travel

Anchorage, Alaska

September 11, 2019 in Travel

We went on our first (big) trip as a family of 3! With a 6 month old!

In mid-August we flew to Anchorage, Alaska after booking flights on a whim after realizing we had earned enough points on our travel credit card for free flights. Back in January when we booked it, I was still 8 months pregnant and we had no idea what life with a baby would look like, but decided to book it anyway and hope for the best. Kyle and I have always talked about how we didn’t want to change our life just because we were growing our family. We wanted to do our best to keep doing the things (well, most things anyway) we have always done, just adding a baby along to the mix!

Camila did so great on the long flight and didn’t even really cry. She slept through most of the flights there, but on the way back was awake the whole time. I would nurse her on takeoff and landing so the pressure wouldn’t hurt her little ears. She was so tired by the time we got home. And while we were also exhausted, we were so glad we brought her with us. It would not have been the same without her little smiles and laughs!

Traveling with a six month old is probably more stressful in the planning stages, but once we actually did it, everything worked out great. I flew with her by myself when she was two months old to New Orleans, so I kind of knew what to expect already. This age is great because she is not mobile yet, so we are able to just carry her everywhere like a backpack, haha! We did try to get back to our Airbnb early though due to the three hour time change, so we could get her to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour.

We packed pretty light, knowing we could do laundry at our Airbnb, and just made sure to bring plenty of wipes and diapers for the flight. We bought more diapers once we arrived, and some baby food there since we had just started solids! Our Airbnb host graciously provided a pack and play for us to borrow.

While we didn’t get to do all the Alaska things one probably pictures when going to Alaska (like long hikes, canoeing, camping, or looking for bears) we did get to still see the city and the surrounding mountains and forests. One thing we loved about Anchorage was how remote it was, but how it also had everything you could want or need there. The food was so good too! I hope one day we can go back when Camila is older and visit Denali!

Here is a short guide to everything we did in our four day stay:

Moose's Tooth - we went here twice!! We weren’t sure if the pizza would live up to its hype of being #3 in the country, but it was SO good! This place is a must!

Wild Scoops - ice cream with unique flavors and made with all natural ingredients! Yum!

Kaladi Brothers Coffee - a local coffee joint with several shops across the city. We went to a couple locations. Alaskans love their coffee!

New Sagaya Markets & Wholesale - if you are like me and love going to grocery stores while visiting new cities, this one is a health food store with fresh seafood. It even had a small deli and kaladi brothers coffee inside.

Snow City Cafe - this place was so crowded, but thankfully we made reservations ahead of time. Very good brunch place! Try the Alaskan king crab eggs benedict.

Taco King - pretty good Mexican food! Of course we are picky about this being from San Antonio!

Alaska Zoo - one of our favorite things we did here! The layout is really unique because it is part of the woods and has trails going to all the different zoo animals.

Flattop Mountain Trail - we weren’t able to hike all the way to the top with Camila, but we did part of it and actually saw a MOOSE in the wild!! Beautiful, picturesque views and this hike is right in the middle of Anchorage.

Iditarod Headquarters (Wasilla) - about 45 minutes from Anchorage, this free museum lets you meet the Alaskan husky puppies! We learned so much about the dog sledding and the staff here was so friendly.

We took a day to drive outside of Anchorage, through Girdwood and to a town called Hope. We stopped at the following:

Alpine Cafe & Bakery - yummy bakery we found while driving around Alaska! Kyle says to get the ham and cheese croissant.

The Bake Shop - They use a 100 year old sourdough starter! Famous for their breakfast and, obviously, breads.

The Grind - retro coffee shop in Girdwood. The staff were vey friendly!

Venice, Italy

April 03, 2018 in Travel

"Get lost."

This is was what our airbnb host, Roberto, told us when we dropped our luggage on the floor of our apartment. We had just traveled for over 36 hours, with a 9 hour layover in Philly then again in London, taken a bus in the rain, a water taxi shuttle, and then carried our luggage up four flights of stairs.

Our host had greeted us on time, chatted about NBA basketball and one of his favorite teams (a fellow Spurs fan!), gave us several tips of where to eat and what to do during our stay. But his last and most important tip? To simply get lost. After spending 5 full days there, it is still the best advice I would give for visiting Venice!

Many people might say Venice is overrated or overpriced. We absolutely loved every minute of our stay there! It is what you make it, and since we went in an off season, we did not battle as many crowds as I have heard other people have had to deal with.

The scenery is exactly like you see in the movies. It is so easy to take a photo every time you cross a bridge or stroll by a cafe. The streets are narrow, the buildings old, and all of it is interwoven with sidewalks of water.

