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 […]
The City of Brotherly Love, Part One: The Size of Liberty
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 […]
The Berkshires By Any Other Name…
The Northeast has a certain high-falutin’ way of naming its suburban wilds that somehow elevates them to the level of Inaccessible. For months I imagined that The Poconos (did I dare breathe its hallowed name?) was an enchanted playground for the rich & famous… not the birthplace of the in-room champagne hot tub. Similarly, I […]
Snow Day in Central Park
Mr. M, Charlie, & I woke up this Friday morning to thick, fluffy snow swirling round outside our bedroom window. Mr. M, with his sizeable commute and morning errands, was a bit annoyed. Charlie Mae- upon setting one paw in an icy puddle on our stoop and immediately putting her gears in reverse- was horrified […]
You Can’t Go Home Again… Or Can You?
**I just bought a ticket back to California to visit with friends & family (yay!) and thought it was time for another post on the places I consider to be my ‘hometowns.’ Consider it an impromptu and slightly disorganized mini-series. ;) ** ‘Home’ is such a loaded word. It has at once vague and incredibly specific […]
Holy Vatican City!
Although my decision-making process regarding what days to write about is generally pretty haphazard (read: non-existent… it’s a blindfold, spin, & point situation), Pope Benedict’s recent abdication had me thinking of our own visit to the Vatican City a few years ago. (It also has me wondering whether he can still insist on being addressed […]
In Search of Galapagos
Lucky Day #10,000 (confetti & balloons!): In the town of Puerto Ayora on the island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos archipelago lives the Charles Darwin Research Station. The Station is dedicated to conserving the unique marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Galapagos, and it’s open for the public to learn more about their work. […]
Learning to Love Art
I wish I liked art museums. Art-Loving Me would sip martinis and engage in witty banter about Jackson Pollock. Art-Loving Me would skip into the MOMA in ballet flats with a sketchbook under my arm (“for inspiration, darling!”). Marc Jacobs would likely make Art-Loving Me his muse. But- like pickles and Mad Men and pilates- […]
High on Amsterdam, Part Een: Nightlife
Day #11,220: I always pictured nighttime in Amsterdam to be the breeding grounds of some very bad behavior. Evenings bathed in harsh red light, neon “XXX” signs flickering above, the air reeking of seediness (read: stale weed). But somehow in my Hangover-Part-Four-style imaginings of Amsterdam, I had forgotten that Mr. M & I are not […]
Bali by Bike
The bike is a grievously underrated mode of transportation. For four years during veterinary school, I used my trusty bike Samson (normal folk name their bikes, right?) as my primary means of getting about town. While biking everywhere limited my fashion choices (let’s be honest- rectally palpating cows doesn’t necessarily lend itself to super-cute miniskirts […]