2023 October List | 十月清單

Cincinnati turned into Fall overnight. Without any warning, the morning temperature dropped below 40 degrees. Not only does my mom think it’s cold, I was caught off guard and had to dig out my winter clothes from the storage. What’s gonna happen when Winter comes? Even so, I love the distinct seasons, especially seeing the foliage and brown leaves lining the streets, making me fall in love with Cincinnati even more!

體驗一晚瞬間入秋的辛辛那提!完全無預警,一早起床溫度從六十多度降到四十度。不僅我媽喊冷,我也措手不及,我們快點把放在儲藏櫃裡的衣服搬出來。天啊,這冬天怎麼辦(開始上網逛街!)即使如此,我實在太愛這種四季分明的天氣了,開車在路上秋葉掉落滿地,讓我更愛辛辛那提了!


Ten Seconds

7606 Cox Ln, West Chester Township, OH 45069

I can’t believe Cincinnati has Guo Qiao rice noodles! Love! A newly opened Chinese restaurant, even though it’s a bit far from where we live, it is worth the drive. Asian food options are scarce in this town.

天阿,辛辛那提竟然有我好愛吃的過橋米線!近期新開的亞洲餐廳,雖然離我們家好遠,但還是很值得,畢竟這裡亞洲食物選擇真的少得可憐。

I love the cold, brisk Fall weather! After breakfast, we met up with our friends at the Sunflower Festival. In addition to the sunflower fields, there’s also pumpkin patches, food stands, corn mazes, and even a farmer's market. The sunflowers are good for picking, and are just $1 each stem.

天氣突然一瞬間變涼,正是我愛的!一早一家人吃完早餐後,我們就和朋友一起來看太陽花展。這裡不只有太陽花園,還有南瓜園、食物區、迷宮、超多選擇。在花園裡能採太陽花,一隻只要美金一塊錢。

VV The Italian Experience

http://www.vvitalian.com/

We often drive by this place, and I’ve told UN that I want to visit all the shops along this street. On Sunday before church, while the babies are asleep, UN and I came here for coffee and breakfast. UN ordered a latte, and was quite impressed. This place has become one of our frequent spots.

常常開車經過這裡,一直和UN說我要把這裡的每間店去過一次。週日上教會前,寶寶們睡午覺時,我和UN跑出來買咖啡和早餐,UN點了拿鐵,喝了第一口立刻稱讚!這裡已成為我們固定來的地方了!

Delicious cocktails! Thankful for my mom for looking after our babies, so that we can go on our date and not worry about time. Food is above average. We will definitely come back!

調酒好喝耶!感謝我媽顧小孩,讓我倆能不需擔心時間,慢慢在外吃飯約會,而且還能坐在吧台。至於食物嘛,普通偏上,但以辛辛那提標準,我們會常來!

Hello Honey

https://www.hellohoneyicecream.com/

Love their charcoal sesame flavor! After putting the kids to sleep, we came out for ice cream. We often get the ramen from next door, but never save enough room for desserts. We liked the charcoal sesame and honey lavender. Looking forward to trying out all of their other flavors. This is so far my favorite ice cream place in Cincinnati!

好喜歡Charcoal Sesame口味!飯後把寶寶們弄睡後,我們跑來這裡吃冰淇淋。常到隔壁吃拉麵,但一直沒機會來這裡吃甜點。這次點Charcoal Sesame和Honey Lavender都非常棒,期待下次是更多口味。榮登我在辛城最愛的冰淇淋店!

Streetside Brewery

https://streetsidebrewery.com/

Highly recommended for people who like fruity beers! I ordered a Hoodie SZN, the fruit fragrance is on point, and not so bitter like regular beer. Be careful, it’s very easy to drink more than just one.

很推薦喜歡果味啤酒的人!我這次喝的是Hoodie SZN,果香十足,不愛啤酒苦味的人可以嘗試。由於太好喝了(沒有苦澀啤酒味),實在很容易喝多!

Pho Lang Thang

http://www.pholangthang.com/

Mushroom congee and chicken congee are delectable. But I probably won’t order the pho again. They also have a soft serve shop next door, and it was recommended to us by our friends. They are open from Wednesday to Sunday, located in Over The Rhine, so be careful where you park.

香菇粥和雞肉粥都非常好吃,但我可能不會再點pho。他們也在隔壁開了soft serve冰店,朋友非常推薦,但只開星期三到日。餐廳地點在OTR,停車或走在路上需要小心一點。

Madeira Farmers’ Market

http://www.madeirafarmersmarket.com/

Farmer’s markets in Cincinnati are only till the end of October! Starting November, there will be gradually less and less stands, and their business hours are shorter. I guess farmers here have to prepare for Winter. We came here right before Halloween, and there were many kids dressed up in cute costumes. Also our babies’ first time carving pumpkin!

什麼!這裡的農夫市場只到10月底!11月開始這裡的農夫市場就會大大縮減攤販,時間也縮短。也是,冬天太冷都要待家裡了。這次剛好趕在萬聖節前來,好多小孩盛裝打扮。寶寶們還第一次畫南瓜!

2023 September List | 九月清單

Welcome my mom to Cincinnati and celebrate our babies’ first birthday!

Monthly list is back! After months of hiatus due to cross-country move, renovation (still in progress), and getting situated, Cincinnati is finally starting to feel like home.

歡迎我媽第一次來辛辛那提,和我們一起幫寶寶慶祝一歲生日。

月份清單又回歸啦!經過幾個月的搬家、家裡整修(還在進行中)、安頓,辛辛那提漸漸有家的感覺了!


Ohio Renaissance Festival (9/2-10/29)

https://renfestival.com/

We came on a hot opening day, yet everyone came dressed up! As soon as you enter, you are transported in time back to Medieval times. There are many performances and activities. Food options are great also. Must get the turkey leg, a fan favorite and GH approved!

活動第一天,我們就來報到了。天氣實在有夠熱,好佩服大家盛裝打扮!進入園區,瞬間時空交換到中古世紀。有好多表演可以看,還有不同活動可以參加。食物選項也不錯,但一定要買超大隻火雞腿,GH好愛!

Blooms and Berries Farm Market (9/16-10/31)

https://www.bloomsandberries.com/

Kids are half price on Tuesdays!
So much fun here! One of the things we looked forward to the most moving to the midwest is the pumpkin patch. There are so many activities for everyone of all ages. It exceeded all of my expectations! The Bee Train ride is very fast-paced, but you can bring your baby. GH aren’t a fan, but UN and I rode it multiple times. We love it!

門票:$6-$19,網上也能買到季票(不同天有不同價錢)
注意:每週二兒童票半價!
有夠好玩!搬來中部,我們最期待的活動之一就是來南瓜園。地大且好多好玩的活動,南瓜一顆比一顆肥美,完全符合期待值!其中有個遊樂設施Bee Train,能帶寶寶們一起玩,有點快速且刺激。雖然GH不太喜歡,但我和UN連續坐了好多次(感謝我媽和朋友看小孩)!

UN likes the coffee here! I love the atmosphere. You will find this place crowded on the weekends.

UN說這咖啡店不錯!我好愛整間店的裝潢。週末好多人在這裡,但環境非常舒服。

Cincinnati has many breweries, Madtree is a popular local one. They opened in 2013, and in 2017 they converted an old airplane hangar in Oakley and turned it into a family friendly brewery. Their food is delicious, has many beer options, and spacious indoor and outdoor seatings. Highly recommend it!

辛辛那提有非常多啤酒場,Madtree是當地非常有名釀啤酒廠。2013年開幕,2017年在Oakley把一個老式飛機機庫改造變成現在很適合全家來的啤酒廠。食物好吃,啤酒種類非常多種,室內室外都非常寬敞,非常推薦給各位讀者們!

The National Exemplar

https://www.nationalexemplar.com/

If you visit us in the winter, I will take you to brunch here! It feels like you are dining inside a snow cabin, a first choice for breakfast. We ordered Seasoned Breakfast Potatoes, a bit salty, but other foods are awesome!

如果冬天來找我們,我一定會帶你來這裡吃早午餐!很像冬季雪裡的小木屋,絕對是早午餐首選餐廳。我們點了Seasoned Breakfast Potatoes,有點過鹹,但其他食物都很棒。

Their hummus is to die for! Must order! They serve Mediterranean food. We ordered Rainbow Veggie Hummus Bowl for the babies, not only do GH love it, we love it also! Alma’s Choice and Blazing Balkin are worth the try also.

哇,他們的鹰嘴豆泥有夠好吃!必點!以地中海和中東食物為主,原本點給寶寶們的Rainbow Veggie Hummus Bowl,不但GH好愛,我們也讚不絕口(開始跟小孩搶食物)。Alma’s Choice和Blazin Balkin也是我們很推薦的兩道。

Grand Oriental Chinese Restaurant

4800 Fields Ertel Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45249

If you bring kids, you must bring your own chairs for eating! As for the dim sum, slightly above average, can definitely satisfy UN and my craving for dim sum.

