Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
Growing up in Minnesota, you learn two things early: 1. Paul Bunyan may not be real, but he’s real in our hearts. 2. The headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi call the state home. As a land-locked liver who formerly dwelled near 10 lakes within 10 minutes, you miss water. Long for it even. So when I started planning a little birthday shindig for my besties, I decided that there was nothing more important than spending an evening near the sound of aqua making its token gurgles.
Enter the Covington Inn. An amazing tugboat docked at the St. Paul Yacht Club on Harriet Island under the shadow of smaller of the Twin Cities. Was a delighted to stay there? Immensely. Was I charmed by its every detail? Completely. Would I tell you to stay there? Absolutely.
As my love of traveling has evolved, my love of staying in odd places has grown even more. You can always stay at the Holiday Inn, but a Holiday Inn is the same in St. Paul as it is in Santa Fe as it is in Moab as it is in New York. Why shouldn’t our restful hours also be an experience? Why should these bed dwellings also not transport us?
Well, I think they should.
So how does one find experiences like these? I’m here to help. In the case of the Covington Inn, you can simply go check out their website should you find yourself in St. Paul, Minnesota. And as it turns out, the owner wants to move onto her next adventure, so if you want to buy it… well, that might be a worthwhile thing for you.
But this isn’t an ad for the Covington so let’s move onto the rest of my resources:
First, you need to bookmark this site: Design Tripper. This helpful web wonderland compiles all the best places and gives you real user reviews of the accommodations. And truly, these places are not your average dwellings. Treehouses? Check. Yurts? You got it. Vintage charm? Plenty.
Next, skip AirBnB (seriously, the company is full of some questionable people) and check out VRBO. This helpful acronym stands in for Vacation Rentals By Owner. They are really best for amazingly huge places that will host your entire family if they want to get away. This is what my family does and it’s lovely and amazing every single time.
And lastly, make a note of The Guardian’s helpful interactive map, which can be found here. They’ve mapped out all the best/weirdest international hotels and you are the lucky recipient of their hard work.
There’s just something about checking into the “Captain’s Quarters” instead of room 410 that makes travel all the more delightful.
If you really just read this post because you love the movie The Life Aquatic, I’m sorry. But not really. There is plenty of Wes Anderson love in my archive, which you can partake in here.
There is one thing I know for sure: 2015 has been my year of serious Wanderlust. This year, I’ve traveled to Hawaii, Mexico, Italy, Netherlands, Utah, California, Minnesota and Washington. I think there will probably be a few more in there too before the year is over.
Amelie (Amazon Prime)
This is the ultimate movie about France. Forget all the movies that feature the love stories about people going to Paris and kissing under the Eiffel Tower and go straight for the Eiffel Tower of French stories.
Queen (Netflix)
If you’re not much on love stories, then enjoy this story about love lost. This lovely film about a woman whose wedding is canceled just days before the event is one of my favorites I’ve seen as a single lady, because it’s honest and relatable and doesn’t fall into stupid tropes about heartbreak.
Song of the Sea (Amazon Prime)
An animated movie is a necessity on this list. In this case, how about an adorable one about a Celtic family on the sea? The cast is incredible and the art is just pure joy.
Frida (Amazon Prime)
This movie got a ton attention from the Academy Awards in the early 2000s and with good reason. Frida was a real woman of adventure and boldness. She’s the kind of person whose art was inspired by real life - wherever real life may take her.
Kumiko the Treasure Hunter (Amazon Prime)
Imagine traveling across the world to find something extremely obscure and everyone in your life thinks you’re crazy for doing so? Yeah, I may have not gone on a mission to find a long lost tape, but I relate the Kumiko’s tenacity. And the cinematography makes snow look heavenly.
There is one thing I absolutely can never, ever go on a trip without: something to read. All those hours on planes, trains, cars and bus stations can leave a person with hours of free reading time. Can’t let it go to waste. For my recent trip to Italy, I had a very special list of books I wanted to tackle. And thanks to one delayed train and some bad weather in Amsterdam, I got almost all of them read.
Here are the books solo female travelers MUST read on their next trip:
It Chooses You by Miranda July
This book by female director Miranda July makes me cry every time. It’s so funny and endearing, because it’s so human. It chronicles July’s efforts to buy things from the Penny Saver and learn about the people selling their belongings. It seems odd. It is odd. But it’s so lovely.
Bed: Stories by Tao Lin
Tao Lin is just damn funny. SO DAMN FUNNY. And weird. I like funny and weird. And if you do too, you’ll enjoy this collection of crazy.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
You’ve probably heard of the movie. But you know what? This book. This book is really where it’s at. If you’ve ever thought about doing something bold after a breakup or death or firing or anything - you need this book.
