Minneapolis
June 6, 2024, Thursday
Travel day yesterday was smooth, a non-stop flight from Charleston to Minneapolis was 2.5 hours and easy ride on the light-rail to the apartment we rented in the North Loop, a block from the apartment we lived in when we lived here from 2014-2016. (Fun Fact: Rory was born in Minneapolis and lived there for 8 weeks of her life before we moved to Charleston). Flight was smooth, we didn’t have seats together but were able to negotiate people into switching seats so Rory and I sat together and Tegan and Nick sat a few rows back. Then no one ended up sitting in our row so Rory and I had 3 seats, it was nice to be able to spread out and not worry about bothering the people next to us. I watched 2 Master Class episodes: “How to Expect the Unexpected” with Amy Poehler and “Critical Leadership Training” with Jocko Willink. I highly recommend both, I was engaged and my perspective/interest was peaked. Rory watched the Barbie movie, the news, and the flight tracker. She and Tegan were both excited that they got to drink Sprite and have Biscoff cookies.
The girls enjoyed riding the light-rail and it is such an easy ride to the North Loop. Our apartment is a 10 minute walk from there and we are on the 8th floor with a fabulous city view. The girls have been really enjoying looking at all the cute dogs walking by and looking into the windows of apartments across the way. We walked over to Black Sheep Pizza, coal-fired pizza, that we used to go to frequently when we lived here. Still great pizza and the whole fried chicken wings really hit the spot too. We all had a bit of trouble sleeping from the excitement of the day, but the bed was very comfortable.
This morning we woke around 7 and made our way to Spy House Coffee which had just opened a few months before we moved, everything is so nostalgic and it’s funny because it really makes me think of Radar; I really walked him all over this neighborhood. I had a really interesting and delicious latte with turmeric and ginger oat milk. We walked the neighborhood and reminisced, played on the playground by the Mississippi, and crossed the bridge to get some provisions at one of our favorite places: Kramarczuk’s Sausage Co. and Surdyk’s Cheese Shop. We ubered back to the apartment for a little break before wandering back out to University of Minneapolis where Nick used to manage 3 Starbucks. It was fun seeing the girls frolic on campus and reminisce yet again. The weather was windy and very chilly for our Southern blood now but we enjoyed the wind-blown feel, especially the ability to wear a sweatshirt in June! Then we stopped downtown and went “the gopher way” through the enclosed pedestrian bridges connecting the skyscrapers in downtown Minneapolis. The girls really enjoyed that and made wishes with pennies at a fountain and especially loved the “magic stairs”: escalators. Now writing this, the sun has come out and we’re enjoying charcuterie and a view. We will all sleep well tonight, it’s good to be back; what great memories we have here and are creating here.
7 June 2024 Friday
Today we took it easy in the morning and it was so nice to enjoy sunshine and lazy coffee. We also enjoy watching the neighbors across the way! Ha. Then we took the light-rail to Mall of America which was a lot of fun. I always forget how bright and clean it is. The whole ceiling is made of skylights and the place is pristine. The girls loved Claires and we all loved the Lego Store as well as the Minnesota Local stores. We had Shake Shack and had a great time people-watching. Then we took the light-rail to Minnehaha Park where Minneahaha Falls was more full and powerful than we have seen before. Today’s weather was opposite to yesterday’s wind and chill, it was sunny, 75, low humidity and not a cloud in the sky- gorgeous! The girls played on the playground and we all enjoyed the mist from the waterfall.
It’s been good to expose the girls to life outside of our DI bubble, the light-rail did not disappoint with a lot of interesting and colorful characters.
We had dinner at Bar La Grassa (BLG), an incredible pasta place that Nick and I enjoyed often in our time here. It still lived up to it’s expectations and we were very happy with our dinner.
8 June 2024 Saturday
We had a leisurely morning in Minneapolis watching the rain as it cleared into bright blue skies, then made our way to the airport on the light-rail. We flew to Saskatoon, Canada (2 hour flight) for a very brief layover where we left our plane, went through customs and rechecked our bags, got some Tim Horton’s (doughnuts!) and then re-boarded the very same plane. We identified the dropped pretzel and Fritos :). Then flew another 2 hours to Vancouver; the view out the plane window was incredible: mountains and snow galore. There was no in-flight entertainment on either flight but the girls did great with color by stickers, Barbie coloring books, UNO, and looking out the window. I read my novel: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah Maas. Then we caught an Uber from the airport and made it to our apartment right in the heart of downtown Vancouver. Tegan fell asleep in the Tesla on the way and I awkwardly held my arm for 30 minutes like a real mom. Ha. By that point we were so exhausted that Nick just ran downstairs and picked up dim-sum to bring back up to the apartment. We managed to get the girls down around 9 pm and us shortly after. Nick had also stopped by an Asian market and got fruit for a fruit salad and coffee for breakfast. We all woke up at 5 am and had fruit bowls (cherries, mangos, baby bananas, strawberries) and strong brewed coffee with beautiful views of the city, watching it come to life.
