Tag Archives: Day Tripper

5 Recipes for Your Next Hawaiian Luau

Need weekend inspiration that doesn’t break the bank? Almost any budget can enjoy a backyard tropical vacation without any reservations or TSA hassles.

Pin up some pictures of Hawaii to your vision board. Then, take a look at these simple recipes of Hawaiian food and BBQ specialties that’ll bring a little lei-sure time to your next weekend.

 

Main Dishes

Hoisin Honey Glazed Pork

Read full recipe at Delish.com

 

Hawaiian Ahi Poke

Read full recipe at A Spicy Perspective

 

Side Dishes

Lomi Lomi Salmon

Read full recipe at Hawaii for Visitors

 

Skinny Hawaiian Slaw

Read full recipe at The Skinny Fork

 

Dessert

Guava Cake

Read full recipe at Valerie Kukahiko of Kuki’s Kookbook

 

Eat, Drink and Be Arty in San Diego

Despite being one of the 10 largest cities in the country, San Diego has an easy breezy small town feel. Seventeen miles of coastline ring the city, bringing wafting ocean breezes to the collection of diverse neighborhoods that comprise it. Known for its sunshine, surf culture and laidback attitude, San Diego is coming into its own. Whether you have a week or a weekend to explore, we’ve gathered our top picks of must-sees in this sunny, seaside city, whatever your mood.

Get Caffeinated: Swell Café Mission Beach

 

Begin the day sipping coffee by the sea at the Swell Café in Mission Beach. Located a block from the ocean, the sweet smell of coffee mixes tantalizingly with an ocean breeze. The popular spot roasts its own beans while staying conscious of its impact on the environment. You won’t find any Styrofoam here. So, grab a cup “for here” and order from their diverse breakfast menu. From acai bowls to vanilla bean French toast, there is something delicious for everyone from the health-conscious to the less-so.

 

Get Arty: Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Downtown

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the architecture of our downtown location this Saturday! Join us for two FREE…

Posted by Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego on Wednesday, October 14, 2015

 

This offshoot of the larger MCASD space in La Jolla is worth a visit, especially if you’re under 25 (admission is free!). Dedicated to art made after 1950, the space is small and intimate with just a few quiet galleries to explore. Currently on display through February is Robert Irwin’s literally brilliant Light and Space, a room-sized installation of florescent light tubes. You can also interact with Judith Barry’s experiential video installation, Voice Off, an exploration of our interior and exterior voices made manifest at the same time.

 

Get Shopping: Junc Life in South Park

It takes a village to create holiday spirit! Start yours with one of these! #junclife #lifestyle #shopsmall #christmasvillage #gifts #decorations #shoplocal #accessories #southparksd

Posted by JUNC LIFE on Wednesday, December 16, 2015

 

From Downtown San Diego, the cozy and tree-lined enclave of South Park is less than a 10-minute drive away. Meander in and out of a bevy of boutiques, many of which specialize in local and artisanal goods. It’s like a well-curated Instagram account come to life. Junc Life bills itself as a “lifestyle mercantile” and carries new and vintage clothes, accessories, furniture and food. Its offerings are quirky, eclectic and often one-of-a-kind, just like the neighborhood itself.

 

Get Tipsy: Societe Brewing Company in Kearny Mesa

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Photo Courtesy of: Societe Brewing Company

San Diegans love their beer as evidenced by a booming craft brewery scene. More than 100 breweries entice locals and tourists alike to taste their specialties. Brewery-hopping tours have popped up in the last few years, but we suggest heading directly to the tasting room at Societe Brewing Company. Brewed on the premises, four distinct series of beers can be sipped and analyzed in a big open space. Get a bite from one of the food trucks that rotate throughout the week and if you plan to stay a while, grab a board game and play with your new beer-loving friends.

 

Get Down: RoofTop600 in the Gaslamp Quarter

Give yourself a midweek treat with drinks by the Rooftop600 at Andaz fire pit!

Posted by Rooftop600 at Andaz on Wednesday, April 9, 2014

 

Revelers of all kinds are drawn to the Gaslamp Quarter, the heart of San Diego’s booming nightlife scene. Victorian buildings are nestled among skyscrapers and a trolley chugs its way down the main drag. The walkable neighborhood makes bar- or club-hopping eminently doable, even in heels. Head up to RoofTop600 at Andaz. This poolside hotel lounge transforms into a club at night, complete with velvet ropes, fire pits, DJs and bottle service. But if Vegas-level clubbing isn’t your scene, there are plenty of other options all within stumbling distance.

