citygarden

the other night one of my girlfriends and i went to a cardinals game to see the cards dominate the brewers. on our way back to the car i finally checked out the new citygarden in downtown saint louis.

two full city blocks in the heart of downtown designated as a sculpture park. it was incredible, can't wait to see it in the daytime. definitely worth a visit next time you are downtown.

smash.

recently heard about this store in des moines, smash, that has hilarious iowa t-shirts.

this one may be my favorite.

that's right. don't meth with iowa!

in case you can't read this -- it says, "iowa: wave next time you fly over."

pumpkin spice and everything nice.

pumpkin spice latte is baaaaccck!

even though it is supposed to reach 80 degrees today, this morning at 7:45 and about 63 degrees you better believe i was sipping on one of these. oh, the first glorious signs of fall!

image courtesy of starbucks.com

provisions and libations: napa valley

tomorrow katie and bryan hit napa on their trip across america. again, unsolicited i thought i would throw my two cents in from my trip to sf/napa in june.

rubicon

we loved rubicon for its' atmosphere. owned by the coppola family, this winery had gorgeous facility and rustic italian feel to it. on the second story of the main building is display cases full of movie memorabilia from francis ford coppola's films.

st. supery

st. supery was a blast. they had by far the friendliest and most entertaining employees that love talking about their wine. this winery also had the best tasting white wines of the wineries we visited.

bouchon

my friend kate who is originally from napa had told me about bouchon a long time ago. this restaurant was beautiful with the huge bouquet of red gladiolus when you walk in the door. we just wanted a little food to nosh on and soak up some of the wine so we sat at their gorgeous zinc bar. the food was incredible -- highly recommend the mac and cheese, it was so rich and delicious. while eating a full meal there would rack up a high bill, sitting at the bar drinking more wine and a few appetizers is quite feasible and strongly recommended.

after watching "best thing i ever ate" the other night on food network, i wish i would have ordered their salmon rillettes. do i really know what salmon rillettes are? no! but it did look like rich salmon-ey deliciousness you spread on bread. katie, if you go here order this!

san francisco guide

i was recently looking through my pictures from our great trip to san fran back in june. it was probably the best trip that AT and i have taken together and we had so much fun spending quality time with fabulous people who make us laugh so hard.

my sister and bro-in-law are still on their great american roadtrip and an upcoming stop is SF. i thought i would offer them some unsolicited advice on AT and i's favorite stops in the city.

Tartine

kate and chelsey took us to this cute little bakery in the heart of the mission district. it was packed on a friday afternoon with people on coffee dates.

we ate the BEST bread pudding i have ever had with peaches and currants. great way to refuel after walking all over the city and also a terrific place to sit and people watch. we started to play "spot the hipster" but quickly realized we were pointing out every other person on the street.

Ferry Building and Taylor's

thank goodness i don't live in SF or else i would have dropped a ton of cash at the ferry building. a huge farmer's market in the back and a building full of interesting epicurean shops, what's not to love?

Taylor's, inside the ferry building, is a contemporary take on your classic burger and milkshake joint. high quality food including ahi tuna burgers, garlic fries and black and white milkshakes. perfect for lunch.

the buzzers also provide endless entertainment.

Valencia Street

valencia street has great shopping. curiosity shoppe was a highlight. i don't know how many times i have been to their website looking at their great products like mustaches on a stick and diana cameras. their small storefront lives up to all my expectations with clever posters for sale alongside tchotchkes like porcelain keys.

another highlight was 826 Valencia aka the Pirate Shop. (sorry for the horrible photo) 826 Valencia is a nonprofit store front that sells pirate themed products, such as; kitten gang planks, eye patches and medication for scurvy. all the profits support author Dave Eggers' 826 Valencia writing program --tutoring and empowering students with essential writing skills.

roadtrip.

you all have to check out my sister's new blog: On The Road Again

my sister and bro-in-law just quit their jobs and are moving to DC in september, but before they do that they are going on a wild west roadtrip and bringing us along through the blogosphere.


also, they are wanting to change the name of their blog and are having a contest. if you think of the winning name, you get a nifty souvenir from their travels.

ponies.

long time, no blog. returned from vacation this week. you will be see a whole lot more posts around here.

 had a wonderful time with my parents and some family friends on the outer banks. above is a picture of the wild horses that we saw on the north end of the island.