City of Angels (Los Angeles, CA)

Lynn and I took a five day getaway to Los Angeles all because I wanted an Ohtani bobblehead. Well, that's how it all started... when I bought Dodgers tickets before buying our plane tickets or booking a hotel.  

I've vowed to never come back to LA but I keep coming back. It's mainly due to the horrific traffic but I serendipitously booked a hotel close to the Metro, saving myself from driving in congestion and the headache of hunting for parking spots. 

The Metro is like the best kept secret. I knew it existed but never thought to actually use it. It was never crowded, even during rush hour times.  

Our hotel was in downtown LA, walking distance to Little Tokyo, but also a block away from Skid Row (IYKYK). Just pay no mind to those mentally unstable bums and you should be fine.

Arigatou gozaimasu (Japan)

Tokyo Station

F1 U.S. Grand Prix (Austin, TX)

Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix at COTA.

I ❤ NY (New York City, NY)

I do love New York. The people were surprisingly really nice. I don't remember specifics but during the trip I just thought, wow everyone here is so nice (unlike Boston). Actually, I got quite a few compliments... on my sleeve tattoo, on my shirt (Anti Pickleball Pickleball Club) and one guy on the subway went out of his way to tap me and said, "You look fly as hell." 😎

We spent five days in New York City, just Lynn and I. The main reason was to catch the US Open, a bucket list item. I actually bought two pairs of tickets (round 2 and round 3) but sold a pair of (round 2) tickets for triple the price so we essentially went to the US Open for free. And we made the most of it. We stayed at the tennis center for nearly 12 hours but had to call it a night (after Sabalenka won her first set) and there was still more tennis to be played (Taylor Fritz was playing after that match).

NOLA (New Orleans, LA)

Quick getaway to New Orleans and the obligatory visit to Cafe Du Monde.

Texas Book Festival (Austin, TX)

We got to see Shawn Harris and Mac Barnett (again) at the Texas Book Festival. I got my cap and book signed.

The City of Light (Paris, FR)

Last week, we took a getaway to Paris without the kids. I'd consider this as my first real international trip. The only other time I took an international flight was as a kid when I went to The Bahamas. I was a bit stressed. I was worried about the language barrier. I was worried about leaving the kids at home with the head of the household being only a junior from high school (Andrew). But in the end, everything worked out fine. My only regret was not staying a bit longer. Three nights in the City of Light was not enough.

Quick getaway (Austin, TX)

Another quick getaway/day trip/date without the kids.

Around the world (Orlando, FL)

For our third and final getaway of the month, we headed to Orlando for a short weekend trip. We flew out early Saturday morning and headed straight to Disney World once we landed. I've always wanted to experience a theme park as an adult without kids and this was my chance. I chose Epcot because it seemed less kiddie (i.e. Magic Kingdom) and we could just walk around to eat and drink.

We got to Epcot at 10:30 a.m. to start our journey around the world. Somewhere in between, we had to take an hour nap due to being sleep deprived from the early morning departure. We did manage to go on one ride, the Guardians of the Galaxy, which was new. And we stayed until closing and barely got enough time to visit all of the countries. 

Grand Canyon and Sedona (AZ)

For our second getaway of the month, we headed to Arizona (a state I have yet to visit). Our first stop was to the Grand Canyon. It's never been a "must do" for me but since we were (sort of) in the area, I wanted to check it out... and to check it off the list of National Parks to visit.

After landing in Phoenix (and getting brunch at First Watch), we started our 3.5 hour drive to the Grand Canyon. The goal was to take it easy, sight see, and to avoid the gnarly trails within the canyon. Maybe we'll do those in the future... rim to rim hike anyone? 

Pictures don't do this place justice. It was huge. It seemed like we were on another planet. I was surprised by how much it amazed me since I've already seen the second largest canyon in the country, Palo Duro Canyon. I was in awe.

Hot chicken getaway (Nashville, TN)

Instead of a long trip to celebrate our 15 year anniversary, we plan on taking multiple short getaways  (without any kids) throughout the month. 

We can finally travel further and longer since our kids are older, one of which can now play the role of chauffer. And we had additional support with my mom playing school chauffer for the two little ones and Lynn's sister Julie took them in for a weekend sleepover.

So for our first getaway, we were off to Nashville. 

Why Nashville? Because it's the home of hot chicken. Because it's the bachelorette capital of the world. But mainly because of hot chicken.

Extended getaway (Portland, ME)

It's been so long since we've traveled without the kids. Sure, we've made quick weekend getaways without them but it's been over nine years since we last booked a flight together sans kids. 

Why so long? Elliot. 

It's always been really hard to leave her. She's fine during the day but when it's bedtime and we're not there (e.g. sleepover at her cousin's place) she might miss us and get sad.

Another getaway

A night away from the kiddos.

get·a·way (ˈɡedəˌwā) an escape or quick departure, especially after committing a crime.

Quick getaway (Austin, TX)

No kids. Just us. One day. A quick getaway.

Getaway (Navasota, TX)

It's been over six years since we took a trip without any kids so we were long overdue for a getaway. And we did so with Getaway. It's camping but instead of sleeping outside in a tent, we had a tiny house with basic amenities... so glamping.

We created Getaway to give people time, space, and permission to be off. Our tiny cabins in nature provide a break from the city, technology, and work, so that you can recharge and reconnect to who and what matters most.

Austin City Limits (Austin, TX)

Last weekend, we were in Austin for the first weekend of ACL. Usually a trip to Austin would only be a quickie but this felt like a mini-vacation. Maybe it was because we went without the kids. Or maybe it was because we stayed from Friday afternoon to Monday morning (a tad bit longer than our usual weekend trips). But it was nice. The weather cleared up and the temperature dropped. The weekend was perfectly setup.

Portlandia (Portland, OR)

I’m moving. I don’t know when but I’m moving away from Texas. All of my life I assumed summer meant hot, miserable weather. I thought that was just the facts of life. But only until recently, I discovered that was not the case. There can actually be nice, cool weather during the summer. It was quite mind blowing. And that magical place is the West Coast. So that’s where I’ll be relocating but which city? The only one left to explore was Portland.

5th anniversary (Salt Lake City, UT)

Last weekend Lynn and I took a trip to Salt Lake City to celebrate our fifth year anniversary (without the kids of course). Only five years? It only seems longer because we've been to together for almost ten years. To be technical, the day of our anniversary isn't until a couple more days but we wanted to catch the beginning of the Sundance Film Festival. This trip would mark the fourth time that I've been and I hope to keep coming back.

The stars at night... (Needville, TX)

Are big and bright... *clap clap clap clap*... deep in the heart of Texas! It's too bad we were only 30 minutes outside of Houston. It all began at Target when we were browsing and saw tents on sale. We always wanted to try camping so just like that we bought it. But there's a lot to it so before taking the whole family camping, we wanted to have a test run first sans kids, to make sure it's doable. What's nice is that there's a state park only 30 minutes away from our house (Brazos Bend). The staff at this park were super friendly and accommodating. I'd definitely recommend going there.

Sleepless in... (Seattle, WA)

No, I've never seen the movie but just wanted to use it since it has "Seattle" in the title. This trip was the opposite of sleepless since we went without the kids and had the opportunity for some good sleep. But dammit, I kept waking up at 5 am (PST) since my body was still on the kids' morning school schedule from home.