NY > LA > SF

Things have finally gotten back to normal around here after our overachiever vacation. It might not sound like much to some people to hit three locations in one trip, but we covered over 6,000 miles and saw both coasts. In 10 days. Helloooo, jet lag! We started here in Chicago, then went to New York, L.A., and finally San Francisco. The original plan was just to do the California leg, but then Hubsey found out he had to be in New York for work right before we left, so I tagged along for a few bonus days and the mega vacation was born.

I made it a point to take more pictures on this trip, so I have some of those for you today.

Central Park

Argosy Books in New York

Central Park - without people!

Art Nouveau architecture in New York

>> I've been to New York a handful of times now, but this was my first time going to Central Park. It was kind of funny to be wandering amidst a bunch of trees, and turn a corner and see 10 buildings. I'm so used to being in the arboretum where I barely see any people. I did appreciate the number of hot dog vendors at my disposal, though.

>> This trip was epic in terms of meeting up with people. Not only did we see both sides of our family (including a brand new nephew!), but we saw Hubsey's college roommate and I got to meet Marilyn from Pulp Sushi (who was just as cool in person as she is online). How's that for efficient?

>> Fun fact: when going from New York to L.A., we had to get up at 4 a.m. Eastern time. Then we were awake for about 20 hours. Yowza.

>> I'm one of those people who's greatly impacted by my surroundings, and there is a massive difference between spending time in New York and relaxing in California. Even though I was technically on vacation in New York, I still felt this strange urge to go be productive. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I couldn't really chill until I left the city.

Open-faced grilled cheese from The Misfit in Santa Monica

The view from my brother-in-law's neighborhood in L.A.

>> Interestingly, even though we were on both coasts, we didn't go to the beach. (Well, we saw the beach in L.A., but we were on a bridge.) We didn't even pack our suits! In my defense, Pacific water is cold.

>> We found a new favorite restaurant. If you're ever in L.A. head over to Santa Monica and try The Misfit. It was the perfect combination of healthy and indulgent, and they use a lot of local and organic ingredients--which are the tastiest. Ever had fried lobster sliders? HEAVEN.

>> New babies are so snuggly. I had kind of forgotten since our older nephew is two and Very Independent now. He taught himself how to use Netflix, which was a surprise to all of us. Little brother mastered having the hiccups and looking adorable.

A church in San Francisco.

Japanese Tea Gardens at Golden Gate Park

Japanese Tea Gardens at Golden Gate Park

>> Instead of staying in a hotel in San Francisco, we tried something called Airbnb. It's a website where people can rent out apartments or parts of houses to travelers. SO GREAT. Cannot recommend it enough! We stayed in a loft in a neighborhood called SoMa, but there were a lot of options all over the city. It was cheaper than staying in a hotel (word!), plus we had the owner to ask about food recommendations, directions, etc. We're looking into it for Paris in the fall.

>> This trip has made us realize once and for all that we may not live in Chicago forever. Not that we have ants in our pants to leave (calm down, Mom!), but spending time in other cities back-to-back got the wheels turning.

>> Also! Cities are great because there are no bugs. I literally did not see one spider the entire time we were gone. And to think, I was so eager to move out of that condo and into this house! If only I'd known! /insert a dramatic hand to the forehead

My 12-year-old cousin has mad origami skills.

Bay Bridge in San Francisco

Overall, it was a great, if tiring, vacation. We've decided that we're not really cut out for bi-coastal jaunts and have crazy respect for those of you who are. Coming home felt like an iron man triathlon, and then we collapsed into sleep for about 14 hours. In the future we'll have to tackle one coast at a time.

Have you taken any trips this summer? Anything lined up for the fall? What's your favorite place to visit? Raise your hand if you've done the New York-to-California thing!