Here’s my trip in the style of a weekend getaway!

Disclaimer: I’m doing this in regard to an estimate of a 12:00 pm Friday to a 12:00 pm Monday timeframe. We gained a few hours from the west to east coast on the way there, but lost a few hours on the way back. It basically felt like we flew all day on Monday, because we left at 1:00 pm, almost didn’t make it to our layover flight, and landed at home by 11:30 pm.

DAY ONE

We landed at around 12:00 pm to pick up the rental car. Which BY THE WAY, I did it through Avis and chose to do their new option for “mystery vehicle,” which made it SO much more affordable for us. Essentially, you choose this option and get two options when you arrive to pick up your car. We ended up in a Jeep Wrangler, which was a dream for me as my weekend car. The other option for us was a Toyota Tacoma, and I would definitely not have done well with that large of a vehicle… maybe I wasn’t confidence. Who knows?!

• Landed, picked up vehicle
• Drove to the Paul Bunyan statue
• Lunch at a dive bar, Mock Crest Tavern
• Dropped our luggage at the Airbnb (super cute & loved the area!)
• Picked up some energy at Cathedral Coffee
• Walked Cathedral Park to see the St John’s Bridge

It was actually supposed to rain all weekend according to the weather. For us, it was sunny the first two days and rainy the last. And normal people have dinner, but my mom slept for 12 hours, so I had leftovers.

Close to the airbnb

portland, oregon

DAY TWO

Screenshot this, because this is what I did:

• 8:30 am- leave airbnb
• 9:00 am- breakfast at In J Coffee
• 10:00 am- Underground Donut Tour, booked here
  • 2 hr tour for Sesame Donuts, Coco Donuts, Petunia’s Pastries & Pies, Voodoo Donuts
  • Dante’s for the “Keep Portland Weird” sign
• 12:30 pm- The Portland Saturday Market
• 1:00 pm- lunch at Pine St Market
• 2:00 pm- drive to Pittock Mansion, has Portland’s skyline
• 2:45 pm- drive to Japanese Garden
  • The cherry blossoms bloomed on April 13, 2023
• 3:30 pm- drive back to Tom McCall Waterfront Park
  • Portlandia
  • Portland City Hall
  • Portland Oregon White Stag sign
  • Mill’s End Park
• Drive around town to:
  • Powell’s City Of Books
  • Chinatown
  • The Kennedy School Hotel, home to a theatre, bars, brewery, even a pool
• 6:00 pm- dinner at La Bonita
  • Explore Alberta’s Art District

(Starts left to right, every two photos)

• Sesame Donuts: The donut shop that basically said no more to Dunkin’ Donuts in Oregon. Owned by a Lebanese family, they have ten locations in Oregon, five in Portland. The donuts we got were: sesame donut, rose city, and blueberry jelly.
• Coco Donuts: It all started with three friends who wanted to create a donut shop in Portland. One friend had business knowledge, the other was a coffee expert, and the other had a secret recipe from their grandma for the lavender donut. The donuts we had were the strawberry flower donut, mochi donut (which was my FAVE), and the lavender donut (second fave from the whole donut tour). They are the only shop to source their own coffee in town, and it’s from Central America.
• Petunia’s Pastries & Pies: They specialize in gluten free and vegan donuts. It was cool to learn that they only serve donuts on the weekends as a “special weekend treat.” So we got the chocolate hazelnut and cinnamon sugar.
• Voodoo Donuts: They were originally only famous for the pepto donut they created as a joke, but it ended up making national news. While they no longer make it, it was definitely a good way of becoming a famous shop. They even had to hire entertainment while customers waited in line for their pepto donuts. We received the old dirty bastard and the bacon maple bar donuts.

Here’s photos of the places we went to for the other part of the day:

Of course you can also walk, bike, picnic, or play games as you would in any other park, too! Other areas I wanted to visit, but most closed at 4:00 or 5:00 pm:

• Portland Zoo
• World Forestry Center
• Hoyt Arboretum
• Lan Su Chinese Garden
• Pioneer Courthouse Square

We pretty much did everything on this day because of the weather and making everything happen in a short time. There was lots of traffic and barely any parking. We also tried to make the trip affordable, so we did more of the free areas or went around the payment in a sense.

