Seattle-based New stories every week Travel & lifestyle
The journal

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
From the notebook

Latest posts

Colorful historic houses along a Charleston street at dusk travel
September 15, 2026

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 →
A view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline at golden hour travel
September 10, 2026

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 →
A tired traveler's feet up on a hotel bed at the end of a long day travel
September 2, 2026

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 →
Cocktails on a dark bar counter with string lights behind food
August 30, 2026

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 →
A New York deli counter piled high with bagels and pastries food
August 29, 2026

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 →
The New York skyline seen from a rooftop at sunset travel
August 28, 2026

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 →
A calendar page with handwritten notes pinned to a corkboard life
August 25, 2026

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 wooden cabin porch overlooking a still lake surrounded by pine trees travel
August 22, 2026

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 turquoise water view from a dock in the Florida Keys travel
August 19, 2026

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 →
A plate of shrimp and grits on a restaurant table food
August 13, 2026

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 →
A row of pastel historic houses on a Charleston street travel
August 12, 2026

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 →
A tidy hostel bunk room with string lights and a shared common area travel
August 9, 2026

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 →
A dim, quiet float spa room with a single sensory-deprivation pod seattle
August 5, 2026

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 →
Flower stalls and produce stands at Pike Place Market food
August 2, 2026

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 →
A wood-fired sauna barrel parked near the water at golden hour seattle
August 2, 2026

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 →
An open carry-on suitcase packed neatly on a bed travel
July 19, 2026

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 →
A latte on a wooden table beside a notebook food
July 5, 2026

The coffee shops earning my loyalty

A running, occasionally contested list of the Seattle coffee shops worth leaving your apartment for.

Read more →
Canal houses in Amsterdam at golden hour travel
June 14, 2026

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 →
Moving boxes stacked in an empty apartment life
May 30, 2026

Things nobody tells you about moving alone

The logistics are the easy part. Nobody warns you about the Tuesdays.

Read more →