Month: March 2020

caribbean queen: charlotte amalie

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Charlotte Amalie is the capital of the US Virgin Islands and is located on St. Thomas, the second largest island of the USVI.  Known for its history of attracting pirates and other colorful characters, St. Thomas is now one of the most popular cruise ship destinations of the region.  And it’s no wonder, there’s gorgeous white sand beaches, renowned bays, natural wonders, and of course, treasures to be found in duty free shopping.

It seems like there are more jewelry and perfume stores on this island than people to buy them, which is why I guess it’s good that there are up to 11 (!) cruise ships stopping daily filling the streets with tourists and potential money spenders.

Despite that fact, I highly recommend staying longer.  There’s so much to see and do in the region that a few hours doesn’t do it justice.  There are many Airbnbs and resorts across the whole island, so why not enjoy more R&R here, where time runs a little more languid?  Everyone loves an island vacation, and spending a week here was just what this doctor ordered.  And the best part is that it’s all in our own backyard, negating the need of a passport or a change in your cell phone plan.

be like the pina colada song, come with me and escape

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livin’ las vegas loca

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Now that I’ve been grounded from international travel (can’t risk getting quarantined somewhere), local trips have been key.  And there’s nothing closer to feeling like you’ve BEEN somewhere than going to Las Vegas.

My home away from home, it’s ~35 minute flight and I have family in Vegas, so we make the trip a couple times a year and every time it seems to change more and more.  The real Vegas is where its at, with thriving local businesses, eateries and shopping galore.

I love you, Las Vegas, don’t ever change…

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historical boston: one minute man

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  Although March 17 is synonymous with leprechauns and pots of gold, there’s a secondary celebration in the city of Boston, MA known as Evacuation Day.  This day commemorates the retreat of British troops from the city in 1776 after the Siege of Boston, or the start of the Revolutionary War.  So while you don your shamrocks and drink your green beer, pour one out for those who fought for our freedom to exist as our own nation.

If you’ve read this blog for a while, I think you may be able to tell that I’m a little bit of a nerd.  And I’m proud of it, I like reading, learning things and knowing about history.  And so, traveling around this vast country, I am fascinated by the communities that played vital roles in fabric of American creation and evolution.  We’re not an old country comparatively, but we’re rife with important figures and events.  We have a lot of museums and monuments to preserve this culture (some of it not great but it’s probably important to be familiar with that, too), and these are tools to promote lifelong learning.

Boston is chock full of Revolutionary War history, as the seat of some of the most famous protests and uprisings like Boston Tea Party, Boston Massacre, Paul Revere’s house, and the aforementioned Siege of Boston.  I’ve been through all these sites in the city proper, but on a road trip back into town from the Berkshires, had a chance to visit the outer lying areas where the actual sh*t happened.

Sorry for the language, but when in Boston…

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i believe in nashville

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The hits keep coming, don’t they?  While the world was reeling from the COVID-19 effects, my beloved former home of Nashville suffered one of the most devastating tornadoes in recent past.  Fortunately for me, my friends and colleagues are okay, but there are so many people who were not as lucky.  The scenes of the utter destruction, splintered buildings, razed businesses that were once so lively and vital to this town are heartbreaking.

If there’s something I know about the city of Nashville, it’s that it is resilient.  When I moved there in 2014, they had near completely recouped from the horrible floods in 2010.  I know the community will come together and rebuild and be back better than ever.  If you can, consider donating to cmft.org.

Until then, I believe in you Nashville, and here’s my little love letter to you

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avoid going viral: travel healthy

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I have to be honest with y’all, I’m a little bummed right now.  Why you ask?  At this very moment, I should be preparing to fly to Singapore, getting ready to embark on a cruise through several Asian countries.

I think you can guess why that’s not happening.  Co-vid 19, colloquially known as “coronavirus,” has reached global epidemic status (or panic at least) setting off a domino effect in the global economy and in life and society itself.   With no signs of slowing yet, this outbreak is severely affecting the travel industry.  Especially within the cruise ship sector, people are concerned, rightfully so, that they could be exposed to this “novel” threat.  I mean, we saw first hand what can happen with the Diamond Princess in Japan, and although the show must go on, the cruise I was about to travel on had changed almost all of its itinerary due to certain countries no longer allowing passengers to disembark.

And even though the risk of me, a physician who is regularly up in everyone’s nose and mouth area, contracting the virus is probably lower than say, getting the flu, the thought of being quarantined for any extensive period of time was enough to make me cancel.  It is my literal nightmare to be stuck on a boat, and I want no part of it.  My business and career would also suffer, so for now, nonessential travel is put on hold.  Which sucks.

So instead of frolicking on a boat, I’m here to provide a few tips on staying healthy while you travel along with some facts about the virus (since there’s a ton of misinformation out there).   Because even though the chance of getting Co-Vid 19 is low, it never hurts to protect yourself from all the other grossness out there.  Yes, grossness is a medical term 😉

Trust me, I’m a doctor

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