The Castle in Central Park

New York's iconic Central Park. For some people, it's an oasis of verdant open space in the midst of a concrete jungle. For others, it's a cesspool rife with muggings, rapes and murders. When I first visited New York City as a teenager, my parents leaned towards the cesspool side of the opinion spectrum. In their defense, an internet search of "Central Park murders" does come up with a variety of hits. So with my face pressed to the window, we drove through Central Park but never emerged from the safety of our car. Years later, I returned to New York, and finally, I seized the opportunity to explore the park on my own terms.

Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Even before we moved back to the USA from Malaysia, I realized that one thing I would really miss about expat life was the abundance of travel. So, I decided to be proactive and mentally started planning a trip long before we packed our bags. What better way to reintroduce the kids to American life than to take them to New York City? It's a crossroads of American ethnic groups with a skyline of iconic, internationally recognized landmarks.

Snoopy and Woodstock have had the honor of floating in 38 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parades — 
more than any other balloon

I thought the week-long Thankgiving school break would be the perfect time, but the kids were adamant that after three years of missing the extended family for the big Thanksgiving meal, they weren't going to skip it again, no matter how fantastic the trip. "Besides," my teen asked, "how will we watch the Macy's Parade?" Then, his eyes lit up as he realized that we'd be in the very city where the parade takes place.

Someday, I will visit Budapest

Parliament as seen from across the Danube
(Photo by my hubby)

I scrolled through the photos on my phone trying to find something for a little Weekend Travel Inspiration. Nothing. Nada. Naught. Instead, my life and my photo feed has been filled with elaborate, homemade Halloween costumes, school theatre and musical performances, and Girl Scout ceremonies. It's a good life. It's a full life. But I no longer regularly fly off to foreign countries as I did when I was an expat. So, I turned to hubby's phone.