Travel Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Life is My Oyster

Spring, Don’t Leave Me! – Washington D.C.

October 4, 2015Oyster 31 Comments

It’s raining outside, and the weather is cooling down. It’s Fall.

I do like Fall with all it’s beautiful colors, and the cold lonely feeling it brings with it, I love it! But before I give in to this beautiful weather, and watch as the trees shed the leaves that Spring brought with it, I want to reminisce about the days when they bloomed! I know Spring is long gone, and Summer is the one leaving us now, but Spring brought the bloom, and Fall takes it away!

What better way to reminisce than by looking back at the cherry blossoms of Washington D.C. in all their bloom!

These cherry blossoms aren’t native to Washington D.C., or the United States for that matter. They were gifted to the U.S. by the Japanese as a symbol of their growing friendship.

Every year there is a festival held to celebrate their bloom, and it’s quite possibly the most beautiful time to visit D.C. You have to plan it just right, because it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type of thing. Let me tell you, on the third day of my trip they had already started to change colors and losing most of the pink flowers!

But if you miss the cherry blossoms, there’s plenty of beauty to go around! The city is decorated with beautiful tulips everywhere! And then there’s the gorgeous Dumbarton Oaks!

The garden wasn’t in it’s full bloom just yet, but I bet it’s drop dead gorgeous once Spring is in full swing!

I fell in love with Washington D.C., and I hope to visit again soon! What do you miss the most about Spring?

Spring, Don't Leave Me! - Washington D.C.

Photo Credit to My Friend Arlene for Taking this Awesome Picture! View from Senator Harry Reid’s Office Balcony!

Follow Me:

Oyster Gets Featured

September 12, 2015Oyster Leave a Comment

Oyster gets featured! It’s been fun times traveling and telling! There’s a big traveling community out there, and it’s great to be a part of it! There’s still a whole world out there and not enough time to see it all and share it all! In the meantime check out blogs where Life is My Oyster has been featured:

Travel fails. Don’t you love it when something goes terribly wrong! Ok… maybe not. At least not in the moment. But how great is it when you can look back and laugh at your most terrible travel fails. Whether you’ve been accidentally maced, almost missed your flight, or even crashed a party, it’s always fun to reminisce! Check out these glorious travel fails at TravellingBuzz.com;

Locals give their tips. If you’re like me, you do your due diligence when planning a trip. That means researching like a mad person until you know all the awesome things awaiting at your destination. And what better than getting tips straight from the locals! Check out insider tips for Seattle, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Huntsville at TravelingNinetoFiver.com.

Do you have any fails or travel tips you’d like to share? Let’s hear ’em!

Follow me:
Follow

My Brazilian Love Story – Rio de Janeiro

September 3, 2015Oyster 17 Comments

I fell in love with Rio long before we ever met!

Let me explain. I grew up on telenovelas (soap operas). Every night I was glued to the TV watching beautiful love stories from Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela. It was awesome! But then there came a time when I tired of the usual poor girl who falls in love with rich guy, and is then antagonized by his horrible family, until one day true love prevails… somehow. I took a break from the melodrama to focus on other things (Roswell, Buffy, and Charmed). Until one day, a magical thing happened: I watched my first Brazilian soap!

Arcos da Lapa

These soaps weren’t like anything I was accustomed to. The usual melodrama was there… but then there was also history, culture, public interest themes, and lots of Brazil! Their transition shots always seemed to showcase a beautiful part of the city, and I fell in love! It was at the top of my travel bucket list ever since.

The Famous Copacabana Sidewalk

Unfortunately, it’s been tough times trying to plan a trip to Brazil. I always seem to get pulled in a different direction. But two years ago, when I was being pulled to Argentina (don’t get me wrong, I wanted to go to Argentina too), I made sure to plan a detour to Rio, even if it was just for four days! And it was just as amazing as I always imagined!

As usual I studied the map meticulously, making sure to know exactly where my favorite characters lived so that I could see the sights they frequented. Every time we walked or drove past one of those neighborhoods, excited I’d tell my mom “look, that’s where Duda lives!” hahahaha!

Favela – Santa Marta

I crammed a million things into my long Brazilian weekend: Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf, Beaches, and a Favela tour! The favela was the highlight of my visit… nope not the tour, it was my nighttime rendezvous that did it! While on our Favela tour, our guide let us know that he plays at the samba school of this very Favela, and that we were welcomed to come and watch them practice. That night they were going to rehearse and vote on the songs they would use for their school during the Carnival. He didn’t have to tell me twice! I was in! My travel companions not so much. They were terrified. But I was determined.

