Travel: Up North.

Sometimes you’ve just got to get out of your element. Or back into one that you used to inhabit to remind yourself how far you’ve come. I grew up in Michigan, on the east side of the state. I had long planned to visit the Sleeping Bear Dunes and The Grand Hotel but never really made time for it. The visits proved to be both surprising and unsurprising, charmingly authentic and touristy-fake. At times I found myself taking long, slow exhales. Breathing in the cool, crisp forest air. At other times, this world felt foreign and scary and like I was stepping into the past (not in a good way). I found a lot of things that provided inspiration, as well as introspection. I think that’s what travel is meant to do! Here’s a look at what I did, where I went and what I thought.

Pyramid Point in Sleeping Bear Dunes

Lake Leland AirBnb

Lake Leelanau Airbnb called Hyggestay (on instagram)

The most charming, Harless+ Hugh Coffee Shop in Bay City

The cozy home of my friend Kristi, in Bay City.