2014 Travel Goals

Every year, I look forward to the New York Times's "places to go" article; and this year was no different. I always quickly scroll through to see if anywhere I've been before makes it (this year, Nashville is on it!), and then I scroll through, reading about places I could only be lucky enough to travel to. Traveling is something that is important to me; and if time/money allowed I'd go somewhere new every weekend. 2014 for me, will be lots of trips to my hometown to celebrate my best friend's wedding, births of babies, and birthdays. All wonderful things, but will limit my travels elsewhere.

I'd love to say that I'm planning a big trip to Europe or South America this year, but unfortunately that's probably not in my cards. I aim for at least one new place each year - 2010 was Philly, 2011 was exploring DC/MD/VA and West Virginia; 2012 was New Orleans, 2013 was Nashville and New York. Yes, the destination is important in a trip, but I honestly think just exploring something new and being with friends/family is what makes the trip.

So with that said, my 2014 travel "goals" so to speak, include:

• multiple trips to my  lovely hometown for all sorts of celebrations
• a trip to Chicago to visit a dear friend
• a summer roadtrip to Charleston and Savannah
• a beach trip to Delaware with a good friend  - I've never ever done a beach weekend in my four years in DC!!
• hopefully a trip northeast in the fall to see fall foliage
• a trip to NYC in the winter to see it decorated
• lots of day trips in the DC area
• an hopefully a trip to Texas (Austin!!!) for some work events.

Lots of good things are on the horizon for 2014, I can just sense it and cannot wait to try new things. What are your plans for 2014?

Nashville

If I were to win the lottery tonight, tomorrow I would book myself a flight.. really to anywhere in the world. While I haven't been to Europe since I studied abroad in 2008 I've come to realize, that while yes, Europe is absolutely amazing and beautiful and full of culture and history, the U.S. is too, and I should be taking full advantage of our 50 states and everything it has to offer. As such, I've been slowly (as time and, more importantly, finances, allow), checking off places right here. Luckily, I have some wonderful friends who are always on board for an adventure, sometimes even spur of the moment.

I always get airfare alerts, just in case a deal pops up that you just can't refuse - you never know! Last February, I got a deal alert for flights to Nashville. A GOOD deal. $200-300 LESS than normal cost. I love country music. I love BBQ. Why not Nashville? I immediately texted my friend, somehow got on board right away, and I booked us flights to Nashville for a long weekend in April less than an hour after getting the alert. Our other friend ended up booking a flight as well. Yes, we did it 3 months in advance. Yes, it was impulsive, but before we knew it April arrived. 

The trip was wonderful. We wandered the city, ate tons of food, heard live music everywhere we went, did the whole bar scene, went to the Grand Ole Opry (and now have since become obsessed with Lennon & Maisy), toured gardens and plantations, saw Taylor Swift's guitar, ate some more at the Pancake Pantry, walked Vanderbilt's campus, ate pimento cheese and fried green tomatoes, and I even got to see my beloved Detroit Red Wings play the Nashville Predators (totally not planned). I'd never been to another hockey arena other than my Wings, so that alone was awesome (and we won!). If you love country music and amazing food, you will love Nashville. It's a very small city, much smaller than I thought it'd be, and easily walkable. Every place you go has live music, everyone is friendly, the food was just unreal (and cheap). It really doesn't get better.

Something about traveling - the excitement leading up the trip, the planning and reading trip advisor/books to figure out where you want to go, packing, going to the airport. The idea of going somewhere completely new to you, and trying new things. Nothing quite beats it. I can't wait to plan my next adventure soon. Where should I go next?

Pillows inspire travel

I recently came across this amazing Etsy shop, The Bearded Pigeon when perusing the Web, which sells these simply gorgeous pillows that are maps. If I had extra money to spend, I would most definitely buy a few of these. They make me want to travel!

Here are a few of my favorite images from this beautiful shop.

