Experiences/Opportunities/Travel

Best Independent Women's Liberal Arts College | Cottey College

Cottey College is an independent, women's liberal arts and sciences college in Nevada, Missouri, and is a four-year baccalaureate-granting college. It is currently owned and supported by the P.E.O. Sisterhood.

cottey.edu

Women’s historically 2-yr college (now offering 4-yr degrees).

Unbelievable teacher-student ratio, empowerment, support, community.

Really diverse student body (geographically, socioeconomically, etc.)

• Owned and really lovingly supported by the PEO Sisterhood

Women helping women reach for the stars | P.E.O. International

www.peointernational.org

Probably depends on the particular school founders in your area, but generally an interesting teaching philosophy that fosters curiosity and self-expression and thinking for oneself.

Sierra Waldorf School

"Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives. The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility - these three forces are the very nerve of education." -Rudolf Steiner,

sierrawaldorf.com

My sister has recently started working as an English teacher at a Waldorf school in Germany and recommended this podcast:

Waldorfy

Education Podcast · Series · Waldorfy serves to explore and explain Waldorf Education and Anthroposophy. In most episodes, I discuss topics with a Waldorf teacher, or someone with knowledge about anthroposophy, to deliver accurat…

podcasts.apple.com

This famous YouTube potter credits Waldorf in this clip:

A few quick tips:

1. Go! Webs/constellations of friends are really valuable and it’s an event where people are unusually open to connecting outside of their normal routine.
2. Think about who you would like to see and then persuade those specific people to come.
1. (They’re probably not people you could convince to come visit you in particular, and it could be awkward, so the event is an excuse to all come to the same place at the same time.) For very little effort, you’ll be basically guaranteed a great time with people you’re excited to catch up with.
3. Consider planning additional events surrounding the reunion. E.g. an afternoon potluck in a park that people can bring their kids and dogs to.
4. Get the organizers to reserve the venue until 2am. Fine to cut off food or alcohol much earlier, but it’s annoying to have to move the group to a new location to keep the conversations going, and cutting them off, knowing that you may need to wait 10 years to pick them up again, is a shame.

In general, I highly recommend study abroad at an early age. I recommend this one in particular because it’s a free scholarship program and by being run by the government, it avoids some of the pitfalls of programs run directly by businesses.

I went my junior year of high school and I think not only was it formative in a sort of “oh my gosh, other countries have come up with solutions to problems my country/culture hasn’t even acknowledged” way, causing me to learn another language in a completely organic setting (which is an experience I think about not infrequently as my mind hunts for words that my native language doesn’t have), but really importantly:

It caused me to meet and become friends with a bunch of other 16 and 17 year olds who were willing to take this kind of bold risk, being away from home for the whole time (through this particular program you weren’t allowed to visit the US and visitors were discouraged), not speaking the language, not having any friends, not having any say in what city or village you lived in or what kind of family you might have, missing your junior prom, etc. etc. — I’m still friends with a couple dozen people from the program; probably one of the most dense collection of friends from anywhere else in my life, despite only actually spending less than 2 months of total days together.

Find Programs

Public applications are accepted. High School Students (15-18 year olds) Participants in the CBYX high school program attend a German high school and live with a host family for their year. The Department of State partners with five organizations for the recruitment of U.S. citizens and placement of German participants in host families in the USA.

exchanges.state.gov

These are usually offered by the city where you are — they're reasonably priced and they put you in touch with people you would probably not otherwise get to know. I try to sign up whenever I move to a new city. Plus, tennis is a great sport and can be played your whole life long.

(My aunt and uncle are in their early 70s and they’re sometimes the youngsters in the group they play doubles with almost every morning.)

E.g. YMCA Camp Menogyn

Camp Menogyn

YMCA adventure programs rely on the generosity of supporters like you.

www.ymcanorth.org

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Ice cream

Eat lots of gelato, which you can usually get at their street-facing counter (I recommend straciatella as one of your scoops), but also set aside time for a sit-down-and-pore-over-the-menu event to try their version of ice cream sundaes. They're very creative, making spaghetti out of ice cream "noodles" with strawberry sauce or almost creating tropical resort style ice cream cocktails. I happen to really like their yoghurette and Amarena Bechers.

