Day #11,662(Guatemala): Step One: Beware the Bandidos I didn’t, and I blame the corn chips. Immediately after reading the phrase “beware violent bandidos” in our Guatemala guidebook, any thoughts of concern were immediately replaced by that catchy jingle from the 1960’s commercial (when advertising went out of its way to be politically incorrect): Ay ay ay […]
New York is a city made for lazy adventurers. In fact, it’s one of the aspects I miss most about living in Manhattan. Perhaps because despite all my planning and checklists, I am- at the core- a lazy adventurer. I like when adventures present themselves to me. When something fun & interesting & brand new […]
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 […]
I know, I know- this looks like a ghastly choice for a photo challenge. It lacks any visual interest whatsoever. Frankly, it’s just plain boring. But not everything is so clear-cut black and white. This is a photo I took on Robben Island, off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa. I was in […]
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 […]
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 […]
**Where are my manners? I never related Part Two of our extra-long layover in the beautiful city of Amsterdam! Hopefully absence has made the heart grow fonder.** Day #11,221: When I mentioned we were stopping in Amsterdam for a 2-day layover, two different people independently told us to take our picture with the “Amsterdam” sign. […]
One of my very most favorite places in New York exists thirty feet above the city. Beginning in 1847, an actual railway ran down the very busy 10th Avenue on the west side of Manhattan. Like seriously down the middle of the street. A freight train. When the train started colliding with pedestrians & their […]
Saturday was filled with colonial history and Philly cheesesteaks, but Sunday… Sundays are made to be indulgent. Forgiving of obligation. (Even when said obligation is touristing through Philadelphia. Yes, it’s hard work. Don’t judge.) Day #11,300: Indulgence is defined by brunch, and that seemed like a damn fine place to start. After finding our first […]
We’d visited Philadelphia once before- almost ten years ago when Mr. M & I went on a we-just-graduated-college roadtrip from Connecticut back home to LA. My Operation: Roadtrip scrapbook confirms that our principal impression of Philly, circa 2004, was: “The Liberty Bell is a whole lot smaller than you’d imagine it to be.” Mr. M determined […]