DAY THREE

We went to breakfast at Victoria Bar before heading out west today. I recommend coming in sooner than later because it gets packed fairly quickly. You order your food at the bar and then they bring the food over to you. The food was a bit different and more on the bougie brunch end, but I ordered the avocado toast with bacon and eggs, and the bacon– SO crunchy and yum!!

Oregon is actually known for their pinot noir in the wine area. Marionberry is a hybrid berry used to make mostly jams, which is very flavorful. Oregon has mostly blueberries, blackberries, and apple orchard farms. We have something similar back home but for strawberry picking. It’s in Knaus Berry farm, in the Homestead area of Miami.

My mom knows a family friend from when they lived in Nicaragua that migrated to the states with her and ended up in Oregon. He ended up meeting his wife here and the rest is history! They also know all the good wine spots. We went to two of their favorite.

Domaine Divio

First things first- we met Steve, who is their winemaker/ tour guide kind of person. Bruno is the winemaker/ owner of this vineyard. He’s originally from France and has named his wines after his kids to honor them. But we’ll get into that!

They gave me some history on his work and I was just fascinated. In the 1990’s, Bruno Corneaux came from France to Oregon to make wine. He’s a 4th generation winemaker and even went to school for wine. He harvested in 1990’s and his dream was to open his own. So he practiced with Hyland Vineyard in Oregon and became close to the owner there. To this day, Hyland offers everyone their tools to make wine too.

Bruno has worked in Washington, California, and Tahiti. He has about seven wineries in Oregon and a few in Washington.

Domaine Willamette

We toured with Danielle, who is one of the very knowledgeable tour guides with the team. She mentioned that the winery has 20 acres for the vineyards located by Dundee Hills. It’s mostly known for its sparkling wine.

The 26 barrels they have in the basement is pinot noir stored for 11 months, each worth $2,000. The new barrels were only used 20-25% and the neutral barrels have been used once, so it makes the wine taste vastly different. The barrels can only be used 8-10 times maximum because each barrel creates 300 bottle of wine, which is 50 case of wine. Only few people have tasted within the 11 month time span of the new and neutral barrels, but that’s really if the owner feels ok missing out on the amount of wine that can be bottled from it.

While there’s a big difference on French vs American barrels, Domaine Willamette uses the French oak barrels. To give you perspective, the French has bright acidic flavors, fruity and American is more oak. The regions and soils are also a whole other story!

More Fun facts:

• The year on the bottle of wine is when grapes were picked not when the wine was bottled.
• Pinot noir has 800 different clones around the world.
• The 2019 wine is acidic because of all the rain there was that year in Oregon.

But what I really learned today, besides all the freaking amazing wine… is that Oregon is known for its hazelnuts, also used to be called filberts in old days, lavender flavors, and olive oil tastings.

DAY FOUR

Had an early morning so we weren’t late in returning our vehicle before the 12:00 pm slot for half day. I wanted to stop by Daydreamer Coffee before heading to the airport. Surprisingly enough, I found them on google maps close to our airbnb and the reviews were amazing!! We spoke to the owner and she mentioned the coffee shop opened in 2018 as a cart. Now they’ve extended it to the store by it and had their first mic night on April 20, 2023! How fun!!

The trip was pretty interesting to say the least. We did more adventure than eat, which ironically enough, I obviously prefer food most of the time. I think my favorite part was the wineries in the outskirts of town. It was nice to see the countryside on vacation.

Next time I come to Oregon, I’d love to do the hiking trails and the coast that everyone speaks so highly about! Sounds like I’ll be back!!!

The post What it’s like to Experience Oregon in 4 Days appeared first on Plane and Cheesy.

As of 2021, there are about 545 population/ persons. When we came in Nov 2022, we’d ask workers where they were from… and none were natives. They were all pretty much from neighboring towns. They would say this is a town of airbnb’s and hotels, so essentially tourism. Everyone comes to pit stop here for about one to three days and enjoy the mountains in Georgia. This quaint German inspired town is a must do!

German inspired

the town folk might say

“A bustling alpine village set against a scenic backdrop of mountains, forests and river banks; you’ll feel as though you’ve been transported to the cobblestone streets of Germany.”

helen, georgia

To give you a snippet of our one-day stop at Helen, we stayed at the Country Inn & Suites by Radisson. We’re also trying to gather up those hotel.com points for that 10th stay. (Disclaimer: not an ad at all, just helping you out! It’s an app in which you gather affordable one to two night stays. Your 10th one is free).

