Looking back on 2019
Updated: Feb 22, 2020
I turned 50 in 2019 which in many ways was a non-event but certainly a time for reflection and looking forward. I don't really dread aging nor dream of glory days gone-by and I do feel older, wiser, and more level=headed. I still have the energy and desire to live life to the fullest and will keep pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. Travel interests me more than ever and I want to explore this world aggressively as I age - I am racing to do it all! In writing this post I realized that I've only been to 36 countries on this planet of ours - so there is a long way to go ahead of me!
In 2019 I added 4 new countries to my list - South Korea, Monaco, Turkey, and Ireland - as well as two new cities in the US - Pensacola, FL and Lancaster, PA. I am lucky to have the opportunity to travel for work and those accounted for 12 of my 18 trips last year. Job-related travel took me to Charlotte 3 times; twice each to Bangalore (India), Chennai (India), Manila (Philippines), San Francisco, and Minneapolis; and once each to Hyderabad (India), Chicago, Des Moines, and Phoenix. Work trips are generally just that but I do try to add on and experience local culture (at least good restaurants) whenever I can. Of course, there is also exploring my own wonderful city of Washington, DC and revisiting all the places I love.
In 2019, I visited the Willis (Sears) Tower in Chicago which is now the third tallest building in the US. At one time, the Tower was the tallest in the world, though that record now goes to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (which I have visited twice), now its observation deck is the highest in the US and it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Chicago. The Ledge allowed me to have a zen moment 103-floors above the city streets. In San Francisco I had the opportunity to enjoy the city's famous cioppino at the venerable Tadich Grill. Tadich is the oldest restaurant in California and the third oldest in the US - and its cioppino is really, really great! When in San Francisco I always try to visit the Palace Hotel and have a martini at the Pied Piper bar. The hotel exudes early 1900's California opulence and it's one of my favorite hotels and bars anywhere. The Maxwell Parrish painting of the Pied Piper above the bar is still marvelous though I fear the bar itself has become a bit touristy. Minneapolis is one of the best foodie towns in America and I enjoyed spending some time at Grand Café (watch the charming video on their website) having a wonderful meal with friends after a long day in the office.
I have been to India and Manila so many times that I now rarely do anything "new" or out of the ordinary, plus I usually have a pretty packed agenda and am fighting jet lag. However, in 2019 I did get to visit a new city in India, Chennai, which is located on the Bay of Bengal. It's a hot and humid city with a much more laid back vibe than Hyderabad and Bangalore. My visits were very short and I did not get to experience much beyond the office and the exquisite Leela Palace with its stunning sea views. In Manila, in addition to enjoying one of my all-time favorite restaurants - Blackbird, I also helped represent my company at Manila Pride. Though plagued with rain all day, more than 70,000 people turned up - three times the participation in 2018! It certainly was a memorable day.
Visiting South Korea was a stop-over on the way back to Washington, DC from Manila and really was just a one day visit. Given that it was so short, I really did not have the proper amount of time to form a full opinion - but my initial feeling was somewhat disappointment. I have been to a lot of cities with some pretty bad traffic but Seoul really ranks right up there among the worst. The problem is amplified by the fact that the airport is so far away from the city center - it took probably 2 hours to get back and forth in heavy traffic. I was traveling with a colleague and we had arranged an all day tour which included visiting the North/South Korea demilitarized zone (DMZ). This was such a unique experience and I am really happy to have experienced it but with the traffic it was really almost the whole day. Aside from that, it was fascinating to learn of the history of the zone and how it is managed today, very much an active military operation. We had just enough time to add in Gyeongbokgung Palace and I took advantage of Korea's well know skin care industry with some pampering at Sulwhasoo's spa.
My 50th birthday trip included my favorite country (France) with stops in Paris and a week on the Cote d'Azur. During this trip we popped over to Monaco and stopped in Istanbul on the way back to the US. I intend to write a full blog post on that so I won't add all of the details here but didn't love Monaco and did love Turkey. More to come on that but a few photos for now of France and Monaco:
And of Turkey:
This passion for travel and my reflections on my future resulted in this website and blog. While the ultimate goal is to operate a boutique travel company in a few years, I am enjoying learning and sharing with others. My subsequent 2019 travels, including Ireland, Pensacola, and Lancaster were all well documented in blog posts. Please read those here, here, and here for Ireland as well as here for Pensacola and here, here, and here for Lancaster. PA. Trips to old favorites of Raleigh and Philadelphia were also chronicled here and here.
Thanks for joining me and happy traveling.
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