Red Rock is a super short 30-minute drive from Las Vegas, so since we were maintaining East Coast hours, it meant that we would finish our workday around 3-4pm PT and have a few hours before the sun set to be able to drive to Red Rock and do a post-work hike. Below are some hikes we did on different days after work.
Calico Tanks
The Calico Tanks trail was the first one we did and definitely our favorite. It has super fun and interesting rock scrambles and ends at the top of a peak where you can see Vegas in the distance and also climb up to a little cave.
Keystone Thrust
Keystone Thrust offered more expansive views of Red Rock because you hike out onto a ridge and can see the Calico Hills in the distance on one side, and the canyons on the other. It was easier and less interesting than Calico Tanks, but still very cool.
Turtlehead Peak
Turtlehead Peak was definitely the most physically challenging, with a really steep ascent at the end. The views are nice, but definitely not as interesting/unique as some of the others in the Calico Hills area.
I did this hike one day after work with two FreeWill coworkers who also happened to be in Vegas for various reasons at the same time, and it was a real workout!
Fun tip: Red Rock is on BLM land so we were able to get entry with our National Parks Annual Pass!
I was super excited about Death Valley because it is where most of the Tatooine scenes from Star Wars were filmed. Our original plan was to camp in the park, but even in October, the temperatures are up in the 100s and only come down to lows around the 80s at night (which would’ve made for a very toasty camping experience), so we just did a day trip from Las Vegas. Only having a day meant that we weren’t able to see some of the more remote parts of the park (like Racetrack Playa which is a 1+ hour drive from the park entrance), but regardless we were satisfied with our day in Tatooine.
Dante’s View
This was our first stop of the day and was about a 30 min drive one way just to get out to this viewpoint. There isn’t much of a hike, mostly just a walk from the parking lot but it was worth getting the view from above Badwater Basin (which is the lowest point in North America and which we will visit later)
Twenty Mule Team Canyon
This hike might not otherwise have been that exciting for the average person, but I was super excited to do this because many scenes from Star Wars were filmed here.
Check out our photos versus a scene from A New Hope:
R2 and C3PO in Star Wars: A New Hope
Zabriskie Point
This is probably the most visited point in the whole park. The views were cool, but it probably only took us 10-15 minutes to park, walk up the paved path, and look around. There are some hikes around here but we didn’t do them because we thought they were similar to the ones in Twenty Mule Team Canyon.
Devils Golf Course
We took a quick stop at Devils Golf Course on the drive out to Badwater Basin. It’s basically a huge expanse of salt crystals that have formed into cool formations. Willy licked the crystals – they’re salty, but sharp, and probably would be painful if we fell on them!
Badwater Basin
The lowest point in the United States & North America at ~300 ft below sea level! This is basically a huge salt flat and looks super cool (but it was SO HOT we could only manage to walk around for a few minutes before escaping back to our air conditioned car)
Artist’s Drive & Artist’s Palette
This was another fun drive and relatively short hike up to Artist’s Palette which features these cool, colorful rock formations. This area was also used in a couple scenes in Star Wars:
R2-D2 in Star Wars: A New Hope
Mesquite Sand Dunes
I didn’t really realize there were sand dunes in Death Valley, but this was a cool stop because in the middle of all these vast rock formations and salt flats, there’s just a huge mass of sand. Here are Willy and I trying to be R2 and C3PO:
These aren’t the droids you’re looking for
That’s a wrap!
Cheers to a fun (and hot) day in Tatooine, er, Death Valley!
Willy and I did Valley of Fire on our first weekend as nomads in the Southwest and LOVED it. It was an easy hour-long drive from Las Vegas, and had some views that were really out of this world.
Fire Wave Trail
I’ve always wanted to go to The Wave in the Vermillion Cliffs but they have a crazy lottery that’s nearly impossible to get a permit for. Fire Wave is basically a smaller version of that, so I was excited to do this for since I didn’t see myself being able to do the real thing anytime soon.
