Celebrity Travel: Go away with Jocko Sims

Jocko Sims portrays Dr. Floyd Reynolds on the NBC medical series, “New Amsterdam,” which kicks off its fourth season on September 21. An avid traveler, Sims said before he sets out to explore a new city or country, “I absolutely look up restaurants. I want to go to the best of the best, from very cheap to most expensive. What built the town or the culture? What place is impossible to get into? That floats my boat.” The 40-year-old actor is active on social media under the username @JockoSims.

Q: I have to ask: Have you ever been to Amsterdam?

A: Yes, I have, and had quite the experience, as many do!

Q: You traveled with your mother to Jamaica after being invited by a member of their Parliament. How did this come about?

A: Lisa Hanna, who is former Miss World 1993, former youth minister of Jamaica, and current member of Parliament (invited us). She and her husband are big fans of mine and of “New Amsterdam,” and they got word through a friend to me that they would love to have me visit Jamaica. It was quite the trip!

Q: What were some of the things that you did while visiting Jamaica?

A: We rode horses deep into the ocean, where the horses swim with us. I went scuba diving. I ate lots of amazing Jamaican food, enjoyed watching the cliff divers in Negril, and my favorite thing was enjoying the local dinner parties with the people of Jamaica.

Q: Do you think your character, Floyd, would make a good traveling partner?

A: Floyd would make an excellent traveling partner because he is bougie, and likes the finer things, as do I.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about one of your earliest projects filming on location?

A: My first television series was Starz’s first original series, “Crash,” and I played opposite the late great Dennis Hopper. The show was loosely based on what was my favorite movie of the time of the same name. We shot it in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for two years.

Q: This pandemic has made everyone think differently about how we spend our free time. What have you been doing?

A: My favorite thing that I discovered during the pandemic was my love for cycling. I purchased a bike and now I’m an avid cyclist all throughout Manhattan.

Q: How do you feel about not being able to just hop on a plane without restrictions for work?

A: Right now, I feel good about it, because I have the best job right here in New York City.

Q: If you had travel plans that had to be canceled because they coincided with the pandemic, where were they to?

A: “New Amsterdam” was going to take the entire cast and many of our producers and crew to the Dominican Republic to film our season two finale. COVID-19 hit us all and that plan quickly went away.

Q: If you could only pick one place to eat, would you choose a casual meal at a street cart or fine dining at a nice restaurant?

A: I would pick Pappadeaux. It is a chain, mainly in the south of the U.S., like in Texas and Georgia. It’s Cajun seafood and everything on the menu is amazing.

Q: Do you speak any foreign languages?

A: I took Spanish class for eight years straight in school. Oh, and I was the president of the Spanish Club in high school. But you know what they say – when you don’t use it, you lose it. I was great when I was 18. But not so much now! But I do pick up languages pretty well.

Q: What are your five favorite cities?

A: Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Houston and Toronto.

Q: Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?

A: Africa!

Q: When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?

A: I’m one of those people who needs to stay connected to the world and post my adventures on social media. Yes, I’m that guy. So, I need my phone and laptop.

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(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.)