when figuring out my travels to helen’s wedding over memorial day weekend i decided to go all in and make a road trip out of it. doing so allowed me to stop along the way and see friends, and it meant i could bring back a few things that i had stored at my parents’ house. i covered just over 3,000 miles in two weeks, and while i’m not sure i would do it again it was definitely the right call for this visit.

this recap is going to be long and will include a lot of gushing over restaurants and people, so don’t say i didn’t warn you. here goes.

christchurch, virginia.

my first stop was christchurch to see pete, kelly, and their kids. i hadn’t seen them since pete’s birthday celebration in 2014, so we were long overdue. it was a quick visit, but it was so nice to have some time to catch up with them and to see how much the kids have grown. pete and i adopted each other 22 years ago, and he and kelly will forever be two of my favorites.

memphis, tennessee.

my first morning in memphis caitlin lloyd called me: “what are you doing for lunch?” i said i was planning on going to maciel’s and would she like to join me, and she showed up with rigby the pup and caitlin caswell as surprise guests. what a great welcome back.

after lunch i spent the afternoon working at crosstown concourse. it was my first time back since moving, and i found a quiet spot on the second floor overlooking the atrium which allowed me both privacy and also the opportunity to people watch.

on my second morning i texted caitlin: “kwik chek at 11.30?” i clearly did a great job planning ahead but luckily she was game and we managed to rope amy bell into joining us. by the time alex finished greeting me she had already written down my order from memory like no time had passed from my last visit. i will forever be thankful to mason mcculley for introducing me to this place in 2001.

cossitt library just re-opened downtown after 4 years of renovations, so that was my afternoon work spot. having seen it before and during renovations i love how it came together, and the upstairs common area was the perfect spot for me to work.

after work dillard and i went to cameo for a drink, where to our surprise it was tropical tuesday and the whole place was turned into a tiki bar. we had very fancy cocktails and a great chat with the bartender and for any fellow packers fans who find themselves in memphis it is also an official packers bar! just in time for us to come out of hiding after the last two seasons.

and then i wrapped up the evening with dinner with chris and jessi at india palace. we had a great time catching up, and once it was discovered i was there we also enjoyed our free kulfi and mango lassi 🙂

work wife alex happened to be in town for a different wedding, so we had a throwback coworking session at comeback coffee on thursday morning. it was great to see her so soon after our mexico trip and to work alongside her again for a few hours.

after our coworking session we made a surprise visit to bridges to see mario and a few others. it was very fun to be back for a bit and engage in a wee bit of nostalgia.

while i was at bridges i texted my best friend mr manny to find out which maciel’s location he would be at for lunch. he was downtown, so that was my next stop. i hadn’t seen him since i moved and i teared up a little when i walked in. he is such good people, and i’m so happy i was able to see him. shoutout to caitlin lloyd for being my lunch date for the third time that week.

and after that i was on the road to little rock!

little rock, arkansas.

thursday evening was family time with the carrolls. i got to catch up with papa john, mamma tiziana, molly the middle, and maddy the little, and i have many new board game and movie recommendations on my list. forever my faves.

on friday morning i met katherine at mylo coffee in hillcrest. i used to baby-sit her and her sister and she just finished her first year of medical school! we had run into each other a few times at weddings and other events over the years, but this was our first one-on-one time as adults and it was so lovely. and mylo was a great work spot for the remainder of the morning.

a must-do when in little rock is a meal with alex thomas, so next it was off to big orange to catch up with him over burgers and milkshakes. he is one of my absolute favorite people, and these meals are always a highlight.

after some chill time and catch-up time at the hotel with sarah, we made a quick stop at the town pump so she could see where i spent most of my nights out during grad school. it has a different look at 5.30 on a friday afternoon, but we had a great time nonetheless.

and then it was off to us pizza for the welcome party for helen and clayton’s wedding weekend! we got to catch up with and meet so many fun friends while enjoying the food and speeches from their family members. from here we made a quick stop at the fountain before heading back to the hotel and crashing.

saturday morning we slept in, and once we were ready it was off to the root café for lunch. their food is always phenomenal, and we had the benefit of running into kate jenkins whilst there. i still have dreams about that hotmaker burger, and the half-and-half fries are fantastic.

