Category Archives: Travel

WHAT’S BUCHAREST REALLY LIKE? 7 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT ROMANIA’S CAPITAL CITY

WHAT’S BUCHAREST REALLY LIKE? 7 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT ROMANIA’S CAPITAL CITY

I’m almost embarrassed to admit this, but like most Americans, my only two preconceived notions of Romania involved communism and Dracula. However, probably unlike most Americans, those were both two big draws for me wanting to visit. So when I was invited to #EnjoyBucharest for a week, I jumped on the opportunity no questions asked. Romania: […]

FOTO FRIDAY: UNIFICATION BOULEVARD, BUCHAREST

FOTO FRIDAY: UNIFICATION BOULEVARD

Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of the Unification Boulevard as seen from the People’s Palace in Bucharest. Leading up to the grand People’s Palace is Bulevardul Unirii, known in English as Unification Boulevard. The boulevard was modeled after the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Of course, Ceaușescu couldn’t […]

FOTO FRIDAY: SUTRO BATH RUINS, SAN FRANCISCO

FOTO FRIDAY: SUTRO BATH RUINS

Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of the Sutro Bath ruins in San Francisco. The Sutro Baths opened in the late 1800s as the largest indoor swimming complex in the world. Somehow surviving earthquakes, fires, and other natural disasters, the baths finally saw their demise when […]

FOTO FRIDAY: JAPANESE LANTERN ON TIDAL BASIN

FOTO FRIDAY: JAPANESE LANTERN ON TIDAL BASIN

Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of the Japanese stone lantern on Tidal Basin in Washington DC. This stone lantern is one of two made in honor of Tokugawa Iemitsu’s death in 1651. The pair of lanterns were put on display in Tokyo’s famous Ueno Park, until […]

FOTO FRIDAY: BUCHAREST FROM ABOVE

FOTO FRIDAY: BUCHAREST FROM ABOVE

Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of Bucharest as seen from the InterContinental Hotel. Sadly, most of Bucharest’s historic buildings were destroyed by ex-dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who cleared the way for larger and grander buildings to be made in his honor. The neighborhood of Lipscani was also […]

WHAT’S IT REALLY LIKE TO STAY IN A U.S. HOSTEL?

WHAT’S IT REALLY LIKE TO STAY IN A U.S. HOSTEL?

As I planned my extended trip around Europe, I knew staying in a mix of hostels was a given. Yet for some reason, planning my trip around the U.S., hostels not once crossed my mind. When I first met Hostelling International USA last fall at a travel blogger conference, I stupidly asked them if they had many hostels […]

FOTO FRIDAY: SUNNY CHICAGO

FOTO FRIDAY: SUNNY CHICAGO

Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of downtown Chicago as seen from the South Loop. After what felt like an extended winter followed by weeks of rain, the weather is finally looking up here in Chicago as warmer temperatures and blue skies roll in. Luckily, that means […]

RECIPE OF THE MONTH: CHERRY BLOSSOM SUGARS

RECIPE OF THE MONTH: CHERRY BLOSSOM SUGARS

Don’t worry, you’re not going crazy. Yes, I already posted April’s recipe of the month, but visiting all of these cherry blossom festivals across the US has me feeling extra festive– which means this month has two featured recipes! I’ve been having cherry blossom fever, and these little sugars fit in perfectly with all the cherry […]

WHY YOU DON’T WANT TO BUY A KIMONO IN JAPAN

WHY YOU DON’T WANT TO BUY A KIMONO IN JAPAN

People often ask me about buying kimono in Japan, and as much as it makes me cringe, who can blame them? A quick Google search proves it’s one of the most popular questions asked by tourists about to embark on their first adventure to Japan. So do you want to buy a kimono in Japan? Probably not. […]