Photo of the Week: Halo

May 11, 2015May 14, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

Brooklyn, New York

This photo of Fausto juxtaposed against bright lights was taken a few years ago at a New York public art festival, Bring to Light. Similar to Nuit Blanche, artists from around the world joined together to create light, sound, and performance installations transforming the industrial Brooklyn streets into an immersive experience for thousands of visitors. Held on the waterfront of Greenpoint, this event felt more intimate than the spectacles of Toronto’s Nuit Blanche.

Every Monday of each week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing. If you would like to see more, please click the ‘Follow’ button.

Photo of the Week: Grand Canyon

January 19, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 1 Comment

Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

The Grand Canyon is awe-inspiring in its vastness and has long been considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. On a clear day you can see sweeping views that stretch out for hundreds of miles in all directions.

The Grand Canyon has always been on my bucket list, so when we were in Vegas for a week in February, we decided to rent a car and drive to Arizona. What I didn’t know was that Arizona can get quite cold in the middle of winter. For some reason, I thought it would always be hot there. Shows how much I know.

Along the road, snow accumulated as we drove further up in elevation. We were not prepared and were not dressed properly for the colder temperatures. So in the end, we drove for 4 hours, ran out of the car for a quick look at the canyon and hurried back inside, away from the biting wind at the rim. We will have to return another time for a hike down to the bottom of the canyon.

Photo of the Week: Blooming

January 12, 2015May 10, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

Kauai, Hawaii, USA

I took this picture of a plumeria flower on my trip to Hawaii a few years ago. This is one of the most common flowers on the island, they bloom everywhere and are typically used to make leis. For me, this flower brings back a lot of memories. Growing up in tropical Viet Nam, I was quite familiar with the fragrant smell of the plumeria, and they say smells strongly associate with memories. When I get a whiff of this sweet smelling flower, it brings back memories of my childhood at my grandmother’s house and makes me feel quite nostalgic.

Autumn in New York

November 21, 2014November 20, 2014 / lifeafter9to5 / 1 Comment

Growing up, I did not like Fall. It signaled the end of summer and the start of a new school year. It also signaled the end of warm weather and the start of snow and frost. Even as an adult, I was not fond of this transitional season. With daylight savings time in effect, the days get shorter and shorter, and before you know it, it’s dark out most of the time. It’s not until I moved to New York that I learned to embrace Fall. If you’ve ever visited the city in the summer, you know it’s a sweltering hot mess. The humidity and the heat make most of New England almost unbearable, but in the city, it’s an incubator for all the horrible smells that just cling to you. In August, when the smell of urine and garbage get to their most unpleasant point, you become happy to embrace the cold brisk air that ushers in the Fall season.

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Hiking Delaware Water Gap

October 22, 2014October 27, 2014 / lifeafter9to5 / 3 Comments

This past weekend when my aunt in New Jersey asked if we wanted to go hiking, we jumped at the opportunity. Even though it’s Fall, in the city the leaves are still green from the warmer weather, so I couldn’t wait to see the changing foliage in the mountains. Since we don’t have a car, this is also a chance for us to explore other hiking trails further away from the city. We are definitely making the most out of our hiking shoes! Continue reading →

New Orleans: French Quarter

October 15, 2014October 27, 2014 / lifeafter9to5 / 3 Comments

Street performer on Bourbon Street.

The French Quarter is the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans and also the one most frequented by visitors. We called it home for the duration of our stay in Louisiana. The French Quarter is a mix of old and new, existing in perfect harmony. Every corner is filled with art and music all day and night. In addition to the many bars and art galleries, you’ll also see artists spreading out their wares on the street, hoping to catch the eyes of passersby.

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New Orleans: Cemetery

October 8, 2014October 27, 2014 / lifeafter9to5 / 1 Comment

Cemeteries are spooky; cemeteries are sad; and if you’re superstitious, cemeteries can be bad luck. So when I told my parents that I wanted to visit the cemeteries in New Orleans, they were not thrilled. However, I think cemeteries can be beautiful; they are full of stories waiting to be told and I couldn’t wait to hear them all.

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New Orleans: Garden District

October 3, 2014October 27, 2014 / lifeafter9to5 / 10 Comments

We are New Yorkers; we walk everywhere. Since we don’t have a car, we get a lot of mileage out of our legs. So when we go to a new city, our inclination is to figure out how to explore that city on foot. Touring a city on foot is the easiest and best way to get a feel for a new area and get in some exercise to work off the extra vacation food. When we got to New Orleans, I was excited to walk around and see the historical cemeteries and beautiful garden district. Continue reading →

Louisiana: Down in the Bayou

October 1, 2014October 27, 2014 / lifeafter9to5 / 4 Comments

It’s a different world down in Louisiana. Driving outside of the city of New Orleans you notice a different landscape where everything is a bit wetter. There is vast marshland with meandering streams leading deep into the swamps, and dotted along the water are houses built on stilts that are as much a part of the bayou as the wildlife.

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Louisiana: Oak Alley Plantation

September 24, 2014October 27, 2014 / lifeafter9to5 / 2 Comments

Getting out of the airport, we were hit with a wave of hot humid air so thick, you can almost feel it enveloping you like a sticky blanket. We’ve arrived in New Orleans. Instead of getting into a cab and heading to the hotel to freshen up like normal sane people, we decided to rent a car and head out to the plantation. Gotta make the most of our time right?

On the outskirts of New Orleans the road was flat for miles on end, and on either side of the highway, swamp land crept up on the pavement. Driving about an hour west from the airport on the Great River Road towards Baton Rouge, you’ll enter Plantation country. Here, on either side of the Mississippi river, you’ll see magnificent old mansions built by rich plantation owners before the Civil War, a relic of yesteryears. These historical landmarks provide the public with a glimpse into bygone days.