obSESSED: SWA
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who love flying Southwest Airlines and those who hate it. I obviously fall into the love category, which mostly says I am not high maintenance or too uptight. Yep, I’m judging you, haters. It’s hard not to love an airline that has fed my ever-growing travel bug over the past 4+ years. Granted, it is no accident that this has happened. First I was informed by B of the great merits of SWA. Then I saw it firsthand after signing up for the Rapid Rewards credit card and subsequently earning the first free flight of many free flights that would follow. While the main love stems from the free gift of travel, just for using your credit card (which I pay off monthly!), it doesn’t stop there. SWA fans have an appreciation for the sometimes over-the-top humor of the SWA flight attendant/employee, the fact that there aren’t assigned seats, and most impressively, the drink tickets you receive in the mail every time you earn a free flight. I am certain I have never actually spent any of my hard-earned cash on a gin & tonic at 10,000 feet. So you can’t get upgraded to first class because it doesn’t exist. Waaaah boo, get over it – it’s FREE.
I unfortunately have not kept precise track of the free flights I’ve earned over the years, but by my calculation, there have been at least 8, approximately 2 per year, with at least one of those being a “borrowed” flight from someone else. Yes, you can even book other people flights with your points! Not a bad deal in my book. So as a small tribute to the fact that SWA has led me to parts of the country I hadn’t ever been – Los Angeles, Rhode Island, Boston, Denver – and also allowed me to see friends in each of these places, sometimes for their wedding, I bring you a short visual recap of free flight locations. If you travel a lot and you haven’t tapped into SWA’s benefits, you are missing out.
8. NYC – 2012
7. Los Angeles & Santa Barbara – 2012
6. Las Vegas – 2011 [View of the strip from Rio]
5. NYC/Rhode Island – 2010 [Rhode Island's Cliff Walk. Do it and drool over where you will never live.]
4. Denver – 2010
3. Seattle/Sequim – 2008
2. Rhode Island/Boston – 2008 [MIT building by architect, Steven Holl]
1. Los Angeles – 2008 [Sunset from The Getty]
Can you tell I have travel fever? Must be the nice weather. If only SWA flew international…
Santa Barbara and Beyond 2 of 2: Indulgence
I know this photo is blurry, but I had to give you a glimpse of this DEEP FRIED CANDY BAR that was the finale of night one in Santa Barbara. Night one pretty much set the tone for the whole trip. A bit indulgent, I must say, even if you are surrounded by scenery. Santa Barbara, which is a weird mix of wealth, homeless/squatter folk, and college kids, definitely caters to the latter with their happy hour specials. Happy hour is everywhere and I loved it. Enterprise Fish Co., which was vaguely reminiscent of a non-chain version of Red Lobster, decor wise, kicked off our vacation. It was the perfect place to meet up, drink cheap margaritas and have some delicious seafood appetizers (get the mussels!) at a low cost.
I’d consider The Hungry Cat a do not miss for happy hour. Half price specialty cocktails and amazing looking seafood. A dark and stormy plus and a greyhound for $12? Twist my arm. Throw in a cheese plate with heavenly honeycomb on the side and you are a happy camper whether the ocean is near or not! Plus, I am really digging that copper bar.
A night of drinks and seafood ended at Mac’s, where we shared some well-executed fish and chips and mushy peas. But the real star of the show was that fried candy bar above. It must be ordered “with love,” which means it is gently nestled atop a pile of clotted cream. Yes, you need the love.
Ah, the morning after a happy hour bender is so much more tolerable when you can see the ocean from your window. Fortunately, Santa Barbara Roasting Company was also only a short distance from our hotel. They provided a pretty close to perfect latte and a tasty chocolate banana muffin. I loved their open book approach to placing the roaster right next to the drink counter. It’s pretty cool to see the beans being roasted, just don’t look too hard at the walls and ceiling beyond. It will take away from the charm.
Cold Spring Tavern was a stop on the trip that could be considered both scenic and indulgent. Scenic thanks to the mountain drive and the unusual, Wisconsin-eque interior at this former stage-coach stop. Indulgent thanks to the feast of wild boar, antelope and other game. This stop is not for your vegetarian friends, but rather the adventurous eater. Wild boar is quite delicious and not too gamey, for the record.
But let’s get real here, the indulgence was in part food, yes, but mostly wine. We kicked off a trip to Solvang with a lunch stop at Firestone Walker brewery on the way to Bridlewood Winery, where we tasted and then purchased a bottle to consume while overlooking their rolling landscape seen above. While in Solvang, we hit up a few tasting rooms, stayed at the somewhat affordable, windmill, pool, and hot tub equipped Kronborg Inn within walking distance of all the tasting rooms. Lion’s Peak was the crowd favorite, as a bottle of their port made a nice dessert a few nights later.