Alone with Other People by Gabby Bess
I love poems. People that know me well know that I actually wanted to be a poetry major in college, but it’s an art that not many publishers are willing to explore. Bess’s book is one of the few brilliant new collections of poems to be on the scene in the last few years.
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
A classic. An important crux of women’s history. It’s amazing how many women my age have never read this seminal text. Read it to see how far we’ve come. Read it gasp at how little progress we’ve made. Read it to understand what we must continue to fight for.
A Manual For Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
This book surprised me because it shouldn’t have been interesting to me: it’s literally about cleaning. Well, not entirely. It’s a series of essays that include cleaning references, but it’s really remarkable because it’s so human.
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
You may know this woman because of Beyonce. You just don’t know it yet. She’s the woman on Flawless who perfectly describes feminism. Yes, now you know what I’m talking about. Anyway, her writing is just as brilliant.
What are the books that make your heart pitter patter with feelings and emotions and woos and tears and bursts of laughter in inappropriate places?
Ask someone if they have ever been to Hawaii and they’ll probably tell you they’ve been to Oahu, Maui or Honolulu. And that’s totally fair. Those places are beautiful and comfortable and lovely. If they say, they went to Hawaii’s Big Island - give them a high five. Because it’s a sure fire way to determine that they’re a badass who likes a good adventure.
There’s not doubt that the Big Island makes you work real hard in order to enjoy it. You will absolutely need to pack your Hiking Boots. And in no particular order, I highly recommend picking up:
- A quick wicking towel
- A rashguard along with your swimsuits, especially you ladies
- A water bottle
- Ziploc bags for the sand you are absolutely not going to steal
- Your Kindle! I got so much reading done…
Going to the Big Island and really seeing it means you’re also going to be doing a lot of adventuring that is quite exhausting. Your first stop after the airport should be to a grocery store where you can get appropriately stocked with protein bars, bananas and generally packable snacks that will help replenish your energy levels.
There’s no such thing as a boring drive on the Big Island. The drives either east or west between Hilo and Kona present all kinds of interesting adventures, but if you make your goal seeing three kinds of beaches while there, you’ll have a good map for planning your trip and seeing the entire island in the process.
The first beach to see is a traditional White Sand Beach. The best beach that meets this description on the big island is Makalawena Beach. This beach is about 10 miles outside of Kona. If you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle while there, you can absolutely drive close to this beach over two miles of lava fields, which is damn fun. Or you can park on Highway 19 between mile marker 90 and 91 - and hike the two mile trek over said lava fields. This is also obscenely fun. Either way, bring a book and spend the day hanging out in the driftwood that has washed up on shore. There’s wild goats running about and generally it’s an amazing place to see the beauty of the “Hawaii we know” with the Hawaii people don’t know enough about. You know, the only place in the continental United States with an active volcano.
Once you get back to your car, keeps your eyes peeled for masses of tourists on the other side of Highway 19. The lava field on the other side of the highway is filled with caverns and loose rock, which offer up some daredevilish climbing if you’re in the mood. I scared myself at least twice, but the adrenaline rush was ultimately worth it. Just be careful. I didn’t tell you to climb into old lava holes, let’s remember that.
While you’re still in Kona, you should definitely check out Kona’s Farmer’s Market off Ali'i Drive and La’Aloa Drive. It’s full of fun people watching and there’s the kind of natural, fresh made leis you always imagined wearing actually being made in this market.
Once you leave Kona, you want to make your way to the southern end of the island where you’ll find South Point and Green Sand Beach or Papakolea Beach. This is, again, an adventure, but you’re a geek who wants to feel like you’re experiencing something epic, right? So this is it. South Point is a cliff jumping area just at the end of South Point Park. This is a popular destination for whale watching and swimming. If you’re a decent swimmer, stay in the water and swim to the edges of the cliffs, where you can swim into volcanic caverns that have worn away and created amazing little swimming holes that are so majestically fascinating, it feels like they were manufactured by some kind of high spelunker.
The thing about my trip to the Big Island is that every single stop felt epic. Not “hey that’s cool,” but genuinely, “holy SHIT that’s real.” The feeling of going to South Point and then the green sand beach captures that sentiment perfectly. Once you’ve worn your legs out from swimming, you are now going to continue past South Point to Papakolea Beach, where the sand is literally made of olivine. There are two ways to get there: by back of a nice Hawaiin’s truck or via a 6 mile round trip hike. It’s worth it either way, but I’ll recommend the hike, because I trust you are a badass. And here’s the most amazing thing: I challenge you to walk along this crazy lava and coral mixed coast line and not imagine some kind of land that we have yet to see in Game of Thrones. It’s that amazing and majestic and other worldly. Keep your eyes fixed on the water from time to time while taking water breaks or enjoying a breather, because depending on the time of year, you will definitely be able to clearly spot whales on this particular hike. Once you’ve arrived at the beach, you’re just in for a god damn treat. The science of the green sand is pretty interesting. The sand is actually laced with olivine stone, which is often referred to as Hawaii’s diamond. It’s the byproduct of a cinder cone that was formed nearly 50,000 years ago and since the islands last eruption, the stone has collapsed and eroded in the ocean, creating tiny granules of olive sand.
