Rockford Photo Diary

The final part of my Illinois road trip was Rockford. Rockford is the third largest city in the state. It was a lot more spread out than the previous places we visited, everything was just so big! We were only there for two days but we packed a lot in!

One of my favourite activities we got to do was a visit to the Burpee Museum of Natural History. Here we were given an amazing tour of the dinosaur section of the museum. I'm a sucker for a dinosaur - they're just so magnificent aren't they? The museum is home to the most complete juvenile t-rex - named Jane- in the world.

We were taken back in time to the roaring twenties to the ornate Coronado Theatre. Built in 1927, this glamorous looking atmospheric theatre is a feast for your eyes. With elaborate chandeliers, gaudy gold decoration and exquisite detailing, it truly is like taking a step back in time. If only I could go to a similar movie theatre here at home!

I also had some of the best food of my trip in Rockford. The city is well known for it's Swedish heritage so obviously we had to sample the Swedish pancakes at Stockholm Inn. These thin crepe-style pancakes were absolutely delicious with sweet lingonberries piled high. I'm also still dreaming about the incredible macaroni cheese pizza I scoffed at Alchemy. It's something I'm going to try and recreate back home - you can never go wrong with double carbs right?

Next up will be Luxembourg in June for a weekend - I can't wait to jump back on a plane and explore somewhere new!

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OOTD: Orange Midi Dress

Outfit:
Denim jacket: c/o Fat Face
Burnt orange midi dress: Zara (similar)
Grey leather ankle boots: Office (similar)

Once again I found this dress lingering at the back of my wardrobe during a frustrated rummage where nothing caught my eye. I needed a fairly smart casual outfit to wear out for an early dinner and a trip down the pub. This was the end result. I thought I'd go for a slightly boho look aka desperately try to look like Sienna Miller. It's not my usual style but one that I rather liked when I put it together. I always thought this dress would be hard to dress down but a pair of coloured ankle boots did the trick.

Bank Holiday weekends are the greatest eh? Last night I celebrated three days off with a trip to a 90s garage night. Craig David and So Solid Crew were just the tonic to wash away the working week. Tonight I'm out for as Thai with friends, tomorrow I'm popping into London for a Spanish food festival and a burger and then on Monday, Tom Hardy is waiting for at the cinema. Can we have three day weekends every week please?

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Review: Patty and Bun

Another day, another burger. London shows no signs of giving up the burger trend any time soon. Determined to carb load before watching the London Marathon, we opted to visit one of the originals Patty and Bun. This is my third time to the burger joint and each time is just as good as the last. The Liverpool Street branch is small but cosy and service is uber quick. You don't have to wait long to stuff your face! It's situated just outside the station next to Macdonalds - this is a much better shout if you're in need of a foodie fix. Simply walk up to the counter, give your name and take a seat.

We both opted for the delicious Smokey Robinson. A toasted brioche bun is stuffed with a juicy medium-rare beef patty, gooey cheese, tomato, lettuce, oodles of sweet caramelised onions, crispy bacon, ketchup and a tasty special smoked sauce. It's a beast that requires two hands to bite into. It's also a beast that requires lots of napkins to wipe up the mess it makes! The bun held all the glorious juices and the bacon was the perfect accompaniment to the smokey sauce. The rosemary skin-on chips were extremely moreish and were a good mixture of crispy and soft chips.

It makes my top three burgers in London - no mean feat!

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