This was the first hike we did in the morning (and we were glad we did it early because there’s almost no shade). It’s a short hike but worth it for the views – we felt like we were on Mars!
White Domes Trail
White Domes is one of the most popular trails in the park, and the highlight for us was definitely the slot canyon (Willy was VERY excited, and not just because the slot canyon offered shade). There were also lots of random boulders scattered around that are fun to scramble as well. We almost got stuck on top of one, so if you’re gonna try to climb, make sure you can also climb down.
Mouse’s Tank
This hike was short and relatively easy and we did it in maybe 30 minutes, the views were nice, but not too different from the other ones we’d done at this point. One of the cool parts about this trail is that there are petroglyphs – we were able to see them really up close!
Fire Canyon
There are multiple trails in the Fire Canyon area and we did a very short one that took us out to this viewpoint. Overall, a short and easy but fun one!
We did a series of day trips across different weekends from Las Vegas. These were all in the Lake Mead area on the Colorado River near Hoover Dam (sadly the actual dam was closed due to Covid so we couldn’t see that)
Kayaking the Colorado River to Emerald Cove
On our first weekend as nomads in Las Vegas, Willy and I did a day-long (~8 mile) kayaking trip on the Colorado River from Willow Beach with a stop along this really cool-looking cave called Emerald Cave.
It was a hot day (~100 degrees!) so being able to take short dips in the cold and very clear water was really nice. Sadly, I jumped into the water with my phone on me and killed my phone so basically the only photos we have from this day are the ones above that were taken on Willy’s phone.
Blissfully swimming in the river while my phone was slowly drowning
Willy and I found this guide from REI and this was probably the most useful in planning our trip:
There are some tours that will transport you from Vegas, include the kayak rentals, and has a guide that will take you, but we had a car and it was easy to get a rental ourselves and do things on our own time instead of with a tour group so we opted for that. We were able to get a rental from this place right on Willow Beach.
The thing that we didn’t have a chance to do that we’d love to do next time is canoe camping. We saw lots of people canoeing up the river and camping along the banks and it looked super fun!
Arizona Hot Spring & White Rock Canyon
On a different weekend, we drove back to the Lake Mead area and this time, instead of kayaking up the Colorado River, we did a hike out to the river along a trail.
There were two hikes that both end up at the Colorado River: Arizona Hot Spring (which was closed at the time we went, but would’ve been really cool because it passes through a hot spring), and White Rock Canyon which we did instead.
The weekend in March that Covid blew up and New York City went on lockdown, Willy and I bought a next-day flight and flew home to Atlanta. At the time, it was mostly at the behest of our mom (who, based on all the news about the virus from China she had been reading from WeChat, with much foresight predicted that it was only a matter of time before NYC would become the next epicenter of the virus). Most of our friends and coworkers at the time kind of thought we were overreacting by flying to Atlanta to “escape” the pandemic. But sure enough, within a few weeks (even days), troves of our New York friends had done the same and “fled” the city as well.
By July, when things were starting to stabilize in New York, our leases were expiring, and no end was in sight for the work-from-home situation, Willy and I and our respective roommates made the decision to pack up our stuff in storage and be homeless for at least the remainder of the year (or however long the situation was gonna last). It was a relatively easy decision for us: my company had already gone remote optional forever, Roommate Willy who worked at Facebook was going to live in LA with his family. Brother Willy also worked at Facebook, Sterling was moving back to Atlanta permanently (which was on his mid-term plan anyways), and Nick also worked in tech so had a relatively lenient remote policy.
Las Vegas
Willy and I did a search across the US for places we might want to temporarily call home and ended up buying one-way flights to, of all places: Vegas.
