Thoughts

Dropping in to a new location and finding your way around can be daunting, to say the least. To some, it's overwhelming. I see an opportunity. While I do my best to research a location on Google Maps and other online resources, there is nothing better than being there on the ground.

My favorite way to learn a city is to lace up my shoes and go for a run. This ritual for me sets my internal compass and helps find waypoints that I will use throughout my stay. It doesn't have to be a ong run, usually just a few miles is all I need to sketch out my surroundings, learn the streets and take mental notes of intriguing places. I always seem to find the best breakfast and coffee shops on my morning runs. Le Chef in Auckland will always be my favorite find. Tucked in a small alley just off of Queen Street, New Zealand's equivilent of 5th Ave., Le Chef is a tiny French cafe that serves some of the best food I have had. French Toast with berry compote and a latte that I still dream about. Found on a run. 

Earlier this year in New York, I reintroduced myself to the city after 20 years by taking off from our hotel on 47th and running up through Central Park, looping around the lake and returning on 5th Ave. and the Diamond District. It had been so long since my last visit that I felt I was learning the city for the first time again. Sure, St. Patrick's Cathedral is the same, but that little corner cafe or hole-in-the-wall halal place? Definitely on the list to check out later with Corie.

So while you can research your destination from the comfort of your sofa with ease (and I do extensively), there is no substitute for exploring on your own two feet. And a morning run (or walk) is the best way to get your bearnings and discover those hidden places that makes travel so memorable.

Welcome to Trail+Table! 

This will be the first of many insights into my new travel and advising adventure. My first major travel experience was back in 1994 when I flew to Berlin, Germany, as a 16-year-old to stay a month with Tommy, our exchange student from the previous school year. While he was immersed in getting caught back up with his school peers, I was encouraged to explore the city. This was a giant step into the unknown, but it was an awakening of how travel works and the self-confidence in myself to step onto the subway alone and traverse the grand European city. 

I found myself in record stores, WWII historical sites, midnight döner runs, and even the Love Parade main parade and afterparty in a club on the old East Side. But what that sparked was a passion for exploring places. The excitement of figuring out a subway map in a foreign language (my years of high school German helped... a little), and honing my internal compass to always be aware of where I am were vital lessons.

I carried this new appetite for adventure through my adult life in outdoor recreation and travel, of course. Recently I have co-led and planned three university study abroad classes to New Zealand (above photo), covered two climate research mountaineering expeditions in the Cordillera Blanca range of the Andes in Peru, two study abroad biology classes in Costa Rica, with more travels to China, Mexico, and Belize.

My hope is to bring all these experiences together and build travel itineraries for you to explore. Trail+Table is the perfect combination of our family's pursuits: fun adventure and great food. I can't tell you how many Google Earth pins Corie & I have on places we want to visit and restaurants to try. We love the cultural immersion of food and exploration of new corners of the world. 

Pack your bags and let's go!