Chops & Hops - Yum & YUM!

I haven't even been in Athens for 12 hours and I've already found my favorite restaurant. Not only was it super swanky inside, the food was to die!

Chops & Hops is actually located in Watkinsville, right outside of Athens.

The most amazing spinach salad, with goat cheese and vidalia onion vinaigrette. Oh and a delicious glass of Pinot Noir. 

My main course was the Parmesan Risotto with roasted mushrooms, with garlic spinach, grilled asparagus and balsamic glaze. Oh. My. Gaaaah. So good. I can't get over it. 

I've got a lot to explore in Athens and in Atlanta so stay tuned!

The Maine Event

When I told people I was going to Maine, I got a plethora of responses. They ranged from "That sucks, you're going to freeze your ass off" to "Sweet, get some lobster". While it is cold and Maine is known for its amazingly fresh and actually affordable lobster, there's soooo much more to Portland, Maine. This is a FOOD town. If you're looking for amazing food, look no further.

I first realized how big of a "foodie" town Portland is when I was online searching for restaurants. There are a million to choose from and reviews are extensive. I finally decided to ask around and go to some of my local friend's favorite restaurants. Trust me, these locals know what they're talking about.

 Kon Asian Bistro was seriously amazing. The atmosphere was super swanky and the food was so good!

 AHHH Blackened Tuna with Wasabi Mayo. I am in LOVE and I will go back just for this.

 California Roll... AMAZEBALLS

Miss Portland Diner is so stinkin' cute and it's right beside our property, Bayside Village, so yeaaaah, I've been three times.

Their Clam Chowder is to DIE... I'm a repeat offender.

I also got their Eggs Benny this weekend but of course, I ate it before I could take a picture. Looked like your standard Eggs Benny. Paintchur self a mental picture.

Everyone told me to get a Lobster Roll so I did! I wasn't impressed so I won't mention where I was. I haven't given up though, I'll be back in Maine for two more weeks and I'll give it another shot :)

And here's a picture of a beautiful lighthouse in South Portland. Not only was the setting so calm and beautiful, it was such an amazing drive to get here.

MAINE = AWESOME. I'm heading to Nashville on Friday and then I'll be back to Portland for 2 weeks. Then I'm off to see mah maaan in Florida!

Champaign/Champagne

If you blink, you might miss my trip to Champaign.

While I'm only here for 2 and a half days, I think it's important to clarify something. Champaign is a city in Illinois. Champagne is sparkling wine produced exclusively within the Champagne region of France. I think some of my friends think I'm just hanging around drinking "champaign" all day while I'm here. Okay, by friends, I mean Chris Steger. A direct quote from Steg, "Champaign? Where's that?! OMG, that's like your dream city! J.Roget, Andre and Cook's on the REG!"

Hope I've cleared up the confusion so I can move on to how cool Champaign is! I'll admit, it's quite drab when you first drive in. However, they have the cutest little downtown area. If it weren't so damn cold, I'd grab a latte and stroll around. But instead, I will drive straight to my hotel and change into sweats. Here are some pictures I found online. It's honestly too cold and gross out to run around taking pictures.

I obviously didn't take this shot because there's like 5 feet of snow on the ground right now. This looks nice though, gotta love cute little lights and patio seating.

I took this picture on our way to the housing fair on campus. They have a Pitaya here!

I went to Ko Fusion on Monday for $1 sushi and it was amazing. I don't have a picture.. because I ate it all before I thought of taking a picture. Typical.

Next adventure: Portland, Maine on Thursday. Stay tuned :)

ALERT! I found another swanky place to eat in Harrisonburg!

Helllloooo, this is very important! I found another super cute restaurant in downtown Harrisonburg! It truly is a miracle! It's right near my other favorite restaurant, Clementine's!

They have a great happy hour with $4 wines, so you know I was there. I got the Tuna Tartare and it was delicious! Their happy hour is from 4 - 7 and there are some great deals.

Check out Beyond!

Where to Shop in Harrisonburg...

If you read my last post, you saw how awful my shopping experience was at the local mall. However, I went back downtown and passed the cutest little boutique! Again, I don't recommend coming to Harrisonburg for fun, but if you're here you should DEFINITELY check out The Yellow Button! Right now they're promoting their purses and they are super cute...

This is the Lucky Brand patchwork bag. Suuuper cute.

This is the Lucky clutch. Loves it.

Here is the Hobo Trinity Bag. Apparently T-Swift has been seen carrying this bad boy. This bag is bigger than her.

