Monthly Favorites: October

Anyone else completely awed by the fact that it's almost November already? Holy smokes, this year is flying by! As the weather cools off, I tend to go into hibernation mode though, so maybe that will help slow things down a bit. Anyway, here are some of my favorite things this month. 

Song: Jamie Lawson- Wasn't Expecting That
Usually I like to post upbeat songs to kick off the weekend, but if I'm being honest, this one has been on repeat for me lately and I LURVE it. I also love that it was produced on Ginger Man Records- Ed Sheeran's record company. Such a sweet song, and wonderful voice.

Recipe: I make these Halloween Oreo Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes annually, and they are incredibly delicious, and super easy. You can find the recipe here.

Print: Love this, and will be hanging it up at my Halloween party tonight!

Purchase: I was so excited to get ticket to see Sara Bareilles for her one night album release concert!

Steal: Thanks to Alyssa, who told me about BBW Buy One, Get One FREE 3 wick candles, +25% off. I seriously only buy these like twice a year because they're kind of expensive, but I love them so much! I may have gone overboard, but I don't even care.

Craft: My inner crafter seems to be dead, but I did iron on some letters and hand-print paint a plastic sheet for a Halloween decoration, so that kinda counts, right? 

Funnies:

What are you doing for Halloween?

How To Do Philadelphia in 24 Hours (or less)

A while ago, I did a post titled "How To Do Rochester, NY in 24 Hours (or less)." Rochester is not a place most people would "plan" to go visit, but I like the unusual, and we found that there were definitely fun things to check out (even though we originally went for a "garbage plate"). Quick trips are kinda my thing. Obviously, Philadelphia is a bit different. Tons of people flock here just for the tourism. Here are some tips for a whirlwind trip to Philadelphia.

1. Hit up a festival

There are so many, every weekend, in nearly every part of the city. Last weekend, for instance, they had their first annual Cheesesteak Festival. Over 25,000 people showed up to stuff their faces with the city's most treasured food. It was cool because you got food tickets in advance, and the vendors had cheesesteak in small sample sizes. Of course the lines for some of the most well known establishments such as Tony Luke's and Dalesandro's were SUPER long, the fact that they had pre-cut the bread and just had to stuff them when you got to the front "wit or "wit-out" (onions) made the lines move faster. Also, I had the pleasure of meeting Steph from Life According to Steph and Marla from Luck Fupus! 

stuffing my face, meeting Tony Luke,  hanging with Steph and Marla

After the Cheeseteak Festival Blue and I headed to Love Park, and I heard music and saw strings of light across the street so I wanted to check it out. We stumbled into ANOTHER (much smaller, laid-back) festival. This one was called Soultoberfest. They had live bands, German inspired beers and snacks, and games (life-size Jenga, Connect 4, boccie, and cornhole). It was perfect for winding down after the day.

2. Go to LOVE Park 

When planning this trip, I said I HAD TO go to 2 places. This was one of them. Yes, I know it's a completely tourist thing to do, but I didn't care. Be forewarned though, it was full of some really sketchy characters. And there was some weirdo who I think was making money off of people handing him their camera/phones to take the picture? And a LINE? Uh, no thank you. I asked another couple standing nearby to swap with us- we'll take theirs if they take ours, and we were in and out in 5 minutes. 

3. Go See the Magic Gardens

The other place I mentioned I NEEDED to see was The Magic Gardens. Blue though this was just a regular garden, with flora and stuff. She went ahead with it even though she though it would be like most gardens, and didn't bother looking it up online. 

4. Utilize Airbnb. 

When looking for places to stay in Philly, the hotels were upwards of $300. What now? No. I've been hearing about Airbnb for some time, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it out. For $90, we got to stay in a studio apartment in Center City. The place was clean, the host was nice, and flexible with our arrival/departure, and she even left us a list of come cool coffee shops, stores, bars/restaurants in the area, along with public transportation info (not that we used it, but it was nice that she included it). Most importantly, it was exactly as the "ad" described. We searched solely for places that offered the entire space. Also, we've already booked our next stay for our Bourbon Trail adventure in KY. (If you use the link above, we both get a $20 credit!)

