Nature/Big Sean/Buffet Brunch Birthday Weekend

Posted on by melomorpheus

Last week, Tai posted about her surprise birthday–her first celebration in L.A.–that I organized for her. The weekend after her festivities, we then celebrated my birthday in Utah and Las Vegas. Actually, my brother’s birthday was also around the corner, so we pretty much were also partying it up for him, too! Yes, we are all #teamCapricorn! Anywayz, If you’re from Southern California, you know that driving from L.A. to Vegas only takes roughly four hours–which is why so many Angelenos spend the weekend there (some even every weekend). So, it was a no-brainer for me to go to Vegas, since it’s relatively low maintenance (distance-wise) compared to going to New York. But, of course, Vegas is far from being a “low maintenance” destination! However, before we “turned up”, we took a nature detour first to Zion National Park in Southwest Utah. Continue reading Nature/Big Sean/Buffet Brunch Birthday Weekend

#travelthrowbackthursday New Year’s edition #ttbt

Posted on by melomorpheus

We hope that you’re enjoying 2016 so far. We noticed that some of our friends have gone to faraway lands to bring in the New Year. So, we wanted to feature them in our very first #travelthrowbackthursday or #ttbt. If you would like to send in your favorite travel memory, scroll down for more info. For now, let’s meet Harrison, Gary, & Chris! Continue reading #travelthrowbackthursday New Year’s edition #ttbt

Remembering King, Jr.

Posted on by tainambrown

For my birthday in 2014, I was still living in Atlanta. Melo flew in and we visited the newly opened National Center for Civil and Human Rights. We were excited to see how the center had decided to curate the era of the civil rights struggle as well as human rights issues from around the world. One of my human rights law professors at Agnes had also helped train the staff at the museum.

We got there late in the afternoon not realizing that the center closed at 5pm instead of 6pm, so we only had about an hour and a half to take a look around. Continue reading Remembering King, Jr.

Seattle Japanese Garden

Posted on by tainambrown

While we were in Seattle last November, I had some time to chill by myself. Melo was at the ABRCMS conference all day, so I planned an outing to explore what Seattle had to offer me. I had brunch, afternoon coffee, and even dinner by myself (more on those later). But the highlight was definitely getting to spend some time at the Seattle Japanese Garden that’s part of the Washington Park Arboretum.

The garden as an idea was sparked in 1909. There was a Japanese pavilion at the Alaska Yukon Exhibition that year and it generated interest in the public for such a space. However, due to the ensuing World Wars and the racism and xenophobia that they provoked, the idea for the garden wasn’t actualized until 50 years later in 1959.

Admission is $6, however, there is a $2 discount for students, young children, seniors, and the disabled. There are also tours at 12:30pm during the week and at 2pm on the weekends. They also have events such as garden parties, moon viewing festivals, and a maple viewing festival in the fall.

 

The Emerald City

Posted on by tainambrown
This past November we traveled to Seattle so that I can mentor undergraduate students of color in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM) from all over the country, as they present their research projects at the 15th Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS). Tai had never been this far up in the Pacific Northwest, while I’ve been twice but during the summer when it was all sunshine. I guess I was expecting sunshine in November, because I was surprised when we arrived in the Emerald City, greeted by gray skies and cold rain. Despite the foggy welcome, however, we happily strolled the streets of Seattle like a pair of gay munchkins!

Continue reading The Emerald City