Travel - Sweetphi

A Weekend at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee

Mar 28, 2017 · 6 Comments

From the gaming to the entertainment and food, Potawatomi Hotel and Casino in Milwaukee makes for such a fun weekend getaway. I am thrilled to share with you all about my stay there.

This year for my birthday my husband and I spent a weekend at Potawatomi Hotel and Casino in Milwaukee and it was so much fun!

I had only been to Potawatomi for ‘night owl’ bingo. Funny side story – I had never played bingo before in my life, the first time I went I was so overwhelmed, the calling of the numbers went so fast and I found it was hard to keep up lol, but, to the shock of my friends and self, I actually won-something like $200 so it was an all-around fun experience! I had never ventured outside the bingo hall, but had been passing the hotel & casino on the highway for years. I even remember them building the gorgeous hotel addition.

I’m so glad I got the chance to stay in the renovated hotel and experience the casino and try the restaurants, an all around super fun experience. A little history of Potawatomi, it opened in 1991 as a 40,000 square foot bingo hall. Since then, two expansions of the property have made it one of the state’s most visited entertainment destinations. Potawatomi features gaming, seven restaurants, and live entertainment throughout the property. Most recently their 19-story hotel was added which opened in 2014.

The hotel rooms were absolutely gorgeous, with stunning views of the Milwaukee skyline. The rooms were modern and clean and very comfortable. My favorite part was the chocolate on the pillow for turn down, it’s the little touches that always make the experience so special.

Let’s talk about the food!! Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s restaurants offer guests a multitude of tastes at several diverse venues, we sampled cuisine from Bella Italiana; Canal Street Cafe; RuYi, an Asian noodle and sushi bar; the four-star Dream Dance Steakhouse; and brunch at the expansive Buffet.

Bella Italiana:

At Bella Italiana we enjoyed all things Italian- spinach dip, shrimp linguine, and of course tiramisu. Bella Italiana offered a wide selection of Italian food – everything from appetizers, flatbread, pizzas and a huge wine list. Delicious!!

Canal Street Cafe:

Brunch is one of my favorite meals, and Canal Street Café did not disappoint. Canal Street Cafe offers casual dining featuring comfy, classic dishes for anyone desiring a hearty meal and a little taste of home. Canal Street Café is decorated with Milwaukee-inspired touches and offers a menu that includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant is located on the first floor of the Potawatomi Hotel. I would recommend getting the waffles – super yummy!

The Buffet:

Another great breakfast option is Sunday brunch at The Buffet. Tons of options and different stations, my favorite was the dessert selection, I mean, dessert for breakfast, how can one go wrong?

RuYi:

RuYi, which means “as you wish,” (how cute is that?) is an Asian eatery and sushi bar. I was so bummed I couldn’t eat sushi because I’m preggo, but I do have to second what my husband said “this is some of the best Asian food I’ve had in Milwaukee.” Everything was super delicious, and Nick said the General Tsos chicken was the best he’d ever had.

Dream Dance Steak:

Dream Dance Steak is a steakhouse which boasts regional ingredients, house-made cheese and a seasonal menu, along with a wine list consisting of nearly 600 worldwide wines! Our meal started out with a bread basket which came with 3 different kinds of butter (be still my heart) and continued to get better from there. The food was super delicious, and the steak, wowza, my hubby got this steak that was the biggest steak I have ever seen in my life. The surroundings were elegant and beautiful, a true steakhouse experience.

Entertainment & Gaming:

Now lets talk about the fun entertainment and gaming!

The Northern Lights Theater provides an intimate entertainment experience for guests. Nationally-known musicians and comedians get up close and personal with guests. We got to see the BoDEANS (an 80s rock bank who are originally from the area which was cool) – so fun, you would probably recognize this song (or this one), I know I did and was singing along, they opened with Fadeaway and I’ve had it stuck in my head ever since lol!

Potawatomi also offers free concerts and comedy shows at their Bar 360 and at The Fire Pit Bar and Grill every Thursday through Saturday night.

The casino was super fun – they have so many options – more than 2,600 video and reel slot machines, nearly 100 table games, 20 poker tables, a 1,350-seat bingo hall and a 5,000 square-foot off-track betting room. Below – right is Nick, I think he won like 34 cents on a slot machine lol!

Something I learned about that I thought was really special was about how much the casino gives back to the community. The casino’s signature giving program is called Heart of Canal Street and runs from August through mid-December benefiting children’s charities in southeastern Wisconsin. They raise money primarily through a special bingo game played during each bingo session during that time. Guests can opt to play the $7 or $3 dollar Canal Street Bingo game. Half of the purchase price goes to the winner of the game, and half goes into Heart of Canal Street fund. In December they announce how much they’ve raised for the benefiting charities. Last year they raised just under $1.2 million, and each charity received a little over $35,000. Since the program’s inception in 1994, they’ve raised about $17 million for hundreds of children’s groups in the area.

We had such a lovely weekend at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, I can definitely recommend a trip.

One of my favorite things were all the gorgeous Milwaukee city views, I just love this city!

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This post is brought to you by my partnership with Visit Milwaukee. A big thank you to Visit Milwaukee and Potawatomi Hotel & Casino for coordinating this weekend. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Thank you for reading and supporting the brands I partner with which make the SweetPhi blog possible.

Guide to Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ

Jan 18, 2017 · 18 Comments

Beautiful scenery, outstandingly delicious food, palm tree lined drives, and gorgeous resorts – that is how I would begin to describe my trip to the Phoenix and Scottsdale areas of Arizona. Over the holidays, my husband and I took a trip that was amazing, so today I’m going to share with you my guide to Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ: what to eat, where to stay, what to see and do.

The Phoenix and Scottsdale areas are very expansive, I loved the scenery everywhere and driving between the different cities and areas. Cacti, palm tree and rocks lined the sidewalks and streets, mountains in the distance, it’s just so pretty (and far better than looking at piles of snow)! While my husband had been to Phoenix for spring training, I had never been to the American Southwest. There was a great sale on flights, and we decided this trip was going to be our Christmas present to each other. Also, since I’m expecting we thought it would be a great time to travel, before I couldn’t anymore, so this trip was also our “babymoon”.

Where to stay:

I know first hand how hard it is to make a decision when it comes to choosing a hotel and where to stay when you’re visiting a new city, so I’m going to talk about two hotels, both of which were great. I like hotels that offer some food options and a spa. If I’m on vacation, I want to relax and not have to be traveling every two seconds, but I also want to be close to attractions.

