Domestic travel......my experiences

Travel---one of my passions in life. It is crazy to think that I really traveled a lot after my first flight on a plane to Los Angeles when I was in my mid twenties. Before then, I was constantly working growing up in my family's business. Our only chances to travel were to Toronto to see my dad's family in Toronto. When I was real young, my folks drove us to Disneyworld to Orlando. It is all a blur as I was about 5/6 years old. I recall it vaguely.

Since that fateful first flight on American Airlines to Los Angeles, I have not looked back in terms of traveling. I have been fortunate to have made many friends along the way via college and many conferences, through friends of friends, business colleagues etc. Not only has international travel have been of interest to me, but domestic travel as well. America has so much to offer and to see. I loved my trip to New Orleans (a number of years back) with a high school buddy exploring the old French Quarter, having a beignet at Cafe du Monde. Or taking the ghost tour at night, it was scary! Even the cruise during Xmas with my friend Mil to Key West and then off to Playa del Carmen and Cozumel (which was an experience!) was different and fun.

I have a special place for California as I have a lot of friends who both live in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. I must admit, I like the Bay Area a bit more. I have found San Diego to be lovely, Laguna, and Santa Barbara to be quaint. In the Bay Area, my friend Dave allowed me to explore alot of the place. I got to do the tourist traps--Alcatraz, Angel Island and visited the various museums and I adored Golden Gate Park. I enjoyed Monterrey, Carmel, 14 mile, Sausolito, Napa and Sonoma (the wineries whisk you away thinking it is another world) and of course Yosemite! I loved the views of El Capitan and seeing the natural beauty abound.

Seattle has been lovely (Bruce Lee's grave, my first taste of Ostrich, to glimpsing a Flying Angels show here) and I adore nearby Vancouver (best Cantonese Dim sum I have had especially the steamed eel and tendons in curry), Butchard Gardens (Victoria). Ann Arbor is pretty in Michigan (loved the college town feel), Detroit (I found a bit depressing) and I adore Chicago. From the art museums, Michigan Avenue, Northwestern Campus to Frank Lloyd Wright's home to their scrumptious food I have enjoyed visiting this architectural gem. Philly has been the site of Morimoto and Le Beq Fin, two well known and expensive food establishments. I love the original Japanese Iron Chef series with Chef Japanese Masahiro Morimoto. As for Le Beq Fin, it was a special bday luncheon with two cherished friends. My only dining experience to a restaurant with Michelin Stars!!!! The Liberty Bell, Constitution Museum, and Art Museum as well as the mini Rodin Museum are lovely. Or my friend Christine and I did a crazy driving trip from Indiana to Sandusky, Ohio just to experience Cedar Point. YES, we were crazy for roller coasters (ironically we are both afraid of heights) but it was a crazy and wonderful bonding experience! I got to see Hershey Park , unfortunately I did not get to go to the amusement park thanks to an outing with my friend Thai.

I loved my road trip with my big sis Audrey to Princeton NJ. I got to see her beloved home town and that weekend I also saw Princeton and found it to be a refreshing college town. Another one I love and experienced was Northampton, MA in western Massachusetts. We had some top notch musical acts come through, very good food and decent shopping plus a thriving scene for independent and international films. Plus our college art collection has been famed for their impressionist art collection (I would learn later on). The five college or Pioneer Valley was great to me. I miss the variety of great lectures of famous politicians, artists, writers, educators from around the world who would come by. College truly was a time of mental stimulation, learning more about yourself, exploring your horizons and expanding your friendships and boundaries. Plus I enjoyed the various road trips to different colleges---UPENN, DUKE, Harvard, Yale, Wellesley, UCONN, Wesleyan, Dartmouth--to name a few during that time.

Washington DC is another favorite place. The Nations Capitol is never boring for me. From the lovely memorials, I find I visit a new one every time (JFK, FDR, WWII, Vietnam War, Korean War, Lincoln etc) or to the myriad choices of FREE museums--one of my all time faves the Portrait Museum reopened FINALLY after being shuttered for a few years. A memorable exhibit of the treasures of the Topkapi Palace at the Corcoran Gallery (further fueled my interest in Turkey--I want to visit there some day) to seeing lovely Asian Art at the Arthur Sackler Museum. Or the new SPY Museum (takes a full afternoon and it is interesting!).The Washington Zoo to see the pandas or exploring the lovely Georgetown area has been fun. Nearby Maryland, I love the Maryland crab cakes--some of the best was at the Baltimore Art Museum (I had with my friend Lisa) three different ways. Annapolis was a fun road trip with Deborah and seeing the Naval Academy was fun.

