Finally getting around to posting about our trip to Salem, MA last month. We had originally booked an airbnb within walking distance of downtown but a month before the trip the owner cancelled it. After some back and forth with airbnb we ended up at a place in nearby Marblehead and $400 in extra spending money because of refunds and booking a cheaper place! We went to celebrate the first day of Autumn and our sixth wedding anniversary.

I had a business trip in Boston the week before so Christian came along (worked from the hotel) and we headed to Salem on Friday evening so we'd be ready to go Saturday morning. Our first day was slightly rainy with a nice chill to the air. Normally I would hate rain, but it made it seem more spooky and Halloweeny.

First, let's take a look at my outfit! I decided to wear my fun b chyll cashmere cape for the day with an old Zara crop top, J Brand high waisted jeans, Etienne Aigner bag and some vintage lace-up heeled boots. Not the best outfit for a rainy day, but I had hoped the rain wouldn't be constant all day, and I was right. 

I now apologize in advance for all the photos!

We started our morning bright and early getting to the Forest River Park parking lot around 7:30am so we could walk from there to 4 Ocean Ave, which just so happens to be Max & Dani Dennison's house in Hocus Pocus! We didn't want to park on the street to disturb the people who live there and we didn't get too close to the house, but I had to have a photo at this iconic location! Even though we were there very early there was one other couple that showed up while we were there and a couple cars slowed down to take photos.

Next, we headed to Downtown Salem and found a free on-street parking spot. Tip: we found our spot on Essex street, down the road from the Hawthorne Hotel. After parking we walked to Wolf Next Door Coffee for a quick breakfast. We shared a hot chocolate, I had a lemon poppyseed muffin and Christian had an egg sandwich on a biscuit. 

After breakfast we walked back towards Salem Common and the the Phillips Elementary School building that is featured In Hocus Pocus. I had to video a scene from Hocus Pocus where Allison is walking along the Commons after school because I'm crazy. Unfortunately they were setting up for a food truck festival so there was a lot of junk in the way, but I got something at least! I did it again later in the afternoon after I got a witch's hat because Allison had a hood on in the scene and I thought it would look better. But then we got lovely Port-o-Pottys in the shot. Love it. We'll see which one I decide to post. The Salem Witch Museum is also across the street but we decided not to go because we didn't need to see mannequins and dioramas. 

Then we made our way from the Common to the Salem Witch Trial Memorial. It honors those who unjustly lost their lives in 1692. It is so sad to see the reasons these people were killed and how they were killed. 

After that sombering moment we made our way to Ropes Mansion, otherwise known as Allison's house in Hocus Pocus. Along the way we passed the Bewitched statue, Old Town Hall and The Witch House.  Be sure you check out the garden's behind the mansion as well, very pretty.  By the time we finished there it was till only 9:50am. This is my main tip to help you beat the crowds. Although I can't vouch for how crazy it is in October, I'm sure it's busy all day long.

Next up was one of the most touristy areas, Essex Street. It's full of shops, street performers and restaurants.  We were a little unorthadox and got some chocolates at 11am from Kahawa Chocolates.  I tried a variety of chocolates, some were a little too out there for me, but it was fun.

After our dessert we waited in a short line to eat lunch at Red's Sandwich Shop. While waiting one of the staff exclaimed how the Autumn crowds started very early this year and that they didn't usually have lines until October. Once seated Christian had the Fried Haddock Sandwich and I enjoyed the Strawberry Moon salad with grilled chicken, watermelon, strawberries, feta cheese, onion, & cucumber on a bed of lettuce with raspberry vinaigrette — I asked for no feta, and I think the watermelon was missing, ha ha. 

We walked went back down to where we had breakfast to check out Ye Olde Pepper Companie, one of the first candy stores. We didn't buy their famous Gibraltars because they were very expensive, but we did buy a few chocolates to eat later!

Before dinner we walked around a few more shops, explored some more side streets in the main downtown area and rested our tired feet on some wet benches.  

We had our anniversary dinner at Ledger Restaurant & Bar. We shared Popovers with beef drippings & pumpkin-maple-sage butter. Christian had the Ledger Double Burger (special sauce, American cheese, pickles, lettuce, sesame seed bun, onion, fries) and I had the Strip Steak special with mushroom sauce, broccoli rabe and hassleback potato. It was all delicious! (I did have to ask for the cheese to be removed from my potato because the waitress didn't mention it when describing the special, whoops!) 

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After dinner we walked back to the car, passing Odl Town Hall again headed to our airbnb and watched Hocus Pocus before resting up for day two!

Nothing new this month. It was a very odd month because I was on a trip right before the month started, then we were gearing up for Christian's birthday followed by a business trip the next weekend. I also had a few Layla-sitting days mixed in. I definitely don't need to be shopping for clothes, but I do miss it. Sometimes I just want to go on a shopping spree and blow all my money, ha ha!   

