Leslie Blogs

writing about my life on a tiny island

Turning 36

Back in November, I turned 36. After a year of juggling working full-time with grad school full-time, I knew that all I wanted for my birthday was to relax. So, the plan was to head to Shelby with my mom to spend a night visiting my grandparents and then check into The Ivey’s Hotel, see Hamilton, and treat ourselves to room service for dinner. Sounds pretty relaxing, right? 

In the interest of full disclosure, the weekend wasn’t quite as relaxing as I’d hoped and included a visit to the ER soon after we got to Shelby, but I want to remember the good stuff so that’s what I’ll focus on here.

First, I got to relax as Mom drove us to Shelby. It seems that I drive on a lot of our adventures, so this was a nice perk! As soon as we got to Shelby, we sat down with Mamaw and Papaw to eat an amazing homecooked lunch that included coconut pie!

  • Mamaw’s coconut pie

My trip to the ER cut into the time we planned to spend with them, but I am thankful for the time we did have before we headed back to Charlotte on Saturday morning. Once we got to Charlotte, we checked into our hotel for the night- The Ivey’s Hotel. Not only was it the perfect place to stay for a luxurious splurge but it is right across the street from Blumenthal where Hamilton was playing! 

We had time for a quick lunch before the play, so we walked a couple of blocks to Amelie’s French Bakery. This was the best choice ever! Mom and I each got a salad and split the Fig, Bacon, and Brie Tartine. The salad and the tartine were both delicious! And of course, we had to get macarons and a salted caramel brownie to take back to the room for later.

Not long after lunch, it was time for the main event….we had Hamilton tickets! I was lucky enough to see Hamilton in Chicago last year for my birthday and I was so happy to share it with my mom for her first time this year! Of course it goes without saying that we absolutely LOVED it and we also loved being right across the street from our hotel! 

To finish up our weekend away, we ordered room service! The Ivey’s room service comes from 5 Church, so of course it was delicious! Mom and I split the scallops over butternut squash puree and the filet. After dinner we relaxed and watched a Hallmark movie….can you ask for anything better? 

It was definitely a weekend to remember- and I am so thankful to have shared it with my mom!

Chicago!

A couple of weeks ago, I headed to Chicago for a work conference. Since my brother lives in Chicago, my parents traveled with me and we got some quality family time in the city too! Now, I grew up in the country, and now live in a very small city. So Chicago is most definitely a huge change of pace…and I love it! Here are a few of the fun things we did!

Of course on the first night in the city, we had to be the ultimate tourists and visit The Bean! I think this is my new favorite family picture!

The Bean Chicago
We also ate a whole lot of great food! One night after dinner we headed up to the Grand Lux Cafe for dessert and coffee. And it was delicious, as you can see!
Grand Lux Cafe dessert

We also finally tried The Purple Pig! I’d wanted to eat here during my last couple of trips, but we never wanted to wait for 2-3 hours for dinner! This time, we decided to bit the bullet and just enjoyed drinks, conversation, and people watching while we waited to be seated. The Purple pig is a tapas-style restaurant that focuses on using the whole pig- snout to tail! We ordered 7 or 8 plates to split between the four of us, and it was a great experience! One of my favorites was from the smears section of the menu- salt cured Greek yogurt served with strawberry rhubarb preserves and sea salt. So simple, fresh, and delicious!

The Purple Pig Chicago

Our last evening together was spent doing what my dad has always wanted to do, checking out a Cubs game at Wrigley Field! It was so awesome! Well, the experience was awesome…the Cubs lost pretty badly to the Padres, but we still managed to have lots of fun!

Wrigley Field

And of course, what would a Cubs game in Chicago be without a Chicago dog and a local craft beer? Delicious!

Chicago Dog at Wrigley

 My conference finished Thursday afternoon, and our flight home wasn’t until Friday evening, so we took advantage of the extra time on Friday to take an architectural tour that showcased both the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. It was easily my favorite activity of the trip!

My parents waiting to board

Chicago skyline from Lake Michigan

Even though my days were spent working, we managed to fit in a lot of family and fun time in the evenings, and it was a great trip!

Until next time, Chicago!
What’s your favorite city to visit?

A Day at Biltmore

A couple of weeks ago, I got to spend a day in Asheville with a few of my favorite people. As season pass holders, my parents and I head to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville several times a year. For me, it is one of my “happy places,” and its close enough that we can make day trips pretty frequently. Passholders are given two free tickets each year to share with family and friends. The tickets have to be used during January or February, which can be hit or miss weather-wise in the North Carolina Mountains! This year, I invited my grandparents to spend the day with us and take advantage of my free tickets.

View from Biltmore House architect’s tour, taken Fall 2012

Since we’ve been in the house several times and my grandfather has problems with walking these days (here’s hoping his upcoming knee replacement will help!) we arrived with plans to eat lunch on the estate, shop a little, and not try to walk through the house. Well, we arrived to an absolutely gorgeous January day, with the sun shining and temps in the 50s. Unheard of!

Our first stop was Bistro at Biltmore, one of the estate’s restaurants, for an early lunch. Lunch was delicious as always! I reviewed it on Yelp- you can read about it here. After lunch, we browsed in the winery and a couple other shops before heading to the garden. Even though it was January, not exactly the prettiest time of year for the garden, it was way too nice to not wander around for a little bit. The picture below is the one shot I took all day…and of course it was snapped with my iPhone and posted straight to Instagram.

We ended the day with a stop at the creamery for ice cream and warm bread pudding. Yum!

Days like this one remind me how lucky I am to be able to create memories with my parents and grandparents.

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