Team Freedom does Queens

When I went freelance, I imagined going on leisurely bike rides and beach trips for the better part of the week. In reality, I spend most of my time chained to my computer or tethered to my phone. But, once in a while, I have a gem of a day that makes it all so, so worth it. Take this past Monday: In honor of Heather's month of freedom, we decided to hit up Spa Castle. If you've never been, you must go! Located in Flushing, this three-story building is a Korean spa-food court-water park hybrid. It's insane. After dunking into hot-and-cold tubs and sweating in salt, jade, and other various saunas, we finished the day sipping lagers in a hot tub on the roof. It was so nice to feel the cold nip of the winter air on my cheeks as the rest of my muscles unwound in the steamy water. When we were all thoroughly relaxed, we headed to a delicious hot pot restaurant. I ate so much of the spicy broth that my forehead had a sweaty sheen. It was such a fun girls' day. How lucky are we?

relaxing weekend

For the first time in a very long time, I had a no-big-plans weekend. It was soooo nice. I cooked and baked a bunch and watched two documentaries (Marley and Jiro Dreams of Sushi, both awesome). I ate delicious lobster here and drooled over handsome dudes, I mean, went shopping at the Brooklyn Surf Flea. On a sad note, I also cried my eyes out over the Connecticut shooting. So so horrible.

6 things...

...I did this week:

1. Spent a relaxing weekend in North Carolina with mom. I slept a lot, ate delicious home-cooked Chinese dishes, snuggled with my adorable mom, walked around the lake, and finished up some work. I also unearthed this hilarious high school swim team collage, above.
2. Protested the cold, drizzly weather by making these delicious beer-battered fish tacos with lime-slaw and Baja sauce. Best washed down with Pacificos.
3. Finally went running. It wasn't until after the marathon-that-wasn't that my Achilles tendon started troubling me, but I've laid off for the past few weeks. It's funny how much a missed running. Who am I?!
4. Caught up with friends. Isn't it amazing how fast life zips by? You don't see a pal for a little bit, and all of a sudden they're living with their boyfriends in a new city or getting a big promotion. Happy news!
5. Conquered my 5/4 wetsuit, which is insanely thick and doesn't have a zipper. Basically, you squash your entire body through the neck hole. It's terrifying.
6. Got a new computer. Word to the wise: Do not open a bottle of seltzer within a one-foot radius of your laptop keyboard.

epic vacation, part three: Bangkok

So, where did we leave off? Oh, right, paradise! A lovely one-hour flight later, we were in Thailand's capitol city. Hustle and bustle is my baseline, but, man, Bangkok takes it to another level: streets full of vendors, insane traffic, and bright neon lights.

Our lovely hotel (the Ramada Encore) was located smack-dab in the center of city, so we spent the first evening wandering around and eating the most delicious shrimp tom yum soup ever. Erik and I were definitely those tourists with our heads permanently tilted back and a dazed, amazed expression on our face. I may have also had a camera around my neck. Ha! The next morning, we headed to the old city to check out Wat Po and the Grand Palace. We gaped at the 150-foot-long golden Buddha with enormous mother-of-pearl feet just a few days after Obama did the same.

I actually saw these sights on my last trip to Thailand, but that didn't keep me from being any less awestruck. These temples are probably the most magnificent historical sites I've ever seen, with their bright colors, gold gilt, and endless detail. Erik took about a zillion pictures. Of course I could only force him to be in two.

After our eyeballs reached their maximum gorgeousness capacity, we made our way to the famous backpacker street of Khao Sarn Road. The thing I love about traveling with Erik is that we're both adventurous and not stuck on itineraries. We poked around and explored the side streets and, finally, when our feet ached, we plopped down and got $5 leg massages on the street. Ah-mazing. I wish that was an option in New York City! When we reached Khao Sarn, we shopped and I ate some amazing street pad thai. Sadly, Erik has a sensitive stomach so he watched jealously as I played Russian Roulette with my intestines. (I was fine.)

On the final day of the trip, we didn't have any set plans, so we took the train to a ginormous flea market in the northern part of the city. We bought a mask for our apartment, and I cooled off with a fresh coconut popsicle. By the time we were going to melt, it was time to have lunch with owner of a store in Thailand that carried Erik's clothes. (Side note: We spotted a bootleg knockoff of one of Erik's shirts in a night market, next to all the Nike stuff. Does this mean he's big time?!) The owner and his girlfriend were so sweet, and it was cool to see Erik's clothes sold in a place half a globe away.

The rest of the evening, we checked out a few more neighborhoods, rode in tuk-tuks, and (what else?) got one final Thai massage. I joked that I felt like a piece of Kobe beef. Sigh. It was truly THE trip of a lifetime. How are we going to top this one next year? Guess I should start planning now... ;)