9 June 2024 Sunday
I always enjoy a leisurely morning and we had coffee while watching the city come to life. We all woke up at about 5 am due to the time change but we did sleep well. The mornings start cloudy and then the sun comes out and clears everything into gorgeous blue skies. I’m sure this is an anomaly since we’ve had so many blue-sky days in a row and amazing views of the mountains, everything crystal clear. We walked all along the water, called False Creek, and stopped at two playgrounds and enjoyed seeing a little “nursery” for the Canadian Geese. Oh what fun to see Canadian Geese in Canada :) The playgrounds have been a lot of fun with different kinds of equipment, Nick and I play too. We enjoy all the cute dogs out for a walk too.
We went to brunch at Le Belge, a cute little Benedict/waffle cafe and then walked around the Gastown District. There is a neat steam-powered clock from the 70s that is iconic and plays a fun chime on the hour, I can imagine it is beautiful in the winter too. We then walked through the international market and went to an Asian Supermarket which was bustling.
For dinner we wandered over to Phnom Penh Restaurant which came highly recommended from a lot of the food bloggers/food shows that we love. It did not disappoint. It is a Cambodia/Vietnamese restaurant and the popular dishes are friend chicken wings with salt, pepper and crystallized sugar (INCREDIBLE, I could not get enough), a raw beef dish with cilantro and an rich, delicious sauce, spring rolls with mushrooms (!) and sort of a bbq dish that you ate atop lettuce. Everything definitely lived up to the hype. We did have to get the meal to-go because it is a small restaurant and well-known now so there was going to be an hour and a half wait. Glad we did a to-go order and tried it out, best meal we have had in Vancouver.
I then started reading my book club book: Stern Men by Liz Gilbert and read the girls the beginning of the 2nd Harry Potter book: The Chamber of Secrets. We all got to bed a bit earlier and slept much better than we have.
10 June 2024 Monday
We took an Uber to Granville Island Market on Granville Island which has a food hall with specialty foods. Here’s what we got: Macarons, Blueberry bread, a Raspberry Latte, a Black Sesame Cream Canale, a Crunett, maple glazed Salmon nuggets, Salmon Jerky, Mushroom Pot Pie, and a raspberry tart. You can tell we travel just for food right? :) Then we wandered around the other fun shops; of course our favorite was a crystal/witch shop where we got some ritual candles for everyone taking care of our pets so we could go on this trip and a cat spell book for Rory (but really me). I got a cozy Canada sweatshirt and Tegan got a dream catcher for her and for her best friend: Emmy. The day had started with clouds and then cleared into a gorgeous day as we took the aquabus (a taxi on the water) back up False Creek and to our apartment. We were the only ones on the boat and we had amazing views of the city and mountains. My favorite were the floating houses with their beautiful porches and greenery. What a dream!
Then my parents arrived and the girls and I saw them out the window and got so excited to see them getting out of the taxi. Our phones don’t work in Canada so we had Nick down there waiting to let them in. They were going to stay the one night with us because their flight got rescheduled and they didn’t have a hotel. Luckily we have a two bedroom apartment so they could have the room Tegan was sleeping in. Tegan slept on our floor and Rory was already sleeping in a cute little nook room with a sofa sleeper already. It was so nice to catch up with my parents before getting on the boat and we took the kids to the playground, walked up Gastown again, then stopped at Japadog for dinner. Japadog also came highly recommended on our travel shows, but did not live up to expectations the way Phnom Penh did. Japadog is Japanese hot dogs, I got a hot dog with seaweed, Japanese mayo and onions. It was good but it wasn’t anything special or something I would need to have again. We did enjoy the poutine (fries with gravy and squeaky cheese) and eating outside was nice too.
I did laundry and the rest of the night we just enjoyed catching up with my parents and people-watching out the windows. We’re all excited to get on the cruise!
