Closer to Home: Longwood Gardens

One thing I promised myself growing up is to never stop exploring especially places closer to home. The places close to us become the trips we put off. One can always rationalize that there will always be time to visit, and then sadly for most people, that opportunity never really comes.

So, I am making a point to visit those places closer to home this summer. I am starting at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.

The beautiful things about road trips are the random side trips you end up taking when you stumble upon something beautiful.This covered bridge is one of the few left in Maryland.

and here's Longwood Gardens...

There is more to explore, even close to home.

Destination: Philadelphia

I remember a year ago feeling stumped. I remember wanting to grab my camera and go. Just go, start exploring and never stop. I found I had plenty of things weighing me down. For some time, I let those weights decide my dreams for me. 

I am happy to say that I have rekindled the fire. I have decided to go exploring at the very least every month. I may not yet be able to travel far, but I realized there are always hidden gems close by. I found that to be such a pleasant surprise last week when I decided to go to Philadelphia. It was a city I have never seen and had horribly low expectations for. This city caught me completely by surprise. I found it to be beautiful and charming not for the typical reasons. It is a city of people in costumes and face paint, not out of the ordinary. It is a city where you drive next to duck tours and horse drawn carriages. There is the hussle bussle of a city and a quaint cobblestone path for beautiful brick houses. The variety of a city like Philly, I absolutely love it.