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.☺

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!

My first semester at BU, I liked to complain a lot about how Binghamton was void of any cute, aesthetically pleasing cafes or restaurants downtown, especially since the city is so small and vacant. My life was pretty much changed (seriously), when I stumbled upon The Shop on Washington Street. Imagine walking into a small, cozy bistro in the middle of Brooklyn or NYC, with a full brick wall, pipes running all along the ceilings, and everyone's favorite: hanging bulb lights. The Shop is essentially the quintessential hipster cafe for anyone that misses the vibes of a big city while living in, basically the opposite.