Adventures by Olga

01/05/2025

Dec 21, 2024

01/05/2025

Miami Chronicles

One of the coolest parts of our trip was visiting Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne. Since we had the rental car for one day, we took advantage and drove to the historic Cape Florida Lighthouse. It’s open very limited hours of 10-12 Thursday to Monday and we were lucky enough to get there just in time to ascend 109 spiral steps to the top of the lighthouse. It sits right on the beach and is still in operation today. The 360 views were spectacular. There’s also bikes you can rent, hikes to do and fishing. We enjoyed a nice leisurely hike and saw a manatee and an egret. Lots of pics from the day below and I’ll post a video later.

01/05/2025

Miami Chronicles
Day 4

Day of remembrance. There’s a magnificent Holocaust Memorial in south beach I wanted to share with my mom. We started our morning by walking to the Botanical Gardens to start the day off light. Walking through the gardens is peaceful. There were many more flowers this time of year than I expected. Not crowded on a Tuesday at first open either. Gots lots of stellar shots to share below. Then made our way to the moving memorial right next door. It always moves me to tears to see it and read about the horrific things that happened to Jews. I’m so grateful this was arranged to be made for all of us to know and understand what happened so many years ago so that it may never happen again.
Our walk back was a little more solemn. We made it back to the hotel for another buffet breakfast and relaxing day at the beach. It started to shower a slight amount so to the pool we shifted. The water was so warm at the pool, the rain did not bother us.
Since it was Christmas Eve, I planned a nice dinner at the FAENA hotel at the remarkable Pao by Paul Qui. More on that experience in a seperate post. It was a lovely evening to spoil ourselves.

12/29/2024

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Miami chronicles

Day 3

Day of self indulgence and gratitude. The day started with the breakfast buffet and beach time again. After lunch I headed by way of the Miami Beach trolley to the Palms Hotel & Spa for my time of pampering. I first indulged in some strawberry gelato by the pool then headed to the spa lounge for some relaxation and meditation. I was called for my massage promptly at the start of the appointed time. There were tons of rooms and I was led to a dimly lit, tiny space for my relaxation massage. I can’t say that Janet gave the best massage but was also not the worst. I treat myself to a massage monthly so I know what I like at this point. The locker room was entirely too small but the all angles shower was my favorite part of this whole visit. Also briefly visited the steam room and got to enjoy a flask of champagne. As part of booking the service with the spa, I also got time to enjoy their pool area which was tropical oasis. The pool water wasn’t as warm as ours so I opted to just lay on the hammock for a bit before starting my jaunt back to meet up with my mom. On the way back I found a quaint ceviche spot to try some Peruvian food and beer. I enjoyed the salmon and white fish options I chose. The presentation was beautiful in front of me. The walk back only took about 20 minutes and in time we ventured out again into the night. We walked around shopping for souvenirs before landing at the next dinner spot, Limenocello. This Italian spot on Washington Ave was small but quaint. We were immediately seated outside and served water. Since I had just eaten a couple hours prior, I wanted something light. Our server, Ryan, was a lively character. Very personable and a little nutty. I enjoyed by filet carpaccio app, it had a velvety texture. The bill always surprises me here. You can’t have dinner under $100 even when you only order one app and one entree. They include a ton of service charges and 20% gratuity automatically everywhere.
Now it was time to walk to Ocean Dr for the Holiday show.

12/26/2024

Dec 23rd 2024

12/25/2024

Miami Day 2:
I began my day with a bit of rooftop yoga which the hotel offers at no cost. It was challenging and beautiful getting to face the ocean. Samantha was a great instructor. After working up an appetite, we had breakfast downstairs at the same restaurant which offers a buffet for $25pp. It was a nice spread but never changed the whole time we were there. I would suggest more non pork protein options. The smoked salmon was the favorite all 4 days we had the buffet. After breakfast it was beach time. The hotel offers 2 free chairs and towels. The beach service was excellent! The water was warm but the surf a little turbulent the whole time. The pool was even warmer so that was a great way to end the day. There were plenty of chairs around the pool with service as well. For dinner that night I chose Tapelia on Lincoln Rd for some Spanish flavor. It was a short 12 minute walk from our hotel. The seating was outdoors on a beautiful covered patio with ample heat lamps. Service was very nice although not the quickest and the drink specials were generous for a Saturday night. The burrata app was devine. I don’t see grilled octopus on the menu very often so I decided to take a chance. The entree was full of flavor although the octopus was not perfectly prepared. We were stuffed like shrimp after all the great food and drinks so we took the long way home through Espanola Way. The street was elegantly light up all around. Almost every restaurant was packed with people. It was a gorgeous night to enjoy the sights.

12/24/2024

Miami Chronicles. Day 1:
We arrived late Friday evening on a direct flight on Allegiant without a hitch. We’re quick to get our rental car from Avis and make a straight dash to our hotel on Miami Beach, Nautilus Sonesta. The check in process was smooth, no wait. The room was decent size but the bathroom is pretty tiny. No big deal, we don’t spend that much time in the room. I wish we had a better view than staring at the building right next door but I wasn’t willing to pay up for it.

Since it was past nine, we decided to get a bite downstairs at the Nautilus Club and Cabana. We went all seafood with: bouillabaisse and a pasta dish. Both were flavor and had generous portions of different seafood such as shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari and even lobster. I’d say it was decently fresh. After dinner we wanted to walk off all that food so we took a stroll on the boardwalk which was surprisingly deserted this late in the evening. We were definitely looking forward to the next 5 days in paradise. Check back later for more…

12/24/2024

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12/17/2024

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We had a lovely evening celebrating the joy of the holiday season with our family at Grassa Gramma. The ambiance is incredible although so is the noise level. We have a cozy private booth space upstairs which was a nice surprise. I had never been seated up there before. The menu options are extensive and it’s hard to narrow it down to just one thing. Tonight I indulged in the seafood scampi. The spice level was too high for me but that’s my fault for not asking. The shrimp were perfectly prepared as well as the flavors in the pasta. The scallops(2) were just slightly over done but I still devoured them. Our server was kind and unsure of some items but overall it was a wonderful experience. I definitely recommend Grassa if you’re looking for some authentic Italian food or a special occasion outing.

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10/14/2024

Enjoying my day off doing lunch with hubbs. Always excellent and fresh.

10/14/2024

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We tried a brand new restaurant in the area this weekend, Takashi. I’d say it was pretty decent. The service was nice, the food was on par with similar hibachi restaurants and the portions large. The menu has all sorts of Asian cuisine, not just Chinese and Japanese. The crab ragoon came out with 5 pieces and an extra sweet sauce. Not my fave. The miso soup was just like any other miso soup I’ve had and same for the ginger salad. The chicken soup was way too salty to eat. My son got the shrimp kids meal that came drenched in sauce which he didn’t like because it was way too sweet but the fried rice was excellent. My meal was a bento box rice bowl. It was a smorgasbord of egg rolls, Yokosuka noodles, and sushi rice with chefs choice sashimi. The sushi was fresh and rice was nicely done. Could have used more seasoning. They forgot to bring the veggies it was supposed to come with but they brought it once I asked for them. There were also 2 tempura shrimp. The ponzu sauce was too sweet, I’m used to it being more savory. The chipotle mayo sauce was again, decent. My husbands shrimp fried rice came out with lots of rice but not much shrimp. We had food to take home because of the generous portion sizes.

10/09/2024

Day 4 WV Agenda:
Weather was looking perfect once again. In the am we checked out Cathedral Cafe which you guessed it is inside an old church. We just had drinks so I can’t speak for the food but it’s definitely a popular place so it must be great! They also have a souvenir shop on the 2nd floor.
Next stop was Babcock State Park. On the way we stopped at the Rim Visitors Center to check out some more spectacular views of the bridge and gorge. What we were most interested in visiting at Babcock was the old Mill. Everything was kept up beautifully for exploring the old history of the mill town. The scenery with waterfalls and streams was a storybook. We did one short hike around the lake until we headed back to town to catch the sunset at Burrito Bar. This wasn’t the easiest place to find, thanks Google maps but we made it eventually. Albeit a little late to catch the sun setting. Nonetheless, the night sky was light up light a beautiful painting and we enjoyed sharing some big burritos. Don’t come for the service, that’s not the appeal.

10/08/2024

Day 3 Agenda:
The top hike in the area is called the Long Point trail. We se off on the 3 mile hike around 11am. The weather was cool, the sky was blue and excitement was in the air. We picked up a couple hiking sticks along the way to traverse over some rocky terrain at the end. The narrow end is not for the weak at heart but we were all able to conquer it to get to the end for the magnificent views of the New River Bridge. It’s an out and back hike.
After lunch it was on to Hawks Nest State Park which was only a 25 minute drive from our Red Caboose and well worth the visit. They have a beautiful overlook high above the New River. There’s a restaurant, lodge, gift shop and info area to book tickets for the Jet boat tour. The tour driver takes you by transit van down to the river where the skipper takes over the trip. We really appreciated the recommendations our bus driver made to do the Rail Trail hike in the park. It runs over an old rail road track and along Mill Creek. The trail is 1.9 miles one way so we could only accomplish half of it with a toddler in tow. But it led us to the beautiful Mill Creek falls where we decided to take our shoes off and enjoy some trekking through the water. We built up a healthy appetite after all the days activities and decided to give the Overlook restaurant a try. With beautiful views of the mountains and river, we enjoyed a yummy dinner in an intimate setting.