Go to a "Sauna park" like this one near Osnabrück (be prepared for nudity):

Loma-Sauna

Genießen Sie einen Tag Urlaub direkt vor der Haustür in der Loma-Sauna mit angrenzendem Spa & Beauty-Bereich.

www.stadtwerke-osnabrueck.de

(and if you see me in person, ask me to describe the experience)

Put butter on everything.

Don’t be afraid to mix things like cheese and jam or figs (especially nice combo with brie).

When you can, opt for getting a “prix fixe” where you get to choose a starter (entrée…which makes a lot more sense than the US meaning), a main (plat), and a dessert and they throw in a glass of wine. It’s a different sort of dining experience and a great way to have a leisurely lunch.

Try the duck confit (confit de canard)

It’s slower in the south. Don’t assume that Paris is representative.

To make something negative in French, you put a “ne” or “n’___” before the conjugated verb and “pas” after the verb.

Clotted cream

Lemon curd

I spent a summer near the south eastern coast with my friends after graduating from high school, and of all our adventures, our trip to Cornwall was the most magical. The sandy beaches were lovely and we stayed in a hostel in Penzance that was somehow simpler and yet brighter and more welcoming than anywhere else we’d stayed.

It’s on my list to check out these community saunas in London.

📱For longer visits, it’s very cheap & easy to get set up with no-contract phone and data service via giffgaff.

I’ve still never left the airport 🙃 but I enjoy flying IcelandAir, which basically seems like a project of the Icelandic tourism board. They have historically made it very simple to extend a layover in Reykjavik to basically add a visit to Iceland to your itinerary in a way that’s both cheap and convenient. The light there is always stunning and I’m intrigued by all the nature: waterfalls and hot springs and lava and ice caves and the aurora borealis.

And for such a small place, there are a surprising number of Icelandic things that have caught my attention, especially musicians: 🎻Jónsi (and of course Sigur Rós) and let’s not forget Eurovision: the story of fire saga 😅

Take the architecture foundation boat tour. Kinda pricey, but well worth it. Great way to see the city and get your bearings + understand cool things about the history of the city and the river. I didn’t know or really care about architecture, but I do care about “neat building with cool backstory” or “new way of thinking about the city as you walk around.”

Denver is at a pretty high elevation and pretty low humidity. In the winter (which is typically when the city hosts ETHDenver) I recommend keeping hand lotion in your pocket to combat chronic skin dryness that runs rampant.

(Most people know about Ashland because of the Shakespeare festival, but a friend of mine, who is a bit of an expert, thinks this might be the best small town he’s ever been to)

🛒 They have the best stand-alone grocery store I’ve ever found:

🍽 I’m a total sucker for indoor/outdoor seating (even pre-pandemic) and Skout is perfect with big glass garage doors that slide open and ceiling heat lamps inside. They’re right by Lithia Park so you can batch your adventuring and eating and people-watching, and they even have a machine that will let you take a big can of whatever’s on tap home with you(!)

(It’s worth bringing a ☕Thermal mugs for their hot toddy.)

Skout Taphouse and Provisions in Ashland, OR

Ashland’s newest tap house with craft cocktails, craft beer, and delicious food!

www.skoutashland.com

I also love the purchasable art on display at the Fiber Arts Collective. I have an embroidered(?) lampshade with romping zebras that sparks so much joy. 🦓 The Fiber Arts Collective closed 😕 but has been replaced by Ashland Clayhouse, which has purchasable 🧱Pottery on display (and fun classes on offer).

If plants are your thing, Ashland Greenhouses is a fun nursery where they grow all their own annuals and succulents, and Valley View has the greatest selection (including tons of trees). For supplies like bags of compost or liquid fertilizer, I’d try Southern Oregon Nursery up 99 or the Grange co-op location that’s on the next block.

There’s a crazy thing about hiking in Alaska: there are basically no trails. You take a bus to your campsite, wake up in the morning, and head off in the general direction of whatever canyon or peak you have your eyes set on. One consequence is that you’re very likely to be brushing up against wet vegetation for a significant portion of your adventure, either from dew or from rain. Thankfully you shouldn’t need to worry about 🕷️Tick bite avoidance & tick removal because those critters are only now being slowly introduced to the area, so that’s not a concern, but I encourage you to bring waterproof hiking boots and/or gaiters.

