Travel Letters

Seattle became one of my favorite cities over the weekend. Here is a snapshot:  Day 1:  We flew into Seattle from Orange County in the evening. Our Airbnb was located in the heart of downtown Seattle and was a great location to walk to nearby bars, restaurants, and Pike Place Market. We had dinner at Shiro's Sushi, a cozy omakase and sushi restaurant. It was perfect timing because we could not get a reservation but the restaurant luckily accommodated us. Since it was Seattle Restaurant Week, they offered $65 for a 19-piece omakase over 5 courses. The meal was exquisite and the omakase experience was the most fantastic start to our trip.  Highlights: Shiro's Sushi Day 2: We walked to Macrina Bakery, where our favorites were the Morning Roll and CATE Sandwich. After breakfast, we packed some water and bars for our hike that day. We drove about an hour from downtown to Wallace Falls State Park to hike the Walls Falls via Woody Trail. It was an out-and-back trail that spanned...

Here is a snapshot of one of my most favorite weekend getaways in New Orleans: Day 1:  After flying into New Orleans from Los Angeles, we were eager to check into our lodging. It took about 45 minutes to determine which bus pick-up location was right and which bus was right to get on. Despite the initial confusion, we were right on time to check into Sonder at 1500 Canal Street, a modern and clean apartment in an accessible and quiet location. After refreshing up, we walked around the city for dinner and exploring. Our first stop was Gumbo Shop, where we ordered Jambalaya, Seafood Okra Gumbo, and Crawfish Etouffee (our favorite). For dessert, we had the bread pudding. Our first taste of New Orleans did not disappoint! We looked forward to seeing what this vibrant city would offer the next two days.  Highlights: Bourbon Street, Gumbo Shop Day 2: We initially scheduled our swamp tour for the second day of our trip, not knowing there was the French Quarter Festival during ou...