The first hotel we stayed at was the Hotel Valley Ho. This hotel was probably one of the coolest properties I’ve ever stayed at. Stepping into the hotel was like stepping into a different era. It felt like we were stepping into a scene from the show Mad Men. The hotel went through a major renovation/restoration in 2005 that kept the signature architectural mid-century modern design in tact.

Upon checking in, we walked into our suite and kept turning to each other and saying “how cool is this?” The room was HUGE and decorated so beautifully. I literally could have moved in and never returned home lol.

The room was just ginormous, every little attention to detail was so spot on, and beautiful!!

For our first dinner, we went to the restaurant in the hotel lobby called ZuZu. Since it is their 60th anniversary, they had a special menu we ordered from. It was SO delicious <- you have to understand that at this point the only thing I had been eating was bagels and plain bread, so for me to say it was delicious, really means it was delicious!

The meal started out with a warm bread basket of rolls, they were kind of like Hawaiian rolls, but 100 times better. Then we got an appetizer. From the description, we thought it was going to be a big hunk of cheese where you dipped bread into. When the appetizer came, it was so unexpected (in a good way) – it was individual crostinis with jam and warm brie. SO good, I have it on my list to re-create, because we could not stop talking about it. Then dinner came, and it too was delicious. I was so full of bread and appetizer at this point, that I had two bites of dinner, and (forgive me hubby for sharing this) my husband ate the rest (he kept saying how good it all was, and in his defense, because of the time difference and traveling, we hadn’t eaten since breakfast!) Lastly we got dessert, but literally could not finish it lol (I did have a few small bites and can tell you it was phenomenal).

The next morning, we were awoken by the gorgeous sunrise! It was too beautiful to miss, so we opted for room service for breakfast. Gah! You guys! It was incredible. We got these drinks called ‘Frosty Orange Ho-J’s’ which was the Hotel Valley Ho’s signature breakfast drink – it tasted like a smoothie/dreamsicle/heaven. We ate breakfast and looked at the beautiful scenery.

Next on the agenda was spa treatments at the VH Spa for Vitality + Health. I had gotten my husband a fancy sounding spa treatment as a surprise for Christmas as part of our trip. I hadn’t really read the description, but thought it was just a massage. Turns out, it was really an exfoliating treatment and a massage. His description after the fact of how he had no idea he was going to be exfoliated with coffee grounds will make me laugh forever.

If you’re looking for a beautiful hotel that is an experience, this is your spot! The Hotel Valley Ho is also walking distance to tons of downtown Scottsdale restaurants (see below in the ‘where to eat’ section) and stores. Also, here is a list of what’s new in Scottsdale.

The next hotel we stayed at was the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa. If you’re looking for a family friendly hotel, this all-suite resort would be perfect! The room we stayed in was spacious and the entire resort feels like you’re in a mini village. There are so many activities on site (including a water park for the kiddos), and the whole resort has beautiful walkways – whether its from building to building or even along the road. Upon entering the resort, there’s a huge fountain, it reminded us of beautiful Vegas exteriors, even all the buildings had mini fountains in the walkways. The spa at the resort was nestled in its own building and so luxurious.

At the edge of the property there was a Tex-Mex restaurant called Aunt Chiladas (isn’t that the cutest name by the way?)

The path to the restaurant was beautifully lit at night, it was all very romantic. The food was super delicious. Mexican food at its best, and the portions were absolutely gigantic!

The Arizona Grand & Resort also has a sister hotel, The Scott Resort & Spa, which blends the upscale appeal of a downtown Scottsdale location with the casual elegance of a lush desert retreat.

Where to eat

We heard about this place called Super Chunk from a local. With glowing reviews, we just had to check it out. We went first thing in the morning because we heard they had great bagels, and that’s kind of what I’ve been living off of. As our luck would have it, they had just taken the bagels out of the oven, so we got one and some other treats. I ate (ok, more like inhaled) the entire bagel in like 5 seconds. It was the best bagel I had ever had in my entire life (and I’ve lived in NY and had some pretty awesome bagels in my day). Seriously, it was so good that I had to go get another one because I wanted Nick to try it. He graciously let me have a few bites of the second bagel too, and agreed it was crazy good. Everything we tried from Super Chunk was incredible. When we left, all I wanted to do was go back and get more bagels, I was sad I didn’t get more for the road lol.

One of the best places I/we’ve ever eaten at was True Food Kitchen. To be honest, when we sat down and saw all the sayings on the walls and our waiter said “basically we serve good for you, good food, you don’t have to feel bad about eating,” we were worried. We were worried it was going to be horrible. We ordered some of their drinks to start out with. I got a cucumber honey lemonade and Nick got a pomegranate chia limeade, holy guacamole!!! The drinks were SO good. Then the food came…Nick ordered a quinoa burger and I got a chicken noodle soup and salad. The broth of the soup was the best I’ve ever had, it was so flavorful. And the salad!!!! It had chicken, and dates, and a bunch of other healthy stuff with the best dressing. We could not stop talking about how good it was. SUCH good food, a definite must try!

If you’re looking for artisan wood fired pizza and craft beers on tap, Craft 64 is the place to go! Craft 64 was right down the block from Hotel Valley Ho and and such a cozy atmosphere. The restaurant sources its own produce, dairy and meats locally, and hand makes its own mozzarella cheese and dough in house daily. We had several of their appetizers (omg the caprese with the fresh tomatoes and homemade mozzarella cheese) and their pizzas were unique flavors and really good.

What to see and do

One of the things my husband wanted to do on our trip was visit Taliesin West, a national historic landmark nestled in the desert foothills of the McDowell Mountains, Frank Lloyd Wrights winter home! We took a 90 minute tour and found out how the property was built and maintained by Wright and his apprentices and is deeply connect to the desert from which it was forged. To this day it is an active architecture learning center, it was very neat to see and learn about the history of the beautiful property.

A must-go-to is a trip to the Desert Botanical Gardens. It was one of my favorite things we did in Phoenix, not only was it gorgeous, but it was also informative. There are hundreds (thousands maybe even) different types of cacti and different plants from the Sonoral Desert. We had the unique opportunity to be visiting during an evening event where they had all the different paths lit with candle lights, watching the sun set and learning about the unique desert plants was such a perfect Phoenix experience.

