Destinations – Page 4 – anchored & adrift

Pre-Trip Reading: Berlin & St. Petersburg

Most of my life, I’ve been a voracious reader. I remember reading Little Women and Gone with the Wind in fourth grade, always having a good book for long flights, and even learning how to write Swedish fluently solely based off of being read to and reading as a young child. But in college, I was always reading books for classes (though as an English major most of those were fantastic), but if I wasn’t finishing up a reading for class, I was doing one or several of a hundred other active projects. I got out of the habit of reading for fun. After more than a year since graduation of my primary reading material being news on my phone, I decided preparing for my next trip would be the perfect occasion to break this streak.

I’m soon headed to three cities that I have never visited before: Berlin, St. Petersburg, and Tallinn. My interest in Tallinn had previously inspired me to do background research on the city online, and last year I spent an insightful evening at the Embassy of Estonia in Washington, DC, so I turned my attention to Berlin and St. Petersburg. Continue reading “Pre-Trip Reading: Berlin & St. Petersburg” →

Destinations, New York

New York City Sights: A Day Spent with Unlikely Neighbors in Lower Manhattan

Every part and every neighborhood of Manhattan offers a different NYC experience. In this series, I focus on a day spent in one of the many varied sections that make up Manhattan. See below for links to other day-by-day tips for enjoying Manhattan’s diverse neighborhoods.

It’s a tale of two cities, or countries or neighborhoods, however you to prefer to phrase it, in the heart of New York City. Directly next to each other, even entwined thanks to some outlier stores, are two unlikely neighbors- Chinatown and Little Italy. The first time I went was spontaneous, and I had not yet become familiar with the layout of Lower Manhattan, and I was shocked when one moment I was eating dumplings and trying authentic soymilk on one street, and I was suddenly on a bustling Italian restaurant avenue on the next. While you could argue that world history (and modern globalization) makes these two countries more closely related than they appear, it is still an unexpected situation. Here are my suggestions for a day in Chinatown and Little Italy: Continue reading “New York City Sights: A Day Spent with Unlikely Neighbors in Lower Manhattan” →

Destinations, Washington DC

DC Summer Series: Paddleboating & Brunch

Washington, DC has a very particular energy during the summer season. The universities are on summer term, those fortunate enough to have vacation days head out of the city, and even the most driven professionals feel the urge to sneak out a few minutes early. The interns take over the metro and bars, everyone sweats in their suits, summer Fridays are pervasive, business booms for restaurants with patios (and the servers hate the patio section), a Friday at Jazz in the Garden is a must, a couple rooftop happy hours are equally as essential, and suddenly Virginia and Maryland are more enticing for a visit.

As a DC resident of five years, I have passed by the Tidal Basin and seen people floating along on the paddle boats that are available for hire during the summer and into the fall and frequently thought, “oh, I should do that some day!” on numerous occasions. My coworkers and friends had similar thoughts- “oh, I’ve always meant to do that but never have.” Well, yesterday became that day for me. Continue reading “DC Summer Series: Paddleboating & Brunch” →

Destinations, Washington DC

DC Summer Series: A Guide to Tubing at Harper’s Ferry

Recently, I went on a daytrip with a group of 18 people to go tubing at Harper’s Ferry. I had never been tubing before, and it was ridiculously fun as well as a learning experience in the art of young professionals getting together in a mix of carefree floating and some serious responsibility. Here is everything you need to know for planning a DC summer tubing trip: Continue reading “DC Summer Series: A Guide to Tubing at Harper’s Ferry” →

Destinations, Washington DC

DC Summer Series: The Dulles Air & Space Museum

If you’re working through the DC summer, or just want to mix up the weekends you do spend in the city, daytrips and other roadtrips are a great way to get out while staying put. Today I visited the second Air & Space museum (the Dulles Airport sister of the original DC museum), named the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, for a fantastic mini-adventure.

