High Up in the Mountains You Will Find Medellin, Colombia

Medellin is the heart of Medellin and I really felt that until I saw it, I couldn’t say I’d been to Colombia. It’s a big city with urban sprawl rising up all the mountainsides. It has modern skyscrapers and lots of public art. There are plenty of luxury high rises and seemingly endless slums, as more and more people arrive. It seems to be doing a great job reinventing itself after

Colombia’s darker days where militias, drug cartels and the army fought in its streets. Now it’s a place for international commerce and known for its innovation urban planning which has put bike lanes and open pedestrian streets where cars used to run. I got to enjoy the lively nightlife and spend a day reflecting on the recent history at the “Casa de la Memoria,” or the Museum of Memory, dedicated to those who perished during the years of conflict. Honestly, I can’t wait to go back and dig even deeper.

Salento and the Coffee Lands - Colombia

This is my second trip to Colombia. The first one focused more on the towns and parks on the Caribbean Coast, but I yearned to go back and see the coffee lands. I mean, I grew up with Juan Valdez and see the 100% Colombian everywhere I buy coffee. This was THE place to learn about coffee.

Well, it was worth the wait. The flora and fauna was lush and filled with many shades of vibrant greens. Also Colombia is #1 in the world for birds, which meant a chorus of sounds better than the philharmonic.

We stayed on a hacienda for two nights where I swung on a hammock and relaxed in nature and then moved on to Salento, a UNESCO World Heritage town, where the colonial architecture is beautifully preserved. The mythical Jeep Willys were everywhere and smooth Colombian coffee pepped me up to be able to make the most of it all.

I also visited the majestic Valle de Cocora, located in the Andean mountain range near Armenia, Colombia. It is most famous for being the main location where the national tree of Colombia, the Quindío wax palm lives. This palm is the tallest in the world and can grow up to 180 feet and live for 200 years. As you can see they are quite a sight to see!

Stop dreaming about travel and actually book at trip with G Adventures!

If my pictures make you want to travel, but you don’t have someone to go with, don’t let that hold you back. I’m in Colombia with G Adventures. This is my fabulous group. They hail from Canada, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Taiwan, Italy, Denmark, and of course, the US. Not only are we getting a varied budget travel experience, but we get lots of time for interesting conversations from a wide variety of points of view. This kind of travel is much easier and cheaper than you think. And it will completely change your perspective about the world. #YOLO #liveeverydaytothefullest #justdoit

Christmas in Choachi, Colombia

When my parents died, Christmas forever changed. Since then I’ve just embraced the change, since I can’t recreate the old way. It’s become an opportunity to join different families every year and experience different traditions. This year, my cousin's extended family, the Espinel's in Choachi, Colombia welcomed me with open arms and into a beautiful mountainside complex for a salsa music filled Christmas Eve.

Turns out that Christmas Eve is the big day in Colombia. We spent half the day cooking and the family gathered for a big dinner. The thing to do in Choachi is to go to the main square at midnight and welcome Christmas by dancing to live bands till 6am. I have to admit I only made it till 2, but it was fun to watch the crowd and think how vastly different people celebrate holidays around the world.

May everyone be enjoying old and new traditions. Merry Christmas!

Second times a charm in Bogota, Colombia

This was my second trip to Bogota. It’s a huge city and I feel like I still have only scratched the surface and definitely don’t know it’s full story yet. Tourists tend to stay in La Candeleria, the oldest part of town. The architecture is traditional and colorful and street life is busy. But in contrast the sprawl has lots of new luxury apartment towers to house the country’s upper class. Colombia is the most unequal country in Latin America and the differences between are pronounced. Next time I’ll explore more. I always find it interesting how long it takes to get to know a city.

In my time I was able wander through downtown, to hunt for street art, explore the wholesale district and soak in the ambiance of their main giant market, including the flower market, which was fun because of my NYC Flower Market days. Colombia is the largest flower exporter.

2021 Year End Letter

 

Is it really the end of 2021 already? Each year seems to speed by faster and faster, plus the distortion of time due to the Pandemic. And then add Omicron which makes it feel like March 2020 all over again.

So how do I summarize 2021??? Basically every day feels like I’m adjusting to a “new normal” that never feels normal at all. I’m still running the NoHo Business Improvement District, where I’m responsible for keeping the streets clean and safe and supporting businesses by connecting them to helpful resources and to each other, especially as they tried to adapt to covid. Unlike so many others, I still go into the office almost every day for which I’m grateful, since I get to observe all the changes taking place from multiple locations and perspectives and interact in person with people. I am grateful for the new flexibility to work from home some days though. Mostly the Pandemic has made my job feel more meaningful. While there is a lot more stress there also has been an increased sense of purpose. 