If you’re up for a little drive (only 20 minutes from Phoenix), I would highly recommend exploring the Fresh Foodie Trail in Mesa. We went to three stops along the trail: The Orange Patch, Queen Creek Olive Mill, and Agritopia.

The Orange Patch is one of Mesa’s original citrus growers! We were visiting just as orange season was starting, and seeing the orange trees, I’ve got to tell you – makes me want some of those warmer climates in my life more! We got to try some freshly squeezed orange juice, and I’ve never had juice that fresh before!

Next we went to Queen Greek Olive Mill, Arizona’s first family-owned and operated olive mill and farm. Olives are grown and pressed and used to produce high quality extra virgin olive oils. We went on a tour and had a tasting (one can also taste all their olive oils in their store) and I was so pleasantly surprised by how different the different oils were. Luckily Queen Creek Olive Mill ships their products, because we definitely bought some to enjoy at home (my favorite was their robust extra virgin olive oil – it was so fresh and the best olive oil I’ve ever had and I loved that they had balsamic reductions so you don’t have to reduce it yourself at home!)

Our last stop was at Joe’s Farm Grill with a tour of Agritopia and Barnone. The whole visit was an experience in and of itself. Agritopia is a community which has housing, different crops (instead of one huge field crop) which are sold and used in Joe’s Farm Grill and The Coffee Shop (which had the prettiest ever cupcakes).

Also on the property is Barnone, a craftsman community which features 12 resident crafts men and women – which includes a icro-winery, a nano-brewery and a micro-distillery.

The food at Joe’s Farm Grill has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and it was easy to see why. It was delicious, and I loved that their motto is “common food done uncommonly well.”

Everything about our trip was fantastic, and with all Phoenix and Scottsdale have to offer, we cannot wait to return, hopefully soon!!

A big thank you to Visit Phoenix, Experience Scottsdale, and Visit Mesa for coordinating this incredible media trip. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Thank you for reading and supporting the brands I partner with which make the SweetPhi blog possible.

High Tea at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee

Nov 25, 2016 · 6 Comments

Looking for an afternoon tea time experience with delicious treats and tea? Well, I have just the recommendation for you: high tea at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee!

Earlier this year (what feels like ages ago) my husband and I went to London. We had such a great time, and absolutely loved it. While we were there, someone suggested to us that we had to have afternoon tea. Before traveling, I had been super busy finishing up my cookbook, so I hadn’t had time to plan a lot of things. One of the days we were there, we stopped at a place to have afternoon tea. Turns out, you need reservations (like months in advance), which we clearly didn’t have, but they said they could serve us tea in the bar area. It was such a fun experience: little tea sandwiches and pastries, and of course delicious tea. The experience and fun of it really stayed with me.

When we returned home, it was around my birthday (March) and my husband looked into finding a place hear us that served afternoon tea. Turns out, right in the city we live (Milwaukee), at one of my favorite places (The Pfister Hotel), they serve an afternoon tea!

Turns out, The Pfister Hotel serves afternoon tea on the weekends from October – April in their beautiful Blu room which has incredible views of the city and looks out over Lake Michigan.

Earlier in the year, there weren’t any reservations left, so we eagerly awaited until fall of this year, when thankfully they expanded their afternoon tea time offerings.

To say that we had a wonderful experience would be an understatement, totally worth the wait!

Our table was right next to the windows and had a marvelous view of the city and Lake Michigan. The sun was super bright and glistened off the water and all the silver that adorned our table for tea service.

A Tea Butler brings around a tableside cart and tells you about all the different varieties of tea, the origins, the flavors and offers pairing suggestions. The tea service is accompanied by the most delectable food – little sandwiches, pastries, and fresh scones. On the table there was also three spreads for the scones: a marmalade, a mascarpone cream spread, and a lemon curd. All three were so good, and those scones, omg, literally the best I’ve ever had. And all the while, there is a live harp player, playing beautiful melodic music.

The panoramic views, the incredible service, the delicious food and tea, the music and atmosphere at the the Pfister – wow, what an incredible afternoon tea experience. I would highly highly recommend making a reservation to check it out, I know we will be back!

After tea, we decided to make a little staycation out of it and spend the night at the Pfister. We had both gone to the Pfister for brunch, the spa (it’s my favorite spa in Milwaukee) or events before, but never stayed in one of their rooms.

The hotel is nothing short of amazing, it really is as luxurious and gorgeous as in their display and history book they had in the room (in the above picture). The bed was suuuuper comfy, and the room was so comfy and cozy, we didn’t want to leave. We ordered room service and were shocked at how ginormous the portions were, the food was really good so we were happy we got to try each other’s food.

Then in the morning we watched the sunrise from our room and then had breakfast in the hotel lounge (again with gorgeous views on the 23rd floor). It really felt like we were on a little vacation, it was so much fun! If you’re looking for a really fun afternoon with your significant other, girlfriends, or even by yourself, I would highly recommend the afternoon tea at the Pfister in Milwaukee.

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Thank you to the Pfister hotel for hosting us for our afternoon tea experience and overnight staycation. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Thank you for reading and supporting the brands I partner with which make the SweetPhi blog possible.

Behind the Scenes at Southern Living

Oct 28, 2016 · 10 Comments

The word beautiful barely does justice to describe the Southern Living “Idea House” and test kitchens I had the pleasure visiting in Birmingham, AL. Today I’m going to be sharing behind the scenes at the Southern Living + Delta Faucet event which I attended earlier this week.

If you follow me on instagram (@philiakelnhofer) or snapchat (username: sweetphi) you would have seen lots and lots of behind the scenes of my day spent at the Southern Living + delta Faucet event. The event was held at the Southern Living headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama and consisted of a tour of the Southern Living “Idea House” and a tour of the test kitchens (insanely cool to see how a magazine does recipe testing + photography before it ever reaches the pages). The “Idea House” and the test kitchens have beautiful Delta Faucets installed throughout…they’re the faucets that you touch and they turn on (more on the faucet specifics in the next few weeks).

Ok, first up is the “Idea House” – you might be asking yourself “what in the world is an idea house?” Well, I had that same question. I learned that every year, Southern Living builds a Southern inspired house in different communities.