Bears are also an issue, but that’s probably on your radar already. I’ve read the studies and basically think you’ll be ok if you pick up some bear spray once you land and do the sensible things: don’t go out solo, make enough noise generally to not startle a bear, and have your mace ready within easy reach at all times.

I’ve never been, but since my 👩‍🌾Gardening adventure has veered into the world of flowers, its a place constantly referenced, and Floret has put together a guide.

The Best of Skagit Valley: A Visitors' Guide - Floret Flowers

Gardeners and flower lovers will discover the best places to visit, eat and shop in Floret's insider guide to the best of Skagit Valley.

www.floretflowers.com

🚙 If you decide to rent a car, choose one with significant clearance — in the rainy season many roads are partially or completely submerged for long periods after the rain has stopped.

📵 Cell phone coverage/bandwidth is very limited (as of 2022); if you are used to using day-passes from your carrier when traveling internationally (e.g. Verizon travel pass), know that you will probably need to find WiFi somewhere for real internet access.

it is very hard to be prepared for just how hot it feels when the humidity is also very high. A few suggestions:

1. Consider investing in a small umbrella that is designed to lower the temperature under it. E.g. “heat shield” technology from Knirps. Chances are you’ll be able to use it for rain as well as sun.
1. If you don’t want to bother with an umbrella that’s trying to block infrared, there are still sensical optimizations: light colored exterior for bouncing light, dark colored interior for reducing light bouncing in your safe space, UV 50+, etc.
2. Bigger is better, but as with cameras and binoculars, if you don’t bring it because it’s bulky, it’s worse than a mini one you’re willing to leave in your bag.
2. Check the temperature before you go out. Wunderground will tell you both the actual temp as well as the “feels like” which can easily be 10 degrees F above the actual.
3. All the normal stuff: wear lightweight loose fitting clothing, hydrate, stay indoors during the hottest part of the day (and bring a layer to handle the wide temperature swing), wear your hair up (to expose your neck to fresh air), walk on grass/through parks instead of on pavement, and consider a handheld portable fan (old school manual ones are quite effective if you don’t want to wade through all the electric options available these days).
4. This is more niche: your hair might be totally different than what you’re used to. Look different, feel different, act different. Not sure what to recommend here—maybe bring a small amount of silicone based frizz treatment or something? And maybe an alternative to your normal way of putting your hair up?

If all you do is fly to and from the US or Canada, it’s business as usual. If you’re flying regionally once you arrive in Asia, two important things to note:

1. Checked luggage is not measured by number of bags. Checked luggage is measured by total weight in kilograms—there will be a max for your ticket, and you can usually add kg (but best to know your weight (your hotel might have a scale) so you don’t have to pay a premium at checkin).
2. Carryons have very low weight limits: 7-10kg, depending on carrier. That’s something like 15-22lbs. My favorite carryon (that I talk about in the section on packing advice) is >8lbs empty. So you’ll probably want to check luggage that you’re used to carrying on and also weigh your combined bags, both before you depart and as you collect things along the way.

Seems like they have adopted an app called Grab: cars, motorbikes, food delivery. (Here’s some background and regional quirks.)

ChatGPT lists these as the primary markets (I can vouch for Singapore and Bangkok):

• Singapore
• Malaysia
• Indonesia
• Thailand
• Philippines
• Vietnam
• Cambodia
• Myanmar

I’ve never been, but my sister sent wonderful emails while she was living/traveling there in the fall of 2002: 📬Helen's emails from India

The easiest introduction to Asia: English-speaking, safe, drinkable water, delicious/accessible food, etc. but very hot and humid (85F that feels like 95F).

Staying downtown? Try Lyf Funan—single rooms, rooms with kitchenettes, corner suites with kitchens and workspace (epic views in 4bdrm 951). Communal facilities + included breakfast. All inside a “mall” with every imaginable service: restaurants, tennis lessons, gym, shopping, cooking school, flight simulator, etc.

Want a taste of nature? Try the MacRitchie resevoir: monkeys + boardwalk in the woods along the water.

Try “Kaya” a coconut jam turned pastel green with pandan leaves.

Random niche recommendation: Need to record an interview? Here’s a totally epic recording studio (and I have it on good authority the Singapore location is the best):

Poddster - B2B Podcast Production Studios in Singapore

Poddster is a pioneering podcast production studio in Singapore with a mission to democratize high-quality podcast production.

www.poddster.com

Lodging is unbelievably plentiful and cheap.

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🏨 It might be worth paying ~normal prices and experiencing a slice of luxury (if only for the hotel breakfast!)

The Oriental Residence Hotel next to the US embassy is great:

If you get a room on the park side of the hotel, there’s basically no street noise + a beautiful and relatively peaceful view.

You can include breakfast when you book, and it’s served in the French restaurant on the first floor. It’s a classic all-you-can eat buffet: salad bar, fruit bar (always fun to try a little of everything and Thailand is famous for their fresh fruit), granola, yogurt, toast, quiche, cheeses, chia seed pudding, pastries (including the best bread pudding I’ve ever had), juice, etc. but on top of that, you’re allowed to order two items off of the menu. (Don’t worry, despite being a French restaurant, they also have Asian offerings)

The only drawback is that they’re strict about timing, so if you’re needing to work late to sync up with folks in the US, you might struggle to make it there by the 10:30am cutoff (and there’s no grab-and-go option).

Some of the suites have a laundry machine (and housekeeping will bring you a drying rack), but be warned that with the humidity it can take forever for your clothes to dry. There should be a “dry” mode on the thermostat where the fan and compressor work at low speeds to dry the air, so it’s worth poking around to get that going. It might have a droplet icon? 💧 

There’s also a big gorgeous pool with fun places to chill (even when it’s raining).

Just past the embassy is a famous park called “Lumphini” full of water features, joggers, and cats.

The bonus is that it is also full of monitor lizards! Sometimes you’ll just see a head poking up out of the water, moving like an crocodile; sometimes you’ll see them up in the trees; and you might even see them cross the road. 🐊

Note: it’s a very rainy place! The hotel has large umbrellas you can borrow—probably too bulky to haul around with you all day, but perfect for going to the park to look for lizards even if it’s pouring. ☔️

Food is also delicious and cheap (though prices vary significantly and while your hotel breakfast may come with the room, e.g. if you add it when booking, the hotel restaurant itself could easily be 2-3x normal prices).

People are very polite and once you get in the habit of greeting everyone with a little prayer bow, it will be hard to break.

Find some water monitor lizards (they’re biggest at Lumphini park).

🧚 Some of the coolest and weirdest things are hidden in plain sight: when they construct buildings (even fancy high rises), they make tiny palaces for the spirits they’re displacing, including items for entertaining them and tiny carved elephants for transit and regular offerings of food and drink and flowers. Not as universal, but still a thing: when you step over a threshold you may think it’s raised to ward against floodwaters (which are a thing during heavy rains) but it’s because bad spirits don’t have legs, so you can keep them out by preventing them from basically slithering in.

Like and yet unlike any place I’ve ever been. Maybe the most like being in the movies? The island is like NYC and San Francisco—full of expensive but great food and drink, full of foreigners (especially English-speaking), taxis everywhere, hills everywhere, wildly fast transitions from local neighborhoods with school children to something like the hip parts of Brooklyn to midtown manhattan in just a few blocks.

Just across the water, and a few blocks inland, Kowloon is another vibe entirely: more of a sense of everyday people, street markets, more reasonable prices. But not overwhelming like Bangkok—maybe wider sidewalks help? But also some Williamsburg happening in parallel.

Experiences worth seeking out:

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Green tea creme brûlée in Central

23rd floor of the California Tower in Central at a Japanese restaurant called “Fumi Joe” (yes, there are restaurants tucked into the middle of skyscrapers).

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A chill spot to have a bite, a drink, and see the 8pm light show from Kowloon

This is not anything amazing, but it solves a problem a lot of visitors have: the light show isn’t that great (I honestly had trouble telling when it was happening), but it’s still on a lot of people’s lists. So how can you pair it with something enjoyable (instead of cramming together with zillions of other people)? Dessert and drinks outside at Hexa—it’s tucked away at the far end of the mall that stretches directly to your left when exiting the Star Ferry.

