Last month was super eclectic and I’m excited to fill you in!

Things started off in NYC seeing shows (of course) — my sister and I caught comedian Mike Birbiglia in Thank God for Jokes. It was a glorious spring Sunday in the city and we grabbed lunch at Grey Dog, one of my favorite spots.

Back in Connecticut, my sister brought me and our friend Carrie to Sushi Palace for the first time — they have an all-you-can-eat deal that’s pretty great. The quality isn’t on par with our favorite sushi spot in LA, but I’m already looking forward to going back.

And we visited Pepe’s in New Haven! I’m actually not sure I’ve been there before; this may have been my first time which is nuts since I grew up nearby. The cheese was ooey-gooey and their sauce has just the right tinge of sweetness.

In addition to their plain cheese (SO GOOD), we got the clam pizza as it’s their specialty. It made for a nice variety.

Another night my sister invited me over for dinner to make a Blue Apron meal — this pasta dish has kale and crispy chick peas; it was delicious. We enjoyed it while catching up on Catastrophe season 1.

Curling up with a good book… I read The Martian and Big Magic. Loved both of them.

I attended a meet-and-greet event for a terrific marketing company in NYC that advertises many Broadway shows, among other brands. Several of their departments are right up my alley — for example, they have a non-profit branch which recently partnered with Canon to host an inner city photography class to take photos of a rehearsal for the Broadway musical Finding Neverland. That combines a few of my favorite things! It was great to meet their enthusiastic employees. I got a kick out of my name tag… those are three ‘Erica’ topics, without a doubt.

And then I bought a one-way ticket to Mexico five days before leaving!

I’m 2.5 weeks into my month-long trip and this part of the world has blown me away. I’ll share a few photos from my time in the Yucatan peninsula and then Belize.

I spent three glorious days in Valladolid, visiting ruins and swimming in cenotes and eating all the guacamole.

I scuba dived twice at Dos Ojos Cenote near Tulum — it was incredible. Most of the photos were taken in near total darkness, but I snapped this one just before we entered the caverns:

The ruins at Tulum did not disappoint. The crowds were overwhelming, however, even at 9am. Here’s a shot without people:

The beach at Akumal is just as stunning as I’d hoped, but it’s also overrun by tourists. Next time I’ll scope out less crowded beaches along the Playa del Carmen coast.

I LOVED visiting Isla Mujeres. I ended up going just for a day trip and wish I’d stayed at least a night or two. The highlight was scuba diving at the underwater museum.

Next I took a bus to Chetumal along the border, and then a ferry to Caye Caulker in Belize. This place is paradise! There are no cars on the island, only bicycles and golf carts. The motto is “go slow” and that is certainly the case here.

The beach near The Split is quite pretty, but the rest of the island isn’t really swim-friendly due to clumps of seaweed just off the coast. Regardless this place is overwhelmingly scenic.

I did a three day sailing trip along the Belizean cayes with Raggamuffin Tours that was truly special — we sailed during the day and then camped on beaches at night. Lots of snorkel stops, rum punch, and bright tropical water.

Spear fishing with Captain Ish:

A heaping pile of conch shells at Tobacco Caye:

The whole gang:

Belize has exceeded expectations. After departing the beach, I traveled to the jungle interior of the country to tour the ATM Cave — it’s one of my favorite travel memories to date. I just arrived in Guatemala and am closing in on my last 10 days in Central America. Can’t wait to return for round two someday… Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama are calling my name!