Mac & Cheese Lists

Head Cheese-It Saya likes lists. She’s Type A. She’s organized. She likes bullet points. She likes to cross things off. She has (strong, sometimes inane) opinions. She finds lists really helpful in brainstorming and reflecting. She likes easy to find, access, and share information. Especially of the win-win-win variety. She wins, you win, a third party wins.

Below are her most requested lists.

Because Mac & Cheese was headquartered in Chicago / is headquartered in Winston-Salem, some of the lists are Chicago and Winston-heavy. But many of the people, organizations, activities work virtually, so if something piques your interest, don’t let location deter you from exploring further!

Links may be referral links. You may get goodness, M&C may get goodness, both may get goodness. Goodness being a credit, discount, compensation, a high-five. As an Amazon Associate, M&C earns from qualifying purchases. If M&C refers someone or something, know that the referral is rooted in genuine reverence for his/her/its quality and usefulness.

If a business listed has closed, shoot Saya a note so she can update. If you try any of below, let Saya know about your experience! You can reach her via the contact page.

For tables, to pop out any listing, tap it/”expand space” arrow. To make tables easier to view on non-mobile, click “View larger version” at bottom.

Official Mac & Cheese Partners
Service Provider Referral List
Life of Yes℠ — Live Your Best Life — Resources (includes activity, productivity, and travel recommendations)
Material Item Recommendations
Life of Yes℠ Gift Guides
Places They’ve Traveled
Colleges Visited

Official Mac & Cheese Partners

Platforms M&C uses, and recommends, to make life simpler & easier

          

Service Provider Referrals

Due to the amount of asks and Saya attempting some amount of selectivity, no, you can’t be added to the list (even though what you offer is fabulous). She adds people at her discretion. If you’d like exposure to the Cheese-It network, head here.

Alphabetical by category. 

Life of Yes℠ — Live Your Best Life — Resources

See tabs for categories; on mobile, click the upper left three lines in the menu bar. To learn more about Life of Yes℠, head here. If you have a recommendation of something Saya should check out and potentially add, shoot her a note!

Material Item Recommendations

The Mac & Cheese Productions℠ Amazon store (cleaning, household, travel, etc. products).

Highly encouraged to use this list as a research & culling tool initially and if you see something you can purchase via a small business, to do that.

Buying anything via an Amazon visit via the Mac & Cheese link, even if it’s not on a Mac & Cheese list, will benefit Mac & Cheese (or any affiliate partner, if you visit via their link) so that’s another way to support small fish even if you purchase via Amazon.

Life of Yes℠ Gift Guides

An annual list that comes out each Fall, in preparation for holiday shopping, of random Saya loves, from things to experiences. But also good at any time of year and if the recipient is yourself!

Places Saya & Pete Have Traveled

A lot of people like following and recreating their travels, so here’s a list of where Pete and Saya have been if you want to check the blog to see if they did a post trip write up. You can either do a search or filter by travel to see all the travel posts. They also have a few posts RE travel hacking that allowed them to do things like fly to Japan First Class for $250 each, get free airport lounge access, and stay in five star hotels for low or no cost.

They hit state 50 (and Puerto Rico) in May 2025, with a trip to Alaska.

International

  • Argentina (Mendoza)
  • Austria (Salzburg)
  • Bahamas (Nassau)
  • Belgium (Bruges)
  • Belize (Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, San Ignacio)
  • Canada (Nova Scotia, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver)
  • Caribbean Cruise (Belize, Honduras, Mexico, Miami)
  • Chile (Santiago)
  • France (Paris)
  • Germany (Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Nuremberg, Rothenberg, Munich, Dachau, Schwangau)
  • Ireland (Dublin, Galway, Killarney)
  • Italy (Rome, Milan, Lake Como, Venice, Bologna, Cinque Terre, Pisa, San Gimignano, Sienna, Florence, Civita de Bagnoregio)
  • Japan (Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Hakone, Tokyo)
  • Mexico (Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende)
  • Netherlands (Amsterdam)
  • New Zealand (Auckland, Rotorua, Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook, Wanaka, Queenstown)
  • Norway (Bergen, Oslo, Stavanger)
  • Portugal (Lisbon, Porto, Obidos, Coimbra, Sintra, Braga, Guimaes)
  • Scotland (Glasgow, Loch Katrine, Arrochar, Oban, Isle of Mull, Fort William, Fort Augustus, Nairn, Glencoe Lochan, Pitlochry, St. Andrews, Edinburgh)
  • Spain (Toledo, Madrid, Barcelona, Figureres, Girona, Camiral, Valencia)
  • Sweden (Stockholm, Bergen, Gotland, Gothenberg)
United States
  • Alaska (Anchorage, Seward, Homer, Girdwood)
  • Arizona (Grand Canyon, Sedona, Phoenix)
  • Alabama (Dothan, Birmingham)
  • California (Santa Clara, San Diego, San Francisco, Yosemite, Palm Springs, Borrego Springs)
  • Colorado (Boulder, Denver)
  • Connecticut (New Haven)
  • DC
  • Hawaii (Maui, Oahu)
  • Florida (Clearwater, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Orlando, St. Pete’s, Miami)
  • Georgia (Valdosta, Atlanta, Savannah)
  • Idaho (Boise)
  • Indiana
  • Kentucky (Lexington, Louisville)
  • Louisiana (Monroe, New Orleans)
  • Maine (Acadia, Portland)
  • Massachusetts (Boston, the Cape, Northampton, Amherst)
  • Minnesota (Minneapolis, St. Paul)
  • Missouri (Kansas City)
  • Michigan (Grand Rapids, South Haven, Allegan)
  • Nebraska (Omaha)
  • New Hampshire (Portsmouth, Durham)
  • North Carolina (Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem)
  • NYC
  • Ohio (Cincinnati)
  • Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
  • Oregon (Joseph, Hell’s Canyon)
  • Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh)
  • Puerto Rico (main island/San Juan/Aguadilla/El Yunque; Vieques)
  • Rhode Island (Providence)
  • South Carolina (Charleston)
  • Tennessee (Nashville, Chattanooga, Memphis)
  • Texas (Austin)
  • Utah (Salt Lake City, Bryce Canyon, Arches National Park, Zion National Park)
  • Vermont
  • Washington (Seattle)
  • Wisconsin (Madison, Milwaukee, Racine, Lake Geneva, Fond du Lac)

