Happy 2019 everyone!
I’m a little late in getting this year-in-review up. There was no way I was lugging a laptop to Belgium over the Christmas holiday and to be honest, I really didn’t feel inspired before I left, because it really didn’t feel like I did much this year. But then, I looked back and realized I saw a lot of the US and a lot of my own city. I guess I was just so focused on the big end-of-year trip that everything else blurred.
I started 2018 off by exploring and hiking the painted stairs of Silver Lake, a fun, hipster neighborhood on the fringe of Los Angeles. It was part scavenger hunt, part “let’s workout-on-New-Year’s-Day!” You can find all of the locations for your own painted journey here.
February brought a fun trip to California’s capital city to meet my new nephew and spend time with my dad, sister and brother. I had just seen Ladybird and was obsessed with the way they filmed the city of Sacramento. The true crime nerd in me was also taken with the city as a backdrop for the Golden State Killer case, which was solved only months after I visited (after 30 years of no real leads). I also found great street art and got to see their iconic golden bridge on a beautiful day.
A quick girls’ getaway to Palm Springs is always in order. Laying out, eating Mexican food and a trip up to one of the tallest peaks in SoCal is about as perfect as it gets. Getting to do it all with my mom, sister and kiddo was even better. I will never tire of this place that I have been coming to for nearly four decades. Nor will I ever tire of the view of the morning sunshine on those mountains.
May is my birthday month and that time of year is such a great time to travel. The weather is perfect almost everywhere and it’s not too busy if you stay away from Memorial Day weekend. This year, the hubby and I did an adult trip to Portland, Oregon. My goal was to eat my way through the city and I think we did a pretty good job; from food trucks to fancy Peruvian restaurants, we did well. We stayed at the gorgeous Nines Hotel, which was such a delight, I covered it here.
Man, this was a year of travel for family! How great! Late summer meant Vegas, Vegas, Vegas! My older brother was finally going to marry his amazing girlfriend and they did it in style in the glitziest city. We had tons of pool time and I finally got to explore the Neon Sign Museum aka Instagram gold! And the wedding was so much fun. I mean, I got to wear a hot pink Kate Spade dress with pockets…
This was mainly a work trip, but you know me. If I have to go somewhere for work, I’m going to work in a side trip or make the most of it even if it isn’t in the most desirable location. This was a tough one since I had to spend so much time in Orlando proper, but we went a little early and hit up Animal Kingdom Lodge and stayed at the JW Marriott (review coming soon) later in the trip for an optimal pool experience! Both were wonderful resort stays. I could get used to watching the giraffes roam while sipping on my morning coffee!
This Christmas we finally did it. Our bucket list goal of being in Bruges during actual Christmas was finally realized. We also traveled to Ghent and Brussels, but Bruges was really the jewel of the whole trip. But more to come on all of that…
I wish nothing but health, happiness and travel for everyone in the New Year! I’d love to know where you all are going to in 2019; please leave me a comment.
2 Comments
Love this roundup!! You made it to a lot of fun places this year! definitely checking out the Neon Museum when we go in June:)
I would love to see it at night!