we both needed a walk after lunch, so we made a quick stop at south main creative and then walked over to paper hearts bookstore, a new-ish independent bookstore in the south main neighborhood and owned by a fellow clinton school grad. it’s a very cute spot and i gave them a lot of my money. also the bookseller who was working when we were there was super nice and friendly.

we had an afternoon siesta, and then it was time for the wedding! when i tell you three of the best weddings i’ve ever attended have been in little rock, i’m not exaggerating. helen and clayton were married on the back lawn of the clinton library, and the reception was in the great hall inside. every detail was absolutely beautiful, and we couldn’t have asked for a better night. the food was delicious, the band was fantastic, and the crowd had a great energy. it was an absolute blast.

a wedding in little rock is not complete without a late-night stop, and we managed two. first it was deep, the downstairs bar at willy d’s, and then it was off to the electric cowboy, where i’ve not been since grad school. you know it was a great night when you get back to the hotel at 4am.

memphis, tennessee.

i made a quick stop at the rail yard on sunday to say bye to helen and clayton and other friends, swung by the carroll homestead to pick up a microwave for maggie, and then hit the road back to memphis. sunday and monday [a holiday, thank goodness] were spent at dillard’s house with a revolving rotation of friends, and it was exactly what i needed. i swam, i lounged, i read, i ate, i played with linus, and i slept, and it was beautiful.

i was up early to take my mother to work on tuesday, and then i spent the morning working at hustle & dough downtown. i had forgotten how good their avocado toast is, and between that and the pup friend i made it was a great morning.

hustle & dough was also a great location because it was very easy to hop from there to central bbq for a lunch with dr wigginton. my old professor and advisor from rhodes, he’s now a great friend and mentor to me, and i was so glad to get some one-on-one time with him during this visit. he’s a good egg.

tuesday afternoon was chill — dillard had the afternoon off so she puttered around the garden while i worked by the pool and we both took it easy before treating ourselves to huey’s for dinner. their cheese fries will forever be my favorite.

wednesday i worked from dillard and rich’s in the morning, picked up kwik chek, and had a lunch date with caitlin lloyd and corrinne on the bridges’ roof. i miss that garden and how peaceful it is up there, so it was nice to be able to spend some time back in that space.

after a quick swing by the house to pick up my artwork and talk through the fence and drainage needs, it was time for dinner at casablanca with kaché! we caught up on jobs and family and upcoming travel plans and all the little things, and it was such a lovely time.

and the cherry on top of wednesday was being in town for the series finale of ted lasso. dillard and a group of her friends got together every week to watch it and discuss, and i was thrilled to be invited along for the final episode. we laughed, a few of us cried, and we had a great time.

and then thursday, my final day in town, was a mother-daughter adventure day! we had lunch at our beloved downtown gus’s, we tore up the aisles of costco and the indian grocery store, and we ran a few errands that needed doing. we got home and my mother promptly passed out on the couch, so i’ll call it a successful day for us all.

chattanooga, tennessee.

one of the reasons i was glad to have driven was that it offered the opportunity to stop for a night in chattanooga to see steph and pete, their son hays, and steph’s parents. steph, pete, and hays recently returned to the states after 18 months of travelling around the world, and i was so happy to catch up with them and finally meet hays. we spent some time at oddstory brewing company, grabbed snacks at my favorite taqueria jalisco, dropped by nightfall, spent a bit of time at boneyard, and then wrapped up the night back at the house on the back veranda. and it was perfect.

baltimore, maryland.

saturday was a long day with a 9-hour drive from chattanooga to baltimore, but it offered the opportunity for bojangles lunch and a night spent with jane and prism.

queens and new york, new york.

and then it was back to nyc! the end of the drive was a slog, but i made it to the storage unit, back to maggie’s, and then she and i met katie who was in town one night for work. perfect timing all around!

and there you have it. somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 words and 50-something photos to comprise a trip that totaled 2 weeks, 3,000 miles driven, 7 different beds, and a lot of great meals and memories. would do again.

xx