Different designers, architects, builders, etc. all collaborate to build the “Idea House” and then the public can buy the plans to the house, and, they put the actual, physical, built “Idea House” on the market. Oh, and they offer tours of the Idea House to the public.

While every aspect, detail and fixture of the house looked like something from a magazine (coincidence? I think not lol) I was drawn to the kitchen, obviously. It was a deep hunter green. Green in a kitchen? I’ve never seen that before, it was very cool.

The kitchen had two beautiful sinks, each with a Delta Faucet. I had never actually used a touch-faucet, it was so cool!

After the idea house, we went to tour the Southern Living test kitchens. Actually, it is the Time, Inc Food Studios. Time, Inc owns Southern Living magazine along with many many more, and all the recipe development, recipe testing, photography, etc. happens here.

We got to walk around and see the different test kitchens, the different photography bays, see style boards, and take a peek inside their insane prop room. If you need me, I’ve moved into the Idea House and am making frequent trips to the headquarter offices and the prop room.

Thank you to Southern Living Magazine & Delta Faucet for showing me behind the scenes at the Idea House and at the Food Studios. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Thank you for reading about the brands and partnerships that make the SweetPhi blog possible.

Visiting a Cranberry Bog

Oct 25, 2016 · 12 Comments

With the harvest season in full swing and the beautiful Wisconsin foliage turning colors, is it no wonder that I had such a fantastic time visiting a cranberry bog?

Actually, it’s called a ‘marsh’ in Wisconsin, on the east coast they are called bogs, but I was told the words are interchangeable, they mean the same thing, so we’re going with it lol.

If you read the steak tacos with cranberry salsa recipe post, you would know that I had the amazing opportunity to visit a Wisconsin fresh cranberry farm. Today’s post is going to be a picture story of my trip with some light commentary. If you’d like to learn more about the specifics of how cranberries are harvested, please visit the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association.

Cranberries are grown on a vine, in the ground, they’re perennials. Meaning, a vine is planted and then it comes back year after year! Vines last upwards of 100 years.

Fresh cranberry harvesting starts by flooding the cranberry beds with 6-8 inches of water. Cranberries float, but do not come off the vines, so they bring in harvesting machines that gently comb the cranberries off the vines.

The berries are put into silver tubs, which are then brought to the edge of the marsh where they’re picked up by a truck, and transported to the processing facility.

After the cranberries are transported to the processing facility, they get air dried and stored until they are ready to be bagged.

When the cranberries are ready to be bagged, they go through a whole series of very neat steps, which involves putting cranberries through a ‘bounce test’ the ones that bounce move on to get processed, the ones that don’t bounce are considered not suitable for bagging and get filtered out (to be used in juices/concentrates, etc). The cranberries then go through uv lights and then through a room where any bad ones that remain are hand picked out.

The cranberries are then bagged and sold in stores! Hope you’ve enjoyed this picture tour of my visit to a cranberry bog!

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Four Days on the Fresh Coast

May 9, 2016 · 18 Comments

My time of four days on the fresh coast can be described in one word – FANTASTIC!

After months and months of planning, a food blogger retreat I was a cohost of (along with with Liz and Dara) took place on the shores of Lake Michigan. And since the Great Lakes are the worlds’ largest body of freshwater, the shores are fondly known as ‘the Fresh Coast’ so the hashtag of our retreat was #FreshCoastRetreat, as you may have picked up on if you follow me on Instagram!

The retreat was truly such a great experience, when sitting down to write this overview, I had trouble knowing where to start because I was feeling all the emotions – #ALLTHEEMOTIONS after such an amazing experience, so I guess I’ll start at the beginning? That’s usually the best place, right? Even before the retreat started, there was an introduction & welcome to the state of Michigan (where the retreat was held) via a pre-retreat experience hosted by Experience Grand Rapids.

I drove, since Grand Rapids is only a 5 hour drive from where I live in Milwaukee (almost directly across Lake Michigan) and when I posted a snap of my driving directions, I got more than one person asking if there was a bridge I could take across. I grew up in Chicago, so I’m used to the expanse of Lake Michigan, but no, no there is no bridge lol – I don’t even think that would be possible – Lake Michigan is ginormous. There is a ferry, but it only starts up in May (and it was April when I went). My first stop in Michigan for the pre-retreat with #ExperienceGR was at the gorgeous Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. The hotel was beautiful. Both quaint and modern at the same time.

I loved the beds (they were SO comfy), and something I’ve never seen in a hotel that I immediately fell in love with was that in the bathroom there was a shelf above the sink – totally genius because one could put toiletries on it.

The hotel was smack dab in the middle of Grand Rapids, and walking distance to many restaurants and cafes. The evening the pre-retreat started, there was a 15 course dinner at The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck. That’s right – 15 courses! That was a first for me, and the best way for me to show you what a 15 course meal looks like is via pictures:

Want me to walk you through the courses? Of course you do, so buckle in, here goes (hopefully I’m getting it right, it was a total blur of deliciousness) 1. artisanal cheese & salume board truffle honey mustards and crostini 2. potato soup with crispy potato skins 3. chinois chicken napa cabbage salad with cashews, wontons, and a spicy ginger dressing 4. a plate with 3 little bites one of which was a mini crab cake 5. potstickers 6. roasted mushroom truffled creme fraiche taleggio arugula pizza 7. chorizo pizza topped with an egg 8. homemade pea ravioli pasta 9. pork schnitzel with Austrian potato salad, arugula, and grain mustard sauce 10. short rib over polenta 11. spicy sesame chicken and snow peas 12. steamed salmon “Hong Kong style” with bok choy carrots mushrooms and jasmine rice 13. pork belly over lentils 14 .chocolate souffle with salted caramel ice cream 15. crème brûlée with a shortbread cookie and fresh fruit. OMG seriously insanely delicious – AND, let’s not forget the cocktail – I had a delicious passion fruit cosmopolitan which was delish! I hope I didn’t forget any dishes, it was A LOT to experience. My faves were the chicken salad, the homemade pea pasta (totally loving pea dishes lately – remember that pea toast I had in Minneapolis?) and the salmon course. But really, every bite was incredible!

As a cohost, we had a bunch of errands to run the next day (like picking up groceries, etc.) so I didn’t get a chance to explore too much more of downtown Grand Rapids. I loved the whole ‘vibe’ of the city and definitely cannot wait to go back to see more of it!! I did get to have a pastry and latte at the Wealthy Street Bakery the day I arrived, and let me tell you – deeelish! I had something called a ‘townie’ and it was like a croissant that had a hard cinnamon sugar outer layer, all around amazing!

