Greetings From

A compilation of photos and moving images from my trip to...

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:45:25 -0500

A compilation of photos and moving images from my trip to Amsterdam. Enjoy!

A glimpse of souvenirs to bring home

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:22:19 -0500

A glimpse of souvenirs to bring home

Proper Irish Breakfast - 2 sausages, bacon, 2 puddings, hash...

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:06:08 -0500

Proper Irish Breakfast - 2 sausages, bacon, 2 puddings, hash browns, beans, tomato, toast, and coffee. YUM!

Greetings from Amsterdam!

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 06:59:05 -0500

Made it safely to Amsterdam! The journey wasn’t as long as I had expected. It’s almost 13:00 here, which means it’s almost 07:00 back in NYC. So far today, I’ve gotten my hair washed and blow dried at the Dublin Airport, had a proper Irish breakfast (sausages, bacon, pudding, eggs, hash browns, toast, and a tomato), and perused the many gift shops in the Amsterdam airport. I feel pretty great!

My buddy Jason and I are now planning our day and looking up transportation directions to our hotel. It feels so great being here. More words and photos to follow soon! Bespreking spoedig!

Today’s trip: New York - Amsterdam (via Dublin)

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:06:00 -0500

Today’s trip: New York - Amsterdam (via Dublin)

Roller skating at the Exploratorium #SF

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:43:49 -0400

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

Roller skating at the Exploratorium #SF

#SF

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:34:38 -0400

#SF

Greetings from NYC!

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 02:29:09 -0400

I’ve been on a little hiatus from posting anything, mainly because I recently moved to NYC. I still have to post photos from my trip to France last June! It was a magical experience filled with a lot of food, painting, and exploring. Likewise, I’m sure living in NYC will be the same. I will definitely post sights and all that good stuff once I’m more settled! In the meantime, enjoy this.

Photo

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 13:57:00 -0400

Summer Fun in the OC

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 17:55:00 -0400

Summer Fun in the OC

Everything must go

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 14:21:00 -0400

Everything must go

Photo

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 01:52:00 -0400

Photo

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 01:51:00 -0400

Photo

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:33:00 -0400

Greetings from München!

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:24:42 -0400

My trip to Europe has been nuts so far. It started with me not getting on the flight from LAX to Frankfurt yesterday. I was able to take the evening flight to Munich. However, I had two failed attempts getting to Toulouse because the flights were oversold. Eek!

So now I’m here @ the Mövenpick hotel just 8 minutes away from the airport. I’m going to try taking the first flight to Toulouse tomorrow, hopefully with better results. Wish me luck!

I need to figure out how I’m getting to the south of France next month…

Thu, 12 May 2011 17:22:53 -0400

I need to figure out how I’m getting to the south of France next month…

Tomorrow’s trip: San Francisco to Los Angeles

Sat, 07 May 2011 05:25:54 -0400

Tomorrow’s trip: San Francisco to Los Angeles

A Collection of Photos from My Trip to Seoul

Sat, 07 May 2011 04:55:03 -0400

A Collection of Photos from My Trip to Seoul

감사합니다!

Sat, 07 May 2011 04:40:00 -0400

It has been a week since I left Korea, and I still find myself thinking about what a lovely time I had there. I wouldn’t feel right if I ended my posts with “Reggae Chicken,” so here I am listening to a disco era Korean pop record writing this.

On my final full day in Seoul, Saewon and I had tea and brunch with some of her friends at one of their favorite places, Tea 22233. Her friend Dawn asked me what I thought about Korea, and I said, “It’s really interesting.” She said, “Korea is one of those places you can’t describe. It just creeps up on you…you have to live here for a while to get a good feel for it.”

Saewon and I spent the afternoon walking around Itaewon. We visited a vintage clothing store, and a local bookstore called Post Poetics, which specializes in art books and periodicals. Afterward, we had a delicious afternoon desserts, including a memorable Earl Gray tiramisu that was subtly flavored with just the right amount of sweetness. We then proceeded to a rooftop garden that she and her friends started, which had a great view of Seoul Tower and a busy city street.

Later that evening, we enjoyed a leisurely meal of Korean BBQ and other tasty delights at a new restaurant where you first picked the meat you wanted to grill from the fridge, and proceeded to sit down and cook. Being that it was my last evening in Seoul, we decided to go to a jimjilbang, also known as a spa, with my friend James. It was fairly late at night, and a nice way to end my trip.

