We recently took advantage of a long weekend and went to Chengdu.
Chengdu is the capital of China’s Sichuan province in the Western part of China. It is known for its delicious food and as the home of the Giant Pandas.
Tokyo, Japan
This spring we had the opportunity to visit Tokyo. It was a chance to explore a new city and catch up with dear friends. We were also lucky enough to have family join us. T loved have his Yeye travel with him!
Boracay, Philippines
We realized recently that we never posted our video from our Chinese New Year Holiday in Boracay. Enjoy!
Thailand
In January we spent a week in Thailand getting over jet lag before returning to work. Enjoy a quick video of our time:
Hong Kong
In late November we took our annual trip to Hong Kong. This time it was a dual celebration for Thanksgiving weekend and of course, A’s birthday.
A view of the harbor from our hotel.
Admiring the skyline while riding the Star Ferry.
Hong Kong!
Using the selfie stick (View of Hong Kong Island from Kowloon side).
Smiles!
Hong Kong knows how to celebrate Christmas!
A gracious birthday surprise from the wonderful people at our hotel (Renaissance).
Night view of central Hong Kong.
Happy Birthday Mama!
Breakfast with a view.
Playing in the sand at Repulse Bay.
Repulse Bay group selfie.
South Korea
In October we visited South Korea, specifically Seoul. We also took a day trip out to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) separating North Korea and South Korea. It was a short but enjoyable trip. The weather was gorgeous, the food was delicious and we were able to see some of the main attractions. Seoul is a fun, efficient and clean city full of life and style. Visiting the DMZ was unique, and humbling, and offered a very informative and reflective experience. 
A look at the city below from the top of Seoul Tower.
Indulging in the complimentary popcorn provided with a ticket into the tower (Looking out at family and friends).
Looking towards our home.
A bathroom with a view (and one that encourages to take a picture).
Entrance to the DMZ.
T posing with a South Korean MP.
A look into North Korea. Hard to see but that’s a giant DPRK flag blowing in the wind just inside the border, surrounded by a small town.
Waiting for the train to Pyongyang at Dorasan Station, the last stop in South Korea. The tracks and stop already exist for when there is peace and one Korea.
Summer Highlights 2016
We are behind, very far, like 6 months. The good news, we hope to post quite frequently over the next few weeks to get caught up. First on that list, Summer highlights. We had a busy summer after packing up all our stuff and moving out of Shanghai. We stopped in California to visit with friends, toured the ESPN campus in Bristol, CT, went to a trampoline park where T proceeded to break his leg on our third day home, saw the eventual World Series Champions, Chicago Cubs, get pounded by the Mets at Citi Field, toured the Freedom Tower and spent lots of time with family and friends, which was capped off by celebrating T’s 3rd birthday just prior to us moving to Beijing. Without further ado, here are the highlights…
016 and enjoy.
Duh-Nuh-Nuh…Duh-Nuh-Nuh!
In July we visited the ESPN Main Campus, or studios, located in Bristol, CT. Thanks to As sister we were allowed to tour the facilities and see some behind the scenes action for television and radio shows such as SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, Mike & Mike and more.
Bs family came with us for the experience. It was a cool way to spend a summer afternoon. T and B got to sit on the set of SportsCenter, pretending to host.
California Love
Between the conclusion of our three year stay in Shanghai and the beginning of our adventures in Beijing we had four weeks of summer.
Our summer vacation started with a trip to the Bay Area in Northern California. We spent time with friends in both San Francisco and Oakland. Highlights included biking the Golden Gate Bridge, dining in Salsolito, hiking in Muir Woods and playing at Muir Beach.
Muir Woods & Muir Beach
Golden Gate Bridge
Oakland
Oriental Pearl Tower
Another check on the Shanghai bucket list, the Oriental Pearl Tower. After a quick bank trip in the famous skyline district of Lujiazui we elected to tour the magnificent Pearl Tower. Once again, we discovered that most tourists were not present in the afternoon. There was essentially no lines and we were able to go straight up to the top. It was a cloudy day but you could see across the skyline, at least until we got up to the top. The real surprise turned out to be inside the top sphere, there was a glass floor all the way around looking down on the minuscule cars, boats, people and streets. Additionally we were able to see out at some of the other spectacular skyscrapers within the city.
Ni hao Shanghai
Lujiazui
Looking for boats
Team selfie on the floor
Looking straight down at the Pearl Tower
Rolling around and laughing on the glass floor
The Adventures of Brianja 