The Last Romantic
The author in a room lit entirely red, dark hair falling past her shoulders, winged eyeliner, looking down and to the side
02 / 04 bourdainism

Bourdainism

Solo travel essays in the Bourdain tradition: raw, present, cinematic.

A gray street cat mid-yawn on a cobblestone plaza in Old San Juan, palm trunks and pastel buildings behind it
Pl. 11San Juan, Puerto Rico
Yellow colonial house with wooden balcony draped in red bougainvillea on a sunlit Cartagena old-town street
Pl. 10Cartagena, Colombia
Footprinted dark sand beach at dusk in El Salvador, waves rolling in under heavy clouds and an orange sunset horizon
Pl. 09El Tunco, El Salvador
The author blows a kiss, framed by giant wings formed of swarming monarch butterflies against a cloudy sky.
Pl. 08B-B-Bourdainism: Bloopers and B-Sides from a Solo Traveler
The Louvre's glass pyramid glowing at night in an empty courtyard, an equestrian statue lit against the dark sky
Pl. 07Paris, France
The Roman Forum at night: floodlit temple columns, the Arch of Septimius Severus, and the Colosseum glowing in the distance
Pl. 06Rome, Italy
Domed stone facade of Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum under a pale grey sky, exhibition banners above its doors
Pl. 05Vienna, Austria
Intricate black-ink doodle of a meditating Ganesha-like figure flanked by two dancers amid dense mandala patterns
Pl. 04Hallstatt, Austria
Rodin's bronze Eternal Springtime, two entwined lovers, spotlit on a pedestal in a quiet museum gallery
Pl. 03Athens, Greece
The author and an Embera man make hand-hearts inside a heart-shaped arch of woven branches in a jungle village clearing
Pl. 02Casco Viejo, Panama
Stone ruins and green terraces of Machu Picchu under a bright blue sky, framed by trees and Andean peaks
Pl. 01Machu Picchu, Peru
12

Bourdainism in Austin: The Land of Inhale

But life, is about balance. When do I exhale, exactly?

 Austin, Texas · 25 Sep 2026 · 7 min 11

Bourdainism in San Juan: The Art of Being Witnessed

Thank you for your patience.

 San Juan, Puerto Rico · 27 Mar 2026 · 5 min 10

Bourdainism in Cartagena and Coralina Island: Colombia, Bad Buddy, Immigration, Metacognition and Breaking the Silence on My Last Marriage

Featuring animals, reflections and my love of Colombian culture

 Cartagena, Colombia · 13 Feb 2026 · 8 min 09

Bourdainism in El Salvador: The Importance of Play

A drop in the ocean, for the collective consciousness.

 El Tunco, El Salvador · 23 Jan 2026 · 3 min 08

B-B-Bourdainism: Bloopers and B-Sides from a Solo Traveler

Let’s keep it real for a moment. With the world actively on fire, I think we’re allowed—no, obligated—to laugh. Preferably at me.

 Bourdainism · 10 Jan 2026 · 5 min 07

Bourdainism and Paris: Shamelessly Blocking My Entire Family on Social Media, Happy Holidays

Diary of a Fed-Up Romantic.

 Paris, France · 30 Dec 2025 · 4 min 06

Bourdainism in Rome: Marveling at Human Achievements, Falling in Love With Rain, and Princess—For You, I’d Bring You the Moon, and the Stars, too

I didn’t kiss an Italian. Rome still kissed me.

 Rome, Italy · 26 Dec 2025 · 6 min 05

Vienna, Last Night: 2025 Wrapped

Wherever you go, there you are.

 Vienna, Austria · 18 Dec 2025 · 7 min 04

Bourdainism in Halstatt and Oberautal: The Town That Looked Like Heaven, and the Confession I Wrote in a Church

Oh Austria, what a start.

 Hallstatt, Austria · 16 Dec 2025 · 6 min 03

Bourdainism and Greece: Women Should Take Back Their Power, Bursting the Insulated Tech Bubble With Art, Ali and I Are Kindred Spirits After All—Except David Bowie, Of Course

A transformative arc.

 Athens, Greece · 14 Dec 2025 · 6 min 02

Bourdainism, and My Time in Panama: You Know I Love Me a Juxtaposition, and the Future of Romanticism and AI

What’s the best that could happen?

 Casco Viejo, Panama · 9 Dec 2025 · 6 min 01

Bourdainism: One Backpack, Solo-Trip to Double-Digit Countries to Write People’s Stories, I’ll Miss My Dog, and First Stop is Mexico, Because Four C’s

”One does not take the A Train to Mecca.”—Anthony Bourdain

 Machu Picchu, Peru · 11 Nov 2025 · 3 min
get the next one → all writing →
01 / 13
The author in a room lit entirely red, dark hair falling past her shoulders, winged eyeliner, looking down and to the side
Pl. 12Austin, Texas
A gray street cat mid-yawn on a cobblestone plaza in Old San Juan, palm trunks and pastel buildings behind it
Pl. 11San Juan, Puerto Rico
Yellow colonial house with wooden balcony draped in red bougainvillea on a sunlit Cartagena old-town street
Pl. 10Cartagena, Colombia
Footprinted dark sand beach at dusk in El Salvador, waves rolling in under heavy clouds and an orange sunset horizon
Pl. 09El Tunco, El Salvador
The author blows a kiss, framed by giant wings formed of swarming monarch butterflies against a cloudy sky.
Pl. 08B-B-Bourdainism: Bloopers and B-Sides from a Solo Traveler
The Louvre's glass pyramid glowing at night in an empty courtyard, an equestrian statue lit against the dark sky
Pl. 07Paris, France
The Roman Forum at night: floodlit temple columns, the Arch of Septimius Severus, and the Colosseum glowing in the distance
Pl. 06Rome, Italy
Domed stone facade of Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum under a pale grey sky, exhibition banners above its doors
Pl. 05Vienna, Austria
Intricate black-ink doodle of a meditating Ganesha-like figure flanked by two dancers amid dense mandala patterns
Pl. 04Hallstatt, Austria
Rodin's bronze Eternal Springtime, two entwined lovers, spotlit on a pedestal in a quiet museum gallery
Pl. 03Athens, Greece
The author and an Embera man make hand-hearts inside a heart-shaped arch of woven branches in a jungle village clearing
Pl. 02Casco Viejo, Panama
Stone ruins and green terraces of Machu Picchu under a bright blue sky, framed by trees and Andean peaks
Pl. 01Machu Picchu, Peru

It has been a while since I let anyone this far in.

read the letter → get the next one →