New York City

New York City was a bit of a whirlwind since we were only there for about 36 hours.  We headed directly for Brooklyn to our friend (and wedding minister) Kristina’s apartment.  Kristina and Amy were one foot out the door for a trip to London, but we got to catch up with them for a little while before they left for the airport.

That evening we went to our first and favorite date spot, John’s of 12th Street.  I won’t try to list every little thing we love about this little Italian place.  Highlights will do.  First, it has been in operation for over 100 years.  The food is absolutely OUT. STANDING.  It’s a cozy, comfy spot in any season, and we love the quirky staff.

The next day, we had a little adventure around lower Manhattan.  We stopped by the Occupy Wall Street camp to see exactly what was going on.  It was a very organized and peaceful camp with all sorts of people talking about all sorts of different economic issues.  Most folks seemed very willing to answer questions for cameras and share information on the movement.  After that we went to see the new World Trade Center.  That image is what it will look like when finished.  We saw it about half finished.  When it’s done, it will be the tallest building in the city.  We also walked around Battery Park, where you can see the Statue of Liberty.  We also found a monument to the WWII veterans who died at sea.  For lunch we ventured to downtown Brooklyn, a neighborhood called Boerum Hill.  It is the home to a wonderful middle eastern restaurant called Bedouin Tent.  I know, that’s just a Yelp! link, but they don’t have a website and as you can see, I am not the only person who loves this place.  Their pita, falafel, lamb, hummus, and salad plates are all to die for.  I know this place isn’t always convenient for people to get to on a trip to NYC, but it is every bit worth it.  After a nice nap, it was time to go uptown for a dinner date with Stacey.  We were in the mood for sushi, so we met Stacey at amber, which is near her Upper West Side apartment.  Judging by the website, it looks like a great place right?  Evidently they put all of their money into decor and advertising, which was a shame.  The fish was average and the rice under the sushi pieces fell apart in the soy sauce

NYC was a quick stop for us, but we had a great time as always.  We’ll be back soon to see the people and the places!

 

Denver

On Sunday 10/2, we caught a morning flight to Denver, Colorado.  We landed a major bargain on a hotel there.  Turns out, you get what you pay for.  The whole place smelled like smoke and cheap air freshener.  We had a pool view room.  Unfortunately, the pool was half empty (yes, half empty) and had a rainbow-y layer of oil across the top.  This was accented by a table and chairs made completely out of milk crates.  All-in-all, quite a stay.  That first night, we met up with our friend Beth who is new to the city.  We found a nice little pizza and wine place called Lala’s for dinner in her neighborhood.

The following day, we decided to sleep in before starting a day in the city.  We found a good groupon deal for a place in town and decided to give it a try.  At first glance it didn’t look like much, but once we found the entrance to The Lobby, we were instantly impressed.  You pass through a quaint courtyard into a well kept and spacious classic building.  It was another beautiful day on the trip, so we opted to sit out on the patio which was a little fenced in part of the courtyard.  They were serving brunch and lunch, so it was the perfect first meal and it was delish!  We’d recommend this place to anyone visiting or living there.  After refueling, we set out on an urban hike!  Since we were planning a hike for the next day, we took in the city while walking to Denver’s flagship REI store.  We had heard that Estes Park would be a good place to take a day trip when we were picking up our rental car, so we decided to stop by the map guru at REI for details.  This woman definitely knew her stuff.  She didn’t just equip us with maps, she helped us with routing, hiking suggestions, and parking lot secrets.  This is where we learned that Estes Park is a tourist trap and that for a nice day hike, we needed to get INTO Rocky Mountain National Park.  We spent the rest of city day wandering around and getting ready for our hike.

