Boston Memories

It’s been awhile since I went to Boston, March of 2011. I was still a college student that had spring breaks. I knew that year I wanted to do something for spring break because it was going to be my last one. I asked my high-school friend, Andrea if I could visit her in Boston. She had lived there awhile and I knew she could show me a local view of the city. Yes, I also did touristy things. In Boston I had some first experiences, enjoyed touristy things, and got to catch up with old friends in Boston.

First Experiences

Boston was the first place I rose a subway, they call it the T. Texas doesn’t have them and it was interesting for me to experience. I liked that we didn’t have to worry about parking. For dinner one night, we had to take two different subways and a bus to get to a restaurant. That what something I wasn’t use to because in Texas we just use cars to get somewhere. I even kept my subway ticket as a  souvenir. I do hope that Texas can get better public transportation similar to Boston.

Boston was the First East Coast city, I visited. I fell in love with the buildings because they were older and had more character. There was a more of story to Boston, then any of the other cities I had visited before. Boston opened more travel opportunities for me. After that I was not scared to travel alone.

Tourist things

• Harvard

Andrea was able to take me to Harvard. I noticed a lot tourists like myself at the university. I can’t imagine how the students and employees feel. It’s probably something they are use to. I thought Harvard was beautiful with so much history. I loved the buildings and outside scenery.

• Little Italy

When my friend Andrea was at work, I was able met with another old friend, Andrew. He was able to show me his favorite restaurant and bakery in Little Italy. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the names of these wonderful places. What I do recommend is visiting Little Italy in Boston. I had an amazing experience and delicious food. What I also remember was sitting by a window at the restaurant eating chicken parmigiana and catching up with an old friend. After, our meal we got tiramisu.

• Boston Commons

We took the tiramisu and ourselves to the Boston Commons. It’s a central public park in downtown Boston. We found a bench, sat down, talked and enjoyed the tiramisu. I was able to enjoy a nice view of Downtown Boston. After this experience, I appreciated parks more. After, the park we bar hopped downtown.

Harvard

Boston Commons

Spending a couple days in Boston was a great experience for me. I was able to catch up with old friends and get local views of the city. I really do hope to visit Boston again, maybe a 4th of July trip.

The Traveler

Close friends of mine, say I am “The Traveler”. They usually ask me how I can afford to travel and how can I go by myself.  I can afford to travel because I make it a priority. I feel experience is worth more than material things. I rather buy a plane ticket to Peru than clothes or home decor. I travel by myself sometimes, because its difficult to accommodate to other people’s schedules. When you’re in your late 20’s The majority of your friends work full time, have second jobs, have kids, or they’re just to busy to travel. Of course, when I can travel with friends I go with them.

Whenever I am in a bad mood, I think about traveling. Then my mood changes and I can’t stop smiling. Traveling helps me get through life or more like it helps me live life. It keeps me going and keeps me sane. Traveling makes me feel like I am doing something with my life. By experiencing different cultures, meeting new people, and learning new things. I love being able to look back at my traveling pictures and reminisce. My office, even has postcards of different places. It motivates me.

I don’t know if I consider myself “The Traveler” like my friends do. Mainly because I still haven’t been to a lot countries. I haven’t even visited all the major cities in the United States. What I do know is that I like to travel and want to continue. Whether it’s visiting a Texas city, a different state, or a different country. And I feel like that makes me a Traveler.

Future Trips

I’m always looking for my next trip. Whether it’s a Texas trip, an out of state trip, or a an international trip. Planning these trips gets me get motivated through my work weeks and makes me happy. Here is my list of trips that I have planned. Some have already been set up and others I’m still working on.

• Denver Colorado: I will be going to Denver in the beginning of June. This trip is set, I bought my plane ticket and asked the days off from work. I will be visiting a good friend of mine and she wants to show me beautiful nature places. I can’t wait to see the green and the beauty and spend time with a close friend.
• Seattle Washington: I’m planning to visit Seattle in October. It’s for my birthday. I have only driven by Seattle and this time I want to experience the city. I want to see more of the green and mountains, have brunch on the space needle with a view, and walk around Pikes Place. I also want to see the first Starbucks Coffee. I am aware the weather might not be that great but this helps me get the true experience.  The plane ticket and stay haven’t been set up yet. I planing on buying the plane ticket the beginning of next month. For the say, I might stay at Airbnb with some close friends.
• The Greek Islands: is for Summer 2018. This trip has also not been set up yet, I’m planning on going with a tour group and two close friends. Greece has been a dream place for me, since The Sisterhood and the Traveling Pants movie. I want to experience a sunset on Santorini and go wine tasting on the high cliffs. Wine with a view, what more could I ask for? I really want this trip to become a reality, I want to experience the culture and see those beautiful views. I am hoping to sign up with the tour group this month.

 

Brunch in Austin TX

Brunch is my favorite meal of the day. Combing both breakfast and lunch, is one of the greatest inventions ever made. For me brunch is more than just food. It’s a time where I can get together with friends. We will meet up on a Saturday or Sunday early afternoon and just sip our mimosas or bloody Mary’s and just talk. To be honest, I don’t know what can beat that. This helps me relive my stress and be around great supported people. There is times, I do brunch alone to have quality time with myself. A very calming and relaxing feeling. Since, I have a love for brunch I wanted to name 3 of my favorites in Austin.

1. Counter Cafe: Is an American Diner that servers fresh, local and organic food. It was established in 2006 and has two locations in Austin on N Lamar blvd and East 6th street. They serve brunch Monday thru Sunday till 4:30 PM. They have delicious scrambled eggs and are probably the best I have ever had.
2. East Side Cafe: This restaurant opened in 1988 and it was the first restaurant to open on the street, manor road. The restaurant servers herbs and vegetables from their own garden. They serve brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
3. Little Barrel and Brown: serves American cuisine and opened in December 2013. They serve brunch on Saturday’s and Sunday from 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM. They also have delicious scrambled eggs and they serve their drinks in a mason jar. It’s located on Annie and South congress in Austin.

Brunch is more amazing when you have a good place. The places above are great places to go to whenever your in Austin Texas, when you want some eggs and bacon with mimosa or a Bloody Mary. Whether your with friends, a significant other, or alone brunch is good start to the day.

Las Vegas

I know this sounds cliche but Las Vegas really is sin city. Gambling is everywhere, clubs stay open till 5:00 AM, drinking is allowed outside, topless pool parties, and other various reasons. Vegas is an escape from reality.  I think 3 days is a perfect amount to stay. Because when you’re there you drink quite a bit and gamble your money away. However, I always miss it when I leave. It has that charm where you always want more.

This past weekend I went to Las Vegas for the Backstreet Boys concert. My middle school dream was coming true for the second  time. The first time I saw them was in Austin 3 years ago. But this time it was in Vegas with close friends. We arrived on a Friday afternoon and left Monday morning.

Day 1

As soon as we got there, we had moscato with fruit, bread, and cheese. A perfect start to a perfect trip. After, we went gambling at the hotel. I’m not much of a gambler but I still gambled a bit. No, I didn’t win the whole time I was there. The thing with gambling it’s about the fun not about winning. I’m still learning that today. Basically, when you go to Vegas save money that’s just for gambling. We got to walk the Las Vegas strip a bit where I got a frozen drink at Fat Tuesday’s. They have different sizes and I regret not getting the tallest size. The Backstreet Boys concert was at Planet Holiday and it was amazing. The boys put on a good show and it brought a lot nostalgia.

Day 2

The next day we had an amazing brunch at the Wynn. I got some Belgian waffles with coffee. Some of my friends got eggs Benedict with salmon, which was also delicious. After brunch we tried to attend a pool party but it was $50.00 bucks. Usually, you can find club promoters on the Vegas strip that will you give you passes to get into clubs and pool parties for free. However, we did not have free passes. We then decided to just go to a pool, instead of a pool party.  We had a great time we got drinks and bonded. This was great for me because we all don’t live in the same city. At night we went to the linq hotel to ride the high roller. The High Roller is an indoor ferries wheel where you can see the Vegas strip.We got some drinks and took them with us. They have an option for an open bar but we opted out of that. It’s 30 dollars without the open bar and 57 dollars with open bar for 30 minutes.

