From the snow-covered ski slopes of Breckenridge, Colorado to the desert city of Phoenix, Arizona, we had an exciting year of travel in 2024! We’re looking forward to more adventures, but not before reflecting on some of our favorite trips of the past year.
“Looking back, we were the luckiest people in the world. There was no choice but to be pioneers; no time to be beginners.” – Margaret H. Hamilton
Skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado
Over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend in January, we decided to try something we both had very little to no experience with: skiing! We flew to Denver, rented a car, and drove two hours to One Ski Hill Place, a resort in Breckenridge, where we jumped right into lessons.
Our instructors were patient and kind, and we spent a whole afternoon learning techniques, scooting up a student slope, and cautiously riding back down. When we grew brave enough, we took the lift up to the beginner slopes where the real fun began.
And by real fun, we mean struggling to mount a platter lift, getting knocked in the head with said platter lift, struggling to get back up, careening down the hill at an uncomfortable speed, skiing into each other, and tumbling into the snow. Needless to say, we were done with skiing after that.
MLK, Jr. weekend is typically the busiest of the year, and the resort and town were abuzz with thrill seekers and families. Outside of lessons and our failed beginner attempt, we loved exploring the charming shops, breweries and restaurants downtown, and riding the gondola up and down the mountain.
Two things we didn’t love so much: getting altitude sickness and driving back to Denver in a massive snowstorm at the end of the weekend. But eating stew, sipping on hot cider, cozying up in the resort, and knowing we tried something different made it all worth it.
Cruising to Alaska
In the spring, we embarked on another first for us: a cruise, specifically through the Alaskan inside passage! On May 1st, we boarded Carnival Luminosa in Seattle, and spent the next eight days enjoying the amenities of the ship and exploring the port cities in Alaska’s panhandle.
The ship took us further north than either of us had ever been, and we loved taking in the scenery, fresh air, and wildlife. What made the cruise extra special was having my mother and stepfather along for the adventure.
I had no idea how much cruise ships offer on board. While at sea, we enjoyed many beverages on the pool deck, great dining experiences in the ship’s restaurants, live entertainment and games in the auditorium, and a bit of gambling fun in the casino.
Our favorite excursions included riding the world’s tallest ZipRider at Icy Strait Point, an E-Bike and Brew adventure in Skagway, a private whale watching experience in Juneau, and a hike through the Tongass National Forest outside of Ketchikan.
This was definitely one trip we would love to repeat. My stepfather was constantly impressed with every sight, meal, and experience and mom was in awe. She said she never thought she would see Alaska, and I’m so glad that we got to share the experience with her.
Returning to NYC for “Oh, Mary!”
In September, we returned to one of our favorite cities for a quick weekend, specifically to see the play “Oh Mary!” Written by comedian and actor Cole Escola, this dark comedy imagines an alcoholic Mary Todd Lincoln as an aspiring cabaret singer and portrays the weeks leading up to the assassination of her husband, President Lincoln.
Cole leads an absolutely brilliant cast, and I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, because everyone was crying from laughing so much. The end of the play is tense, shocking, and absolutely perfect, and well deserving of the standing ovation it received on our night.
While in New York, we also explored Central Park, stopped by the New York Public Library, found several great places to eat and drink, and ran into a surprise elephant stampede on a trek to the Starbucks Reserve in the Meatpacking District.
We also checked another zoo off our list. On our last full day, we took the subway over to the Bronx Zoo and spent a drizzly morning and afternoon visiting the different animals. We especially enjoyed the guided tour on the Wild Asia Monorail.
All of Our 2024 Adventures
Because we loved each of our adventures, I could go on and on with more of our 2024 trips, but I’ll save some for future posts. In summary, here’s every city (or state) we visited this year:
Breckenridge, Colorado
Gulf Shores, Alabama
Washington, D.C.
Columbus, Ohio
Omaha, Nebraska
Seattle, Washington
Alaska
St. Louis, Missouri
Des Moines, Iowa
Minneapolis, Minnesota
New York City, New York
San Diego, California
Wichita, Kansas
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Chicago, Illinois
Phoenix, Arizona
We look forward to sharing more with you soon!
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