We were up and at ‘em at a bright 5:30 the next morning.  We picked up Beth, got coffee and went on our way.  We drove through Boulder, which looks like a great city and through Roosevelt National Forest, which is beautiful.  We took a really nice, scenic, but less direct road, which was a bit scary in a small car.  Once we reached Estes Park, Gus decided he wanted to buy a new pair of shoes since his were a bit too worn out for the trails.  Beth and I poked around the cute tourist town and enjoyed the little shops and book store.  From there, we drove a little ways into Rocky Mountain National Park and parked near Bear Lake.  We hiked just under 4 miles round trip.  There were amazing views throughout and we hit three lakes along the way: Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake.  Most of the trees there are evergreens, but the others were definitely changing colors.  We saw a touch of orange and lots of yellow patches all over.  We were also lucky to be there during elk season and saw one on our drive in.  All of the lakes were really wonderful and different from each other.  Nymph Lake was small and full of lily pads.  Dream Lake was long and narrow with lots of spotted trout and some folks fishing.  Emerald Lake was at the end of the trail and was surrounded by huge ridges, some with glaciers/ice on them.  It was the perfect place to stop for lunch and a nap.  We made some furry friends along the way, too.  The chipmunks in the park were very social with all of the hikers.  I even had a couple soliciting for some bagel.  They were all SO CUTE.  See cutie below.

That was about it for Denver.  Next stop: New York City!

San Francisco

First of all, our apologies for not posting yet!  Pictures from the trip and the wedding are on their way, but we have had some technical difficulties.  They will be up as soon as possible.

As we said before, San Fran was not just a stop for us.  Our friends, Lorinda and Mike got married!!  We arrived in town on Thursday (9/29) afternoon and checked in to the lovely Courtyard Marriott in the financial district where the staff were lovely.  We even got upgraded to a city view room on the 17th floor.  Although, on our way, we were met by the Occupy San Francisco protest after just exiting the BART.  That evening, we met the couple and other weddings guests for an informal dinner and cocktails.  Lorinda and Mike made all guests welcome bags with lots of local goodies like Calestoga water and Ghiradelli chocolates.  After beginning the evening there, we joined friends, Julia and Matt at an unlikely Chinatown gem.  The restaurant was called Penang Garden and it is famous for a dish called “Angry Crab”.  Crabs were apparently out of season, so we settled for a lobster in its stead.  We also ordered the feast you’ll see in our photos.  This place was fantastic.  The food was wonderful.  We got fantastic service and we knew it was legit when we realized we were the only English speakers in the building.  The group left full, satisfied, and ready for bed time.

On Friday, we had a fabulous breakfast on the Embarcadero (the road along the water’s edge) at the Market Bar.  It was located at the beautiful old Ferry Building.  After a hearty breakfast, we were ready to take on the city!  We walked along all of the piers to Pier 39.  Pier 39 struck us as too touristy for our tastes, but we had fun watching all of the sea lions that hung out in the area.  After that we tackled the extremely steep Hyde Street on a trip to see famous Lombard Street – the crookedest street in the world.  It was a pretty intense climb, but absolutely worth it.  We took the small stair path down and took lots of great photos along the way.  After letting our legs rest, we took a walk through Chinatown, checking out the food markets and shops full of trinkets.  We made a bonus stop at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory (link is a video), which is basically located in an alley.  You can watch them stuff, and fold the cookies by hand once they come out from baking on a conveyor belt.  For 50 cents, you can take a photo and they’ll give you a hot fresh cookie that hasn’t even been folded yet! That evening was rehearsal dinner for the wedding which was held at a large and seemingly popular restaurant called the Epic Roasthouse.  Our party had an upstairs room and balcony reserved with a beautiful view of the water and the Bay Bridge.  The food was EXCELLENT and it was a lovely evening with great company.  Jessica Simpson happened to be eating at the restaurant and we could see her from the balcony.  Apparently there was also a naked man riding by on a bicycle, but we didn’t bother getting up for that one.

Saturday was wedding day for the happy couple!  The ceremony was held at St. Dominic’sCatholic Church (established 1873).  It is a beautiful gothic style church and it is HUGE.  It was a beautiful ceremony and of course, we wish our best to Lorinda and Mike.  Later in the afternoon, we boarded a pretty fabulous yacht for the reception.  Everyone enjoyed a dinner cruise around the bay with amazing views of everything including the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Pacific Ocean, Coit Tower, Sausalito, and the  city skyline.  We hit some crazy waves once we crossed to the Pacific, but no one went overboard.  It was a fun evening of dinner and dancing that will not be forgotten.