All images from The Bearded Pigeon Etsy Shop

Cinque Terra, Italy

I'm once again in a reminiscing mood, and wanted to share a few of my photographs and  memories from one of the most beautiful places I visited when I studied abroad. It is hard to believe that it was three years ago, that I met my family over Easter in Italy, and went to the Cinque Terra. We were staying in the Tuscan region, and it was a two hour train ride. You can hike between all five towns, and my family hiked between Monterossa and Vernazza. We had the most amazing lunch in Monetrossa, feasting on fresh fish, calamari and caprese salad and then began our hike

Turns out, that is the most difficult hike of all the cities, and my family is NOT the most naturey of people. The hike was long, and through the mountains, on narrow pathways where at times we'd have a good couple hundred feet drop off right into the water on our side (which freaked my Dad out that we'd somehow fall to our death). We were all exhausted by the time we finished and had gelato in Vernazza. But wow, the view as we made our descent into Vernazza (just look at that amazing photo above) left us awestruck. I twas worth it.

My entire trip to Italy was unbelievable, from the scenery, and the food, and the gelato. I'd love to go back to Italy some day. But for now, I'll just look through my photos. Below, are just a few of my favorites.

    

        

Missing Madrid

Back in college, I spent a semester studying in Madrid. I was a political science and Spanish major, and able to take politics classes in Spanish, so it made sense for me. It was my first time leaving the country (not counting Mexico/Canada) and leaving my family for 5 months. I was nervous and excited, but looking back, I am so glad I took the opportunity. I was able to explore a significant chunk of Spain, experience new cultures, and travel to other countries as well. I met one of my best friends in Madrid. I tried new foods, practiced my Spanish and went outside of my comfort zone; I knew not one person when I got there. I saw flamenco dancing, ate paella, witnessed a bull fight, and came home never wanting to see ham ever again. I explored, churches, castles, and hundreds of museums. I could talk about my time abroad for hours. In the spirit of my reminiscing, here are a few things I'm missing about Madrid.

I miss the delicious paella (my roomies and I made this one!)… and the gorgeous Retiro park.... 

 The crazy festivals they had for Holy Week (Yes, this woman is strumming a ham!).... 

The amazing architecture and the beautiful flowers and nature...

 The incredible museums and the fun night life in Sol… 

and the beautiful architecture/sculptures/fountains everywhere (Madrid parties in this fountain if their football team wins!)

There are hundreds of other things I miss about Madrid; these are just a few (I have misplaced my pictures of Plaza Mayor my most favorite spot in Madrid). I'd love to go back someday, and take my parents or someone special, and show them the places I loved during my six months there. One of the best decisions I've ever made was to study abroad. I'm so glad I did it!

More travel posts to come; looking at my photos from my time abroad in all the different cities is one of my favorite things to do.

All You Can Jet - Would you?

Traveling has long been a passion of mine, but being a recent college graduate in her first full-time job, I sadly do not have much money leftover to spend on travels. A very interesting article on The New York Times blog "Frugal Traveler" got me thinking. Would I love Jet Blue's summer promo (which I had never heard about before!) "All You Can Jet Pass," $499 for 30 days of unlimited travels, or $699 to include weekend dates?

Setting aside the fact that Jet Blue unfortunately does not fly in or out of the Mitten, and has limited flights to/from DC (although I can fly to Cancun from Dulles.. hmm...), this is a concept I find extremely intriguing for multiple reasons. If it were an airline that offered more direct flights and more airports to choose from, then I'd probably sign up in a heartbeat. Jet Blue does offer a lot of flights to the Caribbean, but I have no idea how many of those are direct flights (I'm NOT a fan of layovers).  Heck, one round-trip ticket back to my family sets me back close to $300 when it's all said and done. Flying these days is simply too expensive, and it makes me sad.

If I had a job that required me to fly to major cities on a regular in the US, such as NYC, Boston, Chicago, LA, etc., this would be a perfect plan. Or if I had a month's vacation time to just pick up and travel around, I'd do it as well. To be spontaneous, and just hop on a random flight to somewhere new (knowing that it's already paid for) would be... well, amazing. I highly recommend you read the article, where people discuss how they used their Jet Blue pass, and also the power of social media to share their experiences. One man flew 70 times in 30 days! I can't even imagine. Another was focused on philanthropy and poverty.  Everyone had a different reason for using it, and I think that's why I enjoyed the article so much. That, and I was living vicariously through these "Jet Bluers" while reading it. *Sigh* I want to travel now!

