Where in the World Are You, Alicia Imbody?
Travel Blog • Alicia Imbody • 06.15.09 | 3:43 PM ET
The subject of our latest up-to-the-minute interview with a traveler somewhere in the world: World Hum’s new intern, Alicia Imbody.
Where in the world are you?
I’m canoeing just off Assateague Island, on Maryland’s eastern shore.
What are you doing there?
I’m trying to sneak up on some wild ponies, of course.
What do you see around you?
Just below the bow of the metal canoe are clusters of black shells embedded into the side of a muddy island that has been surrounded by the murky incoming tide. A few yards ahead a trio of the not-so-elusive ponies are gorging themselves on marsh grasses and doing a better job of ignoring me than a nervous pair of seagulls skirting between us. In the distance, a few persistent clouds hover over the arches of the Bay Bridge and beyond that the Chesapeake is still and glassy.
Got a pic?
What did you have last night for dinner and where?
On my way out to the shore I stopped at the Cambridge Diner, just across the bridge from Annapolis, and had what could possibly be the best crab cake sandwich in the Mid-Atlantic.
What are you listening to these days?
I love the new Decemberists’ album, Hazards of Love. It’s great travel music because these guys are such incredible storytellers and it really sucks you in. I’m also a fan of Ben Harper’s White Lies for Dark Times. The solid bluesy-rock tracks are perfect for blasting with the windows rolled down on a summer road trip.
What are you reading?
I’m slowly making my way through Angels and Demons (so that I can then watch the film and lament how much better the novel was, and for the unexpected travel candy in Dan Brown’s meticulous descriptions of Rome). When I’m done with that, I’m finally going to finish The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan, which I began before a recent trip to Israel and the West Bank, but never managed to complete. The book is set in the region and puts a human face on the conflict without being too preachy, providing a lot of factual information without sacrificing suspense.
What did you experience in the last 24 hours that you’d recommend?
Rediscover your own backyard! It takes a little more creativity to be able to appreciate the immediate with a fresh perspective, but I think it’s that much more rewarding to stumble upon some serendipitous new experience without straying far from home.
Where in the world are you headed next?
I have a few more weekend adventures planned for the summer within a couple hours’ drive of Washington, D.C. But the next place I’m heading that requires a plane ticket is Costa Rica, when I’ll be doing some hiking, scuba diving and (probably) getting married on a volcano.