ENDLESS ADVENTURE, RIGHT WHERE I LIVE.

An Offbeat Thanksgiving Dinner at Medieval Times

By Jessica Willis
drive-swim-fly-medieval-times-chicagoland-schaumberg-illinois-thanksgiving-dinner-paper-crown

Since moving away from our families in California, we’ve cherished the generosity and love from our new friendships here in Chicagoland. These wonderful people have become like family to us, inviting us to holiday meals with their relatives and sharing their traditions so we never feel alone. This Thanksgiving, we had the option to join…

Braving the Portland Peculiarium Horror Museum

By Jessica Willis
drive-swim-fly-portland-oregon-peculiarium-strange-oddities-museum-horror-movie-collection-sci-fi-jessica-hanging-off-building-header

Three hours to kill until our reservation. What to do, what to do? I know! We’ll show you around The Freakybuttrue Peculiarium and Museum, Portland’s exclusive weird science and oddities sideshow, established in 1972. Steps away from the Northwest District’s bustling downtown strip of popular eateries and tourist shops, the props and art in this…

Grilled Octopus and Calamari at Coda di Volpe

By Jessica Willis
drive-swim-fly-chicago-illinois-coda-di-volpe-italian-restaurant-fox-wood-fired-mushroom-pizza-pasta

My coworkers will be the first to tell you that Brandon and I haven’t quite got the hang of Chicago-style pizza yet. I find deep dish too cheesy and pub-cut too messy. And why, may I ask, add the toppings on the pizza before the cheese?? It just doesn’t make sense to me. Forgive me,…

Levi Strauss pt 1 – The History of American Jeans

By Jessica Willis
drive-swim-fly-contemporary-jewish-museum-san-francisco-levi-strauss-exhibit-vintage-riveted-overall-ad-header

When I married my husband, I didn’t realize how much his Jewish heritage would play a role in our life together. Brandon’s mom is Ashkenazi Jewish on her mother’s side, a fact the family learned late in their history. This discovery transformed the way the family thought about themselves, their traditions, and their relationship with…

Levi Strauss pt 2 – Retro to Modern Jeans

By Jessica Willis
drive-swim-fly-contemporary-jewish-museum-san-francisco-levi-strauss-exhibit-destinys-child-jeans

Welcome back to the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco! Now that you have read about Levi Strauss’s history as it began in San Francisco (click here to read that blog post, if you haven’t yet), your reward is to see all the beautiful and abstract ways these iconic jeans have evolved over the recent…

Asian Fusion Brunch at Little Goat Diner

By Jessica Willis
drive-swim-fly-chicago-illinois-little-goat-diner-breakfast-brunch-this-little-piggy-went-to-china-biscuit-sausage-header

See that little goat spinning up there? She’s the one we’re having brunch with. She’s the mascot of Little Goat Diner in the Fulton Market District of West Loop, Chicago, an upscale diner that serves breakfast all day. Our kind of place! Founder Stephanie Izard is well known for being the first female winner of…

Getting Fancy and Dancy at the Bridgerton Ball

By Jessica Willis
drive-swim-fly-chicago-illinois-bridgerton-ball-experience-formal-dress-jessica-hallie-jamie

We’re ready for the ball! The interactive Bridgerton Experience in Chicago gave us a rare opportunity to dress up in a way we haven’t since prom night (and our weddings!) I, of course, wore my best pineapple costume jewelry with a glitzy green dress from Amazon. All it required was sliding the straps to an…

Eating Mochi Donuts in Another Dimension

By Jessica Willis
drive-swim-fly-chicago-illinois-2d-restaurant-cartoon-black-and-white-cafe-mochi-donuts-strawberry-coconut-chocolate

When I first heard about the 2d café phenomenon in tourist cities around the globe, I imagined stepping through a swirling portal to another dimension, trillions of cells in my body morphing and twisting, compressing into a flat paper doll. Is there anything thinner than paper? In this new 2d realm, I would sidestep to…

Filled with Wonder at the WNDR Museum

By Jessica Willis
drive-swim-fly-chicago-illinois-wndr-museum-selfie-experience-family-fun-phone-booth-box-jessica

Are you ready for a sensory expedition through color, sound and light? This journey transports you from the grey sidewalks of Chicago’s West Loop district into a Willy Wonka-like world of wonder, complete with interactive selfie moments. Here at the WNDR Museum, touching the art is encouraged and silly dances are celebrated. Visitors young and…