{On the Road} Top 5 things about Spring Training

We're back from our trip to Brewers Spring Training. We logged 4 games, 3 at Maryvale, 1 at Scottsdale Stadium, and 1 Phoenix Suns game. We ate In-N-Out Burger, drank margaritas and ate spicy Mexican food and witnessed a tilted kilt. No, I didn't turn into a man. But it was definitely a dudes' kind of weekend. Here are my top 5 favorite things about Spring Training:

1. THE WARM, SUNNY WEATHER: Even when it was cloudy and 70 degrees, I still got sunburned. And it was glorious. You forget what sun feels like when you endure a Wisconsin winter. If you go, bring lots and lots of sunscreen. Shade slowly covers the seats behind home plate and left field by 3:30pm. Everything else is prime tanning locale.

2. SEEING NEW CHANGES: Every year comes with multiple roster changes. This preseason saw the departure of Prince and the injury of Hart. Therefore, there were new faces and plenty of new plays being tackled. Aoki looks great in right field, his hitting is improving. Gamel on 1st is shaky, but I think he'll get the hang of it and he is a powerhouse hitter. Braun plays only a few innings during training, but still hit a nice home run on Friday. Conrad is pretty versatile infielder, so we'll see where he ends up during the regular season. Morgan was hit by a ball on Saturday and hasn't quite returned to normal. Hang in there, T-Plush!

3. SITTING ON THE GRASS: Several spring training ballparks have grass berms to watch the game (Goodyear, Salt River Fields, Tempe Diabo Stadium, Hohokam, etc) and catch some sun. Many people bring blankets and spread out in the grass, relax, have a picnic and catch home runs or foul balls. And eventually, due to the length of the games (most near 4hrs), sitting turns into sleeping.

4. SEATING IS FLEXIBLE: After a few innings, seating at most stadiums is pretty flexible. Weekday games aren't usually sold out. So if the beautiful Arizona sun rays have turned against you and you're dying for shade or the gentleman behind you is a little too fanatical, you can just get up and find an open seat in the stadium. Unless you're brazen about it, finding a more comfortable seat is perfectly acceptable. Almost everyone at the game is on vacation so people are pretty laid back.

5. BEING AMONGST THE FANS: When you fly out to Phoenix from Milwaukee, over half the plane is filled with Brewers fans. You'll see those same Brewers fans at restaurants and at multiple games. There's a community feel to Spring Training. Those at Spring Training are die hard fans - you have to be to make the trek cross country. So it's wonderful to see everyone supportive of the players, talking shop, and sporting Brewers gear head to toe.

.......And just for the record, Spring Training DOES have sausage races!

On the Road: Life in the I-Pass Lane

Much like my week, this post is going to be a jumble of tangent thoughts. As you may have guessed, I'm busy! This may sound obvious and outlandish, but grad school is intense. I knew this going in, but I don't think I grasped the concept until I was knee-deep. I knew I would be staying in more, reading more, applying eye drops every two hours, driving for long stretches, working part-time, and juggling everyday life. I was like, 'no big deal, I can do this'. And yes, I can, but man it's tortuous. Like how nongravid women like myself ponder the concept of childbirth pain only to have a horrific revelation once in the delivery room.

In addition to having that rather enlightening thought, I made a few more discoveries.....

1. The Brewers are awesome. They play the Diamondbacks tonight. The road to the World Series is getting shorter and shorter! If that happens, this blog might morph into a sports page. I can't make any promises.

2. Triskele's in Walker's Point never disappoints. You may be familiar with their amazing soup served up daily at Sugar Maple. But this little place tucked away in the Walker's Point neighborhood near the Outlaws Motorcycle Clubhouse (no joke) is a true hidden gem with a seasonally rotating menu that focuses on local ingredients.

3. I've been exploring the Ravenswood neighborhood where I've been staying on school nights. I realized I will never be able to afford anything at Scout, an uber-cool design and furnishing store, but that will not stop me from window shopping (aka drooling) and the Julius Meinl coffee house, a jazzy european-esque Vienna cafe suites me very, very well.

4. Thermacare neck patches have kept me alive for the past week. Long drives and long nights studying have wreaked havoc on my trapezius muscle. They're a little costly but they last 8+ hours and keep me functioning. Godsend!