 

 

10 of the World’s Most Jaw-dropping Parking Spots

Let’s be honest: most of us don’t associate the phrase “natural beauty” with the words “parking spot.” Still, for many car-bound travellers, especially those in metropolitan areas, quality parking spots are a rare and precious treasure. Not all parking spots are created equal: some are simply more spacious than others, while still others are better located, and a few are even—as strange as it is to say—beautiful.

Parking spots might be one of the most (understandably) neglected parts of our visual culture. At their root, most parking spots are simple open rectangles: modular, white, and unforgivingly bland. But their very banality is what makes the exceptions that much more interesting. And some parking spots have actually been impeccably designed, while others are located atop stunning vistas or open plateaus. Here’s a look at 10 of the most stunning parking spots in the world.

1. Los Angeles, CA

The Musem of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Image via MOCA Facebook Page

Los Angeles: city of endless sun, brilliant cinema, and … parking spots. Tens of thousands of them, to be precise, in a city that continues to be defined by the automobile. While Los Angeles has taken a lot of (well-deserved) flack for its reliance on private transportation, artists have done their best to reclaim the city’s wide open cement-scape. Take, for example, this work, designed by OBEY Giant and infamous street artist, Shepard Fairey. While the surrounding settings might seem pretty prosaic, this violently energetic mural was painted on the walls of a library parking garage!

2. Kansas City, Missouri

flickr Tim Samoff Kansas Library parking spot
Photo by: flickr/Tim Samoff under license CC BY-ND 2.0

In another outrageous (and strange) win for libraries, Kansas City decided to dress up their parking garage by making it look like a Barnes and Noble classics bookshelf. Titles range from “Their Eyes Were Watching God” to “The Invisible Man” to the middle-school favorite (or not-favorite) “Huck Finn.” The concept is brilliant, the execution perfection, and the parking spots: infinitely plentiful.

3. Santa Monica, California

flickr TNS Sofres Santa Monica Parking
Photo by: flickr/TNS Sofres under license CC BY 2.0

Lovingly named the “Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Structure,” this garage has to be one of the only parking garages in the world with five-star reviews (also: Who is spending the time to write free parking garage reviews for Yelp?). Solar panels power this 300,000 square foot structure, and stunning/energy-efficient LED lights light the entire building. This parking garage was the first LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) garage in California.

4. Munich, Germany

BMW Welt

Feel like traveling halfway across the world to see a parking garage? Of course you don’t, but if you’re in Munich, Germany, head over to the awesome BMW Museum, which details the history of the beloved luxury automobile. Even if you don’t like learning about cars, you can’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime parking experience (okay, you can, but—look how stunning!)

5. Detroit, Michigan

flickr TNS Sofres Michigan Theater
Photo by: flickr/TNS Sofres under license CC BY 2.0

Designed in a jaw-dropping French Renaissance style in 1925, The Michigan Theater could once hold up to 4,025 people in its audience. To accommodate all those people, the theater needed not only wait staff and clean bathrooms, but one hell of a parking garage. The theater has since closed and the parking garage fallen into disrepair, but remnants of its original glory remain.

6. Wolfsburg, Germany

flickr Matthias Hensel Autostadt
Photo by: flickr/Matthias Hensel under license CC BY-ND 2.0

Germany: Home to some of the world’s best music, art, and parking garages. Known as Autostadt, this 200 foot parking garage is used exclusively to park Volkswagon cars. The vibrant, white, psychedelic design makes Autostadt feel like it was pulled out an 80’s sci-fi movie: refreshingly modern, creatively bombastic, and deeply, strangely, real.

7. Seoul, South Korea

South-eastern view (by photographer Sun Namgoong)
Photo by: Sun Namgoong/South eastern view Herma Parking Building

You know what they say about South Korea: you come for the culture, you stay for the parking garages. Or maybe they don’t say that, but who cares—the Herma Parking Building of Seoul, South Korea has to be one of the city’s finest pieces of architecture, period. Designed by JOHO Architecture, the Herma building combines a futuristic minimalism with over 600 polycarbonate and 900 stainless steel panels. Perfection.

