2022 End of Year Letter

 

Since the Pandemic began, time seems to be flying by and my memories of it all are fuzzy.  Looking back at my pictures from earlier this year feels like I'm looking back years. We are supposed to be adjusting to this concept of the "New Normal" and yet somehow nothing seems solid or steady. But judging on the number of holiday parties I went to it, does seem like New Yorkers are out and about again.

 

My work at the NoHo Business Improvement District continues.  With each day, month, year that passes, I get to know the neighborhood better and hopefully keep improving how we serve NoHo. At this uncertain time for NYC, our priorities of clean and safe are extra important. Pandemicwise we’ve given out 1000s of masks and covid tests, which makes me feel like Santa, since people are so grateful. Also, as businesses are all navigating these fast-changing times, helping them connect with each other for support and community seems very valuable. I'm blessed to have a great group of BID staffers all over the City, who are fun to work and play with and have really helped propel NYC forward.

 

Other highlights of the year include roaming around NYC. It’s amazing that there are always fresh things to discover. I’ve done lots of people watching and checking out fashion and trends, hit up many fun pop-ups on my Fun Fridays and seen lots of theater. Someone had to keep Broadway going, while so many didn’t feel comfortable going! I love spending time with new goddaughters and getting to know more about Ecuadorian culture through their family.  And recently, I've had a great time watching World Cup all over the City. I love the geopolitical back end of it all. It’s the perfect sporting event for a traveler like me. Now I have to add Argentina to my bucket list!

 

There are no new countries to add to my list this year, but I visited both coasts of Canada for the first time. First to Nova Scotia in the summer to travel with a friend and visit my Godmother. Then to Vancouver in the fall for a deep urban planning geeky exploration and to attend the International Downtown Association’s Annual Conference. I also FINALLY experienced Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and no, not in the drunken 20-something way, but in the glorious adult cultural community celebration way. I rang in the New Year in Colombia and most recently travelled back to Turkey for my second time and had an amazing trip exploring the coast and Cappadocia. Add weekends in Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Washington, DC and it’s clear I still do love to travel! My next stop is Cuba for New Year’s! It will be my fourth visit there. Travel and the new experiences just outside my comfort zone are definitely my happy place.

 

You may notice more pictures of me with people in my annual photo collage. That's because covid has really upended in person time and I am doing my best to find ways to spend quality time with others as often as possible. 

 

I'm definitely hoping 2023 brings some fresh energy and opportunities. May you all try new delicious food, make a new friend, and do something out of the ordinary.

 

Click the links to see photos and write ups on my blog.

Visiting Turkey

On this trip each stop was its own WOW moment that was completely different from the last one. I’m trying to process them and sew them together into a full picture of Turkey. It’s hard though. There was intense natural beauty with gorgeous hikes and exotic rock formations. There was the sparkling turquoise Mediterranean, with boat rides and dips in the clear blue waters. There were ruins sprinkled all over to constantly remind me of the depth of history. Then there was a modern day fashionable society. The clothes stores were filled with all the NY Fashion Week trends. Bars and restaurants pulsed with life. Cafes lined every sidewalk with Turks spending lots of time sipping tea. Though in theory Islam forbids drinking alcohol, the Turkish are big wine producers and there are cold Efes, Tuborgs and Bomonti beers at almost every stop. 

Centuries of history with civilizations from as far back as 4000 BC blend into each other on a canvass that makes up Turkey today. We jumped from ancient times to the Greek and Roman empires to the Ottomans and their fall through world and regional wars to the founding of modern Turkey 99 years ago. We were in a 99% Muslim country where the early roots of Christianity played out. All I can say is I wish I had done this trip when I was young to bring all those history classes to life. I leave realizing again how interconnected everything is and that one can’t just focus on today to understand what is going on. All the layers of experience make a place and Turkey's history makes it complicated and so interesting at the same time. 

I leave wanting to know more about modern Turkey. On the surface it looks like a very well functioning place. My urban planning hat had me watching their innovations on trash and recycling collections and use of porous pavers on roads to absorb the increasing volatile weather. There were plenty of bike lanes and well paved roads and sidewalks and a great clean interconnected transit system of buses, trams and trains. The regional bus stations and highway rest stops were huge, clean and architecturally aspiring. 