Vespa Road Trip: Italy

We celebrated our 1-year anniversary this month. It was last summer that we flew to Italy for our honeymoon, rented a Vespa LX500 in Rome, bought a map, and picked a direction. We decided to go south towards Naples not really knowing the area, but we were sure we'd find stuff we liked - it's Italy! The road trip down the Tyrrhenian Sea about 5 days. It was wonderful and a great lesson on teamwork and relying on each other.

So where did this idea come from? The husband has owned a scooter for years and rides daily. The previous summer we took our Vespa on a road trip from our house in Bay View to our friend's house in Chicago. That mini-road trip taught us how to pack and got us ready for the Italy road trip. However, Rome is nothing like Milwaukee or Chicago when it comes to Vespa riding. There are seemingly no traffic rules. Or speed limits. And incredibly loud. So we developed hand signals, he drove, I directed and watched out for traffic. Working together like that was a perfect start to a marriage. And we couldn't have picked a better location.....


For packing, we left our big suitcases at the Hotel in Rome and only brought our packing bags (a must for any travel!) with just a few changes of clothes and stuffed those in the top case and hung one under the seat. I carried a tote bag. In retrospect, I should have had a cross-body bag, but it worked. We took our travel books just in case but barely needed them.


We left Rome heading east towards Fiumicino. We just followed the shoreline roads south along the coast. We hit Ostia, Anzio, Nettuno, Latina, Saubaudia - all small sleepy towns in wooded farmland areas.


After we reached Punta Rossa, a large rock formation and bend in the landscape, the terrain turned into more rocks, cliffs, towns built into the cliffs, and the sea was more green. It was beautiful. Terracina, Sperlonga, Gaeta, and Formia were all amazing. By this point in the trip we were getting tired. We relied on Matt's driving skills, not mine. We passed a million beach clubs. Next time we'll stop and relax for a few hours on the drive.


We stayed a night in Formia at the Grande Albergo Miramare, swam in their private beach, and walked in the seaside gardens. It was very homey- that is if your home is a seaside castle.



We were a little worn from the road, but Gaeta was the highlight of my trip. It's a small town carved into a small cape. The buildings were from the 1400's, the town was mentioned in the Illiad, the olives are world famous. The streets were all cobbled and yachts lined the shoreline. I could have lived there. Really.

Some tips if you do this type of road trip: Riding on the back for long periods tends to lead to charlie horses and muscle cramps because of the position, so stop and walk around when you can. Bring sunscreen, scarves, hats; Italy in July was a scorcher. Remember, with the sea on one side of you, it's pretty hard to get lost, so venture out....if the road looks nice, take it. Learn the language (or at least a few phrases) because you'll need to find a bathroom, ask for directions, or check into a hotel. English is not commonly spoken outside of the major cities. And lastly, just enjoy it. It sounds simple, but when you work long weeks and are comfortable in your life it's hard to let go. But just do it.

On the Road: Holy Toledo

Yesterday afternoon we were in Toledo, Ohio, a short drive from Ann Arbor. Once I realized how interesting this place was, I started taking a few iPhone photos so I could post. Who knew Toledo was actually pretty cool? I didn't. We first made a stop to Stanley's Market, a polish grocery store. It's been sad watching the ethnic corner grocery stores in Milwaukee remodeling and/or moving so that they could be more "modern". So, I was overjoyed to walk into Stanley's. I don't think they've changed a thing since 1960. I love it! Because that's what makes them unique, authentic, and genuine. We stocked up on Kielbasa, using the word "stocked up" literally. (P.S. They ship!)



Then we headed over to the original Tony Packo's on Front St. to get some Hungarian-style comfort food. This combined two of my husband's favorite things: Hungarian food (he's Hungarian) and free soda refills. Hot dog buns signed by celebrities and somewhat celebrities are encased and hung on the wall. Weird? Somewhat, but where else can you find Chicken Paprikas and Cabbage Rolls on the menu?



