I love, love, love Newport. On our last trip, we got to visit one of the mansions there, Rough Point. Rough Point was the home of Doris Duke, an incredibly wealthy heiress and socialite during the mid-20th century. You may know her more famous home, Shangri-La in Hawaii. We came in expecting a beautiful home but there was a little surprise in store for us.

Exploring Rough Point Mansion

Rough Point is owned by the Newport Restoration Foundation rather than the Newport Mansions, but it’s still a mansion in Newport. It was built by the Vanderbilts in 1892 as a … Continue reading

New England is absolutely one of my favourite places to explore in the United States. While their winters are cold, their summers are (generally) a nice escape from the extreme heat of the south. Combined with the historic charm and natural beauty of New England, it makes an amazing road trip.

Here are ten of my favourite places we got to visit when we were visiting up and down New England’s coast.

Kennebunkport, ME

Kennebunkport has a colonial history dating back to the 17th century and has been a popular summer destination since the 1870s. Though it burned down half … Continue reading

Plymouth’s story is told each year in U.S. schools and around the Thanksgiving table: in 1620, over 100 people sailed on the Mayflower to start a new life in the “new world.” These people were known as the Puritans and were seeking religious asylum from England. They landed in Plymouth on December 26 and made one of the United States’ first permanent settlements there. They survived their first year of hardship due to the local Native American tribe and the following year, held a Harvest festival with them to celebrate the harvest. 1621 – the first Thanksgiving.

That’s not super … Continue reading

The Holiday Season is probably my favourite of all. Though a lot of fun is had at home making cookies and watching wholesome movies, there’s a lot to do and much to see. Here, I’ve compiled a list of 20 wonderful ways to celebrate winter & the holiday season here in Maryland. This is by no means a comprehensive list but rather events that I have been to or heard of myself.

Please note that I’ve put dates down for your convenience but you should always double check with the event website!

A star ★ denotes my personal recommendations.

Annapolis

With so many delicious vegan restaurants in Baltimore to try, it’s a vegan foodie haven. That’s one of the reasons I love living here! So I wanted to try as many vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants as I could. Below is my experience with different restaurants in Baltimore, which is changing. I’ll update this post as I try new places or have further experiences with old favourites.

(Even though it’s not difficult to find a restaurant that accommodates vegans in Baltimore, the following are all restaurants that are 100% vegan or have a dedicated vegan menu. No “here’s the one vegan … Continue reading

Chincoteague, Virginia is one of the mid-Atlantic’s hidden gems. Shadowed by Ocean City, Maryland, Chincoteague (also called Chincoteague Island) a small town located on the Atlantic Ocean. Like neighbouring Assateague Island, Maryland, Chincoteague is known for its wild ponies and the annual pony swim (details below). We opted to visit Chincoteague as a social distancing trip and it became one of my favourite places on the eastern shore.

The History of Chincoteague

Despite being named after the Chincoteague tribe, Native Americans are not known to have inhabited this specific area. Very few European settlers lived on Chincoteague Island, which was … Continue reading

Want to hear something cool? Crystal River is home to hundreds of manatees. Yes, a small town on Florida’s western coast houses springs that are warm all year long, allowing manatees to escape the cold waters of the Mexican Gulf during the wintertime. That means that hundreds of manatees come flocking in to live in warm waters and people are easily able to go see them!

The peak of this phenomenon is November-March. I happened to be in Crystal River in late May, which was a bit of a bummer since most manatees have already left. Though a few pregnant … Continue reading

I’ve driven through Savannah a few times and even though my experience was really weird (woman walking a cat on the highway while wearing heels weird), I was eager to go back and really get to know the city. Considering my initial experience, I found that there was a lot I didn’t know about Savannah and it’s a really great place to visit!

Savannah’s History

Savannah as we know it was founded in 1733 by General James Oglethorpe (a name still huge in Savannah today). Its location was chosen as a buffer between the English colonies up north and the … Continue reading

Baltimore is Maryland’s largest city and it’s filled with history and fame. A lot of people confuse it for being the capital of Maryland, which it isn’t, but it’s nonetheless a great place to spend a day or two for travellers and an awesome day trip from DC. Every building is so beautifully crafted and the entire city sits on its original streets, making it feel as it must have been a century or two ago. Add in delicious food and a passion for the sports teams and it’s a very cultured place. I love this place so much that … Continue reading

Chicago, Windy City, Chi-Town. Undoubtedly Chicago is one of the most landmark cities in America. Known for sports and hot dogs, you can’t possibly take a modern architecture class without learning about Chicago and its impact on architecture: the skyscraper. If you’ve taken an art class, you’ve probably also heard of the Art Institute of Chicago, which has notable artworks. That is basically all I knew about Chi-Town when I set off for my social distancing trip. I did a lot of research on things to do and areas to visit, but there was no real expectation when I went. … Continue reading