I did manage to travel a bit. The safest thing to do in covid times is walk outside, which made trips to architecturally beautiful cities like Charleston, South Carolina and Barcelona, Spain perfect destinations, especially with the dramatic drop in tourism so I could have them to myself. I also went to South Dakota to search out another face of America. Additionally I went to Tampa for a BID conference and once again felt so grateful for the power of in-person connecting. And now I am ending the year with two weeks in Colombia, which both felt irresponsible during the Omicron rise and to be the best thing to do since NYC feels scary as my friends all test positive. Colombia is warm and wonderful and their covid numbers are way down, so bring on the adventure.

Other 2021 highlights included digging more deeply into Queens, while helping at a food pantry and making some significant cross cultural connections. I continue to feel grateful to live in such a diverse community, where 167 languages are spoken and a trip to the grocery store can sometimes feel like travel to a far off world, but mostly just feels like home. 

I always end my letters reminding everyone to venture out of their comfort zones and live life. It feels even more important during COVID when so many are laying low. Be safe but be brave and keep getting out experiencing new things. This Pandemic might be around for a while. Don’t lose any more time. 

May much brighter days lie ahead in 2022!

Click the links to access my Facebook photo albums for the various places I have traveled to this year.

Covid Can't Kill the Christmas Spirit in New York City

 

Omicron might have started raging in the middle of the New York Christmas season, but that didn't stop many many people from coming out and enjoying our Christmas City! 

Click HERE for more pictures of Christmas in New York City 2021

Día de las Velitas in Jackson Heights, NYC

I love living in a multi-ethnic neighborhood. It feels like every day is a holiday. Today is Colombia’s Día de las Velitas (Little Candle Day) and families gathered on the street to celebrate together. It kicks off the Christmas season.

Its extra awesome this year, because I'm actually going to Colombia for Christmas, partially because I live in a Colombian neighborhood in New York City.

Traveling to Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida

These days I'll take whatever travel I can get.  Tampa, Florida isn't new for me, but  I was there for the Annual International Downtown Association conference and that meant looking at it from a totally different lens. Me and my work colleagues explored the city, riding the street car and ferries and walked around seeing their many streetscape and public realm innovations. We also got to geek out on urban planning successes of cities all over during COVID and beyond. And it was extra fun to spend so much quality and quantity time with my New York colleagues. The pandemic was hard on all of us and this conference gave us time to appreciate all we have accomplished and remind me what a great job I have and how great the people I work with are.

My mom always told me to tack on a few days at the beach to any trip, so I headed to St. Petersburg with my friend Christy. We enjoyed an afternoon downtown checking out their new totally cool waterfront pier and their amazing farmers market, which had a little bit of everything.  St. Pete definitely has some little bits of creative and quirky charms, so I can see why its growing so fast.  Then of course, the beach was very enjoyable even if resort travel isn't exactly my style. But as the saying goes, when in Rome. And when in Florida... you certainly stay in big hotels and slide down giant water slides!

Lastly, I'm not gonna lie. It was nice to be in a place that didn't feel as stressed about covid. Strange but good.  Mind you, it definitely didn't feel normal at all. Covid is affecting everywhere.

Barcelona, Spain in the time of Covid

I love travel because it gives me a chance to fully engage my curious mind and to get out of my daily rhythm and dive into to learning about somewhere else. On this trip I was observing another city and trying to experience travel itself during covid to see how another place was coping. I took advantage of cheap airfares and spent a long weekend walking all over the city. As for why now, I have never been to Barcelona, because I have always heard there were too many tourists. Well, as soon as covid hit and I saw pictures on the news of empty sites in Europe, I thought this was my chance to visit Barcelona and boy was I right. There were enough tourists for places to feel lively but not desperate, and so many that I couldn't see the amazing sites without fighting a crowd.

I mostly went to Barcelona to look at architecture. During the Pandemic long long walks outside are the safe thing to do and Barcelona buildings are a real spectacle. I could always see some ornate building in the distance that tempted me to walk and walk. It's interesting to see a much longer span of historical building styles than we have in the US. We are such a young country and Europe’s long life span always inspires me.While

Travel in the Time of Covid

 

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

 I love this quote!  