11 June Tuesday 2024
We ubered (all smashed into an SUV with all our luggage- Nick has incredible spatial awareness and packed us all in) to the cruise embankment. Everything was so well organized and we breezed through the arrival, but once on the ship the organization disappeared and we felt so disoriented. We separated from my parents since their room is on another floor, but our room wasn’t ready yet so we wandered the ship. We had no way to communicate with my parents since our phones don’t work in Canada and so we ate some food and hung out until our room was ready a few hours later. The rooms are more spacious than I anticipated. We have a nice big window, two twin beds and then two win beds that are like Murphy beds and swing down from the wall for nighttime. The beds are actually super comfortable and we were cozy. Then we heard the Thompsons arrive at the room next door to ours and we have a conjoining door so we were able to say hi right away. We were all disoriented trying to find our way around the boat but we explored and and found food.
Val, Zach, Nick and I had set up a meal at the steak/seafood fine dining restaurant on board for the first night so we dropped the kids with my parents, got dolled up and had a great meal. We had an incredible view in the window and enjoyed wine, steak, soups/salads, and five desserts! A nice way to start our vacation.
12 June Wednesday 2024
This was our travel day at sea. We all slept pretty well and went to the breakfast buffet. We weren’t able to all get a table together so the girls and I sat apart from everyone else. Then we all got dressed and after Val and Zach went for a workout then Nick and I went for one in the gym. That was fun and the view was so cool. Zach said he saw a whale, but I still haven’t yet! Though Nick and I are positive we saw a single puffin fly and dive into the water.
The women all went to a Pamper Party and got facials while the men took the kids swimming. Then Nick and I had a bamboo couples massage which was soooooo nice. The bamboo is rolled on the body for a more intense pressure and man was it good. Then the my mom, sister, and I all went out for a drink together while the guys took the kids to dinner. We had wine, a charcuterie board, and good conversation. We also had champagne handed to us and then went to get pizza together where the boys then showed up to round out the night. I slept so well and we are going to be going into Juneau tomorrow.
13 June Thursday 2024
It was fun opening the blinds the morning we woke up in Juneau, the town is perched below a giant mountain face and bald eagles were flying willy-nilly all amongst the trees. We disembarked and then wandered the Main Street of the city, popping into cute shops as we walked along enjoying the amazing views of mountain tops and brilliant emerald green trees. We found the cutest googly-eyed cocoo-bird stuffed animal that I could not stop laughing about and Nick bought it for me, I’ll insert a picture because he is just too cute. Rory found an otter and Tegan found a moose. Also too cute. We got king crab at Tracy’s Crab House in Juneau for $70 a lb. For the red king crab with biscuits and butter and wow was it sweet and delicious. Then we rode a bus through the town for about 15 minutes and arrived at the Alaskan Salmon Bake. It was set up beautifully next to a beautiful river. We had smoked salmon, wild rice, potatoes gratin, and blueberry cake in this picturesque setting (that my grandma had also done 70 years prior). Then we meandered down a hiking trail covered in wild flowers to a waterfall next to the first gold mine in Juneau entrance. It is closed now. We enjoyed the mist and cool air. Then did some gold panning, where Nick was determined to find some gold (he didn’t) but an older man chatted with the girls a bit nicely and then pulled little pieces of gold from his pocket to give them, they were so excited to show Nick. We had Hot apple cider and roasted marshmallows by a bonfire with a couple from Utah and their kids, then it was time to get back on the cruise ship and tuck in for the night. Definitely a day that made me miss camping, childhood, crisp air, and the west coast environment. Great start to Alaska.
14 June Friday 2024
WHALES. Today was the best day because we saw a humpback breach/jump out of the water 4 times. It was absolutely incredible.
The day started by opening the blinds in our room to see beautiful Haines, Alaska. Again with the amazing weather, it was bright sunshine with just a few scattered clouds wafting in front of snowcapped, glowing, jagged mountains with a tiny little town dotted with bright colored houses and an old Fort. We read about the “Fort Kids” who grew up there in the early 1900s (Gold Rush Time) and that, to me, is an idyllic childhood- running free in the wilderness with parents too busy to watch. Wild Freedom.