5. Stay in a fun (and safe) neighborhood. 
If you're not sure where that might be, ask around. I knew I wanted to be walking distance to vintage shops, coffeehouses, and divey bars/cheap eats, so when searching on Airbnb, I went first by price, then on location. I knew I did NOT want to be on the other side of the river, or by the super tourist-y (and expensive) area by the Liberty Bell and stuff. Luckily, I was able to find an apartment to stay near all the things I wanted. 

this picture has nothing to do with anything, but silly pictures are always fun

These are the things I did last weekend. Of course, you could always go the historic route and see where the Constitution was signed, or visit The Liberty Bell. Did you know the Rocky stairs are at the Philadelphia Art Museum? I've never climbed them, but if that's your thing, go for it! And the Philadelphia Zoo is definitely worth checking out. And if you're really at a loss, I'm sure Philly resident Steph could give you even more ideas :) 

Have you been to Philly? What's on your "must-see" list? 

The Story Behind the Pic(s)

Sometimes I take pics and don't share them anywhere because they wouldn't make sense to anyone else, and that is why I really like Elle's idea of sharing the story behind the pic. Even though they say "a picture is worth a thousand words," sometimes you need the words to fully appreciate the pic. So today I'd like to share a few recent ones and their (short) stories.

This picture is from the weekend. It is a recreation of the pic that was shared in January from a road trip where I ate a "garbage plate." Since I'm pretty small in stature, people tend to think I don't eat. That's not true at all, and it's a running joke that given enough time (because I'm a slow eater), I can pack a lot in. Anyway, this was basically a heart attack on several plates, including 2 eggs, country fried steak, corned beef hash, potatoes, and biscuits. I couldn't eat all the potatoes, but I'd say I definitely did some damage to the rest.

This pic is also from the weekend. It was my first time using Airbnb, and the host had one bed and one air mattress. The following morning, I threw myself onto the air mattress to try to get the air out quicker,... and got trapped in it. I quite literally was folded into it like a taco or Dani dog.

I also made my way over to Love Park over the weekend and found Jesus. At first, he was just walking along the edge of that fountain in the background, dragging his cross (which had a wheel on the bottom). Then he waited in line to pose with the iconic Love statue. I thought this was ridiculous, so I posted it to IG, where Beth told me that that was "Philly Jesus." I didn't know such a person existed, but I assume he's like "The Naked Cowboy" in Times Square? He has his own Twitter and Insta, so you can find and follow his adventures too if you'd like. 

original caption: "We found Jesus. Have you? He's in Philly."

A few weeks ago, I went to Brotherhood, America's Oldest Winery. It was a Sunday. They had a building which used to be a church which they now use as a secondary tasting room. Now, I'm more spiritual than I am religious, and don't regularly attend church. I'm one of those major holidays only types. So I burst out laughing when Blue mentioned that my momma would be proud because I was actually at church on a Sunday. (Also, our tour guide's name meant Sunday in French, which just added to the humor.)

How about you? Any stories to share with the class today?

Into The Pint Glass: Pumpkin Beers

I love the prompt for Into The Pint Glass this time around. As you may know, one of my Fall Bucket List items was to drink allthepumpkinales, and while I certainly didn't try them all, I did try a bunch of them! 

Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale- Portland, ME  

ABV: 4.5%

Shipyard is a crowd pleaser, and their pumpkin ale is on point. It's a good, easy to drink beer. Moderate pumpkin flavor and not too overpowering. Hint of spicy graham cracker/ginger snap cookie. Cinnamon and sugar. 3.5 stars. 

Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale- Brooklyn, NY 

ABV 5% 

Tasted like dead vegetables. A bit more sour than spicy; not very pumpkin-y. Dry, bitter, earthy (but not in a good one). I heard that the 2015 version is better; more pumpkin flavor, less sour, but obviously I didn't have that one. 2 Stars. 

River Horse Hipp O Lantern Imperial Pumpkin Ale- Ewing, NJ 

ABV 8.1%

I wanted to like this one more than I actually did. It was malty with some light pumpkin and some moderate spicing including cinnamon and some nutmeg. The pumpkin + spices were mixed well, but the alcohol was too present and the after taste was a bit harsh. 2.5 stars.