The museum consists of one main, massive hangar filled with planes, a second, space-themed hangar attached perpendicularly to the main hangar, a restoration hangar that you can observe, and a control tower.

If you have any interest in planes or flight at all, this museum is amazing. I arrived right at 10am, when they open, and had several areas of the museum to myself or just with another group nearby. By the time I left in the afternoon, the place starting to fill up- if you have any interest in using the flight simulator, heading up to the control tower, taking a tour, or seeing a movie, I suggest getting there as soon as it opens for no wait times. Continue reading “DC Summer Series: The Dulles Air & Space Museum” →

Destinations, Europe, France

Yes We Cannes: A Guide to the Seat of Seaside Luxury

Last week, everyone who is anyone was in Cannes. And I don’t blame them- the French Riviera (or the Italian Riviera, Peninsula, or the Greek Isles) is an ideal place to be in late spring and into summer.

See-and-be-seen parties and the Amfar gala aside, mere mortals can enjoy the seaside paradise as well, like I did one summer recently.

The key to Cannes: take in the experience al fresco and don’t let the costs of the smaller things like a drink at a cafe or nice meals detract from your visit. You’re paying for prime real estate and nice WCs. If you decide to get a designer bag on the other hand, I can’t help you with that. Continue reading “Yes We Cannes: A Guide to the Seat of Seaside Luxury” →

Accomodations, Destinations, Florida, United States

Review: Z Ocean Hotel, South Beach

Last week, I enjoyed a young professional version of spring break on South Beach in Miami, Florida. My travel companion and I stayed at the Z Ocean Hotel (Crowne Plaza South Beach), located on the main strip of Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue. After extensive travel site reviews, comparisons, and map plotting of South Beach’s various top hotels, we selected Z Ocean Hotel as it offered the best amenities and characteristics for all of our points of interest: location, room design, location, pool, price (including evaluation of additional fees such as valet parking and resort fees), beachside services, luxurious feel, and overall ratings.

Our stay met all of our expectations and was very enjoyable. Here are some noteworthy aspects, written and photographed, about the Z Ocean experience: Continue reading “Review: Z Ocean Hotel, South Beach” →

Destinations, Florida, United States

Calling All Snowbirds: Tips for Planning a Florida Vacation

Before I came a fully-fledged Washingtonian, I was a Floridian. So for all you snowbirds (which I am now, though the Florida license plate of my parents’ cars would never betray that in peak-season traffic), I’ve got a few tips for a Florida vacation. Given that my travel companion for my upcoming tropical trip can’t leave the country (visa renewals are an unfortunate process), we decided on Florida, and I’ve been doing a bit of thinking and research with the lens of a visitor and the expertise of a resident.

Here are some ideas for planning a trip to sunny Florida: Continue reading “Calling All Snowbirds: Tips for Planning a Florida Vacation” →

Destinations, England, Europe

Back Again to LDN: Last Day – Westminster, Hyde Park, Bond Street, Abbey Road, Oxford Street

London sent me off with a glorious last day of sunshine radiating through the city. I zipped through Westminster, strolled through Hyde Park, got a bite on Bond Street, channeled the Beatles on Abbey Road, and shopped till I was ready to drop into Heathrow on Oxford Street. Continue reading “Back Again to LDN: Last Day – Westminster, Hyde Park, Bond Street, Abbey Road, Oxford Street” →

Destinations, England, Europe

Back Again to LDN: Day 3 – Tate Modern, Covent Garden, Harrod’s

My first day of 2015 involved an eclectic mix of quintessential London. The only previously unexplored spot for me was Tate Modern, which I have passed many times on my way to the Globe or crossing the Millennium Bridge. After delving into the odd world of modernism, spending time at Covent Garden and Harrod’s felt like greeting old friends. Here’s what I did and saw. Continue reading “Back Again to LDN: Day 3 – Tate Modern, Covent Garden, Harrod’s” →