I’m a big believer in getting to know the state in which you live — the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Wisconsin Dells is… how do I put this… a lil’ trashy.  It’s full of kitschy motels, tourist traps, and waterparks.  So many waterparks. I went to Noah’s Ark when I was a kid and was traumatized by the wave pool. I’m sure this is one of the reasons why I dislike swimming to this day!

My parents and I took a little day trip, on a random Wednesday (thank you, flexible work schedule!), to the Dells and to Baraboo.  As much as I think the Dells is trash, I also kind of love it.  Lovable trash.  Like Forky in Toy Story 4. If you visit, I would highly recommend visiting the H. H. Bennett Studio.  Bennett was THE Dells photographer throughout the 19th century.  His work is beautiful and his story is interesting — and his photography studio is still preserved!  It’s like stepping back in time.

Baraboo was adorable.  I had never been there and I really enjoyed it.  It has a great downtown area with cute shops — and if the circus is your thing, this is the town for you.  It was once home to the Ringling Bros and currently houses the Circus World Museum.  We didn’t visit because, well, circuses are not my thing.

We had dinner at Ishnala Supper Club, which I loved.  I think my parents kind of hated it — but it was so pretty!  The views cannot be beat!

I LOVE CUTE ICE CREAM STANDS! I saw Milty Wilty outside of Wautoma and made my dad turn the car around so I could take a photo. He’s always a good sport about it.
Isn’t this the cutest candy shop you’ve ever seen?
Cute, but too bad the chocolate we bought was stale.  0/10.  Would not recommend.
The little main drag of the Dells is full of shops, bars, etc.
Would it be a tourist destination without a ALL THE FUDGE SHOPS?!
Kitschy cuteness.
Up next, Baraboo! These circus animals are embedded into the concrete surrounding the town square.
I’ve never met a roadside attraction I haven’t loved.
Isn’t it dreamy?
Back to the Dells! This is the entrance to Ishnala.  They do not take reservations and are always busy, so we were early birds and ate dinner at 4pm!
Good old fashioned, beautiful view of Mirror Lake, and look at that ball o’ butter!
My dad wanted a photo of these delivery cars because how often do you see a fiberglass spread-eagle moose on top of a PT Cruiser?
And finally, Omro provided us with these words of wisdom.

I’m back from a quick weekend visit to Atlanta! Nicole and I basically had a repeat of my last trip there: eating, shopping, watching Law & Order SVU, and BeltLine walking to see the murals.  It was significantly warmer (ahem, HOTTER) this time around and I was sweating like a farm animal for the majority of our time outside.  I don’t know how people handle that weather for a majority of the year (I’m sure they say the same about our cold and snow).

I flew out of Appleton late Friday afternoon and arrive in Atlanta around 8:30pm.  Nicole and I stopped at Fellini’s for pizza – mmmm! The next day we brunched at Beetle Cat – the donuts were amazing, especially the chocolate Oreo variety. We shopped for a bit at Lenox, then headed back to the apartment so Nicole could nap (she had a sinus infection) and I could watch a little TV.  We had a delicious dinner at Bocca Lupa — Italian comfort food to the max!

Sunday morning we braved the hot hot heat to take a walk on the BeltLine (10,000 steps… check!). I love the BeltLine because of all the murals. We had breakfast at Parish, stopped at Ponce City Market to enjoy some air-conditioning and WATER, and then it was time for me to head to the airport.  ’til next time, Atlanta!

Waiting for MARTA.
LOVE the yellow.
Delish donuts at Beetle Cat.
I love weird wallpaper in bathrooms.
Quiet, green, serene in Inman Park.
Scenes from the BeltLine
Selfie. Selfie again. Also, same shirt on two different days.
I LOVE MURALS.
Truth.

Maine! Bethany and Dan! It had been FOUR AND A HALF YEARS since I saw one of my best friends. How does this happen? Life gets busy, I know. But we have vowed to not go that long without seeing each other again. I went to Portland for a weekend visit. I was only there about 48 hours, but we packed a lot in!

I arrived on Friday around noon and it was cold and rainy. (What a surprise, more sad “spring” weather!) We dropped my bag off at Bethany and Dan’s apartment and then headed out for downtown.  I was starving so we stopped at Duck Fat for some very tasty french fries. We walked around and visited a few shops.  Took some photos in the cold and rain (I look like a wet, wind-swept dog in most!).  Picked up some donuts at the Holy Donut cause, you know, we’d need snacks later. Fun fact: the secret ingredient used in these donuts is MASHED POTATOES. Two of my favorite foods literally collided. What a dream.

We spent the early afternoon and evening at Bethany and Dan’s adorable apartment, where I was reunited with a great love of my life: Hattie.  Their dog, Hattie, is such a sweetheart and I love her so much. Bethany and I watched the Golden Girls, talked, and ordered pizza from Slab.  Dan went to his whiskey club.  I went to bed at 8pm because I had been up since 3:30am.

The next day, Saturday, we took the ferry to Peaks Island, which is 3 miles away from Portland.  It reminded me a little bit of Washington Island in Door County — small, quiet, cute.  We rented a golf cart and scooted around the island for about an hour.  It was beautiful, but we wished it wasn’t so wet — as that prevented us from seeing a lot (though I still managed to act like a baby and whine when forced to hike up and down a hill! Bless Dan for being so chill)

Upon returning to Portland, we put our names in for a table at Eventide and got some lobster rolls and oysters!  Afterward, we went to meet Andrea + Matt and then headed home for some stretchy pants, warm blankets, and Hattie snuggles.  We cooked dinner at home that night and then Bethany’s bff, Stephen, and his husband came over — we played trivia games and laughed our asses off until midnight.

Sunday we woke up to SUNSHINE!  SUN. SHINE! Glorious. We dropped Dan off at the bus station (he was leaving for Boston to catch a flight to Toronto).  Bethany and I grabbed delicious bagels at Scratch Baking Co. — where I encountered to only two RUDE New Englanders of the trip.  Sometimes I really cherish and miss “Midwest nice.”

The last activity of the trip was visiting the Portland Head Light — which is rumored to be the most photographed lighthouse ever.  And for good reason, as it’s gorgeous! Bethany then drove me to the airport and I headed home.  It was a lovely weekend and I can’t wait to go back!

Other stray observations:

• Portland is expensive and has to be one of the hipster capitals of the world.
• I would love to see the city during the summer season.
• The Portland airport is small and precious and reminds me of Appleton’s airport.
• Bethany remains one of my favorite people of all time.  We are wildly different – but we laugh so hard, talk about everything under the sun, and have worked to maintain our 15 year friendship.  It’s all worth it.  It’s also great to know someone for that long — because it’s all the sweeter to be in our 30s now and get to look back on our insecure 20s together!
• Dan is a precious gemstone of a person.
• I’d like to petition for a shared custody arrangement of Hattie.

We chilly.
RIGHT?!
Digging the Lisa Frank vibes of Novare Res.
Hattie! Donuts!
Golden Girls’ing. My kind of afternoon.
Heading to Peaks the next day! Still chilly.
A pink house. With hearts on the trim. LOVE.
Eventide Oyster Co.
Bethany knows me well. “Dan, we have to take her to see the colorful mural!”
Relaxin’.
Sunny Sunday
That magnet on her fridge is too perfect.
We windy.
This may be my favorite Huji photo I’ve ever taken. RAINBOW flare!
And we did a drive-by of Target, because that’s me: I visit Targets wherever I go.
See you next time, beautiful Maine!