I didn't realize that there would be zero cars once inside the island of Venice, but yes, there really aren't cars. Stores get new shipments and groceries receive their produce via delivery from strong people pulling a huge cart up and down stairs and navigating through tiny alleyways.

Our days were spent getting breakfast at a cafe with a cappuccino and pastry of some sort, walking around and exploring a museum, church, or other point of interest, eating a few mini sandwiches for lunch, walking, enjoying an afternoon spritz at another cafe, walking/exploring again, then eating dinner wherever looked good. We took things slow, never in a hurry to be somewhere and not really having a plan besides the small list of things we wanted to see while we were there.

While Venice has been on my list of places to visit one day, the main reason we went when we did was because we found cheap flights (around $400 round trip!!). If you like to have a jam packed trip with lots to do, five days may be a little too long to stay in Venice. Other people we talked to who were visiting also traveled to Florence for a few days after staying in Venice. I would love to do that next time!

If you ever get the opportunity to visit to Venice, here are my tips of everything to do!!

Where we stayed:

Airbnb - Every time we travel abroad (especially Europe) we try to stay in a local apartment to get the best experience possible. We loved our airbnb in Venice!! It was on a fourth floor walk up, but this only meant the views were stunning. It was also surprisingly quiet! Way bigger, quieter, and nicer than our apartment back in NYC. : p

Our host was very friendly, easy to communicate with, and gave us tips on what to do while in Venice. I loved waking up every morning to the rooftop views of Venice and it felt like we actually were locals while we stayed there. Another benefit to renting an airbnb is that it will usually be so much cheaper (and bigger) than a hotel. You can also cook in the kitchen which allows you to save money and experience Venetian produce!

Where we dined:

Osteria Giorgione - This place was a little pricey but the food was definitely delicious! We had gnocchi and ravioli and both were so flavorful and fresh tasting. Before the main course, we devoured a bag of breadsticks with our spritz. It was not too crowded when we arrived but by the time we left it was full!
Osteria ai Promessi Sposi - We ate here twice! This was very close to our airbnb and everything we had here was incredible. The menu is in Italian but the waitstaff was very helpful in translating whatever we had questions on. I looked at their menu ahead of time online so kind of knew what I wanted going into it, but if you don’t know just ask! The first night we went there they were full, so we just made a reservation for the next night. We tried the spaghetti with clams, pumpkin lasagna, bucatini with guanciale, and the grilled branzino. All of it was SO good.
Dal Moro’s Fresh Pasta to Go - While not the best pasta I have ever had, it is affordable and convenient. Everything in Italy and Europe is sit down, so finding something to go is rare. It was a fun experience and worth visiting. I had the carbonara and Kyle had a tomato based sauce with pork.
Al Merca- They may not look that impressive, but these sandwiches were one of my favorite things we ate our entire time in Venice! The meats and cheeses were so fresh. It’s super affordable too!
Serra Dei Giardini - There are so many cute cafes all throughout Venice were you can get a cappuccino for under two Euros and a Spritz for practically the same. Any of them should be good, but one cafe we found stood out because it was tucked away in a greenhouse inside of a park! We loved the tiramisu here and the large windows and nature views.

Things to see:

Doge's Palace - This place is absolutely gorgeous and massive. Each room is a work of art. The coolest (and creepiest) part was getting to tour the prisons too!
Canal Grande - This will give you an open view of Venice, and is what you probably picture from all the movies. Day or night, it is beautiful!
Basilica di San Marco - I'm not sure what is more impressive; the exterior of this church or the interior. A bunch of reviews mentioned a very long line, but I think we got lucky because we only waited about 20 minutes to get inside. There is a long line once you get inside to see a back section of the church that you have to pay to see - we didn't really think this part was worth it but it may be for you. Make sure to revisit again at night. The piazza is flooded and the lights reflect along the water (don't worry, there is a raised sidewalk to walk around it).
Ponte di Rialto - Another classic view of Venice and a stunning bridge to boot. There are even shops on the bridge! This area was pretty crowded when we went but it was worth looking over the bridge, taking a few pictures, then walking to the other side.
Mercati di Rialto - My favorite thing to do when visiting other countries/cities is to go to their local market and grocery stores! I could have spent half a day here. There are so many fruits and vegetables, unique spices, fish (an actual swordfish head with the spear attached!?), and just overall excitement. We bought some produce and salmon here and cooked dinner at our apartment one night.
Libreria Acqua Alta - If you love books, this unique and quirky bookstore is a must see. It can get crowded (as with everything in Venice!) but it is an easy place to get lost looking at all the books, trinkets, and just overall setup.
Museo Leonardo da Vinci - We weren't expecting much when walking into this museum, but were surprised with how much is packed inside. The second floor contains dozens of da Vinci's inventions built from his sketches. It was fascinating to see how advanced he was for the time period. Nobody was there either, so it was a nice escape from the other busy attractions!
Opera!! I'm not sure of the exact opera that we saw, but it was our favorite night of the trip!

