Travel Blog – anchored & adrift

From Serene Shrines to Shibuya Crossing: Where to Go in Tokyo

Tokyo, much like the sushi conveyor belts found in some of its restaurants, has a never-ending stream of opportunities to explore. With well over 150,000 restaurants (for perspective, Paris has about 25 percent as many), 81,389 shrines, 23 distinct special wards (city districts), millions of neon lights, and not to mention being the most populous city in the world, saying there’s a lot to take in is an understatement.

Continue reading “From Serene Shrines to Shibuya Crossing: Where to Go in Tokyo” →

Accomodations, California, Destinations

Insider Interview: A Look Behind the Scenes of Hotel Hospitality with Megan C.

anchored & adrift’s Insider Interview series connects our readers with the firsthand stories and perspectives of travel and design industry professionals and other featured guests.

While a travel blog focuses on storytelling, hospitality professionals are story creators. They work to make our adventures into incredible experiences that we crave and yearn to escape through again and again. Traveling is the dream, and these hard-working hosts make it a reality. Continue reading “Insider Interview: A Look Behind the Scenes of Hotel Hospitality with Megan C.” →

California, Destinations, Nevada

Lay of the Land: What to Know to Shred Your Snow Trip to Lake Tahoe

Bruh, can’t wait to smash the pow with some super gnarly runs. -said by some ski bum, somewhere

Tahoe, in a very, very different way than Sabrina saw Paris, is always a good idea, despite the niche language barrier that settles in with snow season. The lake and surrounding scenery are beautiful in any season, whether the renowned blue water is paired with summer’s green forests, the warm palette of fall, or snowy layers from winter through spring. This time of year, if climatic conditions are willing and the snow gods are benevolent, the mountains are in great shape and weather forecasts often expect sunshine. This week, a “March miracle” leveled up the lakeside experience, dumping about 5 feet of snow at Tahoe-area resorts. After a previously dry season, this storm is a welcome game-changer for this year’s spring skiing.

Whether you want to “shred the gnar” (that’s filed under Phrases I’ve Learned in California) or relax in a winter wonderland, here’s what you need to know for a winter trip to Lake Tahoe. Continue reading “Lay of the Land: What to Know to Shred Your Snow Trip to Lake Tahoe” →

Accomodations, Destinations, Getting There

From Pushback to Push-Up: Incorporating Wellness into Your 2018 Travel Plans

There is a phrase in Swedish that refers to the essential “P’s” of travel packing list that can be roughly translated as passport, pounds, and poarding passes (pass, pengar, och piljetter). The almost-alliterative list is supposed to help you remember the items you absolutely cannot travel without: ID, money, and tickets. If you remember these, at least you can address anything else you forgot later. In a nod to 2018’s sweeping wellness travel trend, I’d say the new “P’s” are passport, pounds, poarding pass, and push-ups. And I hate push-ups. Continue reading “From Pushback to Push-Up: Incorporating Wellness into Your 2018 Travel Plans” →

Destinations, Hawai'i, United States

Hawaiian Holiday: There’s Something for Everyone in Blue O’ahu

From anchored & adrift’s current HQ in San Francisco, it seems like everyone went to Hawai’i for the holidays. Some had a particular island or even a particular resort they always visited and continued to frequent, and some had the island chosen for them because of a wedding, a family gathering, or another event. But if you have never planned your own trip to Hawai’i, where should you start? With eight main islands (and 137 recognized islands total) it can be overwhelming to try to pick one lush, tropical oasis over the other. Continue reading “Hawaiian Holiday: There’s Something for Everyone in Blue O’ahu “ →

California, Destinations, United States

Destination Deep Dive: SF – A Day in East Bay

anchored & adrift has temporarily relocated from Washington, DC to San Francisco for one month. In this Destination Deep Dive series I share what not to miss in SF from my after work and weekend adventures.

Sunshine, clear skies, and warm weather make for a good weekend. Add an all-terrain adventure and you’ve got a great one. Yesterday, I headed to East Bay to meet a friend and Oakland resident for an insider look at life on the other side of the Bay Bridge. Continue reading “Destination Deep Dive: SF – A Day in East Bay” →

Destinations, United States

A Big, Easy Weekend: While City Systems Fail, New Orleans Culture Is Wonderfully Alive

The streetcar track runs through the center of St. Charles Avenue, on a grassy strip of land between each direction of the road. Joggers run on the narrow area of grass that separates the two streetcar tracks, because the sidewalks are too uneven to safely exercise on. After all boarding passengers have inserted $1.25, the streetcar jerks to life and heads toward the next stop. While our elevated seats provide great views of stately mansions on St. Charles, and tourists snap photos of the streetcar as it goes by, the old world ride is only graceful on film. Our ride is rickety and slow, and as the driver winds a joystick back and forth, the engine and brakes shudder and groan as we continue toward the bustling French Quarter. The lights flicker on and off, and the stop requested signal interrupts any streetcar-induced reverie like a blaring alarm. This is New Orleans. Continue reading “A Big, Easy Weekend: While City Systems Fail, New Orleans Culture Is Wonderfully Alive” →

Destinations, Russia

A Catherine the Great-Inspired 36 Hours in St. Petersburg: Day 1

If you read my post on my pre-trip reading, you know that I read Robert Massie’s Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman just before heading to my Baltic destinations, and found both Catherine and the clashes of European histories during that era to be absolutely intriguing. With two full days and one night in Russia, arriving via the port of St. Petersburg, we spent the first day touring the historic heart of the city, spying after onion domes throughout the former capital while focusing on two main sights: The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood and the Hermitage Museum. The second day we headed out of the city to take in a summer residence of the Russian tsars. Continue reading “A Catherine the Great-Inspired 36 Hours in St. Petersburg: Day 1” →

Destinations, Europe

Turning 23 in Tallinn, and a Tirade about Tallink

Despite a lifetime of taking the ferries back and forth between Stockholm and Helsinki, and forcibly becoming acquainted with Tallink, the Estonian ferry brand, after their acquisition of my beloved Silja Line, the Finnish cruiseferry brand, I had never headed south across the Gulf of Finland for a daytrip in Tallinn. Until I turned 23. Continue reading “Turning 23 in Tallinn, and a Tirade about Tallink” →

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” →