I didn’t know a whole lot about Central America or Costa Rica before visiting, but if there’s one thing I knew, it was pura vida. Literally meaning “pure life”, this little phrase commonly used as a greeting packs a big punch. Pura vida is Costa Rica’s namaste; acknowledging gratitude and living life to the fullest. With awareness of this phrase quickly […]
Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of San Francisco Bay. One of the reasons I adore San Francisco so much is that it seemingly has everything I want in a city. Rolling hills, an impressive skyline, and the waterfront. Of course I enjoyed the city wandering around by […]
When most people think of California wine, they think of Napa and Sonoma Valley. Just 100 years ago however, San Francisco was wine country. With over 100 wine cellars and production facilities throughout the city, the winemaking industry in California was born in San Francisco. Unfortunately, the 1906 earthquake struck shortly followed by Prohibition, and the winemaking […]
The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco is the largest museum in the western world devoted to Asian art. Not only that, but it also has one of the most comprehensive collections anywhere in the entire world. It almost pains me to think that this museum all started from a donation given by Chicago millionaire Avery Brundage– […]
Unlike Illinois, which is pretty flat and boring, California is filled with diverse landscapes and national parks. As soon as we decided we’d be heading to San Francisco, I knew this would be my chance to finally see some of my country’s natural beauty. I began researching Yosemite National Park, but then felt hopeless when […]
Since traveling, I’ve developed a bit of an obsession with jewelry. It’s weird because growing up, I couldn’t care less about jewelry and I actually found wearing it a hassle. Even when I first started traveling, I would typically buy souvenirs that I could someday fill a house with, but as my priorities shifted, so did […]
San Francisco is one of those eclectic cities that people just can’t seem to get enough of. With literally something for everyone, people go to San Francisco to reinvent themselves and to show off who they really are. I had been wanting to visit for what seems like forever, and finally jumped on my chance to do […]
Having only a few shorts days to spend in San Francisco, we knew we wanted to stay somewhere centrally located in order to get around quickly. After doing a little research, we quickly knew that we wanted to base ourselves in Union Square. While most people complain that Union Square lacks personality or that true San […]
To be honest, until Kristin of Souvenir Finder suggested that we head to Tulum, I didn’t know much about the place. Luckily, we were easy to convince. Googling Tulum from my windowless, dingy hostel room, seeing a few photos of the palapas-lined beaches was all it took. Now it’s a place ever lingering on my mind. Sure, Tulum may seem […]
I plan nearly 95% of my trips by myself. I love being able to pick out each destination we’ll visit and researching the history and culture behind it. As much as I love the thrill of planning, sometimes I like to just sit back, relax, and let others handle everything. I know I said how […]