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Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Nicole Ari Parker

By Jae-Ha Kim, Tribune Content Agency on

Best known for her work in "Soul Food" and "The Deep End," actress Nicole Ari Parker won rave reviews for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in Broadway's "A Streetcar Named Desire." For her latest project, she has teamed up with her husband, actor Boris Kodjoe, to co-host Fox Television's lifestyle chat program, "The Boris and Nicole Show." Besides acting, Parker co-founded Sophie's Voice Foundation (www.sophiesvoicefoundation.org), to raise awareness for global health and wellness initiatives in multicultural communities. The fashionista also created Save Your Do, a stylish headband for women who work out. Fans may follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nicolearip.

Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?

A. Paris. I love Paris because I love everything French. I am a true Francophile. As a little girl, I said I was going to save Paris for the love of my life and I didn't make it there until I was 33, when Boris proposed and took me there by train from his hometown in Germany. But I also love Fiji, Cabo and Ghana.

Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?

A. My neighbors were from a small island in the West Indies called Montserrat, near Antigua. In 1995, the island was destroyed by a volcano. I used to go there with them every summer as a child. I also spent a lot of summers in North Carolina, where my grandmother lived, picking blackberries and catching lightening bugs. My mom's whole family lived on one street called The Hill. I had cousins and second cousins, aunts and great aunts, all in one place.

Q. What's the most important thing you've learned from your travels?

 

A. To respect other cultures. When I'm traveling, I try to learn basic greetings and customs of some of the indigenous people. I'm also a foodie, so I'll try anything from pupusas in Guatemala to the hot pepper sauce in Ghana. I make it a point to go off the tourist track and find where "the real action" is. I'll go to a church service, a local market and a hole-in-the-wall night club, all in one weekend, to get a sense of how people live.

Q. Have you traveled to a place that stood out so much that you felt compelled to incorporate it into your work?

A. As an artist, I sometimes am lucky enough to do research about a place that will inform the development of the role I'm playing. For example, when I was on Broadway playing Blanche Dubois in Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire," I was able to visit and dive into the rich history of the French Quarter in New Orleans. The food, the smells, the history and the heat all helped me shape that character. Standing in front of the building where Tennessee Williams wrote the play was quite a treat.

Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?

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