This summer Walker and I might finally be heading out to Philadelphia! We have been wanting to plan a trip for quite a while to visit some friends there but we could never settle on a time to go. Turns out Walker has a conference there for work so it’s the perfect time to make a trip out of it. I wish there was a way I could get my plane ticket paid for also. Anyone know of any shops I could visit with while I’m there to make it a business trip? Kidding, but I do want to hear of cool shops!
I honestly have no idea what to expect. I’ve heard a few stories but not quite enough to have a good picture of what I think it would be like. Luckily our friends will know where to take us but I like to be a little prepared with a few places to eat and a few fun must sees around the city.
This is where you come in! I’d love to hear any recommendations you have of what to see, eat, where to shop and any other fun thing you can think of! Let me know in the comments below or feel free to message me privately if you’d prefer. I love talking about travel and I love hearing what other people think are the cool places to go.
We are traveling to a few more places this summer within the US but mostly places I’ve been to. I’ll be sure to share some fun places you might want to head to. Don’t miss out! Make sure to sign up for my newsletter so I can send you updates. Also I have a new collection launching soon and that’s where I’ll be sharing all the details.
I thought it would be really fun to share some behind the scenes info with you. It’s easy to look at a piece and say oh that’s pretty but when we can see the work behind it I feel that’s when we can really start to appreciate the details.
First I start my cutting out all 3 shapes out and then I make the tiny internal cuts before hammering everything. The Australia is so small that almost every time I hammer it, it will go flying across the room. It sounds funny but when I have to get on my hands and knees to search the floor I’m certainly not laughing.
Once I locate the tiny Australia I drill all 8 tiny holes. Then all edges get sanded and smoothed out and all 3 pieces go in the tumbler with other jewelry to get even smoother and all shiny.
Finally all 3 shapes slowly come together with 3 jump rings until the World Map is together. The remaining 2 jump rings attach the chain to the map.
The last stage of the process is to package the necklace up and ship it out to a lover of maps, a world traveler, someone that wants to see the world, or someone always on the hunt for something unique and beautiful.
The World Map Necklace also comes in gold fill and you can find it and other beautiful pieces in the shop.
I’ve only been one time. It was a trip to visit New Orleans before I moved away from Austin. It was memorable because I got really sick (and it’s not what you think).
I traveled there with a coworker/friend of mine and her family. They were planning on being at Jazz Fest all weekend and I figured a ride along would be a great time to see the city while I was still within driving distance. It was late April and the weather was incredible. It was sunny and warm but not hot and humid which is what I had been told the weather is typically like.
The first night there we were invited to an epic crawfish boil at the house of one of their family friends. It was incredible. There were 3 big tables set up with crawfish, potatoes, corn, and sausage. There was beer and wine being served. The house and backyard were big and beautiful. I felt super special to be there and had a really nice time. I was caught up in all the fun so when someone asked if I wanted to try the grilled oyster I said yes! This despite the fact that the last time I ate oysters I was up all night with bad stomach cramps and getting sick.
I didn’t think about it too much until an hour or so after I went to bed. My stomach pains woke me up and I knew exactly what it meant. I headed into the bathroom to wait until I needed to puke. It was miserable. I took turns laying down and standing up to get faster results. I assumed after it happened maybe I’d be ok. Nope. It happened again and again all night long. Not the best time to confirm an oyster allergy.
Let me say this under normal circumstance a night like that would suck badly. As it were I was in an old house in a new city with mostly people I didn’t know. Since the house was old there wasn’t a lot of noise cancelling and every time I had to run to the bathroom I felt terrible in case I was keeping anyone up but also embarrassed knowing I’d have to explain it all the next day so everyone didn’t just think I got hammered! I didn’t just in case you were wondering.
Finally sometime around dawn the pain subsided and I was able to get a little bit of sleep. The next day I was tired and still a bit shaky from my long night but I was ready to explore the city. The rest of my trip was great and the upside of being sick during the night was that I didn’t miss anything during the day.
Despite that awful night I had a really fun trip. I got to try the famous snow cones, I had a poboy, we ate beignets, and on the last day we all enjoyed Jazz Fest together!
It’s nice that even some of the worst moments can be wrapped up in some of the best experiences. It’s a good reminder that things don’t always go the way you planned but it doesn’t mean the whole thing is ruined. I’m sure glad I didn’t let that night define my trip because when I look back all I have are fond memories.
Do you have any Louisiana or New Orleans stories? I’d love to hear them! Reply to this message and share away. Also I have plans to head back this summer with Walker (his first time) and I’d love to know what else we should do there if you have any recommendations.
Want to take a look at my old posts from that trip? Head here and here.
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