Basically all of our friends and coworkers reacted with some mixture of surprise, disbelief, or mostly confusion. But here are the reasons why Vegas was actually an ideal place to ride out the pandemic (in order of things that were important to us):
Proximity to nature and outdoor activities – Vegas is a 30-minute drive from Red Rock which meant we could easily do post-work hikes, and easy day/weekend trip from some of the most amazing parks in the area such as Zion/Bryce, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, etc.
Reliable wifi – it’s a big city so we knew we were going to have reliable wifi and not be in some random mountain town with no cell service and no internet connection
Good weather – a lot of places further north were going to start to get cold, and Willy and I love the heat so we loved that Vegas was warm and sunny (I don’t think we’ve gotten a single rainy day)
Asian food – turns out, Vegas has one of the best Chinatowns in the country and just generally has great food options. We love Asian food, obviously
Affordability – understandably, no one was going to Vegas in the middle of a pandemic so we were able to find pretty cheap housing
Transportation – many other places would’ve required that we have a car to get around, but we were able to do Vegas by mostly walking or Ubering during the week and getting rental cars for the weekend
Other places we considered:
Seattle and many places in California would’ve been at the top of our list, but the fires that broke out early fall basically eliminated most of those options
Salt Lake City was our other biggest contender but it lost to Vegas on weather, Asian food, affordability, and transportation
With that, Willy and I set off on our exciting adventure in the American Southwest. The last time we were really here together was when we were kids, so we were excited to explore this corner of the country that we otherwise wouldn’t necessarily have had the opportunity to really spend much time in.
2002 when we were just some dopey kidsWilly and I at Bryce Canyon National Park
Basically 5 minutes from the Vegas Strip is Spring Mountain, the “Chinatown” of Vegas. I write Chinatown in quotes because the Spring Mountain area just has endless and endless strips malls full of Asian businesses of all kinds, not just Chinese: Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, etc. We honestly probably ate about 80% of our meals in Chinatown, so this is basically just a list of our favorite Vegas Chinatown spots.
We spent most of our time in Shanghai Plaza and Chinatown Plaza:
Shanghai Plaza
Chinatown Plaza & 99 Ranch Market
888 Korean BBQ – I can very confidently say that this is hands down the best all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ place I have ever been to. For less than $30, you get an unlimited amount of different cuts of meat like beef, pork belly, shrimp, veggies (they even have a pork belly flight with 8 types of marinated porks).
Sweethoney Dessert – the most amazing and biggest menu of Asian desserts I have ever seen with fun outdoor seating overlooking Shanghai Plaza
Dagu Rice Noodle – this is a chain from China and its first US location is in Las Vegas. They have great rice noodles
Sakana Sushi – all you can eat sushi with amazing fish-to-rice ratio. I had actually come here once before when I landed in Vegas and was driving through to Zion, but still great this time even though we ordered way too much food
Thanksgiving flights home are always super expensive, so since I see my parents quite a lot and Thanksgiving is so close to Christmas, the last few years, I’ve gone on a trip during Thanksgiving with my friends instead of going home for the weekend. This year we mobilized a little late and flights were pricey, so we decided to do a roadtrip to Quebec City and Montreal since they are very drivable distances but also make you feel like you’re in Europe without having to fly to Europe! Check out adventures from my trip with my Delta Gamma sistas Margarita and Amy!
Sun Nov 24 – Drive to Quebec City
~8 hours from NYC, with a pit stop at Woodbury Commons for some quick outlet mall shopping!
Very cool boat docked in the Old Port that was turned into a spa
Steaming outdoor hot tubs, saunas, and relaxation rooms with amazing views of the Montreal port, especially great during the winter when it’s cold outside but steamy in the pools
Winters are long, but after finding some impromptu cheap flights, my college BFF Dora and I decided to fly to Stockholm for a long weekend. People don’t often like to travel in the winter to cold destinations, but cold destinations allow you to do a lot of winter sports and things you wouldn’t otherwise be able to do in the summer (like ice skating!) Check out our wintery adventures in Stockholm!
