All posts tagged: travel

Best neighborhoods in Santiago, Chile

Published by

  Chile’s long, skinny profile – with an extensive coastline and an interior hugged by the Andes – is home to just over 18 million people with over 6.5 million residing in the greater Santiago area. The capital is divided into 32 different districts, each consisting of different barrios, or neighborhoods, each with their own character and story. A few local favorites include some of the more popular areas such as Bellavista, Bellas Artes, and some new up-and-coming neighborhoods such as Barrios Brasil y Yungai. Bellavista  How to arrive – Metros: Lines 1 and 5: Baquedano What to do – A neighborhood that’s full of history, charm, and vibrant colors is the perfect place to spend an afternoon wandering around looking at the beautiful street art, taking in the sabores (flavors) of international cuisine, and strolling through galleries, theaters, and shops. Known since the 1970’s as the capitals bohemian barrio -it’s no surprise that famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda made this neighborhood his home. You can visit La Chascona – a museum dedicated to Neruda’s life and work from Tuesday to Sundays. Looking …

10 Facts about Acadia National Park

Published by

Over the past month I ventured back to my roots and spent some quality time in Maine with my family and friends who still remain in the area. I was lucky to be able to take a three-hour drive north to Acadia National Park where I camped two nights and hiked three days with my parents. Over that time I realized that, while the outdoors and beautiful views are always something to marvel at, sleeping in those woods (filled with Black Bears) aren’t exactly my idea of fun. However, despite my fears of being eaten by a bear or wild dog, I was overwhelmed by the beauty that nature has created (+ we’ve tried to preserve while still hosting thousands of visitors a year). I’ve decided to make a list of the top 10 most interesting facts I found on Acadia online (thanks google!) . . . 1) Cadillac Mountain, located within the park, is not only the highest mountain along the Atlantic Coast but also one of the first places to see the sunrise in …

The Local Lowdown

Published by

Welcome to my latest project | The Local Lowdown.  With the success of my 48 Hours In project, I’ve decided to expand my outlook. I want to write about places I haven’t been yet (or don’t know soo well), but would LOVE to visit. I will interview locals from each of my desired travel destinations, give a little background information about my special guests and also a list of their favorite hotspots in their stomping grounds. If any of you would like to be interviewed for a specific place, please leave a comment and we’ll be in touch! Check me out on Facebook where I’ll post the latest updates every Wednesday.    

48 Hours In | Portsmouth, NH

Published by

Located just south of the Maine border on the Piscataqua River, Portsmouth, New Hampshire is a quaint little town that’s full of life and lots of restaurants. Explore the historical streets and dine at local hotspots. You won’t want to forget your camera. First 24 Hours Eat: Start your day with a pastry and coffee or tea at Breaking New Grounds (BNG). A local favorite since 1993, this locally owned cafe is located in the heart of downtown Portsmouth in Market Square. Glass windows make this coffee shop a great place to grab a seat inside while still soaking in the early morning sun. BNG offers a variety of teas and coffees from around the world available for purchase by cup or by pound so you can take it home with you! Pastries are locally made and range from savory to super sweet. Explore: You won’t need a car. The third oldest city in the USA (settled in 1623) is best seen on foot. The cities downtown starts in Market Square with main streets spider …

pop-up donosti | a shared vision of food

Published by

And one day, seven countries came together, the stars aligned, and eight souls in love with food, cooking, sharing, and eating with friends created Pop-Up Donosti. This is my latest project — a pop-up restaurant to grace the streets of Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain. Like the quote above tells the story, we’re eight friends who came together to make this happen. To share our love of food, sharing meals with friends, and eating ecologically within this Basque community. We wanted to take far away flavors and make them into real plates using local ingredients. So we chose Lebanon as our inspiration. And that’s how it began. For the past three weeks we’ve been working hard organizing ourselves, throwing ideas back and forth then finally deciding on a set menu to serve during our fist event. We chose decorations and secured the location. We’ve collaborated with Tedone Jatetxea – a local ecological restaurant – in Donostia-San Sebastian. I had the chance to sit down and interview the owner, Beltza. And thanks to our friend, Esteban, we’ve been …

| sunsets, excitement |

Published by

Sometimes people enter into your life quickly and unexpectedly and then leave just as fast. But even though their time is short, you can still learn something about the world or yourself. You just have to let it happen, or these moments may just pass without you even knowing they were there. Couch Surfing has allowed me to meet some really amazing people from Cambodia to the United States; from Russia to Chile. People with similiar opinions, people with different views and everything in between. I’ve met people who will be in my life forever and those who were just meant to pass by for those few hours or days. But in the end, they’ve all opened my eyes to another part of life; or reminded me of passions I may have set aside. The last person to enter my life has reminded me to not forget the beauty in the most simple moments  — And even though I always try my hardest to enjoy where I am, to embrace evey new experience in my life, …

| WHAT’S BRAVE TO YOU? |

Published by

We sat  in a bar during ‘las navidades’ sipping on glasses of red wine and nibbling on a selection of pintxos as we talked about being away from our families over the holidays to the meaning of the word brave. Julie is one of the few American woman I’ve met here in San Sebastian and we are kindred souls, despite the 35 year age difference. She’s adventurous and, as some would say, brave. To us, this is a silly word, but we hear it often. She recently dropped her life in the United States to move to San Sebastian and better her Spanish. Even though she doesn’t plan on staying here as long as I do, I did the same exact thing just a few months ago. Many friends back home and many new friends here have told us the same thing: you’re brave for packing your bags and taking off. We’re always humbled when people compliment us on our decision to move, travel, and leave our own country, however, we would never consider ourselves brave. Adventurous, yes. Free-spirited, maybe. But brave? We don’t feel …

| the beauty of couch surfing |

Published by

When I say that I use CouchSurfing [CSing] to meet new people when I travel or while living in my own city, I get mixed reactions from isn’t that really dangerous? to wickedddd. When I first heard the idea of CSing it seemed a bit odd to let a stranger into your home, possibly give them keys and trust them openly with your things. But then I realized that’s essentially what you do with moving into a shared apartment with strangers – except you live there a bit longer than a few days. I started little by little with CSing and decided to make a profile. I went to visit a friend of a friend in London and we made references for each other and so it began. She was the first one of my friends to actually use it for real while traveling through Spain, and little by little I started to become more involved and more open minded about the idea. Since then I’ve travelled through nine different countries using CSing to meet locals …

| when the words won’t flow |

Published by

Even though I consider myself to be a writer I hardly have anything to show for it these past couple months. I should force myself to write a little every day, to push my limits, but sometimes the words just don’t flow. I think about writing almost every day, about what I could write about, about how I need to keep searching for more publications where I can submit my ideas. It didn’t occur to me until last night while talking about writing and the dry spells writers go through that I needed to make a change. Some friends were discussing how writing is a therapy, a cure to help you get through hard times in your life, but it’s also a therapy during the good times as well. Whether or not the word come easily, you still have thoughts and experiences to share. And in this moment I need to force my words little by little – but I need to get them out, I need to or else these memories and special moments …

“A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for.”

Published by

“A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for.” -John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928. This will be my inspiration for my new adventures in Donostia-San Sebastian. I have to keep reminding myself that without big risks, there will never be big rewards. I’ve taken on something that most people might decide not to do. I’ve jumped into a new life with no idea of what’s going to happen in the future. But I guess that’s half the fun of it.