July 31, 2017

48 hours relaxing in Tijuana

The British have a very lovely word: “mini-break.” I suppose our U.S. counterpart term would be “getaway,” and that is just what I did with Doug and a couple of our friends—we got away from it all, in a whole other country, just 30 minutes away! A weekend in Tijuana was an excellent way to break up the monotony. We… [read more]

Categories Mexico Comments: 14

July 20, 2017

Your First Time Visiting Paris

Paris tops many people’s list of favorite world cities, including mine. Lots of us have grown up seeing the City of Lights in movies and TV—okay—and in history class in school. Even if you aren’t a full-blown Francophile like me, I’m sure you will find the city’s ambiance lovely and the food, delicious. I’ve been a few times, and for… [read more]

Categories France/Itineraries Comments: 15

July 13, 2017

Visiting Paris? Stay in Le Marais.

Joyeuse Fête Nationale! Happy Bastille Day! How’s this for a little taste of France… I’ve been to Paris 4 times so far. With a whole world calling me, why do I keep coming back? Because even despite difficulties, I always get this feeling like I truly belong there. Could it be because I’ve been a student of French since I… [read more]

Categories France Comments: 3

July 6, 2017

Two lost days in Paris and why it’s still my favorite city in the world

The last two times I’ve been to Paris, there has been a snafu that has forced me to “miss” a day. That is, circumstances beyond my control derailed my itinerary and knocked out my intention to do whatever I’d planned that day. However, I feel that dealing with these crises and being flexible to shift my plans has actually brought… [read more]

Categories France Comments: 21

June 23, 2017

How To Find Cool Stuff in New Cities

A little while ago, my friend was about to head out to a city she hadn’t spent a lot of time in. She asked some version of this question: “How do you find cool stuff in a city you’ve never been before?” Not only was sharing cool stuff in new cities with you part of the reason I started this… [read more]

Categories Hot Spots/Tips for Traveling/Travel Tech Comments: 14

June 6, 2017

Your First Time Visiting Mexico City

The whole time I was planning my trip to Mexico City, my dad kept referring to it as “Old Mexico.” Is that more of a 60s/70s era thing to say? In any case, Mexico City, the sprawling second-largest city in the Western Hemisphere (8.8 mil residents), is really heating up as a vacation destination. It was a lovely place to… [read more]

Categories Itineraries/Mexico Comments: 13

May 26, 2017

Fantasyland: Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, CA

San Luis Obispo (SLO) and the Madonna Inn, especially, are wonderful destinations for a three day weekend if you’re in California. Located in the Central Coast region, about halfway between LA and San Fransisco, it’s an easy drive. We left work on Friday at noon (sneaking out of the city before rush hour makes all the difference) and made it to the Madonna while… [read more]

Categories USA Comments: 2

May 19, 2017

What to Do, See, and Eat in Oklahoma City

This post originally appeared on XOXO, Lib. I’ve included it here with permission. We didn’t give each other gifts this Christmas, promising that we’ll take a road trip soon instead. Well, “soon” turned into a few months later but we finally made good on our promise to one another. When I would tell people that we were using our quick vacation… [read more]

Categories Itineraries/USA Comments: 7

May 18, 2017

Groovy Hotel: The Pearl in San Diego

Here is an archived post from 2017; The Pearl is under new ownership, has undergone a posh update but still maintains its mid-century cool ethos. View new photos and book your stay here. Flashback to 2007. I started college in Point Loma, San Diego and commuted down Rosecrans Street every day. A unique-looking vintage hotel out the right window caught my… [read more]

Categories San Diego Comments: 17

May 5, 2017

Artelexia: Delightful Mexican Gift Shop in North Park

I started following Artelexia on Instagram a couple of months ago when searching for cool murals in San Diego. At the time, a large, beautiful, inspiring mural on their south exterior wall was being painted. I loved seeing updates over the course of the week, and I hurried to go visit the shop in person after it was done. I… [read more]

Categories Hot Spots/San Diego Comments: 5