The normal menu items are maybe too weird for a western palate (and too expensive to want to risk), but the fried black sesame balls were in a sweet spot of experimental but not weird enough to leave any behind 😋

The drinks were fun, but I don’t remember what they were. Maybe the boozy one was gin-based with egg whites and had “Yeah” in the name. The one in the vase(?) was non-alcoholic and knowing me had yuzo and something fizzy?

Hong Kong “milk tea”

they’re in the space of a flan, but lighter and have flavors like mango and “milk”

Heads up: pineapple buns don’t taste like pineapples; they (apparently) look like pineapples. 🍍 

🚽 (I also think the toilets might be lower than we’re used to—not requiring a full squat like a lot of toilets in mainland China, but still hard on the knees)

Logistics:

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There is way more tapioca in drinks and puddings than I’m used to.

And it seems like a pretty clear upgrade.

Logistics

You can get a ton of value from being in a new place without seeing the specific things that are most famous. (The lines/crowds taking pictures of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre have become outrageous; go stumble upon some other cool thing or choose to make art a focus and get a pass that gets you early access or access via a door without a queue so you have more breathing room to appreciate things in a more leisurely way.)

Fun game: tourist or local? If tourist, where from?

I try to always stay at least a week somewhere, ideally a month. Be recognized at your morning bakery, decide on a favorite gelato place, figure out what grocery store has the best selection of gluten free cookies, navigate without checking the map on your phone, start an interaction in the local language (ideally not just asking if they speak English 😅)

Different places can make you feel very different; I think it’s valuable to see other ways that your life could be. How rushed? How relaxed? How myopic? How confident? How safe? How seen? Are people responding differently to your age? Gender? Sexuality? Socioeconomic status? How psychologically healthy do people seem? What matters to them? Are they welcoming? Cliquish?

Do something to be part of a cohort: enroll in a class, a tour, a regular meetup — a circumstance where you are a part of “we”

And if you stay at an Airbnb or similar, go to a grocery store and get local breakfasty things to start your day, maybe trying to get fresh pastries or special tea, etc in the mornings.

I think I might try Seed the next time I’m on a trip where I want to be able to be more exploratory with my food choices. E.g. in breaking my 🍱Perfect Health Diet rules against wheat because I’m a sucker for pain au chocolate and I suspect that European wheat isn’t as toxic as American wheat…

But budget time for it and don’t think you can just fill your days as soon as you get off the plane. See my 🛌Ways to help you get sleepy & stay asleep page, and focus on establishing a new rhythm: stay awake until it’s a reasonable bedtime, take some slow release melatonin, eat meals on your new schedule, go outside in the sun in the morning, etc.

The real world mapping is actually really cool—your avatar is basically placed in a bird’s-eye view of wherever you are including streets and parks and rivers. The pokestops at landmarks can also be helpful.

You’re also rewarded for distances you walk, either by hitting weekly milestones or by hatching eggs 🐣 that require different distances to incubate. Even just the fact that it tracks your walking makes it a decent Fitbit competitor (though the health app on iPhones also tracks your mileage).

(not available in all cities)

Citymapper - The Ultimate Transport App

The ultimate transport app - iPhone / Android / Web

citymapper.com

I’ve only tried it with languages that I’m already familiar with, but I brought it up a couple times on a recent trip, and even total beginners were very quick to sing its praises.

Le magicien des baguettes (The Baguette Magician)

Listen to this episode from Duolingo French Podcast on Spotify. Mahmoud M’Seddi was born to bake. When M’Seddi was surprised to come in 7th place in the Grand Prix contest for Best Baguette in Paris in 2017, he knew that the next time, he had a chance to win. He would prove to his parents and an entire nation that he was meant to do this for the rest of his life. Study materials and a transcript of this episode are available at https://bit.ly/3qZn9Gx.

open.spotify.com

You can get same-day passports in places like SF if you can go in person (usually you’ll need a paper copy of an international itinerary that shows you’re traveling within 2 weeks and an appointment).

You can process an initial application at the post office, but also consulates, and sometimes city hall. I’ve never tried the services that claim to be able to expedite.

e.g. Apple Pay on your phone and/or a card that can be held close to a reader.

