Passenger Conners

Wistful Thinking

Valerie Conners — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:36:49 +0000

Last week marked exactly one year since I quit my job in Manhattan and committed to forging ahead as a freelancer. I knew I was setting myself up for big changes, but I resolved to make this lifestyle work. Slowly, I slid into a path I willfully designed. It’s been one year of growing to [...]

Miami After Dark (or, How I Like to Spend My Noches)

Valerie Conners — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:35:53 +0000

A wise man once crooned, ok, growled, “There ain’t nothin’ like Miami’s heat!” And you know what? He’s right. When Miami wants to turn up the temps, you best learn the routine: grab a beach towel, don a swimsuit and hit the nearest sandy shores. Or, you could find an air-conditioned enclave, I suppose, but [...]

Benvenido a Miami!

Valerie Conners — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 17:14:16 +0000

Oh, come on, now! You didn’t think I’d write my first post about Miami and not prominently feature the finest moment in Golden Girls history, did you? Granted, the clip has nothing to do with my first 2 weeks in Coconut Grove, (and in fact, after chasing a 3-inch long cockroach out of our sublet, I had [...]

The Long and Not-So-Winding Road — And a Giant Shrimp

Valerie Conners — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 23:41:33 +0000

As anyone who’s ever made the road trip south from the Northeast to Florida on I-95 will tell you, highlights along the route are few. There’s the hellacious, bumper-to-bumper traffic between Baltimore and Richmond, Va. that will make you want to poke your eyes out. This, of course, is more of a road trip lowlight, [...]

Let the Adventure Begin … Tomorrow!

Valerie Conners — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:04:06 +0000

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! My apologies. I’m prone to bursting into Little Orphan Annie’s theme song today, knowing that tomorrow — tomorrow! — is the official date of departure for my foray into location independence. Yup, in 14 hours, we’ll hit the road, not as New Yorkers leaving on a trip, but as [...]

The Wheels on the RAV Go ‘Round and ‘Round

Valerie Conners — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 14:00:38 +0000

So how will Passenger Conners — she of no ride to speak of since giving up cars for city-living in 2004 — traverse the great US of A? Low and behold, I’ve bought a car; or co-bought a car, as the case may be. She’s a sweet RAV-4 that will hold all our worldly goods [...]

Passenger Conners, Part Deux: Aw, YEAH, Location Independence

Valerie Conners — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:47:20 +0000

When I returned from 8 months traveling around the globe, I immediately unpacked my backpack, settled back into a life in the Northeast, and enjoyed the simple pleasures of stationary life, which now felt like sheer decadence. I peaced out. There were no planes to catch, no cities to explore, no backpack to unstuff and [...]

The Invisible Geography of New Frontiers

Valerie Conners — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 02:05:12 +0000

“May I have the courage today To live the life that I would love, To postpone my dream no longer But do at last what I came here for And waste my heart on fear no more.” - John O’Donohue* Here’s a secret: If I can’t imagine it, can’t picture what it looks [...]

Traveling Bliss: Bali, Indonesia

Valerie Conners — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:34:42 +0000

Pardon the weeklong postponement of Traveling Bliss, but a stomach bug left me entirely down for the count and decidedly not so … blissful. Earlier today I stumbled upon a Bali expat magazine and while admittedly I only glanced at it, something about seeing glimpses of one of the most striking places I’ve ever traveled coupled with [...]

Traveling Bliss: The Maldives

Valerie Conners — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 11:57:46 +0000

What’s that? You say you’d like to visit Paradise on your next vacay? Excellent. I can help. Get thee to Komandoo Resort in The Maldives, stat. This tiny, private island resort will soothe your soul, wipe your cares away and bring you all that other blissed-out jazz — I promise. It’s a world of faux perfection, [...]