2017 Travels
It's been a busy year, and I wanted to do a quick recap of all the places I travelled to in the last 12 months. One of my goals for 2018 is to be more diligent about sharing my photos and writing down the stories that go with them. I definitely want to elaborate on all the adventures I had in each of these places, but this will have to do for now!
Cheers to a new year and a whole new set of adventures!
April: Washington, D.C.
I hadn't been to D.C. since I was in middle school, and I feel like I had been missing out! I got lucky that it was cherry blossom season, so there were decorations everywhere and even cherry donuts. It's really easy to walk around the city and find amazing food. I could have spent another week there, but I visited one of my favorite museums, the Natural History Museum, and I even got a chance to see the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. I highly recommend it, and I would definitely say to spend at least three hours there to see everything.
August: Madras, OR
When my dad asked me if I wanted to go on a road trip to see the total eclipse, I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. I went along for the ride, and I have to say that it was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. This year was full of crazy adventures (see Bali for another wild ride), but this was something I will never forget. It was amazing to be with a huge group of people on a mountain waiting for the sky to go completely dark at 10 AM. The two photos above were taken just a few seconds apart. When the sky went dark, everyone cheered and then went quiet as we all took in what was happening around us. Street lights came on, the temperature dropped, and people even started crying. I am so grateful that I got to experience this, and you better believe I will be at the next one!
September: Seattle, WA
I may have been in Seattle for a conference, but I loved exploring the city and getting to see family. I got to go on a tour of the Puget Sound and learn about how the shipping industry is affecting local communities and the habitats around them. It's a beautiful city and the view was amazing from The Nest rooftop bar across the street from Pike's Place.
October: London, UK
It was so hard to pick just two photos because London might my new favorite city (besides San Francisco, of course). I was there during the fall, and the leaves were literally falling and changing color right in front of me. This was another work trip, so I only had two days to explore and experience the city. I loved walking down the mall and seeing the holiday lights above Regent Street. Fortnum and Mason and Liberty of London were the best shops to get lost in and I came back with a lot of tea and biscuits. I accidentally got lost in the British Museum (a few times), but luckily I had a Rick Steves podcast to listen to and take me on a tour of the most amazing pieces in the museum. I got to see a few mummies, the Rosetta Stone, and the amazing architecture of the building itself. Thank goodness I already have another trip planned there for next year because I can't wait to go back!
November: Yosemite, CA
As you could probably guess from the large image on the first page, Yosemite is one of my favorite places. We go there almost every year, and I fall even more in love with it every time. This trip was extra special because my best friend Mallory of Mallory Dawn Photography met us there and took our engagement photos. The pictures are stunning, and I am so grateful that we got to have that experience there.
November: Bali, Indonesia
This trip was extremely surreal for a completely different reason. I went to Bali for work last year, so I thought I knew what I was getting into. I was ready to go to my conference and spend my free time at the beach. The morning after I landed on the island, the airport was closed because of the smoke from the erupting Mount Agung. I waited at my hotel to hear if the conference would continue and try to figure out when I would be able to get off Bali. We waited to hear if the airport would be reopening, and when we got confirmation that it would stay closed indefinitely, we frantically rescheduled our flights and made our escape plan. Luckily, I was there with a few of my coworkers who are from Indonesia and knew that we could take a ferry to Java. We drove a total of 15 hours and took a ferry, but we were able to get to Surabaya and fly to Jakarta. We finished a couple meetings, and I was able to catch my original flight home from Singapore. I am so grateful for my travel companions, and I hope to write a longer post with more photos of our journey soon!
December: New York, NY
Despite all of my recent travels, I had still never been to New York City! This California girl was not ready to spend the week in below freezing weather, but we bundled up and explored the city. I am proud to say that we didn't make any errors while riding the subway and ate at some of the most amazing restaurants. If you are ever in New York, you have to eat at Uncle Boons. There is also an adorable place down the street called Pietro NoLita with the most amazing lavender cocktail. I knew we had to see a musical on Broadway, so we saw the new Spongebob Squarepants musical. I didn't really know what to expect, but it surpassed all of my expectations. The actors were amazing, the set and costumes were gorgeous, and it had a message that I really appreciated. It addressed the issues of climate change and science which are both extremely important to me and my work. I hope it tours the country soon and more people get the chance to see it.
