Does your travel bug need reviving?
5 shows to keep those old travel cravings alive and well
A background tune for reading this newsletter:
I can’t be the only one who has undoubtedly lost the ability to differentiate between good and bad television during this pandemic. My brain, sorry to report, is now just in constant search of anything that will quickly and easily quell the ennui and boost the wanderlust that I sometimes think I’m losing after more than 12 months of staying put. My list of streaming services? Growing. The contents of my recent queue? Embarrassing enough to not share the full list with Good Trip’s readers. The following is a list of the five shows I can admit to watching relatively shame-free that have helped keep my traveling spirit alive:
Ramy: I’ve yet to finish season 2 of this Hulu comedy, but I found the first season’s bold attempt at depicting the identity issues of a millennial first-generation immigrant touching, funny, relatable (any other first-gens out there?), occasionally awkward, and refreshing to see on screen. Plus, who doesn’t love a good dance scene featuring Robyn’s “Ever Again”? Without giving too much away, the end of the season leads Ramy to visit his grandfather in Egypt, and oh, it just breaks my heart but also makes me miss visiting my family’s own homeland of Macedonia.
Killing Eve: I know. You’ve all watched it. Or someone’s told you to watch it. But I mean, really, you should watch it. I’m living proof you don’t have to be a diehard Grey’s Anatomy fan to appreciate Sandra Oh’s incredible range. This British dark comedy-drama will take you all over the world and make you contemplate if there’s something deeply wrong with you for sympathizing with assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer). It’s hard to not want to hop on a plane after getting caught up in the intrigue, spies, glamorous wardrobe and apartments, and the number of times Villanelle says “Eve Polastri.”
Grand Designs: Watching me watch this show is embarrassing… for me. Mainly because I assume host Kevin McCloud can hear me audibly agree with him as he subtly roasts all of the couples trying to build their dream homes across the U.K. I’m usually drinking tea, sitting up engulfed in a blanket, in awe of the scenery while also questioning everyone’s interior design choices once their architecturally impressive homes are built. I’m equal parts jealous and inspired after watching, and there’s that added bonus of accumulating more cities for the ol’ travel list.
That one episode of 30 Rock: In the last episode of season 5, all Liz Lemon wants to do is escape to the cottage she rented out in the Hamptons after a stressful couple of months. On her to-do list: be outdoors, wear shapeless clothing, do some gardening, and learn Spanish. And because this is an episode of 30 Rock, nothing goes as planned and Ina Garten is not in fact her neighbor. But the sentiment is there and I too want to go to there, Liz. Except maybe I’ll choose Montauk instead and Ina Garten will miraculously make an appearance.
Chef’s Table. Specifically, Nancy Silverton’s episode: Nancy opens the episode saying, “I think you have to be obsessed with bread to be a baker.” And the cadence in which she says this simple line is the reason I love this episode/show. The immediacy of her obsession with bread and food and creation; it’s almost unbelievable. What truly reawakens my need to travel is the last ten minutes, when we see Nancy on a Vespa in the Italian countryside of Panicale, Umbria. She’s describing how she came to fall in love with cheese in Rome (Who doesn’t love a good cheese meet-cute?) that led her to open up a mozzarella bar. Later, she’s casually doing cardio with a gorgeous backdrop of Umbria and you guys, it’s just an absolute dream of a time.
Are there any shows you’ve been watching that have reinspired your need to journey out in the world once it’s safe to do so?
Natalie
Good Trip Contributing Writer
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Local’s Corner
We’re pivoting to the West Coast this week with Los Angeles-based comedian and podcast host Geoffrey James! If you’re not already familiar with his work over at the Headgum podcast network, we suggest you immediately subscribe to The Headgum Podcast and Review Revue. Good Trip’s own Natalie makes an impressive and only mildly hyperbolic claim that his podcasts (and all of Headgum’s podcasts, really) are responsible for at least 75% of her laughs throughout this isolating pandemic.
The song he has on repeat:
I’ve been diving into Steely Dan recently. I know it’s insane to be like “Hey, go listen to their entire catalogue,” so I’ll just shout out their song “Black Cow.” It’s hard not to dance to that one.
I also can’t stop listening to “Victoria” by The Kinks and “So Much Love” by Dusty Springfield. Sorry for picking three!
Where he wants to travel next, post-COVID:
I really want to make a trip to Livingston, Montana this summer and stay for a week by myself. It’s this little picturesque mining town near Yellowstone. The stargazing is supposed to be amazing, and you never know when you might run into one John Clayton Mayer. The jury’s still out on whether solo travel is empowering or just sad, so I’ll be sure to follow up if I go through with it.
The place he’s traveled to that he’d like to go back to:
I did a post-grad trip to Ireland, Scotland, and Amsterdam a few years ago with two of my buddies where we hit a new city every day for 10 days. It was super fun and adrenaline-filled, but it was also kind of a bummer because we only got to spend a couple hours in each place.
The Scottish Highlands, specifically, is one of the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous places I’ve ever been to. I’d love to go back and spend a couple days in Glencoe. There’s an old pub there at the Clachaig Inn, which I think has been around for like 600 years. It’s probably my favorite bar I’ve ever been to. They have genuine Guinness on tap, a pool table, and an old-ass stone fireplace. What more could you want?
His favorite local spot within a 15-minute walk of his apartment:
I live in Echo Park in Los Angeles, which is my favorite place I’ve lived in the city because there’s so much to do in such a little area, so it really feels like a neighborhood-neighborhood.
My favorite local spot is Park Drive. It’s a beautiful hilltop street that borders Elysian Park. I love walking up the massive public stairs that lead to it and just admiring the view. On one side you can see the Downtown LA skyline, on the other side you can see the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory. You can also access some great hikes from there. It’s quintessential LA.
His favorite local-to-LA snack or food he can’t get enough of:
If I’m being good, it’s a breakfast bowl from honey hi in Echo Park. If I’m being bad, it’s Dave’s Hot Chicken. And let’s just say… I’m rarely good (laughs way too hard, chokes on gum, nobody tries to help).
The TV show people should check out to get a feel for LA:
I feel like New Girl kind of gets it right. It’s definitely white-washed, and nobody can afford to live in that loft. But they used to film around the Arts District, which is where I used to work, so I would watch the show and see the same places I’d pass on my daily commute. Also, the bar in the show is modeled after a real bar called The Prince in Koreatown, which my friends and I actually love going to because you can always nab a booth.
His ideal day in LA (during non-COVID times):
I wake up to a tear-stained pillow, take a walk around my neighborhood, and grab Canyon Coffee from wherever’s serving it (usually honey hi—is it weird to plug them twice?). I go home and play guitar on my back deck until it feels like I’m annoying my neighbors, then I beg my friends to go to a thrift store where we probably won’t buy anything (shoutout to The Bearded Beagle in Highland Park for having the coolest vintage tees you can’t afford). Cap the night off with tacos and mezcal margs at Salazar and a bonfire at my house, and you’ve got yourself the perfect LA day.
Honorable mention: going to The Satellite in Silver Lake for Dance Yourself Clean, a dance party that used to happen every Saturday. We lost her to COVID, unfortunately. RIP DYC!
Read all about it
For the past year, we’ve been transporting ourselves to places far away via The New York Times’ photo series “The World Through a Lens.”
The latest, “A Cyclist on the English Landscape,” is extra dreamy!
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