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale- Denver, CO 

ABV 5.7%

Simple, pleasant, light beer. More of a citrusy-pumpkin taste that would be noted coming from Blue Moon. It's not overly sweet and it tastes kind of fruity, like light pumpkin and malt with a light spice finish. A solid pumpkin ale; very smooth and easy to drink.

Magic Hat Wilhelm Scream- South Burlington, VT 

ABV 5.4%

I'll admit that I wanted to try this because of the label and because usually I like Magic Hat. Nope, nope, nope. Not a favorite. Bitter after taste that kind of ruined my initial reaction and wouldn't go away. Lacked pumpkin flavor, and was overall pretty bland. This is one of the weakest pumpkin beers I have had. 2.5 stars. 

The Bruery Autumn Maple- Placentia, CA: 

ABV: 10%

This is listed as a pumpkin/yam beer. It's more of a rich malty brown ale with syrup and spices (much as I would imagine a "maple" one to taste like). It was more sweet than spicy; a little too sweet for me. 2.5 stars.

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale- Easton, PA 

ABV 8% 

Great cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices, but mixed well with the pumpkin flavor. Definitely heartier and spicier than some of the others on this list.  It Had a brown sugar sweetness followed by a dry spice finish. Body is heavier with a foamy feel. Definitely best for someone who appreciates the spices of the season. 3 stars.

Stoudt Pumpkin Fest- Adamstown, PA

ABV: 5%

Honestly this tastes like a PSL in beer form. I originally thought it was a bit too spicy (very ginger-y/allspice taste), but it grew on me. It's a good mix of pumpkin and Oktoberfest.  3 stars.

Southern Tier Brewing Company Pumpking- Lakewood, NY

ABV 8.6% 

Fall in a glass. Perfect mix of original pumpkin flavor, vanilla, clove and nutmeg. Smooth, but packs a good punch. Possibly my favorite pumpkin beer in the patch! 4 stars.

I love trying new beers, and I love tracking them with the beer app Untappd. Are you on there? You can find me @lildesiqua! 

Do you like seasonal ales? What's your favorite?

Fall Tag // Friday Favorites

I've seen this Fall Tag thing going around, and wanted to participate, but there were two different lists, so I just took my favorites from each!

Favorite thing about Autumn? There's a chill in the air, and I love the colors in the trees and fashion.  

Favorite Autumn drink? Pumpkin pie martini

Favorite Autumn candle? Sweater Weather and Leaves, both from Bath & Body Works

Favorite Autumn snack? Apple Cider Donuts and Pumpkin Pie

Favorite makeup look? Just dark eyeliner and berry or a wine colored lipstick

Favorite item of clothing? Chunky scarves and cardigans, and hoodies. 

Most worn sweater? My owl one from Target. I love it. 

Favorite Halloween Costume? the Freudian Slip I wore last year :)

What is the best fall memory you have? Uhh, I have a lot, but one of my favorites was about 3 years ago when me and some of my favorite people had a Fall Day Trifecta. We went apple picking, then to a wine festival at Unionville Vineyards, and then out to Joe's Crab Shack. This pic was taken in the car after the wine festival. It was pretty much a perfect fall day.

Favorite Thanksgiving food? EVERYTHING! I think if I really had to choose it would be between stuffing and mashed potatoes. There needs to be gravy over it though. Yummm.

What song really gets you into the fall spirit? Recently, Let It Go- James Bay

Favorite fall TV show? I just started getting into Blindspot, and so far I'm really liking it! And of course The Mindy Project. 

Skinny jeans or leggings? — Jeggings, the best of both worlds!

What do you think about Black Friday? — I'm more of a Cyber Monday person. All those lines and crowds, no thank you. 

Confessions

On Wednesdays, we confess. So let's get right into it: 

I don't like live versions of songs on Youtube. I can hear the crowd over the singing and it's annoying.

I'm very anti-Snapchat solely because I think it was made initially as a cheating app since the image disappears after viewing (unless of course you take a screenshot). But I feel like my IG feed hardly ever updates anymore and it makes me sad. Is everyone moving over to Snapchat from IG? 

