Miles From Last Monday: What I Did On My Summer Vacation

August 6, 2012, Washington, DC: A regular dose of armchair travel has a place here on the blog because 'being away' has always informed my understanding of 'being home'. Don't you always return from a trip with a fresh perspective on your hometown after seeing what else is out there? After spending the bulk of summer close to home following a year of whirlwind travel, I headed out this week, logging a couple hundred miles since last Monday. Nothing earth-shattering, just a few days of travel through the wilds of Washington, New York and New Jersey. Photos of the people and places I encountered on the other end of my bike ride, train ride and car ride are included here:

Tuesday at Nationals Park: A winning team plays ball one mile from home.

Thursday on New York City's High Line: A morning run through a 20-block slice of breathing room in a city that can sometimes be too much.

Friday at BlogHer '12: One massive ballroom packed with 5,000 creative women talking shop and floating millions of great ideas.

Saturday on the New Jersey coast: Full house, sandy feet, salty air. A quick getaway before driving home through August storms.

And that's what I did on my summer vacation. Nothing life-changing. And yet isn't it always? Because here I am, same time, same place as last Monday morning, and yet something is different. I am not the same person I was a week ago.

I am, as always, buoyed by travel.