Their soil looked rich. Milder temps in the valleys along the southern Mediterranean coast, with the help of lots of greenhouses, allow multiple plantings of agriculture output to fill European shelves with items like tomatoes year around. Fruit trees speckle lower elevations. Olive trees cover ever other hillside. I saw no signs of homelessness, drug addiction or obvious poverty that are so familiar on Western streets. Although Turkey has been a major crossroads for refugees from the wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, I saw no signs of refugees aside from those being absorbed into a diverse regular life. Housing is being built in huge numbers along all the hillsides. It gives the impression of a modern, growing, prosperous country on the rise. 

I realize this might be a very idealistic perspective and maybe the life under increasingly authoritarian President Erdogan might be hiding problems from plain sight. Our guide didn’t want to talk politics, but like many Turks, he is not happy about the current state of affairs and hoping for big change in the elections in the spring. I’m going to keep reading up, since my curiosity is peaked. 

All in all it was a wonderful trip, with a wonderful group of people. I had fun. I learned. I challenged myself. I countered personal held stereotypes and broadened my perspective of the world. What more could i ask for? Travel is a blessing. Travel is my happy place. 

Photos from Turkey

 Click HERE to see pictures from my trip to Turkey

Touring Turkey

My Itinerary

Istanbul

ISTANBUL: First day in Istanbul. It’s my second trip here. The last time I came was in 2007. This time I’m in Turkey for a longer trip, heading out on a tour to see more of the country. I decided to focus my first day on the seeing how locals live in Kadikoy on the Asian side of the City. For those that don’t know Turkey and Istanbul straddle Europe and Asia. Most of the tourist sites are on the European side, but there is plenty of nice living on the Asian side. Parts of Kadikoy certainly seem trendy and you all know me… I’m a trend hunter. I enjoyed a day of walking and people watching. Sundays are the main day off so the streets and stores were packed! Travel is awesome and eye opening.

Grand Mosque: Bursa

BURSA: We stopped for an overnight in Bursa on our way down to the southern Turkish coast. It was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage site in 2014 for its importance in the silk trade. It’s a lovely city with two impressive historic mosques, lots of shopping and most unusual, what seemed like a giant wedding dress business that were prominently displaced in second floor windows for blocks. It’s a big city spread down a mountain side. It had a very nice vibe.

EPHESUS: Turkey is covered with ruins of past civilizations. Ephesus was an ancient port city. The city was once considered the most important Greek city and the most important trading center in the Mediterranean region. Throughout history, Ephesus survived multiple attacks and changed hands many times between conquerors. It was also a hotbed of early Christian evangelism and remains an important archaeological site and Christian pilgrimage destination. Jesus is said to have asked John the Apostle to bring Mary to live the last years of her life in the area and he was buried there too (or at least parts of him, since other places claim he was buried in their locales.)

Ephesus is Anatolia’s largest ancient city in terms of areas that can be visited. It is estimated that only 15-20% to have been uncovered so far and workers continue to painstakingly dig in the area.

Personally, I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I didn’t expect to be seeing such important Christian historical sites as we pass along the route here. Growing up Christian these people and stories are so familiar, but passing places where they actually lived and prayed in real life makes the myths of Christianity so much more real vs stories created to organize people to gain power and money, as I cynically sometimes look at religion. It’s what makes Israel and Palestine magical and it was a wonderful surprise for this trip. Travel is magic. The world is small and overlapping. Every place I go helps me understand history better.

PAMUKKALE the “cotton castle": The Turkish name refers to the surface of the shimmering, snow-white limestone, shaped over millennia by calcite-rich springs. Dripping slowly down the mountainside, mineral-rich waters collect in and cascade down the mineral terraces, into pools below, creating a magical landscape. Legend has it that the formations are solidified cotton (the area's principal crop) that giants left out to dry.

These thermal springs have been drawing visitors forever so in addition to the natural beauty, visitors come see the ancient Greek city of Hierapolis (Holy City) which was built on top of the formation. It can be seen from the hills above.

Keeping on the Christians came here, why didn’t I expect that theme???

Phillip the Apostle is buried here. Mind you, I also don’t remember an Apostle named Phillip.

Apparently he is only briefly mentioned in the Bible, but him being mentioned here made me attempt and totally fail to name all the Apostles. I apologize to all the religious teachers I have had who I apparently didn’t listen to. But now I’ll always know Philip. Travel is so educational.

KADAKOY: One of the reasons I travel is to bring history to life in my mind. On this trip I’m realizing that I have not spent a lot of time thinking about the geo political shifts that happened at the end of World War 1. Here in Turkey the end of the Ottoman Empire meant massive change. One visit has really sparked my curiosity. We visited the curious deserted town of Kayakoy in Turkey which bears witness to an early 20th century upheaval that saw hundreds of thousands of people uprooted in a population swap between Greece and Turkey which followed the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922).

