Our journey to Jordan was a long one.  We traveled at 4a.m. through Kuwait into Amman.  We were upgraded to first class for the first time and had a pampered experience which made all the difference. Once in Amman we travelled south by public bus to Petra, Jordan.  Being in the middle east for the first time in my life is truly exceptional.  It feels as if we are being dropped in the desert to fend for ourselves.  Conversely, the people of Jordan are beautiful, genuine, friendly and so welcoming.  When you walk down the street you hear people calling “welcome” or “would you like to have tea with us?”  It’s been wonderful to be around people like this.

(Sunset in Petra)

Arriving in Petra was like a dream. We made it to our hostel in time to sit on the roof and watch the sunset. There were many moments when I couldn’t believe where I was.

We woke up early to beat the crowds and the heat and headed to Petra with our new American friend (who just opened a brewery called Our Mutual Friend in Denver).  As you enter into Petra you are swallowed by a gigantic canon that goes on for 2km.  At the end, you enter into the ruins of Petra.  We spent six unreal hours walking, hiking and smiling through the ancient ruins that were built almost 2,000 years ago.

(The Treasury)

(The Monastery)

Most people spend two or three days in Petra, however we only spent one.  Having come down with a cold and perhaps suffering from heat exhaustion I slept for seven hours after our adventures in the ruins.  Jordan was an a bonus trip for us that started only as a means to save money on getting to Israel.  It ended as an experience of a lifetime.  I feel blessed and honored to have experienced this wonderful country and feel sad to have had to say goodbye so soon.

Well everyone, the storm has come and gone.  It’s been an intense couple of days.  I’ve been without power in my apartment since Monday.  Yesterday, I walked a little over 8 miles to work.  Tonight, I’m leaving to go meet up with Farrell and Albert in Istanbul.  I’m excited but utterly ill-prepared.  I have no clean laundry and this is how a large part of my life has looked over the last couple of days:

(Pretty different feel than this picture I took out my window over the summer)

We’ll have lots to tell you about our trip to Turkey when I’m back. Until then, we have our regular schedule of posts on tap, including Farrell’s recent time in Jordan and Israel. Stay tuned.

Last week I got an email from one of my best friends asking for recommendations for her colleagues who were coming to NYC for the weekend.  The couple had been here before and had already visited many of the standard, first-time tourist destinations.  It was looking to be a perfect autumn weekend, weather wise, so I wrote back a list of mostly outdoor stops that are tried and true favorites among New Yorkers and tourists alike.  By the time I finished the email, I felt almost envious of their trip.  It was a good reminder to branch out from my usual destinations and revisit some of my favorite place in Manhattan.

1.  The Met Rooftop  Whether you have time to visit the full museum or not, a trip up to its roof is always worth it.  It’s open from May to late fall and has a new installation each year.  There’s also a little cafe, so you can get a bite to eat and have a drink while overlooking Central Park.

2.  The Highline Park is converted old rail lines turned into a blocks long walkway with awesome landscaping and interesting stopping points along the way.  It really never gets old.

3. Cafe Sabarsky is a lovely Viennese cafe inside the Neue Galerie.  I went there for the first time the afternoon of my 30th birthday, after a visit to the Guggenheim Museum.  It was pretty idyllic to start the celebration.

4.  The Union Square Farmers Market is simply nice to walk through, whether it be for people watching, shopping or both.

5.  I’d lived in NYC for years before I ate at the Central Park Boathouse.  Regardless of whether you actually go inside, it is a beautiful little spot.  I can go ages without going into Central Park, which always seems criminal once I finally get there.

6. I often feel an overwhelming need to get to water.  One of my favorite destinations for this is Battery Park.  On the other side of the World Financial Center there is a little marina, lots of places to sit and from certain points you can see the Statue of Liberty (which still seems smaller than I think it will each time I see it).