Lunch at Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor

Even though I'm a planner at heart, my favorite part about traveling and visiting new places is those unexpected discoveries that leave you smiling for days. I had one such experience at Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

If you're familiar with Zingerman's, you're probably assuming I fell head over heals for their famous corned beef sandwiches. Or maybe it was the deli cases that sucked me in. Or the hip, kitschy atmosphere. Truthfully, that was all wonderful.

Chicken salad sandwich at Zingerman's Deli

I passed on the corned beef and ordered a personal favorite: a chicken salad sandwich. It was awesome. Creamy, but not too much mayo. Lots of tender pieces of chicken and crisp celery. Perfectly seasoned. But it's not what brought a smile to my face.

Patio at Zingerman's Deli

I got to sit outside with a magazine on the sunny patio and read for pleasure for more than an hour. Which also left me very happy and content.

But what will I remember most about Zingerman's? The birch beer soda.

Creamy Red Birch Beer Soda at Zingerman's Deli

You see, when I was kid growing up in Connecticut, we spent many weekend meals visiting my grandparents for lunch or dinner. My dad is the youngest of 10 siblings, and I'm the youngest of 28 grandkids. This meant family gatherings at their apartment (oh yes, I said apartment) were high on the chaos scale. So while my mother was normally very attentive to the amount of sugary drinks my sister and I consumed, we quickly learned that she was far too distracted by the number of people crammed into a tiny space to know what type of shenanigans we were up to when we visited. (Sorry, Mom.)

And if it's one thing you could count on my grandparents to have stocked up, it was birch beer. Tons and tons of this clear, delicious root beer-type of drink. I think my sister and I guzzled it down by the gallon whenever we visited.

Given the number of grandchildren they had (and the language barrier--they only spoke French), my grandparents couldn't always show the type of individual attention or gift-giving that some grandparents shower upon their grandkids. But always having birch beer for us kids and a big, strong hug to greet us? We never doubted how much they loved us.

But between moving to Indiana (where I've never seen it in a store or on a menu), and my grandparents' subsequent passing, I haven't had a drop of birch beer since I was 10 years old. When I approached the soda dispenser at Zingerman's, I was startled to see that my typical choice of a Diet Coke wasn't there. Instead, Zingerman's serves Boylan's Fountain Soda, a specialty line of bubbly beverages. I quickly glanced at my options and when I saw "Creamy Red Birch Beer" was a choice, I think I almost fainted.

While it wasn't the same clear color I remember from my childhood, the red version tasted just the same. I think I sucked down three glasses before taking a final refill to go.

What's that people say about drinking alone?

I was far too embarassed to photograph myself drinking soda in front of all the other diners on the patio. So this was taken in the privacy of my car.

Zingerman's, I don't know if anyone has ever thanked you for offering birch beer. If not, let me be the first. It's been well over a decade since I saw my grandparents, but I sure felt them that day at lunch.

You can read more about my kid-free day in Ann Arbor here.

This post is a part of Wanderfood Wednesday at Wanderlust and Lipstick.

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A Day in Ann Arbor, Michigan Without The Kids

A few weeks ago, my sister called me out of the blue and invited me to join her in Ann Arbor, Michigan for a kid-free overnight (scheduled for the very next day). I'm sure she thought I'd say no, afterall, she's the spontaneous one in the family and this trip required jumping in the car without much thought. Not really my style.

But I hung up the phone and thought, if not now, then when? Baby Arrow's arrival is quickly approaching, and impromptu road trips will become a thing of the past (temporarily, I hope!) My sister and I both have young kids, so the time we spend together is typically consumed by wiping noses, fixing lunches, and desperately trying to get all the kids to nap at the same time (which we are rarely successful at doing). So 24 hours without those obligations and lots of time to chat in the car sounded really good.

Off we went... she was there for a conference, leaving me with several hours in beautiful Ann Arbor to roam and explore on my own. Heaven.

Kerrytown Market

I spent the first couple of hours at Sweetwaters Cafe, a coffee shop in the Kerrytown Market to finish up some writing deadlines that were breathing down my neck. While it sounds a bit boring, any stay-at-home mom will tell you that a couple of hours in a coffee shop is just about the best present you could give her.