Definitely check out the store and their blog! All pictures are from their blog. :)

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Sorry for the lackluster name of this blog entry but that's really all I can think of. I've driven all around this town and I've searched high and low for something to actually do during my time here. I tried to go shopping and it was the saddest thing I've ever seen. The best shops were Spencer's and Claire's. So... I decided to wind down and grab brunch and I found the best place in Harrisonburg! It's called Clementine Cafe and it's on the square in Downtown Harrisonburg.

Clementine's motto is Food + Music + Art and it makes sense... There's unique art all over the walls and they have live bands every weekend. The music ranges from DJ's to Jazz Bands and on certain nights they even have trivia! If I lived in Harrisonburg, first of all, I might die, but really if I lived here, I would be a regular at Clementine's. Their brunch was amazing and they had great drink specials. There are couches so you can lounge and there's also a balcony area with tons of seating... so you can get a birds eye view of the band! P.S. This mimosa was amazing and it was $5. Suck on that.

This is what I ordered and it was AMAZING! It was shrimp and poached eggs with grits. Probably the worst thing for me but I didn't care. I'm actually surprised that I was able to snap a picture before I ate everything in sight. Ahh so tasty. It is literally the only thing I recommend doing in "The Burg". Just go there and eat and drink and listen to music and play trivia. There's nothing else to do so get ready spend a lot of time there.

CHICAAAAGO!

Almost a year ago, 4 of my girlfriends and I braved the Windy City in the dead of winter. When we told people we were going to Chicago for New Years, almost everyone called us morons. Well, the jokes was on THEM because we had a great time.

Well, thanks to Livingsocial.com, there's a GREAT opportunity to head to Chicago again! Escape to Chicago for the weekend! Grab your man or your girlfriends for an AMAZING weekend in Chicago! Here are the deets:

• Stay at the Hard Rock Hotel on Michigan Avenue
• Two drink tickets at Base Bar
• VIP Shopping at Bloomingdales and Macy's (hellooo ladies)

Definitely read the fine print but if you're looking to visit Chicago, this is definitely a fun way to go!

You only have 4 days left to buy it so do it!!

San Antone :)

While in San Antonio, I haven’t been able to explore all that much. First of all, I’m sharing a car with a coworker. Second and most important of all, we’re opening a new property in San Antonio so we’re working really hard and by the time I want to explore, I’m exhausted. However, I’ve done two rather fun things here in SA! One of them is for my body and then other is for my sanity.

Bikram Yoga (or Hot Yoga) in San Antonio is the craze. I’ve been to both locations and they just opened one closer to where I’m staying so my coworker and I are checking it out tonight! So far, I recommend going to the Alamo Heights but I’ll let you know once I go to the new location. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a big fan of Hot Yoga. It’s pretty intense but once you get the hang of it, it’s so much fun. Don’t be afraid to try it out, even if you go by yourself. NOBODY is watching you or cares how well you do your poses. It’s actually a pretty vain form of exercise… you are encouraged to just stare at yourself in the mirror and work on your own strength.

The other place I’ve checked out here is Kona Grill. Kona is the place to be for young professionals. They have happy hour, which you’ve probably heard of, and then they have REVERSE happy hour! Regular happy hour takes place in the bar and on the patio and it’s from 3 – 7. And reverse happy hour is from 9 – 11. I’ve been there twice now and their sushi is AMAZING! There are Kona’s all over Texas so let’s just hope they expand and bring their deliciousness to Nashville!

The boyfriend is going to be here before I know it and we're going to explore this great city! We've got a few things to do and that includes the Riverwalk, Six Flags, SHOPPING (he doesn't know that), and plenty more. Our relaxing week together will likely turn into anything but that. Stay tuned!

Cities of Love!

If you're wondering where you and your loved one can escape to or perhaps somewhere to meet a sexy man, look no further than this list. http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-35060647

My friend Lynlea, who lives in Charleston, sent me this list in hopes of coaxing me into moving to Charleston. I lived in Charleston for a summer after college and I can attest to the overwhelming amount of men. Although, they wear the shortest shorts I've ever seen a man wear. And bowties. I don't get bowties. I don't think they're sexy or manly. I think if you're wearing a bowtie, you might as well have one of those rainbow hats with the propeller on top. So to me, bowtie = douchebag.

In Vegas, it's probably more lust than love. Although, my friend KC met her better half while sipping mimosas in the MGM Grand pool. I'll be in Vegas in less than 30 days so I'll have to report back and let you know which of our girls found l-o-v-e.