Back in Santa Barbara proper, we did some more wine tasting, although we did space it out by a day or so from our Solvang excursion. The downtown “urban wine trail” was incredible! With the quantity of wine produced in Santa Barbara County, it makes perfect sense for these wineries to localize tasting rooms in the city. We hit up Santa Barbara Winery, which was a great value at only $5 for a tasting of 5 wines. Oreana Winery provided my favorite wines and had the best vibe coming from the patrons and the staff. (Ironically, I had unknowingly consumed a bottle of their Mission Point Pinot Noir on my porch at home with 2 friends only days before.) We bought a bottle of the Tilly Super Tuscan to have with dinner. 10% of all sales of Tilly go to Alzheimer’s research in honor of the winemaker’s grandmother. We felt all warm and fuzzy about our purchase until someone acknowledged out loud that it was a mere $1.80 donated by the four of us. We loved the wine and the warm-hearted spirit regardless.
The best-looking tasting room goes to Municipal Winemakers seen above. Decor aside, the wine was also enjoyable enough to bring home a bottle of Bright Red from their menu below. If I lived in SB, I would totally join Club Awesome.
In case you have a hangover after all that wine, some tacos might help. Look no further than Milpas street where we passed at least 3 taquerias in 3 blocks, and I am sure there were more beyond. We settled on Taqueria La Colmena, where I indulged in a barbacoa, tilapia, and al pastor taco. All were equally fresh and satisfying and easy on the pocketbook.
All in all, SB has plenty of options to indulge, whether it’s food, wine, jalapeño flavored beer, or high-end shopping. At least I refrained from the shopping.
View Santa Barbara and Beyond 1 of 2: Scenery here
Like this:
Santa Barbara and Beyond 1 of 2: Scenery
[State Street Macy's Detail]
I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since I last posted. I also can’t believe that I let March 19, unpatterned’s 1 year birthday, come and go in silence. Ah well, we’ll come back to that. Without further ado, onward and upward with the latest adventure, a long overdue visit to my little brother in Santa Barbara, California.
I had been to visit SB once in 2009 with my mom. Hence overdue. B and I made it a priority to make it happen this year and before I knew it, I was checked into the oceanside Harbor View Inn. Due to the beautiful and indulgent nature of this trip, I’m dividing it into two posts. Up first, the scenery. It’s no doubt that it’s what I’m best at remembering to take photos of and with the ocean, the mountains, and Spanish-inspired architecture, there’s a lot to take in in SB.
Such as the courthouse. They give free tours at 2pm Mon-Sat, so we took advantage. It was well worth it, as the courthouse was quite beautiful and we spied that guy above painting and a small wedding party taking photos.
The building was built in the 1920′s after a fire destroyed the original Greek Revival building. It was, of course, built in the Spanish style like so much of the rest of SB, but the tour revealed some interesting details. I was most amazed by the fact that the beams are actually concrete painted to look like wood. They had me fooled.
The courthouse is filled with a bit of a hodge-podge of details: historically inaccurate murals throughout, glazed/painted Spanish tiles, an ornate copy of a dome, a large rosette window, and cool, open-air hallways that have views out to the former jail (below), which is now offices.
The best part of the courthouse is the fourth floor viewing tower, which provides 360° views of Santa Barbara.
I think the courthouse tour is the only part of the Santa Barbara leg of the trip that can be considered strictly “scenic,” rather than indulgent as well. Well, I did squeeze in two ocean side runs that were fabulous. Otherwise, we did a lot of eating and drinking, which included an overnight trip to the touristy, wine town of Solvang. More on that in the next post. The town is full of weird “Dutch-style” buildings, which I don’t think are really Dutch, and a whole bunch of kitsch in shop and architecture form. It is also where the movie Sideways took place.
However, there are a few worthy non-wine stops, particularly The Book Loft , which houses shelves of used books, rare books, and a Hans Christian Andersen museum. Plus the ground floor is full of new books and a cafe, all rolled into one as per the sign above. You could spend hours there! I also got a sweet deal on this Hobo wallet, which was marked down 30%, at First Street Leather. Double bonus.
After five days in the Santa Barbara area doing what we came to do: eat, drink, and spend some quality time, we did the two-hour drive back down to Los Angeles. I’m not going to lie, I don’t love LA, but like I said, I’m a sucker for a view. So it seemed like a great idea to hike Mt. Lee in Griffith Park to check out the views from behind the Hollywood sign and to try to work off a bit of that wine. The “hike” is mostly on a paved road so it’s not difficult, but my shins still killed the next day. (There are no hills in Chicago!) But the view did not disappoint. There’s something thrilling about being behind the iconic Hollywood sign with panoramic views of all of LA and the hazy city in the background. Of course there is a chain link fence blocking you from getting any closer to the letters. It is LA after all.
Santa Barbara: the indulgence edition is up next.
Crostini Bar Punch Party
The cocktail dispenser debuts!
I’m slowly learning that the key to hosting a good gathering is making ahead. Take it from possibly the only woman that can burn her face boiling lasagna noodles, that the bigger mess you can create and clean up pre-guest arrival, the less crazy person you will be night-of. Also, if you can get a friend to come over 2 hours before said party to basically prepare and assemble the rest of your food while you’re running around changing outfits, rearranging platters, and making punch, you have a golden nugget of a friend. And yes, you should take the help even though you’re a kitchen/hostess control freak.
