Spring Training Baseball Adventures in Arizona

Perhaps because I never experienced a Cabo spring break in college, I love taking “spring break” trips now that I’m a real adult. These trips have quickly evolved into spring training trips, and I’m hoping to make it an annual tradition. Last year, a couple friends and I headed down to Tampa over St. Patrick’s Day weekend (so fun, highly recommend). We checked out a few Grapefruit League spring training games and just had a chill few days drinking beer, watching baseball and relaxing. This year, I decided to head to Arizona to check out Cactus League spring training.

Cactus League Spring Training – Salt River Fields

My best friend from college is living in Arizona for dental school so it worked out really well because I’d wanted to visit her this year anyway. I’ve wanted to visit Scottsdale for a while (first for the Arizona Fall League, then for the Polo Party and most recently for the Waste Management Open), but my timing’s always been just a bit off.

I’m so happy I finally made it out to Cactus League spring training because it was awesome! There were way more fans there than I expected — if you want lower-level seats, I’d recommend getting tickets in advance. It was perfect baseball weather (high 70s and sunny), although apparently it was 100+ the week before so I suppose that part’s a little hit or miss. While I also had an awesome time at spring training in Florida, one advantage to Arizona’s setup is that so many ballparks are very close together, whereas in Florida they’re fairly spread out.

My trip was filled with sunshine, baseball and all around good times. Check out some of my favorite photos from spring training below!

Outside Salt River Fields

The first game we went to was the Cleveland Indians – Colorado Rockies game at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. Jason Kipnis has recently become one of my favorite baseball players, so I was eager to check out an Indians game. Their ballpark was a bit far from where I was staying, so we went to a game at Colorado’s home park, Salt River Fields. (Please note the person photo bombing our pic above — we experienced a lottt of that.)

Full disclosure, I got seats over the Indians’ dugout in the hopes that Jason Kipnis (the Indians’ second baseman) would see me on his way back to the dugout and ask me out. (Yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds but you can’t fault a girl for trying!) Unfortunately Jason was injured and not only didn’t play, but wasn’t even at the game. Nonetheless, our seats were awesome and the game was a lot of fun.

Is there anything better than a hot dog and beer at a baseball game? Pro Tip: Salt River Fields has a good selection of craft beers from Arizona and Colorado — be sure to check them out before settling for a Bud Light 😉

Indians Game at Salt River Fields

That’s Terry Francona on the left! Even though I grew up a Yankees fan, I’ve always had so much respect for the Red Sox, especially when they were managed by Francona. It was cool watching a game from pretty much directly behind him. Also, fun fact, Zach McAllister’s pitching in this photo and we go back to my MiLB days. The baseball world is so small.

In case you’re wondering why the Diamondbacks’ logo is on the dugout, the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks share Salt River Fields. The Rockies’ home dugout is on the first base-side and the Diamondbacks’ home dugout is on the third-base side.

Salt River Fields

The second game we went to was the Milwaukee Brewers – Oakland Athletics game at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa.

Outside Hohokam Stadium

Hohokam Stadium

Lawn Seats at Hohokam Stadium

We got lawn seats for like $12 and they were perfect for laying out and relaxing in the sun.

Hohokam Stadium Bullpen

And it was pretty awesome being able to sit right behind the bullpen.

Hohokam Stadium

Unfortunately because my trip was so short, we only went to two games. Hopefully next time I’ll be able to stay a few extra days and check out more ballparks.

Have you been to Cactus League spring training? What are your favorite ballparks?

Winter Wine Tasting

After moving to Virginia, one thing I quickly learned is that it’s the fifth largest wine producing state in the U.S. There are so many beautiful vineyards throughout the state, with many of them located in central Virginia. I always thought of wine tastings as a fall or spring activity, but it turns out many wineries are open for tastings year round. In fact,  there’s a great deal in central Virginia called the Winter Wonderland Passport that includes tastings at five vineyards for just $20.