Exploring the town was first on the list! While we can’t eat all day, we wanted to do some research on the must do’s of each item we want to digest. Coffee is a must for me! I can’t survive without sugar and energy.

We walked through some shops and headed to The Mason Jar Coffee & Gelato. Based on the google review recommendations, the absolute MUST HAVE was the butter beer frappe. IT IS THE BEST COFFEE, for whatever the contents were, THAT I HAVE EVER HAD! It was like going to Harry Potter world and turning the butter beer into a coffee; like both had a baby. To the point that if you don’t want to stop in the cutie town, just do yourself a favor and stop by this coffee shop for the coffee.

We walked around the Bavarian Haus shops. Everything in the town was pretty much in the same area. You could park by the hotel we stayed at or around town. Some might require a payment to park, but they use it as a credit if you ate at their restaurant. Pretty smart if you ask me!

Why go to a German inspired town and not experience actual German foods? We headed to Hofbrauhaus Restaurant & Pub. Mostly because google told me it was pet friendly. It’s also the oldest quaint vintage restaurant across town. We had the meat and cheese platter to share with a small pretzel.

After a long day and some walking, we wanted a big, juicy burger. We mostly didn’t want to walk too far. Bigg Daddy’s Restaurant & Tavern is across the street from our hotel and they were still celebrating Oktoberfest! The menu items were the most exciting to me because I had the sweet Melissa burger, *ha! get it?* and the pint of Oktoberfest beer with my dad. They were also souvenir cups, so we brought those to take straight home and into our future house bar that we don’t have.

Im case you had an interest to other places in town, I wanted to recommend a few other places I looked at going to, but we didn’t have a chance to stop by because they were either closed or we just chose a different driving route.

• Hofer’s of Helen Bakery & Cafe (award winning cafe, closed on Thursdays)
• Bodensee Restaurant (carries German beers and wines as well as spaetzle, goulash and wursts)
• The Troll Tavern (just like the story book, Troll)
• Cowboys & Angels (Helen’s riverside steakhouse with a touch of Southern hospitality)

I hope you enjoy Helen as much as we did. It’s such a cute town and worth the stop. Even if you stayed another night, they have a few hike trails and outdoorsy activities to do. European inspired towns are just what you need to escape the normal day to day life!

The post All You Need is 24 Hours in Helen, Georgia appeared first on Plane and Cheesy.

Steam

There’s a whole plane wreck in the outside of this restaurant. I think it is mostly used for decor purposes, but it is so darn cute. I love planes, so this really caught my attention. There is lots of outdoor seating, and the day was behaving well. The cold brew I got was recommended by the person in front of me and it left me wanting more. The restaurant also had this antique coffee bar corner, which I absolutely adored. I want one for my future home for sure!

Milk Market

If you know me at all, you know that poke bowls are normally my go-to meals in places. I do not think I have ever had a bad bowl made. This was definitely not the first either… And of course, Tyler got the chicken and waffles. There are some mixed feelings when I ask my friends if they would order that, so I stray away.

Any who-

The Milk Market is essentially an indoor farmer’s market. There is a hotel, lots of art, pop up shops, and foodies’ spots to go around. It is in a very poppin’ location, so there is lots to do in the area as well. We stopped for brunch to start the day off right!

North Italia

I arrived sooner than the rest of my family and took advantage of spending time with my uncles. We had lunch at this spot around the corner from their place and it did the trick. I ordered clam chowder (duh, that is my favorite soup) and we all shared a pizza. I love me a good Italian nook.

Ash’ Kara

Greek cuisine gets me every time! I feel like they have a very vibrant lifestyle, in which it translates to their restaurants and food- lots of color! We wanted in from walking around town and they accommodated large parties. The inside felt half loungey type and half restaurant. The windows were filled with natural light coming through and lots of people watching. We loved this chic spot!

Culinary Dropout

We went with some friends for comfort food and live music mostly. I never really say this either, but here it goes- the chicken tenders were SO yummy! It was the perfect amount of fried and it had the yummy goodness inside well cooked. Maybe it was just me? They were well recommended by our friends though, so you could not go wrong.