From Grand Rapids, after we picked up the groceries we drove up to Muskegon, MI where the gorgeous mansion was that the retreat took place in. We also had custom snapchat geo filters made for the retreat – super cool, right (above was one of them)? The house couldn’t have been a better location – directly on the lake, and with a kitchen that was fitting of a queen. Just look at this giant refrigerator we packed with food for the retreat:

So much food – throughout the retreat we cooked in groups, and had food from our amazing sponsors to use and snack on: DeLallo Foods, Bob’s Red Mill, Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads, Sabra, Stonyfield, Lindt Chocolate, and The Little Potato Company.

The goal of the retreat was to bring together food bloggers for a weekend of learning, networking collaborating and sharing of ideas. While a few people knew each other previously (I’m sure you may have heard about my bestie Lynn a time or two – I just visited her in Charlotte the weekend prior to the retreat, and this was my second retreat I cohosted with Liz, and a few of the participants are partners Jennifer & Trevor and Denise & Lenny) this was the first time everyone in this particular group was together in the same place at once, and many first time meetings took place. The group was comprised of 16 amazing bloggers:

photo by Alejandro Photography

From left

Lee from Fit Foodie Finds {Instagram + Snapchat}
Trevor from The Blog Village {Instagram + Snapchat}
Jennifer from Show Me The Yummy {Instagram + Snapchat}
Amy from Amy’s Healthy Baking {Instagram + Snapchat}
Gina from Skinnytaste {Instagram + Snapchat}
Lenny from Chez Us {Instagram + Snapchat}
Denise from Chez Us {Instagram + Snapchat}
Heidi from Foodie Crush {Instagram + Snapchat}
Lynn from Order in the Kitchen {Instagram + Snapchat}
Andie from Andie Mitchell {Instagram + Snapchat}
Yours truly {Instagram + Snapchat}
Dara from Cookin’ Canuck {Instagram + Snapchat}
Liz from The Lemon Bowl {Instagram + Snapchat}
Alexis from Hummusapien {Instagram + Snapchat}
Alejandra from Always Order Dessert {Instagram + Snapchat}
Raul from Alejandro Photography {Instagram + Snapchat} (he’s behind the camera) – here are a few more photos from Alejandro Photography:

With the age of the intewebs where everything is done through screens, it was SO nice to put a face/name/personality together and spend some time face-to-face time these inspiring people. You never really know what people will be like in person, but everyone at the retreat completely blew me away with their knowledge and kindness.

From top – Trevor Alexis Lynn Heidi and I, The boys of the retreat – Lenny Trevor and Raul, a group making dips during a dip contents, Gina and I, Andie myself and Lynn, Lynn and I, The Cohosts – Dara Liz and myself, and then a photo of Andie and Heidi cooking.

The shores of Muskegon Michigan were beautiful – and the sunsets, they get me every time.

I’ve been to many different types of blogging events, and I have to say I absolutely loved this small group retreat format, and left feeling positive and recharged, (and I feel like I made 15 new friends, like friends for real, after 4 short days). I’m all about connecting and getting to know people on a more intimate level, and I know that sounds super cheesy, but I really feel like that is what happened during my four days on the Fresh Coast.

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A very big thank you to the sponsors who made the #FreshCoastRetreat possible: Experience Grand Rapids, Bob’s Red Mill, Sabra, Stonyfield, Lindt Chocolate, The Little Potato Company, DeLallo Foods, and Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads. As always, thank you for supporting the brands that make the SweetPhi blog possible, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Girls Getaway Guide to Charlotte

May 3, 2016 · 19 Comments

Pick up the phone, send a text, write an email…do whatever it takes to get in touch with your girlfriend, because after reading today’s post on a girls getaway guide to Charlotte, you’re going to want to take a trip there asap!

A little backstory for you: I used to live in the Triangle are (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) years ago. The very first summer I lived in the state of North Carolina I took a little trip with a friend to Charlotte, this was about 10 years ago. I loved it, but oddly didn’t go back while I lived there. Then, last year in March, my husband and I visited to attend my bestie Lynn’s wedding (it was stunning, she got married in the Mint museum). We got in super late Friday night, went to the wedding Saturday, and then left early Sunday morning, so we really didn’t have a lot of time to explore the city.

Then, one evening in early April when I was talking to Lynn on the phone, my schedule had cleared up her birthday weekend, so I decided to plan a last minute trip to visit her in Charlotte. With tickets purchased (Lynn joked with my husband that they were one way tickets because after spending a weekend in her home city, I’d never want to leave lol) we decided to start planning a trip – and what better way than exploring the city’s tourism website: Charlotte’s Got A Lot ?

Two weeks later, quipped with an itinerary and oodles of excitement (it’s always incredibly fun to spend time with your bestie) I was on a jet plane headed to Charlotte for a girls trip weekend! The day I left, Lynn and I were talking and she said we should come up with a hashtag to share on social media so that we could always look back at our travels. Smart idea, right? So we thought and thought, and it was my hubby who came up with the pun #PhiLynnIt (get it …Phi is my name, Lynn is her name, so it’s a play on “feeling it”). At the airport she told me not to check my snapchat story (I’m username: sweetphi, Lynn is username: orderinthekitch) until I saw her. I thought to myself – ok, maybe she got a hair cut or something? When I came down the escalators at the airport, she was standing there with this big sign and flowers! YOU GUYS! How sweet is THAT?! She had made this sign that had our hashtag on it, and pictures of all the places we were going to be visiting. Here’s to bringing back special airport pickups, because I felt so incredibly special and loved-I still tell anyone that will listen about the sign and flowers!

From the airport we went to check in at our hotel, Le Méridien Charlotte. The Le Méridien hotel is gorgeous! Our room was had the most beautiful views of Queen City and such comfy beds – perfect for catching up and lots of girl talk!

The rooms themselves were simply, yet beautifully decorated, and I loved the colors of black/white/and then turquoise.

And omg I have to tell you about the little espresso machine in the room! Instead of a regular coffee machine, the Le Méridien hotel had a super fancy espresso machine that made delicious espresso. It was SO good!! Also, I’m always a sucker for nice toiletries in hotels, and the ones at Le Méridien were amazing, and the bathroom had marble counters and seriously soft towels (you know how sometimes the towels at hotels are super stiff and scratchy? Well the ones at Le Méridien were actually soft.)

