My favorite beaches are scattered across the Hawaiian island of Maui. Whether you want to swim, snorkel, dive, surf or just sunbathing... there is a perfect beach for you somewhere on the island.
Travel Favorites: Sand under my feet (Beaches)
Food adventures: KENKA (Manhattan, NY)
This is not necessarily a family friendly restaurant. But the food made more than up for it.
Christmas past 2019: Family in town
In December, my parents, my baby sister, my younger brother and his girlfriend decided to join us in New York for the holidays. It honestly meant a lot to have them in our new home town and have the people that mean so much to me get to spend time together.
Christmas past 2018: Reunion and pain management
We were lucky enough that by the end of the year I still had a good portion of vacation days left over. Paired with German national holidays and weekends, I was able to join him in New York for a little over 3 weeks throughout December which was a big luxury.
Food adventures: Peter Pan Donut and Pastry Shop (Brooklyn, NY)
I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for doughnuts. It's a truly guilty pleasure of mine and please don't bring up the actually calorie count.
Food adventures: Mango Mango Dessert (Manhattan, NY)
My love took me here initially in December 2019 as a surprise date. It's a tiny shop with 4 tables. The menu has a lovely selection of teas, desserts and cakes and so far, everything I have tried has been lovely.
Food adventures: Eileen’s Special Cheesecake (Manhattan, NY)
I did not have high expectations, I am not the greatest cheesecake enthusiast to begin with. But the first bite changed my mind and knocked Junior's cheesecake off my personal 1st place.
New York working culture shocks #6: Everything is awesome!
Another interesting difference from my German experience is an outwardly focus on the positive. In Germany there is an unofficial saying "Keine Kritik ist Lob genug." ("No criticism is enough praise.").
New York working culture shocks #5: I never make mistakes (openly)
Another thing that I noticed with some, was the need to save face. Even though a lot of my colleagues seemed very confident, brave and open at first glance, I slowly began to register that it was oftentimes outward pretense.
New York working culture shocks #4: Tell me what to do
With some colleagues, I learned that they wanted (or needed) instructions to a level of detail that surprised me.
New York working culture shocks #3: What’s the hustle?
Another thing that startled me was the perceived difference in attitude towards work. I had heard about the New York hustle and "Live to Work" mentality and was excepting to find colleagues who were driven and passionate about their job.
New York working culture shocks #2: I (don’t) see you
I also found it very unusual, that people would not make eye contact or greet one another walking by or when they ran into each other in the kitchen.
Wandering Explorer Travel 