While I have spent a lot of time learning about Partition, where arbitrary borders were created as the Brits left and Pakistan and India were created which led Muslims and Hindus fled their homes after terrible violence, I’ve never thought about how this must have happened the same way in Greece and Turkey. (And so many other places!) Well, the empty crumbling town of Kayakoy, leaves a chilling reminder of broken lives caused by political changes beyond people’s control.

Originally built in the 1700s, the town, called Karmylassos in Greek, was home to as many as 20,000 Greek Orthodox residents by the early 20th century. The messy fallout of World War One and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire led to the land grabs of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922). The resounding loss of the Greeks in this war ended with violence and retribution, which was often aimed at the remaining Greek Orthodox community within the new Turkish borders, and in turn, against the Muslim Turks in Greece.

Hundreds of thousands of Greeks fled the violence in Turkey, which led the governments to agree to a mutual compulsory population exchange starting in 1923 in order to staunch the bloodshed.

The residents of Kayakoy, who up to this point had lived peacefully with their Turkish neighbours, abandoned the town and went to Greece, which was struggling to find places for the nearly 200,000 refugees of the exchange, added to the more than a million former Turkish residents who had fled before the official exchange.

Abandoned and ignored for almost a hundred years, the site was saved from developers to now stand as an historic attraction which is beginning to draw visitors from across the globe.

Described by some as a ghost-town, this once-lively Greek settlement perched on a hill now consists of almost five hundred decaying houses along with the forlorn remains of two derelict churches, mostly dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Kayakoy Today

While the houses are run down and abandoned – with natural decay taking its toll on wooden doors, windows and upper coverings of buildings – the majority of the structures themselves are still intact, leaving an eerie atmosphere weaving through the ruins. (History.com)

KAS AND KEKOVA: we are making our way down and around the Turquoise Coast enjoying the perfect blue skies and Mediterranean Sea. In Kas, my hotel is perched up on a hillside with a wonderful view of Greek Islands, just a few kilometers away. Feels close to paradise, but meanwhile Turkey and Greece are saber rattling and using other nearby islands to escalate their long time conflict and making NATO nervous. Its always interesting how travel brings the headlines to life. My brain is exploding with new questions and curiosities. But that isn’t distracting me from enjoying the tourist standards. Our boat trip out of cute little Kekova, was perfect. Seeing a sunken city along the craggy rocks. Four chances to bob in the water. So relaxing!

OLUDENIZ AND FETHIYE: This stop combined an evening in a nice little seaside town, Fethiye, where I had time to shop for some fashionable clothing, meander through a fish market, and a small sense of daily life in Turkey. Tourism has a big place in the economy and was very wrapped into things here, since the coast line is a place to stop to join harbor cruises out of the little ideas and bays in the area.

Never far from history, we visited Lycian churches carved into stone mountainsides in 400 BC and wandered through the abandoned village of Karakoy that I posted about separately. The highlight though was taking a beautiful, rigorous hike through parklands over a hill to see the Blue Lagoon below on the Mediterranean coast.

The most notable thing about Oludeniz is that it’s a draw for paragliders. Apparently one of the IT places to glide in the world. I wish I had known ahead of time, because I certainly would have tried. Instead I spent the day floating in the clear turquoise waters looking up at the sky, mesmerized by the dozens and dozens of gliders constantly floating above. The day we were there was extra exciting because it was the last day of the 22nd International Ölüdeniz Air Games Festival with almost 1000 participants from 48 countries. The participants circled, swirled, and looped around the sky and then came in for landings right on the beach front strip which andded extra excitement.

Lastly, worth noting for my memories… there were A LOT of Russians in Oludeniz. These days Russians aren’t welcome in many places, but as Turkish President Erdogan tries to straddle between Europe and Russia, they are very welcome in Turkey. In this time of the Ukrainian conflict my feelings about Russians is even more complicated. I really wanted to stop and talk and see what they knew about the war. It could have been my own little world diplomacy moment. I didn’t. Bad me. But just sitting on the rocky beaches with them brought me back to my high school trip to the shores of the Black Sea in the USSR days, certainly a formative experience on my little American brain worth reflecting on.

KONYA, my favorite stop so far, combines historical significance, ornate old mosques and an interesting maze-like market district. It’s known for being one of the more religiously conservative metropolitan centers in Turkey, but also is an economic boom town, with lots of new building and great infrastructure.

Konya was the final home of Rumi. In 1273, Rumi's followers established the Mevlevi Sufi order of Islam and became known as the Whirling Dervishes. We visited his tomb, which has become a pilgrimage site.

It takes a while for me to get in my travel groove, but I found some here, wandering local streets are observing daily life. Walking off the beaten path to find unexpected small surprises and sweet interactions with locals.

CAPPADOCIA is a geological oddity of honeycombed hills and towering boulders of otherworldly beauty. The fantastical topography is matched by the human history here. People have long utilised the region's soft stone, seeking shelter underground and leaving the countryside scattered with fascinating cavern architecture. The fresco-adorned rock-cut churches from the early days of Christianity at the Göreme Open-Air Museum and the areas underground cities that people fled into to protect themselves from the constant marauding of rival empires, are the most famous sights, but long hikes through the majestic rippled red rock caverns were also pretty impressive.

Lastly, the well touristed scene had a great relaxed vibe that was perfect for the last few days with my new travel friends. It meant long meals discussing world issues from our different country perspectives and a really fun night watching Turkish dancers, where I felt my mom’s dancing spirit as I reveled with the crowd!! It’s great when silly FOMO goals lead to great experiences!

Turkish National Day

Today is the 99th Anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey and the country got all gussied up for the occasion. Turkey is celebrating and honoring their founder father, Kamal Ataturk, who steered the country out of the disarray caused by the fall of the Ottoman Empire after World War 1. He undertook sweeping progressive reforms, which modernized Turkey into a secular, industrializing nation. Due to his military and political accomplishments, Atatürk is regarded as one of the most important political leaders of the 20th century.

Ballooning Over Cappadocia

My travel goals are basically to see everything everywhere, but maybe/probably that is unrealistic??? But when I see those top 50/100 places in the world lists, I go crazy that I haven’t been to them all. Well, ballooning over Capadoccia, Turkey is one of those places. And now I’ve done it! And yes, it was awesome!

The Amazing Turkish Cats

One really special thing about Turkey is the prevalence of cats on the street. They are everywhere and people feed them and cuddle with them, which makes them very friendly. Inspired by my tour guide, throughout the trip I carried a bag of cat food to share with everyone I saw, spreading kindness and love. I miss them so much!

 

Visiting Mosques

When in Turkey, I go to lots of mosques! They are soooooo beautiful and can’t wait to see many many more!

Vancouver, Canada - Fall 2022

Ok Vancouver, here are my final takeaways… a soaring city surrounded by water, beaches, sea walls and boats of all types and sizes. Beautiful glass towers with lots of architectural variety and innovation. The 2010 Olympics clearly opened up A LOT of development and the city has grown and flourished ever since. Tall lush green pines and other street trees are required on sidewalks and really add to the overall look and outdoorsy feeling. Sparkling clean sidewalks. First Nations/indigenous imagery is everywhere, hopefully a sign that people are being elevated on many levels. Legal cannabis shops are prevalent, though somehow I forgot to take a picture. Innovative street redesign to incentivize bikes and alternative transit instead of cars. And sadly, a real problem with homelessness and street drug use at levels I’ve never seen before. All in all it was a wonderful trip!

Click HERE to see my photos from Vancouver

First Nations People in Vancouver, Canada

When I travel I try to dig deep and learn what places are talking about. After being in eastern Canada earlier this year, I saw how hard communities are trying to grapple with their past history with indigenous First Nations peoples. This means both elevating and centering those people that were here before colonialism and still present today. It also means re-telling history in a way that uncovers some things that has been brushed under the rug. In Nova Scotia I noticed how historical markers were being changed. But in Vancouver there seemed to be much more being done.

In these photos you will see ways First Nations art and imagery is all over, but the effort goes a lot deeper. I went to two museums focusing on their history and many of the local conference presenters touched on issues and even more interestingly, First Nation tribes are being given certain opportunities that are allowing them to benefit financially from the growth of Vancouver. For instance, they are allowed to follow different zoning rules and able to build a lot and also become much valued partners to other developers because their benefits can make projects more financially successful for all parties involved.

(This is complicated to put into short FB words, but I was just impressed that there is more than cultural lip service and instead there is a current and active tribal presence and Canada has found ways for money to trickle down. I didn’t learn enough to teach you all, but I did see what seemed like positive progress in what will take a long time to fix.)

