Travel

/

Home & Leisure

Celebrity Travel: Go Away With 123 Andrés

By Jae-Ha Kim, Tribune Content Agency on

Andrés: I was born in Bogotá, which is a huge city tucked in between the Andes mountain range and it's surrounded by a lovely countryside with green mountains. One day, we were driving in Northern California and when I looked up, I felt an incredible sense of déjà vu. Sonoma County is so similar to the area surrounding Bogotá. On those two-lane highways spotted by cows and eucalyptus trees, surrounded by endless green, I thought I was in Boyacá or Cundinamarca province in Colombia. It was magical.

Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you're on the road?

Christina: Every place has specialty foods and delicacies and it's hard to resist. One memorable experience was in Nashville when we went to Monell's, a true family-style restaurant. They seat you at a huge table with perfect strangers and you make conversation as you pass dishes around the table with fried fish, potatoes, cornbread and more. By the end of the meal you may have made a new friend.

Andrés: For me it's Prohibition Creamery, a spot in Austin that serves spirits-infused ice cream. We get to visit Austin a few times a year for concerts and we always try to make it to Prohibition Creamery. Another spot we love is 85 Degrees C Bakery. It's a chain café that we first experienced in California but has spread east -- now they're in Texas, too! They serve specialty coffee drinks and Christina loves their bubble tea. The best part is the amazing Taiwanese-style breads and pastries. Rolls filled with red bean paste? Taro puff pastry? Matcha buns? Yes, please!

Q. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?

 

Christina: Traveling as much as we do, a little snafu can easily turn into a logistics disaster. One time we landed in Mammoth Lakes near Lake Tahoe. I walked up to the rental car counter only to learn that I had scheduled the reservation to pick up the day before we landed. Since we had been marked as a no-show, they had given our car away and in the height of ski season, there were no rental cars available for miles around. Luckily there was a near miracle and within a few hours a car materialized. But I always double and triple check our reservations now.

Andrés: There are definitely more beautiful memories than stressful ones. One time in south Texas, a family invited us to breakfast at their home the morning after our concert, because their little girl was so in love with our music. We have experienced so much generosity and love from fans and perfect strangers. When we travel, we've learned that when we radiate kindness and joy, that is the same energy that we will receive in return.

========

(Jae-Ha Kim is a New York Times bestselling author and travel writer. You can respond to this column by visiting her website at www.jaehakim.com. You may also follow "Go Away With..." on Twitter at @GoAwayWithJae where Jae-Ha Kim welcomes your questions and comments.)


(c) 2019 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

 

 

Comics

Darrin Bell Working it Out Flo & Friends Gary Markstein Hagar the Horrible Al Goodwyn