Travel

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to visit Toronto for the first time. I’d heard good things about the city, but I had no expectations of my visit. Honestly, I’ve been so busy lately, I didn’t even have time to pre-plan the trip. Normally, I have a list of things I’ll do when I get to a new place, but with Toronto, I just winged it. Luckily, I did find the time to check out 5 unique things to do in Toronto.

A few weeks ago, I got to spend less than two days in New Orleans. Although I wish the trip could have been longer, I forgot just how much I adore this city. I also remembered just how much you can do with 36 hours in New Orleans.

Last week, I shared some of my favorite places to visit in LA. Since my sister was in town, we spent 4 days touring around the city and I even got to see a few places I hadn’t been before. However, I also learned there are at least 3 places not to visit in Los Angeles. See, just because people say it’s cool, doesn’t mean it actually is. Not all touristy things are good, but some actually surprise you (like I loved visiting the Hollywood Sign).

Recently, my sister and nephew came to visit us in LA. Since I haven’t been here that long, I wasn’t so sure about playing the role of tour guide. I knew a few places around the LA area that I wanted to take them, but several of the places they wanted to visit, I hadn’t been myself. It’s hard to know what’s worth the time if you haven’t been. What I did learn during our tour of LA, is that there are at least 3 things in Los Angeles that you do not need to see. (I’m working on a follow-up story). But there are also so many amazing things you must see. Here are a few of our highlights.

A year ago, when I first started thinking about moving back to southern California, LA wasn’t really high on my list. I always thought I’d end up in San Diego. Then I started spending time in LA and quickly realized just how much it has to offer. Although I still adore San Diego, for me, LA is more. A recent day trip to explore the Venice Canals and Abbot Kinney confirmed my love for my new home.

I can’t believe I’ve already been back in southern California for two months. In some ways, it feels like just yesterday that we packed up and left Boston, and in other ways, it feels like we never left the first time (in 2014). Although we lived in California before, Orange County is a lot different than LA. For the longest time, I had a lot of misconceptions about LA.

In 2018, I’ve done a lot to soul searching. Maybe it’s my age, maybe it’s that I’m mid-career, maybe it’s that my kids are entering school. I’m not sure what it is but it’s been a year of trying to figure out what I want, where I want to go next, who I want to be, and what type of role model I want to be for my kids.

This was not my first trip to the Caribbean. I went to the Bahamas (part 1 and part 2) back in 2014. But in those four years, I forgot about its beauty. I forgot just how indescribable the colors of the Caribbean are.

During the holidays, I’m sure you’ve heard people talking about taking the time to shop small, but have you ever really thought about what that means? Have you ever thought about where your dollar goes?