The highlight of the day for me was seeing the Toledo Art Museum and the Glass Pavillion across the street. The pavillion walls are ALL made of seamless glass, it curves around each individual room. We watched a glass-making demonstration which I found fascinating. It looks like such an intricate skill and an incredibly creative art. The museum was enormous. I couldn't believe I was in a smaller city because it looked and felt like a smaller version of the Philadelphia art museum. It was really impressive.



We tried to go to the Toledo Mudhens game, but the weather was not in full cooperation. If you go, this is no ordinary minor league game. The stadium, the fan store, and the fans are in full-out baseball mode that could rival any major league team. These people mean business.

So, if you're ever near Toledo (sometimes called Holy Toledo due to the large number of churches) or passing through, I would definitely recommend an afternoon of looking around. Who knew I would be raving about Toledo? It was that nice.

DC: District of Chic

Fashion on Capitol Hill is often stereotyped as black and boring, but I love to browse the District of Chic blog to prove us all wrong. While walking in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, I saw a mix of East Coast Prep meets Executive Lawyer. Lots of wellies and Tory Burch happening 'round here. But the general DC area is a little more diverse and colorful. Either way, I am glad I brought comfortable/cute shoes because Capitol Hill is one long and arduous trek.

World AIDS Day, DC bound

It's World AIDS day today. There usually isn't a lot of media frenzy over this day of rememberance and advocacy, but it's important to realize the disease still exists. In 2009, there were 443 new HIV infections in Wisconsin, an 11% increase than 2008 (source). There is a difference between HIV and AIDS. HIV is the infection that over time will lead to a syndrome called AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) characterized by a low Tcell (CD4 count) and/or certain opportunistic infections. In Milwaukee, there's an excellent service organization called AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) that provides prevention, needle exchange, testing, medical/dental/mental healthcare, social services, housing and food pantry.

I'll be heading to DC today for a USAID project over the next week. I have a few great DC-related posts coming down the pike (along with some of my tourist photos).

I'll see in DC.

{When In Rome} Save room for gelato......

Oh the gelato! Coming from Wisconsin, I find it hard for anything to compete with frozen custard, but I did enjoy the gelato in Italy. Gelato is made much like ice cream, but has a more elaborate process, has a smoother consistency, and YES less butterfat and sugar. We found Giolitti while wandering/being lost near our hotel. It looked perfect--cute outside seating, marble floors, white clad employees, old gold decor, families all around. I know there are lots of other excellent gelatarias in Rome, but we only made it to this one. I walked in and was a little confused, the signs weren't in english and the cashier had some problems understanding my Wisco-accent.

So if you go, here are the basics.......
Pay at the cashier first. Then, take your ticket to the gelato counter.
Cono: cone
Coppa: cup
Gusto: scoop
Gusti: scoops
Panna: whipped cream

and here's a chart for what all those italian flavors mean....

{When In Rome} Via dei Condotti

When in Rome, the place for window shopping is Via Condotti. It's right across from the Spanish Steps and has practically every high-end couture store (especially the italian ones) all packed into this tiny street. No, I didn't buy anything but it was a lot of fun just looking.

{When In Rome} Daily Fix: Old Doors

I took an early morning walk today to the Spanish Steps and couture boutiques to take some photos today. On the way there, these beautiful old doors kept catching my eye. I love the intricate door handles and old carved wood. Every once in a while, the doors were propped open and I could peek inside. Oh the marble! Really rich people probably live in these places. More on those couture boutiques to come!

Daytripping......

It was another good baseball game today, a 5-4 win over Cleveland. Like I said, there's a lot of down time at these games. I spent it by admiring the pedicure I got before I left. I really love this bright melon pink color called Daytripper by Lippmann Collection.

I leave Arizona tomorrow night, but have an auto-post all set to go for everyone. And hint, hint, check out Design*Sponge tomorrow!

On the Road: Sunrise in Jacksonville

On the Road: Not a good day for flying

Wave. I'm in here somewhere.

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I was supposed to be on a short flight to Jacksonville, FL. via Atlanta today but was stuck in a plane taxiing the runway for most of the morning because the FAA flight scheduling program crashed and delayed almost every US flight this morning. We departed over 4 hours late and I when we got to Atlanta, I ran to the next departing flight and fortunately got a seat. I'm in Jacksonville at a conference for the weekend; does anyone know of anything fun/interesting to do here?