There are five crucial questions a journalist must ask (and, ideally, answer) when researching and developing a story: Who, What, Where, When, and Why. These Five W's, along with a bonus "How" for further clarity, will preclude each blog post to provide proper insight into this weird, wild nomadic journey.

The Five W's + H:
Who: World traveling power couple (self-proclaimed) plus an America-traveling cat (Sophia) that would honestly rather just stay home please and thank you
What: Top 5 places to drink up 
Where: Lexington, Kentucky
When: June 2023 - September 2023
Why: In need of some peace and quiet after our marathon Euro-excursion, we settled on the small college town of Lexington. This serendipitous summertime stay also gave us the opportunity to make a pit stop in Dallas to tell tales to family and friends of our European experience. 
​+
How: First, we breezed north on I-45 to spend a few nights in lowest Greenville, Dallas. Then we made our way northeast for a brief squat in Little Rock, Arkansas, on into Tennessee for a few days in smokey Nashville, and then just a short drive up into Kentucky before our arrival in UK-land: Lexington. All told our seated buns traveled more than 1,000 miles over nearly 16 hours of driving. 

Coles 735 Main (735 E Main St. Lexington, Kentucky 40502)

Quotable: "Locally-sourced neighborhood fine dining."

One of the first places we had the pleasure of perusing just so happened to be less than a mile from our home base. Coles 735 Main is a locally owned and operated eatery that features onsite cured meats, grown veggies, and baked breads for a fresh dining experience.

Cole's prides itself on using seasonal ingredients, which means much of this restaurant's menu is ever-evolving. We enjoyed their summer/fall options but you may have some new savory surprises in store depending on when you visit.  ​

There are five crucial questions a journalist must ask (and, ideally, answer) when researching and developing a story: Who, What, Where, When, and Why. These Five W's, along with a bonus "How" for further clarity, will preclude each blog post to provide proper insight into this weird, wild nomadic journey.

The Five W's + H:
Who: Mi amor (Christina) y yo (Me). Sophie sat this one out.
What: Top places to drink up 
Where: Europe
When: April 2023 - May 2023
Why: After years of planning, saving, and preparing we were finally able to embark on our dream vacation. Our trip was narrowed down, sort of, to 15 cities across eight countries: Amsterdam, Netherlands; Frankfurt, Germany; Lucerne, Switzerland; Lake Como, Venice, Rome, and Monterosso al Mare, Italy; Nice, Marseille, and Paris, France; Barcelona, Valencia, and Palma, Spain; London, England; and finally Brussels, Belgium. We also visited numerous towns and other cities over the course of our 6+ weeks adventuring, but we stayed at least one night in each of the cities listed above.
​+
How: As you can probably imagine, this marathon vacation required an absolutely insane amount of travel. In total, this trip consisted of 15 trains, four flights, and countless hours over the course of more than 4,000 miles (6500+ kilometers) traveled. Our usual, puny 20-30 hour drives were no match for what we faced on this European excursion.

First and foremost, with six weeks under my belt and all of the memorable stops and memories made, it was extremely difficult to narrow this down to a concise, cohesive list.​ There had to be a set of minimum requirements to make the cut, and these were: 

1. Multiple visits were necessary in order to be considered so that I had a better understanding and foundation from which to write. 

2. Diversity was crucial in terms of location for the list so that individual cities weren't represented over and over. The goal was also to make sure there weren't a bunch located in the same country, but delicious ass Italy came along and quashed that notion. 

3. We had to have at least some of our own pictures to mark the experience, and I had to have jotted down some notes while we were there in order to properly document the establishment.

With those boundaries being set, here's the legitimate list: 

Lucerne, Switzerland: Des Alpes Hotel Restaurant (Furrengasse 3, 6004 Lucerne, Switzerland)

Quotable: "Dine on, and dine from, one of the most beautiful lakes in the world."​

Des Alpes Hotel Restaurant, which originated as a residential estate built way back in 1553, was converted into a hotel more than three hundred years later in 1874. It took roughly another quarter century before the current iteration of the Des Alpes Hotel opened its doors, and another 125 or so years before the hotel finally welcomed me through them.  ​

Favorite Places to Drink Up: New Orleans, LA

Bayona (430 Dauphine St. New Orleans, LA 70112)

Quotable: "James Beard-award winning, NOLA-inspired fine dining"​

Located smack dab in the middle of the French Quarter, Bayona has been delighting guests for more than 30 years. Led by James Beard awarding winning chef/owner Susan Spicer (pretty on-the-nose last name for a chef, imho), this NOLA staple is a must-visit for foodies adventuring in The Big Easy. ​