I decided that this year, I wanted to be in a new city and on an adventure. SOOOOO I took a trip to visit a long time friend of mine who was happy to show me around and show me her spots around town!

Chicago has those New York streets where the buildings are tall and tower over you in perfectly gridded streets. But it also feels like boston in the way that everyone minds their own business, unless they are interested. I also love how oddly close to water it is for a city, it reminds me of the Charles River running between boston and Cambridge. Even for the cold, it was really nice.

When I first got off the plane I headed straight to the Omakase my friends had set up and Q Sushi for a 15 course meal. Now when i tell you, every bite was worth it, I mean wow did they really did that. Not only did we have amazing combos but they even had dessert sushi which I didn’t even know what a thing. I got a chef’s choice sake sampler which was amazing! The plum wine and nigori were my favorites 😊

The next day was museum day! The Museum of Contemporary Art is spacious and had some interesting conversations in the exhibits they had. Christina Quarles has colorful self-representative work of how her identity feels and is portrayed because she is both Black and white but white-passing. The way that the bodies in her work overlap and use more relaxed and quiloquial language to emphasize her speech and understanding of her enviornment. One of my favorite pieces was this 3 panel painting that you could walk in between like an interactive triptych.

Across the hall was Bani Abidi who’s work is highly documentative of her people and political war struggles of Pakistan. Her work hit hard in ways i didnt except especially because i don’t know much of their plight as a people. But the pieces that stuck with me were a series of letter to and from various people. They were all sort of sad or hopeless in some way, like pleading for the body of someone that passed or hoping to see a loved one again. This and the watercolor series “the man who talked until he dissappeared”. This series just reminds me of how people slowly but surely lose their voice and fade out to the back ground. In their case it looked like political prisoners but in my case i think about the people who become mousy due to a lack of confidence in others to hear them even when they might want to hear. It reminded me of why my voice is important which leads us to….

Andrea Bowers’ floor, yes, floor, was amazing. The activism and span of her work was absolutely magnificent. She advocates for women’s reproductive rights internationally, cares about land conservation, and immigration rights as well. She uses video, collage, sculpture and does large scale paintings on collected cardboard. She really amazed me but also this aligns with what I want for my work, except getting arrested and using my headshot for my book 😅

After leaving there, we went to the Museum of Illusion which was fun and super silly but more for kids than adults in my opinion. Wish it were bigger but I guess that is the illusion 😏Sadly skippable but glad I went anyway!

Next up was WNDR and wow what a great hidden artist spot. Interactive so you can take pics and videos throughout all the exhibits, they change reguarly ANDDDDDD it has one of Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity rooms. I have a goal of eventually seeing all of them and so far i have 2 under my belt and I’ve seen her work in every state I visited last year (DC, Hawaii, Cali, Chicago and Boston!) They had a lot of cool features but I loved this mirror that basically plays Magic 8 ball with you. it was great because we all got something weirdly relevant to our situations and what we were questioning or needed the most assurance on. Another really cool one was this room where you hear a chorus singing like the’s the Halo opening and it tells you how many people are listening at that very moment. A great reminder that this universe is connected in many ways and being experienced in so many different ways. I also just like chants and the sound of a choir, nothing compares to it’s beauty 🤷🏾‍♀️

I had a really great time and I’m looking forward to coming back in the summer time for a few other bomb ass learning and living experiences! I’ll see you on the next flight! Cheers!

-E

Hello hello! I hope you are well & thriving 💕

This past month, my friends and I were finally able to take the trip we’ve been planning since March! The intention for the trip was to get away from the chaos of life whether it was a living situation, stuck in too much of the same energy or just needed to be by bodies of water. We all needed a new clarifying experience and the Dominican Republic was it!

The first time I went to DR was in high school for a volunteer trip. We raised money through donations, bake sales and part-time jobs to get it done. It was great because we were able to buy supplies for a school and got to hangout with them and spent a few days helping rebuild a man’s home. My Spanish was probably better then and it was a large group of us so it was a fun 10-day trip.

For our trip, we arrived in Santo Domingo to meet up with some family, grab a rental car and get going . A few ganepas and ripe mangos later, we hit the road for 5hr drive up to our EcoRetreat in the hills: Parariso

I loved this Airbnb! have had themed rooms based on the attractions closest to you. We had Flamingos in a pool with koi fish right outside of our sliding doors! They were so beautiful and relaxed and we even sat outside with them to stretch in the morning or take a quick breather. When you step into the rest room though, there’s an outdoor shower AND A PARROT CAGE. They were so funny and kept trying to get our attention and spy on us showering. Very silly but boy have they seen a lot.

They had great accommodations from the long edgeless pool to the jacuzzi, free use kitchen and resting areas all around the property. We definitely enjoyed it like it was a private resort just for us. It definitely helped that there was breakfast everyday, fresh guava, passionfruit and mango juice, just amazing. I could have eaten like that for the rest of my life tbh but I love the spice of life so I aim to try new things when I can..

We spent a few days at La Playita Beach with a new adventure every day. The first day we hung out at the beach and met our guy who would make all the magic happen, “rainbow braids” is what I like to call him. Compliments and Pina coladas on command! We just relaxed and took pictures the first day.

Second day, he arranged for us to go horseback riding through nature and by the beach. We ran into a farmer and his cows, a field of orange flowers and back down the road we once came from. It was amazing but I almost lost my flip flops! Luckily our tour guide Juan was nice enough to tie them around his waist for me so I rode barfoot.

Third day, we managed to take a small boat off to some of the other beaches along the coast. One was really beautiful but was trashed the night before by someone having an absolute rager, or maybe they just don’t get cleaned as often. Either way, super secluded and quiet.

We had one last adventure and it was to ride donkies through the wilderness to Salta de Limon! It was breathtaking to see and feel the mist coming down the water. there were so many people there swimming, jumping off the water and checking out the cave underneath it. Also seemed like a good place to take pictures with a Macaw if you wanted to.

late night dinner

Quick night at el Maraquire, a one night stay at a very interestingly arranged motel. It could have been someone’s home and had a gated project style pool outside of the rooms. It was there that I discovered I had a few HUGEEE mosquito bites on my neck. we did end up shopping at a bunch of little bodgeas for snacks and alcohol which ended up being pretty fun as we drove another 3 or so hours to our next destination.

Last Destination: Casa Cliff

this Airbnb was cute but it just became a nightmare overtime. We walk in to admire the kitchen, 2 rooms, bathroom, pool and the beautiful walk along the beach. it was only after the person taking care of the property left that we realized… most of the furniture was sticky and covered with ants, there were almost no utensils to cook with and the property was poorly taken care of before our arrival. When we went to use the pool, we found 2 crabs living in it, waiting for a drop of water.

The boardwalk was actually nice and lead us to take pictures and use it as an unofficial runway. at the end of the boardwalk was this stone seating area that was perfect to spy on the bar next door and to have a little smoke sess.

We still ended up trying to make dinner only to settle for ordering in. We didn’t end up going to the resturant next door until the day we left. it was a nice spot with good drinks but I’m glad we didn’t make that the main spot.

When all was said and done, we really did have an amazing trip and really got the rest and recuperation that we all needed to take with us back into our respective realities.

New Year's in Chicago

Dominican Republic Trip