Are you an eat to live, or live to eat type? i am 100% in it for the food. So much so, that I spend the majority of travel planning mapping out our meals and coffee breaks. So, here is part one of our Charleston trip, AKA all the restaurants. Part 2 of everything we did between meals to come.
To note: This was my first adventure with a real camera. I am still not sure how to use it, but my first “homework” assignment from my wonderful professional photographer friend (and teacher) was to shoot only in manual during the trip. There are a mix of iPhone and un-edited real camera pics here. You be the judge of what’s what!
THE FOOD:
Lewis BBQ: Our first meal was a big old plate of meat. According to the Uber drivers of Charleston, the best bqq is a hot topic! Lewis is apparently Texas style, and Rodney Scott’s is more authentic to Charleston, where they smoke ‘whole hog’. Home Team BBQ was NOT recommended.
Huriyali: Acai bowls, smoothies, healthy eats, plus a picture-perfect patio. Great, healthy start to balance out the meats.
Five Loaves Juice Bar and Cafe: As with most trips, I make us walk everywhere. We were starting to get a little warm (aka dripping with sweat by 10:30am), so we made a pit stop at this juice/smoothie bar. Hit.the.spot.
Queen Street Grocery: Gluten-free savory crepes for lunch! And more canine friends. I mean, look at that smile!
Xiao Bao Biscuit: “Authentically inspired Asian comfort food and classic Southern cuisine” inside what looks like a former auto shop. Spicy and really delicious!
Sugar Bakeshop: I heard great things about this tiny little bakery, but sadly it was closed for the holiday weekend.
Husk: The #1 spot everyone talks about in Charleston. Maybe it is overrated for dinner (considering the months-long wait to get reservations), but we walked right in to their bar and enjoyed wine on the patio. I appreciate outdoor seating that has fans. It made 80 degrees and heavy humidity seem bearable.
Harold’s Cabin: Our AirBnB host suggested this spot, and I am so glad she did! I didn’t read about it anywhere else. The location is off the beaten path, but was pretty close to where we were staying. I imagine it is a really cozy spot for brunch or reading with a hot cup of coffee, too.
Inside has a log cabin, rustic feel. The food was spectacular, especially the vegan “charcuterie” board. The chef makes up a selection of the veggies in season from their rooftop garden. I’d easily trade in a meat and cheese board for this selection any day!
Pancito and Lefty: The forecast called for rain the entire time we were in town, but we lucked out and it didn’t pour until our last night. We decided to walk to dinner, which was ambitious considering the deluge of rain. We arrived to dinner sopping wet and ready to eat. Corn tortilla tacos, yess! The guacamole was really good, too.
Other spots that were highly recommended:
Butcher and Bee, Park Cafe, Hominy Grill, Poogan’s Porch, The Daily, Workshop, Le Farfalle, Stella’s, FIG, Raw 167, Chez Nous, Leon’s Oyster Shop, Little Jack’s Tavern, Cannon Green, Zero George, Basic Kitchen, Taco Boy, Mercantile and Mash. Even more ideas on the map at the bottom!
THE COFFEE:
Second State Coffee: This bright, little coffee shop is a short walk off King Street. After a toasty day pounding the pavement, an iced peppermint rooibos tea did the trick.
Rise Coffee: Tucked into the Restoration Hotel, this tiny spot packs a lot of punch. Rosemary Rise below– iced coffee with almond milk and rosemary simple syrup. Simply divine! There are a few seats in the coffee shop, comfy couches just inside the hotel entrance, and ample seating outside.
Miller’s All Day: After spending hours walking around (sense a theme here?), we needed a little rest and strong a/c. Miller’s All Day has a mean cold brew, comfy couch, and insta-worthy decor.
Harbinger Cafe: By far, my favorite coffee shop of the weekend. Gluten-free bread that actually tastes good, hooray! I grabbed a ‘Jam Sesh’ to go. As their website says, it is tahini, chocolate chunks, and house-made jam “like a coffee cake with the virtue of a granola bar” both vegan and gluten-free. Sounds healthy-ish, I will take it!
Other coffee suggestions:
Caviar and Bananas, Gnome Cafe, Kudu Coffee, Revelator, The Bearded Cafe, plus more on the map below.
And with that, I am actually off to Charleston again today for work. Part 2 of Charleston HERE!
As my staycation draws to a close, I realized I have done very few things on my never ending to-do list around the house. What I did do was visit new coffee shops, cook, bake, spend A LOT of time at the ice rink, and visit my very best friend in Cleveland! I only had a few days to plan my time off, so I couldn’t go anywhere far, but I had somewhere in mind en route to Ohio. For years, I have been wanting to visit 
I have visited some of Wright’s other projects, including the 
The house is in the middle of nowhere, about 3.5 hours from D.C. For the directionally challenged, please note cell service is slim to non-existent, so plan out your directions before you go into the dead zone. I arrived with a few minutes to spare before my 10am tour, so I strolled the grounds and found the scenic photo opp of the house. The tour actually ends near this lookout, so if you don’t have time beforehand, know that you’ll get a chance at the end to see this view.
