The notebook behind the posts.
The stuff that doesn't fit neatly into a guide: the honest weeks, the good finds, the in-between.
I started writing all of this down so I'd remember how it actually felt, not just how it looked.Brooke
Latest posts
My ultimate Charleston travel guide
Fort Sumter, a tree tunnel straight out of The Notebook, and two very different hotels that are both worth it. Everything I've learned across multiple trips.
Read more →An honest review of my first trip to New York City
A free Colbert taping, a speakeasy hidden behind a toy shop, and the croissant that ruined all other croissants. My real, detailed NYC recap.
Read more →The real recap of my New York trip
Not the highlight reel. The sore feet, the one meal that disappointed, and the part of the trip I didn't post.
Read more →The best bars I found in New York
A speakeasy that's actually worth the reservation, a rooftop that isn't a tourist trap, and one dive I'd go back to alone.
Read more →Where I ate in New York, no regrets
A pizza slice that lived up to the hype, a bagel line worth standing in, and the dinner I'm still thinking about.
Read more →My New York City itinerary: three days, done right
The exact pace that let me see the classics without spending the whole trip underground on the subway.
Read more →What a year in Seattle actually looks like
Not the highlight reel. The actual, unfiltered shape of twelve months of building a life from scratch.
Read more →A weekend at a cabin on the lake in Olympic National Forest
No wifi, one dock, and the most quiet I've been in months. This is the PNW trip I recommend most.
Read more →A few days in the Florida Keys
Back in my home state for a trip that felt nothing like the Florida I grew up in, in the best way.
Read more →Where I ate in Charleston, and what's worth the wait
Shrimp and grits, a biscuit that changed my life, and the one restaurant worth booking before you land.
Read more →Three days in Charleston, and why I'd go back tomorrow
Spanish moss, horse carriages, and a pace of life that made me reconsider the whole Seattle hustle for about a week.
Read more →The London hostel that ruined budget travel for me
In a good way. Clean, social without being loud, and cheaper than a night out at home.
Read more →An hour in a float tank at Float Seattle
No phone, no light, no sound, and ninety minutes of feeling nothing but salt water. Here's what it's actually like.
Read more →A love letter to Pike Place Market
Every city has a place that makes you feel like a local before you actually are one. This is mine.
Read more →Wild Haus Sauna is the closest thing I have to a religion
A wood-fired barrel sauna parked by the water, a cold plunge included, and the one Seattle ritual I never skip.
Read more →How I pack for a long weekend
One bag, no checked luggage, and a system that finally stopped me from packing six pairs of shoes for a three-day trip.
Read more →The coffee shops earning my loyalty
A running, occasionally contested list of the Seattle coffee shops worth leaving your apartment for.
Read more →Amsterdam in four days
How I'd spend a short trip to Amsterdam if I only got to do it once. Spoiler: mostly bikes and bread.
Read more →Things nobody tells you about moving alone
The logistics are the easy part. Nobody warns you about the Tuesdays.
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