amazon finds, Packing, shopping finds

I flew thousands of miles in 2023, and these Amazon finds kept me sane

2023 was organized travel chaos. I started the year zipping around the US. Then I flew SF-Geneva-SF-London-Amsterdam-SF-DC-Paris-Helsinki-Florida-SF in March. Then things REALLY got interesting.

For both work and personal travel, I’m flying so often that I can’t be packing from scratch each time. I have a kit, I have ready-to-go carry on bags, and I have travel essentials that are always on standby.

So: these are the items that kept me sane for all my flights in 2023, and that I couldn’t recommend enough for you to put into practice in 2024.

Continue reading “I flew thousands of miles in 2023, and these Amazon finds kept me sane” →
a&a Renovations, Anchored, Home Design

a&a Renovation: Teen Lairs Grow Up Into Guest Rooms

Converting kids’ rooms into guest rooms honestly isn’t easy. There are a lot of memories, and if you have other guest rooms on hand, it might not be necessary to disturb mountains of trophies, stuffed animals, and kids’ books that were so precious and essential at one time.

Virus or not, family and close friends are likely still coming to stay. And, space is always at a premium: this featured renovation, or reno, had zero guest rooms (and needed an office), but three former boy rooms, still cluttered in middle school sports and reeking of an afterthought when someone had to sleep there.  Continue reading “a&a Renovation: Teen Lairs Grow Up Into Guest Rooms” →

Anchored, Home Design, shopping finds

The anchored Quarantine Home Improvement Shopping List

In the last few weeks, nothing has been more important than a feeling of safety and ease in your surroundings. With each visit to an essential store, I’ve seen more and more shoppers in masks and gloves (and I’ve progressively upgraded from sanitizer to gloves to mask and gloves) which is great- but also quite eerie.

While the economic impact of staying at home absolutely calls for fiscal responsibility, I believe that ensuring that act of staying at home is pleasant is also a responsibility. It’s always been my position that it’s worth a little extra rent or a little extra investment to make your address a home. Now that it’s our place of rest, sleep, work, fitness, hobbies, dates, “travel” from room to room, cooking, and more, it’s never been more important. Continue reading “The anchored Quarantine Home Improvement Shopping List” →

Asia, Destinations, Taiwan

Top Ten: What to Do in Taipei (Part 1)

Taipei doesn’t get enough credit as a destination. With the friendliness of Seoul, quirks like Tokyo, opportunities for pricing as found in South Asia, pervasiveness of English like HK, and the (sometimes fraught) connections to China, it’s an accessible place to get transported into an experience like nowhere else. Continue reading “Top Ten: What to Do in Taipei (Part 1)” →

Anchored, Home Design

Tenant Turnover: 8 Mini-Renos to Relist Your Unit for Success

One of the most challenging situations for a renovation is tenant turnover, whether long-term or AirBnb-type rentals. You want to get the unit back on the market quickly as to maintain income to pay mortgages, property taxes, condo fees, and yourself. At the same time, you need to address normal wear and tear, tenant damages, and possibly upgrades to keep or improve your unit’s place in the market. Continue reading “Tenant Turnover: 8 Mini-Renos to Relist Your Unit for Success” →

California, Destinations, United States

Clarity in the Fog: Visit San Francisco Like a Local

In some ways, living permanently somewhere and running a travel (and interior design) blog can be a bit of an obstacle. Inherently, you travel less when you’re not a fashionable Instagram nomad. But, it also allows you to become an expert in your home cities. You know that Google doc or forwarded email you dig out when you have guests? Well, here’s mine for San Francisco- a place I thought I’d only be a month-long tourist… three years ago. Continue reading “Clarity in the Fog: Visit San Francisco Like a Local” →