Our journey from New York began on July 31st. After spending a frenzied month packing, giving away 90% of our possessions, and saying good-bye to friends and family in New York and Boston, we hopped on a train bound for Florida, the first destination in our passage to China.
The decision to leave was not an easy one. After all, we had only been in our nice new apartment for 10 months, just settling in. Better professional opportunities were beginning to present themselves. New York was home. So, then, why leave?
The dilemma we faced is a common one shared by many 20- and 30-somethings who are "still young": to settle into a niche that is comfortable, or to abandon comfort in favor of an exciting, though terrifyingly uncertain path.
Plenty of people lead wonderfully rich lives without ever living abroad. I was already in an ever-changing and ever-surprisingly city. A city full of amazing people, culture, and food, and enough material for any budding writer to fill up a lifetime's worth of books. The fear that haunted me for over a year was that if I left, I would miss out on New York.
Then another realization fought back, and won. If I stayed in New York, I would miss out on the rest of the world.
And so the adventure begins.
A beautiful day on the lake...
...or .01% of the lake.
America: a country with some of the planet's best outdoor spots, and the planet's most worried and litigious people.
Over the weekend Vickie, Andrew, Jacob, and I went hiking in the Shawnangunks (aka the Gunks) near New Paltz. Near the trailhead was a large, beautiful lake ripe for swimming. Sure enough, there was a crowded "beach", complete with changing rooms, lifeguards, and sunbathers in beach chairs. The problem? The area allowed for swimming was about the side of my living room. The worst part? Nobody else swimming or sunbathing seemed to care, or even notice, that they were roped off from nature.
Luckily, about 5 miles into our hike, we found a pristine and virtually empty beach with a much larger swimming area. The water also looked clean enough to drink. The best part: with no kids around, the urine content was probably zilch.
Yes, the sun does come out in Oregon. Once in a while. Taking advantage of the good weather, we took the top down in our rented convertible (that gets good gas mileage!)
This video was shot in the Willamette National Forest, where we drove from Cougar Hot Springs up, up, up to the snowy Santiam Overpass and Sahali Falls.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, a Lion Dance troupe makes the rounds in Boston's Chinatown, hitting every dim sum restaurant. Boston's Chinatown is smaller than New York's or San Francisco's, but never fails to deliver this yearly tradition.
This short video was shot at Hei La Moon at 88 Beach Street in Boston.
When the sun sets on Washington DC, a good cure for monument-and-museum overdose is to head northwest. The neighborhoods of Adams Morgan and the new U District, are overflowing with restaurants and a vibrant music scene.
Bonus: Outtakes
