Adventures – Page 11 – Lex in the City

Exploring The Fort

January 8, 2017January 4, 2018by Alexa2 Comments

I have lived in Texas my whole life and yet, I still can’t believe that it was below freezing with ice on the ground this weekend when it was 80 degrees on Christmas.

Anyway, I decided to do something a little different this weekend and take a drive out west. When you live in Dallas, it’s pretty rare to head towards the other half of DFW unless you are going to TCU. I wanted to see what else Fort Worth, also known as The Fort, had to offer so my friend, Naomi, and I headed to Sundance Square for a few hours this weekend.
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Adventures

Just in the Old Saint Nick of Time

December 11, 2016January 4, 2018by AlexaLeave a Comment

It is finally happening.

I recently purchased a premium account for my blog and I feel like I’m in a whole new world. Well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration because I already have experience using WordPress premium, but I am extremely excited about the excess storage and access to CSS. So to move things forward, I decided that my first post should be fitting with my blog’s theme of travel/attractions and incorporate the holiday season. Today, I am sharing my thoughts on an increasingly popular annual attraction here in Dallas called ICE! .

I visited the ICE! exhibition the week before Thanksgiving because I scored an online discount code for half off ($15). For those who don’t know, ICE! is a Christmas-themed exhibition of large-scale ice sculptures, and this year’s theme is “Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town.” I didn’t know what to expect except that it was going to be “freezing” and “pretty short,” (according to my sources) so my friend Ilse and I made the trek over to the Gaylord Texan Resort Hotel.
After going through the labyrinth that is this hotel, we finally arrived at the exhibition and I can honestly say my expectations were met. I won’t lie to you, I spent the whole time getting pictures on my phone (before it froze to death) and camera which meant I had no idea what the storyline actually was. In spite of this, I think it was a great one-time experience.

It makes sense why the exhibition is short (about 15-20 min) because, well, the environment has to sustain the ice sculptures and you could get hypothermia if you stay longer than intended. But overall I don’t think it is worth the full price of $30. Don’t get me wrong–I am still in disbelief that there are artists out there who can not only sculpt everything out of ice like this, but also bring it to life with color and such intricate details. I was clearly thoroughly impressed which is why I couldn’t stop taking pictures. However, when you pile on travel time, mandatory cost of parking (additional $15), and insufficient resources (e.g. the coats they provide), I believe you’re really just paying for the novelty. Still, these are just my opinions.

If you are planning to see ICE!, here are three things I would advise:

Wear layers (insulated jacket, gloves, and maybe a scarf)
If you are going to be late for your reserved time, you can arrive later without prior notice on a value day (weekday), but should call ahead on weekends to reschedule your slot
Periodically tuck your phone in warm parts of your body so it doesn’t freeze up and die like mine did

I hope y’all enjoyed my first post back! You can now expect weekly posts again every Sunday 🙂

xx, AE

Lex Files

The Miscommunication of Alexa Edwards

August 7, 2016January 4, 2018by Alexa3 Comments

If you recognize that loose play-on-words, we can be friends.

Disclaimer: This is a long one.

I have been back and forth in my head about whether or not I should post about this, but in many ways I feel like I have to. Why was I so MIA this summer? Why did I only publish a couple of blog posts while I was abroad for eight weeks? Why didn’t I share any of my writing from my internship? Well, I’ll try to sum it up as succinctly as I can.

This intern abroad program was not what I expected and, in many ways, was falsely advertised. From the housing to my initial internship experience, I was extremely disappointed and unhappy. I absolutely hated my first internship from day one. Two and half weeks in, there was a misunderstanding between me and my employer about my role at the company and ultimately it was decided that I would work remotely twice a week. This actually left me without work for two whole weeks while this company dragged their feet in coming to this conclusion. I am leaving out the bulk of the story for a reason, but just know that the “remote work” didn’t come and my involvement with that company was the most adverse experience I ever had in my entire life that genuinely took a toll on my psyche. Continue reading “The Miscommunication of Alexa Edwards” →

Adventures

Pass That Dutch

July 24, 2016January 4, 2018by Alexa1 Comment

Guess who spent eight hours in Amsterdam alone?

This actually happened last weekend, but I have had a crazy, full week of activities so I haven’t gotten around to posting. While I love London to the extent that I don’t mind staying here all the time, I did feel weird about not having traveled (with the exception of Scotland) during my whole time here. I knew I couldn’t make it to Berlin so I decided on Amsterdam.
For £50, I took a 12-hour bus journey to the Netherlands and let me tell you…it was one of the worst experiences of my life. Between the man next to me that had BO, the couple opposite me who were constantly making out or eating sour cream & onion Pringles, and the seasickness from the unprecedented ferry ride, I definitely had an emotional breakdown at 3:00 in the morning. I didn’t know what to expect from the journey, but that certainly wasn’t it. Let’s just say I was more prepared for the ride home.
When I finally arrived in Amsterdam, I had a minor panic about everything being in Dutch and not being able to pronounce anything in the event that I needed that information. But once I got to Centraal Station, everything was okay. I spent most of the day just walking around because I forgot free museums were only a UK thing and didn’t budget for it. Not to mention, the Anne Frank House, my main attraction, was impossible to see with the short time that I was there so the only thing I did was visit the Torture Museum and the I amsterdam sign.
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