Crail & Anstruther, Scotland

July 27, 2016 / Mollie Jo / Leave a comment

On our trip to St. Andrews last year, we took a day trip to the seaside towns of Crail and Anstruther. So accessible and rich in history, I would absolutely recommend hopping on the bus in St. Andrews and taking the short journey.

In Anstruther, you must stop at the Anstruther Fish Bar. SO good. Pro tip – get your fish and chips to go and eat on the benches near the harbor.

In putting this post together, I was so bummed to find out that the Dreel Tavern closed. It was such a great little spot to enjoy a beer in their garden.

Such a beautiful place…

Can’t get enough of all the fab doors! And I LOVE that green and blue are so prominent.

xo, MJ

Amsterdam

July 26, 2016 / Mollie Jo / Leave a comment

Amsterdam is literally my favorite place on the planet. If I could go between Palm Springs and Amsterdam for the rest of my life, I would be one happy girl. Some of our favorite Amsterdam spots…

Begijnhof – started in 1150, by a group of women who came together to live in a religious community and care for the sick. This hidden courtyard and church are absolutely beautiful. Step inside the courtyard and you feel a bit like stepping back in time. The area is so peaceful and beautiful.

begijnhof

FOAM – a top at FOAM is always in inspiration. The photography museum of Amsterdam offers a rotating cast of exhibits and the canal house setting can’t be beat. FOAM

Foodhallen – I am obsessed with food halls and food markets. The Ferry Building in SF, Pine Street Market in Portland, Granville Market in Vancouver, Reading Terminal in Philly – I love them all. Foodhallen combines my love of all things food with all things Amsterdam. Please spend some time here on your trip!

Hutspot – They call Hutspot a concept store, it’s a really beautiful space that houses curated clothing, home goods, a cafe and even a barbershop. There’s a bar next door that I really wanted to check out, but unfortunately it wasn’t open yet when we stopped by. I think my favorite part of the experience was the Photo Booth – I really love a good Photo Booth.

hutspot

Art Zuid – the Art Zuid festival happened to be going on while we were in Amsterdam. If you’re planning to be in Amsterdam between May and September, this sculpture exhibition is absolutely worth seeing. An added bonus is that the Zuid (South) district in Amsterdam is beautiful!

artzuid

CT Coffee & Coconuts – this cafe was built in a former theater and is one of the most interesting spaces I’ve ever been to. AND, the food is delish!

Stach – You can now find outposts of Stach all over the city. Such a great place to pop into for a sandwich, snack or bottle of wine. The Stadionplein location just opened and looks super cute!

Stedlijk – The Stedlijk Museum is a must for any design lover. Check the website for current exhibitions, and put this on your must do list!

stedlijk

Enjoy!

xo, MJ

PDX FOOOOOD: Hop & Vine

April 27, 2016April 24, 2016 / Mollie Jo / Leave a comment

Sticking with the summer theme this week – the patio at Hop & Vine is summer staple! Plenty of seating, great beer & wine selection, and a REALLY good burger. It’s a little weird that you have to order both food and drinks at the bar, but the patio and the burger are totally worth it! If you’re in the mood for a bar crawl, Old Gold is right down the street and is another good go to.

xoxo,

Bring on Summer!

April 25, 2016April 24, 2016 / Mollie Jo / Leave a comment

The crazy nice weather last week has me so excited for summer! Living in Portland, there are endless things to experience come summer time. Below are a few of my favorite Portland summer activities:

Brew Barge – if you’ve done Brew Cycle then this is the natural next step. Grab 10 friends, a cooler of beer (or rose in a can) and head to Waterfront Park. On a beautiful day, this is an amazing way to see the city and not a bad workout either!

Oneonta Gorge – The Gorge is full of great hikes, one of the most popular in the summer is Oneonta Gorge. Make sure to go on a hot day, and go early. You’ll be completely submerged in water and it will be super packed in the afternoon.

Burgers & Brew – Portland has no shortage of food related events, and summer typically brings even more. One of our favorites last summer was Burgers and Brew in Fields Park. Be on the lookout in Portland Monthly and on Eater for upcoming events!