In relation, I confess that I will delete a picture (that doesn't have personal meaning) if it doesn't get 11 likes. 

Did you know that moisturizer can expire? I had stopped using mine for awhile, and when I went to use it the other day, I was like what the heck? Why is this all goopy? Maybe it just needs a good shake. *shakes furiously*  UGH Seriously? *gives up until later in the week, tries again unsuccessfully* WHY? *checks bottom- expired in April* Oh... 

I went on a Netgalley tear the other day after realizing that I forgot to send my previous e-books to Kindle and now they are archived. I figured they wouldn't let me have a lot this time because of that, but I guess they're being lenient because now I have too many again. This time though, I updated my planner with all the archive dates/reading deadlines so they don't sneak up on me again.

I was listening to the radio the other day, and this woman was asking if she was wrong to break up with a guy she was seeing because he's a Jehovah's Witness and doesn't celebrate Halloween or his birthday, I think among other things. At first I thought it was ridiculous, but the more I thought about it, the more I agreed that I would certainly break up with that person. I like Halloween and having the option to dress up if I want to, and I freaking LOVE my birthday and typically celebrate it for a week. And I'd want my significant other to participate in these things with me. (Not my week-long bday celebration, just the day. And Halloween stuff.)

Remember that time I was worried about my job? Well, my manager and another coworker approached me about dividing my time and working for another department (IT) and my current role at least temporarily since one of the other department's guys left and they can't find a decent replacement.  I'm thrilled because I get to learn more skills, but also a little nervous since I have zero experience in that field. 

This is hanging in my work bathroom and makes me rage almost daily. HOW do I work in a place where people can't even spell "toilet" correctly?

What are you confessing today?  

NY State of Mind

My weekend actually started on Wednesday night. I celebrated National Dessert Day with a delicious brownie sundae and kicked off my long weekend with an apple cider whiskey sour [recipe here]. I wish I could say it was amazeballs, but it was just "meh." I think maybe it needed more apple cider. Either that, or I'm more of a 2-ingredient or less type of drinker. 

brownie sundae before/after, and apple cider whiskey sours

Thursday morning I was up and out early-ish with a 3-hr road trip up to the Hamptons. Though it's mostly known  as a beach/vacation spot, I obviously wasn't going for the beaches. Blue's friend has a house in East Hampton, and I was looking forward to some leaf-peeping on the ride and a relaxing weekend getaway, and it was just that. (I didn't take any pics of the house, as it's a private residence and all, but it was ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. 180 degree jets in all the showers, a wading pool, Jacuzzi, fireplace inside and firepit outside, an open floor plan with huge windows allowing sunlight in from every angle, with an ornate back-splashes in the kitchen matching the frame of the fireplace, and soothing colors: a pale blue in the bathroom, a soothing light green in the living areas all around. Oh, and books stacked/lined sporadically throughout the space. Not to mention a downstairs apartment just as lavish and modern as the upstairs area.)

Montauk Brewing Co., random windmill, and Montak Point Lighthouse

Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not on board with my leaf-peeping aspirations. (Honestly, I just really like the term "leaf-peeping." Though it sure does get pretty in New England if you can catch it at the right time.) Everything was mostly green, which is why there are no tree pics. Being that we were farther in New England territory, I was craving a lobster roll. Much to my dismay, the place I wanted to go, The Lobster Roll, was closed due to... filming? It looked like there was definitely a movie being filmed there- trailers and ginormous spotlights included. So we made our way over to The Clam Bar, which was divey and casual in the best possible way. We had a wonderful lunch outside and it was absolutely perfect. After filling our bellies, we headed over to the Montauk Point Lighthouse. It was supposed to be open until 4:30, but when we arrived around 3, everything was locked up. We took a mini hike up a back route thanks to Blue's friend, snapped some photos, and continued on to Montauk Brewing Co. 