This should make things easier, especially on public transportation. In the UK, it’s basically the only way to ride the bus immediately after arriving, and in London, the entire public transit system is now designed to let you tag in at the station you enter and then tag out at the station you exit. In DC you can enable the function by downloading the SmarTrip app.

Global entry requires an appt at a major international airport—if you don’t want to deal with the hassle, you can complete the interview upon reentry; that is, you land back in the US from an international flight, and then you talk to someone and give your biometric data while going through customs.

Update: a number of times I’ve now flown in a group and the precheck folks don’t make it out of security any faster than the others—though maybe the process is still smoother.

I have seen this preference show up in executives submitting travel reimbursements, I’ve read it casually on Apple news, and recently my sister seemed to hold this view rather strongly.

It also seems like folks want to accrue enough miles each year to gain higher status tiers.

These days when I have a multi-city itinerary it often gives me split tickets with direct links to book one-way legs on each airline—offering better prices but also more convenient options.

I also use Expedia — one thing I really like is that they often offer a 24hr free cancellation, which then gives me time to confirm my itinerary with other folks without losing that option in the meantime. (Though more airlines are now offering this as well.)

Expedia is also nice for booking hotels.

When you’re traveling, you often have fewer options for temperature control: fewer layers, fewer blankets, no space heater, etc. But a hairdryer is basically a really mobile and powerful heater for warming your body and your bed: 🤔Advice: use a hairdryer under the covers to warm up

But also: don't worry too much. Figure out exactly what you absolutely need, and make sure you have those things (in your carryon) so you can calm down. Everything else you can probably borrow or buy.

Note: traveling without luggage is fantastic, but more of a pro move worth aspiring to. You either pack extremely lightly (daypack) and/or rely on stuff provided for you/acquired in situ; or you store your luggage in between smaller trips (in a locker, hotel, friend’s house, 30+ day rental, etc.), in a rental car, or via a service (e.g. on a bike tour).

These days, instead of my headlamp, I bring my 💡Luci solar light (usually the candle one, though the rainbow one might be nice if you might need to coordinate with people at a festival/concert/evening tourist spot), and if it’s the right season, my ♨️Mosquito bite relief: a tiny heater.

I think this list is fantastic, though more niche, written by a woman who does extensive solo travel. (It’s a NYT article, so might be paywalled, but probably available through your public library!)

I think it’s easy to fall into the trap of picking something up that basically 1. Proves you were there and 2. Proves you thought of the person.

But for that, I actually recommend sending an old fashioned postcard (but keep in mind that the mail can be quite slow to deliver).

For souvenirs, I think it’s much better to use your gift-giving skills (or even just your regular shopping skills) to find something that will spark joy. I used to bring back my favorite candies (and I still sometimes do), but with places like Cost Plus World Market, and globalization generally, it’s not as necessary to stock up on foreign staples. My sister gave me a set of silver bangles from India and she gave my parents a patchwork piece that they hung on the wall in the living room—both gifts have been appreciated countless times and are a reminder of her trip and her thoughtfulness. Very different than a sweatshirt that says “Delhi” (though if that fit with my personality, that could’ve also sparked joy; it’s about shopping with the person in mind more than the place, while taking into account the particular offerings of that place). Some people might love an Eiffel Tower Christmas ornament (my parents maybe accidentally have a fridge magnet collection of all the places their kids have been 😅) but also consider a Parisian scarf or hat like the ones you admired on the natives during your visit.

For $80, the regular price of an annual pass, you get access to all national parks for the rest of your life (along with the passengers of your car).

Changes to the Senior Pass (U.S. National Park Service)

On August 28, 2017, the price of the America the Beautiful - The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass increased for the first time since 1994. The additional revenue will be used to enhance the visitor experience in parks. Learn more about the changes, what they mean for you, and how the additional funds will be used.

www.nps.gov

Superior National Forest - Special Places

The glaciers left behind rugged cliffs and crags, canyons, gentle hills, towering rock formations, rocky shores, sandy beaches and thousands of lakes and streams, interspersed with islands and surrounded by forest. This unique area is located in the northern third of the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota.

www.fs.usda.gov

This is a magical area on the Minnesota Canadian boarder where you can paddle from lake to lake to lake, camping along the way.

