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Birthday Celebration with Beyond Monet in Virginia Beach
Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY IN: ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Greetings to one and all!
I am baaaaack in Sunny SoCal. But to tell you the truth, as sunny as it is, it is actually no where near as hot and humid as it was everywhere that I visited on this last and most recent trip. Well would you look at me, all praising the weather here in Cali! Texas was HOT and HUMID - pretty much the weather was miserable - UGH New Hampshire was also Hot (just less hot) and Humid (just less humid). The weather in New York was quite similar to that of New Hampshire. And then we have Virginia where the weather was maybe not as hot (during my visit) but boy do they have their share of humidity! I have always HATED the humidity that is very prominent during the summers on the East Coast. HATED as a kid. Still HATE it. And yet where can you find me each and every summer... The East Coast. It's not that I don't go and visit at other times during the year. It's just that the rest of the family all seem to have that typical non-flexible "school" schedule and the summer is when they have more availability. And If I want to be a part of such events than I have to endure the very yucky humidity. My last stop on this summer's visiting voyage was none other than Virginia. TODAY happens to be Dave C's Birthday and I wanted to be there to help him celebrate! However, as you might note...I'm not in Virginia anymore. I'm back in Cali. Ya see what happened was that when I booked my trip - it was actually a bit longer than the abbreviated version that it became. I had intended that I would still be in Virginia today. But as things unfolded, Chaplin had gone on an audition for the role of 'Amazing Mayzie' in Seussical the Musical and the show dates as you would have it, were scheduled for when I'd be out of town. I told Chaplin that if she got the role that I would discuss it with Dave and adjust my dates accordingly in order to return earlier so that I would not miss her performance. Well she got a call back and she got the role! WooHoo! While my time in Virginia was short, it was pleasant and appreciated. Dave Y. had arrived days earlier and had been there since Monday (07/22/24). Since Dave C. was working, Dave Y. had come solo to pick me up from the Norfolk Airport. From the moment I stepped outside I was slapped in the face with the steamy humid weather and could not wait to get into the car and have some good ol' A/C cooling me off. I am like a delicate flower when I'm hot - I tend to WILT! 
Enjoying the A/C (c)travelincousins.com
And off we went to Vegan Sweets to go pick up some vegan birthday cake!
Would it be too much if I ordered 1 of everything?! (c)travelincousins.com
Then back to house to spend a semi relaxing couple of days and to wait for Dave C. to return home from work. It was a grab dinner and watch a movie at home type of night which I was perfectly fine with. The following day was the day of celebration and our first stop would be CLTRE VGN JNT for some brekkie. 
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CLTRE VGN JNT (c)travelincousins.com
Every time that I come out to Virginia (or anywhere for that matter) I always search and seek out what the vegan options currently are. This time around I found CLTRE VGN JNT and a breakfast menu that had to be tried!
We arrived at CLTRE VGN JNT and made a beeline for the counter to examine the menu and narrow down what we'd finally decide on... I also inquired as to how long they've been open and I think was told since 2020! 
After we finally decided on what to order and we got photo bombed! (c)travelincousins.com
Breakfast has been served (c)travelincousins.com
The birthday boy had his eyes on the breakfast burrito filled with Housemade Chickpea Sausage, Pumfu Scramble, Coco Bac'n, Arugula, Basil sauce and Sriracha mayo.
Dave Y. who has a huge sweet tooth ordered the Hawaiian Waffle that was topped with Pineapple, Banana, Granola, Cream Chz drizzle and Coco Bac'n And I (wanted everything) but opted to Build my Own Waffle and went with Mushrooms, Tempe, and Cheddar Chz with a side order of Breakfast Potatoes to share. 
Ready to dig in! (c)travelincousins.com
Savory Waffle (c)travelincousins.com
Breakfast burrito (c)travelincousins.com
Sweet on top of Sweet! The Hawaiian with syrup being drizzled (c)travelincousins.com
Each of us dug in to our own dish and then shared bites amongst each other, all quite happy with our selections and wondering why I didn't know about this place before this trip?!
Next we were off to the Beyond Monet exhibit at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. 
Virginia Beach Convention Center (c)travelincousins.com
Travelin' Tanya (c)travelincousins.com
The Beyond Monet poster (c)travelincousins.com
Displays inside the exhibit (c)travelincousins.com
Exhibit displays (c)travelincousins.com
Profile (c)travelincousins.com
Japanese footbridge (c)travelincousins.com
In the main viewing room (c)travelincousins.com
Main exhibit (c)travelincousins.com
The immersive experience (c)travelincousins.com
Shared poster (c)travelincousins.com
Once we had fully experienced the immersion and walked through the exhibit, our plan was to head over to 3 Ships Coffee Roasters to sip some refreshing afternoon Cold Brews and a summer speciality drink ordered by Dave Y..