my first growler and apple cider donuts

The building itself was very quaint. It was small inside, with only a few bar stools by the taps and maybe 3 cocktail tables. Outside there was much more seating, with several picnic tables (that were surprisingly full for a random Thursday afternoon). Everyone was very chill, and the weather was perfect for trying some new craft brews. We shared a flight that included the Summer Ale, Driftwood Ale, Blonde Ale, Session Ale, Harvest Ale, and Eli Canning Ale (which was such a witty name, but was absolutely horrible, just FYI). I've been to several breweries, but these guys seemed to not understand that a tasting is just that- not full glasses, just a taste so we could decide what we liked/didn't like. Though they paled in comparison to the Greenpoint Harbor Brewing Co., I was super excited to purchase my first growler! I've been wanting one for a long time, and can't wait to refill it with even more local brews (right now it's got the Harvest Ale from Montauk in it). 

lobster roll and beer at The Clam Bar, leftovers from Harvest on the Pond, and Clerks

We made a quick stop at the grocery store and our host made us burgers and sweet potato fries for dinner, and I finally watched the new Vacation movie, and Clerks (finally). Blue's friend is a huge beer aficionado, so we shared Brooklyn Brewery's Quintaceratops and The Buery's Autumn Maple, along with some Jack'O Traveler's Pumpkin Shandy. Oh, our host is also attempting to make his own ice cream. He made us a Manhattan flavored one at Blue's request, complete with year-long bourbon soaked cherries. (I didn't take any pics of the ice cream, because honestly it didn't look very appetizing- think a dirty vanilla color- but it was boozy and amazingly similar to an actual Manhattan.)  It was absolutely delicious. We stayed up late into the night just talking around the firepit. *Bliss.*

craft beer collage

On Day 2, we got a late start but then headed out to Sag Harbor. We checked out the small shops along the main drag, and had lunch at Lt Burger. This place was so cute. It looked like an old-school burger and milkshake shop, and the menu matched the surroundings. The specials were listed on the white tile walls, there were celebrity signatures on another wall, not to mention the bar stools, industrial style lamps and fans overhead, and the neon light signage. I opted for the "Mexican" burger, complete with a perfectly cooked burger, possibly the best chili I've ever had, fresh jalapenos, and a delicious avocado-mayo spread, lettuce, and tomato. It was so thick that I actually couldn't fit it in my mouth (heads outta the gutter!), and had to use a fork and knife to eat it, but it was phenomenal. 

LT Burger

It was so good that we needed a nap afterwards, so we took one. It's SO nice to be able to take a nap when you want to. Afterwards, we got ready and prepared to stuff our faces again, this time at the farm-to-table, family-style restaurant Harvest on Fort Pond. I had an amazingly fresh asparagus, mushroom and Parmesan pasta dish. The cheese was gooey, the sauce was creamy, and even the penne was cooked perfectly. I also liked that though the place seemed a little fancy, overall it was semi-casual, and they even offered a $20 wine bottle list. We closed out the night with some more drinks and finally watching Fast Times at Ridgemont High (another first for me). 

On Saturday our host wasn't feeling very well and we didn't have any definitive plans, so Blue and I left early. We came home, had leftovers, took a nap, then got ready for the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze at the Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, NY (in the Hudson Valley). I wish I could apologize for the following pic collages, but I'm not sorry. I'm only sorry that I didn't create more... there were just SO many cool things to see, but I didn't want to overload you guys! If you ever get a chance, I would DEFINITELY recommend you checking this event out! (Prepare for photo dump...)

Blaze pics

The Mummy/Dracula/Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein

ghoul and fire/ CHOO CHOO train/ ornate Irish Celtic carving

awesome grandfather clock with moving hands/ arachnophobia spider webs and mini spiders/ LochNess 

tunnel of stars/ up close star pumpkin/ ceiling

skeletal pumpkins and sunflower field

possibly my favorite scene of the night- witches and their fiery cauldron

On Sunday, we rested. It was the first time since 1999 that three different NY teams were playing on the same day- the NY Rangers, NY Jets, and the NY Mets,... not to mention the Walking Dead. It's also in the 40's outside, which means I'm already in hibernation mode (where I'm writing this from... and finishing up my growler contents- with some help). 

Rangers and Jets games, simultaneously

So... how was your weekend?

Linking up with the lovely Biana!