travel log

Where I’ve been, at least that I’m willing to share, in alphabetical order.

Overview

I grew up in the United States Midwest and have visited 30/51 US states and 10/63 National Parks.¹ I’m currently based in New York City.

Other countries I’ve visited: Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Czechia, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Germany, Italy, México, The Netherlands, New Zealand

I used to make “video postcards” and zines (printable versions: nz, eu, china) of my travels. I still share some photos, every now and again.

Notes

Half-assed recommendations.

Albuquerque, NM, USA

• riding a hot air ballooon is expensive but fun
• petroglyphs are cool
• La Montañita Food Coop

Amsterdam, Netherlands

• “coffee” from the coffeehouses, of course
• the Van Gogh museum, also a bunch of Rembrandts
• joppie sauce = hate-less chickfila sauce

Asheville, NC, USA

• pimiento cheese scrambled eggs at Bisuit Head
• Plant, a hip vegan restaurant
• Brevard is cute, and Quotations is a chill café
• get up early, take the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the sunrise over the mountains
• lots of good hikes (wear sunscreen)
• kayak along the French Broad, and stop off to sneak into the big mansion
• didn’t get a chance to visit Moog

Austin, TX, USA

• like Lexington, but if they turned everything way up to 11 and didn’t make any changes to the underlying infrastructure
• hard to visit without a car
• good BBQ can be found in the surrounding area
• Electric Church is a chill underground psych rock venue, and De Nada Cantina is tasty nearby
• state capitol building is beautiful even if what they do there is totally messed up

Bay Area, CA, USA

• Point Reyes National Seashore ia worth the drive, and you can get oysters on the way
• Chapel of the Chimes, Urban Ore, and Golden Tee Golfland are all fantastic
• Burma Superstar is tasty
• The Knockout is a surprisingly divey venue in SF
• Once a month you can go to the SF botanical garden for free, the SF japanese garden is quite good, and Oakland’s bonsai garden is incredible

Beijing, China

• you can hop out a little window onto an unrestored section of the Great Wall; don’t fall!

Berlin, Germany

• coolest city ever, probably
• modern art and more: Berlinische Galerie, Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, Neue Nationalgalerie, ME Collectors Room
• vegan currywurst
• east side gallery
• memorial to the murdered jews of europe and the Judisches Museum
• walking up the Bundestag Building

Boston, MA

• Halloween in Salem is excellent
• make sure to put your feet in the ocean

Copenhagen, Denmark

• amazing breakfast
• I <3 cargo bikes
• dreamy sunsets over the bridge
• actually livable

Denver, CO, USA

• Red Rocks is fun to visit, along with the nearby dinosaur footprints
• Evergreen, CO, is nearby and very cute
• Davies’ Check Wagon Diner was transported there from the East Coast
• City, ‘O City has great vegan food, and Domo was a great eating experience
• Meow Wolf is overhyped but still fun with friends

Dresden, Germany

• find Slaughterhouse V
• the Green Vaults
• climb the Kreuzkirche rather than the Frauenkirche

Faroe Islands

• it’s doable by bus, but not easy
• the edge of the world
• incredible hikes
• sheep!
• fish ’n chips and traditional music in Torshavn

Florence, Italy

• climb to the top of the Duomo
• it’s all just beautiful, and I enjoyed both major museums
• Bobolui Gardens were also fun
• Siena is worth the trip, with its amazing history and cathedral

Florida Keys, USA

• one of the keys is a state park where you can walk 100 meters into the Gulf of Mexico and it will still only come up to your waist
• Key West is a tourist trap but the other islands have some gems

Grand Rapids, MI, USA

• a little boring, in a good way
• Redux Books is a good used bookstore, and Argos nextdoor
• Bitter End is a great coffeeshop
• vegan breakfast sandy at Sunday brunch at Fulton Street Bar and Grill

Lexington, KY, USA

• food: Bourbon & Toulouse, Sav’s, Stella’s, Magee’s, GirlsGirlsGirls Burritos
• CD Central, Sqecial Media, and other spots nearby
• Institute 193 typically has a good exhibition

Mackinac Island, MI, USA

• It’s pronounced “mackinaw”
• Don’t go in the winter, like I did

Milan, Italy

• in addition to the Duomo, check out the Museo del Novecento
• quite cosmopolitan

Minneapolis, MN, USA

• the skyway system is great in the winter
• the Flour Tower presentation at Mill City Museum is for kids but I enjoyed it
• art museums are pretty good
• Mercado Central is a vibe
• I rode a Nickelodeon-themed rollercoaster at Mall of America

Monterey, CA, USA

• incredible year-round weather + beaches, beaches, beaches!
• 17-mile drive
• Moondog Grill
• Cannery Row Antique Mall has excellent maps

Munich, Germany

• excellent museums
• that spot where people surf
• also, Hofbräuhaus and gardens

New York City

see New York City

New Zealand

see New Zealand

Paris, France

• not to be confused with Paris, KY
• crepes
• get an Airbnb that has cats, for a chill time
• the Louvre is exhausting, but good for people-watching
• Centre Pompidou was great
• Chartres Cathedral is worth the trip

Philadelphia, PA, USA

• the Mütter Museum is wild
• Barnes Foundation has incredible collection
• Making Worlds bookstore
• great stuff at Raxx Vintage

Prague, Czechia

• a Mozart opera at The Estates Theatre
• Sex Machines Museum
• Terezin is worth the trip, I recommend getting a tour guide

Rome, Italy

• the Vatican is worth the trip, including the Sistine Chapel, although it was exhausting by the end
• much more lively and urban than I expected for some reason
• La Famiglia restaurant was near the hostel and very good
• all the touristy stuff

Shanghai, China

• get to the top of tall buildings!
• excellent street food

St. Louis, MO, USA

• City Museum is v fun
• their botanical gardens are excellent

Sydney, NSW, Australia

• opera house is worth the visit
• the quay is gorgeous
• cute gardens
• it takes longer than I expected to get across the bridge

Traverse City, MI, USA

• it’s fun in the winter, haven’t been in the summer
• try all the free samples at Cherry Republic
• cross-country skiing (Hickory Hills), hiking Sleeping Bear Dunes
• Slabtown Burgers, J&S Diner, and 7 Monks are all quality

Venice, Italy

• wandering the streets, GPS signals bouncing off the narrow walls
• the Peggy Guggenheim Collection
• taking a trip out to the beach (water taxis!)

Vienna, Austria

• the Olympic-ring-shaped roller coaster
• Naschmarkt
• taking a lap on the Ringstrasse streetcar
• sachertorte, obviously; the wait staff may be unhappy that you only want cake
• the museum quarter, opera house, and Schönbrunn Palace

Washington, DC, USA

• Suns Cinema for an art film
• OKPB for a secretive drink

Xi’an, China

• the soldiers are worth it
• amazing food