Barre 3 at Stoller Vineyard – This is Barre 3 in the Park taken to a whole new level. An outdoor Barre 3 class in the vineyard followed by an amazing lunch and wine tasting. I definitely hope they do this again!

Can’t wait for June!

xoxo,

FOOOOOD: La Moule

November 3, 2015November 3, 2015 / Mollie Jo / Leave a comment

If you’re looking for a little slice of Europe in PDX, look no further than La Moule. Located in a charming section of SE Clinton St. this is a gem that’s not to be missed. Now that the rain is here to stay in Portland, steaming bowls of mussels are perfect for a rain-soaked fall evening!

: Photo via Eater Portland

Hood River

March 8, 2015March 20, 2015 / Mollie Jo / Leave a comment

Last weekend we headed east to spend a couple of days in Hood River. Only a little over an hour from Portland, it truly felt like a getaway.

We stayed in the haunted Hood River Hotel…

Stopped at Multnomah Falls on the way up…

Drank lots of good beer…

: Double Mountain

: Double Mountain x Chef’s Week PDX Colab

: Everybody’s Brewing

: Pfriem

Double Mountain

Everybody’s Brewing

Pfriem

Stopped in a couple great boutiques – honestly better than I’ve found in Portland…

Plenty

Parts + Labour

And most importantly, spent a lot of quality time with good friends…

If you’re looking for a quick getaway that will feel like your 100s of miles away, Hood River is the spot.

xoxo

PS, a few more recos:

A lot of these are from the NY Times article, “36 Hours in Hood River,” that was published last year. I didn’t find out about the article until about halfway through our trip but according to this list it looks like we chose well!

FOOOOOD: Basement Pub

March 7, 2015March 7, 2015 / Mollie Jo / Leave a comment

This isn’t a food recommendation – but rather a drink recommendation. If you are looking for a dark, kinda dingy, European style pub in Portland – go to Basement Pub. ASAP.

With happy hour everyday, PBR on draft and board games – what’s not to love.

Sidenote: they have branded matchbooks to add to my collection. Tough to find these days.

xoxo

Fargo?

January 16, 2015March 20, 2015 / Mollie Jo / 1 Comment

I can honestly say I never thought I’d go to Fargo, North Dakota. But, this past September, that’s exactly what I did. Watching my little bro play football took us to yet another STRANGE place. When I searched Design Sponge to see if there was a Fargo city guide, by some small miracle there was! Such a good surprise. We didn’t have a ton of time in Fargo, but we definitely got to check out a few good restaurants while we were there. Thanks again for the awesome recos Design Sponge!

JL Beers – great place with a really interesting concept. Each of their restaurants only has 47 seats, no matter the location (it’s an ND, SD, MN mini-chain). The place was packed when we got there, but totally worth the wait. Delish burgers and fab beer selection (you’ll quickly notice that beer is a theme of my travels…) If you ever find yourself here, get the buffalo BLU chips with your burger, you will not be disappointed.

Beermail – totally genius. They have postcards at the bar that you can send to anyone, anywhere!

Wurst Bier Hall – this gem wasn’t in the city guide, but so glad we stumbled upon it. Very cool, German style bier hall – complete with das boot. This place wasn’t just cool for Fargo, it was cool for anywhere. I’d definitely go on a regular basis if it was in Portland.

locks of beer?

Rhombus Guys Pizza – college-y atmosphere, really good pizza. Very cool roof top deck that we weren’t able to take advantage of due to the weather. Great selection of beers on tap.

A few more snaps from the trip…

: Fargo Theater by day…

: …and night

: They sure do know how to tailgate at NDSU. I’ve been to a lot of college football stadiums and NDSU had some of the best tailgates and nicest fans ever.

: football in a dome is just weird

Cheyenne, Wyoming

December 30, 2014April 21, 2016 / Mollie Jo / Leave a comment

At the end of August, I went with my parents to watch my brother play football at the University of Wyoming. We stayed in Cheyenne at the Little America Inn, which was basically like a time warp. There was a ton of history, and a really cute downtown area. A few iphone pics below…