5 Tips for Traveling with Pets

In May of 2017, we adopted a little furball named Picchu from our local animal shelter. We knew, of course, that traveling was going to be just a bit more difficult now, but we were determined to have the best of both worlds – a loved and happy pet, and lots of adventures. After plenty of internet research, vet consultations, and honestly, just winging it, Picchu is now a world traveler. He’s been to five different states, taken the subway, been on a plane, and even crossed through customs (twice!) into another country. I thought I’d share our experience and a few tips for those of you with your own furry adventurer-in-the-making. 

Turkey & the Wolf

Every Christmas, Jerry and I make the trek down south to visit both sets of parents. Mine live in New Orleans, home of America’s richest food culture (in my biased opinion). Our first-day-back routine is set in stone: three or four dozen charbroiled oysters from Dragos for brunch, a bahn mi and bubble tea while my little brother gets a haircut, and a new restaurant for a late lunch on our way home. This year, we decided to try 2017’s Best New Restaurant – a kitschy sandwich shop called Turkey and the Wolf.

New Year, New Food!

Eek. I’ve been gone awhile! My New Years resolution is to record and remember the delicious food we get to eat, and where better to start the new year and end the old one than in Dallas, Texas – home of Fearings, or Jerry’s favorite shrimp and grits.

Some Taiwanese History for You

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always dreamed of working for the Foreign Services as a diplomat. Or you know, Secretary of State. I’ve always thought that being a diplomat would be a bit like being Sam from the West Wing, except in foreign relations. I’d just get to read all day and talk to people and then write a memo teaching someone about some little piece of history. Unfortunately, life isn’t The West Wing, but I do get to write a bit about Taiwanese history today, all thanks to our visit to an 18th century temple, a 20th century memorial, and, most importantly, the oldest night market in Taipei. 

Traveling through Books

You’d think, since teachers get so many public school vacations, we also have time to travel. Unfortunately, my summer vacation was completely consumed by summer school – after we came back from Taiwan last year, our travels were limited to seeing our parents in New Mexico and New Orleans for the holidays, and a short weekend in Boston. So I thought I’d try something new! I’ve always been a voracious reader, and with our trip to Mexico City coming up in February, I’ve decided to get a head start by diving into contemporary Mexican and Mexican-American literature.

Rainy Welcome to Taipei, Taiwan

My wonderful boyfriend is a proud Taiwanese-American, and much more in touch with his heritage than me (I try! I really do). For his trip to the motherland this year, he invited me to tag along and meet his very large extended family. We spent the first leg of our trip in Taipei, which literally means Tai-north, because it’s in the north. Fun fact: Nanjing, where I was born in China, means southern capital, because it was once the southern capital. We’re a creative bunch, huh? 

I-25 to Bosque del Apache and Beyond

On our second day in New Mexico, we woke up at 3:00AM to drive about 3 hours north, up I-25, to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Migratory birds from my step-motherland (Canada) will rest here for a couple of days on their long journey home from their winter spots in the south. Bosque del Apache is roughly in the middle of New Mexico, and conveniently close to another nerdy, cool place to visit – the Very Large Array of radio telescopes outside of Magdalena. Jerry and Cindy made breakfast burritos, I tried and failed to get out of bed, and then wrapped in blankets and bundled up from the desert cold, we piled into the car and drove off. 

Christmas in Las Cruces, New Mexico

There’s a huge swath of the United States that I’ve never visited before, starting with the farms of Iowa, trailing down the western boundary of the Mississippi river and cutting across the dry sands of New Mexico and Arizona to the mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Jerry, on the other hand, only knows this side of the U.S. and for Christmas this year, he gave me a little snapshot of his childhood growing up in the Chihuahuan desert. 

Weekend in Charleston

By the time December rolls around and we’ve had a couple of months of New York grey,  I’m usually nostalgic for high school in stiflingly hot Florida, with its brilliant blue skies and miles of leafy green palm trees. Or summers home in New Orleans, where everyone smiles and calls me sweetheart in an unironic way, and where the thick, humid air in my backyard is heavy with the scent of gardenias and roses. So of course, when my best friend Mary suggested we go somewhere warm for a girl’s weekend in December, we decided to head to the South – and we landed on Charleston.

Hiking Rattlesnake Ledge

On Sunday, we woke up to a spectacularly sunny morning, perfect for hiking the four-mile Rattlesnake Ledge trail. The mountain is about 45 minutes outside of Seattle, just past the North Bend. We picked up croissants and sandwiches from Bakery Nouveau for breakfast and lunch, and headed downtown to pick up our rental car. Jerry’s little sister met us with a backpack full of oranges and giant bottles of water. As we drove, a smokey fog settled at the base of the mountains, floating just above the tips of the evergreens. It was if as we were driving right into the clouds.