Colleges visited

Pete and Saya often get asked “Why colleges?” and “What do you do on your visits?” Some folks thought they were professors. LOL. They looooooved their college experiences (Boston College and Vanderbilt) and Saya looooooved growing up in a college town (Northwestern), and in general, they just enjoy the collegiate energy and vibe. Plus, it’s a great way to explore an area, visit areas they wouldn’t have visited otherwise, and they’re nerds who enjoy academia. They like visiting the quad, student center, athletic facilities, libraries, dining halls, dorms, and surrounding neighborhood, and if there’s something they can join in — hello U of Cincinnati freshmen orientation! — they do.

United States

Alaska
University of Alaska Anchorage
Alaska Pacific University

Arizona
University of Arizona

Arkansas
University of Arkansas

Colorado
Colorado – Boulder

Connecticut
Yale University

Florida
Florida
University of Miami

Georgia
Agnes Scott
Valdosta State
Emory
Morehouse

Idaho
Boise State University

Illinois
DePaul
Loyola University Chicago
Northwestern
University of Chicago
UIC

Indiana
Notre Dame

Kentucky
Louisville
University of Kentucky
Transylvania University
Midway University

Louisiana
University of Louisiana Monroe
Tulane University
Louisiana Lafayette
Louisiana State University

Maryland
Loyola University Maryland
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Johns Hopkins
University of Baltimore

Massachusetts
Amherst College
Berklee College of Music
Boston Architectural College
Boston College
Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis
Boston University
Harvard
Hampshire College
Lesley University
MIT
Northeastern
Smith College
Tufts
UMass Amherst

Michigan
University of Michigan

Minnesota
University of Minnesota
Augsburg University
Minneapolis College

Montana
University of Montana
Montana State University

Nebraska
Creighton

New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire

New Jersey
Princeton

New Mexico
University of New Mexico

New York
NYU

North Carolina
Appalachia State
Carolina University
Greensboro College
Johnson and Wales
NC A&T
Salem College
UNC Chapel Hill
UNC Greensboro
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Wake Forest
Winston-Salem State University

Ohio
Central State University
Cincinnati
Xavier
Wilberforce University

Oklahoma
Oklahoma University
University of Central Oklahoma

Philadelphia
Penn
Pitt

Rhode Island
Johnson and Wales
Brown

South Carolina
College of Charleston
Savannah College of Art and Design

South Dakota
The Indian University of North America of Crazy Horse Memorial

Tennessee
UT Chattanooga
Vanderbilt
Sewanee

Texas
University of Texas – Austin
University of Texas – El Paso

Utah
University of Utah

Vermont
University of Vermont

Virginia
William and Mary
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Union University
University of Richmond
University of Virginia

Washington DC
Howard
American
George Washington
Georgetown

Wisconsin
Marquette

 

International

Italy
University of Bologna

Ireland
Trinity College
National University of Ireland Galway

Vancouver
University of British Columbia

Toronto
University of Toronto
Ryerson University

Norway
University of Oslo

Montreal
McGill

Portugal
Universidade de Coimbra
Universidade do Porto

Scotland
University of Glasgow
University of St. Andrews
University of Edinburgh

Spain
Universitat de Barcelona
Universitat de Girona
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Universidad Catolica de Valencia

New Zealand
University of Auckland

Germany
Goethe University Frankfurt
Heidelberg University
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Technical University of Munich
University of Television and Film

Austria
Mozarteum University Salzburg
Paris Lodron University of Salzburg
Paracelsus Medical University