Before I started putting together my traditional Travelogue post (check out past years’ posts here), I thought that I hadn’t traveled much in 2022. After all, I was pregnant for three-fourths of the year and had a newborn for the rest of it.
But it turns out that I actually did do a good bit of traveling, from the week I found out I was pregnant to three months after Milo arrived. So many of our trips this year involved visiting friends, and I want to keep that as a priority moving forward, new baby or not. Without further ado, let’s jump into it. As always, this travelogue post is mostly for me to remember all the places I visited throughout the year, but I do include my favorite spots to eat, drink, and hang out to help inspire your next travels!
Travel Stats from 2022
Miles Flown: 4,446
Miles Driven: 5,575
States Visited: 6 + Washington, D.C.
Austin, Texas
The year started off with a road trip from Ohio to Texas! My friend Sarah moved to Austin for a job, and I got to tag along as she made the drive to her new town and set up her apartment. The COVID numbers in Austin were high last January, so we spent most of our time either at IKEA buying furniture or in her apartment assembling the furniture. (Thus all the EATs below and none of the DRINKs or DOs.) It was a perfectly lovely way to kick off the year, by helping a friend kick off her new life in a new city!
EAT: Spartan Pizza – I’m going to be completely honest and admit that we got pizza here twice in three days. It was just so good and really accessible from my friend’s apartment. I’m pretty sure we got the Spartan and the Athena, but I would bet all of their pizzas are worth a try!
EAT: Hopdoddy Burger Bar – The Magic Shroom burger was everything I love and more: goat cheese, mushrooms, basil pesto. Plus the quality of the meat was impressive. I would imagine that’s a Texas thing.
EAT: Torchy’s Tacos – I feel like Torchy’s is a Texas institution because this was not my first time. I’ve never had a bad taco here, and if you don’t accompany them with Street Corn and Little Nookies (fried chocolate chip cookie dough), you’re wrong. (Very important update: It appears Cincy will be getting a Torchy’s this year!)
Washington, D.C.
In March, we visited friends who had temporarily relocated to the capital and got to tell one of our college groups about my pregnancy in person. It wound up being an unseasonably cold weekend with a pretty heavy snowfall, so we spent it cozied up in our Airbnb. We really only ventured out for food, beer, and a quick romp around the Mall!
EAT: Cafe Berlin – I’m pretty sure this was my #1 meal of the year! We came for the Apfelstrudel (order it first so they don’t run out by the end of the night!) and ended up oohing and aahing over everything. The pretzels, Wiener schnitzel, Wurstfeast, cocktails… everything was immaculate.
DRINK: Aslin Beer Company – While I didn’t partake in any beer during this trip, I have it on good authority that the selection was worth a visit. I can, however, comment on the pizza (A+) and the facility, which was big and open — perfect for a group.
DO: Visit the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History – It had been so long since I’d been to any of the Smithsonian museums that when we found ourselves with a few hours before dinner at Cafe Berlin, we couldn’t resist. Natural History is a classic. Highly recommend!
Atlanta, Georgia
Technically I’m compiling two trips that we took to Georgia in the first half of 2022: one in February to let our families know I was pregnant and one in May to attend my brother’s graduation from Georgia Tech. Both were relatively short trips, but it was great to see family and celebrate lots of big life moments together.
EAT: Six Feet Under – We’ve been big proponents of the Midtown location since our college years, but it looks like that one has closed and now the only option is Grant Park. I’ve never been to that one, but the menu looks similar, and I’m sure it’s just as good. We love the Spicy Rat Toes & Extra Spicy Dragon Toes, the Gator Bites, and the Combo Basket with fried Oysters, Calamari, and Catfish!
DRINK: Sweet Hut Bakery & Cafe – This little café has an amazing selection of milk teas and boba plus an Asian-inspired bakery that will tempt you to order a dozen different items and split them.
National Harbor, Maryland
Over Memorial Day week, we finally got to host the first fully in-person Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2019! As part of the full-time staff for the program, I never get to do much outside of the convention center that week, but I do have a few recommendations from this past year’s trip to National Harbor.
EAT: Fiorella Italian Kitchen & Pizzeria – We had Fiorella’s before the week ramped up this year, and it’s just good, authentic Italian food. Everything tastes fresh, and they have a big enough menu that there’s something for everyone. I’d recommend the Caesar Salad and Veggie Supreme pizza.
