, historic, and there is TONS to do! The scenery is breathtaking–lots of places to hike and bike–and the castle is one of the coolest things you will ever see. The city itself is fantastic–so vibrant! It has an incredible artistic scene, so if you are into shows, music, visual art, film, etc., there is no shortage of amazing entertainment. Not to mention the nightlife is out of this world! Lots of classy and gorgeous clubs/bars that aren’t too “snobby” like so many european clubs are and aren’t the least bit trashy. As you can tell I love Edinburgh!! You should really consider a trip to scotland 🙂
wowwww – you’re really selling this!! scotland sounds incredible!
lots of good suggestions above, and i send many of them – i love nyc and lived there several years . new orleans is hands down one of my favorite cities in the world (and you could go soon as it doesn’t get very cold – you do NOT want to go in the summer as the humidity is unbearable or go in april/may for jazzfest, aka the most fun ever). abroad? oh, there’s a whole world! one place that i will always love is edinburgh, scotland. one place that changed my life is buenos aires in argentina. i loved south america so much i moved there – you can do a lot down here for not so much $. i’m in chile now and of course recommend my adopted country. bonus? it is summer in south america right now!
I went on a trip to Los Angeles & loved it! Lots to see & do!
Hi Julie!! My husband and I went on our honeymoon to St. Lucia just this summer and it was SOOO amazing. We stayed at a Sandals and HIGHY recommend it. The all-inclusive was key to really being able to kick back and relax. If you keep checking in on the Sandals website they often times offer their vacation for 65% off (and with one free airfare ticket). If you guys still have your hearts set I would really look into this. It was perfection!! Also, feel free to email me and I can give you a couple of tips as to what to do to make it even awesome-er 🙂
thanks so much stephanie! and congrats on being a newlywed!!
I love, love, love Chicago, but I’m pretty sure you’ve been there a time or two 🙂
just a couple times. 😉 i agree though – chicago rocks!
Hi Julie! I’ve been to NYC, San Francisco and DC and absolutely loved them all. If you’re looking for a very active trip with lots of walking I would definitely go the NYC route.But I would have to say that San Francisco is absolutely incredible. There is so much to do and the city is truly beautiful. I would recommend starting in San Fran and making your way down the coast thru Carmel (a gorgeous sea side town) and then onto Santa Barbara which is such a neat place!
San Diego! I did an internship there one summer during College and I loved it! There was always so much to do. You can rent bikes and ride along the beach. If you do this, go to Coronado Island for that, it is breathtaking. Parasaling is also a must while you are there. Old Town San Diego is also great, lots of cute little shops and restruants (Fred’s if you like Mexican). There are also lots of cute little town’s within driving distance… Laguna Beach, maybe see LC there, ha! Good luck!
From your list, I’d pick Barcelona. Spain is definitely on my must visit list.
I LOVE NY and like DC a lot, but I wouldn’t spend a whole vacation in either place. Since you live on the east coast it would be pretty easy to do a long weekend in either city. So, if you want to stay in the U.S., I’d definitely pick SF over those two. Denver/Boulder or somewhere in the pacific northwest like Portland, Seattle, or somewhere in BC would also be an awesome, active city vacation.
My absolute favorite city in the world is Cape Town. It’s just incredible. Has a city vibe with great food, beaches, lots of outdoorsy stuff (hiking, scuba diving kayaking), tons of history, and wine country and other incredible activities are right outside the city. Ah! Love it.
ooooh cape town sounds unreal!
Our most memorable vacation was London. Traveling overseas together and navigating international travel (albeit in a friendly, English-speaking country) does something good to your relationship.
We saw Bath and Salisbury, too, as well as Stonehenge. The city was gorgeous and there were so many things to do and see and visit and explore that it was ridiculously hard to choose what to do.
I loved SF and did so much walking while I was there it was an amazing city with lots of diversity, but it is very expensive! A quick question how do you plan your trip? Orbitz or Expedia or do you go through a travel agent?
before for our honeymoon that we didn’t end up going on, we did all the planning ourselves. when i went to europe w/ my family my mom used a travel agent through triple a. for our trip, i think ryan and i will likely book it on our own and do a lot of comparison shopping for a good deal.
I live in Washington DC! It’s great to visit, and there’s a LOT to do at all times of the year. Because so much of the city is open to the public or outside, it can be very cheap! There are great restaurants too!
New York City…everything about it is special!!
Overseas — London is the best! Domestic — San Diego.