Day 1 (Thursday Feb 15)
Landed and hung out and did some work at Cosy Cafe in Gamla Stan (Stockholm’s old town)
Dinner at Pharmarium, a super cool restaurant and cocktail bar that had a speakeasy feel to it. Each dish and cocktail comes paired together. I got a scallop dish and a cocktail that came with a little bottle of Pop Rocks! #throwback
Lodging – Hotel Gyllene Geten (Golden Goat). A small, little boutique inn right in the main square of the old town (Gamla Stan).
Day 2 (Friday Feb 16)
Spent the day exploring Söldermalm, the island right south of Gamla Stan in the archipelago. Lots of people call it the “Williamsburg of Stockholm” because it’s home to lots of cute and interesting shops, cafes, and an artsy/entrepreneurial crowd.
Fika –“Functioning as both a verb and a noun, the concept of fika is simple. It is the moment that you take a break, often with a cup of coffee, but alternatively with tea, and find a baked good to pair with it. You can do it alone, you can do it with friends. You can do it at home, in a park or at work. But the essential thing is that you do it, that you make time to take a break: that’s what fika is all about.”More about fika here
Fika is a big part of Swedish culture and people in Sweden take their coffee very seriously, so Dora and I built in time every afternoon in our trip to be able to spend some time having coffee.
Fotografiska – a really amazing and beautiful photography museum. There happened to be an exhibit by Chinese photographer Chen Man, which we really loved! This museum is also definitely worth the visit while you’re in Stockholm not only because of the cool photography itself, but because it also has really beautiful views of the water and a restaurant/cafe where you can eat and enjoy the view!
Dinner – Asahi Fondue & Grill because there’s no better way to celebrate Chinese New Year than with all you can eat hot pot in Stockholm!
Day 3 (Saturday Feb 17)
Dora and I really wanted to do something wintry, outdoorsy, and active while we were in Sweden, since we were there in the middle of February and there would be tons of beautiful wintry nature sights to see! We ended up deciding to spend the day going Nordic skiing and it was the most awesome experience ever!
Nordic skating around the archipelago around Stockholm was the coolest but also most terrifying experiences ever. Skating on an actual, frozen lake means that the ice moves and makes sounds underneath you as you’re skating, and it sounds like it’s going to crack at any moment! Of course, we had a guide who was experienced in listening to the pitch and sounds of the ice and identifying the parts that were safe to skate on.
For safety, we wore ice picks around our necks that we would use if we fell in and there was also a rope and dry clothes in the backpacks we carried, which also conveniently served as a flotation devices if we were to fall in.
This National Geographic video about Nordic skating was filmed in Stockholm near where we went skating and inspired us to want to do this while we were there. Listen to the sounds the ice makes in the video!
We got back to Stockholm in the evening and spent some time warming up, drinking hot chocolate, and writing postcards in a cute little cafe Kaffekoppen that was right next to our hotel.
Post-Dinner Cocktails – Tweed, a nautical-themed speakeasy-style bar
We got these fun cocktails and cozied up in comfy chairs.
Day 4 (Sunday Feb 18)
Island-hopping around the archipelago (aka Karen and Dora eating our way through Stockholm)
Walking around the commercial and shopping district of the Norrmalm area of Stockholm
These cinnamon and cardamom buns are a staple of Swedish cafes and bakeries. They’re very tasty with a cup of coffee and are a big part of fika and Swedish coffee culture.
Vasa Museum – an awesome Viking ship that sunk in the Stockholm harbors and was recovered from the bottom of the sea and restored
Soup, salad, and semla (a traditional Swedish cream bun eaten on Fat Tuesday)
In Sweden, people often eat hard boiled eggs with caviar (that comes in this tube)
Fika & Pastries – Vete Katten. I think we’ve lost count of how many cups of coffee we’ve had in Stockholm at this point
Dinner – Hairy Pig Deli. Probably one of my favorite meals. Dora and I ordered way too much, but ended our last supper in Stockholm together on a great note
An assortment of tapas (sausage, shrimp scampi, lump crab) and a meat and cheese board
In the middle of the snowy main square of Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s old town
Day 5 (Monday Feb 19)
Dora left on an early morning flight so I spent most of the morning by myself on a run exploring the rest of Stockholm in the snow before packing up and heading back to New York.