Photo and recipe via epicurious.com
The Punch
This Napa Valley Winter Punch didn’t look quite as delicious as this picture. It was more orangey-brown, but the spice combination tasted amazing and so perfect for a chilly day. I pretty much made it exactly as instructed, except I used Mount Gay rum and doubled the recipe for good measure. It was gone mid-party. Luckily I had a backup, albeit less fabulous, punch, a fridge full of craft beer, and a stocked bar to supplement.
Crostini Bar
Image via pinterest…the red pepper dip should look kind of like this
I went with tried and true recipes that were somewhat easy to prepare, that don’t require staying hot, and that I could do some ahead of time. A crostini bar made it fun, simple and cohesive. We made a few different kind of “dips” that people could top on toasted baguette, crackers, or dip veggies in. Or eat by the spoonful; no judgement. These are seriously three of my favorite crostini toppings that I have shared with and learned from lady friends over the years:
White Bean & Roasted Red Pepper Dip
Goat Cheese & Ricotta Deliciousness
Fig Jam with Pecorino Romano and Apples
Supplementing the crostini bar with classic bacon wrapped dates and crescent wrapped cocktail wieners wasn’t a bad idea either.
The Desserts
vs. 
Barefoot Contessa’s tart My tart
In addition to a cheese platter with my favorite combination of manchego and quince paste, dark chocolates, and the easy-make rugelach rip-offs that I mentioned before, I decided to make what might have been the most beautiful dessert I’ve ever made. I tried an impromptu apple tart once and it was okay. For the party, despite the recommendation of making “something simple” or buying cookies, I made Barefoot Contessa’s French Apple Tart and ooh la la it’s gooood. I cheated and used frozen puff pastry and subbed Mount Gay rum for the Calvados. I don’t recommend making this without the parchment paper, as I did since I was out. The half stick of butter that you sprinkle about oozed everywhere and I had a burnt butter mess that involved some tricky butter siphoning removal mid-bake. Regardless, the tart came pretty gorgeous, delicious, and made a great breakfast the day after.
If only I could host a crostini bar punch party every weekend, I think I would. Maybe sometimes it would be catered though. A girl can dream, right?
Fab Finds: Cocktails, candles, and a carpet bag
Literally. It seems that a plethora of fab finds are in my life lately, new and old. Here are some recent accessories. A delicious mid-century liquor dispenser, a self-chosen b-day gift from Seek Vintage thanks to my p’s. Complete with pump-top and fully functioning. It made its debut at a little gathering I put together a few weeks ago. Let’s just say, the vodka is temporarily empty.
Thrifted ($1.60 each) glass pillar candle holders. They’re rocking tea lights right now and a great complement to my ancient glass unicorn in the background.
And another little birthday splurge that I got at Jackson Square Antique Mall when I got the wedding album. This vintage carpet bag is a perfect size, neutral pallet, in great condition and I’ve been on the lookout for a new bag!
What have you found lately, new or old?
Lobby Inspiration
Remember I mentioned that I was working on a teeny tiny lobby project for a student apartment building at Purdue University? Well, I thought it was high time I shared my “inspiration” for the project. Don’t expect the finished project in a student building to look anything remotely like the buku budget hotel lobbies I referenced for inspiration. But it’s the essence of the idea…or so they say. I tried to get back to my design roots of thinking here. And while these are way beyond the level of detail for this kind of project, I’m a firm believer in starting big and working your way down to where you need to be. Besides, inspiration is just that after all.
The media wall. The dramatic focal.
Glorious lighting and multiple textures.
Texture, lighting, texture!
All images found via Pinterest and Google Image Search...I wish I had original sources!
Where do you find your decor inspiration?
Like this:
Fab Finds: Something(s) Old
When I started this blog, I decided not to make it too personal. And when I got engaged, I vowed that I wouldn’t cheese the place up with wedding ridiculousness. That still stands. Weddings and babies can be a kiss of death on a blog. I mean, really, no one gives a shit about your bridesmaid dresses, pink and purple color scheme, or your choice to use recyclable, soy, vegan, cloth diapers. Or whatever.
But I think that sometimes there is an intersection of unpatterned, wedding, and fab finds. I couldn’t resist sharing these untouched mint condition vintage wedding albums with you.
A friend who has a penchant for giving me free jewelry and shoes happened upon this completely blank 60′s? wedding book that she gifted me. It’s hilariously cute, complete with gold lettering, a white vinyl cover, a certificate of marriage with only a 19__ option for the date, a guest book section, and a gift log! Oh and this adorable envelope:
I can only hope I get a telegram.
Needless to say, my friend giving me this book completely floored me, and I just might use it as our guest book. So when I found another one of a similar make (for $16) at Jackson Square Antique Mall, I couldn’t pass it up.
Again, the gold details on white…er more like ivory at this point. This one is more of a photo album or scrapbook with clear plastic sleeves, a gold hinged spine, and gold page corners. I know what you’re thinking. Um, hello, your photos will be digital. This is true. And I am sure we’ll do a digital album. But I am a bit sentimental and have saved cards people sent us and other little papers that will make a great memory book that I can add to over the next 7 months.
Woah, less than 7 months. More on what else I bought at the Jackson Square Antique Mall and other free fab finds from friends soon!