I joined 4 other retired couples on the hour long guided tour. Do I ever have to go back to work? I’m really good at living that retired life already…
The house was built for the Kaufmann family, who founded Kaufmann’s department store in 1871 in Pittsburgh. I totally forgot about that store, but apparently it was acquired by Macy’s in 2006 and subsequently closed. Anywho, Edgar and Liliane Kaufmann had a son, Edgar Jr. who studied as an apprentice under Frank Lloyd Wright. When Edgar and Liliane came to visit Edgar Jr. during the apprenticeship, they commissioned Wright to create a summer retreat home outside of Pittsburgh. It took less than 2 years to create, and was completed in 1938. The total expenditure was $155,000, which in modern day currency would be roughly $2.7 million. Maybe I’m jaded by D.C. prices, but that seems like a pretty good deal for a main house, guest house, servant house, garage, and all furnishings.
The house is built around nature, boulders included. Needless to say, this building style was way ahead of the times. Fallingwater was, by far, the coolest architectual feat I have seen. Kaufmann’s vision was to have the home looking out at the falls, but Wright had other plans. He thought the house should be one with nature, and drew up plans to build on top of a waterfall. The house was built using a cantilever system, meaning the house actually extends over the water without any external supports.
Above, you will see a set of floating stairs. Just past the stairs is the waterfall. Hidden from view is a second staircase on the right, with access to the water behind the retaining wall. It is said that the Kaufmann’s would plunge into that frigid water as a way to wake up in the morning. Brr!
The interior is very mid-century modern, again before its time! Every bedroom has a private terrace, fireplace, and bathroom. Notable guests of the Kaufmann’s included artist Diego Rivera and his wife Frida Kahlo, as well as Albert Einstein. Original works from Rivera and other prominent artists of the time are found throughout the property.
The guest house also has an outdoor pool that uses fresh water from nature. It cycles in and out of the pool, so it does not need to be chemically treated. No pictures are permitted inside the house with the standard tours, so you’ll just need to go see for yourself.
Fallingwater remained in the family until 1963, when Edgar Jr. donated it and the 1500 acres known as Bear Run to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy with the promise that it would be maintained and open as a museum. There is so much more to say about the property, but you must take a tour to get the full experience.
After stopping through 
Fueled and ready to start our wine country fun, we walked over to the rental car office. I was slightly nervous that they would be out of automatics, despite our request. Steve did assure me he could learn how to drive stick while on the trip, since it wasn’t our car to ruin. He must’ve forgotten about the safety of everyone else on the roads, not to mention some of the literal cliff hangers we were about to drive on. I think we both breathed a deep sigh of relief when the car came out of the garage and was a nice little automatic. Ok, food, coffee, and car accomplished. On to the hotel! We stayed at 
After settling into the hotel, it was almost time to being our wine-soaked adventures! There are so.many.wineries to choose from. I highly suggest you do your research before you arrive, since most places require reservations to do a tasting. We decided to start at 
All the food was amazing, and they kept topping off our glasses. Whoa! The tour was very informative, too.
After our first winery in Mendoza, we realized we needed to get a better game plan, and perhaps more elasticized waistbands. We skipped dinner after our epic lunch, which was a very smart choice. The following day we hiked 
Now that we conquered a mountain, we could justify another indulgent day. It started with the hamam spa at 
At some point on this beautiful morning, I decided to get a pic of the beautiful Andes mountain range at our hotel. I took a stroll down the dirt road next to the hotel’s pool, just like Steve and I did the night before, so I could get the best view. Around the time I framed the mountains, a pack of angry dogs stormed me. I turned away from them, but didn’t want to startle them by bolting. The littlest dog had, quite literally, the biggest bite. He nipped my leg in the frenzy. Then they all calmed down and strolled off. Well, dogs in Argentina aren’t the pampered pooches you find back home. It was unclear whose dogs they were, and if they were vaccinated. Never google ‘rabies vaccine window of time’ when in a foreign country. NEVER! Spoiler: I survived. After a stressful few days, I was able to start the post exposure protocol after landing back in the U.S. I also learned insurance is pretty much the worst system ever.
The dessert was a very weird texture, but tasted delightful. After a translation fail, we finally figured out we were eating spaghetti squash. Who knew you could make it into a sweet?
After indulgent lunch #2, we headed back to the hotel for pool time. We had reservations at 
The winery itself is on the edge of 