Some tips:

I've talked to a few people since our trip as well as beforehand who visited during the summer and they did not have a very good experience. In summer it is super crowded, hot, and well...crowded. I highly recommend going in the off season like we did so you can actually enjoy walking around. You may experience some rain (we definitely did!) but I think it was so worth it to avoid long lines and crowds! The streets are too narrow to deal with lots of people.
Make sure to step inside any church that you walk by. They are (usually) free and contain extremely historic art pieces you would be paying money to see in other museums. Plus the architecture is always jaw dropping!
This is a no brainer, but always try to initially speak at least a few phrases in Italian when you are ordering or asking a question. Not only is it polite, but it will almost always guarantee a smile and better service!
If it rains a lot, expect some flooding! For real, our first night there, we left a restaurant and the streets were flooded. The walk back to our airbnb apartment was ankle deep. It proved to us firsthand that Venice is in fact, flooding. :(
We didn't ride a gondola. It did not seem worth the money to us. If you just have to ride one and it is half the reason why you visited Venice, make sure to go first thing in the morning to avoid gondola traffic!
Eat gelato everyday, drink a bellini and/or a spritz, and just get lost!

48 Hours in Hong Kong

February 27, 2018 in Travel, Photography

I went to Hong Kong last week!!! For 50 hours total!

Did I travel longer than I was actually there? Yes. But it was so worth it!

There are so many reasons to love Hong Kong. Surrounded by peaceful mountains, lush greenery, and water, it is also a bustling and energetic city full of people, shopping, and all the good eats. It is a must see! Speaking of the good eats, Chinese food is so different in Asia than it is in the U.S. It is fresher, more flavorful, and lighter!

I don't even know if I have ever mentioned this on this space, but I actually spent a good chunk of time in China before!

The summer after my freshman year in college I spent almost a month in Southeast China. I went with a group and we taught English at a summer camp for Chinese students. The group I taught was 8 - 10 year olds. It was one of the most challenging but rewarding experiences of my life! Because of that experience, China has always had a little special place in my heart and I've wanted to go back.

When I lived there in college, I stayed in Guangzhou, which is pretty close to Hong Kong. Getting to go back to that part of China (even for such a short time!) was an experience I could not pass up! Thanks to my mom and her job that allows her to travel everywhere, when she asked me to go, I had to say yes!

It was also an early birthday present to me, (best birthday gift ever!?!) and now I'm sure Kyle is wondering how to match that up. Just kiddinggggg. :)

I walked all over and saw as much as I could, all while consuming as much dim sum as possible. Did I mention it was their Lunar New Year celebration?! Happy Year of the Dog! Sibbie and Scout would be so honored.

Hopefully I can go back someday and stay much longer! There was so much I didn't get to see but am grateful for the opportunity to have gone even for a little bit!

Here are a few things we did in Hong Kong:

Tian Tian Buddha - I took the cable car up the mountain and that alone was breathtakingly beautiful! Once at the base of the buddha, there are a bunch of shops, stores and restaurants all around. There is also a stunning temple and tons of lush greenery. I highly recommend getting there early. When we got there (around 9:00am) there was hardly a line, but on the way back the line was wrapped around the street!

Ladies Market - This is the place to go for all the fake louis vuittons, longchamps, etc. They have pretty much anything you can think of here! Get ready to bargain. After the first price they give you, walk away "uninterested" and then they will usually ask you what price you would like to pay. Be prepared to bargain some and it's worth it!

Banfang Dumpling - I loved this place! It was close to our hotel so we went twice just to get a box of dumplings to go. My favorite were the crispy pork dumplings!

Tim Ho Wan - This is the place to go for dim sum! We waited pretty long in line for a table, but overall I think it was worth the wait. Everything was so fresh tasting and delicious. Whatever you do, make sure to ORDER THE BAKED BBQ PORK BUN (sorry for yelling, but it is incredible!).

Markets - I'm not sure which one we went to exactly, but checking out a local food market is a MUST. There is such a variety of produce and other pantry items that we simply do not have here in the States! I loved getting to see all the meats and fish for sale too. So fascinating!

Walk around and sightsee - My favorite part of visiting other major cities is simply walking around and taking in all the sights. It was so crowded everywhere we went, but it was cool people watching and getting to celebrate their lunar new year with them! Make sure to get some bubble tea at a stand or egg tarts from a local bakery as fuel for your walk!