Blanco

My most recent go-to drink has been a margarita. I order it for every social gathering, and it is the best drink ever. There is a surplus of flavors you can add with it, so you can never go wrong either. This spot had very high ceilings, lots of personality, and a good time overall. It was also right across the street from where our friend lives, so we walked here. It is pretty much up and coming too, so I feel like there will be lots of live music in the next few years.

54Thirty

Who doesn’t love a good rooftop?! The lighting was perfect, the sun was shining, and we met up for laughs and a drink. I also took some great artsy photos, so that was a fun highlight! Also, this vending machine is a must have for all champagne lovers.

I feel like Colorado is that state that you can never stop visiting. Granted, there is lots to do in every place, but you truly find hidden gems when you know someone in the place you are going to. We were able to explore a lot by both walking and Ubering, especially with our karaoke guy!!! *Stories for another day.*

‘TIL NEXT TIME!!!

The post Made it to Colorful Colorado Through the Food appeared first on Plane and Cheesy.

Original Chipotle

The Original Chipotle is here!!! This is the address: 1644 E Evans Ave, Denver, CO 80210. There is really nothing special, which felt a little weird, because I feel like most “original” spots have a sign or something that designates it as such. It was a cute stop, nonetheless.

One of Denver’s nicknames is The Mile High City. If you climb the west stairs of the Capitol to the 18th step, you will find yourself at an altitude of exactly 1 mile above sea level.

Larimer Square

It reminded me so much of South Miami in Miami, Florida. The little string lights above the square, the festivities of always having an activity or something to do. If you also want to translate it to Chicago lingo, it looks like Fulton Market kind of vibe.

There were thrift stores, hidden gem restaurants, other shops to go into, a cute little Spanish restaurant, and just a lively plaza in Colorado all together. We absolutely loved it, so we went twice.

Denver Art Museum

One of my great aunt’s favorite spots is the museum. She got us all passes to visit and explore the exhibits they had in the gallery. I feel like the appreciation is different through generations, because my dad is the type of person to skim and go to the next one, while we find interest in specific ones and just read on.

There are three or four floors of exhibits, if I recall correctly. I loved the neon signs and the renaissance era frames/ paintings that my mom stood by.

Denver Botanic Gardens

20-SOMETHING ACRES WITH a conservatory, theme gardens and a sunken amphitheater

A beautiful place in Denver!!! I have never had so much appreciation for plants and nature than I had when I came here. There are exhibits of plants and places in the ecosystem in green houses, lots of interactive activity to walk through, and just a whole other world within the gardens that I would have never imagined. I sounded like a nerd, but I just love Mother Nature so much! That is probably why Earth Day is my second favorite day of the year, after my birthday, of course.

Denver is incredibly beautiful and there is so much to do in the capital. From walking tons of miles to eating the local cuisines to drinking Coors, it is so special to us. Summer is truly the best time to travel here!

The post The Heart of Denver Through Art appeared first on Plane and Cheesy.

Littleton:

This city was adjacent to where we were staying in Colorado, so we just had to be a part of it. There is tons of history in the area, especially when it comes to Columbine High School. Mainly, it is a public high school in the Denver metropolitan area. About a couple of decades ago, there was a shooting… I am not going to get into it, but if you want to read more, here is a source.

We did not think it would rain, but here we are.

Garden of the Gods

I pretty much did the hiking in a different trip, so this was a little different for this kind of trip. It felt like a pit stop, especially since it was raining all day, we were only able to see the orangey rocks from our car.

If the weather is nice, you can do the hikes in one day. There are short or long walks to choose from. I’ll be back! (It’s a reference… Who says that?!)

I came here to do a bit of hiking with my wife. The trails were extremely well maintained in the central loop area and the formations and views were beautiful. The upper ridge trail was a bit more technical but absolutely worth the effort. Would absolutely recommend as it was all free and a wonderful time.

Google Reviews, Gabriel Nesler

Palenque Cocina y Agave

We started with the spicy margaritas with tajin and it did not disappoint. Tyler and I obviously had the larger plates, which I honestly do not know why we do that to ourselves, but maybe we are trying to get a bang from our buck or something. I had the tamales with mole! It reminds me when I did the collaboration with a Mexican cuisine restaurant in Chicago. The vibrant colors, the scene, and just the overall atmosphere.

