{Road Trip} Day One - Horses, Hats, and a Heck of a Good Time at Churchill Downs

Good morning from Louisville, Kentucky!

We kicked off this summer's road trip at the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs...

We spent a little time exploring the museum...

before heading out on a couple of tours of Churchill Downs...

We headed down to the track level first thing...

and then headed over to the paddock area...

with beautiful views of the back of the grandstand area and iconic spires...

We learned that Churchill Downs was originally organized as Louisville Jockey Club...

Though that name didn't stick, that original logo can still be found branded throughout the buildings and grounds...

From there, we headed inside...

to take in the view from some of the most exclusive spaces including the famous Millionaires Row...

and overlook the paddock area from another terraced space...

We really loved these murals of both the winning trainers of the past...

and the winning jockeys of the past...

We saw several more signs of the Louisville Jockey Club of yesteryear...

on our way to visit the Jockey Quarters...

It was really neat to get to go inside what is basically the jockeys' locker room!

I can't remember who our guide said that this little corner belonged to... I guess I need to brush up on my jockey names!

It was neat to see nonetheless...

From there...

we headed back over to the museum as our tour came to a finish...

We stopped by the café to grab a couple of slices of derby pie for a snack, and the five of us absolutely devoured two slices... It was sooo good!

Obviously, I paired my derby pie bites with a mint julep (or two), and Hubby had a glass of good bourbon. Of course, when in Rome...

After refueling, we finished up a couple of exhibits in the museum...

We enjoyed a late lunch at Mark's Feedstore...

before continuing west through Indiana...



and into Illinois...

We stopped near our hotel for a quick dinner at one of our favorite chain restaurants, Qdoba, that can't be found at home!

After checking in, the kids enjoyed a swim...

before we ALL hit the bed ready for a GREAT night's sleep!

Fun first day...

Headed into St. Louis tomorrow morning...

More {Road Trip} 2019 Fun

Day Two - Exploring the CITY in St. Louis, Missouri

Day Three - Covering A Lot of Ground...Like A Whole Lot!

Day Four - Yellowstone National Park Day 1

Day Five - Yellowstone National Park Day 2 + Helena, MT

Day Six - Grand Teton National Park Day 1

Day Seven - Grand Teton National Park Day 2, Yellowstone National Park Day 3 + The Beartooth Highway 

Day Eight - Devils Tower & Rapid City

Day Nine - Heading HOME!

Ready to Road Trip! {2019 edition}

MONTANA & WYOMING...  

You're up next!

Stay tuned...

 {EUROPE} 2018 - A Look Back at LAST Year

Day One - Travel By Air, Land, & Sea

Day Two - St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands

Day Three - Cork (Cobh), Ireland

Day Four - Dublin, Ireland

Day Five - Liverpool, England

Day Six - Belfast, Northern Ireland

Days Seven & Eight - Glasgow (Greenock), Scotland + AT SEA

Day Nine - Inverness (Invergordon), Scotland

Days Ten & Eleven - Edinburgh (South Queensferry), Scotland +AT SEA

Day Twelve - Paris (Le Havre), France

Day Thirteen - London Day 1

Day Fourteen - London Day 2

Day Fifteen - London Day 3

Day Sixteen - London Day 4

Day Seventeen - London Day 5 and HOME!

{Spring Break} Cousins, VPs, and Crossing the Mason-Dixon Line!

After a l-o-o-o-o-o-n-g day in New York City yesterday, we took it easy this morning and slept in...

We had originally planned to get the bulk of driving (back to South Carolina) done today, but severe storms up and down the east coast kept us cautious.

Once we got on the road, we headed straight to Hastings-on-Hudson, NY to visit with family, Hubby's brother, his wife, and their 2 children. The kids had fun playing tag and climbing trees...

before we came inside and celebrated a couple of birthdays...my sister-in-law's (last week), her mother's (next week), and mine (tomorrow)!

From there, we continued south toward New Jersey and Pennsylvania to visit a couple more Vice Presidents, but before we could do that, I had to do this!

Wait...what?!?!?

A little background... I don't drive in Manhattan... Like, my good friend will go to extremes to route me around it in a very "out of the way" manner in order to make sure that I do NOT have to drive in Manhattan when heading to her house in Connecticut (when driving through the upper tip of Manhattan IS the fastest and most direct way)...

I did it once (out of necessity) and continue to be very proud of myself for making it all the way in to my brother-in-law's (now former) apartment on the Upper West Side...

But, anywho...back to today...  Make that TWICE now that I've driven into Manhattan...and no, I'm not looking for any "three time's a charm" business here...  Happy to leave it at TWO!

AND after that, I drove over the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey...just like that... 

Phew! From there we continued to Paterson, NJ to visit the grave of Vice President Garret Hobart...

Garret Hobart served as the 24th Vice President of the United States under President William McKinley...

From there, we continued on to Philadelphia, PA to visit the grave of Vice President George M. Dallas...

George M. Dallas served as the 11th Vice President of the United States under B's favorite, President James K. Polk...

Loved passing by these hydrangeas on the walk back to the car...

Loved even more crossing back into Virginia and feeling a bit closer to home...

What a fun, whirlwind trip! Planning to be back in South Carolina tomorrow...

{Spring Break} A FULL Day in "The Big Apple"

This morning we caught one of the first trains into the city (around 5:45am)…

and arrived at the Today Show Plaza bright and early...

We got to meet Al Roker...

and 3 generations of the famous racing dynasty, the Andrettis…

Mario...

Michael...

and Marco...

Plus, we got to talk a little bit with Craig Melvin, too!

From there we grabbed a late breakfast at Bouchon Bakery and explored the shops at Rockefeller Center before taking a trip to Top of the Rock!

It's probably my favorite for catching a good bird's eye view of the city... 

It's not only centrally located, but offers one of the best unobstructed vantage points...

 From there, the girls got to experience their first Uber (B is already a pro!)... 

as we headed down to SoHo for lunch at Black Tap...

  

My falafel burger was delicious...

but the kids really loved their shake!

 After we left Black Tap, we set out to meet up with my good friend, S, and her twins, B & R, to walk The High Line...

On the way, we gave the newish, DO, a try (as if we needed anymore dessert!)…

and strolled through Washington Square Park...

before finally making our way to The High Line!

 

After walking most of the elevated trail, we headed back downtown and caught up with Uncle B for just a bit as he was leaving work for the day...

before grabbing dinner at my favorite, El Vez, with S and her kids...

I mean, these tacos...

I love them so much!

Oh, what a day! Continuing south again tomorrow...