 I recently had a chance to visit three of the five vineyards featured — Jefferson Vineyards, Blenheim Vineyards and Keswick Vineyards — and was pleasantly surprised by how close together they are. While you could probably visit all five vineyards included in the passport (the last two are Glass House Winery and First Colony Winery) in one day, it is valid through April 15, 2017, so you don’t have to rush.

Jefferson Vineyards is located just down the road from Monticello, which is why we made it the first stop on our tour (we toured Monticello in the morning and went wine tasting in the afternoon — truly a stellar Saturday). There are two tasting rooms located in separate buildings. The woman who did our tasting was very knowledgeable both about wine (of course) and also local history, which we really appreciated. We learned a ton and got to try some delicious wine!

Outside Jefferson Vineyards

Jefferson Vineyards Tasting Room

Tasting at Jefferson Vineyards

The next vineyard we visited was Blenheim Vineyards, which was my favorite of the three. It is owned by Dave Matthews, which is awesome, but what really sets it apart are the breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The back deck provides the ideal setting for sipping wine and relaxing with your friends. (And the wine is delicious, too.)

Wine at Blenheim Vineyards

Blenheim Vineyards

Can’t beat the views at Blenheim Vineyards

Keswick Vineyards was the final stop on our abbreviated tour. Unfortunately it started to rain just before we arrived, but Keswick Vineyards also has a great area for sitting outside and socializing. There are a bunch of picnic tables (pictured below) and also an enclosed porch area ideal for inclement weather. During our tasting they gave us a vanilla wafer drizzled with chocolate sauce to pair with the final red wine, which was a fun surprise! One really cool thing they do is a “Consensus” event where groups of wine club members each create a blend of wine and the winner — judged by a panel of professional wine judges — is actually bottled and released.

View from the deck at Keswick Vineyards

Wine at Keswick Vineyards

I’d highly recommend the Winter Wonderland Passport if you’re visiting Virginia’s wine country this winter! What are your favorite Virginia wineries?

20-Something Guide to Hosting a Valentine’s Day Happy Hour

I LOOOVE Valentine’s Day. Apparently that’s a bit odd judging from the number of people who’ve asked me why I love it. For me Valentine’s Day is about celebrating the people (both friends and S.Os) and things you love. And it just happens to be filled with some of my favorite things: pink, champagne, chocolate, stuffed animals and hearts. So seriously, what’s not to love?

Since Valentine’s Day is on a Tuesday this year, I decided to host a V Day happy hour to celebrate the season. Just a few (inexpensive) touches really made my apartment feel festive and so I thought I’d share some of my tips with you.

Step One: Set the mood right off the bat with something festive (a Valentine’s Day sign, a pink and/or red wreath etc.) on your front door. Bonus points if it’s sparkly.

Step Two: Red tablecloths serve two purposes. Obviously they make cleaning up much easier. But they also help create a Valentine’s Day aesthetic…especially since chances are your living room isn’t red or pink. Pro tip: Dollar Tree sells them for, you guessed it, $1. I got the sparkly hearts scattered on the table at Dollar Tree too!

Step Three: I’m a big fan of heart-shaped bowls for serving snacks as they’re just such a nice added touch. I got the ones pictured below at Party City for $3.

Step Four: In addition to yummy snacks, you’re probably also going to want booze for your happy hour. After all, it wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without some bubbly. I recommend Lamarca Prosecco. It’s nice and light and the bottle is so cute and classy. For my happy hour I also had a couple kinds of beer (a lager and an amber ale) and sparkling grape juice for the non-alcohol drinkers. The drink possibilities are endless, really. There are two really cute ideas I want to try soon. One is putting heart-shaped sprinkles in rosé ice cubes to put in champagne. The other is putting a scoop of strawberry or raspberry sorbet in champagne to make a sort of frozen berry mimosa. But seriously, there’s no shortage of pink drink (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) recipes on Pinterest.

Step Five: Dessert! There’s also no shortage of yummy Valentine’s Day desserts on Pinterest. For my party I baked pink champagne cupcakes and also had milk and dark Dove chocolates (heart-shaped, of course) and Twizzlers.

