I get “lake life” now.
Unexpectedly finding pure happiness on a small Michigan lake
A background tune for reading this newsletter:
I live in Michigan where I’m fully surrounded by five massive Great Lakes, and sometimes, when the conditions are just right, they seem like oceans. Then we have other lakes, smaller but still sizable enough that you can’t see the other side.
And on these Great Lakes and smaller-but-still-sizable lakes, you’ll usually see pontoon boats, canoes, kayaks, and other water-related things that I’m slowly realizing I know nothing about. (... and maybe yachts? There’s gotta be some yachts out there, right?)
I’ve noticed people are always talking about heading to “the lake.” And I’m always wondering what exactly is so great about “the lake.” I’ve been to lakes. I’ve been to so many lakes! The thing about lake life is that I’ve never understood it until last week. I thought I kind of did, but oh, I did not. After last week, with the perfect A-frame cabin booked (and my first overnight trip in 14 months! Ah!) right on a perfect, quiet lake, I finally understand it — I understand lake life.
I found an unexpected escape on the tiniest of lakes (tiny to me only because our Great Lakes are so massive that all other lakes seem small in comparison) hidden in the forest of a town about an hour east of the more popular Traverse City (Wine! Cherries! Beer! Film festivals!). But this lake — this tiny, secluded lake — came to me at that idyllic time just before life starts to ramp up and you look back and think, “I’m glad I fit that lake trip in.”
Was it the deafening silence of the location that moved me? Or the fact that we’d have to drive 30 minutes to the nearest store? Or maybe knowing that no one was around to see us kayak for the first time ever? (I couldn’t stop laughing but oh was it pure happiness being out there on a little kayak rowing for my life so as not to tip over out of fear.)
One evening I sat on the dock and placed my bare feet in the water, kicking them up and down and around the water like a child, and I was moved by how something as simple as that could feel so freeing and calming.
Another evening I went fishing. Terribly. Like, very terribly. But even that felt majestic and profound, like I was Brad Pitt in A River Runs Through It.
What was it about this particular lake that got to me, though? Out of all the lakes, this one? There is a peacefulness to nature that is often talked about but is only really felt at certain times in certain places. This tiny lake and the surrounding trees beckoned me to observe and be in awe, to really pause and reflect on my surroundings but also on this moment in time — this first trip out into the world after a challenging pandemic year.
And while it was still a secluded and COVID-safe trip, it still felt like a huge step for me after an extremely cautious 14 months. So maybe that’s it; the perfect moment in time where everything aligned and I was able to fully be in it all.
Maybe now I’ll buy a piece of home decor that says “Lake Life” or “Live, Laugh, Lake” in cursive. (Probably not, though.)
Natalie
Good Trip Contributing Writer
Local’s Corner
Hi, Good Trip Founder Brandy here 👋. This week I’m taking over Local’s Corner to give you a little glimpse into life in São Paulo. I’m an American who freelances as a brand marketing consultant by day and runs Good Trip by night (...more like afternoons in between client work).
(Psst… want to know more about why I started Good Trip?)
Where I want to travel next, post-COVID:
I moved to Brazil almost three years ago, but I still have so much of the country I’d like to see! It’s the fifth largest country in the world and filled with stunning parks, beaches and wildlife, and so far I feel like I’ve only gotten a glimpse, especially because I’ve stayed only in the state of São Paulo the past year and a half.
I would love to see more of the Northeast, where there are beaches with clear blue water, and Chapada dos Veadeiros and Chapada Diamantina, national parks with trails and waterfalls.
My favorite local spot within a 15 minute walk of my apartment:
São Paulo has one of the best restaurant scenes around, but Mexican food is surprisingly hard to come by in Brazil — well, good Mexican food. So lucky me that the best Mexican restaurants in São Paulo are within a walk of my apartment! Lupe has delicious cocktails, guac and fish tacos, and the new Losdos is a literal hole in the wall with sidewalk tables that serves up authentic street tacos.
My favorite local-to-São Paulo snack or food I can't get enough of:
I’m a sucker for bar food in the U.S., which has translated to my love of bar food in Brazil too. My favorite Brazilian food is pastel, a sort of fried dumpling with fillings like cheese, ground beef, heart of palm or shrimp. It’s like a Brazilian Hot Pocket and in every bar. Paired with a caipirinha, it’s *chefs kiss*.
The book, movie or TV show people should check out to get a feel for São Paulo:
This one is hard because I feel like most good Brazilian shows or movies take place in Rio or elsewhere, and there aren’t enough that properly capture São Paulo! That being said, Brazillionaires is a great read on the wealth inequality in Brazil and delves into cultural issues that help you better understand the country too.
Also, the “Striking Vipers” episode of Black Mirror doesn’t take place in São Paulo in the story, but was filmed here, and you can get a sense of the unique architecture. São Paulo is often used as a filming location for an unspecified big city because it’s huge but doesn’t have very distinguishable landmarks or buildings.
An ideal day for me in São Paulo (during non-COVID times):
Each neighborhood in São Paulo has a different feel, so I love going to another neighborhood, walking around, wandering in shops, cafe/restaurant/bar hopping. It’s especially fun to do this in Centro, the historical center. It’s been a bit down-and-out and some parts I wouldn’t advise walking in, but other areas are being revitalized quickly. The architecture is beautiful — from the 1930s-1950s — and much different than where I live in Pinheiros, which is more like the Williamsburg of São Paulo.
It’s hard to remember these days now, but I would end the day drinking some ice cold chopp (draft beer) outside on a sidewalk table of a boteco with friends.
The place I’ve traveled to that I’d like to go back to:
There are two places I feel like I could return to once a year and never get tired of them: Italy and New Orleans. Both are so full of life and the most yummy, belly-filling food. I’ve been to both places three times each with many different groups of people in my life, and they’re always a blast, no matter who you’re with.
The song I currently have on repeat:
No shame here: it’s 100% “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo. I’m obsessed with the debut album of that angsty teen and I’m gobbling it up. All I want is for karaoke to return so I can belt out the bridge.
Off to eat a lunch that looks nothing like this one…
