Surprise! I'm back with another annual blog post, but this time, ~travel diary edition~. I'm going to be honest — writing out this post took a lot of convincing and persistence. I haven't written anything in about a year now. I was nervous that taking a year-long break from writing meant all of my storytelling skills, and even passion, have inevitably went down the drain. Shout out to my closest friends for encouraging me to stop worrying about not being a great writer and to just pick up a pencil (or in this case, my laptop) and start practicing again. I can't promise myself that I'll be writing every week now, but hopefully more than once a year. 

Alright, that's enough of this sappy and way too personal prologue. Here are a few of my favorite highlights from my mini vacation to Cape Cod last week.☺

If you couldn't tell from my recent Instagram posts, I've been having a pretty serious case of post-vacation blues. Just a few weeks ago, I was happily soaking up the sun in Europe while sipping on a (non-virgin) ice cold piña colada (the legal drinking age in Europe is 18!!). Now that I'm back home, I'm quickly realizing how truly short summer vacation is and how many responsibilities I have to face in the upcoming weeks. So, in order to escape the reality of my stressful college life, why not relive my vacation in a fun lil travel post!

Last week I decided to take a much needed mini-cation to the suburbs of Long Island. I reunited with my close friend from university, who generously showed me around and let me stay in her home (thanks Gina!). Although I only slept over for four nights, by the end of the trip I already felt like an authentic Long Islander and a new member of the Lee family. ♡

- DAY ONE - 

On the first day of our LI adventures, I met Gina at Penn Station to take the Long Island Railroad back to her place, which was pretty exciting since I've only rode a train maybe two or three times in my life. The train ride wasn't too long, but I still felt extremely fatigued from my restlessness the night before. When I finally got to Gina's house, I was pleasantly surprised by her two adorable dogs waiting at the door - Coco (who is a little loco) and Ever (a cute lil Maltese). After I unpacked my things and adjusted myself, we both got ready for the rest of the day: a dinner date with her friends!

My first dinner in LI was super delicious and surprisingly vegan! I never thought vegan food could taste so flavorful and mimic actual dishes I usually eat with meat. We ate at a vintage looking cafe called The Witches Brew, which appears as an old house on the outside with lots of antique decor and comfy sofas on the inside. I had a falafel sandwich (my go-to nowadays) with a side of creamy potato salad. The portions were just right - not ridiculously enormous but also not leaving me hungry for seconds. I forgot to take a picture of the food, but I did take a cute picture with Gina!

Hi all! I've avoided writing for quite some time, mostly because i've been stuck in a stage of my life where i'm completely confused with my career path and even personal interests. Although I haven't been writing for leisure lately, I know that it'll always be an activity I enjoy doing to let out my emotional stress during this quarter life crisis.

As a way to get away from my frustration for a little while, my boyfriend and I decided to take a small mini-cation to Philadelphia. We stayed at an Airbnb, which was a quaint brick apartment owned by a sweet, quiet woman and her husband, only 15 minutes from University City. I've never really saw myself living in a city like Philly in the future, though this weekend really made me fall in love with how unique its culture is and appreciation for the arts (and good food).

I've always been in love with cities, specifically NYC, so it was only natural that I decided to take my boyfriend with me to explore a place that brings me as much joy as he does.

The first thing we did right as we got off the bus was eat. Food is important and good food is even more important. We yelped a cheap breakfast place and came across Pret A Manger, an organic sandwich shop/bakery with tons of healthy options that didn't make me feel guilty for what I was ingesting into my body. The part I loved most was that the place donates all their leftover food to local homeless shelters around the city.

Our next destination was Central Park, one of the most prominent tourist attractions of NYC. Although I've been there a lot when I was younger, I never got to fully appreciate the beautiful landscape until yesterday. It's so fascinating to just observe other people around the area, whether it be sitting on a bench, playing frisbee, or even laying on the grass. I'm the type that tends to ponder about anything and everything that passes me by. My boyfriend and I took a romantic stroll around the park while taking in the nature around us. After, we made sure to visit the Loeb Boathouse, because what would be a romantic Central Park date without rowing a boat?

Next stop was Radio City Music Hall for the New York Spectacular Show. It took us 10 minutes to realize we were walking in the complete opposite direction to get there (my legs are still aching while I type this). The show was really something amazing, though the storyline was directed towards younger children. The costumes, set-design, and lighting were so eye-catching and unique that I questioned how they even made some things possible in that show. Also, how the hell do Rockettes dance so perfectly in time and make it look so effortless?!?

The show was only an hour and a half, so we were pleasantly surprised to find out we had more time in ours hands than we thought. I really wanted to show my boyfriend Chelsea Market and the High Line, so we took an Uber there right after the show. Personally, the Chelsea District is my favorite place to walk around in NYC. I love all the unique building designs, the art museum, the delicious food, and just the overall art culture. The only downside is that the food is so freakin expensive.

To end our date, we decided to go to a cute French restaurant, Le Pif, by the High Line. Little did we know that the place is famous for their different types of wine...not plain water and French flatbread, which we both chose. Oops. I felt so uncultured just sitting there, though at least we ordered macarons so we didn't look that clueless.

Yesterday was honestly the most exciting day I had all summer, thanks to my amazing boyfriend and an amazing city. I can't wait to make even more memories here, hopefully with a journalism or media job???

➵KW

There's a few things I've learned on this cruise to Bermuda... the first being, to never step foot on a cruise ship or boat in a good few years or so. You never realize the power water has once you experience bouts of dizziness, nausea, and a close to toxic amount of salt water ingested into your body all at once. Actually, as i'm writing this post right now, I still feel as though i'm being pushed from every direction, exactly how it felt like while the boat was at sea. Aside from my dreadful experience on the water, being on land was like a gift from God, mainly because I didn't have to deal with vertigo, making this my second lesson learned: do not take land for granted.

The first thing I noticed about Bermuda were the beautiful pastel houses that lined every street, ranging from baby blue to light pink. It was like living in a colorful, pastel paradise (and it was extremely instagrammable if you're an ig addict like me). Seriously, every single building had a splash of color, even the buildings for the bathrooms were a nice shade of yellow with a bright white roof. 

Of course, the main attraction was the famous Horshoe Bay Beach, filled with pink sand and translucent water. Yes, water that wasn't littered with trash and didn't cause me to feel like I was stepping on sharp glass or an empty beer can. The Jersey Shore really needs to step up its game... 

Probably the best part to my trip was getting to meet some dolphins at a nearby conservatory for the very first time. I've never even touched a dolphin in my entire life, so being able to feed and kiss one was the most exciting thing ever to me. Dolphins are seriously the friendliest and cutest animals I have encoutered, so I highly recommend meeting one! They turned my angry mood from getting scuba diving cancelled that day to instantly cheerful right as I stepped into the water. 

I guess to summarize my entire trip, it was a week full of its ups and downs. I realized that being in the water for more than a few days just isn't for me, but I experienced a unique culture and island full of genuinely nice people and animals. 
Here are a few pics from my trip: