People always ask the question - what was your favorite trip ever? What’s the best place you’ve ever been? What’s your favorite city? They’re tough questions to answer because I tend to love a lot of places I go to, but luckily this whole not-being-able-to-travel-because-there’s-a-pandemic-raging-outside situation has left me some time to reflect.

I started thinking about the spots - really just spots, not restaurants or entire cities or countries - that had me feeling some type of way. Places that I went to, or continue to go to, where I felt at ease, or comforted, or in awe, or just so happy to be there. So here they are, in no particular order!

Also, some of these places are definitely on here due to nostalgia, but I do think they’re all worth even a brief visit if you’re in that particular corner of the world!

1 | Chapina Garden (Seville, Spain)

I spent a semester studying aboard in Seville and I’m 100% that stereotypical adult that will not stop talking about their study abroad experience from a million years ago - it really was that life-changing for me in a lot of different ways.

Some of my favorite days in Seville were along the Guadalquivir River, the main river that runs through Seville. The Chapina Garden and surrounding area are beautiful on its own and worth a stroll, but once you’ve done that, grab a bottle of €2 wine and a bocadillo, and head to grassy shoreline. You can relax and watch the sunset behind the colorful buildings in Triana across the river. Relaxing and honestly, fuckin’ magical.

2 | Kahala Beach (Honolulu, Hawaii)

I lived in Honolulu for 5ish years, during and after college, and the area between the “official” entrance to Kahala Beach and Hunakai Beach farther down the shore became one of my favorite spots to go with my boyfriend. I had never been to that beach before meeting him, but it’s the best of everything you could want in Hawaii. It’s his (now our lol) go-to spot when we wanna lay out for a bit.

Beachfront houses line the beach, but all have a bunch of palm trees and greenery to separate the shoreline from their homes. Because there isn’t too much beach, it’s never really crowded. It’s the perfect spot to snack and relax, without being trampled on by a million people. Plus, it’s dog friendly!

kahala beach honolulu hawaii the liminal life

3 | Heritage Fountain (Olympia, Washington)

Okay, maybe most of these places are nostalgic. I grew up in Olympia and this fountain in downtown Oly in particular was a staple of my childhood. I still call it “the squirty water fountain” like I did when I was a kid because tbh that’s the best way to describe it - water shoots up out of the ground on different rhythms.

It overlooks Capitol Lake on one side and the boardwalk on the other, both sites to take in, and I still use it as a meeting point when hanging out with friends downtown. As a kid (and even as an adult sometimes), this was the spot to be in the summer - you could run through the fountain, get soaked, and then lay out it in the sun and eat the lunch your mom packed. It really is cute af and worth a stop by if you’re in Olympia.

heritage fountain olympia washington the liminal life

4 | Yick Fat Courtyard (Quarry Bay, Hong Kong)

I wrote about this place in Hong Kong post and I’m still shook about it to this day. This is the relatively Insta-famous ‘Monster Building,’ a residential complex in Hong Kong with a wild courtyard. With hundreds of windows, AC units, and the very structure of these apartments jutting out every which way, you walk in and immediately feel the immense density that is Hong Kong.

You’re hit with the fact that every set of windows is a different person or family - hundreds, if not thousands, of people all occupying this relatively small space that shoots up to the sky. This is a “blow you away” spot and it was one of my favorite things we saw in Hong Kong. Remember this is still a residential spot - be cool if you’re visiting.

monster building hong kong the liminal life

5 | The Unisphere (Flushing, New York)

Last but not least, you know I had to shoutout my newest home. When I first moved to New York, my boyfriend and I were staying out in Flushing. It was my first time in New York and I was super confused because Flushing is nothing like the movies prepared me for what “New York City” would look like. But I ended up loving Flushing, and Queens, and especially the Unisphere in the middle of Flushing Meadows Corona Park (aka the Central Park of Queens).

This humongous steel globe was created for the 1964 World’s Fair and has since been one of Queens’ most iconic symbols. And it’s beautiful. It’s big enough to see from the highway and the 7 subway line, and when you’re up close it’s so huge that you almost feel like you’re looking at the world itself. It’s positioned inside a fountain which, when on, makes the whole scene sparkle. I never get tired of the park and this scene, it’s still one of my favorite places in the city to stroll through.