So, to answer my own question. If I had the money, and at the very least, the ability to take long weekends, I would sign up for it in a heartbeat. I think that the adventure of it all would be a great experience and an excuse to get to some amazing places I've never been. Hey, I gotta reach my goal of traveling to all 50 states somehow! Maybe other airlines will follow Jet Blue's example and someday have similar promotions? I doubt it, but it's a nice idea.

Would you do it?

Friday 6.

My first week as a full-time worker is officially over, and here I sit on my couch, drinking coffee at 6:30 at night (probably not smart, but whatever.) Dinner & a night out awaits with my friend, but as she is a fan of later dinners, we will not be meeting until later. My friend over at Every Little Thing posted today a series of questions for her readers to answer, so in my time before eating, I thought I'd answer them. Here I go!

1) What is your favorite meal to cook?
I love making pasta salads, because they're easy to make and pretty to look at. Plus, they'll usually last me all week long. Speaking of pasta salad.. maybe I put one together for lunches next week! But, in terms of actual recipes/meals, I'd have to say chicken squares. They're SUPER easy (but not exactly the healthiest of meals.) The recipe isn't the exact one I use (I use a variation my Mom created), but its pretty darn close.

2) What is your favorite meal to eat?

Basically anything that my mother makes is my favorite meal to eat! Some favorites include chicken enchiladas, spaghetti pie (again, not my exact recipe, but close!). Dang, I'm getting incredibly hungry now.

3) What is one thing on your Bucket List?

I would love to say that I've traveled/been to all 50 states. That's a goal of mine. 

4) Do you want to go to your next class reunion? Why or why not?

I'm not 100% sure on this one. We apparently are not having a 5 year reunion, so this mean I wouldn't be going to one until 2015. The people that I want to see, I'm friends with and still talk to. I don't keep in touch with that many high school friends. I guess I'll have to re-evaluate this question in 5 years!

5) 10 years ago today, who were you?

Wow. 10 years ago.. I was in eighth grade. I tried every sport, but never made any of the teams, and was devastated. I was always a manager (NOT cool). I'm pretty sure I was a huge dork, and spent a lot of time trying to be "cool," but I remember that I spent a lot of time on AIM messaging my friends, because AOL was the just the best!

6) 10 years from now, who do you want to be?

In 10 years.. I'll be 33, which is scary! I hope to be happy in whatever I'm doing (hopefully what I'm doing now!), well-traveled, and successful. Still living in or near a city, and possibly married (??). I think whats most important to to me is I'm happy, still learning something new everyday and traveling. Also, spending time with my family. That's what is most important to me.

Paris Love

I. love. Paris. I love the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and crepes. Notre Dame, the Seine River, and the cobblestone streets. The Basilique du Sacre-Coeur, amazing shopping on the Champs-Élysées and the quaint restaurants and coffee shops. Listening to the beautiful language I can't understand. Heck, I even enjoyed the metro. I loved every single thing about Paris. Watching the recent Gossip Girl episodes where the girls traipse through Paris just makes me want to return. So badly!

I was lucky enough to spend a weekend in Paris while I was living in Madrid. I had romanticized the city, imagining walking near the Eiffel Tower with a handsome man, eating macaroons and shopping for diamonds at Cartier and purses at Louis Vuitton. A girl can dream, right? I spent hours planning every single minute detail about my trip, pouring through guide book and making lists of "must-sees." I'm proud to say I crammed in nearly everything into a 36 hour period. I was giddy with excitement the entire time I was there, eating enough crepes to last a lifetime, and in complete awe over the art and architecture. Nothing beats Paris. Even the fact that I went with two girls who refused to eat French food couldn't damper my trip (sadly, the only French food I had was crepes because of these two girls, next time, will be different!) I could have easily spent a month exploring the beautiful city, the short weekend I had was not enough. I still look at my pictures, and imagine myself visiting again in the near future.