From there, I was off to explore the shops themselves. A little too upscale for my taste, but it was fun to browse without worrying about little hands breaking valuables.

Zingerman's

Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor

By now I was hungry for lunch, so I headed to an Ann Arbor institution--Zingerman's. The deli location of this restaurant/mail order business was just a few blocks away from Kerrytown. Read more on my lunch at Zingerman's Deli here.

University of Michigan Museum of Art

Finally, I thought I'd better get myself to the University of Michigan's campus, the lifeblood of Ann Arbor. I've toured campus before: after my husband was accepted to U of M's business school for his MBA, we gave serious consideration to moving to Ann Arbor. But this time, I got to enjoy it from a tourist perspective.

University of Michigan Museum of Art

I chose to spend a quiet hour wandering through the University of Michigan Museum of Art. It was so quiet and peaceful inside. I didn't know much about the art itself (no time to plan, remember?), but it was heavenly to take my time and read about pieces that caught my eye. If you visit, don't miss the Amalia Pica exhibit. I found it totally fascinating (and modern art typically isn't my forte!)

If you're interested in more details about UMMA, I look to Dominique at Midwest Guest for all things Michigan, and she doesn't disappoint with her knowledge of UMMA.

Then I quickly breezed through the union before heading out to pick up my sister and get home to our babies. (The ride home is a story for another day... we sat in horrible traffic for three straight hours due to an accident, and what's normally a 4 1/2 hour ride quickly grew to a 7 hour extravaganza.)

Days like these are few and far between for me. That's fine--I love having The Arrow as my nearly constant companion. But their rarity makes them all the more special and appreciated. And I love rediscovering who I am as a traveler and adventurer when I'm me, and not just Mom.

This post is a part of Mondays are for Dreaming at The Mother of All Trips. Today Mara is dreaming of a bike ride around Madison, Wisconsin. I actually have one more kid-free road trip up my sleeve to that very city for a friend's wedding later this fall before I become a mom of two, and I hope to enjoy it to its fullest. I'm also dreaming of a return trip to Ann Arbor: I saw so many spots The Arrow would have loved. (I never said I didn't think about him all day...)

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Countdown to Kindergarten at the Boston Children's Museum

The Arrow starts preschool next week and last night we went to his orientation. It's hard to believe that the beautiful newborn I brought home 2 1/2 years ago is ready for school (even if it is just one morning a week)! While I'm feeling nostalgic, I'm truly looking forward to a little time to myself, hopefully catching up on writing, errands, etc. And later this year it will give me some one-on-one time with Baby Arrow.

It also helps that, for many reasons, I'm confident he's going to love every minute of it.

One of those reasons? The fact that we had to tear him away from the Countdown to Kindergarten exhibit at the Boston Children's Museum. I can't blame him, look at all the fun he had.

A whole classroom to explore!

Puzzles we don't have at home!

Practicing my doodling skills!

In three years, I'll be sending him off on one of these:

You can read a complete review of our time at the Boston Children's Museum here. And our Boston Trip Report is here.

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.
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Staying in Jamaica Plain While Visiting Boston

When I learned I had won the HomeAway Blog Away contest and we would be heading to Boston for the 4th of July, the trip was already less than two months away. Needless to say, many of the HomeAway properties in the city were already booked for that time period.

I soon narrowed our search down to ArtHouse in Jamaica Plain. I knew nothing about Jamaica Plain, but the house itself met our needs perfectly, so I took a chance and booked it.

Jamaica Plain

Jamaica Plain, photo courtesy of Wikipedia

The minute we arrived in Jamaica Plain I knew it was a perfect fit. It reminded us so much of our old neighborhood in downtown Indianapolis--lots of one and two family homes just a few inches apart from each other. It also had a diverse mix of people that we love.

Plus, we were just steps away from the Stony Brook T station, meaning we could be in downtown Boston in about 10-15 minutes. While my initial preference was to stay in the heart of the city, it was actually nice to escape it throughout the day, give The Arrow a little more room to play, and just relax a bit more than we might have otherwise.

We didn't rent a car, and we certainly didn't need one while staying in Jamaica Plain. We were just a few blocks from several grocery stores, restaurants, and other life necessities. Our favorite restaurant in Jamaica Plain was Bella Luna, which I'm sure I'll be writing about soon. Great spot for gourmet pizza, with a beautiful outdoor patio.