Photos from my Nova Scotia Trip

Below is a link to all my Nova Scotia pics. As you can see, it’s a beautiful place. Water, rocks, boats, beautiful Victorian homes, and lots of yummy seafood at every meal. (Even Salmon eggs Benedict. ) Somehow though not my first trip to Canada, it really hit me this time how close we are to them. It’s another young country settled by the British (and yes, the French.) The “loyalists” who fought on the British side of the American Revolution were given land and pushed to settle in along with plenty of others coming for a new start in the Americas. It was interesting to see Canada trying to reconcile with its indigenous people past (First Nation people in Canada speak) Sign posts are in English/French and Mi'kmaq. Tourist markers are telling stories in 3 languages too and trying to center the Mi'kmaq in the story. It’s interesting to see the effort and think about history a little differently because of it.

I also liked learning about the lives of lobsterman. (Hint: they make a lot of $$$ over a short 3 month season.) Canada protects from over fishing but having distinct fishing seasons and has rebuilt their stock saving the industry.

We drove through beautiful farm country though unfortunately it was a little early for much harvest. But the open swaths were wonderful after so many miles of pine lined highways.

And mostly I had wonderful quantity and quality with my Godmother and my friend Tracy. It’s a real luxury to have hours and hours to bounce around ideas.

Thanks !

Click HERE to see all of my Nova Scotia pictures.

 

My Nova Scotia Family Connection

Long post alert: This trip to Nova Scotia has an unexpected discovery that made a hazy thing my mom used to tell me about our family history become clear.

Built in 1921, the Bluenose is a fishing schooner that is revered in Canada for its 18 year undefeated status in the International Fisherman’s Trophy Cup. It is on a Canadian 10 cent coin, the Nova Scotia license plate and there are pictures and models of it all over. It was a racing schooner that won a big international races and must have raised Canada’s profile in the world.

The hazy part was that some male in my mom’s family was once associated with the sailboat and my mom was proud of it. I thought it was my great grandfather, who was a ship doctor for the explorer Admunson, and I figured it was the boat that was used to discover the North Pole. 

Then I decided to go to Nova Scotia and I looked at the top things to do and low and behold the Bluenose II is docked in Lunenberg and the top thing to see and I read the history and the dates just didn’t fit.

What I discovered is that my grandfather, who owned a freighter company and transported things like those beautiful cars that still drive on Cuban streets and sugar back to the Domino Sugar port in Brooklyn, among many other places, was actually the one who purchased the Bluenose after it’s racing days were done, to bring it to the West Indies to use for trade. 4 years late Canada’s great ship crashed into a reef in Haiti and was no more and my grandfather was responsible for a sad moment into Canada’s history. He diminished the purpose of The Bluenose, a racing schooner, down to transporting sugar, a much less prestigious role.

Well, luckily, Canadiens still wanted to believe in the greatness of the Bluenose’s past, so they built a second one that can be visited and sailed on and goes around coastal Canadian cities. And the short version of the story is I got to visit her and think about my grandfather and the adventures in his life. I wish my mom was around to talk to about it, but I’m glad I could learn a little more about my family history. Travel always opens my eyes.

Thanks for reading if you made it to the end.

Digby, Nova Scotia: The Scallop Capitol of the World

How far would you travel to eat a fresh scallop? Well I thought it was worth a day of my vacation to head to Digby, Nova Scotia, the Scallop Capital of the World to eat some and check out the fishing fleet that catches them. They were yummy.

Nova Scotia First Stop: Lockeport

I set out to Nova Scotia to finally visit my Godmother who has lived in Lockeport for years. The green rugged rocky coast was beautiful. It’s lobster fishing country, though the season ended June 1st so the boats and pots were less active, but still I’m not sure I’ve ever been somewhere with seafood fishing and processing it as much of its economic center. I loved seeing different plant life, particularly vibrant lupine and giant ferns. And although I didn’t see them I loved hearing about porcupines and her resident beaver, who diligently works hard to dam up all water flows. Nova Scotian crafts like whirligigs and carved trunks added to the local folksy feel. I’m such a city girl, but it’s always nice to take a walk in the woods or on the beach.

An Unexpected Night Exploring Toronto, Canada

My stepfather always said “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I think he would be proud of me.

Sunday I set out to fly to Nova Scotia, but thanks to lots of delays I missed my connecting flight and ended up with an evening in Toronto. I was tired and grumpy but decided to buck up and take advantage of it. I literally walked to a hotel from the Toronto City Airport and explored the city along the way then walked till dark.