I think it's safe to say that I travelled the world in 2017, but starting and ending in two beautiful U.S. cities reminds me that there is still plenty to explore around me. I already have so many things to look forward to in 2018, so let the adventures begin!
Cheers to a new year and a whole new set of adventures!
April: Washington, D.C.
I hadn't been to D.C. since I was in middle school, and I feel like I had been missing out! I got lucky that it was cherry blossom season, so there were decorations everywhere and even cherry donuts. It's really easy to walk around the city and find amazing food. I could have spent another week there, but I visited one of my favorite museums, the Natural History Museum, and I even got a chance to see the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. I highly recommend it, and I would definitely say to spend at least three hours there to see everything.
August: Madras, OR
When my dad asked me if I wanted to go on a road trip to see the total eclipse, I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. I went along for the ride, and I have to say that it was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. This year was full of crazy adventures (see Bali for another wild ride), but this was something I will never forget. It was amazing to be with a huge group of people on a mountain waiting for the sky to go completely dark at 10 AM. The two photos above were taken just a few seconds apart. When the sky went dark, everyone cheered and then went quiet as we all took in what was happening around us. Street lights came on, the temperature dropped, and people even started crying. I am so grateful that I got to experience this, and you better believe I will be at the next one!
September: Seattle, WA
I may have been in Seattle for a conference, but I loved exploring the city and getting to see family. I got to go on a tour of the Puget Sound and learn about how the shipping industry is affecting local communities and the habitats around them. It's a beautiful city and the view was amazing from The Nest rooftop bar across the street from Pike's Place.
October: London, UK
It was so hard to pick just two photos because London might my new favorite city (besides San Francisco, of course). I was there during the fall, and the leaves were literally falling and changing color right in front of me. This was another work trip, so I only had two days to explore and experience the city. I loved walking down the mall and seeing the holiday lights above Regent Street. Fortnum and Mason and Liberty of London were the best shops to get lost in and I came back with a lot of tea and biscuits. I accidentally got lost in the British Museum (a few times), but luckily I had a Rick Steves podcast to listen to and take me on a tour of the most amazing pieces in the museum. I got to see a few mummies, the Rosetta Stone, and the amazing architecture of the building itself. Thank goodness I already have another trip planned there for next year because I can't wait to go back!
November: Yosemite, CA
As you could probably guess from the large image on the first page, Yosemite is one of my favorite places. We go there almost every year, and I fall even more in love with it every time. This trip was extra special because my best friend Mallory of Mallory Dawn Photography met us there and took our engagement photos. The pictures are stunning, and I am so grateful that we got to have that experience there.
November: Bali, Indonesia
This trip was extremely surreal for a completely different reason. I went to Bali for work last year, so I thought I knew what I was getting into. I was ready to go to my conference and spend my free time at the beach. The morning after I landed on the island, the airport was closed because of the smoke from the erupting Mount Agung. I waited at my hotel to hear if the conference would continue and try to figure out when I would be able to get off Bali. We waited to hear if the airport would be reopening, and when we got confirmation that it would stay closed indefinitely, we frantically rescheduled our flights and made our escape plan. Luckily, I was there with a few of my coworkers who are from Indonesia and knew that we could take a ferry to Java. We drove a total of 15 hours and took a ferry, but we were able to get to Surabaya and fly to Jakarta. We finished a couple meetings, and I was able to catch my original flight home from Singapore. I am so grateful for my travel companions, and I hope to write a longer post with more photos of our journey soon!
December: New York, NY
Despite all of my recent travels, I had still never been to New York City! This California girl was not ready to spend the week in below freezing weather, but we bundled up and explored the city. I am proud to say that we didn't make any errors while riding the subway and ate at some of the most amazing restaurants. If you are ever in New York, you have to eat at Uncle Boons. There is also an adorable place down the street called Pietro NoLita with the most amazing lavender cocktail. I knew we had to see a musical on Broadway, so we saw the new Spongebob Squarepants musical. I didn't really know what to expect, but it surpassed all of my expectations. The actors were amazing, the set and costumes were gorgeous, and it had a message that I really appreciated. It addressed the issues of climate change and science which are both extremely important to me and my work. I hope it tours the country soon and more people get the chance to see it.
I think it's safe to say that I travelled the world in 2017, but starting and ending in two beautiful U.S. cities reminds me that there is still plenty to explore around me. I already have so many things to look forward to in 2018, so let the adventures begin!
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