North Carolina in the Raleigh-Durham area was fun. Duke is a beautiful campus and the BBQ was great. Very laid back and humid when I went. Not as humid as Hot Lanta (Atlanta) and I recall everything was named Peach tree. Margaret Mitchell's home and the local Art Museum was cool as well as taking a tour of CNN studios and the Coke Cola Museum (don't forget to sample the various soda flavors from around the world at the end). Miami is a fun place especially meandering around South Beach or going to the Everglades being close to the alligators (it is a bit scary). Sunset in the Fort Lauderdale area attending a wedding in a boat was very romantic and picturesque. Finally hitting Orlando and Epcot at an adult with friends was fun.

Texas has given me many fond memories, from Dallas---the JFK museum (a good afternoon) or checking the local jazz scene in deep ellum, Austin---college scene and state capitol building, to Houston---big Asian community, Amys (one of the best ice cream I have tasted!!!!!), and good BBQ. San Antonio was fun to see the Alamo (I was a bit disappointed---the same as when I saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre).

Nashville with my friends --her husband went to a MBA school reunion and seeing The Grand Ole Opry, and sampling excellent BBQ, fried chicken and grits were a treat but definitely arty clogging. That trip marked a deepness in our friendship as we were stuck twice (on both ways) in NYC to stay overnight due to circumstances beyond our control. One we missed our flight connection (due to the airline--they said weather) the second time it was due to the planes.
Halifax in Nova Scotia I recall visiting taking an overnight on a boat for my dad. He was applying for American Citizenship and had to go there. Very picturesque and I saw my first rainbow there. Wow! Montreal --I have visited from dragon boat racing (one of my treasured fleece jackets comes from there), loved old town to Toronto with its great food and tons of Asian culture and food there.

New York City----a place I go to a lot over the years. One time I went to see the treasures of China from the Taipei National Museum. At the same time at the MET, the special Faberge Egg exhibit was on too. I was in heaven! It was worth sitting on the bus a few hours each way to see this collection. Or when I was selected to rep my high school as an ambassador seeing Statue of Liberty (getting to the top was cool), top of the Empire State Building and wandering around without my folks was fun. I love Flushing for the good Korean BBQ and great Taiwanese treats to be had there. Joe's Shanghai for xiao lung bao has a big reputation and I am still in search of the place that moved that makes the tasty Singaporean style meat BBQ jerky. Or checking out Nobu (during restaurant week back in 1997--thinking I want this in Boston--we finally did a few years later) to Serendipity based on the movie but I loved their frozen hot cocoa. Or checking out Broadway shows over the year from Raisin in the Sun (Diddy's turn on Broadway but I adored the former Mrs. Cosby of the Cosby show better and Sanaa Latham was awesome too), to Hugh Jackman in A Boy from OZ (I admit I sighed along with the other female audience members) or checking out the famous Lea Salonga in Flower Drum Song (revival but redone by David Henry Huang.) Or the year one famous NYC department store dedicated four of their display windows to each character on the now defunct but iconic HBO television show- Sex in the City during Christmas time.

Lest I not forgot the many road trips with various friends I made or became better friends to Burlington, Vermont---to attend a wedding. Saw the Von Trapp Lodge, Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory. Or checking out the expensive homes in Rhode Island around the famed Newport Rhode Island. Or to York, Maine checking out the local fare---ice cream, lobster and other seafood as well as the beaches! Freeport is good for its Shopping Outlets but I must say that the ones in Wrentham, MA and Woodbury, NY (great for the major designer label aficionado) are better. Century 21 is a NY staple. I finally went to Massachusetts first IKEA in Stoughton. I admit it was mesmerizing the first time I was there (on MLK day this year). Going to Long Island, visited my sister's god father or seeing my old roomie Jenny.

Vegas has been a destination I have gone to three times now. Last year I brought my folks there and boy was it a learning experience of patience. Hoover Dam was cool and interesting but once is enough. I wanted to go to the Grand Canyon but that got nixed. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing "O" and checking out the fountain show in front of the Bellagio (my mom's favorite free show). The various buffets was cool. I will always recall how maps are deceiving when we walked from the Vegas Strip to the very far away Liberace Museum. Hey even one of my faves I always get in California the In'n'Out burger can be had there! YUMMY!

Oahu was a fun experience using my free miles points to see Jennifer. I admit I am a type A so taking my pace down a notch was tough. From trekking to the top of Diamond Head, going to the North Shore for the famed shaved ice, checking out the Polynesian Cultural Center (one day trip) to seeing the maze at the Dole Pineapple factory to going to the only Palace on American soil was fun and learning about the local food---their love of spam, two scoops of rice and various other fishes. One highlight was Pearl Harbor, very sobering but beautiful tribute to those who died in WWII. During that trip I incorporated my first trek to Japan (only another 7/8 hour plane ride away) and I am glad I went there.

The travel bug is still within me and this is just glimpse of the domestic travel I have done. I still would love to drive cross country!!! Or see Mount Rushmore, see New Mexico, Portland, Salt Lake City...and many more places in the United States. One that will take some time to visit is Alaska----I have heard so much about it.