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Six Stops, Zero Regrets: Our Key West Bar Crawl Adventure

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Our first bar stop in Key West was Captain Tony’s, which proudly claims to be the oldest bar in Florida—and honestly, I’m not arguing with them. The second you walk in, you know you’re somewhere with stories. The walls are covered in dollar bills, random memorabilia, and yep… plenty of bras. It’s a whole vibe. There was a live band playing when we walked in, and they were good. The crowd felt like a perfect mix of locals hanging out and cruise passengers doing the same thing we were—trying to soak in as much Key West as possible. Shoutout to Keith, the one bartender holding the place down. He was the only one working, but you’d never know it. He kept everyone happy and the drinks flowing. If you go, definitely try the Pirate’s Punch. It’s delicious, a little dangerous, and it comes with a souvenir cup, which is always a win. Great first stop… and honestly, hard to beat.  Our next stop was just a quick walk down the street at Sloppy Joe’s, whose slogan brags they’re “still the best ...
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MSC Seascape

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  I'm currently on a "new to me" cruise line - MSC. A little history on the company is that they were established in 2002 and are already the 3rd biggest cruise line worldwide. Beginning in Europe, they are now trying to attract more North Americans and building the largest cruise terminal in Miami. The MSC Seascape's inaugural cruise was in late November, so we are the 4th or 5th group to sail on her. She is the longest ship in the MSC fleet and in the top 20 largest ships in the world. For reference, I have cruised with Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean. MSC usually prices around the same range as Carnival but frequently offers a wifi/drink package. Here are my first impressions: 1. As with any line, bring your patience for the first day. No way around it. Just breathe. 2. Because MSC began in Italy, they have a huge European following. This was very evident at check-in as my husband and I were literally the only ones speaking English around us. Not necessari...
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Almost Made it to Market Square

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Our weekend plans were off to a great start. We were pleasantly surprised in our hotel room at the Luxbury Inn & Suites in Maryville, TN. I had done very little research before booking the room for a Friday night stay and I only knew that it was the closest place to the concert venue. For the price and location, we definitely weren't expecting a 1 bedroom with kitchen. After settling in, we headed to The Shed to grab a quick bite of BBQ before the concert.  This was our second concert at this venue and we really like the atmosphere. It's outdoors which sometimes equals HOT but after the sun goes down, then it's perfect. You can take your own lawn chairs to sit in on the perimeter of the shed or you can stand up next to the stage if you prefer. That night we saw the band The Steel Woods. (Highly recommend giving them a listen.)  On Saturday we had a nice (free) breakfast at the hotel and then did a little shopping in Maryville. We were staying in ...
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Is This How Ants Feel?

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  Yep, that is me and my husband standing on top of a VERY large Sequoia Tree stump at Calaveras Big Trees State Park in California. Standing there, feeling so small, I couldn't help but wonder if this is how ants feel. (Odd thought - I know.) The first tree we saw was big, the next was bigger, and the next was even bigger. Each time we saw an even bigger tree, I was shocked all over again. The pictures that I have seen of these giant wonders could have never prepared me for just how big they really are. I'm going to say it one more time, "THEY ARE BIG".  To be honest, I fully expected to see a few trees and be done in the first 5 minutes; however, walking through the forest was peaceful, awe-inspiring, and calming. Small wildlife was plentiful and the sounds of birds were the only noise you could hear. I would have loved to have strung me up a hammock in the middle of those great woods and relaxed for the day.  I could go on and on about the absolute beauty of this p...
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All Things Yummy

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If you know me... Then you know I L-O-V-E to eat. If I ever figure out how to get paid to review food, then you'll probably never see me again! But until then, here's some quick comments and of course pics of all the delicious things from our week. MexCal (Reno) - Don't knock it, til you've tried it. Octopus cooked right is delicious.  The Chart House - The view is just as amazing as the food. Prime rib was good. (I wouldn't say the best I've ever had) Tom said the Chilean sea bass was a 10 out of 10.  Hell's Kitchen - Our 3rd time eating at a Hell's Kitchen. We order the same thing because if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Beef Wellington and lobster risotto doesn't get any better than this.  A Noodle restaurant we just happened to stop at somewhere between Lake Tahoe & Reno that turned out to be amazing! We couldn't even pronounce what we ordered 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣 La Strada (Reno) - we ordered the mushroom ravioli as an appetizer. After we a...
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Wasting Time

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We flew into Reno a day before our check-in day at Lake Tahoe. We had planned on checking out everything Reno had to offer that evening but found ourselves too tired to leave the room except to grab a bite to eat. It was also enough time for us to decide Reno wasn't a town we too much cared for. Maybe we were too quick to judge but it seemed dirty and not the safest.  Some vacations feel like we have every minute planned out, but with this one, it was more of a surprise to us both what we decided on doing. The next morning, thanks to a 3 hour time difference, we were awake way too early. After a quick search of best day trips from Reno, I knew exactly the town I wanted to see to "waste time" - Virginia City.  The drive to Virginia City was an adventure all on its own. The road is steep and winding and offers beautiful views along the way.  As I seem to say in almost all of my posts... Pictures do not do this little town justice. When you pull in, be prepared to feel like ...
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Maybe a Mini-Pigeon Forge

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Let me start with a preface. I have a confession and probably an unpopular opinion: I'm not a fan of Pigeon Forge. Sorry, not sorry. First, I have the patience of a 3 year old. Probably, to be even more specific, I have the patience of a hungry, sleepy, 3 year old. So waiting in traffic is not something I do well and we all know that no matter when you visit the Pigeon Forge area, traffic is horrible. Then, once you finally do get settled in, everything is so expensive!! It's just not how I like to spend my time. So when someone recommended we visit Helen, Georgia and then, unknowing of my opinion, described it as a "mini Pigeon Forge", I internally cringed. But thankfully this person kept giving us details about Helen and as if they could read my internal cringing on my face, he followed up with "...there's not as much traffic and the food is amazing" - and now cue my full, undivided attention.  The first thing you will notice if you google Helen, GA ar...
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