THE (modified) RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases 
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

 

Clothes:

1. C&C California Tropical Print Linen Dress via Marshalls ($13)
2. Cynthia Rowley leaf print dress via Marshalls ($13) 
3. AllSaints Jayda dress in black splash print (polka dot) via Roundabout Resale ($16.80, retail $260)

Basics:

1. Joie long grey vest via Marshalls ($14, retail $68?, used gift card)
2. LC Lauren Conrad High Rise 5" Rolled Cuff Shorts in Doria ($24.99, retail $36.99)
3. Sonoma Goods For Life Premium Roll Cuff Jean Shorts in medium wash ($14.99, retail $24.99)

Shoes:

1. None

Handbags:

1. None

Accessories:

1. None
   

Activewear/Swimwear:

1. Colorfulkoala High Waisted Yoga Pants with Pockets in Deep Teal ($20, retail $30, used CC rewards)
   

Gifted from Brands:

• None
  

Spent in September: $0

Spent in 2024: $82.69

Spent in 2024 - counting ad money: $0

I took these photos at the beginning of September but then some life stuff happened and I didn't feel right/up to posting. So here they are now. I wore this to run some errands with Christian and then we went on a drive with my parents and brother before having a late lunch at Riley's in Lordship.

This was a day that was cool enough for me to wear this airy cashmere sweater paired with shorts. I often find it hard to wear this sweater because it is VERY open thanks to the deep Vs, so I can't really wear it in winter unless it's layered.

Double V-Neck Cashmere Sweater: Calypso St. Barth 'Gylden'

Sparkle Shorts c/o Banana Republic Factory at Clinton Crossing

Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Clio' leopard-print leather slingback sandals via Net-a-Porter Sale

Italian Leather Bag: bought in Venice

Sunglasses: Chanel

Moon Necklace: Marrin Costello

Endless Gemstone Station Necklace in Rose Quartz c/o Aurate

 

I wore this over the weekend to go out to Mecha for ramen! We decided to sit outside and the breeze was so perfect. I love the end of Summer where it's starting to get cool but we still get long evenings. I haven't worn this camisole nearly as much as I wanted this year, might have to see if I can transition it into Fall as well! I have been horrible at taking outfit photos the last few months, need to get back into the habit of bugging Christian to take them! 

Floral Camisole: eight sixty 

Jeans: M.i.h Jeans 'Farrah' Tomboy cropped jeans (Net-a-Porter)

Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Apteros' in Crosta Wine (bought in Athens)

Italian Leather Bag: bought in Venice

Sunglasses: Chanel

It's been a while (exactly 2 months) since my last baking roundup! With our vacation to Florida at the beginning of July and a lot of weekend plans I haven't had much time to bake on the weekends. We have a wide variety of bakes this time, which is always fun to see! Of course I baked some of my old standbys, like the focaccia, but there are also a few new recipes here. One of which Christian has declared one of his favorite bakes ever...

Lemon Blueberry Loaf

The first time I made this I used small wild blueberries and they made it too dense. This time I used regular sized blueberries and it worked much better. Which is a shame because I actually don't like large blueberries, haha! So I may have to figure out a solution to use wild ones, probably half the amount.

Whipped Cream Dream Cake

This recipe popped up on King Arthur's Instagram and since I had some leftover cream from another recipe it was perfect timing! It was super easy to make, although I accidentally set the oven to 350 instead of 375 - oh no! I baked it a bit longer until it bounced back and a toothpick came out clean so no harm done. But I definitely panicked for a minute. The topping was a fun added touch to the super fluffy cake. Will definitely be making this again any time I have extra heavy cream.

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Pillsbury Boxed Brownies - Upgraded

Sometimes you just want a quick and easy dessert. I always grab some boxed brownie mix if its on good sale for those nights when I want dessert but don't feel like actually baking. In this instance I did make a few modifications. I added chocolate chips and made a quick frosting (recipe from Butternut Bakery's Lunch Lady Brownies.) It only took a few extra minutes and made the boxed brownies feel even more homemade!

Rosemary Focaccia

I looooove focaccia and whenever we have little tomatoes ready to harvest from the garden I like to make a rosemary focaccia and sprinkle them on top as well. I can't remember if I had used this recipe before because I usually want a quick focaccia and this recipe has a longer rise. It can rest in the fridge until I am ready to bake. I made the dough on Sunday and baked it up on Tuesday for the rest of our weekly lunches! Since extra virgin olive oil is one of the main ingredients in focaccia, I figured it was the perfect time to use our super fancy California Olive Ranch Reserve Collection: Arbequina olive oil. 