Note: by default, you’ll have to carry your canoe and your pack overland between lakes. 🏋️‍♀️🛶🎒But you can also look for routes that have fewer or shorter portages. (You will be harassed by mosquitos; a special torture while carrying a canoe 😣 I have a couple mitigation suggestions on the 🏥Health & Wellness page, but you might consider more dedicated gear like head nets.)

I went on an epic ~8 day trip back in the summer of 2011 and this was our rough itinerary: Snowbank*-->Boot-->Ensign*-->Vera-->Knife-->Bonnie-->Spoon-->Pickle-->Kekekabic-->Strup-->Wisini*-->Ahmakose-->Fraser-->Thomas-->Hatchet-->Ima-->Jordan-->Adventure-->Jitterbug-->Ahsub-->Disappointment*-->Snowbank!

(maybe this isn't always an "adventure" but it definitely can be!)

Report fireballs

Report earthquakes

Contribute to plant data

Report invasive species sightings (flora and fauna)

Lake Tahoe citizen science

Great Barrier Reef citizen science

Monarch butterfly and milkweed sightings.

White shark sightings on the Atlantic coast.

Plant tracking under the auspices of “phrenology”

Citizen science is booming during the pandemic - Vox

From backyard astronomy to birding, amateurs have been busy collecting data - and making real discoveries.

apple.news

The US national forests offer $10 permits for folks to go select and cut a tree or two to bring home with them. It’s an exciting adventure, it creates a special bond with the tree you choose, and you’re participating in keeping your forest healthy by thinning out the young trees to help the others have room to grow. Recreation.gov will guide you to the forest district where you’ll get your permit.

Get Your Christmas Tree Permit - Recreation.gov

Christmas tree permits are a unique opportunity for citizens to help thin densely populated stands of small-diameter trees – the perfect size for a Christmas tree.

www.recreation.gov

Tree Cutting | US Forest Service

Firewood and Christmas treesMost national forests allow users to harvest trees for personal use firewood and Christmas trees, but you must first have a Forest Service-issued permit and you must follow specific guidelines, which can vary from forest to forest.

www.fs.usda.gov

I don’t know why ice cream is so much more refreshing when mixed with soda, but it is (I also think it’s great mixed with milk—not necessarily as a blended milkshake, though that is also delicious). The trick, if you’re attempting this at home is two-fold:

1. You need a ☕Thermal mugs, to keep things as close to their original temperatures as possible.
2. You need to get your root beer as cold as possible without actually freezing and exploding in your freezer. I don’t know what the limit is, but I feel like 20min is safe and is about as long as I am willing to wait between having the idea and having the freeze.

A root beer float is just root beer with distinct ice cream scoops floating in it. A root beer freeze is a milkshake: uniformly blended vanilla ice cream and ice cold root beer. At home I usually make something in between.

(originally from Safeway) It has semi-hardened fudge swirls that melt in your mouth even when surrounded by ice cream, as well as mini peanut butter cups in a muddy vanilla base. I know the 🍱Perfect Health Diet says we’re not supposed to have peanuts, but it’s just so good! 🤤 

When I was growing up, Brussels sprouts were boiled: over cooked, water-logged, awkward to cut into smaller pieces but big enough to be uncomfortable and very likely to burn my mouth.

Hipsters have changed all this: crunchy, flavorful, bite-sized — a perfect appetizer to share. I wish I could send you to a particular restaurant type or even a chain, but unless you come visit, you’ll just need to keep your eye out. Best bet is a place that’s a bit of a brew-pub.

Engineered in MN to be the best apple in the 1970s, they basically nailed it (and have named it their official state fruit). I keep them in the fridge and they’re always crisp but still very wet, flavorful, sweet and tart without any kind of dry pucker feeling. I always feel a little bad smothering them in nut butter 🙃 but I’m generally after the extra protein and calories and the pairing is delicious, especially with a glass of milk.

