April 2017 Recap

I am back from South America and ready to write more blog updates! But first — here’s what I did in April 2017.

Highlights include a beautiful wedding in Temecula, CA. Then I had a few days in Connecticut and New York before flying to South America for 24 days in Chile & Argentina. All in all: a pretty freaking fantastic month.

For the first time ever, I flew into the Burbank airport instead of LAX. It was bliss. I always check Burbank as an option but it’s usually significantly more expensive than LAX for coast-to-coast flights, which is what I fly most often. My favorite part of landing in Burbank was flying over the Valley, as I could see my old condo and other fun landmarks from the sky. I am a map / geography geek and love looking down at the topography below (as evidenced by this post… #EricasAmericaTour), so these new views were captivating.

I spy Balboa Park and the Van Nuys Airport…

Here is where the 170, 134, and 101 meet. For six years I lived just north of that interchange!

I met up with friends and we carpooled a few hours south to Temecula, CA for a weekend of wedding fun. (Except for this major downer: watching the UConn Women lose in the Final Four, snapping their record-breaking 111-game winning streak.) Our group of friends rented two houses on the same property so we could hang out all weekend — there was an excellent pool / hot tub and we were within walking distance of a winery. Full post coming soon, but here are my favorite shots from the wedding:

Gorgeous, right?! It was an enormously fun evening with lots of my favorite people.

The next night I met up with more friends for a pizza dinner in Hollywood — I love you guys!

And then lunch with Eva and Sommer!

We went to Sweet Butter in Sherman Oaks and it was so delicious. Highly recommend.

Not pictured: a couple of trips to Priscilla’s for coffee, and two walks with Kelley around Toluca Lake!

Now for a bunch of family photos from Connecticut… let’s start with my family’s dogs, Missy and Oscar, as they are the constant focus of our attention.

These photos (and the Easter ones above) came from my sister while I was traveling in South America — she sends me daily pics of her pup Oscar, which always bring a big smile to my face.

Dinner at a local Greek diner in CT:

My mom made this shrimp cilantro dish with zucchini noodles — SO DELICIOUS.

I should have spent my few precious days in Connecticut packing and getting ready for my trip, but I couldn’t resist one day in NYC to see two shows (Come From Away and The Hairy Ape — read more here). Here is the exterior of Park Avenue Armory where I saw The Hairy Ape — it was my first time inside this space and I was blown away by the size. It is cavernous! And there is a bank of highlighter yellow seats! I am curious to see future shows there just to admire different ways they use that space depending on the production.

Back in CT, I placed a half-dozen Amazon Prime orders and tested out my hiking pack. Might’ve pulled a couple of all-nighters trying to get everything ready for the trip.

And then it was time to go! But my flight to Santiago was out of Washington D.C., so first I had to get down there. I took the train from CT to Grand Central… then the subway… and then a MegaBus to D.C. An Amtrak train would’ve been easier but also three times the price ($50 vs. $150), so the bus to D.C. won out.

My friend Carrie very kindly let me crash on her sofa for the night!

We got dinner at Fare Well, a delicious vegan restaurant in her ‘hood. THEY HAD A PEANUT BUTTER & FLUFF BAR. I would return just to eat that. Also: please admire Carrie’s shark shower curtain. I want one. (It’s from Target.)

And this brings us to April 9th, the day I flew to Chile!

I will have a full recap very soon, but for now, here are a few stand-out images.

Sunrise at Mirador Las Torres, the most famous view in Torres del Paine National Park:

Mountains and glaciers… starting from the top-right photo and going clockwise, here is Perito Moreno glacier in El Calafate, Glacier Grey in Torres del Paine, view of Los Cuernos in Torres del Paine, and view of the Fitz Roy in El Chaten.

Me in front of the Fitz Roy, a stand-out hike in all of Patagonia:

Fun activities… starting from the top-right photo and going clockwise: kayaking at Glacier Grey in Torres del Paine, horseback riding at sunset in Mendoza, admiring graffiti in Valparaiso, and biking to various wineries near Mendoza.