Lemon Love Notes

I wanted to make something light for a last minute barbecue my mom had. I looked in one of my few actual cookbooks - Bar Cookies A to Z - and found these lemon love notes bars. We had a lemon I wanted to use up as well as sweetened coconut flakes so it was perfect! I halved the recipe and made it in my Le Creuset Heritage Rectangle dish instead of a 9x13in pan.

Homemade Fudge Rounds

The second Christian saw photos of these cookies pop up on my feed he said I had to make them. They were also part of Handle the Heat's August Baking Challenge so I entered a giveaway when making them! You can still enter for a few more days just by baking them and submitting a photo on her site (linked above!) They were super easy to make and Christian declared them a top 5 dessert. High praise!

Well, I finally got new jean shorts like I've been talking about since last year, ha ha! I got a 40% off coupon for Kohl's so I decided to take a look. I ordered two pairs figuring I would return one but they ended up being such different colors that I kept both for different occasions.

THE (modified) RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases 
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

 

Clothes:

1. C&C California Tropical Print Linen Dress via Marshalls ($13)
2. Cynthia Rowley leaf print dress via Marshalls ($13)
   

Basics:

1. Joie long grey vest via Marshalls ($14, retail $68?, used gift card)
   
2. *NEW!* LC Lauren Conrad High Rise 5" Rolled Cuff Shorts in Doria ($24.99, retail $36.99)
3. *NEW!* Sonoma Goods For Life Premium Roll Cuff Jean Shorts in medium wash ($14.99, retail $24.99)

Shoes:

1. None

Handbags:

1. None

Accessories:

1. None
   

Activewear/Swimwear:

1. Colorfulkoala High Waisted Yoga Pants with Pockets in Deep Teal ($20, retail $30, used CC rewards)
   

Gifted from Brands:

• None
  

Spent in July: $39.98

Spent in 2024: $65.98

Spent in 2024 - counting ad money: $0

Here we are on our ELEVENTH Disney World Hotel post! For our 4th of July trip we snagged an evening at Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort for only $289. Had we booked through Disney's website instead of renting Disney Vacation Club points we would have paid $762.75, whoa! 

 Now back to the Contemporary Resort! 

Our stay was on July 3rd which is a very popular day to be at Magic Kingdom because they do one of their two Fourth of July fireworks shows. Magic Kingdom does 4th fireworks on the 3rd and 4th while EPCOT does their special fireworks only on the 4th. This makes most people choose to see Magic Kingdom's fireworks on the 3rd and EPCOT on the 4th, which was our game plan as well.

We were extra excited to stay at Bay Lake Tower for a couple reasons. First because they had Extended Evening Theme Park Hours at Magic Kingdom that night so we were able to enjoy shorter lines for 2 hours after official park close and another opportunity to join the Virtual Queue and ride TRON Lightcycle / Run. The second was the fact that you can walk to and from Magic Kingdom from the Contemporary Resort. This meant we didn't have to wait in crazy lines for a bus (if we were at a different resort) or the monorail. We did use the monorail once on the way back to the hotel for lunch because there was no line.

I don't usually go to Disney in the Summer becasue it is so hot and sticky but since we were already going to be down in Florida for a family trip with Christian's Mom we HAD to tack on a Disney trip, ha ha. Our plan was to spend the hotter hours of the day back at our hotel or in air conditioning. So for July 3rd we spent a lot of our day at the Contemporary Resort, but not as much as we planned because of the way Virtual Queues worked out for us.

Transportation

Monorail

Many guests stay at the Contemporary Resort because of the convenience of the Monorail. It is the quickest way to get to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. You can also visit any of the other Monorail Resorts (Disney's Polynesian Resort and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa) this way.

If you're heading to EPCOT and want to start your monorail journey at the Contemporary stop you'll have to switch monorails at the Ticket and Transportation Center.

Buses

Buses are the only way (besides rideshare or driving) to get to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. There are no buses to EPCOT or Magic Kingdom because you can use the monorail. However, if the monorail goes down they will provide buses as an alternative.

Walking

Dining

Steakhouse 71

Steakhouse 71 is one of my favorite spots, mostly because they have one of the best appetizers - Sea Salt-dusted Potato Brioche.... YUM! They also have what many call the best burger on property: The Stack Burger. I must agree it is delicious and is currently Christian's favorite burger. I have dined here for lunch and dinner multiple times and always have a great time. I even went by myself solely for the brioche. I sat by myself and enjoyed both rolls with a nice cold Coca Cola. One day we'll try breakfast, just haven't found the perfect time yet, planning park days and restaurants is like a puzzle.