Just a few small decorations can go such a long way! How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year?

Adventures at Keswick Hall

So I just realized it’s been almost a year since I last posted on this blog! A LOT has happened over the past year, one of the most exciting things being that I moved from South Carolina to Virginia! But more about that later. In this post, I want to talk about the wonderful weekend I had at Keswick Hall.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I should mention that I traveled to KH for work. I’d heard so many wonderful things about the resort and was super-excited to experience it for myself. The town of Keswick, which is just outside Charlottesville, is only a two-hour drive from Northern Virginia so I headed down after work on Friday. I live in a suburb of DC that is very built up and suburban and was looking forward to getting away to the countryside. And as an added bonus my mom was able to come down from NJ to keep me company over the weekend.

Much of the drive down to central Virginia was relaxing as it was mostly comprised of hilly, two-lane roads winding through beautifully maintained farms. I love cows (weird, I know) and was pleasantly surprised to see so many of them along the way. We also passed a bunch of vineyards (separate wine post coming soon), sheep and horse farms, more of what I was expecting.

It was dark when we arrived at KH and I loved all the balls of lights that illuminated the trees in front of the main building. The resort was even more beautiful in person than it is in photos.

There isn’t a checkout counter in the lobby, rather a pair of checkout desks where you sit down upon arrival. We were presented with a map of the property (at 600 acres it’s quite extensive with lots to see and do) and large brass keys before being directed to the (adorably painted) elevator.

Our room was the epitome of understated elegance with everything you could need to be exceptionally comfortable without being too opulent. Some of my favorite features were the writing desk by the window and the soaking tub. After a full day of exploring the property and its many amenities, there’s nothing more relaxing than taking a nice long bath before snuggling up in a comfy robe and watching a DVD (the front desk has quite the selection available for rental).

Also it was pretty awesome having an award-winning restaurant right downstairs. After a full day of adventuring on Saturday we decided we didn’t want to leave the hotel and had dinner at Fossett’s, the main restaurant that sits just off the main lobby. We lucked out because it happened to be Charlottesville Restaurant Week. The menu changes seasonally so I won’t make specific food recommendations, but at least wanted to share a photo of the  pretty (and yummy!) desserts.

KH would be a great place for a couples’ vacation as many of the activities are suited for friendly competition. These include golf, archery, croquet and billiards. For those just looking to relax, there’s a spa, fitness center featuring a variety of classes, hiking trails and three pools.

The heated, saltwater horizon pool that overlooks the golf course was my favorite amenity. The photo below doesn’t quite do it justice as it was foggy and rainy during much of our trip. Even in the fog, I was impressed.

One of the things I loved about KH was how at home I felt. It didn’t feel like I was staying at a resort (although the service was top-notch), but rather as if I was staying at a friend’s country estate. At times I felt like I was in one of my favorite holiday movies, Christmas in Connecticut. When we ran into other guests it felt as if we were vague acquaintances as opposed to complete strangers. I also loved how many common areas there were. Whether it’s the billiards room / living room where coffee and tea are served in the morning, the Virginia library or in front of the roaring fire in the main lobby, there are plenty of places to relax and mingle with your fellow travelers.

Although I didn’t have a chance to play Full Cry at Keswick Club while I was visiting, I wanted to include a few photos of the course as it is a Pete Dye masterpiece.

Fossett’s, the horizon pool and the main patio all offer beautiful views of the course.

Overall, my experience at Keswick Hall was thoroughly lovely. We stayed for two nights and when it was time to check out I didn’t want to leave.

Adventures in Hawaii

My best friend from undergrad lives in Hawaii and between working for a startup during my gap year, grad school at the University of Southern California and moving to South Carolina, I realized that I hadn’t seen her in over three years! It’s crazy how quickly time flies! Once I remembered the Sony Open was held in Honolulu, I decided that would be the perfect event to plan my trip around. So, earlier this month I took my first adult vacation, a week-long trip to Oahu.

