Year in review posts (like the ones I did for 2016 and 2017) are my favorite kinds of posts to write. It’s a chance to reflect on all of the experiences that enabled us to grow and change throughout the year, both the good and the bad. It’s also the one time I don’t feel guilty overloading the Internet with pictures of cute cats, because — *gasp* — they’re our cats now!
From Copenhagen and Canada to cats and craft cocktails, here’s everything that went down for us in 2018.
2018 Year in Review: Travels
Instead of giving you a month by month recap of 2018, I want to go deeper and highlight the travel experiences that changed my perception and outlook on life this year. Yes, it’s incredible to see famous sights and drink well-crafted cocktails, but travel is much more than that: it has the power to take preconceived notions and smash them on the head. It’s about connection, community, and understanding people and places different from you, but realizing these differences aren’t so foreign after all.
With this in mind, here are my favorite travel experiences of 2018, in no official order (though mostly chronological).
Pacific Grove, California
If life gives you cancelled flights, drink sparkling rosé at the Inn at Spanish Bay.
I rang in 2018 in Sacramento, California and planned on departing from San Jose soon after. However, Mother Nature had other plans for me when she cancelled my return flight not once. Not twice. But THREE TIMES.
So I did what any good travel blogger “trapped” in Northern California with her family would do: say @#$! it and head down to Pacific Grove, the city near Monterey that I’ve been visiting annually since I was a child.
We hungrily drank in the salty sea air. Sipped rosé prosecco, nestled against a crackling fire pit in Pebble Beach. Gazed out the window of a coffee shop, watching couples with their dogs amble around the corner. Lived. Laughed. Loved.
And it was just what I needed.
My happy place: Asilomar State Beach in Pacific Grove, California.
Pacific Grove is a place where time stands still for me, a place I return to reflect on my life each year. It revitalizes me, rejuvenates me, restores me. It reminds me to slow down, stop, and smell the damn roses.
I returned in December 2018 with Mr. Five O’Clock and we stared, breathless, at this evening sunset below. It was here that I finally felt content for the first time in over two years, knowing that everything will be all right.
Spanish Bay and Asilomar State Beach
Niagara, Canada
This icewine and food pairing at Marynissen Estates was on point.
Mid-January 2018 featured a return to Niagara for our second annual Niagara Icewine Festival. Yes, the food and icewine pairings were delectable, as usual. But as we rushed from winery to winery, I realized how much joy I’ve found in creating a yearly travel tradition, a shared ritual to look forward to every year with good friends. Creating these kinds of traditions makes me feel more grounded and connected to my family and friends as an adult.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Finally made it to Copenhagen after years of dreaming about it.
My trip to Copenhagen probably seems like it came out of the blue, but it’s been a long time coming. A friend offhandedly mentioned Christiania — an autonomous “free town” within Copenhagen (and sort of a “hippie commune”) — to me during grad school, and I quickly became fascinated with how such a place existed.
The more I learned about Denmark — and how happy its people are — the more I longed to go. The stars finally aligned in February 2018, when I spent four days in Copenhagen with Brianne of A Traveling Life.
Since you’re not supposed to take photos on Pusher Street in Christiania, I put away my camera and simply observed life going on around me. It was so refreshing — almost a relief — to be in the moment and not worrying about getting that perfect shot. Afterwards, I resolved to travel more authentically and be more present in future travels.
Side note: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Copenhagen served up my favorite cocktails of the year, too. The drinks scene in this Scandinavian city is fantastic — make sure you don’t miss it! Here’s where to drink in Copenhagen.
Strøm was one of my favorite cocktail bars in Copenhagen.
Beacon, New York
A visit to Dia:Beacon is just what the art-loving doctor ordered.
Beacon, New York had been on my radar since moving to NYC in 2012, but I kept overlooking it in favor of “grander” international destinations. I finally visited Beacon at the end of March 2018, and it’s a good thing I did: my post on the 5 best things to do in Beacon, NY was my most popular post of 2018! Beacon served as a reminder that sometimes the best travel experiences are in your own backyard.
