The Mania of Travel

Tips for Adventures, a Book + a Recipe

Before I start I have to acknowledge the recent insanity that’s been happening around our country, and in LA specifically. I’m not sure I can say anything new or particularly enlightening on the subject. But, speaking as a restaurant owner, I can say that immigrants are the reason we are in business. They are the members of my team who’ve been some of the most loyal and hard-working. They continue to give 110% despite having two, even three jobs. It’s not the first time that mass dehumanization has happened on US soil, but in 2025 – delivered straight from our ‘leader’ – it’s deeply unsettling (understatement). No matter how you choose to fight back – marching, having conversations offline (my preferred method), donating, learning about the (often invisible) work that immigrants do every day to make your life as a consumer easier – I hope you keep fighting. Now, back to the show.

Here with another non-food-heavy installment. This time, I’m including the travel habits I swear by (none groundbreaking, but might help anyone who feels travel anxiety/overwhelm; scroll past if you just want the books and food!), a recap of the book I mentioned last week, and a quick recipe. Truth be told, though I’ve been reading up a storm lately, I’ve been completely uninspired in the kitchen. Whether it’s world events, or the fact that I’m attempting to eat much more protein, I’m just off my game. Hoping to kick myself into gear over the next stretch because the markets are, as the kids say, giving (today’s haul alone included cherries, apricots, white nectarines, summer squash, tomatoes, dandelion greens, long beans, broccolini, little gems, so many herbs). Would love to know if you’d rather I just stick to books and recipes, or if you’d like to see more diverse content. Okay. Onward!

Travel

I’m not sure when I turned into a travel organization freak. But sometime between 35-40 I became a list-making maniac. I never ever check a bag (only on the way home if it’s necessary to haul precious/delicate purchases). Read on for my tips.
Note: None of these are affiliate links. Obviously if you know me you know I have no idea how to do that lol.

Packing:

• I keep five master travel lists in the Notes app. One for road trips (this includes ingredients that I won’t find in AirBnbs, good knives, etc.); one for domestic travel; one for traveling abroad; one toiletry/pills list (yes, my supplements need their own list; let them live!); one for the carry-on plane bag. This has worked like a charm to offset any packing anxiety. I travel extremely light and use the lists as a framework within which I can get more specific – but that usually doesn’t change the number of items I bring. Like everyone I try to pack clothes that can be worn multiple ways across multiple outfits. I have also become *obsessed* with wool everything for my workout gear. It’s cut what I usually bring in more than half! Highly recommend Tracksmith for wool (and amazing sports bras).

• I keep my toiletry bag locked and loaded so I don’t have to repack it every time I leave – I just throw it in my suitcase and go. I never bring full bottles so don’t risk leaving anything on my counter at home, and keep doubles in the case (deodorant, i.e.). For decanting, I love Cadence cases. I obviously have double chargers, too, so I don’t forget/have to think.

• Wrinkle release spray, now and forever. Steamers take up too much space.

• I live in LA so rest assured I take a minimum of 20 supplements a day to stay alive. I finally have come up with a system to temper my insanity: tiny plastic bags. I’m talking 2”x 2”. I pack one AM and one PM bag per travel day so I just toss them in my bag/pocket for the full day out. Bad for the environment, good for my brain. Pretty sure my last AirBnb host assumed I was a drug addict… and in a way, I am.

Planning

• As a non-app junkie, Timeshifter is basically the only specialty app I use/pay for. On its face it sounds like hokey Huberman optimization but it’s truly changed my jetlag game. As in I have none. Ever. Simply input your sleep habits and flight info and it spits out a tailored schedule in which you reset your circadian rhythm for whatever time zone you’re flying into/out of. Invest in an eye mask, too. Makes all the difference.

• Before a trip I make categorial lists in the Notes app (Eat, Art, Buy, Misc) of everything I want to do in a given city. Then I divide the list up into days/neighborhoods (this gives me an idea of the smartest way to jigsaw in as much as possible while still remaining loose – as in nothing is formally planned). For travelers like me who like to squeeze the life out of each day, it’s ‘scheduled’ without being demented. The only plans I usually set in stone are special lunches and dinners. With those as my anchors I go about the rest of the day and never feel like I’m missing anything.

Present

• I also use my Notes app to document each day, memo-style. As in ‘Rochelle Canteen for lunch. So much pepper on the salad in a good way. Do this at home!’ ‘5-mile run in Victoria Park. Saw greyhound puppies!’ ‘Bought too much at London Review Bookshop.’ I looooove looking back on my days spent traveling. It’s a great reminder of the joy of adventure, and an excellent source for recommendations for friends. I write down my favorite meals/flavors so I can try to recreate them at home, too.

• This is obvious and might seem counterintuitive considering the OCD-ness of the above but… live in the moment. On my May trip to London I decided to get a massage because my — cough — 20+ miles a day were catching up to me. I found the most amazing masseuse named Fabrizio on a website called Treatwell and we spent 75 minutes talking about his 30+ years spent in London. I left with a huge list of new things to do that I never would’ve known about, plus a list of British TV shows to watch back home. Truly one of the highlights of the trip!

Read

I promised you I’d update you on Nova Scotia House (written by Charlie Porter, pub. 2025). This book is so special. It’s one of those that’s written with barely any punctuation, so it lulls and pulls and lures you through the pages. There’s a plot but the beauty is in the storytelling itself. Our narrator is Johnny, who, at 19 in 1990s London, meets Jerry, an HIV-positive man in his early 40s. Before Johnny, Jerry has never settled down, but their connection is instant, and soon enough Johnny is living in Jerry’s flat at 1 Nova Scotia House. We know from the beginning that this relationship cannot last. Jerry will die. Before he does, he teaches Johnny how to live: how to tend to a garden, make tomato sauce, make the bed. Johnny becomes Jerry’s caretaker and confidant. The entirety of the book’s narration takes place in the early 2010s, looking back in time. Johnny is still living at 1 Nova Scotia House with all its memories. In a way the book feels like a dream. The prose would feel unbound and loose if not for its depth and brutal honesty. You can’t get lost in that. I hope you read this book. It’s really stayed with me.

Buy it: It’s not available in the US yet, but you can purchase it from Blackwell’s (which I finally visited in person in Oxford and can attest to its amazingness! Support them!).

Eat

Like I said…I’ve been more than uninspired lately. So when I had 2 sad bananas on the countertop and didn’t want to freeze them for smoothies, I mashed them, mixed in some coconut and made naturally sweetened macaroons! Easy peasy and actually kinda great. I promise I’ll be better about recipes as summer progresses.

Banana Macaroons
Makes 6 macaroons plus one baby

2 ugly bananas
1 cup desiccated coconut
Pinch salt
1 vanilla bean / 1 teaspoon extract / paste
Dark chocolate (I used about ¾ bar), melted (you know I fuck with 100% but you do you!)

Preheat your oven to 350F and line a small baking sheet with parchment. Mash the bananas in a bowl and mix in the coconut, salt and vanilla. Mix well. I used a 3-tbs-sized ice cream scoop but you can use anything to scoop the batter onto the sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes, rotating halfway through, until lightly browned on the bottom. While the cookies cool, melt the chocolate. When the macs are fully cooled, dip them in the chocolate and let set. Enjoy!