I could have spent the entire day at this beach and you really should. Pack enough food for the entire day. I promise you, you absolutely will not regret it. However, if you want a ride back, be sure you arrange that. Because at a certain point in the day, the trucks stop coming… at which point, yeah, you’re hoofing it.
After absolutely winning at adventuring on the cliffs of South Point, you will want to make your next day trip to the Black Sand Beach or Punaluʻu Beach. By this point, if your mind isn’t blown by the sheer volume of amazingly strange beaches on this island, I don’t understand you. This beach is easily accessible by car and requires no hiking, so go you! However, this is a great beach for water activities that are a bit more traditional Hawaiin vacation-y. We saw plenty of sea turtles and did lots of shell picking while on this beach, which is kind of crazy, because it literally is solid black. It’s a trip, but a good one. And if you look close, you’ll find some colored granules from those volcanic rock mixed in with the black sand.
All these incredible beaches are only possible because of the volcanos on the island. And of course, you’d really be messing up if you didn’t make the trip to Volcanos National Park to see all the fuss up close.
There are so many things to do here, but I recommend prioritizing a rainforest hike above all else. The sheer volume of amazing little creatures and plant life that you’ll see on a 2 hour hike around this park is astonishing. If you’re lucky Vog levels will be low (volcanic fog) and you’ll be able to get close to the crater.
If you have any interest in astronomy photography, this is the place to do it. I met a Hawaiian local who is a pro while on my trip, check out Koa’s instragram here, who gave me all the most amazing tips for shooting on the island. The number one thing: try to work in the volcano. It creates an epic image like the one at the top of this post.
I basically didn’t know what Hawaii would have to offer in terms of food, but once I discovered Basik Cafe and their Acai bowls, that was the end of trying any other breakfast foods. They’re all phenomenally good, but I recommend the drifter bowl, because who doesn’t want a little chocolate with their breakfast?
After doing all this hiking and walking and work, you’re going to want some protein. I can’t recommend Ultimate Burger enough. Not only are they focused on offering up organic and grass-fed beef, but they’ve made a point of coming up with Hawaii specific concoctions. And if you’re thinking about skipping the fries, just stop thinking that. They are so damn good. After spending hours climbing over lava boulders, they tasted like heaven.
Kona is really where all the best food and coffee can be found in a quick manner. And that coffee thing is key. For coffee, breakfast, lunch or dinner Daylight Mind Coffee Company kills in every category. Ask for a table with a beachside view and you may even spot a manta ray or a whale, depending on the time of day or year.
You can find all of Being Geek Chic’s Geek Travel Guide’s Here.
Shoutout to Koa for the Milky Way pic at the top of the page!
I’ve had the distinct pleasure of spending the better part of the last year getting to know Denver, Colorado. And while most people’s immediate reaction is: OMG, HOW IS LEGAL WEED!?, I promise you, there are lots of amazing things to do in this great American city that don’t involve getting high. That’s not to say you shouldn’t get high, and we do cover that here, but keep an open mind, because it’s about more than blunts.
Driving through Denver is a study in contrasts. On the one hand, it’s so naturally gorgeous with the Rocky Mountains serving as a near constant reminder of outdoor adventure. While the city itself is modern, buzzing and quickly evolving as more people move in. But there’s also pockets of brilliance where these two things so perfectly collide and one of those things is the Denver Botanic Gardens. The near constant sunshine in Denver means that this gem within the city is absolutely stunning year round, even in the winter. Spend an afternoon walking through the gardens and taking in the sheer brilliance of the design and artistry of the landscapers working there.
While the Denver Public Library on Broadway may not seem like a logical place to send you on your vacation, this library has a particularly impressive set of collaborations going on year round, like Volume Denver, which aims to catalogue the city’s local music scene.
If you’re looking for a day trip to really do the mountain thing, I recommend a drive down I25 to experience Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs and Pike’s Peak in one swift trip.
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Spend your morning on the old Cog Railway in Manitou Springs. The roundtrip is about 2 hours, but it takes you to the top of Pike’s Peak where you not only will have ample opportunity to cuddle with your friends and family, but you can partake in a wonderful homemade donut and some coffee while looking out on some truly gorgeous views.
Once back down for the mountain tops, swing through the Garden of the Gods to have an Indiana Jones like hike through one of the most stunning public parks in the entire country. The well-maintained trails and picnic areas mean you’ll have a fantastic and healthy afternoon.