We went to Dragon Hill Spa, apparently a pretty happening place at midnight. Sadly, I did not take many photos of the place, but let’s just say it looked like the Vegas of spas with its neon lights and 5 floors of luxurious amenities ranging from pyramid and igloo shaped saunas, tempered baths, and massage chairs to its video games and snack bar area. It was great hanging out and trying the different sauna rooms in our P.E. like uniforms. I had never experienced anything like that in my life, and we ended up leaving Dragon Hill at 3 A.M.! By the end of it, I felt extremely relaxed and wound up sleeping like a baby!

On my last day in Seoul, Saewon, Dawn, Georgia (another visitor and new pal) and I trekked to Insadong to have lunch at Sanchon Mountain Village. Run by a Buddhist monk, Sanchon featured around 22 traditional vegetarian dishes, made from harvested ingredients planted by other Buddhist monks.

The food and ambiance of the restaurant was delightful and tranquil. It was a great final meal that left a lasting impression on me. Since my flight left at 9:30 P.M., I had enough time to do some final souvenir shopping with Saewon and Georgia. We browsed through many little shops, some selling custom stone stamps that looked really awesome. I ended up getting some little knick knacks for friends and just taking in sights and sounds from my last day in the city.

After all of our walking around Insadong, the three of us girls decided to take time out for some afternoon tea. We went to the Old Tea House, whose structure was built over 125 years ago! It was a fine opportunity to rest our feet before making the trek back to Itaewon to pick up my bags and go to the airport. It was approaching 4:00 P.M., and I knew we had to get going. We finished our tea, and took a cab back to Saewon’s place to gather my belongings to go back home to the states.

Thankfully, Saewon accompanied me to the airport. We took a cab to Seoul Station, a crowded and hectic place. After purchasing our tickets for the train to Incheon Airport, we shared a relaxing train ride with other travelers and those looking to get out of the city. The ride was peaceful, and I had many thoughts running through my mind during our journey.

What Dawn had mentioned previously about Korea really started to resonate with me. She’s totally right. Korea is hard to describe. I stayed in Seoul only for a little under 6 days, and can’t say that I got a good enough feel for it. I was pretty much in disbelief for the first half of my trip. It all felt like a dream, and by the time reality sunk in, it was time to go home. Judging from my experience though, it feels like there’s always something new sprouting up in Seoul. Whether it be a tea shop, stationary store, music and art show, or community garden, it seems easier to get things done in Korea.

Overall, I know I’ll look fondly back on this trip as it was a major milestone in my history of traveling. Not only that, but it chronicled the beginning of major changes that are soon to occur in my life…and for that, I say 감사합니다 (thank you) for partaking in the first of many journeys to come.

Chicken with Dreadlocks - Reggae Chicken

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:34:10 -0400

Welcome sign from Reggae Chicken - Note the quote from Bob Maley

Last night, Saewon took me to Hongdae to eat at Reggae Chicken, an eatery devoted to both Reggae music and fried chicken. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined going to a restaurant like this. The whole thing seemed surreal as the decor was heavily decorated with Rastafari flags, marijuana leaves, and disco balls, but seemingly appropriate considering its name.

As soon as Saewon and I sat down, our attention was immediately focused on Cannabia beer. According to Reggae Chicken’s website, it’s an organic raw beer from Germany that is made from hemp. We were highly intrigued, so we ordered a bottle. In addition, we ordered their Reggae chicken and Jamaican salad.

As we waited for our food, we munched on jerk flavored popcorn and sipped on Cannabia. The taste was very mild. As Saewon puts it, “It tasted like soda beer,” which is very accurate. We also spent our time catching up and talking about the future.

After some good conversation, our food came. The Reggae chicken consisted for chunks of chicken in a spicy batter served with potatoes and one lonely onion ring with a mysterious dipping sauce. The Jamaican salad had lettuce, olives, tomatoes, sesame seeds, croutons, and fruity bits with a vinaigrette type dressing. The meal was also served with pickled radishes with jalapeños, a tasty side dish.

Overall, the food was pretty good. Although a little on the salty side, the chicken was very flavorful and the dipping sauce had a nice kick. It was great spending time with the Wonster eating and listening to awesome Reggae tracks from the ’60s and ’70s. The music was one of my favorite parts of the restaurant, as it was a variety of Reggae rarities that I’ve never heard.

We spent the rest of the evening in Hongdae, eventually going to Traditional Sounds Bar, an LP bar dedicated to playing Korean pop hits from the ’60s to ’80s. Speaking of Korean LPs, I bought a bunch from a record store! I’ll have to write about them another time.

When we got home, we chatted with our friend Jefferson about our outing to Reggae Chicken. When we told him it, he immediately said, “Chicken with dreadlocks?!” Saewon and I laughed hysterically; he totally nailed our experience.