So Much To Do

We soon learned that Jamaica Plain is a destination in and of itself. The Sam Adams Brewery was just around the corner from ArtHouse. We tried to take the tour, but the last tour of the day on our last day of the trip was already sold out when we arrived (so book in advance or arrive early if it's on your list of things to see).

There's also Jamaica Pond, which is another attraction we didn't get around to visiting. The Franklin Park Zoo and Arnold Arboretum are both just short T rides (or long walks) away. In fact, if we would have had another day in Boston, I think we would have just spent it exploring this vibrant area.

Southwest Corridor Park near the Stony Brook T station

As it turns out, our favorite feature of Jamaica Plain was Southwest Corridor Park. It basically stretches from Back Bay to Forest Hills along the orange T line. A portion of the park was directly across the street from ArtHouse, making it incredibly convenient for our family. This section of the park featured a large, grassy space crying out for a picnic, a basketball court, a large playground and a small splash pad for cooling off. Needless to say, The Arrow insisted we make a lot of stops here as we walked to and from the T.

ArtHouse

The HomeAway rental property that we selected is called ArtHouse. It was a great two-bedroom, one-bath two-family home. We rented the first floor, while the owners live on the 2nd floor. This meant they were accessible and helpful to us if we needed anything, but yet we all had our own space and privacy.

It was decorated very nicely, was very bright and cheery, and overall, just a really comfortable and clean place to relax and rest our heads at night. Perhaps our favorite feature, although we didn't use it as much as we would have liked, was the backyard patio area. Very shady and serene, a perfect place to crack open a beer or have a glass of wine after a day of sightseeing.

Backyard patio at ArtHouse in Jamaica Plain

ArtHouse was ideal for staying in Boston with a toddler. The owners also have a young child, and we were greeted with several baskets of toys and books to entertain The Arrow during our stay. The small yard meant we had some extra space, and the proximity to the park just can't be beat.

There are many, many reasons I prefer rental properties over hotels when traveling, and ArtHouse was no exception.

Disclosure

One of the requirements of winning the HomeAway contest was that we would spend a portion of the prize money on a HomeAway rental property. HomeAway covered all of the expenses associated with renting ArtHouse. I was not required to write about our experience staying there, and all opinions are my own. If I were traveling to Boston on my own dime, I would definitely consider renting this property.

For more information on our time in Boston, read my Boston Trip Report.

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When Tragedy Hits Home

I've been feeling a bit melancholy about posting lately. In fact, this time last week I couldn't even muster the energy to hit publish on a post I had already written about our upcoming weekend plans. Nearly all my writing, both here and at Visit Indiana, involves encouraging people to get out and do fun things. So it's particularly hard to get in the right frame of mind to write when the images splashing across the news and in the paper involve crumbling stages and a growing list of fatalities at those very attractions I've written about.

Those killed and injured at the Indiana State Fair last weekend had plans for a lovely evening, enjoying live music and taking in all the wonderful aspects of a night at the Fairgrounds. Exactly the type of thing I focus on.

That night, as the weather turned ugly an hour north of my house, I, too, was listening to live music at a nearby park. No big stage infrastructure, it was just a local band playing on our town park's little stage. It all seemed so ideal and picturesque for our family: we could supervise The Arrow on the playground while my husband and I relaxed on a blanket. We even said to each other that summer nights don't get more perfect than this.

After we tucked The Arrow into bed that evening, we heard the awful news about the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair. Fortunately, everyone I knew at the concert had either already left by the time of the collapse or were seated out of harm's way. Too many others weren't so blessed.

My heart hurts for my fellow Hoosiers. This tragedy, at a venue I've attended many a concert, in a city I often go to for fun, at an annual event I've done my part to encourage people to visit, struck too close.

And yet I look at that picture above and think, isn't this what life is all about? Getting out and enjoying our families, our friends, the places we call home?

Kiss your kids every chance you get.


Take them to interesting places.


Expose them to all the world has to offer.

The world is a scary place. Staying home doesn't make it any less so. While I'm unbelievably saddened by what happened last weekend, I continue to hold these truths close to my heart. And I'll continue to write about them.