 

Day 3

The last day was the most relaxing day. We had brunch, walked around the strip, and gambled. I also got a refill on my Fat Tuesday’s cup. If you go to Fat Tuesday, keep your cup for a refill. During our break from gambling we got some sweets at Bouchon Bakery. I got a chocolate croissant and a chai latte. It was one of the best croissants I had in my life. Even my friend’s almond croissant was delicious. One of my friends even went back for seconds. First she got a vanilla eclair then cookies. The last place we went to gamble was the Palazzo hotel. I didn’t gamble but watched my friends instead and enjoyed my chai latte. For dinner, we had a little bit of Texas at a Texas based restaurant called Gilley’s.

It wasn’t my first time visiting Las Vegas and it definitely won’t be my last. It’s fun and there is so many things to do. There’re many restaurants I still want to try and shows I want to see. Also, just walking around the Las Vegas strip is amazing. It was great catching up with my close friends and the trip was definitely what I needed.

Finding Time to Travel

Life can get in the way of travel and other adventures. There is work, school, kids, and anything else you can think of. In college, I felt like I had more time to travel because of holiday breaks. Also, in college you can study abroad or get an internship abroad. However, in the United States you rarely get holiday breaks and there is no study abroad. There is some jobs that can transfer you, if you are interested in moving. Not all jobs have transfers and traveling for work conferences is not really a vacation.

If your like me, working full-time. Plan your trip, way in advance. Look up your vacation policies before you book your trip. Some jobs offer 2 week paid vacation, upon request. Usually the breaks I have taken to travel internationally have been a little more over a week. I went to Ireland for 9 days and London and Paris for 8 days. They were quick trips but I still enjoyed myself. I usually plan my internationally trips a year to 7 months in advance with a tour group, EF college Break. Tours groups can usually set up your flight and hotel for you. Which really made it easier for me. My trips to the United States travel are usually planned  6 months to 3 months in advance. I recently set up a trip to Denver for June to visit a friend, for 4 days. This gave the time to ask off work, look up flights, and ask my friend if she was available.

When I was working full-time and attending grad school. I had to find time that was good for both work and school. I chose Mid- March to travel to Ireland, It was spring break for school and not a busy time at work. The earlier you plan for your trip the better you can overcome these obstacles. It gives you more time to research the time you have, better plan your trip, and save. Before you book you trip make sure to read about the refund rules for airlines and hotels, if you have to cancel. When I traveled internationally with a tour group, they offered travel insurance. The travel insurance offered cancellation, helped with lost items during your trip, and medical expenses.

If you have a kid, you most likely have to plan a trip that is good for both you and your children. Maybe like a beach trip or visit a place that has theme parks. Also, the same rules apply, you have to find a time that is available for everyone. For example, when the kids are not in school and when you’re not busy at work/school.

I know its difficult to plan trips when your busy but it can happen. Just because you work full-time, have school, kids, or all 3 doesn’t mean you can’t. It just has to be planned in advance. That has helped me and I hope it can do the same for you.

My Texas Bucket list

In honor of Texas Independence day recently, I created a Texas Bucket List. I have lived in Texas all my life and I love it, it’s home. However, there is a lot places in Texas I haven’t visited. Texas is a big state, so it should’t come to a surprise. I’m good with lists and I decided to share my list here, for the blogging world to see. I’m hoping to accomplish this list soon and take a lot pictures. Also, I hope to help tourists or other Texas natives with this Texas Bucket List. This is my list of 10:

1. Hike Enchanted Rock. Located in Fredericksburg Texas. After, I will reward myself with wine.
2. Hamilton Pool is located in Dripping Springs. I have been trying to visit this natural pool for years, I will make it happen this summer. Keep in mind, you need to schedule a visit to this beautiful pool on their website.
3. Visit artsy Marfa Texas. Even though Marfa is in the middle of the desert, they have amazing galleries, boutique shops, and a cosmopolitan dinning scene.
4. Big Bend National Park
5. Eat deep fired food at the State Fair of Texas. The fair is located every year around September or October in Dallas Texas.
6. Swim in the natural-fed spring Krause Spring. It’s located in Spicewood Texas and it’s a family owned property.
7. Watch a sea turtle hatch in South Padre Island.
8. See another Texas beach, Port Aransas.
9. Do a brewery tour for Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner TX. This happens to be the oldest brewery in Texas, stated in 1909.
10. Finish visiting the mission trails in San Antonio TX.

Mission Concepcion

I have no idea when I will complete this list but that’s the fun in it. It gives me something to look forward too.  Also, I would live to see y’all s state lists!