Apparently it started as a Thai thing, but it seems like every major US city has options now. They basically turn cream into ice cream on a slab to order and roll it up for you. I recommend sticking to creamy flavors and toppings with low water content to minimize iciness (e.g. skip the frozen strawberry and try the mocha)

Stir-fried ice cream - Wikipedia

This frozen dessert originated in Thailand under the name "Thai rolled ice cream" or "stir-fried ice cream" (I-Tim-Pad).[1] By 2015, the United States picked up on the trend and the dessert is now known there as "rolled ice cream" or "ice cream rolls".

en.m.wikipedia.org

Pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds and you’ll see what I mean.

Important: don’t imagine it’s a milkshake or it will seem all wrong—melted, sour…wrong. But it’s so good! Sweet and tangy and creamy and perfect with Indian food.

Sometimes it’s served with ice, but unless it’s necessary for making it at all cool, it’s probably just decreasing the amount of lassi you’re getting.

Crispy cups(?) of sauces and yogurt. Look for it on the chaat (snacks) menu.

In the way that dahi puri is delicious, other snackable things can have that same general saucy excitement: yogurt, chutney, fresh herbs. And typically the menu will offer this by appending “chaat” to the end, e.g. “samosa chaat” is sort of cut/smashed samosas topped with chutney/yogurt/herbs (generally served cool).

Sweet and creamy and strange. You get to decide whether to stir it or drink it unmixed through the straw they come with. Often comes with way too much ice, so maybe look around the other tables before ordering to decide if you’d like to make a request to go easy on the ice.

rich white coconut milk soup with fun mushrooms and protein of your choice (usually chicken or tofu). kind of sweet and sour without being “sweet and sour”

There’s usually red, green, and yellow. Green is the most delicious but often the spiciest; you pick your protein. Served over/with rice.

My favorite Vietnamese food. It’s a noodle salad with veggies and pork and “gio” which are fried spring rolls chopped into bite sized pieces and tossed on top for some crunch

Usually it’s CA roll with raw salmon draped on top and then the thin slice of lemon. In the SF Bay Area it’s often called “49er Roll” — super refreshing.

www.seafoodwatch.org

www.seafoodwatch.org

Until I tried this raw fish, I think I didn’t really understand why dolphins would get so excited about doing tricks for fish as a reward. It’s very fishy, while not being fishy at all.

It’s also beautiful, with swirls of blue and black on its skin.

Search sustainable seafood recommendations by Seafood Watch

Use the Seafood Watch recommendation search tool to find seafood that's fished or farmed in environmentally sustainable ways.

www.seafoodwatch.org

Green tea ice cream is also yummy—I think what brings this to the top of my list is the creaminess without losing flavor due to excess chill. Not sure how available it is—I tried it first in Hong Kong—but I’m going to try making it at home.

Not too different from Thai iced tea, but with the inclusion of small chewy marbles of tapioca that you suck up through the oversized straw they give you with your drink. There are many flavors and many alternatives to the default tapioca balls and you can (and should?) also dial down the sweetness when ordering, e.g. “25% sugar” and choose between hot or cold options.

Word on the street is that the international chain “HEYTEA” is worth trying, especially for their matcha latte.

Korean food is delicious and I would maybe just go for the many tiny plates of strange foods they bring out while you wait for your order (this is how I learned about kimchi). Their bbq is famous as well and it’s difficult not to order a plate of bulgogi for the table, but my go-to is simple, often vegetarian, and won’t break the bank: Stoneware bibimbop is ~rice with veggies and a fried egg served in a superheated bowl that will continue cooking the rice on the edges, turning it crispy. You’ll want to try adding some of the red sauce on the table (akin to siracha) and you’ll want a small bowl of spicy tofu soup to dip your crispy rice in.

Spicy tofu soup doesn’t have the little cubes of tofu that I was accustomed to growing up. Instead, it’s made with soft tofu that basically flows to fit your bowl, broken up with the lava of a vibrant hot red flavorful broth.

Savory, greasy, salty, with pops of delicious 🥬Fermented Kimchi: easy, healthy, delicious

On their special flat spongy sourdough “enjera.”

e.g. Ye misir Wot, Atakilt, Gomen, Buticha and Kik Alicha.

If you are eating with a buddy, I would also recommend adding an order of raw beef (kitfo) and/or some of their saucy/spicy cooked meat options (derek tibs?)