Outside of 3 Ships Coffee Roasters (c)travelincousins.com
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After a short spell and the cold brew not doing its job quite yet, the birthday boy was ready to head back home for some good ol' R&R and for us to sit back and watch the Summer Olympics Opening Ceremonies.
And as usual, I had a very early flight the next morning where I had to wake up at 2:45a and of course I didn't go to bed until probably 12ish and guess what... I totally forgot the pull out the cake and sing Happy Birthday to Dave! I didn't remember until the "morning" (if you want to call it that) and so I left the cake and my wishes for them celebrate knowing that I'll be there in spirit. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE! And with that I am signing off. Ciao 4 Now, -Travelin' Tanya |
Fall Trip Booked and a Look at Beyond Monet
Elisa's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY IN: LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK
Hello My Dears!
I hope you are coming off a most enjoyable and relaxing weekend! My weekend was pretty darn amazing!!! Aside from Friday being the perfect weather day - mid-70's temperatures, sunny and a lovely breeze - it started off with a relaxing lunch and iced tea with one of my good friends. We literally sat outside for over three hours at one of my fave places in Garden City - The French Workshop enjoying the refreshing breeze chatting. Later that evening - I BOOKED ANOTHER TRIP!! 
That's right! A little back story --
Last month when me and the girls went to Disney World and had our lovely dinner with our long-time family friends, Joan and Gerry, my mom was so sad that she could not be with us. She actually started crying when looking at the photos we had taken (insert sad face). So, I said to her, "Well then, let's go down to Orlando and visit with them!!" And that is precisely what we are going to do! Well, on Friday night, me and the girls went to Mom's for dinner (we ordered in nothing fancy) and with my laptop in hand, we got down to travel booking business! Since our beloved friends are in Orlando, we figured why invent the wheel trying to find a place to stay and lets use up Disney Vacation Club points. Mom had a bit more than me, since the girls and I go just about every other yearl. 
We were able to book a 2-bedroom suite, which will be super comfortable - allowing us to stay together and still have enough personal privacy and space. The only downside is that when looking at availability in October, the only week that had any availability for a week straight was not the ideal week we had wanted. I was willing to make it a bit of an adventure and hotel hop during the week, but mom said that would be very un-relaxing for her. So we really had no choice in the week that we went.
When it came to the airfare, I had so many frequent flyer points that I used them to book both of our flights. Our trip is planned for the end of October and I'll be telling you more about it in the weeks to come!! Stay Tuned!! Saturday was another beautiful day! It started with taking Kelsey driving - she is getting really confident!! We went to our favorite place, Le Pain Quotidien for breakfast. We got our usual - warm grain bowl - sooo good!! 
Warm Grain Bowl (c)travelincousins.com
Kelsey had plans to go thrifting with her friends in the afternoon.
So, after dropping Kelsey off to meet her friends to go thrifting, I got myself a juice and caught up on some of my favorite podcasts by the park. When I picked up Kelsey later in the afternoon, we did some shopping - looking for new clothes for school. And if that wasn't already a great weekend - Sunday was yet another lovely weather day. We decided to be very spontaneous and took a trip to the Queens Farm Museum - I'll be telling you all about this visit in our next blog!! BEYOND MONET, THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE - A CLOSER LOOK 
This past weekend while Tanya was in Virginia Beach celebrating Dave C.'s birthday, she also had the amazing opportunity to see the Beyond Monet exhibit.
I'm not going to lie - I am downright jealous as Monet is one of my favorite painters. So much so that when we visited France back in the Spring of 2013, it was a priority of mine to visit Giverny, the home of French Impressionist Claude Monet. Unfortunately, we visited prior to the blooms coming alive in Giverny's lush gardens. Beyond Monet has been making its way around the world, including the United States and Canada. 
The Beyond Monet Exhibit (c)traveincousins.com
According to the official website, "Through the use of cutting-edge projection technology and an original score, Beyond Monet breathes new life into over 400 of Claude Monet’s artworks."
But what is so cool is that Beyond Monet exhibit occupies 50,000 square feet, making it the largest immersive experience in the country! The show uses overhead projectors to display the works of Claude Monet on the walls and floors of a large display room. The images move and flow, creating the feel of being inside one of Monet's paintings. How Cool!!! I checked on their website, and apparently NYC is on the "wait list" and I will be keeping a close eye on this to see when the exhibit will be displayed in The Big Apple. I'm so happy (and alittle jealous! ) that Tanya got to see this exhibit first hand with some amazing photographs!! That's all ya'll. See ya back here soon! -Travelin' Elisa 
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