Summer 2017 travel goals! New York, London, Brighton, Chicago and Philly

Summer is just about here in New York! This week the temperatures have finally broken the 80s Fahrenheit (~30s Celsius).

I’m super excited to start making more detailed travel plans for this summer! I’ll be exploring my hometown of New York, seeing London and Brighton again, and visiting 2 new(ish) to me cities in the US: Chicago and Philly.

View of New Jersey Cherry Walk in Manhattan

View of New Jersey Cherry Walk in Manhattan

Summer is coming

My general plans for summer are an extension of what I’ve been doing, but with more fun stuff and from a new apartment. I’m moving in with some long time friends, and I can’t be more excited! It’ll be the first time I’ve lived on my own in New York, and I’m looking forward to it. I actually look forward to struggling to pay my rent! Am I weird?

Most of my summer will revolve around playing ultimate, continuing the job search, and preparing for the thesis defense. The date for my oral defense hasn’t been set yet, but I’m planning for it to be in August or September. I am sooooo looking forward to that being over and done with!

The job search has been going well. I’m doing some part-time and volunteer work in areas related to travel that I’m interested in, and I am hopeful that some more interesting opportunities will come my way. Waiting to hear back is nerve wracking, but I’m keeping myself busy with things like writing for this blog!

I will be traveling more in the summer months than I have this spring. Summer usually brings out the best in each city, so this will be a good time to check them out!

Summer in New York

New York in the summer is amazing. There’s a ton of free events and outdoor concerts to go to, and there’s a ton more outdoor eating and drinking to be had.

New York summers are hot and heavy. The humidity can get quite high, but this spring has been unusually cool and dry so who knows what the summer will be like.

Some of the things I’ve got on my to do list are: go to a concert at the Bandshell in Brooklyn, lots of outdoor eating and drinking, and playing with my niece and nephew in the park. Also hoping to get in more hiking in upstate New York!

Cherry Walk in Manhattan

London and Brighton

I’m heading back to the United Kingdom for a friend’s wedding, so I’ll spend a few days in London and Brighton. I’m looking forward to seeing some friends and also enjoying the UK when I don’t have any PhD things to worry about!

Summer in London can be amazing when the sun is out. I’m hoping it doesn’t get too cold for the wedding so that I won’t freeze in the summery dress that I bought for the occasion! I’m not much of a dress wearing person, but I actually really like this one. I’ll take some photos!

I spent New Year’s in Brighton a few years ago, so it’ll be nice to return in warmer weather! (Fingers crossed that it actually is warmer though, haha.) Some of the things I am looking forward to doing are checking out the pier up close, eating some awesome vegan food, and wandering around the streets looking for street art.

The Windy City!

Chicago. I’ve flown through O’Hare before, and remember feeling stunned when I saw the lake and the city from the plane.

My ultimate club team is going for a tournament, and I’m going to stay an extra 2 days to explore the city. There will be brunch, street art, museums and lots of summer vibes!

One of the things I look forward to are the wall murals that I’ve seen so many of on Instagram. I’m not going to go nuts and try to get the perfect photo in front of all of them, but it’ll be nice to see them in person.

I’m definitely going to spend most of my time checking out the lake and hanging out around there!

Philly Philly, bo billy…

So my sister went to college in Philadelphia, but I never did spend that much time there. We went to help her move a few times, and I vaguely remember what her apartment looked like. I remember stopping on a bus tour when I was younger to see the Liberty Bell, but that was the only thing we did in Philly.

I think Philadelphia might be one of the most underrated cities on the east coast. It might not be the coolest, but it’s still interesting and has its own charm. Plus, the art museum’s steps are world famous from Rocky! Who doesn’t love a good montage?

I started some research, and there are a lot of fun things to explore in Philly. Maybe I will check out the college campuses, too!

Singapore and somewhere in Asia

There is a chance that I’ll be going back to Singapore this summer to do my thesis defense. I’m so over this process by now, and want it to me over. I don’t feel prepared for it though, and at least if it is in August or September that’ll give me some more time.

I do plan to explore Singapore a little while I’m there. I’m working on a few off the beaten track blog posts, which I’m really excited about because there are some places I like that I think travelers don’t get to see because they are too busy seeing the Super Trees and Marina Bay Sands. More details to come!

I do plan on doing at least a short stint somewhere else in Asia since I’ll be all the way there already. Maybe this time I’ll finally make it to Bali!

Me and mom on the Cherry Walk in Manhattan

Me and mom on the Cherry Walk in Manhattan

Summer of travel

I think that’s a pretty good itinerary for this summer! So many travel plans makes a part of me really anxious and nervous, but I know that as I get closer to the date I’ll be really happy to be going. I don’t want to load up my plate with too many expectations, but I know that I’ll at least have a few days in the cities other than New York. I’ll try my best to make the most of it!

What are your plans for the summer? Are you going anywhere?

Need travel inspiration? Save this for later!



Summer travel plans-min