Québec City, Canada
The Fairmont Chateau Le Frontenac in Québec City is the coolest hotel I’ve stayed in to date.
One of my primary goals for 2018 was to develop professionally by attending a travel conference. When I learned that the Women in Travel Summit would be held in Québec City, I didn’t think twice before booking my plane ticket.
Not only did I have a blast exploring Québec City’s sights, beer, and wine, but I connected with tons of smart and successful women — old friends and new ones alike. Québec City reminded me of the importance and value of networking with colleagues in person, especially when working in a remote-based capacity.
Banff National Park, Canada
Sir Campsalot and me at Lake Louise in Banff National Park
Looks like I visited Canada a lot this year, eh? This time, it was to visit my brother, Sir Campsalot, in Calgary and Banff National Park in June 2018.
I went completely off the grid this time, avoiding social media and taking in the fresh mountain air. Our trip occurred on the heels of Anthony Bourdain’s death; like many, this hit us hard. My brother had introduced me to “No Reservations” in 2007, and we’d followed his travels ever since.
Bourdain’s quote about getting out and moving more resonated with me in particular that week; in Banff, you can’t help but move and appreciate the beauty all around you. Banff reminded me yet again of the euphoria of being fully present while outdoors.
Reaching the summit of Tunnel Mountain in Banff National Park!
Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
Azores
Sete Cidades is just unreal.
In July 2018, Mr. Five O’Clock and I spent a week in the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal comprised of nine islands in the mid-Atlantic. (Haven’t heard of it? Don’t worry: we’re writing several posts on the Azores very soon.) Specifically, we stayed in São Miguel — the largest island — and fell head over heels for this place.
Our visit to the Azores greatly impacted our future travel plans, as we had numerous conversations with locals and fellow travelers about sustainable tourism. The people we spoke to want to share the magic of the islands with others, but are wary of potentially disrespectful tourists arriving eventually too. I’m torn about keeping this place a secret (to counter the effects of potential overtourism) and telling everyone I know about it. That being said, we wouldn’t hesitate to return to the Azores and explore its other islands.
André Philip (left), our tour guide for our Lagoa do Fogo hike in São Miguel in the Azores, is passionate about sustainable tourism in the Azores. We can’t recommend him highly enough!
Visiting the Azores has changed the way we travel — we’ve become more mindful of where we travel, why we’re traveling there, and what we leave behind. I’ve always been drawn to large cities, but now, we’re choosing to travel to more locations full of natural beauty. We’re also not going to travel somewhere just to tick it off some bucket list (which I feel too young to have, anyway — isn’t traveling at this point just actively living my life?). Every place we visit from now on will be very intentional.
Germany
Brandenburg Gate is Berlin’s most famous landmark.
To celebrate my dad’s retirement this summer, we embarked on a whirlwind European trip beginning with Berlin and Hamburg, Germany in late July 2018.
Without a doubt, the most profound moment of the trip for me occurred shortly after taking the above photo of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. My dad revealed that he had passed through Checkpoint Charlie in the 1970s, being on guard at every turn while tailed closely in East Berlin. Being able to stand in the exact spot he’d been 45 years ago — this time in a unified Berlin — was humbling and breathtaking.
Of course, there were lighter moments in Berlin, too. German beer is second to none, and it’s officially my favorite kind of beer. Here’s photographic proof:
This Berlin beer photobomb is Julianne-approved.
Norway
Hiking in Olden, Norway
Dad’s retirement extravaganza continued as we explored Norway in August 2018, stopping in Bergen, Olden, Trondheim, Geiranger, Ålesund, and Flåm. We spent a lot of time here discussing how to protect the environment for future generations, a cause I plan to pursue more in depth in 2019.
Yep, that’s me getting soaked by a roaring waterfall in Norway.
Amsterdam (Redux)
Brouwerij ‘t IJ is a great brewery serving delicious craft beer in Amsterdam.
For our final stop on the Retirement Tour, we spent a few days in Amsterdam in August 2018. This was my second time visiting Amsterdam in the space of two years, but the experiences couldn’t be more different.
In 2017, I spent 72 hours in Amsterdam in the winter, when it was colder and less tourists flooded the streets. Visiting in the summer reminded me how much I dislike crowds and oppressive heat. Despite this, though, I found that spending more time in restaurants and speaking with locals more in depth translated into a genuine affection for Amsterdam’s quirks and charms.
Revisiting Amsterdam taught me that I don’t always need to visit somewhere new to have a fulfilling travel adventure. In 2019, I’d like to revisit places I’ve been to before and experience them in greater depth.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Pabst actually ain’t so bad!
Milwaukee turned into an unexpected challenge. I had planned a blogger trip to Milwaukee in October 2018, but unfortunately, people dropped out last minute and I had to go alone or forfeit the airfare and other tickets I’d already booked.
Kelly of A Path Less Taken — a new friend I’d made at the Women in Travel Summit — really pulled through for me, offering to let me stay with her and serving as tour guide for this underrated Midwestern city. Milwaukee lived up to its reputation as a mecca for beer lovers, with excellent cocktails and mind-blowing cheese curds to boot.
In the end, I’m glad I chose to continue with the trip despite changing circumstances. When in doubt, take that trip, even if it’s solo.
Sacramento, California
I closed 2018 exactly the way it began: in Sacramento, California, surrounded by some of my oldest friends. We drank wine at the Old Sugar Mill — 15 wineries in one location, what nirvana! — and hiked the Quarry Trail in Auburn before grabbing beer flights at Auburn Alehouse on the last day of the year.
As we get older, it’s easy to get sucked into our everyday lives and forget to spend time with old friends — especially if they don’t live nearby. Sacramento reminded me that it’s important to invest time in my friendships, something I want to prioritize in 2019.
Good wine and good company
2018 Year in Review: New York City Explorations
My tour of the American Museum of Natural History with Museum Hack was out of this world.
2018 proved to be another year of fabulous adventures exploring New York City. Notable findings included:
- Interactive NYC museum experiences. If you’ve always wanted to be a spy, you’ll love NYC’s new spy museum, Spyscape. Also, I generally prefer to explore museums on my own, but Museum Hack‘s tour of the American Museum of Natural History is so good that I’m willing to make an exception.
- Coney Island has its own brewery, and their beer is fantastic. How it took me so long to discover Coney Island Brewery is beyond me, but fortunately it was just in time for Freak Week 2018.
- New holiday traditions! Classic Harbor Line’s Cocoa and Carols Cruise is an entertaining, festive way to spend the holidays in New York City.
- If you like Indian food, Imli in New York’s Upper East Side neighborhood is a welcome addition to the city’s dining scene.
- RISE Brewing Co. makes some knockout nitro cold brews that will seriously change your coffee game.
Being a @#$!ing ninja at Spyscape in NYC
But The Most Memorable Thing of 2018?
Introducing Ash and Merlin, our new roomies
We brought two kittens into our home.
Wait, stop. What?!
As anyone who knows me will tell you, I’m a diehard dog person who thought cats were selfish, aloof, and generally out to cause mayhem and rule the world. And who knows, maybe most of them still are.
But in one of those spontaneous moments that turn out to be life-altering, we decided to get cats. And it turned out to be the best decision we made all year.
Does this look like the face of an animal whose goal is world domination? Nah.
Our Tonkinese cats, Ash and Merlin, are affectionate yet active and intelligent (Mr. Five O’Clock has even taught them to do tricks!). They’ve greatly reduced our stress levels and provide endless hours of amusement, too. Don’t be surprised if they magically show up in future blog posts…
Ash and Merlin are pros at distracting me while I work, and it’s not hard to see why.
2019: Looking at the Year Ahead
Upcoming Travels
Unlike previous years, my 2019 travel plans are pretty sparse at the moment. I’ve got two definite trips on the books and a potential third.
- I’ll be visiting South America for the very first time: Chile is a definite go! I’m heading to Santiago, Valparaiso, and Chilean wine country in March 2019 with my travel blogger mastermind group, a group of writers and photographers whose work I deeply respect.
- Portland, Maine for my second annual Women in Travel Summit in May 2019.
