Travel

When I was in California last week, I also learned that one of my IG friends was there too. I’ve been chatting with this blogger babe for a couple years, and we’ve talked about meeting up in the past, but it just never happened. Finally, we were in the same city at the same time, so she suggested we meet at the Anaheim Packing House.

I’ve been to San Diego more times than I can count. I thought I’d seen everything, but then my friend told me about Chicano Park in San Diego. Seeing all the amazing murals, I couldn’t believe it was a place I’d never seen or heard of. I guess it’s not that surprising, since I’m not the target demographic. But, I’ve seriously been to San Diego at least 10 times, and I thought I’d done everything (like the 59 mile scenic drive). Given my serious love of street art, it was about time I made the trip.

This was my first time in Utah, which I found a bit ironic given I lived in Phoenix for 7 years. Nonetheless, I was excited to visit a new state and see some new things. The week before I left for Utah, I asked my IG followers what I should do while I was there. One of my blogger friends, Sandy, suggested I visit the Hall of Breakfast. I checked out their IG page and it looked so darn cute, I added it to the top of my site-seeing list.

You need 20,000 instagram followers to visit this exclusive LA private mural, and I fell for it. I honestly contemplated not even admitting I visited the mural, because it felt just oh so pretentious. Then I decided to turn it into a story. So here it is.

I’m half Italian. My grandparents immigrated to the U.S. before my dad was born. Although we are Americans first, my dad always instilled a strong Italian pride in me as a child. As an adult, I’ve consistently seek ways to connect with my Italian heritage. That’s why it’s so surprising it’s taken me nearly a year to get to the North End Boston.

Getting to travel for my day job is a major perk. I love getting to experience new places and cultures. This wasn’t my first time in Detroit, but I hadn’t been back since I was 8 or 9 years old. I forgot there there are a lot of cool things to do in Detroit.

I can distinctly remember my parents warning me about becoming a parent. They told me how hard it was and how much it would change my life. They didn’t really talk about any of the positives. I remember thinking at the time – wow, my parents regret ever having me. I don’t actually think that’s the case, I think they just wanted me to understand the weight of becoming a parent.

If you follow my blog or instagram, you know. Scratch that. I loooooovvveeee street art. Seriously, I’m obsessed. Everywhere I travel, I make an effort to find street art. I personally love the juxtaposition of a city and the art, out there for everyone to see, and hopefully, appreciate. I’ve been to a lot of cities and written about a lot of street art, but Detroit street art is some of the best I’ve seen. That’s saying a lot.

New York is one of my favorite cities. So much so, that we almost moved there in 2011. I was this close to accepting a job in the city. Often, I wonder what my life would have been like had I made that decision. I try not to dwell on the past too much, but New York remains one of my favorite places to visit. Who knows, maybe I’ll even live there someday. Although I’ve been to New York at least a dozen times, this was the first time I got to experience spring in New York City.