Although, we did have a little mishap with the reservation, because we wanted outdoor rooftop seating and they were not willing to work with their error. They said they could not accommodate the amount of people we were bringing in one table at the rooftop. So we sat on a dining table in the ground floor outdoor part. Not the same view, but at least we were all together.

Golden:

Coors Brewery

A reservation is a must! It is a self guided tour with beers that come in the package as well. We had to take a bus to the destination, go through their museum through our lens, past the humongous gift shop, and into the bar area. You could probably spend a day there if they did not kick you out from your tour time.

Drink wisely… The percentage of alcohol is pretty high for each beer. I loved the icy draft. I think the aesthetic of how it is poured and the coldness of it right off the start makes a whole world of a difference. Whoever told you beer is better warm did not know what they were talking about!

Boulder:

One of my aunts favorite places to order some good, authentic empanadas, is called Maria Empanada! It is located in Boulder in a plaza with multiple restaurants and shops to explore. There is a lot of art expression before entering and when you are walking around it. The built is very industrial, but it has nice touches of cuisines to try. What a gem!

We also passed by University of Colorado, in which my brother bought a sweater. He is a true collegiate sometimes!

Colorado Springs:

The Broadmoor

WHAT A BEAUT!

There’s a status to maintain! From the clothing to how they care for their furniture and pieces of art to just every nook and cranny- there is just something about this place that makes it so intriguing.

Historically, national and world skating and hockey championships were held at the Broadmoor World Arena, which was demolished in 1994 and replaced by another arena by the same name in Colorado Springs. Golf championships have been held at The Broadmoor Golf Club since 1921

The Tavern

We pretty much devoured the food. It was super delicious! Of course, we had to order bougie prosecco too. My brother was mid-pouring me a glass and we think the workers got offended. I think that is how much they pride themselves in the way they serve their guests.

We ordered the french onion soup, steak tartar, mushroom pasta, and parmesan chicken.

Fun facts:

• There is a street that goes through Colorado as the longest equating at 50 miles in the US. It is called Colfax Street.
• It is the highest state in America based on its elevation being higher than the rest of the US.
• Cheeseburgers were invented in Denver. Bet you did not know that one!

Colorado now feels like a second home since we have family living here. It is nice to be able to experience these spots in the local perspective and try to explore as much as possible while we are here. This was also the first time we were able to travel with our significant others, missing one!!

The post Beer is Ale We Need in Colorado appeared first on Plane and Cheesy.

Being a part of this prestigious honor society has opened so many doors for me and I’ve loved creating relationships with my mentors too. We get to travel to all kinds of cities and still not get crazy with each other there!

We were able to listen to some speakers as well, and there were a few quotes I took out of their speeches that I think may be beneficial to how we live our lives.

Dr. Everett [1981, University of Alabamas: Music and the Arts]

• Be the champion of your own ideas.
• Leaders have a vision. They know where to go rather than what is present.
• Kentucky is all about basketball, bourbon, and horses. (Which is very true!)
• Hire people with passion and flexibility.
• Lead with grace, humility, and humbleness.

Dr. McElroy [2005, Marshall University: School of Medicine]

• She was nerdy but never alone.
• Always have flexibility in your school/ job.
• Believe in your leadership and then others will see it.
• Hosts two podcasts: Sawbones and Still Buffering.

The Conference in a nutshell

---

I also did some speaking to other students, which was exhilarating. I love being able to help them in their journey and connect them to other students/ advisors that may have goals in common.

As Board of Trustees, Student Vice Chair and Chair of Student Advisory Board, I felt a little pressured but also comfortable because I knew my team from meetings all year and I had worked with the staff to ensure that we came prepared. The leadership is unparalleled in this organization and I hope to be a part of it forever.

A part from the conference, we did lots of exploring in Lexington. While we stayed within reach, we still enjoyed the city to the fullest. Thankfully, we had transportation, so we were able to get around more so. We walked the streets of Kentucky looking for the best dessert spots, because I have the biggest sweet tooth. What else is new?! We couldn’t NOT stop for bourbon. Did some tastings... you know, the good stuff. It’s definitely a place I didn’t think I would enjoy as much as I did.

Until we meet again!

The post How to Lead with Omicron Delta Kappa in Lexington, Kentucky appeared first on Plane and Cheesy.