- Our annual Niagara icewine weekend trip will happen, but it might have to wait until February due to all of our work schedules. While we’ll probably miss the annual Niagara Icewine Festival in January, we’ll get to experience Niagara’s wineries in a new, less crowded way.
My crystal ball foresees another trip to Pacific Grove in 2019.
And Now For Something Completely Different (Or: Exciting News!)
After returning home from an intense summer of travel, I spent a lot of time thinking about my goals and vision for the future. Though I love writing, travel, and drinks, I still craved a way to make a more tangible, meaningful impact in the world with a cause that I believe in.
As luck would have it, the perfect opportunity came my way at the end of 2018. So now, without further ado:
I’ve accepted the position of Community Engagement Associate, NYC for Honeymoon Israel, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
Hiking up Masada with Honeymoon Israel friends in May 2016
Longtime readers of this site might recall that Mr. Five O’Clock and I participated on Honeymoon Israel’s second trip out of New York City back in May 2016, and I worked as an Interview Consultant for the organization in 2017.
Our trip to Israel in 2016 with 20 other New York City couples was nothing short of life-changing — a term I do not use lightly. Honeymoon Israel enabled us to have important conversations about how to integrate Judaism into our lives as an interfaith couple, and what we want for the future, alongside a diverse set of couples with similar questions as ourselves.
Yes, the trip was incredible, but it’s so much more than that: we’re part of an active, inclusive community whose bonds extend far beyond the trip’s end. And in my new role, I’ll get to help nurture these welcoming, inspiring spaces for couples and families in the NYC community. I cannot wait to deepen my involvement with an organization whose mission really resonates with us.
Curious to learn more about my experiences with Honeymoon Israel? Check out these posts:
- Why You Should Visit The Holy Land With Honeymoon Israel
- The Truth About Hiking Up Masada, Israel’s Desert Fortress
- Jerusalem vs. Tel Aviv: The Ultimate Israeli Cocktail Showdown
Goals for 2019
2019 goals: more photos of our cats. (Just kidding. Maybe.) Also, definitely check out An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green.
With a new job on the horizon, what does that mean for this blog? Don’t worry, I won’t stop writing or traveling — it will just look different. I intend to spend more time focusing on New York, as well as destinations that can be reasonably reached during a weekend trip, from Montauk to Memphis, in 2019.
Non-Blogging Goals
Read at least one new book per month. This shouldn’t be too hard, especially since I recently joined a monthly book club with Erin of 10 Miles Behind Me, Katie of Stories My Suitcase Could Tell, Joyce of Rejoyce Letters, and Marie of One Carry-On. I’ve already been introduced to authors and books I may not have picked up otherwise, like Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Next on the list: Circe by Madeline Miller.
Spend more time outdoors. This might sound vague, but I’d really like to continue hiking as much as I did this year. Banff and the Azores, in particular, reminded me how important it is to pause and appreciate the incredible beauty and diversity of our world. (Perhaps I’ll find some local trails in New York or New Jersey?) I’d also love to visit at least one national park this year.
Learn how to cook one new dish per month. Currently accepting suggestions for weeknight dinners and veggie dishes that rock your world!
Let us hypnotize you with our cuteness so you’ll continue reading more posts on It’s Five O’Clock Here.
What are your goals for 2019? Where will you be traveling this year? Sound off in the comments below!
Karen
YOUR CATS ARE SO CUTE! They remind me of the Siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp. Seriously, they just look so affectionate. Anyways, came here for the cats (and the rest). Sounds like a great year.
Lauren
You traveled to – and photographed – so many amazing places last year! I don’t think I really knew just how beautiful Canada was until looking at your picture of Moraine Lake. You’ve certainly inspired me to want to explore some new places that I might not have considered. Also love your new kitten additions, they are too precious! I adopted a chihuahua mix (who we say is more like a cat in a dog’s body) last January, and he has changed me for the better in so many ways, not to mention been a source of comfort and laughter. My boyfriend and I hope to add to our growing family and perhaps adopt a cat or even start fostering dogs once we move into a larger space. As for your 2019 goals, reading more is one of mine too, as well as meditating daily. Looking forward to following your adventures into the new year!