帶小孩來的話,一定要自備寶寶攜帶式吃飯用椅!港式飲茶的部分,普通偏上但滿足我和UN想吃飲茶的饞。

There aren’t that many Asians here, so we were quite surprised to find authentic Southeast Asian cuisine. We came back a few times, and our favorite is the roasted duck!

這一區幾乎很少見到亞洲人,所以我們很驚訝這裡有一家專賣道地的東南亞菜。來了幾次,我們的最愛絕對是老闆Paul做的燒鴨!


Thank you for coming! I will see you next month!

謝謝你們讀九月清單!我們下個月見啦!

Weekend in Bloomington, IN | 週末到印第安納布魯明頓

(中文翻譯請往下滑)

Over the weekend we went across the state line to Bloomington, Indiana - home of Indiana University. We didn’t realize it was move-in day that weekend, and ran into a lot of college students and their parents. One dad saw us with our babies and told us that it reminded him of when his twin daughters were that little, but now they are starting college.

Bloomington is about 3 hours drive from Cincinnati. Along the way are rows and rows of corn. We were worried about where to stop along the way if the girls acted fuzzy or needed a diaper change on the road trip, but thank God it was a smooth journey.


Accommodation

Hyatt Place Bloomington

We stayed one night here, very conveniently located in the center of town. Walkable to many restaurants and cafes. Cozy and in a very safe area.


Restaurants

Homey Hot Pot

Hot pot all you can eat is hard to find, especially in a town where the Asian population is small. Their soup base is a little bit on the saltier side, but has quite the selection of hot pot ingredients. Our babies love fish and mushrooms. A Google search showed that Bloomington actually has a higher percentage of Asian population than Cincinnati!

Soma Coffeehouse and Juice Bar

Walls are decorated with writings and drawings, very characteristic of a college town. Filled with students and very lively. As for the coffee, suitable for college students is all I can say.

Parlor Doughnuts

What?! I never knew this donut shop we frequented in California is actually from Indiana! How will I miss out on my favorite donuts?

Mother Bear’s Pizza Campus

Best pizza we’ve had recently. Our babies are fans too. We ordered two flavors, and I highly recommend Paulie Pine Nuts Pesto Pie. We love this green pesto sauce pizza.


Places to Visit

Eskenazi Museum of Art

The students of Indiana University are so lucky to have a legit art museum on campus! All kinds of arts are on display here, from Asian history, African art, modern art, and European art, they have quite the collection.


Fell in love with this beautiful college town on this Indiana trip. Not busy as a metropolitan city, and the leisurely student life makes me miss my college days!

週末我們跨州到印第安納大學布魯明頓分校玩,碰到學校Move In Day(搬家日),好多家長和學生在路上。有位爸爸看到我們的寶寶時,讓他想到以前他的雙胞胎女兒們還小的時候,如今要上大學了,讓他好捨不得。(天啊,鼻子有點酸!)

辛辛那提距離布魯明頓約3小時,沿路滿滿的玉米田是我對路上風景最大印象。老實說,出發前有點擔心小孩們萬一在路上爆哭這類事發生該在哪裡停車,但感謝神一路非常順利平安。


住宿

Hyatt Place Bloomington

我們在這裡待了一晚,地點非常方便。走路就能到餐廳和咖啡店。環境舒適安全,很適合全家住。


餐廳

Homey Hot Pot

能在亞洲人比例少之又少的地方找到火鍋吃到飽,我們當然要捧場支持亞洲餐廳一下。鍋底雖然有點偏鹹,但火鍋料很多選項,寶寶們也吃得超開心(猛吃魚片和蘑菇)!上網查了一下,這裡竟然亞洲人比例比辛辛那提還多!

Soma Coffeehouse and Juice Bar

裝潢不走現代感或極簡風,牆上一堆標語和圖畫,大學城咖啡店氣氛十足。店裡滿滿大學生,氣氛好熱絡!至於咖啡嘛,有待加強。

Parlor Doughnuts

什麼!我在加州時很常去的甜甜圈店竟然是從印第安納州開始的!不來吃一下我愛的甜甜圈怎麼行呢?

Mother Bear’s Pizza Campus

近期內吃到滿意的披薩!連寶寶們都是一口接著一口,吃得超開心。我們點了兩個口味的披薩,大推”Paulie Pine Nuts” Pesto Pie,我們全家都好愛這綠醬披薩。


景點

Eskenazi Museum of Art

Indiana University太強了,竟然藏了一間美術館,這裡的學生太幸福了吧!各類展覽應有盡有,亞洲歷史文化、現代藝術,館裡有很多很棒的收藏。


這次來印第安納州,深深被這大學城吸引著。雖然不像大城市一樣繁忙,但悠哉大學生活真是令人懷念啊!