Vail is my favorite winter destination, perfect for the long Martin Luther King, Jr weekend. Mostly because of the apres ski, as an old injury sidelined me from snowboarding and winter sports a long time ago. There’s so much to eat and do here that even if you’re not partaking in the exquisite powder of the back bowls, you can fill your days and nights enjoying all the sights along the cobblestoned, European chalet lined streets.
Pierce the Vail…
Siem Reap is the airport that serves Angkor Wat, one of the world’s great ancient ruins. If you ever get the chance, go! It’s an incredibly humbling place to visit, you will be in awe of the engineering and intricacy of these ancient structures.
Although it is Cambodia’s busiest airport (yes, even busier than that of the capital Phnom Penh), it’s still pretty tiny with only 10 gates. But, this makes it easy to navigate. It serves basically every regional Asian airline you can think of, with popular flights to and from Thailand and Vietnam. It is the hub for Cambodia Angkor and Sky Angkor Airlines.
The design is very classic Khmer with the sloping roofs and when arriving, it makes you feel like you’re already visiting the sacred temples. And you basically are, as it is located a mere 5 km from Angkor Wat. And about 4 km from the city center where all the restaurants and gem markets are abound. You will (siem) reap the benefits when you visit this culturally rich area.
Remember: ✈️ = wat’s going on to ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ = turn down for wat
Convenience to the city: ✈️✈️✈️✈️ (a short taxi or tuk tuk ride away)
Ease of navigating through terminals: ✈️✈️✈️ (there is just one building)
Convenience of check in/security lines: ✈️✈️ (customs isn’t the fastest and there’s a bit of scrutiny, consider getting an e-visa before you arrive)
Dining: ✈️✈️✈️ (it doesn’t have to be great for a regional airport, but there’s actually a Starbucks, a small Asian food court, Dairy Queen and two other coffeehouses)
Bathrooms: ✈️✈️ (could have more)
Charging stations/wifi: ✈️ (no wifi, sorry)
Amenities: ✈️✈️ (souvenir shops, bookstore, flower shop)
Charleston, South Carolina is quite possibly one of the most charming cities in the US. This coastal hamlet has unparalleled appeal, historical value, and probably one of the highest ratios of award winning restaurants to actual citizens within its small limits. No wonder it’s a popular destination for tourism and living alike. It’s also the location for a Bravo reality TV show, so you know they’ve gotta be doing something right.
Charleston chew…
Budapest is probably my favorite European city…well, maybe within the top 3. It is different than anywhere else you’ve been. You don’t feel like you’re in Europe, you feel like you’re in the old world. It’s got this dark magic, and I love it.
It’s a little more subdued, but yet very distinct from its other former Eastern Bloc neighbors, but don’t let that fool you. There’s so much history from the Ottoman Empire and Turks and Romans to the Soviet influence, everyone has crossed through this area, including the Roma people, who give Hungarians their gypsy culture. All of this historic interchange has led to Hungary (and Hungarians) to be a melting pot of mixed ethnicities.
Heroes’ Square is one of the landmark plazas on the Pest side, featuring Magyar and other prominent Hungarian leaders. The central column is topped by Archangel Gabriel holding the Hungarian crown. It is flanked by the Museum of Fine Arts and Hall of Art.
One of the most memorable places I’ve been is the Central Market Hall. This grand indoor market is full of colors and sounds and smells, it’s sensory way overload. Marketplaces seem ubiquitous in America these days, but this feels so original.
getting hungary just looking at this
There’s giant sausages and other encased meats everywhere (literally so many kinds of sausage), cheeses, pickles of all types. Hungarian food is one of my all time favorite cuisines. Put a plate of chicken paprikash or goulash in front of me and you’re golden. You must (read: MUST) buy paprika from Hungary. So closely associated with this country, their paprika is the smoky and rich and perfect. They sell it everywhere.
On the Buda side of town sits the Castle Hill complex, made up of Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion and the Matthias Church. Fisherman’s Bastion is a Gothic style viewpoint that looks like something out of a fairy tale. This very popular tourist attraction provides sweeping views of the river and the Pest side from high above.
The Danube river runs right through the center of town, splitting it into the two sides, Buda and Pest. The gorgeous bridges that span the river are spectacles in and of themselves, and are lovely at night.
chain, chain, chain…
Along the Pest side of the river is a long promenade dotted with cafes and riverfront restaurants. This is a wonderful way to wind down and watch as the lights transform this city into something even more fantastical. Budapest at night is something else.