After checking in, we then headed to dinner at Fahrenheit. The restaurant is located at the top of Hyatt Place Hotel and has stunning city views. There’s a balcony which has a classy fire display encased in glass where you can stand around and gaze out at the city.

Besides the views and cool atmosphere, the main reason to go to Fahrenheit is for Chef Rocco Whalen’s insanely creative and delicious food!! The food is like nothing I’ve had before, it’s contemporary fusion cuisine with Mediterranean and Asian accents. With the menu ever changing, I can only tell you to go and check it out as many times as you can.

We had these amazing sushi rolls for appetizers, along with a burrata tartine with apricots and heirloom tomatoes. Both Lynn and myself had never had burrata cheese and kind of thought it was all hype because we have seen it everywhere. Upon first bite, we can now say we know what the rage is all about. It was so good! And then, then we got one of the best things ever: AHI POKE NACHOS!! These nachos had tuna, wontons, pickled red onions, jalapenos, green onions and chili aioli. That combination is straight up deliciousness, so so SO good! Our main courses were also fantastic, we split a fish dish that sat on top of an avocado and apple salad and a pork chop that was accompanied by kimchi fried rice. And dessert – their dessert menu looked so amazing, but we were so full from eating ALL the nachos, but we did get a small shake (they have the best ‘shake of the day’! Ours had brownies in it and came with two straws. A++++ for this whole meal and experience. Fahrenheit is not to be missed when in Charlotte.

We then went to Crave Dessert Bar. It was very dimly lit and had a very sensual vibe. It is a dessert bar, so the ambiance fits the decadent dessert and dessert drink menu offerings. I do have to say that I wasn’t expecting much. A late night dessert spot? I figured it would be ok at best, but honestly, I was surprised at HOW GOOD the desserts were! We got s’mores which were super fun, but then we got this chocolate lava cake with peanut butter “sand” that was out of this world delicious – and their bread pudding, some of the best I’ve ever had. For your sweet tooth, definitely check out Crave.

The next morning, after waking up, we spent a little time exploring the beautiful lobby of Le Méridien, which has gorgeous seating areas, and then went to brunch at EVOkE restaurant (which is off the lobby in the hotel.)

Brunch at EVOkE was absolutely fantastic. Like SO GOOD you guys! We had ‘signature eye openers’ which were little shots of orange juice and lavender syrup. Such a unique and delicious combination. Then Lynn and I split the eggs benedict which had prosciutto and a perfect hollandiase sauce it with the cutest little micro greens on it, and we also had an order of the Belgium waffles which were served with a fruit compote and a vanilla cream chantilly (<- I had to look up chantilly because it was like a whipped cream, and sure enough, chantilly is another word for sweetened whipped cream.) And can I just tell you, I would like vanilla cream chantilly served with every meal from here on out, mmk? thanks!

At this point, I’d like to tell you all how absolutely fabulous it is travelling with a fellow food blogger. When Lynn and I first met, we bonded over the fact that we both work full time during the day, but also enjoy food blogging. So when traveling with her (we’ve been to Chicago several times together, Florida, California, and Arkansas) I know that our travel styles are the same – we take pictures, and I don’t feel like a weirdo because I’m not the only one lol. It’s pretty typical that we take photos of the food before even having one bite.

Speaking of bites…I noticed that while Lynn ate the food on her plate, there remained one bite. I thought “oh, ok, she’s sending one bite back, whatever” and was going to do an eye roll, but then when the wait staff was going to clear her plate, she explained that she wasn’t done, she was saving the best bite for last. GAH, as if there wasn’t already enough reasons she’s the coolest. Totally love the idea of that practice!

Needing to walk off some of the delicious breakfast, we decided to embark on museums! And museums are something Charlotte has many of! The two we visited were the Mint Museum Uptown and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. Charlotte is also home to Discovery Place (we walked by this super fun and interactive museum) and the Levine Museum of the New South.

The Mint Museum is where Lynn had her wedding, so it holds a special place in her heart – as well as mine, because I’d been there before – but not in the gallery space. It has two floors of beautiful art exhibits but my favorite part is right when you walk in, there’s this giant Dale Chihuly Royal Blue Mint Chandelier. The Bechtler museum is located right next door and is dedicated to mid-20th century European and American modern art and was opened in January of 2010. Both are fun to walk around and view stunning works of art.

After the museums we stopped by Amelie’s French Bakery for some French macarons (my fave) and then made a stop at the 7th Street Public Market because it feature local products (food and artisan works), but at this point we were just too full to eat, so we ended up getting coffees and then heading back to the hotel for some nap time. That evening we met up with some of Lynn’s friends and family for her 30th birthday dinner.

The next day was Sunday, the day I was leaving (insert big sad face – can you tell how much fun I’d been having?) we started the day by having brunch at The Asbury.

What an incredible brunch restaurant! The Asbury is located at the Dunhill hotel and is southern & modern. It was the absolute perfect way to end our weekend trip. Brunch started with appetizers. That’s right my friends, APPETIZERS at brunch, that is pretty much the coolest thing I’ve ever had at brunch and think that needs to be a “thing” at every restaurant serving brunch!

We had sticky biscuits that were made with Benton’s 14-month ham and goat cheese icing – the perfect savory biscuits if I do say so myself! We also had deviled eggs which were the best deviled eggs I’ve ever had. They were tangy and zesty with the perfect mustard/garlic combination and were topped fried cornichons!! So delish!! And I haven’t even gotten to our ‘mains!’

Following suit from the day before, Lynn and I split a benedict and waffle. We got a crab cake benedict which was an open faced biscuit topped with a crab cake, poached eggs, and hollandaise. I’m pretty sure you can tell from the photos alone – it was so good, and it came with these white grits. The grits were soooo good, creamy and cheesy and peppery and just perfect. Who do I have to call because I want those in my life again asap! And the waffle we got – this one has to take the waffle crown, just wait until you hear the description: Grand Marnier-macerated strawberries, Nutella chantilly, candied pecans, Vietnamese cinnamon, powdered sugar. YEAH it was as good as it sounds, and BETTER! I just couldn’t stop eating it, it was utter breakfast perfection! If you’re looking for an amazing southern inspired brunch spot, I’d definitely recommend The Asbury!

