My Brooklyn Staycation

My Brooklyn 5th Ave Staycation was great. One avenue with so much to see. Mind you, I have spent plenty of time in all these areas before but it was really fun to bring a fresh eye and focus. I will definitely do something like this again soon! Friday I stayed and started in Sunset Park, walking the avenue with the BID Director and enjoying learning a little more about the Mexican enclave. Then I headed down to Bay Ridge for their monthly Open Street which has an entirely different feel, between the Yemeni, Palestinian, Irish and Italian communities. Saturday started with a visit to my parents cemetery plot in beautiful Green-Wood Cemetery, my little piece of BK just off of 5th Avenue. Then off to lunch at Japan Village in Industry City which is off 3rd Ave, but I was in the neighborhood… Then finally up to a birthday party on the Park Slope 5th Ave Open Street, which is packed every Saturday with wonderful outdoor dining options. Thanks for the fun Brooklyn!

Visiting South Dakota on for July 4th

Life in the time of covid means domestic travel to avoid the need for covid tests and the fear of travel lock downs and quarantines. I have both been missing the adventure of travel and the chance to spend long quality hours with travel companions soaking up and discussing what we're experiencing. Since my travel bucket list is long and varied, this seemed like the perfect time to finally visit a travel friend who I had met on tours of Palestine and Iran.  Next stop, Rapid City, South Dakota timing to coincide with July 4th and the Black Hills Roundup, a small town rodeo that has been occurring for 102 years.  My friend grew up on a ranch and seemed like the perfect person to learn the local traditions from.

I had been to South Dakota once before when I drove across country after college. I remembered it fondly. Flat land melting into the Badlands and then the dramatic Black Hills with Mount Rushmore. I figured another trip years later was worth it and surely there was more to see. Man, was I right. I had a jam packed trip of picturesque things! Animals, landscapes, tourist kitsch, dinosaurs, dancing, abandoned towns and buildings, and a lot of food for thought about some of the many things that make up America.

Photos from South Dakota - 2021

 

Click HERE to see more photos from my trip to South Dakota