I dragged my two travel companions all the way to the Santa Marta Samba School… in the middle of the night. Our guide had said that although Favelas are known to be the most dangerous areas of Brazil, this particular favela had been rid of the drug lords and criminals. I held on to that thought very tightly, as I ventured into what could be the lion’s den.

It was amazing! We watched as cariocas convened into one building in the middle of a favela to dance the night away. There were people from all walks of life and all social classes. Maybe a fight broke out that night, and maybe a month later the news reported the assassination of a samba school vice president. But nothing could come close to ruining the energy and happiness that filled the school that night. It was a true immersion into Brazilian culture. An experience I will treasure forever.

Four days weren’t enough. I still hope to one day check out the scene in Lapa, watch the Carnival, and visit Sao Paolo. Brazil still holds a spot in my bucket list. I still watch the soaps and dream of the day when I get to visit the neighborhoods of my favorite characters!

Follow me on:

My Travel Personality

July 7, 2015Oyster 11 Comments

I call it “Putting it All in Perspective.” What does that mean? Map it!

I usually start off with the place I will visit. It’s weird. My destination almost always just falls on my lap. Either I have to go there for work, a destination family/friend’s event, or plain old my-friend-wants-to-go-there. I don’t mind it one bit though! I get to travel!

I’ve got a decent been-there-done-that list. But no matter how much I travel, being able to know where I am when I get there always seems to be my main concern. So I study the map closely for weeks before my take-off. I like to know how far I will be from my points of interest, and that I will know how to get back to my hotel. It’s funny though, I still get lost, but getting lost is part of the fun. But I never leave without my map!

Next, it’s food! I love to eat, and being able to try foreign cuisines is one of my priorities when I travel. I always make a mental list of the food that I need to find in each place I visit. In Rio? Feijoada; Argentina? Asado; Spain? Paella. Sometimes the countries in my bucket list are there primarily for the food experience!

Then there’s obviously the sightseeing! One down-side from my travel personality is my eagerness to see everything. I get in this mindset that I have to leave this place feeling like I don’t have to come back. It backfires because I end up exhausted in the first hours of arriving. Then I spend the rest of the vacation with a sore body, grouchy, and tired. But it’s worth it! It was only recently, during my trip to Indy, was when I finally relaxed and reminded myself that I can (and should) leave room for a comeback. How do you deal with the anxiety of seeing everything?

Finally, there are certain rules I seem to travel-by: 1) Don’t eat food I can find anywhere else (like food chains); 2) Don’t shop at stores you can find back home; and, 3) Walk! I don’t really go for tours. I prefer to discover the city by walking and taking public transportation. Every once in a while I’ll buy a tour if it seems worth it.

So far it’s been fun, and I hope to see more of the world and continue putting it all in perspective!

Indy

July 2, 2015Oyster 1 Comment

I’ve got a travel bucket list. My top five changes periodically though. A new movie, or maybe even eating a dish from a foreign country, divert my attention and shuffle my queue. Indy was never in my list. Like, never. I heard about Indy, but it never even occurred to me to visit. But I recently did, and it was awesome!

Don’t get me wrong, the moment I found out of the possibility to visit Indy I became surprisingly excited! It turned out to be a gem of a city. I went for a friend’s wedding, which was held in Bloomington, but we had to have our detour in Indianapolis. We only had a day and a half to check out the city, but I think we did it right, and I left room for a comeback!

For lunch we went to the City Market. It is located right across the street from the courthouse, and it looked like it was a place for locals to have a quick bite in the middle of a busy day. We opted for savory crepes at 3 Days in Paris, delicious!

While making small talk with the guys at 3 Days in Paris, we were told to try Milktooth. And it turns out that’s the place to be on a Saturday/Sunday brunch. It’s a cute place. We can file it under the Hipster Eatery folder, and it was good! The menu is seasonal, and the stuff I had was good. Sorry, too hungry to take pictures, but here’s the coffee I had:

For other good places to eat I suggest checking out Fountain Square, which is where Milktooth is (or nearby). There they had a few places I was dying to try but had no time. If you go to Bluebeard, let me know how you like it. In Broad Ripple we ate some Ice Cream at Nicey Treat. They had this really good chocolate with chili flavor that was sweet and spicy. And of course, I visited the classic St. Elmo’s and had their spectacular-nasal-clearing Shrimp Cocktail. Very good!

Bloomington is a beautiful college town! The wedding took place on-campus at IU. When I heard it was going to take place on-campus I was like what?!?! But as soon as I walked towards the ceremony and reception area it became very clear why. It was absolutely green and beautiful.

Nap-town was a great time! I hope to come back some time and take a bigger bite of the food scene. I leave you with this city collage: