manhattan

Wow, we cannot believe we have been on the road for ten weeks now, and in the USA for six of them!

We spent another couple of days in NYC and were lucky enough to arrange a catch up with an old friend whilst we were in Manhattan. It was a really nice reminder of home.
The pace of travelling is amazing and crazy at the same time; after being on the road for such a long time we have both become very reflective and grateful for our home. There is definitely part of both of us that wants to keep exploring the world forever, but there is a stronger pull for family, community, living our values, stability and routine! I guess that is what they mean when they say travelling helps you find yourself – both of us are regularly seeking similar experiences everywhere we go. For me, I look for new ideas, innovation, socially conscious businesses, young people, universities, yoga, bookstores and businesses that sell ‘low tox’ products. I have also realised how much I love down time – time to chill at our accommodation, meditate, listen to music, read, write in my journal and reflect on the day.

Boston was incredible – we were staying in Cambridge, near Harvard, which was the perfect place to rejuvenate after the whirlwind of Manhattan. Our time there was very chilled. On our first night we went to ImprovBoston after being told Boston was the birthplace of improv. The performance we went to was only $5 and opened with a skit by a professional improv group, followed by an open session where anyone could get up and have a go, and closed with a performance by ImprovBoston teachers. We were staggered by the quality of the show; the energy was high and everyone that participated made a great contribution. Both of us haven’t laughed like that in aaaaaages! We agreed that we want to attend more improv when we return home.

Other highlights of Boston include going on a student-led tour of Harvard University, visiting the Harvard Bookstore, going Candlepin Bowling in Somerville, eating sandwiches at All Star Sandwich Bar and biking to the North End and wandering through the tiny streets. On our last day, we treated ourselves to a massage and a hot tub session, which was so rewarding and relaxing.

We are in New Orleans at the moment which has been a really beautiful and interesting change. The architecture here is out of this world. Every street we walk down looks like (and probably is) out of a movie. We have explored the Garden District with a walking tour guide, ventured to Frenchmen Street for some live music and walked Magazine Street and the Mississippi River. We also visited the French Quarter on our first day and stopped by Cafe du Monde for their famous beignets. Whilst the French Quarter wasn’t really our ‘thing’, we really appreciated the history and architecture in the area.

One last thing – we have stayed mostly at AirBNBs so far (with a few hostels and hotels thrown in here and there). It has been an excellent way to get a more “local” experience, which is what we are both seeking.

Now, some photos!

Since my last post we have visited San Diego, Santa Monica, Las Vegas and Brooklyn. We are in Manhattan at the moment and leave for Boston tomorrow.

We have hit the half way mark of our trip, which is totally crazy. The time we have been away has flown and gone slowly at the same time. We have found that we are doing so many exciting things and making so many decisions each day that we are feeling like we need a weekend of doing nothing. Today we headed to the New York Library for some much needed quiet time. We spent three hours there and both left feeling recharged.

We are both learning so much as we travel – about ourselves, our relationship and the world. It has been awesome. It has also made us appreciate so many things about home.

There have been so many highlights from the last few weeks – visiting San Clemente and having a vegan feast as we drove from San Diego to Santa Monica, spending quality time with our friends from Australia in Las Vegas, Cirque du Soleil “O” at Bellagio, the incredible Wanderlust Festival in Brooklyn, Sleep No More at The McKittrick Hotel, seeing Matilda on Broadway and of course – Daybreaker in Manhattan.

Daybreaker is an event like no other. On a Wednesday morning from 6am until 9am, New York locals turn up to a nightclub in their best gym get up to have a dance party before work. We stumbled upon the event after I read about the founder in the Wanderlust journal. We booked our tickets to Daybreaker the day before.

In concept it sounds completely crazy, but it is one of the best events we have been to. We arrived, bleary eyed at 6:45am and entered the darkened club at 7:00am. We were greeted by music, lights, friendly faces, coffee, protein shakes and breakfast snacks (as well as a fully stocked schwag station sponsored by Six:02 and Puma).

The DJs played for two hours (dem feelz!), accompanied by an MC and a live brass quintet. The dance floor was packed for the whole time we were there. Towards the end of the event, we were encouraged to welcome the day in and the club’s blinds were raised. There was an incredible feeling in the room – people dancing, smiling, laughing and hugging. It was an awesome way go out to a nightclub without having a late night, meet some new people and get 10,000 steps in before breakfast. Perfection. We will definitely go again in another city.

In minimalism news, I bought a new suitcase in Vegas which has helped me out a lot. It is the same size (possibly smaller) and a lot more sturdy. If I had a dollar for the number of times we have said to each other “imagine if we had large suitcases” as we have travelled on planes, buses and the New York subway, I would have enough money to buy another suitcase. Ha. The small suitcases have seriously helped us get around easily and avoid any back injuries.

Here are some pics from our last few destinations…