DO: Tour the White House – I don’t know how/if you can get a White House tour nowadays, but I had the exciting opportunity to take a private one with the 2022 Champion and Finalists, and it was such a cool experience. Many of the guides are former U.S. military, and they’re so knowledgeable about the different rooms open for public touring. We were able to ask questions about everything from art to furniture to the design choices of the different rooms. They also had fun anecdotes to share about past presidents and their families! If you ever have the chance to take a tour of the White House, I would recommend it!
New York, New York
This year, I had the opportunity to accompany our champion, Harini Logan, to NYC for the first leg of her media tour. It’s always fun to watch the champion enjoy some much-deserved recognition on Live with Kelly and Ryan and at the Nasdaq Closing Bell ceremony. Harini’s family was so lovely to work with, and we got the chance to do a little sight-seeing between various media opportunities for her.
EAT: Tavern on the Green – This New York icon is nestled within Central Park and has a long history of serving celebrities, public figures, and even royalty. The food was pretty fantastic, too! I’d recommend for a celebratory meal (say, if you just won the Scripps National Spelling Bee!), especially if you can sit in the Crystal Room.
SNACK: T-swirl Crêpe – This shop was a stumble-upon find in Chinatown, and it tasted just as good as it looked. Crepes wrapped up like cones and filled with everything from ice cream to delicious spreads to fruit? Yes, please!
DO: Visit the Statue of Liberty – Despite having been to NYC many times since, I hadn’t been to the Statue of Liberty since my very first trip in the eighth grade. It was the one sight-seeing excursion on Harini’s wish list, so we obviously had to make it happen. Along with the statue herself, there’s a museum with lots of the history. I particularly enjoyed a cool, three-part video showing how the statue came to be and how it got to the U.S. from France.
Chicago, Illinois
Two of our friends had a joint 30th birthday party (which was actually 31, thanks to COVID), and we drove up to Chicago to celebrate with them. They had planned a fantastic weekend that included a boat ride around Lake Michigan, tons of great food, and general debauchery. (I kept up as well as I could at 7 months pregnant, and was honestly really proud of how much we walked throughout the weekend!)
Since Spencer and I drove ten hours roundtrip and had some time to ourselves during the long weekend, I considered this a little mini babymoon for us, too. It was nice to take some time away from the real world and reconnect before Milo’s arrival.
EAT: Sunny Side Up – We ate here one morning when rain canceled the group’s brunch plans, and I’m so glad we found it. The food was your typical elevated brunch fare, but my favorite part was the restaurant building itself. Housed within three floors of an old house, it includes stained glass windows, a gorgeous staircase, and all the other little architectural details that come with an older home.
DRINK: Federales – I’m throwing a drink recommendation on here despite not partaking over the weekend because the experience itself was so cool. At this eclectic little outdoor bar, you can order shots of tequila in glasses made of ice that you get to chuck at a huge antique bell. I don’t think you get anything (besides rousing applause from everyone in the bar) for hitting the bell, but regardless it was a neat experience.
DO: Play darts at Flight Club – This might’ve been the coolest part of the weekend. Think of it this way: Flight Clubs is to darts what Top Golf is to golf. There were all different kinds of games to play, and the board itself kept the score for you using tiny cameras that triangulated the darts’ positions. They had a nice bar and menu of small plates plus a sizable list of nonalcoholic cocktails, which I appreciated!
Newport, Rhode Island
Despite being 31 weeks pregnant, I refused to miss my friend Meredith’s bachelorette party! I flew into Newport for the weekend, and we had such a blast that I actually wrote a whole blog post about it. Check that out, but I’ve highlighted my favorites for you below!
EAT: Midtown Oyster Bar – While I didn’t eat any raw shellfish during the trip, I can say that the avocado BLT and fries that I had from this restaurant near the ocean was A+.
DRINK: Smoke House – I want to go back to this little bar that made all their own cocktail mixings because if the virgin drink I had is anything to go off, the alcoholic cocktails would be phenomenal.
DO: See an improv show at the Firehouse Theater – I think this one is a must-do with a group! Their resident improv group was really top notch, and they made a point of involving the crowd, especially the bachelorette parties.
Rome, Georgia
And then we took one short trip after Milo was born: to our hometown for Christmas! No recommendations to share except to say that driving with a three month old was doable, and it was nice to see family. (And for me to get out of the house for a while, even if it was just to spend it staying in at my in-laws’ house!)
If you could pick one thing from my year to experience yourself, what would it be?
P.S. You can check out my past travelogues here: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
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