When you’re done hiking, spend your evening on South Broadway, taking in the quirky shops. Ironwood is an absolute requirement. It’s mix of natural items like rare stones and plants are the perfect souvenir. They’ve also got an incredible collection of vintage art and objects, but the true magic is in the back, where they house some of the coolest jewelry in all of Colorado.
Down the street, you’ll find Hazel and Dewey, a shop specializing in kitchen, dining and bar accessories, including the most eclectic mix of salts you can find anywhere. Scoop up the Honey Salt for some of the best homemade popcorn. Cross the street and you’ll encounter Fancy Tiger Crafts. Crafty geeks will lose their minds here, because the sheer volume of the available materials is just nuts. Whether you love knitting, crocheting, quilting or even felting - this shop is one of the largest and certainly the most unique in the region.
If you’ve got some time, head to the West side of South Broadway for Antique Alley, which is a few blocks of antique shops that carry everything from art to jewelry to furniture. If you want to get really nerdy, you must hit up 5280s, a vintage store dedicated to all things 80s. Think clothing, toys, kitchen wares and everything in between.
Of course, this guide would not be complete and frankly a total failure if we didn’t mention Mile High Comics, one of the largest comic book shops in the world. If you’ve been on the hunt for a back issue of basically anything ever, you may just be able to find it here. It’s an easy place to loose a few hours, but it’s always worth it.
For your late night enjoyment, hit up 1Up Arcade on Blake. The retro gaming bar has resisted the temptation to appeal to all the people in the world and still caters mostly to geeky sorts. It’s easy to lose lots of hours and lots of quarters in this fantastic little bar.
For a quick bite, it’s hard not to pick Pizzeria Locale. If you love wood-fire pizza, then this is an easy way to go. The Margherita is simple and delicious, but ask for extra basil. The side of meatballs is the perfect appetizer and tastes just like those found in Italian family kitchens. And it’s all topped off by the perfect and delicious Budino, a butterscotch pudding dessert that is far better than it has any right to be.
This may come as a total shock to you, but you need to get sushi in Denver. Izakaya Sushi Den is the best sushi outside of Japan. In fact, you may swear you are in Japan. After you’ve stuffed your face with totally delicious sushi, head down Broadway to Sweet Action. This ice cream shop is a delightful place with new flavors daily. And here’s the thing: the Vegan ice creams are better than most normal ice creams in your grocery’s dairy freezer.
For Colorado specific fare, check out Root Down, which is one of the few farm to table restaurants in the city. The Pistachio Arepa is just beyond wonderful and the drinks have a lot of personality too. For a late night warm up, head to D Bar for the hot chocolate. Despite the fact that they recently discontinued my favorite thing on the menu (the hot chocolate flight… you are missed) the home-made melted marshmallows and chantilly lace whip cream ensure this is the best hot chocolate you’ve had in your life.
Breakfast lovers should hit up Sugar Bake Shop for their homemade Pop Tarts. There is no doubt that you haven’t had a Pop Tart like this one. For a quick cup of coffee, I’m all about Aviano Coffee in Cherry Creek. While the staff are never as friendly as they should be, their coffee and general ambience makes up for it.
Driven by so many people wanting to tour Denver, there are a plethora of new hotels worthy of checking out. The Curtis Hotel might seem corny at first, but as a nerd, you’ll appreciate the thematic take on the design. Deemed a “pop culture” hotel, each floor is themed after a different TV show, movie or part of our popular media. Nearby, the Teatro Hotel feels like a historic Scottish hunting lodge, which is perfect for the anglophile gone west.
Denver is geographically huge and as a result, it has a ton of fun and interesting neighborhoods, but perhaps the most convenient place to rest your head is at the new Crawford Hotel within Union Station. This is partially because the new Union Station is totally gorgeous and amazing. Plus, it has everything for the perfect little romantic weekend.
One such example of the perfect romance creating setting is Bloom, a local flower shop, which has a small stand downstairs with some of the most beautiful and creative arrangements you’ll ever set eyes on. After buying your honey a floral delight, walk across the Station to Terminal Bar, which screams of Denver history. Major history and transportation nerds will love the whole look and feel of this place. The setting is relaxing and comfortable and the menu is straight up fun with plenty of great twists on old school drinks. It’s spendy, but great for a Happy Hour stop when your feet are tired.
There are pot shots everywhere in Denver now and most of them carry the same things and the prices are all very competitive. But, there are a few places that cater to newbies a heck of a lot more than others. If you want a very proper and professional experience, go to The Clinic, which feels… well, a lot like going to the pharmacy. Their staff are knowledgeable and kind and can answer nearly any question. For a more local flavor, try Sacred Seed. When you imagine legal pot shops, this is probably what you’re envisioning. This place is all about enjoying the ride, so don’t be surprised if you just end up wanting to hang out there for the afternoon.
You can find all of Being Geek Chic’s Geek Travel Guide’s Here.
