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My first stop, once I arrived in Door County, was Whitefish Dunes State Park. Right next to Whitefish Dunes is Cave Point County Park, but they might as well be the same park as they run into each other. The motel is a renovated space that has gained a good amount of attention for their affinity for live music and their retro decor. The pub was right on the lake, and I sat at the bar with a (couple of) Spotted Cows, content as could be.

I was convinced this trip wasn’t happening, so I went to McDonald’s (the best airport food, don’t judge me) to drown my sorrows in french fries and chicken nuggets. I got “Nocturnes” by Kazuo Ishiguro and a tiny little t-shirt for my niece and Gracie got a couple of books too. We were meeting a couple friends for dinner at Kiki’s in Chinatown. After breakfast, Gracie and I went to see the Royal Tenenbaums house, which was just down the street, and then she walked home and left me to explore Harlem on my own.

Seeing Chichen Itza while I was in Mexico was non-negotiable for me. So much so that I booked the tour when I booked my flights so I could work the rest of the trip around that activity

I booked an all-inclusive trip to Playa Del Carmen via Expedia on my 28th birthday after a rough day and a bottle of cheap wine. On my first full day in Playa Del Carmen, I woke up early and headed to the breakfast buffet as soon as it opened – eager to properly start my vacation. The hotel staff was grooming the shoreline and there were few other people out and about, so I had the beach mostly to myself. The hotel had waitresses taking orders from all of the loungers on the beach, and I got promptly ordered mojito.