Clearly, if there’s one thing that Charlotte taught me, it is to never underestimate a restaurant in a hotel, because Fahrenheit, EVOkE, and The Ashbury were all in hotels, and all had incredible food!!

Charlotte’s Got A Lot truly lives up to its motto!! Amazing hotels, museums, and delicious food – so much delicious food, it’s definitely got a lot! It was hard to leave the city, but I know I will be back soon (plus, the Charlotte airport has beautiful rocking chairs in the airport that make for a charming relaxation spot before departure.)

Other posts you might enjoy:

A big thank you to Charlotte’s Got A Lot for coordinating the itinerary for this trip and for hosting us in their magnificent city, thank you to Le Méridien for accommodations and to Fahrenheit, EVOkE and The Asbury for truly amazing meals and experiences. Thank you for reading and supporting the brands I partner with, which make the SweetPhi blog possible, as always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Road trip to Minneapolis {& the best meal ever at the Borough}

Apr 14, 2016 · 16 Comments

This past weekend I took a road trip from Milwaukee to Minneapolis, a short 5 hour road trip to a new city I really felt at home in, and where I had one of the best meals I’ve ever had at the Borough restaurant.

I love traveling and seeing new cities, and while I normally do road trips with my hubby (like when we drove along the Oregon coast last year or the many day trips we took on our honeymoon to Alaska) this past weekend I was attending a photography workshop in Minneapolis and decided to go by myself, because really, I didn’t want him to be bored all day waiting around for me!

I’m no stranger to driving long distances by myself. In college, I would drive the 6 hours to-from college (Southern Illinois University, in Carbondale) to visit my family in Chicago, and in grad school (Cornell, in Ithaca) I would drive 11.5 hours (sometimes up to 13 hours because of traffic) for just a weekend! Like I said, I’m no stranger to road trips. In fact, I really enjoy them. I love the freedom of being able to stop whenever and be on ones’ own schedule. Nowadays my limit is probably somewhere around 7-8 hours, I’m getting old, what can I say lol.

So 5 hours? Totally doable. It was a beautiful drive from Milwaukee, WI to Minneapolis, MN. Along the road I saw gorgeous rock formations and state parks, and even a cranberry bog – that was a first, I totally want to go back and check it out one day! The drive really flew by and next thing I knew I was pulling into the hotel: Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot.

The hotel had gorgeous architecture on the outside and undergoing a little renovation, but there were cute signs everywhere saying to “please excuse us as the dust settles while our renovation is underway.” “Once the hub of activity in the late 1800s, today The Depot Renaissance serves as a premier Minneapolis hotel with 225 deluxe guest rooms, 23 historic suites and more than 60,000 square feet of meeting space. The Depot Renaissance is located in the booming Riverfront district of downtown Minneapolis.” There was cool train station maps and signage throughout the hotel.

The rooms at The Depot Renaissance were simple, yet very comfortable. The bed- omg, it was so incredibly comfortable. I hope with whatever renovation they’re doing they keep those same beds! I had brought a bunch of work with me, but I ended up not doing anything at all, and it was glorious to just nap and watch TV in the comfy bed…did I mention it was comfy? lol

Other things to note about the hotel that I loved were their shower products: Aveda! Very much loved that (I always love when hotels go the extra mile in their travel-sized shower products.) There was this mirror in the room that was absolutely beautiful – I wanted to take it with me if you get what I mean…

The next thing I absolutely loved was that they had a blackout shade on top of the blinds. Don’t you hate when that little crack of light gets in? I do too – so I pulled the black shade down and loved the pitch blackness for sleeping. My husband jokes that I’m like a bird – I need complete darkness to sleep but once it’s dark, I fall right asleep <- truth! So the blackout shade was very much appreciated. Also, I liked that the hotel had a restaurant (Charley’s Grill) and bar area (Stone Arch Bar), it was great for grabbing a quick appetizer (I had the Poutine which was hand cut fries, duck confit, cheese curds and pepper gravy.)

The rooms were so nice and relaxing that I stayed in and painted my nails one night – I went to the Target in downtown Minneapolis (you guys, the Target is two stories high and huge!!!) and got all sorts of stuff to give myself a mani/pedi. It was really fun to just relax – and the beds, really, it was like I was being on a cloud!

The hotel was in super close proximity to a wonderful coffee shop – Dunn Brothers.

Whenever I’m in a new city, I always love checking out coffee shops, and Dunn Brothers was definitely fantastic. In fact, I went not only to the location by my hotel (The Depot) but also went to their North Loop location. Each coffee shop had lots of character and had a nice laid-back vibe. They had this one latte I tried called the ‘chocolate nirvana latte’ which was chocolate/coffee/hazelnut. OMG so good!!

The North Loop area was very cool – think industrial turned trendy. Lots of cute shops and dining options (which I’ll talk about in a second). The workshop I attended was also in the North Loop area. It was in a super cool space which had tons of light (totally jealous of all the gorgeous windows it had!). Lunch was from Cafe Zupas – their fresh herb chicken sandwich – soooo good! And we had cupcakes from The Cooper Hen, absolutely delish!! During the workshop I found out that some of the photography backgrounds they were using were from a salvage store. I didn’t even know those existed! After the first afternoon of the workshop I stopped by a salvage store and ended up finding a super cool piece of something (cement? rock? Who knows what it actually is lol) that I purchased, my little souvenir that was really heavy (you’ll see the background being used in my Five Ingredient Friday post this week).

Want to know what else is in the North Loop area? Borough Restaurant. I HIGHLY recommend eating there. I don’t say this lightly, but it was honestly one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten, EVER!

We can all agree it’s a little awkward to eat alone sometimes, right? You’re usually sitting alone looking at your phone and hoping the meal goes by fast (at least that’s me). But my experience at the Borough was incredible, even by myself! They have this little seating area/counter that looks into the open kitchen where you can see the chefs preparing food. I was so busy staring and talking with the kitchen staff that I hardly even had time to Instagram this photo!

You can feel the heat from the kitchen and see the action – it’s so fast paced in there! It was thrilling to watch. And everyone was so nice!! And the food, you guys, omg, I honestly will never forget the meal.