I haven’t been to Toronto in 30 years and it has exploded with growth. There are so many soaring modern glass towers and more construction everywhere. There is a wonderful mix of cultures which made for fantastic people watching. Add some street art, a multitude of exciting food choices and the opening of a giant provacative public art installation I just happened to stumble on right as it begun, and I got the ingredients for a fabulous night.

 

It was fun to wake up and see myself on TV! Two weeks ago I went out to meet the NY Lt Gov candidate Antonio Delgado and next thing I know… lights, camera, action! And now I’m in a political advertisement. Maybe it was my topical t-shirt!?

 

Beautifying New York City!

Today the NoHo BID helped our neighbors to the north, Union Square Partnership, brighten up 14th Street. It was so much fun!

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day from NoHo! My office celebrated by planting extra greenery, doing our little part to soak up some more co2.
 

The Fifth Avenue Easter Parade - 2022

 

The tradition of the Fifth Avenue Easter Parade goes all the way back to the 1870s and it’s still going strong! Who doesn’t love a good Sunday stroll and then add fabulous hats and costumes! I love seeing everybodies creativity and loved showing off my creation. This year I introduced my sister’s family to the tradition and we have already begun brainstorming how we should decorate our bonnets for next year. Happy Easter!

New Orleans Mardi Gras - 2022

I love New Orleans after multiple trips to Jazz Fest and I’ve been always been curious about Mardi Gras, but thought I was too old to go now. Well, here’s the reality, I’ve realized I’m not getting any younger, so I decided to take the plunge. After Carnival in Trinidad, I became more curious about the full celebration in NOLA. I learned that Mardi Gras parades start marching on Epiphany (1/6) occur every weekend till Fat Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday,) and low and behold, it’s mostly a family friendly event if one watches outside of the French Quarter. (Especially coming two weekends early, when there are more parades, but less tourists!) It’s like your local July 4th parade on steroids. There are tons of local high school marching bands, with lots of sequin covered girls stepping and performing color guard; plus groups of colorful adult dancers. Float after float roll by filled with themed costumed folks giving out beads and lots of other fun gifts. And it’s all surrounded by a sea of people in purple, green and yellow. Then Covid happened and the concept of Yardi Gras or Porch Floats appeared, so long walks through cute colorful New Orleans neighborhoods uncover houses decorated for the season. Add a stop or two to listen to jazz and a few seafood filled meals and it makes for a pretty amazing long weekend! It’s true what they say, You Only Live Once. #YOLO

Click HERE to see the full photo album from my trip.

Mardi Gras Parades

I enjoyed three days days of Mardi Gras parades put on by a bunch of different krewes with lots of different themes. Feathers, sequins, beads… music, dancing, revelry… costumes, marching bands, & horses… equaled so much fun for hours and hours each day. It wasn’t the crazy drunken thing I had heard about, but more of a wonderful chance to hang Uptown for a few days with NOLA folks in more like a local 4th of July style. I’m glad I picked a mellower weekend to experience this wonderful tradition, though I’m super curious about what it’s like down in New Orleans this weekend and on Fat Tuesday. There’s always next time…

New Orleans Yardi Gras 2022

I actually started thinking about going to New Orleans last year because of the COVID innovation of Yardi Gras or House Floats. When the celebration was cancelled in 2021, people instead decided to decorate their houses. I was intrigued, since walking around alone outside is a perfect COVID safe activity, and yet I didn’t pull the trigger and didn’t go. So after I decided to go to Mardi Gras this year, I was so happy when I found out that in 2022 over 1000 houses were decorated. Here are a few that I found on my walks. Of course the added bonus is that New Orleans has such beautiful architecture, so almost every house is a joy to look at.

Photos from my trip to Colombia

Have mask, will travel.

Click HERE to see more photos from my trip to Colombia

Traveling in the Time of Covid

Since I was traveling during the pandemic, I was keeping an eye on how Colombia was handling covid. After all, masks and safety and needing covid tests, were one of things that made this trip different from trips in the past.

From what I saw, Colombia was taking covid very seriously. In Medellin everyone even wore masks outside and in most places most people did. It felt safe and like there wasn’t as much conflict. (Somehow they understand that mask go over one’s nose!) Store security greeted customers at shop doors with sanitizing spray bottles in many places and portable hand washing sinks were set out in public places. Signage was abundant. Some places asked for vaccines for entry, but not that many, though I was told it is the law at restaurants. Colombia was hit very hard in the first wave, with 130,000 deaths in their 52 million population, and they clearly are trying to stave off more illness and death. Case numbers were very low when I got there, but when I just checked, it looks like now, a week after I left case numbers are going up again.