10/08/2024

Day 2 at the New River Gorge:
Started the day at Arrowhead Bike Farm to give mountain biking a try. What we discovered was it’s not quiet toddler approved but we tried and tried to get some trail rides practice. After several falls it was time to give in and go have lunch back at our Caboose. The weather was in the 70s and ideal to have lunch outside on the outdoor patio. Afterwards we made our way to Dunloup Falls and the abandoned town of Thurmond. It was a beautiful drive along the creek until we got to an old one lane bridge over the New River. Thurmond is still an active Amtrak station with a renovated visitor center and stop area. The other parts of the old coal mine city are kept up enough to preserve the history.

10/07/2024

We just got back from the newest adventure to a brand new state…WV. I found a super cool caboose to stay in for 4 nights in Fayetteville, WV. There were 2 separate train cars that have been converted to awesome accommodations. We stayed in one of them. They’re only a year old so everything is still fresh. There’s lots of parking, outdoor games, fire pit and grill. Not the prettiest surroundings but otherwise near perfect. There were 3 beds and one full bath and small kitchenette in the living room area. The futon wasn’t too comfortable to sleep on for me but my son got a kick out of sleeping on the 2nd level by climbing the metal ladder. The host was so gracious to provide everything we needed and the best recommendations for activities to do in the area with a toddler.
The day of arrival we drove on Fayetteville Station Rd that takes you under the New River Bridge. That was my favorite part of the whole trip. Getting the first glimpse of the New River Bridge was spectacular. We only had a couple of hours to explore the area but could have definitely spent more time if it didn’t start getting dark. We had dinner at Pies and Pints the first night and that was the best overall dining experience of the trip. It’s an awesome restaurant that has a huge taps list, outdoor playground for kids, a billiards table and great food/service. Must visit on any trip to the area. Stay tuned to hear about the other daily adventures.

09/23/2024

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I had such an amazing Sunday funday. It started with breakfast at the Good Belly bagel pop up with hubs. Indescribably great service and almost as equally great bagel and lox. Bagels were flown in from Brooklyn and the lox is cured in house. The lox is like velvet treasure and the bagel has just the right amount of softness. We’re so lucky to have this shop in our city.
The second fun activity came after picking up my son from Sunday school and taking him to the Fall Festival at the JCC. There weren’t too many people when we arrived so we kind of had the run of the place. He had a blast on the bouncy, playground and getting an arm painting. From there we drove to Churchill Downs for Family Adventure day. Unfortunately it was raining when we arrived but we didn’t let that spoil our fun. It made for much less crowds so we got to enjoy tons of activities and watch a few horse races to boot. Although we didn’t win, the experience was still exciting. I love exposing him to all this great city has to offer!

09/03/2024

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Decided to check out Spring Mill State Park over the holiday weekend. It’s about an hour and half from Louisville. Not too bad of a drive even with a toddler in tow. Entrance fee is $9 for non Indiana residents. Get there early to book the Twin Cave boat tour because they only do in person reservations. We just missed the cutoff to get a slot but through gracious negotiation with the DNR staff, I was able to squeeze my son and I into an upcoming tour. He was too excited to go since neither of us have been on a boat tour inside a cave before. It was nice and cool inside the cave and our guide, Maddie, was informative about the history. We saw some little craw fish, salamanders and frogs. It was totally worth it for $3!
There’s lots of pretty hikes to do to meet all the fitness levels. Nothing too strenuous to really get your heart rate up though. We did a couple trails for a total of about 4 miles. The pioneer village was super crowded since it was a holiday weekend but the rest of the trails weren’t bad at all. The mill was not there because it’s under construction right now so it wasn’t as beautiful in the village as I remember from our last visit. It’s an absolutely gorgeous park with lots of streams, lake with catamaran boats and caves. The highlight was going into Donaldson Cave in pitch darkness and trying to navigate around on the slippery surface. We might have gotten a little muddy and gone into the creek to rinse off afterwards. There’s also an activity center which houses some wildlife but it was also under construction. We spent over 5 hours exploring and picnicking there.