There are so many great cities to hit but San Fran and San Diego are amazing! I have been to both and love them equally! There is so much to see (city sights, redwoods, coastal highway, herst castle). My suggestion would be to start in San Fran and drive the coastal highway down to Carmel and San Diego! You will love it!
oh, oh!!!!!!!! I choose Barcelona!!! And like Shannon above said, SD and SF are great too!! But….seriously, Barcelona is like, once in a lifetime! Hehe 😀
Oh woops, I don’t mean I’ve been to Barcelona, though I’ve been to SD and SF. But my suggestion is Barcelona
Wow, just reading these responses has given me the travel bug! I want to go visit so many new places.
you and me BOTH!
Save D.C for when you have kids. I live right across the river from D.C. and I would recommend visiting when you have school aged kids. You could invite the grandparents along. There are tons of free / low cost activities that are great for kids and there are many good date night activities for you and your husband (theater, river cruse, and tons of great restaurants).
Mid to late spring, very early summer, and fall are the best times to visit. Don’t visit during the Cherry Blossom Festival. The crowds are totally outrageous.
This topic really interests me so I’ve worked up the courage to comment for the first time on your blog even though I have been reading it for a few months now. Your blog is so fun to read and I really appreciate you always keeping such an upbeat attitude, you are truly an inspiration to me. With that said, I will say that those city choices are all amazing, you really can’t go wrong! I will have to admit that New York City is my ultimate favorite because there is always something do and so much history and culture. I have not visited San Fran yet, though I am actually planning to next August and am extremely stoked! Another city you may enjoy is Charleston in South Carolina. I loved that city and wished I could have stayed longer than I did! Good luck with your decision, hope you guys have a blast!
Jason and I went to Indianapolis for a “city vacation” a few years ago and really enjoyed it. They have a gorgeous city center, a fantastic zoo, it was also State Fair season so we went to a Jessica Simpson concert while we were there, great restaurants, etc! I also love NYC, Minnespolis, San Fransisco! Have fun deciding! 🙂
I vote for Alaska — but I’m slightly partial, as I live here 🙂 The only downside is, if you’re looking for a city adventure it definitely wont fit the bill. Anchorage is our biggest one (and you the one you would always fly into) but its about 200,000 people, and has only a handful of delish restaurants to try, etc.
As far as nature activities, scenic views, charming small towns, water and rail adventures though — you can’t beat it!
San Francisco! There is so much to see and eat in the city, and I love that it’s so close to beautiful natural areas for outdoor activities. When I visited, I attended the Foodbuzz conference, but had time for active fun like biking across the Golden Gate Bridge and tackling those ridiculous hills.
Honestly if you wanta active and city you and Ryan MUST come to Vancouver. There is so much to do and see. I live on Vancouver Island, in Victoria, and you guys could try visiting Tofino. Google and check out its beauty. I am heading there for surfing and new years fun!
Another idea? Alaskan cruises come into both vancouver and victoria ports, so you could fly to Van, explore, then board the cruise. 🙂
As a Canadian, I gotta suggest going to British Columbia! There is whale watching, mountains (glaciers are absolutely unreal!), the ocean, TONS of walking and running trails.. and so much history!
NYC is probably the most incredible city I’ve ever been to. There is so much to see and do, it’s impossible to do it all. When I went, I went with family but I would love to go back with my boyfriend – I personally think it’s an incredibly romantic city. Wherever you decide to travel though, especially if you go to a city like New York, you might consider using http://www.vrbo.com – a friend of mine and her family rented an apartment in New York and saved money on hotels AND on some food because they had a full kitchen to eat meals – mostly breakfast – in. 🙂
Also may be biased as I am from there, but if you are looking for hiking, biking , shopping, eating, canoeing, etc. try Banff,Alberta. So close to other great places like Lake Louise and only a little over an hour from the Calgary airport. This year is the 100th Anniversary of the Calgary Stampede so there will be lots going on here in Jult.
HaHa, that should read July!!
I would throw Boston into the mix. You can do and see so much in the city and then take drives to some cute, historic towns. If you want to chat about Spain, let me know – I used to live there and have all sorts of recommendations!
I second Boston! I looooove that city. The Freedom Trail, Quincy Market, the aquarium, The Red Sox, Legal Seafoods! It’s an amazing city.
Honolulu, Hawaii! I interned there for a summer and it was the most special magical city. So much to do and so much to see, not to mention amazing food, beautiful blue skies, and the most gorgeous beaches!
I really wouldn’t recommend St. Lucia honestly! I went there and had an absolute awful time. True it looks amazing on the bachelor (Vienna met Jake’s fam there) BUT its totally unsafe to go off your resort. My dad went for a drive late at night and was almost run off the road by an angry man with a machete. Instead I would highly recommend turks and caicos, st kitts and nevis and st. maartin. I know it’s five years down the road but really I wouldn’t feel right without telling you about my time in st. lucia. In the meantime, with your new love of hiking, what about visiting colorado? Its amazing in the summer!!
