Beaches, Cities & Wildlife

I love New York City. I love the energy, the vibe and the liveliness of the city. I love its stunning skyline, its vibrant Times Square, its expansive Central Park, its beautiful Brooklyn bridge and its impressive Wall Street. I enjoy its thriving restaurants, its quaint coffee shops and its delectable ice cream shops. I spent 2 days walking and cycling in the city and felt completely alive.



I started the day with breakfast at TSQ Brasserie in Times Square. It felt a bit odd to see Times Square in such a calm state. The restaurant itself had the decor of an old-fashioned diner with beautiful music playing in the background and a view of the Times Square. I loved the ambiance and enjoyed reading my book in that setting while waiting for my breakfast to arrive. The food wasn't as good as the ambiance but I still loved the place.





Then I went in search of some good coffee shop and luckily found "Bird & Branch" which makes fresh almond macadamia nut milk everyday for their …

We absolutely love National Parks in the US and believe they are one of the greatest treasures this country has. We love hiking through them, exploring them for wildlife, and stopping randomly at places to admire their beauty and serenity. If we get a chance to visit a National Park, we wouldn't miss it. However, on our 9th Anniversary trip to Alaska, we were double-minded about visiting the state's most famous Denali National Park. Read on to know more.

In Denali National Park, you are not allowed to drive in your private vehicle beyond 15 miles into the Park. The Denali Park Road, which is the only road in the Park, is 92 miles long and you have to take a bus tour to explore the Park beyond the 15-mile mark. Bus tours are typically 8 hours long if you plan to go till Eielson Visitor Center which is at Mile 66, 11 hours long if you plan to go till Wonder Lake which is at Mile 85 and even longer if you plan to go all the way till Kantishna at Mile 89. Sitting in a bus for so lo…

"When you really want something, the entire universe  conspires to help you achieve it ~ Paulo Coelho"
I do not know how else to begin this post except with this quote. I first set my eyes on Narrows during our Thanksgiving trip to Zion National Park in 2012. We did the Angel's Landing Hike then and decided to come back for the Narrows hike in summer when it would be more fun to hike in the water. Come back we did, 7 years later during the July 4th weekend, and what a fun hike it was! Narrows top down hike involved 16+ miles of wading through water, sometimes chest deep and at times swimming, crossing the river flowing at a rate of nearly 80 cubic feet per second (cfs) innumerable times and walking on slippery boulders and uneven grounds throughout. All of this as the majestic walls of the canyon gradually close in around you to form the mesmerizing "Narrows". I felt incredibly lucky to be walking in that virgin river between those canyon walls, though it is hard…