For starters I had a cocktail – a delicious bourbon, grapefruit, Yerba Mate infused honey concoction called Brown Derby – notes of honey and citrus was perfection in a glass. Then the bread basket came out – oh yeah, all their bread is made in house and there were seasonal homemade crackers – AND the butter was salted. I almost ate the whole bread basket, I literally had to move it so I wouldn’t eat it all.

As an appetizer I ordered the grilled octopus. It’s not something one sees on menus every day, but after having this octopus I wish it were served more. The octopus was so tender, and came topped with beautiful chilis, peanuts, cilantro and lime and a yam sauce/puree that brought it all together. And seriously, just look at the plating – how pretty is that?

Then I got a menu item they had just added that day – a pea salad. So fresh and delicate and perfect. There was rhubarb and a salad coated in a wonderful vinaigrette and sprinkled with cheese, and in the middle of the salad was a piece of (homemade) toast on top of which was a pea puree. It was incredible! This dish alone solidified the fact that I’m taking a trip back to Minneapolis this summer with my hubby so that he too can eat at this insanely awesome establishment.

The main course was a perfectly seared salmon with black rice, pineapple, curry and cashews and a coconut broth poured over the dish table side. Coconut broth? So incredible

Then the dessert – wowz, it was so pretty, almost too pretty to eat! It was a yogurt panna cotta, with celery, mint, and coconut, and an apple fennel sorbet. Then, as if that weren’t already enough, there was a kiwi sauce poured over it. YUM!

The service was impeccable, everyone took such care, and not in an overly attentive way, but in the perfect balance of keeping the meal and food moving along and letting one have enough time to enjoy the meal – the food, staff, location, everything was top notch at the Borough Restaurant! Can you tell that I liked the food at the Borough? I sure hope so, because I cannot stop thinking about it – it was so good!

Have you ever been to Minneapolis? If not, I would highly recommend a trip, and even if you have been, I’d recommend a repeat trip, I know I’m going back this summer!

Other posts you might enjoy:

Thank you to Meet Minneapolis for coordinating my trip, to The Depot for hosting my lodging and to the Borough for an outstanding meal and experience. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Thank you for reading and supporting the brands I partner with, which make the SweetPhi blog possible.

How to get great photos of you and your husband and see the sights in Paris

Mar 14, 2016 · 11 Comments

Today I’m sharing two ways of how to get great photos of you and your husband and see the sights in Paris, because as you know from this post about viewing art in Paris and this hotel overview we recently took a lovely – yet very short – trip to Paris!

I’m sure couples everywhere can relate to this: you go on vacation and see all these gorgeous things but then come home and find you have one, maybe two, photos of you two as a couple that you got either via the selfie method, or by entrusting your treasured device (iPhone, camera, etc) to a complete stranger (eek, isn’t it nerve wracking to hand over your device?!)

To add to that, you’re in a country where neither of you speak the language or know your way around, so what do you do? Well, today I’m going to share with you two ways of how to get great photos of you and your husband, and see the sights in Paris (but really, both these methods can be applied when traveling to many different countries and locations and you’ll see why).

Method one: do a Travelshoot

Travelshoot is a very cool company, they connect travelers with photographers all around the world. So let’s say you’re going to Paris and you want a picture of you and your spouse by the Eiffel Tower, well, that’s where Travelshoot comes in. You can hire a photographer to do a travel shoot, how perfect is that?

Photos shoots can totally be awkward, let alone being in a different country, it seems almost overwhelming to try and set something like that up. So when I came across Travelshoot I was instantly in love with the idea. They arrange and coordinate the photo shoot for you (obviously in the location of your choice – they operate in many different cities and countries around the world) and then you have your travel shoot, after which they send you your photos. It’s as easy as that!

When we were arranging the photo shoot in Paris, Travelshoot was very communicative and asked about time of the day we wanted and was super accommodating. We were totally open and without a schedule, so when they suggested a sunrise photo shoot by the Eiffel Tower we were totally on board.

The morning of the photo shoot we met face to face with our photographer (Ainsley) who instantly made us feel comfortable by talking and joking around with us. She gave us a few pointers, but it was really relaxed and we had a blast. It was super cold, hence you see us bundled up!

What I especially loved about the photographer is that after talking with her and explaining a little about my blog, she even captured a photo of me capturing a photo, I’m totally in love with this one:

Doing the Travelshoot really let us see the sights and created lasting memories with gorgeous photos, I highly highly highly recommend them!

Method two: take a Viator tour

When you’re in a brand new city/country it can be a bit overwhelming thinking about what to go see and do. And on top of that, life has been so crazy busy that before leaving for our European vacation I had no time plan and make an itinerary like I normally do. I’m not even kidding – I got a few little travel guides but didn’t have any time to read them, so I threw them in bag and then proceeded to forget them…so yeah, I was in desperate need of some sightseeing help. Enter Viator, a TripAdvisor company that offers sightseeing tours, activities, and things to do – all with an insider!

After looking at the hundreds of awesome tours and experiences Viator offers, we decided to book the Paris romance walking tour of Montmartre. We met our tour guide in Montmartre and started the tour by the Wall of Love (a love-themed wall composed of 612 tiles on which the phrase “I love you” is featured 311 times in 250 languages – the red splashes on the wall symbolize parts of a broken heart). The wall is absolutely beautiful, and I will forever love the photo our tour guide took of us in front of it.

Montmartre is a large hilly area of Paris with cobble stoned streets, one could so easily get lost without some direction!

Our tour guide was so knowledgeable about the area and took us through the winding streets and pointed out bits of history and background. We would never have seen half the things we did in Montmartre had it not been for the Viator walking tour! The tour concluded gloriously at the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur which is on top of a giant hill and which looks out over Paris.
There is no way we would have seen the gorgeous area (or gotten photos of ourselves) if it wouldn’t have been for the wonderful Viator tour. These are the best ways on how to get great photos of you and your husband and see the sights in Paris!

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Thank you to Travelshoot and Viator for showing us Paris and providing us with some gorgeous photos that we will forever cherish. There was no obligation to write this post, I am doing so because we truly enjoyed our experiences with the two companies and I wanted to share my recommendations with the world. As always all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. To read more about our time in Europe, please see 2 Days in Dublin and the Dublin Bay Area, Guide to Central London: Where to Stay and What to See, Viewing Art in the Heart of Paris, and 5 Reasons to Stay at the Hotel Eugene en Ville in Paris.

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