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Indiana Dunes State Park, IN – Flashback to Warmth

Beaches

As a lover of warm weather, I can’t help but think about warmer days. It’s now the end of January and I am so ready for the summer even though it will still be a while before it’s here. But, I do have to say that I am thankful that winter here in Chicago has been relatively mild this season compared to previous years. This post is a flashback to my first summer in Chicago (last year) and I guess I couldn’t stay away from a beach post for long. My four year old niece, much like me, adores the beach. So I had to make sure I gave her that experience here as well. I know there are beaches in Chicago by Lake Michigan but I wanted to get away from the city which is why we ended up at the Indiana Dunes State Park. It’s about an hour and a half from where…

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Susquehanna River – Harrisburg, PA

Tay Explores

If you randomly find yourself in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, don’t panic! It may seem like a place with not much happening but you will be surprised once you decide to give it a chance. I go here a lot because my sister lives here. And if I’m honest, staying here for more than a weekend sometimes could have felt like torture if it wasn’t for my awesome family and friends. However, I did eventually learn to appreciate it. There are some hidden gems to be discovered and I try to find new ones whenever I go. I will start off with the Susquehanna River (I guess this one’s not that hidden). I remember several years ago before my sister moved there, I went to visit friends. They asked what I wanted to do and in response I immediately asked “Where is that place with those cool steps by some body of water?” I remembered seeing pictures of it on someone’s Facebook…

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Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago, IL

Indoor Activities

I have this random obsession with conservatories (as you will notice while following along my blog). When my friend was visiting me last March, I wanted to find some things to do that were different than just going into the city. I was on Instagram and found some beautiful posts of the Garfield Park Conservatory and kept reading that it was FREE so that was a no-brainer. I think one of the reasons why I love going to them is because especially in the winter months when all you see are dead trees everywhere, all the colorful flowers and greenery is refreshing for the eyes. Plus it’s indoors so you won’t be freezing your butt off! The room with the umbrellas was my favorite. This was the spring installation from last year called “Sun Showers”. The art installations change seasonally and I’m pretty sure they have a new piece now which I am going…

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Lincoln Park Nature Boardwalk, Chicago

Tay Explores

As sad as I was to move out here, I do have to say that Chicago ended up being a really awesome city. It’s clean, easy to get in and out of, there’s tons to eat and most of all so much amazing art and architecture everywhere. In particular, I immediately fell in love with the Lincoln Park neighborhood. And I make it a point to bring friends and family here whenever they are visiting. With winter break coming to an end, I took my nieces by the Lincoln Park Zoo and Nature Boardwalk this past weekend. They have an outdoor ice skating rink here during the winter months and thought they would enjoy it. In case you were wondering, its $5 for admission and $5 for skate rentals. It’s right outside of the zoo (which is free) and in between the barns. In this area, my favorite part is the…

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Claremont Loop, California – A Hiking Trail

Hiking

Besides sitting at the beach for countless hours, my other favorite thing to do is hiking which is something I really miss in Chicago because it’s pretty flat here. My recent visit to California was for a wedding but I decided to stay for two weeks and make a mini vacation out of it. Trying to pack everything I wanted to do and see in that short time was very difficult. And so, for some reason I thought it was a good idea to go hiking the morning of the actual wedding. And because of that, the other crazies (my lovely friends) and I decided we would do a less intense hike so we can all stay alive when the actual time for the wedding came around. One of my friends lives in Upland and suggested we do the Claremont Loop hike which I had also heard about before so…

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Laguna Beach, California

Laguna Beach, California

Beaches

I don’t know if you are tired of seeing numerous beach pictures but this will be my last beach post for a while…or will it? This is actually one of my favorite one’s that I’ve been to in Southern California (well, besides La Jolla, San Diego but I didn’t get to go there this time around). I went here as soon as I got off the plane. I landed at 8am and was out of the airport by 9am. I left behind freezing temperatures along with snow fall in Chicago and landed to an 80 degree sunny California. So it was only obvious that the first thing I do was hit the beach! One of the reasons why I love Laguna Beach is because it has sandy, rocky, and grassy areas. All these options on one beach are pretty awesome if you ask me because you don’t always want to…

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Abbot Kinney Blvd Venice CA

Venice Beach, California

Beaches

Another beach post? Yes. And still there might be another because it’s my favorite place to go to in Southern California. In all of my 10 years living here, I never went to Venice Beach. Mostly because it is one that is near Los Angeles and it’s just a hassle to get in and out of due to the traffic that it’s famous for. My friends who know me well are always telling me that I needed to go here and that I would really like it. I was told that I should walk on Abbot Kinney Blvd as well as go to the Venice Canals and that is exactly what I did! We parked in one of the Marina Del Rey Public Parking Lots and walked towards Abbot Kinney Blvd. This was such a cool street with a lot of very artsy shops and restaurants. My friend and I…

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Corona Del Mar, California – A Beautiful Evening

Beaches

Okay, more from Chicago later because now I am in CALIFORNIA and too excited to share what I have been up to so far. One of the best parts of being here is the fact that I left right when the snow started in Chicago. So I win! (If you couldn’t tell I am not the biggest fan of winter and snow.) As soon as I got here, I knew I wanted to go to the beach. So I planned a bonfire for the very next day, which is one of my favorite things to do. For this, so far I have found that Corona Del Mar Beach is the best. It’s located in a residential area and not too crowded. There are several pits located on the sand to make bonfires. For a bonfire you need: coals (and or wood but in Corona Del Mar you aren’t allowed to…

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Exploring the GE (Glen Ellyn, IL) – Blackwell Forest Preserve

Tay Explores

This post should probably have been about the actual city of Chicago. And although the city is one of the first places I ventured out to when I got to Glen Ellyn (which is a suburb of Chicago), it’s not the first place I researched before moving. Before coming, I looked at the map of the area around my town. Being someone who LOVES being outside and enjoying beautiful weather, I looked up parks and hiking spots (for those rare winter days when the sun comes out). Much to my surprise, this area is pretty flat and doesn’t really have many hiking spots. (If I am wrong and someone out there knows of some, please let me know.) As I began researching I noticed that there were a lot of forest preserves around here and a lot of which featured lakes. The closest one I found was Hidden Lakes. As soon as the…

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A Road Trip – LA to Chicago Day 3: Broken Arrow, OK & Springfield, MO

Road Trip

*This post contains affiliate links. I will earn a commission at no additional charge to you if you make a purchase using my links.*The drive in Oklahoma and into Missouri was nice because we saw a lot of ranches and stopped near cows and horses to take some pictures.We didn’t spend much time in Broken Arrow except have Thanksgiving at my friend’s uncle’s house. Since this was during Thanksgiving break, there was no way I was missing out on a good turkey meal! The most memorable part of that night was the pecan pie and the bed in which I slept. Oklahoma knows how to make pecan pies and beds! Apparently they also have a huge corn festival every summer which is on my list of things to do; I love corn. So, Oklahoma, I will be back for you! We made a spontaneous stop at the salt mines in…

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