Venhajo-Etterem restaurant is located on a converted steamboat and has direct views of the castle. Dubarry is also an amazing dining experience, if the weather permits you must sit outside in the white linen bistro tables. Both restaurants serve traditional Hungarian fare of which I cannot get enough.
Walking along the river front will afford you the most spectacular views, the low light of early evening is the perfect time to snap a photo of the Buda Castle.
Unfortunately, I only spent a very limited amount of time in this wonderful city, and a lot of it was spent with family (yes, unexpectedly have family here), so I didn’t have a chance to visit the thermal hot springs. This is a must when you visit. The Romans were originally drawn to this area for the touted benefits of these mineral water pools. Of course, the Turks came through and built Turkish baths, some of which are still in use. The Szécheny Baths are a grand structure on the Pest side of town that has many baths. Guess I know where I’m headed next time…
have a great weekend!
As I spent a lot of this Labor Day weekend watching the US Open, I got serious green tennis ball colored envy. I need to go to Flushing, NY stat (my friend goes every year, I have no excuse). I mean, what a perfect way to spend a long weekend, exploring the last few days of summer in the city and then enjoying Primetime tennis! Until I make it there, all I can do is dream of past New York adventures.
concrete jungle where dreams are made.
It’s FINALLY time to say goodbye to 2017, and although at points during the year, it felt like time was flying, I think we’re all collectively looking forward to January 1st. Changes are already set in motion for a lot of us, and I’m definitely ready to welcome 2018 and see what it has in store.
upper antelope canyon, arizona
With the end of each year comes the inevitable reflection of the past 12 months. And what a year it has been, to put it mildly.
nashville, tennessee
Craziness of the world in general withstanding, our little group of pals has had personal blessings and boons along with challenges and headaches. There’s been new beginnings, job changes, graduations, marriage, professional struggles, multiple cross country moves, and a baby added to the already hectic mix of our lives.
nyhavn, copenhagen, denmark
Despite all of this, we’ve still found time to follow our passions and remain connected through our common interests in career and life. Individually and collectively, we’ve traveled countless miles across the world, from Bali to Denmark, Dubai to Paris, and all over the United States, our own backyard. Bucket list items were checked off, amazing places and spaces were explored and experienced.
bali, indonesia
And all through the madness and harried lives we live was the birth of this little blog. Through friendship and shared travel and life experience, an idea that was discussed in passing came to fruition. It is amazing that people who are so different (SO different) can be bound together by the common threads of life they share and that those relationships can flourish and grow over time despite distance and schedules.
paris, france
As we stay on the course of this journey, we hope you’ll continue to follow along and share your stories as well. So here’s to the new year, a year in which we hope to continue to hit the pavement, rack up those flyer miles and continue the pursuit of adventure and wanderlust. Let’s get it, two thousand and GREATeen.
kona, hawaii
I have often called LAX the eighth portal of hell, and I mean it. There is no worse pain than landing at LAX on a Friday afternoon/night. Well, maybe there is if you’re Chrissy Teigen and John Legend. Y’all need to stop what you’re doing right now and read about their 8 hour flight from LAX to LAX due to a passenger snafu last night. I would die.
Anyway, if you’re flying into LA, hope you didn’t make any plans because you’ll be stuck for an hour before you can even reach Century or Sepulveda Blvds. It has one of the worst traffic flow designs of any place that is allegedly supposed to serve that many people. Like the architect deliberately thought, how can we purposely make it so there’s only one route out that bottlenecks like crazy?
Even though it one of the worse places on this planet (you think I’m exaggerating. I am not), it’s a necessary evil that has to be dealt with because you can fly almost anywhere from there. One of the busiest airports by volume, if you’ve flown internationally from SoCal, you’ve likely flown out of LAX. It is the second busiest airport in the US by passenger load, and maybe for this week it is a little better than the busier ATL (at least there’s power).
There are 8 numbered terminals separate from the Tom Bradley International terminal. 1= Southwest; 2 = Delta and SkyTeam members: Aer Lingus, WestJet, Virgin, Aeromexico. 3 = Delta, Copa, Avianca, Interjet; 4 = American 5 = American, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Allegiant, Frontier, Spirit, Sun Country. 6 = Alaska, Virgin America, Air Canada, Mokulele, Great Lakes. 7 and 8 = United. There are random exceptions in terms of check in counters for some of the international carriers of the codeshare alliances, but all international flights return to Tom Bradley (TBIT).