Ostermalm Saluhall – fun market with tons of food stands, shops, and things to nibble on
Blue Lagoon – Headed straight from the airport on the first bus to the Blue Lagoon at 7:30 am (if you’re not renting a car, I would definitely recommend buying a round trip from the airport -> Blue Lagoon -> Reykjavik -> back to airport from Reyjkavik Excursions). This turned out to be perfect for a few reasons:
The lagoon is near the airport and closer to the airport than Reykjavik
We were the first group to get there when it opened so it wasn’t as crowded as it normally is later in the day
It was still pitch black when we arrived and it gave the lagoon a cool, eerie feel that you don’t get during the day, and we got to watch the sun rise which was incredible!
There’s nothing better after a long flight and jetlag than relaxing in the warm waters of the lagoon
Reykjavik
Have a hot dog from the Hot Dog Stand
Harpa Music Hall – SO beautiful, especially at sunset
Dinner – Svarta Kaffid – This was a super cute and cozy cafe, recommended by our host at Heida’s Home. She told us it was the best soup in town, and it’s true – it was the best bowl of soup ever!!!
The only thing they serve each day is two types of soups for $18 (which is fairly reasonable considering Iceland is so expensive) – you just pick the one you want and they scoop it into a bread bowl and it’s hearty, and delicious, and perfect after a chilly day walking around Reykjavik
Lodging – Heida’s Home (very homey, cute, and has kitchens)
Day 2 (Monday November 20)
Thingvellir National Park – site of Ireland’s first parliament, beautiful views
Gullfoss “Golden Waterfall” – huge and so beautiful
Stopped to pet some Icelandic horses – small and furry and so cute!
They didn’t seem to like Willy quite as much…or maybe they liked him too much?
Geysir Geothermal Area – lunch
Fjadrargljufur Canyon
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall – normally in the summer you can walk around behind it, but in the winter the path behind the waterfall is too icy/frozen to walk
Dinner – Eldstó Art Café – Hvolsvollur is a tiny little village, so other than the restaurant at the hotel, there are basically three places to eat: some pizza place, a buffet, and this cafe (we just wanted a warm bowl of soup so we opted for this cafe)
Northern lights in Hvolsvöllur
Northern lights – it was a clear night and we were in a tiny village with very little light pollution so the conditions were perfect to catch the Northern lights. We met this woman from Brazil who had a DSLR camera but didn’t know how to use the slow shutter speed setting to capture photos of the Northern lights, so we taught her how to use her camera and we took these fun slow shutter speed photos.
Day 3 (Tuesday November 21)
Glacier hiking at Sólheimajökull – This was probably one of the coolest days. We got crampons and went glacier hiking and got to go in this cool mini ice cave!
Reynisfjara – Black Sand Beach
We were supposed to continue on, but a huge snowstorm was coming so we were forced to spend the night and not go any further
Was nice to have a cozy night drinking tea and writing postcards in the snowstorm
Day 4 (Wednesday November 22)
Sadly, because of the snow storm, we weren’t able to go to the ice caves at Vatnajökull glacier or to the diamond beach, which were the parts I was most excited about.
Ended up having a relaxing day at a museum and cafe
We hit up a couple more waterfalls on our way back to Reykjavik
Skógafoss Waterfall
Urriðafoss Falls
Dinner – Osta Budin – Traditional Icelandic food. The food here was good and interesting (we had reindeer and some other weird meats), but definitely pricey (though food is pricey in general in Iceland)