"I didn't start walking because I was fearless – but rather because I was terrified. I was more afraid of not following my heart than I was of losing everything I owned and loved."

Link to the this article

NYC Pandemic Re-Awakening - April to Present

 May 21

Finally checked out the Lincoln Center Green, their re-imagined public plaza. It was a lovely place to chill on a beautiful day. A soft bed of turf is so much nicer than the usual cement and stone.

May 19

One covid silver lining is that attending long community board meetings for work is much more comfortable!

May 14

As I continue to mark the moments of re-awakening I want to note that I AM WEARING LIPSTICK! As the CDC loosens mask requirements and I am able to show off my face again, I am ready to bring out my best! #itsthelittlethings

Making Real Connections in Queens - Happy to have you in my life Bela and Sofia

One of the silver linings of the pandemic has been getting to know the huge extended family who volunteer every week to keep the Manos Que Dan, food pantry running. My favorite new friends are Bela and Sofia who have helped me laugh and play even in the darkest days. Well, yesterday they solidified our connection by asking me to be their god mother and attend their first communion services. I hope I will be able to help guide them into a bright future.

Pandemic Life - February to March

March 27th

A year has passed and NY is re-awakening but these are a few more photos from February and March that I want added to my official pandemic 1st year record. At this point I get daily Facebook memories reminding me the craziness that was happening a year ago. It’s definitely helping me reflect on what we have been through and the changes we have made. Wow! Now just keep wearing a mask and being careful and we will pull past this!

March 9

Covid means smaller birthday gatherings spread over multiple nights! That means lots of safe in-person fun! So happy to be hanging tonight with my BID colleagues, without whom I never would have survived this pandemic! And doing it at Fanelli Cafe, which had offered us a place for cold beverages and fun all along the way, adapting as time went on. Yay NoHo and SoHo and surviving this thing!

March 6

Thank you for all the birthday greetings. I love hearing from everyone, especially this year, where our virtual connections are more important than ever. I spent my Saturday birthday volunteering at the Manos Que Dan, Reciben Bendiciones food pantry like I always do. After 8 months, the people there have become my covid family and yesterday they rose up and surprised me with a cake and some delicious Ecuadorian aguardiente. One covid silver lining for me has been befriending all these folks while working hard each week with them to serve our community during these especially dark times.

March 5

Oh how times have changed in a year! We sure didn’t know what was coming!! This year we had to take a few more precautions at my birthday drinks. #maintainyourdistance #wearamask #alcoholkillsthegerms

February 17

11 months... Ugh, remember when we thought we were just going home for two weeks... then two months... Now it seems silly to plan for the future, since I don’t know what that will look like. So I double mask and continue to live my new normal and hope that the vaccine will finally arrive in meaningful numbers and that enough people will take it. February in NYC is never great. Covid doesn’t help. But the blanket of snow that keeps falling a little more every couple of days sure is pretty and listening to kids play and laugh in it feels healing. And indoor dining opened up to 25% again this past weekend, so hopefully that will help restaurants survive. I don’t want to eat inside, but apparently others do. Meanwhile I still like the adventure of bundling up and eating and drinking outside. Stay healthy everyone. We’ll get through this!

February 12

With so many public celebrations being turned virtual, I was so happy that my favorite Chinese New Year tradition, when lions and drummers come out to bless the businesses in Manhattan Chinatown, still happened today. There definitely was a smaller crowd, but there still plenty of celebration in the air. Happy Year of the Ox!

February 11

Multi-tasking during a work Zoom... And now my Valentine’s Day mask is ready! Let the celebrations begin!

Vaccinated!!!

Wednesday, March 18, 2020 was my last day on the office pre-pandemic.  I sure had no idea what was coming. Now, today, exactly one year later, I went to Javits to get my first vaccine shot. It’s just so incredible to contemplate how much has changed during this year.  I hope today marks the beginning of the end and I’ll see you all in person somewhere soon.

Covid Tourism - Charleston 2021

Curiosity about how other areas were getting through the Pandemic and a desire to find a new place to take long solo walks with some sun in the forecast, prompted me to hop a flight to Charleston, SC. Yes, maybe it was risky, but I decided to #doublemaskandcarryon and after 14 days and covid tests before, during and after, I didn’t get sick. The sunshine felt great. The historic architecture was beautiful. The food was YUM!!! And I got to visit an old friend and get a peak into his life. Not bad for a weekend during these crazy times.

Check out my Photos from Charleston on Facebook