Like so many things in life, my 30th birthday snuck up on me unexpectedly. For a while there, my twenties felt as though they would stretch on for an eternity in that wildly unpredictable, youthful way; then November 2017 rolled around and I found myself staring down the barrel of a new decade. Rather… [Read More]
What it’s Like to Spend a Night at New York’s Historical Green Wood Cemetery
Saturday night in New York City, and I am en route to the historic Green-Wood cemetery for an evening of libations and performances at Atlas Obscura’s Into the Veil event, now in its third year. The towering, gothic archways of the historic Green-Wood cemetery stand like a portal between the living and dead. As crowds of New Yorkers make their way… [Read More]
The Joy Of Being A Shameless Cliché In Paris
be damned, this is the Paris of my dreams. French mingles with English while the light clinks of champagne glasses and tea fill the parlor room of Ladurée in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. I am sitting at a window table facing the Rue Jacob in the 6th arrondissement. An impossibly intricate pastry rests on the plate in… [Read More]
Gone Bamboo: Falling in Love with Vietnam
Welcome to my place of dreams - Vietnam. I promised myself I would visit this country before I turned the doddering old age of 30 and now - a few months before I cross the threshold to my thirties, I have arrived in Hanoi. My boyfriend, Jeff, and I are staying in a hotel on Hang… [Read More]
A First Time Experience Practicing Meditation in Bali
My henna was starting to fade from my hand. A mix of sweat, washing and sun had started to steal away the intricate design that once began at my right pinky finger and made its way up my wrist. I couldn’t help but admire the symbolism of it all. As my time in Bali came to a close,… [Read More]
How to ‘Eat Pray Love’ Your Way Around Bali
It’s afternoon in Bali. My fingers are resting on my laptop as I try to sum up the last month of travel through Indonesia. How Elizabeth Gilbert managed to eloquently (and concisely, I might add) put her year of self-discovery into writing is beyond me. The effects of Gilbert’s runaway success, Eat Pray Love, is seen everywhere… [Read More]
How I Got Lost in the Borneo Jungle
Afternoon in Borneo. The sweat drips down my body, filling every curve and crevice. My knees, my stomach, my neck are all damp as the jungle wraps itself around me like an uncomfortable sweater. My legs are streaked in dirt, covering layers of mosquito spray and suntan lotion beneath. More than twenty four hours… [Read More]
Falling for Someone While Solo Traveling
I blame it on Lonely Planet. I was solo traveling when I grabbed that city guidebook and sat down next to the handsome Italian in the hostel common room. If it hadn’t been for Lonely Planet I might have never gotten involved beyond a cursory glance and passing smile; yet, I did get involved… [Read More]
An Open Letter to the Ghosts of Friends I’ve Traveled With
In many ways, the collapse of our friendship feels like a one night stand where I play the part of the overtly romantic person who seems to think our exchange meant the world and you play the role of the one who woke up early and simply walked away. I know it’s more complicated than… [Read More]
