When we first booked our flights to Amsterdam, both my wife and I were sure we were going to see and experience some new things. From the rows of beautiful houseboats and the rows of red-lit windows filled with the working girls in the Red Light District, to the endless line of Amsterdamers on bicycles and the infamous coffeeshops, every corner we turned brought a new experience.

We have decided to share some more of our favorite pictures from one of our favorite cities in the world; Chicago. We are getting ready to leave again but thought we would take one more chance to look back on the place that my wife and I met. Hope you like them!!

The hardest part was leaving our friends and family. The second hardest part, at least for me, was leaving the city I grew up in. I love Chicago. Like most cities it has its problems but it is also an amazing place. The people are friendly, the food is outstanding and the culture is second to none. I consider myself lucky to call it home. No matter where in the world we end up living, ill always call myself a Chicagoan. 

One of our favorite things in the world is fried chicken. We've enjoyed it in New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah, Chicago and all places in between. About a year ago though, we tried some that has changed the way we will think about chicken for the rest of our lives. Its called broasted chicken and if you've never had it before, find it. Whatever you have to do to get some, do it. It is really that good. Its juicy and crispy and really one of the best things we've ever eaten. Broasted chicken is similar to fried chicken but it uses a pressure fryer instead of a traditional deep fryer which cooks the chicken faster and prevents it from drying out. 

I've always been a runner. I used to run track and cross country back in my more athletic days (about a half a lifetime ago). Whenever I go on a health kick and start to exercise, I get out my running shoes, throw in my ear buds and hit the pavement. Now i'm not talking about training for a marathon or anything like that but going out and running a couple miles always makes me feel good. I've never been one for the gym or liked working out in a class with a bunch of other people, but my wife recently convinced me to go to my first yoga class ever. And it was awesome! 

In the past two months we’ve learned a lot about the Twin Cities: the people here love the outdoors. they have some of the best Asian food we’ve ever eaten, and the locals from Minneapolis and St. Paul love to compete with each other. One of the most heated debates comes from who has the best cheese-stuffed hamburger, what they call a Juicy Lucy (or Jucy Lucy depending on where your loyalty lies). The basic idea is to take two hamburger patties, put a hunk of cheese between them, form it into single patty and then grill it until the cheese inside becomes nearly as hot as the sun.

One of our favorite things to do, traveling or not, is to check out local markets. Markets are a great way to familiarize yourself with a new place by trying local produce, sampling prepared foods and interacting with locals. Few other activities can connect you to the community the way a legit market can. 

Our new weekly segment, Wander Land, will cover a local haunt from wherever we are at the moment. Right now we are in Minneapolis, MN and the spot is Pig Ate My Pizza. Located a few miles north of Minneapolis in the suburb of Robbinsdale, this pork-centric pizza and craft beer restaurant is easily one of our new favorite restaurants. With an open kitchen and chefs-turned-waiters on the floor, you really get a feel like you are a part of the madness going on all around you. Its a little loud and a bit warm but when the food starts coming to the communal table, all of that is forgotten. 

Under the old Schmidt Brewery buildings along the Mississippi River, polka music and the smell of sauerkraut carry on the breeze.  The sound of hammerschlagen, a game popular in Minnesota where the goal is to drive a nail into a piece of wood with one hammer strike, echoes through the crowd. Dachshund owners proudly wear their “I love Wieners” t-shirts in anticipation of the wiener dog races.  But this is a German heritage festival and that means one thing to me. Beer! Although the choices were fairly limited, I was able to try a couple beers I rather enjoyed.

Like we mentioned in our last post, change can be a scary thing. Making the decision to leave our jobs and spend time traveling far away from family and friends is one that scared us both. It is also a decision we will never regret. This journey has allowed us to experience things we didn’t know existed and accomplish things we didn’t know were possible.