I will give it one thing though, there’s some good shopping there, particularly duty free. And if you’re uber wealthy, there are separate luxury lounges that are not connected to the terminals where you can get checked in and taken to your plane by SUV. There could be more restaurants, as the selection is dispersed sparingly amongst the terminals.
Remember: ✈️ = welcome to the jungle to ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ = i love LA (we love it)
Convenience to the city: ✈️ (theoretically it is, practically it is not; may the odds be ever in your favor if you’re flying in during peak hours, rideshares help but it takes awhile)
Ease of navigating through terminals: ✈️ (you’re at the mercy of shuttle buses on the tarmac that wind passengers around planes from terminal to terminal)
Convenience of check in/security lines: ✈️✈️ ✈️ (fairly efficient for its size)
Dining: ✈️✈️✈️ (three planes because the eateries are good, but limited in each terminal, so there’s not that many given options. But…you should look for Ink.sack by Michael Voltaggio in TBIT, La Brea Bakery in Terminal 1, lots of Coffee Beans and Starbucks as well as local coffee shops around; Pinkberry locations, Panda Expresses, Shake Shack in terminal 3, Wolfgang Puck eateries in 6, the Habit and Wahoo’s fish tacos in 6; LA’s hipcute cafeteria Lemonade in 5, Umami Burger, 800 Degrees Pizza, SlapFish, etc)
Bathrooms: ✈️ (don’t expect them to be that clean unless you’re in a recently renovated terminal)
Charging stations/wifi: ✈️✈️ (no free wifi, which makes complete sense)
Amenities: ✈️✈️✈️ (every lounge ever (including a luxe Qantas), retail from bliss spa, Spanx to Burberry, Gucci, Hermes, Harley Davidson — wish there were more options per terminal, but hey real estate is a premium here. I took one plane off because the Sanrio store closed. Also, don’t forget to check out the spacey Theme Building on arrival, home of the former Encounters restaurant (wasn’t actually that bad food wise) but now is a viewing deck on the weekends)
Off to enjoy some family time for the holidays! Sometimes the best travel is heading home (sometimes it’s also the most stressful ;). Hope everyone has safe travels with no delays, lines or airport aggravation. Will be back next week!
As we start traveling for the holidays, I have to shout out to one of my home airports. Ah Long Beach, a lovely little secret. I like flying into this tiny regional airport. It’s no frills, quick, easy and it makes you feel like you’re in the 60s or something because you go out directly onto the tarmac when you come and go.
LGB is a hub for JetBlue, but now Southwest even has some flights out of here. There a couple of regional Delta and American flights as well. It’s one small terminal split into North and South concourses with 11 gates for the whole airport. JetBlue has gates 1-5. There’s not much food, but what are you doing eating at the airport? You’re likely coming from LA/OC anyway.
Overall it’s a nice airport to get from point A to point B quickly. The fact that you can skip LAX to get to NY and Boston from this no fuss airport is awesome and worth giving up on amenities and dining.
Remember: ✈️ = so much drama in the LBC to ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ = sublime
Convenience to the city: ✈️ (it’s in Long Beach, off the 405, may the odds be ever in your favor)
Ease of navigating through terminals: ✈️✈️✈️✈️ (I think it takes 5 minutes from one end to the other)
Convenience of check in/security lines: ✈️✈️✈️✈️ (not a lot of traffic = fast lines)
Dining: ✈️ (bring your own food)
Bathrooms: ✈️✈️ (not that many of them)
Charging stations/wifi: ✈️✈️ (free wifi available)
Amenities: ✈️ (what are amenities?)
One of the best things about living on the West Coast is that you’re pretty close to Hawaii, only about 5 hours away. It almost makes up for being spoiled on every major TV event (don’t even start me on avoiding the internet Sunday nights for GoT).
The Big Island of Hawaii lives up to its name. It is vast. You need to get a rental car while you are here, if you’re planning on seeing the sites. Otherwise, you can veg out in your resort, if that’s your dig. Whatever you like, soak in the tropics and enjoy the natural beauty of the Rainbow state.
Aloha…
Traveling docs 