There are some amazing bloggers in Indianapolis. A few of my favorites posted their thoughts on the tragedy. I wanted to share their posts as well:

• Reflecting on the Indiana State Fair Tragedy at Just Like the Number.
• Week 18 at DesignHer Momma
• A Fair Elephant in the Room at Moosh in Indy
• My First Prayers Involving the State Fair at Heart Gone Walking
• We <3 the Indiana State Fair by Cherie Lowe at Doing Indy

This post is a part of Mondays are for Dreaming at The Mother of All Trips. I'm dreaming of better days ahead for Indiana.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow at the Indianapolis International Airport

My husband travels pretty regularly for work, and his international trips almost always begin with a Sunday afternoon departure out of the Indianapolis International Airport. So it's become a bit of a tradition to drive up, have lunch together in the sprawling atrium, and then bid him farewell for the week.

Civic Plaza

I can't say enough about how great it is to have a brand new airport terminal as your traveling homebase (even when you're not the one traveling!). The arrow loves the spaciousness of the airport's Civic Plaza. He wanders from pod seat to pod seat, crawling on top and pretending to be quite the king once he's mounted on his perch. The ceiling must be at least 3 stories above us, the windows stretch just as high, and there is ample room for everyone to feel as though their personal space isn't being invaded. There's a pretty good view of the planes pulling up to their gate, as well as phenomenal public art.

Airport Dining Recommendations

And the food is great, too. When designing the new terminal, it was determined that several food vendor slots would be dedicated to local, independent restaurants. So there's some unique local cuisine to sample while you wait for your flight. Our favorites are Cafe Patachou and Giorgio's Pizza (which you can access without a ticket since they are located in Civic Plaza), and Harry & Izzys, Shapiro's and King David Dogs in the Concourse areas (ticket required).

No one likes to be stuck in an airport, and it is certainly sad to say goodbye to dad for the week. But The Arrow and I like to make the best of things, so we've come to take comfort in our Sunday "travel" tradition!

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

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Kid-Friendly Restaurant in Cambridge: The Border Cafe

On our first full day in Boston, we ventured out to Cambridge in the evening. I love this area, mostly because I'm a sucker for cool college towns (and it really doesn't get "cooler" than the home of MIT and Harvard, does it?). But I hadn't really thought much about how I'd spend time there with a toddler until we stepped off the T into the heart of Harvard Square.

Luckily, the Around Boston with Kids book had suggested The Border Cafe as a good restaurant when visiting Cambridge with kids. So we headed straight there. I knew the minute we walked in it would be perfect for The Arrow. Why?

It was loud.

Nothing like a boisterous, busy restaurant to save parents from any embarassment caused by a fussy toddler. I never would have guessed in my kid-free days that loud restaurants would become a safe haven, but they are.

Fortunately, this wasn't the only thing The Border Cafe had going for it. The food was great too. Mostly Mexican fare, with a pinch of Cajun. Our group ordered an assortment of tacos, salads, and enchiladas and we were all pretty happy with our choices. The highlight, though, was the guacamole. Kudos to my brother in law for ordering some. I think it was the best guacamole I've ever had. (But be warned that I fall on the side of you-can-never-have-enough-cilantro.)

The Border Cafe doesn't have a designated kids menu at their Cambridge restaurant, but they were happy to make The Arrow a cheese quesadilla. Other benefits of eating here was the speedy service and a great, central location.

After a fun dinner at The Border Cafe, we walked over to Harvard's campus and let The Arrow run wild to burn off some steam. Who knows, maybe he'll end up here as a student some day. Every parent can dream!

Romping through Haaaaarvard, burning off that quesadilla.

If You Visit:
The Border Cafe
32 Church Street (Take the red line to Harvard Square.)
Cambridge, MA
Opens at 11 a.m. Monday-Saturday, noon on Sunday.
Most entrees are less than $10.
Insider Tip: I found my shrimp and crawfish caesar salad to be really spicy. If you're a wuss like me, I would ask them to tone it down a bit.

The Border Cafe has a few other locations in Massachusetts and New Jersey. Those locations appear to have children's menus.

This post is a part of Wanderfood Wednesday at Wanderlust & Lipstick.

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