When I was in Florida just before the new year, my dad let me have free-reign on whatever I wanted to do. We used to go to the Morikami Japanese Gardens a lot when I was younger (it’s a great place to take kids!) but I hadn’t been in a few years, so I was excited to go back again. I’m not sure how excited my dad actually was but he tagged along without complaint.
While back home for Thanksgiving, dad and I went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants on Johns Island, Wild Olive Cucina. We first dined at Wild Olive three summers ago and I’ve been in love with the menu ever since. The cuisine is simple and seasonal, while staying true to its Italian roots. Wild Olive is also a ‘Certified Green Restaurant’ (the first of which in South Carolina!), and not only do they buy the majority of their produce and meats locally but they also compost 85% of their compost. So awesome!! So not only is the food heavenly but also environmentally friendly, every Environmental Studies minor’s dream restaurant.
Growing up in Florida, I definitely took our yearly (sometimes more) visits to Disney World and Universal Studios for granted. Even now, it’s crazy to me that some of my friends haven’t experienced the joy of getting a photo with my favorite mascot, Mickey Mouse. Now that I live about 14 hours and 700+ miles north, I look back on my theme park memories fondly as I haven’t been back since I graduated from high school.
My last trip to Universal Studios was about a year after the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter which was, and still is, wildly popular with young, old and everyone in between. Highlights of the experience include Hogwarts up on the top of the hill, Hogsmeade, and the Hogwarts Express.
Straight from my wonderful weekend in D.C., I flew up to one of my favorite places in the world–New York City. I was only in the city for 2.5 days to visit my grandparents who have both lived their entire lives in Queens. I come from a long line of New Yorkers (a possible explanation for my distrust of strangers?), and my dad is actually one of the only members of the Lang family who have left the city.
Two weeks ago I flew into a city that I haven’t stepped foot in for about eight years–Washington D.C. I was there for the weekend to visit one of my oldest friends, Grace, who I went to middle school with (the last time is was in D.C. was on a school trip with her in 7th grade!). My descent into Reagan International Airport was quite scenic; we flew past the mall and all of the different monuments that the city is famous for. After landing I grabbed a taxi and was surprised to find that we had to pass the Capitol to get to Grace’s apartment, which was in the NoMa district.