8. Chicago, Illinois

Marina City
Photo by: O Palsson [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Chicago might be one of the most historic cities in the country, but all of their landmarks simply pale in comparison to their parking garages. At the top of everyone’s list is the Marina City parking garage, an enormous, contemporary, cylindrical, structure that bravely looks out over Lake Michigan.

9. Miami, Florida

1111 Lincoln Road Miami Fl
Photo by: flickr/Forgimind Archimedia under license CC BY 2.0

Designed by famous Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, this stunning parking garage sits atop Miami Beach, offering some of the city’s best views. Known as 1111 Lincoln Road, the building captures the essence of “tropical modernism” with incredible urban-suburban convenience.

10. Birmingham, United Kingdom

Millennium point car park
Photo by: flickr/Tony Hisgett under license CC BY 2.0

Like many cities in England’s Midlands, Birmingham was once an up-and-coming factory town. And while some of that industry might have faded out, Birmingham decided to stay firmly in the present—with a parking garage. Designed by Mark Sloane of Acivico, Millennium Point glows blue at night, signaling unapologetic urbanity, postmodernity, and yes, one hell of a parking spot.

Night Out in Nashville: 5 Non-Honky Tonks for the Anti-Country

For the most part, folks that visit Nashville expect line dancing, watering holes, mechanical bulls and cowboy garb flooding the streets. While there’s no doubt these stereotypes envelop downtown Nashville, there are plenty of locales that surprisingly go against the country-grain.

We narrowed down five experiences for the everyday revelers and curious rovers alike. No boots required.

 

Pinewood Social

the prettiest bowling alley I’ve ever seen 🎳✨ #Nashville #pinewoodsocial #thatsdarling #nashvillethebeautiful

A photo posted by Stasia Haroldson (@stasiaharoldson) on


This spot doesn’t want frequenters to leave, ever. Using a one-stop-shop tactic, the space is designed to accommodate everyone’s needs whether it’s morning, noon or night.

From a cup of coffee in the AM to a celebratory night filled with booze and dinner, the buck doesn’t stop there. Visitors can blow off steam at the bowling alley, bocce ball court or billiard station.

Pinewood not only offers fun activities, but it fills up bellies with tasty American fare: fried chicken, meatloaf and fried catfish. Everything is made fresh and developed by nationally acclaimed chef, Josh Habiger.

Between playtime, drinks and delicious food, leaving isn’t really an option here.

 

The 404 Kitchen


This Gulch neighborhood staple takes inspiration from contemporary French and Italian cuisine, using local ingredients and serving it all up inside of a cozy, converted shipping container.

For locals who crave a casual, chill vibe, the 404 Kitchen is where they usually end up. They know it for it’s delicious farm-to-table food, high ceilings and exposed concrete, but the cocktails here also leave a mark.

On the beverage menu, a laundry list of imbibes will surely whet any appetite. Whether it’s the strong “Mayor’s Lament” or the sweet “La Fashionista,” the beverages are made to impress.

 

Embers Ski Lodge


Contrary to its name, there isn’t skiing in Nashville but this place will make you feel like you’re hanging out in an après-ski joint in Aspen, Colorado.

Although this strays away from the typical Nashville bar, it does offer the largest whiskey selection in the area.

In true (or rare) form, you can expect to find “shotskis” along with a menu to mimic a long day out on the slopes.

For the timid drinkers, the “Mulled Very Cherry Sour” and “Gingerbread Old Fashioned” will warm you right up!

 

The Bar at Le Sel

#LeSel #nashville Chef @rene__deleon 🙏🏻

A photo posted by Cory Bond (@thecorybond) on


If you’re in the mood for a French scene, head over to the Bar at Le Sel in The Adelicia. It’s the place to be and there are no cowboys in sight.

Le Sel means “salt,” but the establishment is anything but. Overall ambiance here is whimsical and bright with a lovely array of New French cuisine, a raw bar to die for and a full-bodied cocktail and wine list.

Swig down some oysters with a New Orleans-inspired Le Sazerac or perhaps a refreshing bourbon libation, Byrrh de Garde.

 

Sinema

Thank you Nashville for all of the fabulous food and good times! On to the next one! #Nashville #roadtrip2015

A photo posted by Jessica Bryant (@jbryant107) on


Last, but certainly not least, is this gem tucked away in Nashville’s historic Melrose Theatre.

Paying homage to the 1942 hotspot, the revamped restaurant and bar does a good job at preserving its old Hollywood glamour while keeping it modern.