Day One: Exploring Honolulu via Waikiki Trolley

Waikiki Trolley

Unfortunately Cara had to work my first full day in Hawaii, so I decided to explore the city via trolley. Waikiki Trolley has four lines and you can get a one-day pass for unlimited rides on all four routes for $38. Each line has a different theme: The pink line is the shopping tour, the green line is the scenic tour, the blue line is the panoramic tour and the red line is the historic tour. In one afternoon I was able to ride three of the four routes in their entirety. The blue line was my favorite because much of the drive is along the ocean and it takes you to Hanauma Bay, a place I’d wanted to see since my last trip to Hawaii.

Hanauma Bay

Hanauma Bay

Hanauma Bay

Hanauma Bay

Hanauma Bay

All in all I had a great day riding around the city. Two of the trolleys were actually double-decker buses, so I got to fulfill my dream of riding upstairs on a double-decker bus! And the tour guides pointed out cool places such as Jackie Chan’s house, Marcus Mariota’s high school and Michelle Wie’s home golf course.

Day Two: North Shore

I lived in Honolulu the summer after my junior year of college when I interned with the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League. So, I’d been to the North Shore during the summer, but never during the winter (when the waves are epic).

Chinaman’s Hat

On our way to the North Shore we stopped at Chinaman’s Hat so I could take a tourist shot with it in the background. Cara wanted to swim out to it but I don’t think my swimming skills are quite strong enough for that…

Waimea Bay

It’s kind of hard to tell from this picture but some of the waves were like 30+ feet high! In fact, the lifeguard wouldn’t let anyone in the water without flippers and there were a couple instances where he had to coach people in because they’d been pulled so far away from shore (or toward the rocks) by the current.

Waimea Bay

Waimea Bay

   

  

Days Three & Four: Waikiki, Ala Moana & Sandy’s 

Duke’s Statue Waikiki

Sunset at Ala Moana

Day Eight: West Side (Makaha Beach)

I spent the next few days at the Sony Open, but that experience deserves its own post. On my last full day in Hawaii, Cara took me out to the west side. We had planned on visiting one of her favorite beaches, but the road was closed because there was a rescue mission for that awful Marine helicopter crash. So we went to Makaha Beach.

Makaha Beach

Makaha Beach

There’s something to be said for spending a few days doing nothing but laying out in the sun and listening to the waves. Obviously I brought my camera on the trip (and my phone–had to make my friends at least a little jealous via Snapchat), but for the most part I tried to stay away from any sort of screens or technology. It felt amazing to let my brain unwind for a little while and to connect with nature. There’s definitely something to be said for the whole mindfulness movement. Of course when I got back to the office the following week sitting in front of a computer screen all day was almost unbearable…

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my photos from my first real vacation!

20-Something Guide to Polo

Last weekend I finally had the opportunity to attend my first polo match, the Okatie Rotary Polo for Charity! I’d been wanting to go to a polo match for years and it definitely met my (high) expectations. Here are my five key takeaways from the event:

1. Wear clothes that you can stomp divots and sit in lawn chairs in without a wardrobe malfunction. This means no stilettos or super-short dresses.
2. Hydrate. Champagne is the drink of choice at polo matches and any time you’re drinking champagne outside it’s important to remember to hydrate (or face a terrible hangover by dinnertime).
3. Don’t stand too close to the boards (the sidelines) and always pay attention to the action. You know how sometimes people sitting court side at NBA games get hit in the face with the basketball (usually while they’re not paying attention to the game because they’re taking a selfie or looking at Snapchat)? Well for some reason people at polo matches sometimes think they’re invincible, but you can get hit with a polo ball too!
4. The periods are called chukkas (or chuckers) and there are six of them in a typical match.
5. Watch out for horse poop when stomping divots!

Here are some of my favorite photos from the match:

Ready for our first polo match!

Yay polo!

Candid

Tailgate Goals

Our tailgate

I was overjoyed to participate in my first divot stomping!

