I finally changed my homepage away from my alma mater’s student life page, which I think is a positive step towards adulthood. NPR is my new homepage, which is great, except that every time I open up Firefox I am bombarded with interesting-sounding news stories, and I have to spend time learning before I can settle into blogging or checking my facebook. That’s why today, your weekly travel inspiration is an article from NPR celebrating Grand Central Station’s 100th anniversary. It’s called The Ways We Wait, and focuses on the time we spend in train stations just biding our time. It includes a slideshow of photos of people hanging out…
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Maui: First Impressions
I had trouble deciding what to call this post. These can’t really be my first impressions of Hawaii when I’ve only been to Maui. But I haven’t seen much of Maui either because in my first week at the farm I only left the property once. Hana Farms is technically located in Hana, but, until today (my second trip off the farm) I hadn’t actually seen the town. So, are these my first impressions of Maui, Hana, WWOOFing? It’s unclear. Regardless, here’s how this latest adventure is going so far. When E and I stepped off the plane into the humid Hawaiian air, the first thing I noticed was the…
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Tea Tuesday: It wasn’t meant to be
The farm where I’m working in Hawaii grows many different kinds of fruits and vegetables, including a number of herbs that can be made into tea. The most plentiful and identifiable, at least for me, are definitely the mint plants that grow in and among the beds in the vegetable garden. On this farm, they act as a cover plant, which means they take up space where unwanted weeds might otherwise grow. The mint is not explicitly tended to, in part because this variety of mint grows without much encouragement (it grew beside the driveway of my childhood home), but it’s presence is useful and appreciated. As I was walking…
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Weekly Travel Inspiration: Alternative Travel
Your Weekly Travel Inspiration is a day late because I’m still settling in at Hana Farms — the organic farm in Hawaii where E and I will be living and working for the next month or two. We found this opportunity through E’s older sister, but she, and most of the other people working here, found it through the WWOOF website. That’s why this week, I want to highlight WWOOF, as well as some other websites that offer alternative opportunities for travel and living. WWOOF — World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms WWOOFing is an organization of work-trade opportunities on various organic farms the world over. Farms that are interested…
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Tea Tuesday: Tealuxe
Tomorrow I will have been home from Europe for four weeks. I’ve mostly been spending the time with friends and family as well as sleeping in and organizing my closet. Today, however, I spent some time exploring my home state. I was meeting a friend in Providence (Rhode Island’s capital) this afternoon for coffee, but first I decided to stop by a local teahouse called Tealuxe. Yes, I got tea before going to my coffee date. What of it? Anyway, Tealuxe is a local chain with locations in Boston and Providence, and I always feel good supporting small(er) businesses. (Afterwards, my friend and I got coffee at Blue State Coffee–another…
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DC: Last Look
This will be my last post about DC (for now!) so I wanted to share some final thoughts on the city. I never did change my mind about the public transit system. It is comprehensive in that it serves many communities and runs from early in the morning until late at night. But there never seemed to be a bus or a train right when I needed one, and I would often wait 30 minutes or more for the bus in the evenings. I missed DC for the first time just over a week ago, when I felt a pang of sadness at leaving behind… the food. I am sure…
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The Best Smithsonian You’ve Never Been To
Starkid, 2007, by Owusu-Ankomah; on display at the National Museum of African Art (Before I tell you about what I’m up to in Iceland, I’d like to wrap up writing about my adventures in DC this summer. You can expect a post about my first impressions of Iceland on Saturday.) The National Air and Space Museum is awesome; that’s why it attracts 9 million visitors annually. The National Museum of Natural History is home to dinosaur skeletons and the Hope Diamond. And the National Museum of American History is home to the original star spangled banner, which honestly is an impressive sight. I also wouldn’t pass up the chance to…
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Tea Tuesday: Teaism
For a long time I’ve identified myself as a tea drinker — built it into my personality. I bought a kettle before my freshman year of college because I wanted to be that quirky girl who was always in the dorm kitchen making tea. Because tea is so important to me, and to many other people around the world, I figure it can have a place on my travel blog. In DC, there is a local chain called Teaism that sells tea, tea accoutrements, and delicious, delicious food. It bills itself as an Asian style tea house, and as such serves tea and Asian food ranging from Bento boxes to…
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Weekly Travel Inspiration: Road Trips
(Weekly Travel Inspiration is a feature on this blog where I share a link, book, or film that incites my wanderlust, and might incite yours too!) It’s time for some nostalgia, friends. Thus far on this blog, I’ve mostly written about international travel, but this time last year I was enjoying the most quintessential of US travel experiences: a road trip. My boyfriend and I drove from New Hampshire to Asheville, North Carolina (which is a city I adored, just fyi). During this road trip, I went farther south in the US than I had ever been before (discounting the times I’ve flown over the Southeast states to get to…
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Outdoor Film Screenings
In DC, outdoor film screenings are a summer staple — the nights are warm, the bugs aren’t so bad, and the parks are plentiful. I know of three outdoor film series in the DC metro area, two of which I’ve been to this summer. For the most iconic experience, pack a picnic dinner, and a blanket or a few low chairs, and head out to the National Mall for Screen on the Green. On Monday nights in July, a movie screen appears on the Mall and shows classic films. While waiting for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to begin, I glanced behind me and was greeted by this view:…