Congratulations again to Lorinda and Mike on their new journey!!

 

Tour Dates: Official Announcement

We have booked all of our travel for our Honeymoon US Tour

First stop, San Francisco (9/29-10/1).  We’ll be flying to the bay not just to see the city, but to be a part of another wedding!  My college roommate, Lorinda, is getting married and I am her maid of honor.  Since Gus has never been to San Fran, we’ll be trying to get in as much sight-seeing as we can.  Luckily Lorinda and Mike’s wedding reception is a dinner cruise all around the bay.

Second stop, Denver (10/2-10/4).  Gus loves Denver’s natural scenery and I’m sure I will too.  We’re looking forward to a few relaxing days exploring the city and the mountains.  We’ll also be visiting our friend Beth, who is about to make her transition to the Rockies from New York City.

Third stop, New York City (10/5-10-7).  New York for us, is filled with sights, friends, and John’s on 12th Street.  John’s is where we had our first real date and we plan to stop there on each and every trip to the city.  We’ll be staying in Brooklyn with our friend Kristina, who was also our minister!

Fourth stop, Philadelphia (10/7-10-8).  I have been fortunate to spend lots of time in the city of brotherly love.  My dad grew up in the suburbs and my parents met at Drexel University.  Gus has also come to love the city even after his first vist during what was basically a blizzard.  We’ll be staying in a little town called Media and gathering the local Campbells for a party!

Fifth stop, Fayetteville, NC (10/9-10/10).  This is the home of my Aunt Teresa (yes, it is confusing at holidays) and Uncle Herb, who double as my God parents.  I spent many, many Christmas vacations there as a little T.  We’re excited to get an extra visit in with them before the whole family gets together in December per tradition.

Sixth and final stop, Summerville, SC (10/11-10/12).  Gus’ Aunt Gloria and Uncle AG, who are HIS God parents are also opening their home to us.  We’ll get to see some cousins and Grandma Lupe and I will get to see South Carolina from outside of a car!

If you are going to be in/around these places when we are, we would really love to see you and celebrate with you.  Let us know so that we can make plans to see as many people as possible!!  This info is also avaiable on the tour tab within the map we posted.

We’re Hitched!!

Let’s call the wedding week a HUGE success!

The Alvarados and the Campbells all got together at Surfside Beach where we all got to “eat, drink, and be married”.  We had swimming and sand castles, grilling and games.  The boys caught some dinner in the ocean and we’ll blog about that soon.  The local water may not have been clear, but everyone had a blast.

On Saturday, June 25 was wedding day.  Gus spent his afternoon lounging.  I spent my entire day getting ready!  Okay, maybe I had some afternoon wine.  It was warm and sunny outside.  We really couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.  The ceremony was held just outside of one of the beach houses around 7:30pm.  With some gorgeous flowers marking the altar, our minister Kristina led a short but very, very sweet ceremony.  There were definitely spectators looking on from other houses, but we enjoyed the otherwise small and intimate audience.  After exchanging vows, rings, and a kiss, we had photos and a toast overlooking the beach and ocean.  The group then caravan’d to dinner at the Red Snapper Inn where everyone enjoyed some really amazing seafood and of course WEDDING CAKE!!

We could not have asked for a more relaxing and beautiful time.  Thank you to everyone who has sent love our way!  We love you all and we’re excited to continue sharing the journey with everyone. 

Cheers!

The NEW Mr. and Mrs. Alvarado  !

Welcome!

Thank you for coming to visit us!  We’re very excited to share this exciting time with everyone.  While we’ve chosen to have a very small wedding day, we are using this website as well as our honeymoon tour and other travels to share the experience with our friends and family.

Click on the different tabs above to see what we have going on.  We’ll try to keep the photos updated especially as we travel.  Check out the tour map to see where we’ll be and when.  It also has lots of other places that are special to us.  This home page will be where all of these posts land, so look for any and all updates here!

We hope this can be a fun and useful resource for everyone, but please let us know if there is something you think we should add.  We are looking forward to everything ahead and hope that this can be a successful way to share our upcoming adventures. 

Love you all!

Teresa & Gus