The space is plush with a grand lobby that includes a curved staircase, exposed brick walls, velvet-tufted booths and legendary music photography donning the walls.

Besides the selfie mirror in the bathrooms, the food and drinks are top-notch. Pork chops with a root beer glaze and their brandy-infused “There’s Something About Rosemary” drink is the way to go here.

Although these are only five places to try out while in town, they barely scratch the surface.

Remember: Don’t get caught up in the tourist traps on Main Street. Try something outside the norm, but don’t leave without trying at least one run-of-the-mill saloons in Nashville.

Must See Places in Germany

Mention a trip to Germany and most people think the revelry of Oktoberfest and lederhosen will define the travel experience. In fact, Germany offers some of the most scenic vistas in all of Europe. Coupled with vibrant arts and culture, and of course, war history, your itinerary is sure to be non-stop. So remember to stop and smell the Rosen when you hit up some of these destination ideas for your next vacation to Deutschland.

 

Thomaskirche / St. Thomas Church, Leipzig

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Classical music aficionados will enjoy a journey to this largest city in Saxony. Over the centuries, more than 500 composers have lived and worked in this magical metropolis, everyone from Wagner to Schumann to Mahler and the list keeps going. In fact, people flock to this 12th century church to pay homage to the final resting place of Johann Sebastian Bach, who was choir director of the church (cantor) from 1723 until his death. Visitors today are welcome to attend a performance of the St. Thomas Boys Choir and tour the premises. Get your Air on and enjoy!

 

Nationalpark Jasmund / Jasmund National Park, Rugen Island

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Take the bridge from the quaint town of Stralsund and you’ll arrive at the beautiful isle of Rügen. The star attraction of this largest island in Germany is known as Nationalpark Jasmund, famous for its haunting chalk cliffs soaring 161m above the mighty Baltic Sea. It’s unique geologic formations and primeval beech forest have earned the nature reserve a spot on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

 

4711 Flagship Store, Cologne

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Literally the source for eau de Cologne, the flagship 4711 fragrance shop in the Glockengasse is the sweetest smelling place you’ll likely ever visit. Home of the legit eau de Cologne in its iconic aqua and gold bottle, visitors stop in to stock up on the infamous vetiver-toned scent. Developed in the 18th century by a Carthusian monk for its curative powers, it remains one of the most identifiable fragrances in the world. Also while in Cologne, grab a ride on the Cologne Cable car and get a birds-eye view of not only the city, but a nudist spa. Don’t worry, you’ll be too high up to really see anything. We think.

 

Marienplatz / Munich

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As far back as the year 1158, Marienplatz has been the main square of the city. Thousands converge here to explore the impressive Gothic styles of the New Town Hall building, and of course the world-famous Glockenspiel. Three times a day, people gather to see this classic, kitsch feature of Munich, when the largest glockenspiel in Germany dazzles audiences with its irreverent animatronic tale. Also of note, is the gold-plated statue of Mary that’s watched the crowds from the center of the square since 1638. There’s history on all sides of the Marienplatz so take your time exploring and remember say hi to “Old Peter” while you’re there.

 

Museum Island / Berlin

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While the much of the city was destroyed during WWII, Berlin remains the quintessential destination on a visit to Germany. Historical spots like Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate are not to be missed of course, but one of the most beautiful days you can spend in Berlin is a visit to Museum Island. Located along the Spree River, the island house 5 distinctive museums for every artistic inclination. The Altes Museum houses artifacts from the Greco-Roman antiquity period. Pre-historic exhibits and Egyptian art, including the bust of Queen Nefertiti, are located at The Neus Museum. The Pergamon Museum includes ancient Babylonian marvels like the Ishtar Gate. A vast coin collection as well as sculptures can be found at the Bode Museum, and finally the Alte Nationalgalerie offers the largest collection of 19th century paintings and sculptures in Germany. You’ll be so schooled, you might as well get your Art History degree afterwards.

 

Neuschwanstein Castle / Bavarian Alps

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Often heralded as the most photographed building in Germany, the Neuschwanstein Castle was the direct inspiration for Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle. Built in the late 19th century, it never saw any battles or acted as any sort of miltary fortification like most historical castles. In fact, it was always intended as simply a whimsical retreat for King Ludwig II of Bavaria who was reputed to have lived in the world of his imagination far more than he did in reality. Not hard if you were calling this place home.