I’m writing this post slightly before the end of the month, since I’m taking off for Poland tonight!
This month I put my head down on pillows in six different cities: Somerville, MA; Alpha, NJ; Asheville, NC; Milwaukee, WI; Boston, MA; and Warsaw, Poland. Even for me, that’s a lot of running – and sleeping – around.
On April 1 I walked away from the comfortable routine I’ve established over the past year+ working and living in Boston, and handed the keys of my condo over to a temporary tenant to kick off two months of non-stop travel.
Somerville, Massachusetts
First stop was a temporary stay at a friend’s house in a city across the river from Boston. I greatly enjoyed feeling like a tourist only a few miles away from home – and my dog loved all the new smells on our long walks. Some of the favorite places I found were Bagelsaurus, Forge Baking Company and Winter Hill Brewery.
During this time I also had the honor of serving on a panel discussing solo female travel at the Be Bold, Be Heard conference organized by the MIT Graduate Women Association.
Alpha, New Jersey
The tiny town of Alpha is where I was born and where my parents still live. So I moved back into my childhood bedroom in April, so I could have a home base between trips. I wish I could say I got to spend quality time with my parents, but with only a few days in between trips, I was mostly working or doing laundry. We did have a nice dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant, Setti Luna, in the up-and-coming town of Easton, PA, across the Delaware River.
Asheville, North Carolina
Like I mentioned last month, I’ve been wanting to visit Asheville for years, and a few weeks ago, I finally got to check it off my list. It was the perfect spot for my annual trip with my friends Beth and Karen. We had lots of good vegetarian meals – although since we were in the South, a lot of them were smothered in cheese or involved something fried – and we had lots of beer (and a few glasses of wine and cocktails too!). To work off all the food and drinks, we spent hours wandering around the home and gardens of the Biltmore Estate on Friday then spent Saturday hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
More details on my Asheville trip will be shared in an upcoming post.
Milwaukee Art Museum
Milwaukee
I continued eating cheesy, fried foods and drinking lots of beer in Milwaukee, where I attended the Women in Travel Summit. It was my first time in Milwaukee, third time at the Women in Travel Summit. This year, I served as a panelist for the session, “Kick Your Business in the Butt: Launching, Growing, and Thriving as an Entrepreneur,” which featured three kick-ass female entrepreneurs, with whom I was very honored to sit on stage. I also got to meet with five other bloggers to give them in-depth consultations on their blog’s branding, which was a rewarding experience.
On the fun side, I kicked off my visit with a craft beer and cocktail tour by Milwaukee Food and City Tours, which dropped us off at yet another distillery for the opening party. Saturday night’s party was at a place I’d never thought I’d find myself – the Harley Davidson Museum. They pulled out all the stops though with great food (yes, more cheese), a high-energy band and free tours of the museum, which house more than 400 motorcycles – old ones, sparkly ones, tricked-out ones, and famous ones.
More details on my brewery tour will be shared in an upcoming post.
Warsaw
Tonight I’m taking off on the inaugural LOT Airlines flight from Newark to Warsaw. This will be my first time in Poland and my first international press trip, so I’m not entirely sure what to expect. But I’m pretty sure fried food and beer will be involved!
What’s next?
May is a big month for many reasons. I wrap up my Poland press trip in Krakow, and I’ll be paying brief visits to two of my favorite cities – Cartagena, Colombia, and Lisbon, Portugal. I’ll be sailing between them for two weeks on the Nomad Cruise. And somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic I’ll be ringing in the big 4-0. Wish me luck!