If you like the outdoors you should definitely come to Seattle! The summer is great here. And Seattle has a good mix of city and nature.
New York City is amazing! There is so much to do! Every time I’ve been, it’s proved to be nearly impossible to tackle everything on our list but it’s SO worth it.
If you want a “bang for your buck,” I’d definitely recommend tackling Boston and Providence. Providence has amazing eating spots and there is so much history (and shopping!) in Boston. I might be biased because I’m a Boston gal but it really is fantastic!
I live in Oahu so of course I would recommend the city of Honolulu. There is a lot to do, great hiking trails, fun activities such as the Haiku stairs & Koko head. Diamond head is a little touristy but still fun to see. There are neat little farmers markets to go to and of course the beaches!
My most memorable city trip has to be San Fransisco! I’ve been there numerous times and everytime brought joy. You can rent bikes and travel around the city as well as walk anywhere. If you go over the bay to Sausalito you can hike the redwood forests…amazing!!
I live in Nashville now and it has also stolen my heart. Great city with great music, hiking, FOOD, and history. Also home of my very first half marathon 🙂
I think you guys would love it here since your interests are similar to my boyfriends and mine. It would also make for a fun roadtrip.
Definitely Montreal!
It’s a really fun city to go to on vacation because you feel like you are in Europe but without the price of an overseas flight!
There are so many incredible restaurants and cafes and the city has a great, hoppin’ nightlife.
I’m a DC girl born and bred! IDK if I’d consider it one of the best places to “vaca,” but rather a fun place to visit- to tour the sites, etc. but not to unwind and relax… I’m planning a trip for my fiance and I tonight actually to visit NYC in February- there are tons of great deals right now 😀
DC is very fun, and there are so many museums to explore (if thats your thing). It is definitely a city you should see at least once and is easy to explore via metro.
I love vacations!! I am from the San Francisco area. Born and raised!!! Love it!! My fiance proposed right on Pier 39 on a beautiful night. Now I may be a little biased because I am from there and got engaged there BUT SF is a FANTASTIC city!!!! There is so much to do there and there are a ton of fab napa wineries less than an hour away! The weather is beautiful and you just can’t beat the rolling green hills of California!! I have taken a ton of friends and family around the area when they come to visit and just love it! Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, SF Giants and SF 49ers if you are a sports fan, great food and shopping and the hilly streets of SF are a sight to see. Pier 39 is a great area to go to, seeing the sea lions that are always there and Chinatown is the best!! Fantastic hiking is also in the area! 🙂 Let me know if you want more info on the area! Happy Planning!!
Croatia! Many people only think of Spain, Italy or France because the countries are better know ,but Croatia is absolutely amazng! I suggest going in late spring/summer because you can go to the seaside which is beautiful!
VIENNA!!!! I studied abroad there for a semester and it is, in my opinion, the most beautiful city in the world. It literally looks right out of a fairy tale and you would DIE for the desserts there!
San Francisco is amazing! There are so many different neighborhoods that are really fun to explore. It’s a really active city, and there are many different parks and outdoorsy spaces to explore. And so many places to eat! I’d definitely recommend it.
I agree with those who said you should use your time to go back to Europe. Barcelona is an amazing city that perfectly merges city lie + beaches. It is full of adventure
Also, I’m really surprised no one mentioned Austin, Texas. I think the city is made for those who have healthy living in mind. The Whole Foods hq, the outdoor trails, the neat music and food scene – plus you can take an hour drive to see the beautiful San Antonio. I’ve only been once but totally fell in love
I second Austin TX. Very active and healthy living city with TONS to do. Not as pricey as big cities like NYC or Chicago. I would recommend going canoeing on Lady Bird Lake or having dinner/drinks over Lake Travis!
Come to DC, come to DC! I’ve lived here my entire life, so I often take it for granted – but there’s TONS to explore around here, millions of great places to eat, and so many great places to stay. I highly recommend it! (And let me know when you’re in town, of course 😉 )
SAN FRANCISCO!!! Although I’m partial to that because that’s where i live – however if you come here you can meet-up with me and Shanna from ShannalikeBanana!! Am I tempting you yet? 😉
In all seriousness though, New York City is by far my most favoritest city I’ve ever visited…but S.F. is most definitely high up there…especially in the activity department 🙂
I’ve enjoyed DC everytime I went but wasn’t blown away by it. I live in Boston and love it here. I love the history of this city and there’s so much you can do in the city and even on the outskirts.
I loved San Francisco. And for European cities: Galway and Zurich.