Friday Five | Vol. 3

Good Morning from Chicago, lovelies! 

It's been quite the hectic week for us, but all good things. Last week, I headed down to Miami for a work meeting, and then Jake came and we checked out the city over the weekend. This week, Jake traveled to Chicago for a conference and I arrived last night to explore the city with him. His conference was at a hotel near the airport so we could see the airport runway and watch planes land from our room. It reminded me of when I was a little girl when we moved to Hawaii from Michigan. We had to stay a night in California and we stayed right near LAX.  My brother and I just watched planes land for hours -- we were mesmerized. I just got really nostalgic. Does that ever happen to anyone? Just me? 

Now, onto the Friday Five: 

Have you seen this hilarious Activewear video? You have to watch it. You're welcome. 

I was reading the latest issue of Travel & Leisure magazine and came across this article about a  luxury travel company that plans trips and get this -- you don't know the destination until you arrive at the airport. They tell you what kind of clothes to pack but that's about it. Can you imagine? I kind of love the idea -- and then I saw the price tag -- from $18,500 per week, per traveler. I told Jake about it and decided that we should do our own version of this (i.e. I plan and he doesn't know and the other way around). Thoughts?

I'm in Chicago for the first time and we're going to Girl and the Goat for dinner tonight and I couldn't be more excited. I don't know if I've ever been more excited for a meal in my life. 

Do you use Kayak for planning your trips? I do and I'm obsessed with it. Once you set up your account, you just forward all of your travel confirms to a special email address and they automatically get added to your itinerary. I love being organized and I'm all about efficiency. 

Have you tried mobile ordering from your Starbucks app? I just did last week and it's amazing.  It's great if you order when you're a few minutes away and then you can literally just walk in and pick up your drink. 

Have an amazing weekend! 

On Location: The Hunger Games | District 12

Coincidentally, this is just in time for Halloween.... I know it's been awhile since the first Hunger Games movie came out, but I heard that part of the movie depicting District 12 was filmed near Charlotte.  One day this summer we decided to make a spontaneous trip. The drive was about an hour Northwest of Charlotte and it actually makes for a pretty good day trip. It's right near the town of Hickory which is a pretty cute place. We took the scenic route via Highway 321 and it was very pretty and very green. I recommend going that way if you are traveling from Charlotte. 

The location is called Henry River Mill Village. It's currently a ghost town {my first one!} but was built in the early 1900's and suffered several fires over the years.  It was a small mill town that manufactured fine cotton yarns. By the time it shut down in the 1960's, the mill had produced 12,000 spindles and fine yarn for creating lace. 

Recognize the Bakery from the movie? It's probably the only thing I actually recognized. If I go back and re-watch it, I'm sure it would all make sense but I think the most scenic part is the bakery. 

Legend is that this place is haunted. Doesn't it look the part? I would not want to be around these parts at night. But I'm also the person who never wanted to go graveyard hunting, etc. 

It looks so calm and peaceful now. 

The entire village is actually up for sale for a million bucks. What a steal, right? Well, there is no electricity and you have to keep the structures standing since they are on the register of National Historic Places. But, other than that... 

Aren't the broken windows eerie? 

We had such a fun time exploring this village and a few other people popped by while we were there. Technically, there are a bunch of no trespassing signs, so we probably weren't supposed to be there, but oh well. It was a fun adventure. 

Have you been? Do you want to visit? 

Travel Fully,

Friday Five | Vol. 2

Who's excited for the second installment of Friday Five?! I'm writing this post from Miami but you better believe that once Jake arrives later this evening, we're going to party it up. And by that I mean go to dinner and then probably come home and go straight to bed. It's one of the many perks of being in your thirties. Beauty sleep > drinking excessively all night.

Follow along on instagram @thevintagemodern and snapchat @vintage-modern. 

Have you read this article about a woman who quit her job to travel for a yearlong honeymoon? Wanderlust, anyone?

  

Do you wear a fitness tracker? I am obsessed with my Jawbone UP. My favorite part is the sleep stats. I should do a post on this. 

My super secret trick for charging my iPhone is setting it to airplane mode while charging. It charges up to 100% in 20-30 minutes max. Also, if I know I'm going to be out and about and I want to save "juice", I frequently turn it to airplane mode and it'll maintain the current charge until I turn it off airplane mode. 

Have you tried Blue Apron? I did a review post here if you missed it. 

I'm obsessed with these ear climber earrings. I ordered them a few weeks ago after my co-worker raved about them and now I cannot stop wearing them. 

xoxo,

Local Eats: Duck Donuts

Since relocating to Charlotte in 2013, we have been on the hunt for some amazing fresh donuts. Living in Seattle, there were tons of delicious donut options: Top Pot, Mighty-o, Daily Dozen at Pike Place... you get the idea.  

We tried Dunkin' Donuts. Not impressed. Krispy Kreme? Snooze. And then we sort of gave up. My co-worker told us about MJ's Donuts down South but we could never seem to make it there on time before they would sell out -- and they sell out pretty early.  We had also heard about Your Mom's Donuts but this was before they had a physical storefront -- and they are located in Matthews so it's a bit of a drive from the city.  Joe's Doughs are pretty good but their storefront has yet to open and the donuts are only available occasionally though their pop-up shops at The Daily Press.

So, what's a girl to do when she's craving freshly baked donuts? Jake and I once got so desperate that we drove all the way to another town -- Harrisburg to a place called Granny Mac's Bakeshop {they have since CLOSED}. They had red velvet donuts! They were tasty, but nothing too special. Plus, driving over 20 miles for donuts seemed like a little much to me. We do live in a big city, but until recently there have not been any good options for warm, fresh donuts. 

Until now, that is... 

Enter Duck Donuts - a mere 7 minute drive from our apartment. They just opened a few months ago, but this could be dangerous. I was so excited to try their donuts that I got up early and went to pick up a few before work last Tuesday. I joked on Instagram that some people get up early to work out, while I get up early to eat donuts. How were they? Let's just say that I was VERY impressed!  

Their donuts are made to order and you can choose from a list of coating and topping choices. I made sure to take a copy home to study so I am prepared next time we are at the counter :) 

When the weekend came, I dragged Jake along with me so I we could try a few more flavors. 

Fresh donuts, all ready for toppings!  

These ladies are in charge of putting the delicious toppings on the made to order donuts. 

Our box-o-donuts. Left to Right, clockwise: Maple Bacon, Glazed with Coconut, Vanilla with Sprinkles and the Bare Donut. You read that right. Jake got a simple plain donut with no toppings. But he enjoyed it. So whatever floats your boat, I guess? 

If you are ever in Charlotte, you must check out this place. And no, this is not a sponsored post. I just love these donuts that much. The end.

P.S. I'm categorizing this post under 'design'. Because I don't have a Food category. And apparently all I've been blogging about lately is food. Oh well.