The umpire

The scene

Adventures in Savannah

Between starting a new job, moving into a new apartment and getting ready for Orientation at work, things have been pretty hectic. So, I decided to do what the Real Housewives do when they’re stressed and take a trip! I’ve been wanting to visit Savannah for a while and since my friend Brad was going to be in town playing the Savannah Sand Gnats, I figured it was a sign to visit last weekend!

I got a great deal on the Hyatt Regency through Hotwire and I’d highly recommend it. It’s located in the heart of downtown Savannah on River Street, which means you can walk to a ton of fun places. And they have underground valet parking for $24/day which is totally worth it. Plus the rooms are really nice and they have a super-cute patio on the fourth floor that overlooks the river.

View from the Hyatt patio

After we checked into the hotel, my new roomie Meaghan and I headed to the ballpark to watch the Sand Gnats game. My three favorite things about Historic Grayson Stadium were:

1. The netting goes all the way around from dugout to dugout (instead of just behind home plate), so you don’t have to worry about getting hit by a ball.
2. Most of the seats are covered so if it rains you don’t get (too) wet. But beware, even though it seems like you’re in the shade, you’ll still get sun!
3. They serve cocktails and wine at the ballpark. I’m all about having a beer and a hot dog at the game (especially on Thirsty Thursday!), but sometimes you just want a glass of wine at the ballpark, y’know?

So excited for my first Sand Gnats game!

Unfortunately, a huge storm hit right before the game was supposed to start and totally flooded the field. The game got cancelled before it even started and we had to hang out in the ballpark for an hour to wait out the storm. Meaghan and I are both scared of thunderstorms so being outside during all the thunder and lightning was terrifying. But when the storm subsided it left a beautiful double rainbow over the ballpark.

Double rainbow

The good thing about the game getting cancelled was that we got to go to dinner downtown instead of just eating at the ballpark. After picking up Brad from the team hotel (which was a bit of a hike out by the airport), we dropped off the car and decided to wander down River Street until we found someplace that looked appetizing. We decided on Dubs Pub. It was a good place to start because the food and beer were good and they had sports on TV to keep us entertained in case there were any awkward silences.

After dinner, we went to Wet Willie’s, a frozen daiquiri bar on River Street. Strawberry daiquiris are my favorite so this place was right up my alley. The drinks were great, but we weren’t really feeling the atmosphere. Luckily, one of the cool things about Savannah is that they don’t have open container laws so you can get a drink from a bar and then take it outside. Sipping on a strawberry daiquiri while walking along the river is an ideal way to spend a Saturday night IMHO. 🙂

Sunset on the river

A couple of Brad’s teammates decided to join us on River Street so our party expanded from three to five. We ended up at Saddle Bags, a country bar I’d been wanting to check out since Cale Dodds performed there a couple weeks ago, just in time to see a band play. After telling everyone how excited I was to show off my line dancing skills I of course couldn’t remember a single dance once we got inside. So embarrassing. But we had a blast making fools of ourselves tearing it up on the dance floor. After midnight the music switched from country to hip hop/rap/pop and the dance floor was packed. The only scary part of the night was when one of our new friends tried to beat some freakishly strong guy in the punching bag game and I was terrified he was going to injure his hand (he’s a really good pitcher so a hand injury would’ve been a disaster).

On Sunday morning, Meaghan and I went to brunch at Henry’s, a breakfast and brunch place just a few blocks from the hotel. A diner-like restaurant, everything at Henry’s looked delicious and the chocolate chip pancakes were awesome.

After brunch, we decided to try to watch another Sand Gnats game and this time we were successful.

Roomies at the ballpark

Unfortunately none of our new friends pitched in the 12 innings we watched (it was a double-header to make up for the previous night’s rainout). But it was still pretty fun being the only people cheering for the opposing team.

All in all it was a great trip and I can’t wait to visit Savannah again soon! I already have a list of things I want to do on my next visit and they include go-kart racing (technically in Pooler, which is right next to Savannah), visiting Moon River Brewing Company and eating at Paula Deen’s restaurant.