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The theming of this restaurant is really fun becasue it shows some of the history of the Walt Disney World Resort. There are old photos of Walt during the construction along the walls and some pretty murals. Be sure to walk around and check it all out! The 71 in the name is to celebrate the opening of Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Contemporary Resort in 1971.

 

California Grill

Christian and I had one of our favorite restaurant experiences here in March 2023. It was during the 50th anniversary celebration so they had a special menu. We will have to go again to try the new menu! At $89 a person it’s pricey, but the experience, fireworks and food made it feel worth it.  It is a Disney Signature Dining experience so you will be expected to dress the part - try not to wear your "park clothes."

 

California Grill is located on the 15th floor of the Contemporary Resort with panoramic views of the lagoon, Magic Kingdom and even EPCOT from some tables. If you are dining during fireworks they dim the lights in the restaurant and play the music so you can watch the fireworks while you eat. If you don't have a window seat you can get up from your table and go out to the observation deck to watch the fireworks and go back in to complete your meal after.

Currently they are only open for dinner, but in the past you could have a breakfast or lunch reservation and head back up to the restaurant to view the nightly Magic Kingdom fireworks as long as you had your receipt as proof. We'll see if they bring back other meal times as an option.

 

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Chef Mickey's

One of the more popular restaurants on Disney property because it is a great way to meet Mickey Mouse and friends without having a theme park ticket! This is a character dining buffet so you can eat your heart out while meeting your favorite characters. They are currently open for breakfast and dinner. We have not dined here yet because Christian isn't big on character meals and I'd rather try others first.

 

Contempo Cafe

This is the hotel's quick service location where you can grab easy breakfasts, lunches and dinners. We did not eat here on this trip, but on a solo "resort hopping" day last year I grabbed a fruit cup as a snack.

 

Bars/Snacks

The resort also has a few bars and snack locations:  Contemporary Grounds for coffee/pastry/smoothies,  Cove Bar private pool bar/lounge at Bay Lake Tower, The Sand Bar pool bar for drinks and snacks and Outer Rim cocktail bar within the main building. Since we only stayed one night we didn't partake in any of these lounges (we also don't drink so we would have just tried snacks.)

 

Recreation

Pools

We are not pool people on our Disney trips but the Contemporary has a Feature Pool and then a quieter Bay Lake Pool where loud noises and splashing are discouraged. The feature pool has a 17-foot-high, curving waterslide!

Activities

The Contemporary also has a lot of other recreation activities for those who want to spend more time at the hotel. There's an arcade, community hall for crafting and other activities, playgrounds and running trails. You can also play volleyball or tennis and even rent bikes! Take part in evening campfires and make some s'mores. Don't forget about Movies Under the Stars where they will show a Disney movie outside.

 

Main Building

The main building of the Contemporary Resort is iconic. It opened along with Magic Kingdom in 1971 and contains all the amazing restaurants, some gift shops and even a convention center!  To make it even cooler, the monorail drives right through it! 

 

Another iconic part of the hotel is the Mary Blair Grand Canyon mural. Mary is a Disney legend responsible for many beautiful pieces of Disney concept art as well as the It's a Small World ride theming. Make sure to look for the 5 legged goat which symbolized the idea that nothing man-made is perfect.

At Christmas-time this resort is one of the few that get a Gingerbread creation! I had the pleasure of meeting the chef in charge of the 2019 display.

 

Bay Lake Tower

We stayed at Bay Lake Tower on this trip which is the DVC building connected by a sky walkway. Our room was on the first floor and we have a view of the water as well as the main building. The main building rooms are themed with The Incredibles but these DVC rooms are Mickey themed.

View from room

View from Room

Walkway from Bay Lake Tower to the main building of the Contemporary Resort

 

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I did buy a couple dresses this month, but they aren't fashionable in the least, haha! I bought them to be easily packable in my Day Owl backpack/don't care if they get wrinkly for my trip to Florida this week. They'll be comfy in the heat, have pockets and I'll fit right in at the specific location we're going, ha ha. I had a leftover gift card from Christmas that covered one of the dresses so it was $26 for both. Almost bought a pair of jean shorts like I've been saying I'll do for months, but the wash was slightly off.

THE (modified) RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases 
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

 

Clothes:

1. C&C California Tropical Print Linen Dress via Marshalls ($13)
2. Cynthia Rowley leaf print dress via Marshalls ($13)
   

Basics:

1. Joie long grey vest via Marshalls ($14, retail $68?, used gift card)
   

Shoes:

1. None

Handbags:

1. None

Accessories:

1. None
   

Activewear/Swimwear:

1. Colorfulkoala High Waisted Yoga Pants with Pockets in Deep Teal ($20, retail $30, used CC rewards)
   

Gifted from Brands:

• None
  

Spent in June: $26

Spent in 2024: $26

Spent in 2024 - counting ad money: $0