Konnichiwa from Japan! Or, more accurately, konnichiwa from Southern California, which presently feels a lot like Japan, as I’m elbow-deep in 1500+ pictures from recent travels. Judging from said 1500 photos, Mr. M & I ravaged the food stalls of Japan like a half-starved Godzilla tag team. One of the varieties of Japanese cuisine that we sampled was kaiseki… […]
An Odyssey of Japanese Oddities
Planning my upcoming trip to Japan has required much more research than I usually do. I’m excited to get swept away by the dazzlingly unfamiliar, but I don’t want to get so swept away that I inadvertently miss experiencing things that can only Japan has on tap. It started when I out-of-the-blue remembered the existence of […]
The Road to Morocco, Part Khamssa: Maddening, Mystifying Marrakech
Days #11,582-3: Whaa… wait… what in the… WHAT just happened? Marrakech bamboozled me like a Tasmanian Devil in full spin. One minute I was eager & ready to explore- and the next I was flat on my butt, blinking and wide-eyed. Thank me later, Marrakech, but I believe I’ve stumbled upon your ideal tagline: “What […]
Thinking Globally at the United Nations Headquarters
Revisiting New York City has allowed me to curate my favorite Manhattan people, places, and food into one splendid week. It’s always gratifying returning to old favorites, but darn if there wasn’t one glaring never-made-it-happen left on my NYC To Do List. Day #11,556: It was a last-minute decision. (And the obsessive planner in me […]
To Rome, With Love
Day #10,356: Dear Rome, I really wanted to like you. You’re Rome, for goodness sake. The Eternal City! The seat of the Roman Empire! And you know how I have a soft spot for historical splendor. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to make of you at first. You came on a little strong. The honking, […]
Scouting for Zombies
If you’re at all surprised that Halloween Week’s post is a celebration of my favorite cemeteries across the U.S., we’re about to have that awkward talk that starts with: “I feel like you just don’t listen to me anymore.” I have a thing for cemeteries. Every time I return from a trip, there’s a random […]
Having a Moment in Machu Picchu
With all the hype surrounding Machu Picchu, it could easily be one of those overrated places that’s frustratingly uber-disappointing in real life. Even the journey to get to Machu Picchu is slightly epic. Whether by train (as Mr. M & I did) or by 4-day hardcore trek, you have a whole lotta time to imagine and re-imagine “Machu […]
Bom Ano Novo in Portugal: The Ups & Downs of Exploration
Day #11,187: Having thoroughly wandered the city of Lisbon (I’m making the bold assumption that “thoroughly wandering” isn’t too egregious an oxymoron for you to stomach), our merry gang decided to take a day trip to the neighboring town of Belém. The standard means of getting oneself to Belém involves taking one of Lisbon’s classic […]
Faith & Magic in N’Awlins
Day #10,936: My lovely gal pals and I had already let the bon temps, as it were, roulez, having enjoyed a magnificent day of swamp boatin’, beignets, and gators (both live and cooked- we’re thorough that way) in the glorious city of New Orleans. But there was still one absolute, can’t-leave-without-it, Must Do remaining on my […]
Take ’em Downtown, Boys
It’s been about a month and a half since Mr. M, Charlie Mae the Wonderpup & I made the move from east to west coast, and I’m already the picture of laidback Californian, slacking off on my blog posting and rocking a shamefully dramatic flip flop tan. But wait. Seeing as how it’s been a […]