A Trip to Hogwarts

Happy March! We'll ignore the fact that it's almost mid-March, k?

I just got back a few days ago from a fun trip to Orlando. The intended purpose of the trip was to attend a Criminal Justice conference, but my family & I used it as an excuse to have a mini-reunion and visit Harry Potter at Universal Studios! Matt had to stay at home and work, so it was just my aunt, my parents, and myself. We had a blast though and I really enjoyed my 1 day of play. Don't worry, the other days I did attend the conference, and even presented some of my own research. That was my last conference presentation as a graduate student, so that was surreal. Anyway, on to the pictures (I apologize for the cell phone quality)!

We started off at Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure,
where we rode the Forbidden Journey.

This was the front of the Hogsmeade train station;
the train (Hogwarts Express) took you to Diagon Alley located in Universal Studios. 

The Hogwarts Express!

Now we are in Diagon Alley. I'm standing in front of Gringotts Bank,
with an awesome fire-breathing dragon on top of it. The ride located in
Gringotts (Escape from Gringotts) was absolutely phenomenal! 

My aunt, Paula, standing with the driver of the Knight Bus!

In front of 12 Grimmauld Place

The level of detail in Diagon Alley was pretty astounding.

Elsewhere in Universal, soaking in the Floridian sun!

The family at dinner that night. You can't tell, but we are absolutely exhausted

And proof that I was at the conference. Yes, this is
where our conference was located. I lead a rough life.

And just because. This was located at the resort we stayed at.

I had a great time and I loved getting to spend some time with my family! Mixing the conference + family time was a little strange at times, but we made it work. :) Next conference... Washington, D.C.! 

Philadelphia

I just got back from a conference in Philadelphia. I don't know who scheduled a conference in Philly in February, but we lucked out and actually had great weather! There was still a lot of snow on the ground, especially by my standards, but the temperatures were above freezing so I was happy. The conference went well and my presentation went off without a hitch. I also got a chance to do some site-seeing and I'm so glad I got to-- such a historical city! My hotel/convention center was right by the Reading Terminal Market and I miss that place already-- so many fun and unique restaurants and shops!

Anyway, enough words, here are the pictures :)

SNOW!! 

More snow in front of Independence Hall :)

One of the first things I got to do was tour the Eastern State Penitentiary. This was the first penitentiary (not to be confused with prison or jail) in the world and it was built in the early 1800s to be a place where criminals would repent of their offenses. The facility was used as a prison until the 1970s and so it was cool to see the historical and structural progression over time. And yes. It looks like a castle. It has that going for it, too.

Outside, waiting to go on the tour

I'm sure the port-a-potties are original. No but interestingly enough, Eastern State had flushing toilets & heat before the White House!

Inside the cell blocks. It looked like this later on in its history. Originally there were no doors to enter the cell from the hallway and the inmates entered through their private yard in the back of the cell.

Short door is short.

One of the most important features of Eastern State is its radial design. If you stood in the middle, you could spin around and see down each cell block. Great for security! Several hundred other facilities (like prisons and nursing homes) have adopted the radial design that started here.

Have to have the artsy photo.

Tall prison walls + snow

Al Capone's cell!

He didn't have it too bad...

One of the places I frequented most often was the Reading Terminal Market. I had a great time exploring the different shops and seeing all the unique restaurants. So many places to eat, so little time.

Yes, their ice cream is amazing. 

Of course I had to go to the Liberty Bell!

 And then we had a tour of the Independence Hall

The Hall had 2 main rooms on the first floor we got to see. This was set up as it
was for the colony of Pennsylvania's Supreme Court.

And then of course as it was for the Continental Congress. That chair in the very back of the room was George Washington's. Not a replica. The chair. So cool for the history nerd in me :)

The last evening-- enjoying a gorgeous sunset from my
hotel that was the first skyscraper in the city

Inside JFK plaza

City Hall

So while I didn't get a cheesesteak this trip, I did have a great time! Have to leave something to try for the next time I go, plus I hope Matt can come with me!

Epic Date Part B

This past Saturday night Matt & I finally got to complete our Epic Date of 2013 (Part A here)! We got all gussied up and headed to Bonnell's Fine Texas Cuisine in Fort Worth. The original plan was for Epic Date to be actually 1 date-- we would eat dinner at Bonnell's and then spend the night at the Omni. Due to unforeseen circumstances, it had to be split into 2 separate events. I didn't mind though-- meant more time to explore the Omni and 2 awesome dates to look forward to instead of just 1! 

Anyway, we had an amazing Texas-themed meal and enjoyed every bite. The quality of the food is as good as any other fine dining restaurant I've enjoyed, just with a Texas twist. It really made for a unique experience and the service was awesome as well. I highly recommend it if you're ever in the area. 

Matt and I split 3 of our 4 entrees (what, we can't split dessert!) and still left absolutely full. We started with the appetizer sampler where we got to choose 4 of their appetizers. From top of the plate clockwise, our selections were the Texas Bruschetta, Elk Mini Taco, Venison Carpaccio, and Oysters Texasfeller. 

We also split a small salad as it came highly recommended to us. No picture but it was topped with a jalapeno and garlic vinaigrette and queso fresco. Not spicy at all, just very well-flavored and delicious!

We ordered the mixed grill for our entree. It automatically comes with their housemade Andouille sausage and grilled quail and we chose Bison Tenderloin to complete our meat selection. It was also served with green chile cheese grits and grilled cactus. The grits... oh my goodness! Everything was honestly so good and we both finished every last bite. The entree came with some cornbread with jalapeno bacon butter. I definitely used the cornbread to soak up the demi-glace as I figured it would be un-ladylike to lick the plate. Matt's favorite was the bison and I was especially partial to the Andouille. 

For dessert, Matt had the apple crisp and I got the caramelized banana sundae. They make their ice cream in-house and that was honestly my favorite part! Both desserts were awesome and the coffee we ordered was also quite good. 

Yay birthday candle :)

They were very generous with their apples in the crisp.

So there you have it. Matt did an excellent job in planning our Epic Date(s) and I'm so glad I got that quality time with him. Now to go dream about another meal at Bonnell's... Yum!

Chicago Recap!

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is two days away! We will be spending it this year with my family in Houston, but before we leave I wanted to write up some thoughts on my Chicago trip.

What Chicago trip? Well, funny you should ask. Last Tuesday I left to go to the American Society of Criminology's (ASC) annual meeting which was being held in Chicago. I presented my research first thing Wednesday morning at 8 AM, and then had the rest of the time to relax, go to some interesting sessions, and hang out with my grad student friends before returning home Friday. 

I didn't get to do many touristy-things, but I did walk around the area a little so I thought I would share some of those pictures.

Inside Millennium Park

The bean!

 

Outside our hotel- The Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel

Had to try Chicago deep dish pizza!

Overlooking the huge lobby

Navy Pier (I think)

I presented part of my findings from my thesis and it went well. As with most young grad students, I was terrified someone would ask me this mean question that I wouldn't know the answer to, but thankfully that didn't happen so I was a happy girl! 

Unfortunately, I started coming down with a bad cold Thursday night and Friday, so I was very happy to get home Friday evening. I spent most of Saturday and Sunday in bed resting and drinking a lot of hot tea/gatorade/water/soup. It was very exciting for my husband (poor guy), but he was such a good nurse! 

I have all of this week off from classes for the holiday so I have spent the past two days writing and editing papers. I am very much looking forward to taking a couple days off to spend with family and really focus on all I have to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!