Bringing Down the White Picket Fence
A Couple's Quest to Live Globally
Meet Paul and Michelle
Committed to traveling wherever we can, whenever we can, and documenting our journeys through photography and writing. Paul takes the photos; Michelle does the writing. You wouldn’t want it any other way. Happy Travels! Paul and Michelle
Before I start this post about Healdsburg and Santa Rosa, I’d like to take some time to talk seriously about the English muffin experience we had in St. Helena. If you read the First Stop: Yountville post, then you know we made a stop at The Model Bakery on the way to Calistoga to get our very first taste of Oprah’s favorite English muffin. After reflecting on this experience over the last… Read More
Downtown Calistoga is an old western town with modern amenities. As the northernmost place to visit in Napa Valley, it’s rustic yet charming with a laidback vibe and relaxing atmosphere. Eateries line the main thoroughfare with craft brews and vegan lasagna, while a community of friendly and hardworking citizens gather at the Calistoga Inn to raise a glass to a hard day’s work in the tasting rooms and vineyards. Accommodations range from… Read More
We booked this spring break trip in January during the height of Omicron when cross country flights were around $320 per person. We had a flight credit that had to be used, and I considered myself incredibly lucky to find two roundtrip flights to California for the exact amount of our credit. Even the American Airlines representative was impressed to realize that I did not owe them a single cent more than… Read More
It all started with a postcard taped to a former colleague’s desk. A simple postcard from the Wythe Hotel, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Intrigued, I inquired, and my colleague raved. She had gotten married there and her 5 star review made me swoon. I came home and put it on our list. A pandemic put that list on hold, and on President’s Day Weekend 2022, after months of hiding from Omicron, we finally… Read More
We’ve been embracing train travel more than ever these days. Amtrak has become therapeutic in delivering us from point A to point B without the stress and exhaustion of navigating a car on America’s increasingly dangerous highways. We are comforted by the chug of the train beneath us as we pop in our AirPods and watch the window show. It thrills us that we are well on our way to earning a… Read More
We’ve suffered a great deal of loss in both 2019 and 2020. In fulfilling the commitment to take care of our parents and give back to them everything they so generously gave to us, we’ve spent the past few years practically living in intensive care units, emergency rooms, waiting rooms, other small rooms (the ones they take you to when they have nothing good to say), and fluorescent lit and underemployed rehabilitation… Read More
I’m totally ashamed to admit that my first taste of Frank’s Deli in Asbury Park was today. In honor of Bourdain Day, I had one request. While I was at work, Paul was to go to Frank’s and get me a #4 sub with hot peppers, the same way Bourdain ordered it when he visited for his New Jersey episode of Parts Unknown. It was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever… Read More
This past weekend, we enjoyed some time away in New York City. We love to stay downtown near the Financial District. Here it is always sleepy on the weekends, with great restaurants and magnificent views. The best part is, we are just steps away from the Governor’s Island Ferry or a subway ride or ferry into Brooklyn. Here are some scenes from our recent venture into downtown Manhattan.
I never got to eat at Dooky Chase’s restaurant, and because of that, I never had the honor of meeting Leah Chase, a culinary icon of New Orleans. Sadly, Leah Chase died on June 1st at the age of 96, leaving behind a legacy bigger and more famous than the delicious gumbo she served up to presidents, civil right’s activists, celebrities, and travelers. Leah Chase transformed her husband’s small sandwich shop in… Read More
What do you know about this quote carved into the marble of the southeast wall of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.? If, like me, you read the words and thought, that’s powerful and pertinent, but what’s the context? Did he say it? Write it? Who was it directed at? So, I did a little research. This is from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote to Samuel Kercheval, a Virginia lawyer and… Read More
Bringing Down the White Picket Fence 