My dad went with the Thompson family on a canoe excursion while my mom stayed with the Bushyager clan. We explored Haines by foot: took the girls to a really neat lumberjack-themed playground, enjoyed the gorgeous windflowers everywhere, ate lunch at a cafe that had the best blue cheese burger, and walked past the Hammer museum (with art made of hammers and the largest collection of hammers anywhere). Then it was time to get on the whale watching boat.
At this point the weather had turned just slightly and it was cloudy and a bit rainy, the water in the bay had gotten a bit sloshier and the ride started out pretty bumpy and rough. When he killed the engine at the start to stop and look for the blow of the whales the boat was rocking pretty hard, but the girls stayed calm and rode the waves really well. None of us get seasick so that’s lucky. But then as the tour progressed the waves got smaller and we were able to get some amazing views of a rookery of seals- there must have been about 100 or more. We saw bald eagles and porpoises, but I was starting to worry that we wouldn’t see a whale.
Then we stumbled upon a mother and baby breaching and blowing together. It was SO neat and so magical to see them come up to the surface, then we saw the baby’s tale. Moving along then we began to see more and more whales and incredibly we saw a juvenile humpback breach 4 times. It jumped out of the water, flipped, and went back under literally right next to the boat. It was absolutely incredible. I did not try to get any pictures because I was thoroughly in the moment, it was memorizing and so exciting/invigorating. It left everyone awestruck and of course addicted, we wanted more! A guy in the boat did get a video and Nick took a video of that after, so see it here
But wow, that was exactly the kind of experience that I wanted to have while whale-watching. Incredible.
We did see Orcas, about 8-9 off them, swimming near the boat a few days after this sighting and that was incredible too. Whales have always been a favorite creature of mine ever since I was a little girl. I was just awestruck by this whole experience.
15 June 2024 Saturday
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is accessible only by boat or plane and is absolutely stunning. We glided through the bay on the cruise ship for the whole day, the boat turning in extremely slow circles so that the views could be seen by all from any side of the boat. It was pristine, silent, incredible, and breathtaking. We walked the decks and then congregated in my parents’ room at their balcony and enjoyed hot toddies while taking in the view. We saw and heard a glacier “calf” which is where a portion of the glacier falls into the water and it makes an incredible splash and cracking sound. It was cool to see the birds gather around waiting for the splash and then go after all the fish that had been disturbed and brought to the surface by the fall of the ice. The wildlife was incredible (humpbacks, sea otters (100s of them), porpoises, many different birds, puffins). We learned that the ice of the glacier looks blue because ice absorbs red and yellow wavelengths of light while “scattering and transmitting” blue wavelengths. It was beautiful. The water in the bay was a really interesting murky blue color that was a beautiful shade because the glacier is a living environment that moves and calves into the water with it all the silt and debris from the mountain and all of that mixes with the salt water of the bay. Again, we got lucky with clear, blue skies and beautiful weather to see all this beauty.
16 June 2024 Sunday
We woke up as we were coming into Ketchikan, Alaska which was the cutest town with brightly colored homes and nice boardwalks and piers. It was lively and Little creeks and waterfalls throughout the town. We went on a bus to Totem Bight State Park to see 16 totem pole replicas of the Tlingit and Haida Clans. Our guide was great and told us the myths and legends that each of the 16 totem poles represented to the clans. Weather was perfect, bright and sunny with the perfect crispness to the air. The walking path through the forest had the neatest trees which would intertwine and grow together and the wildflowers dotted throughout captured my attention the most. We also learned that a “bight” is a curve or recess in a shoreline and Totem Bight had a beautiful little calm cove with incredible sunshine and greenery.
Rory and Stella sat together on the bus and it’s just been so much fun seeing the cousins interact and enjoy each other.
We had a little bus tour of the town on our way back to the pier and then walked around town with my mom and dad and little. We then broke off to have lunch on our own and wandered Creek St. which was the red light section of Ketchikan on this gorgeous little creek and boardwalk.
The girls and cousins favorite thing about the cruise ship was the buffet, the swimming, and the ice cream so we had another round of all that too. Great last day in Alaska.
17 June 2024 Monday
Today was a sea day and we spent it swimming; the Barbie movie was playing at the swimming pool so we spent a lot of time there. We also went to two talks by an Alaskan Naturalist about underwater sea creatures of Alaska and what it’s like to live in Alaska. Both very interesting and I think it would be fun to spend one year in Alaska and see all the different seasons unfold. I also took a nap this day and it was so needed! We packed up and had a final drink together in my parents’ room and then had dinner and said goodbye. What a great trip. I slept so well onboard the ship, perhaps the rocking of the boat, though it was very calm waters the whole time.
18 June 2024 Tuesday
Departure from the cruise ship was quick and seamless. We took a taxi in Vancouver to the car rental store and drove from Vancouver to Seattle. The border crossing only took about 10 minutes and then we ate at McDonald’s in Bellingham. The drive was pretty and easy; it took about 3 hours in total and it was another gorgeous sunshine-y day. We rented a condo in Seattle right next to Pike Place Market and we had another incredible view of the water. We got sushi hand-rolls and some random things from Pike Place Market like empanadas and Rainer cherries. Sleeping that night was hard though because I felt like I was still on a gently rocking boat and the blinds in our apartment didn’t block out any light. Showers and laundry capped off the night and made us all feel a bit more back to normal.
19 June 2024 Wednesday
We got to see Nicole and her two boys: Leif (7) and Kent (5). We met them at a playground in the Magnolia neighborhood that had incredible views of the city and the day was so clear that you could see Mt. Rainer too. We got to catch up while the kids played and it was fun to see how quickly the kids started playing with each other. Then we walked the Magnolia neighborhood and I could not get over the amazing landscaping and brightly-colored flowers. We then got a little tour of the area with Nicole after eating cheeseburgers, fries, and onion rings at Red Mill Burger. We went to Kerry Park in Queen Anne neighborhood for another great view of downtown and then drove around Seattle Pacific University where Nicole went to college. We then went downtown and explored the Pier and went out for sushi. Such a nice tour of the city and so good to catch up with Coley.
20 June 2024 Thursday
Nicole lives in Edmonds which is just about 30 minutes north of Seattle so we drove out there for an Edmonds tour. As you are getting tired of hearing, it was gorgeous weather- again, bright sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. We went on a little forest walk which was so iconic for the PNW area, such a nice trail so close to her house and the the girls loved finding slugs and wild berries. Then we went and enjoyed the tide pools at the beach after a really nice lunch at Demetria Woodstone Tavern. We could have relished in this setting forever, very idyllic. Edmonds was really cute and definitely has a draw. Little coastal towns are my favorite. Then we enjoyed the chowder at Pike Place Chowder and some wine on the patio with a view.
21 June 2024 Friday
On our last day in Seattle we took the girls over to Gas Works Park on Lake Union. It has been really fun exploring the different neighborhoods of Seattle, each one very unique and neat. We’ve really enjoyed Seattle as a city, very approachable, clean and good vibes. We got a really good breakfast burrito and maple leaf lattes at Mas, a Mexican restaurant. Then the girls played on the playground at the park while I enjoyed watching a group of 8th graders with their teachers (love being on the other side now!). Seattle is still in school through the coming week. It was fun to see the difference in styles between the teens in Charleston and the teens in Seattle; Seattle teens had more of a 90s grunge look and Charleston is definitely preppy. We then met Nicole for lunch at Westward, an oyster bar on the lake. The view was beautiful, good food and drinks too. We got oysters, homemade potato chips and dill dip, and summery cocktails. The girls got really cute lemonade mocktails and the company was great. It was so nice catching up with Nicole on this trip! So glad we finally made it to Seattle. We wrapped up the day by getting German Doner Kebab at DonerBox downtown and packed up for the flight home which ended up being very long.
We originally booked a 7 hour travel day with one quick layover in Denver, but Southwest (as it always does) changed our flight and didn’t communicate that with us so when I checked-in to the flight we now had two layovers (St. Louis and Baltimore) making for a 12 hour travel day. But, we did it, despite having to run to our connections and make do with Chex mix rather than real food, and the girls (and us!) were rockstar travelers, keeping our good moods intact and riding the good vibes of the overall trip.
A glorious vacation, but as always, after a glorious vacation the sweetness of home has its drawbacks and man are we glad to be home!
The animals are thrilled too (neither would leave me to rest last night so I had both a cat and a dog in bed with me!). A HUGE thank you to all the people who helped take care of Radar and Zazzle, it was definitely a community effort to make that happen. It takes a village!
Now onto summer living in Charleston and building new routines- excitement entails!
“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until [she] comes home and rests [her[ head on [her] old, familiar pillow.” - Lin Yutang
To journey far,
To see new things,
To view what the eye has not seen.
Opens the eye to what is already within,
And revitalizes,
The adventure.
Right here at home.