Travel — Arizona + Utah Road Trip / Summer 2019

I’m pinching myself as write this blog post because I can’t believe I actually stepped out of my comfort zone for a minute and did something completely spontaneous and unplanned! This past week, I flew to the beautiful city of Phoenix, Arizona and drove over 1,000 miles up and down the state, all by myself! I visited Mather Point and Yavapai Point at the Grand Canyon South Rim, watched the sun set over Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona, and off-roaded over 15 miles of dirt path in a Cadillac sedan so that I could experience the epicness that is Monument Valley!

There were a ton of other things on my list that I didn’t have time to do, but Arizona hasn’t seen the last of me! Here are just a few shots from my trip:

Travel — San Francisco, California / Summer 2017

This is just what I needed. A week long getaway to a beautiful city with my girl! This is my third time visiting San Francisco, so I was super excited to be able to show Carina all of the beautiful things I had seen in my past travels. My favorite part? In case it isn't obvious by the photos below, the Golden Gate Bridge was definitely first on my list of "must-sees". I swear, with every step you take closer to the bridge, it looks even more impressive than the last.

We started our tour of the bridge at Crissy Field and made our trek from there to Fort Point, where we viewed the bridge up close at sea level. I loved viewing the bridge from this perspective because, surprisingly, it wasn't flooded with other tourists. From there, we backtracked a bit and took Battery E Trail up to the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center. After taking a break for a few minutes, we Uber'd across the bridge and up to Marin Headlands, where we enjoyed an incredible view of the bridge and San Francisco in the distance.

Other fun things we visited during our trip:

- Twin Peaks
- Billy Goat Hill
- Fisherman's Warf
- Ghirardelli Square
- Palace of Fine Arts
- Alamo Square
- Dolores Park
- SF Ferry Building

If you've never been to this colorful city, I definitely recommend the visit!

In addition, I made a video featuring my favorite clips from the trip. You can watch it here!

Travel — Washington, D.C. / Spring Break 2016

Washington, D.C. was an absolute dream! It is hands down the cleanest and most beautiful city I've ever been to! I've had my eyes on this city for a little while now, and finally visiting for the first time over this past spring break reinforced my desire to live there one day. It's rich with history and there's a sight to be seen everywhere you go. The monuments/ memorials are as epic as they are in the shows (shoutout to Shonda Rhimes). I was especially interested in the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument, however the entire National Mall was incredible!

Some fun things we got to do while we were there:
- Toured the White House
- Toured the U.S. Capitol
- Visited the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
- Visited the Holocaust Museum (the most impactful experience I've had on any trip to date)
- Visited Arlington National Cemetery
- Finally tried Chipotle's ShopHouse
- Ate a lot of delicious food at local restaurants
- Took a short two day trip to Mineral, Virginia and stayed on Lake Anna

Seriously, if you haven't made it up to Washington, D.C., stop holding out. It is as amazing as you think it is! Here's just a few pictures from my trip: