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Amy Chen

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Solo Trip 2016: Seattle (Part 3/4)

August 19, 2016

Seattle is the most popular connection for all domestic Alaska flights - so naturally, because I had never been to Seattle before - I decided to make the most of that inevitable stop. It was a similar experience to the one I had back in San Francisco because I was only there for a short time (1 day), and in that short time I tried to pack in seeing, doing, and eating as much as humanly possible. 

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In wanderlust Tags solo trip 2016, solo travel, travel, seattle, washington
amy_chen_design_alaska_1.jpg

Solo Trip 2016: Alaska (Part 2/4)

August 12, 2016

After San Francisco, it was off to ALASKA! Earlier, I talked about why I took this trip - and having this strong desire to stretch my comfort zone. Alaska did just that (and so much more). It was pretty ballsy (for me) to travel there solo, but it was truly a life changing experience.

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In wanderlust Tags solo trip 2016, solo travel, travel, alaska, anchorage, seward, palmer

Solo Trip 2016: San Francisco - (Part 1/4)

July 29, 2016

My first stop on my solo trip itinerary was San Francisco! I had never been to California before (this was my first time) - and I am SO glad I chose San Francisco to be my first "taste" of CA. I only had one day here, and I certainly packed in as much as humanly possible, (in true "amyventures" fashion). ;)

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In wanderlust Tags solo trip 2016, solo travel, travel, san francisco, california

Real Talk: Why You Need to Go On That Solo Trip RN (And Some Tips On How To Do It)

July 22, 2016

Hello... it's me! *cue Adele*

I know it's been quite awhile since you've heard from me on here, but I am BACK!! (and have so much to tell you!)

For the last couple months, I've been in quite a rut - feeling stuck and unsure what my next move should be. I felt uninspired, and lost my motivation / desire to write and generally create. Although for awhile I did stick to publishing one post a week - that trailed off when I felt I wasn't producing valuable content for you guys anymore. Instead of forcing myself to crank stuff out that I wasn't feeling or beating myself up for going off course, I took the time to acknowledge what my body needed - a damn break. I knew I was at the point of really needing to take a leap of faith of some kind. I took it upon myself to do something I've never done before: take a solo trip. It's been something I've been wanting to do since graduating over 2 years ago, and I finally scraped together enough money (and guts) to do it for myself. And I'm SO glad I did - because the experience was LIFE CHANGING.

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In real talk, wanderlust Tags travel, solo travel, solo trip 2016

A Spontaneous Sunday in Montauk

February 24, 2016

This past weekend, I trekked out to Long Island for a spontaneous getaway with some good friends. The weather forecast was supposed to be great and uncharacteristically warm for February (60 degrees) - unlike last weekend - so we took full advantage and drove out to Montauk on Sunday! I had been there before - a couple summers back - but had never been during the off season. It was such a last minute plan - but I'm so glad that we made it happen!

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In wanderlust Tags Montauk, Long Island, NY, Camp Hero State Park

Best of 2015 / Happy 2016!

January 1, 2016

HAPPY 2016!

Like everyone else on the planet rn, I'm taking a moment to look back on 2015 - I can't believe that it's over! It's crazy how fast time flies.. and naturally, it's a time to take a moment and reflect on "what was" and speculate "what will be."

Today, I wanted to quickly drop in and share some of my favorite posts from the year. 2015 was my first full year of blogging, and that's something I'm personally pretty proud of! While I may not have completed all of my 2015 resolutions (let's be real.. who has?), I'm glad that I stayed committed to regularly writing / creating blog posts. As I've mentioned before, a lot of time and energy goes into running a blog - and it's really nice to look back and see the year's content all in one place. These posts by no means cover every single thing that's happened to me in 2015, but I think they create a nice highlight reel:

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In design, diy, food, real talk, style, wanderlust, photography Tags 2016, New Year's, archive, 2015, happy new year

Museum of Feelings + Stars by Stella Artois

December 18, 2015

Last Saturday, I went to two incredible interactive installations: the Museum of Feelings (sponsored by Glade) and Stars (sponsored by Stella Artois).

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In wanderlust Tags Museum of Feelings, Stars, Stella Artois, interactive art, NY, NYC, #GiveBeautifully

Riamede Farm

November 20, 2015

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is already next week - where did November go?! 

Today I just wanted to drop in and do a "photo dump" from a recent trip to one of our local farms: Riamede Farm. I visited back during October, but haven't gotten around to sharing on the blog until now!

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In wanderlust Tags Riamede Farm, NJ, New Jersey, Chester, autumn

#StudioDIYWallCrawl Collab: NYC Street Art

November 6, 2015

I recently collaborated with Kelly of Studio DIY for her #StudioDIYWallCrawl series to create a guide of my favorite NYC murals - and this week the post is LIVE! Head on over HERE for the full map that covers both Brooklyn and the Lower East Side!

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In wanderlust, photography Tags Kelly Mindell, studioDIYwallcrawl, Studio DIY, NY, NYC, street art, collab

Dan Flavin at David Zwirner

October 16, 2015

This past weekend I went to see Dan Flavin's "Corners, Barriers, and Corridors" show at the David Zwirner gallery in NYC. The DZ gallery is one of my favorites in Chelsea, and they always seem to have the best exhibitions going on. I've been to two great Yayoi Kusama shows hosted by DZ in the last few years, and when I heard Dan Flavin was going to have an exclusive show there - I could not get my butt to the gallery faster! ;)

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In wanderlust Tags Dan Flavin, David Zwirner, NY, NYC, gallery hopping, gallery, art, interactive art, colorventures
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AMYVENTURES

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Blog
The Summer It Turned Yummy
The Summer It Turned Yummy
about a month ago
Recess in Cape May
Recess in Cape May
about 4 months ago
Strawberry Picking, Peony Peeping, Park Frolicking
Strawberry Picking, Peony Peeping, Park Frolicking
about 4 months ago
Spring Things
Spring Things
about 6 months ago
Cemetery Season: Poetry Month + The Grief of April
Cemetery Season: Poetry Month + The Grief of April
about 6 months ago
Solo Day Trip to Seaside Heights
Solo Day Trip to Seaside Heights
about 7 months ago
Reframing a "Mundane Chore" as an Adventure: Visiting a New Grocery Store
Reframing a "Mundane Chore" as an Adventure: Visiting a New Grocery Store
about 7 months ago
Creating In Community
Creating In Community
about 7 months ago
A Sunny Sunday for the Soul in NYC
A Sunny Sunday for the Soul in NYC
about 8 months ago
Christmas Cookies 2024
Christmas Cookies 2024
about 10 months ago

INSTAGRAM

@AMYVENTURES
this lopsided pumpkin was at the bottom of the bin (left behind after all the more perfect pumpkins had been chosen) ๐Ÿฅฒ - I decided to take him home and turn him into the ๐Ÿซ  emoji (feels particularly fitting for 2025 ๐Ÿ˜…)

happy halloween! โœจ๐ŸŽƒโœจ

#pump
a couple spooky sights from a walk with @bigntoasty this past weekend ๐Ÿ‘ป on our way to the new @inciardimachines at @bloomingdales ๐Ÿ›๏ธ (played $18 of quarters… and pretty sure ballerina man is even more of a myth than the headless horseman ๐Ÿ’€?
dinner at @scarrspizza ๐Ÿ•, dessert at bananas @morgensternsnyc ๐Ÿฆ, and @rustonkelly (& @sam_macpherson) at @boweryballroom ๐ŸŽถ

some unexpected joys along the way: ๐Ÿฎ at @stickyricenyc and ๐Ÿฅ” snack chandelier at @champagneproblemsnyc โœจ

#nyc #lowe
kickstarted a fun saturday night in the city with the newly opened analog photobooth museum @autophoto ๐Ÿ“ธ was bummed the color film and wide format booths were out of commission ๐Ÿฅฒ but I guess that just means a return trip is necessary in the future
we’ve encountered this young buck a few times in recent months on our walks, and he always lets me take his picture ๐ŸฆŒ - he seems more curious than scared (even when the dogs bark) and grazes so close to the path ๐Ÿ˜… the last photo was from this
the life of a tomato girl โœจ๐Ÿ…๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพโœจ

made the executive decision to harvest the rest of my tomatoes last week when we got our first fall freeze warning ๐Ÿฅถ went out there at 9 pm in the dark and filled up all 3 of my larger sheet pans ๐Ÿ˜‚ (they&r
one last dose of summer this weekend in one of our favorite places ๐ŸŒž new @taylorswift music blaring from my car’s speakers down the parkway โค๏ธ‍๐Ÿ”ฅ ocean beaches back open for the dogs ๐Ÿพ the clearest and bluest skies, water warm enough to s
so long september ๐Ÿ‚

the last days of summer and first glimpses of fall โœจ savoring every last tomato and flower in the garden (and collecting seeds for next year) ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพ celebrated stewie’s 6th adoptiversary too… how quickly 6 year
first fall bake of the season โœ”๏ธ๐Ÿคญ๐ŸŽ an apple galette where I measured nothing ๐Ÿ˜… baked on a very foggy night ๐Ÿ‚

- 3 apples, thinly sliced
- lemon juice, cinnamon, ground ginger, brown sugar, corn starch, salt (tossed the apples in all of this)
- 1
rounded up all the yummy things I made this summer on substack (link in bio) ๐ŸŒž

๐Ÿ‘ peach wineberry chia seed jam
๐Ÿ„ chicken of the woods mushrooms (various ways)
๐Ÿ• peach pizza
๐ŸŒถ๏ธ jalapeño garlic basil pesto 
๐Ÿ… cutting board salsa
๐Ÿซ bluebe
we’ll always have summer ๐ŸŒผ

#summer #endofsummer #summerdump #jerseycollective #rescueismyfavoritebreed #summergarden #summergardening
doing @sangennaronewjersey with your brother, boyfriend, dad, and cousin is the only proper way ๐Ÿ˜

๐Ÿ• pizza from @coneyislandpizza (included some photos from last year too)
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น arancini (rice balls) from @thelittlesicilian
๐Ÿฅ” tornado potato from @s
fall is in the air and chilly nights are here - which means tis the season for warm and cozy dinners again ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ

I’ve been making this curry noodle recipe on repeat using veggies & herbs from the garden (eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, zucch
the summer I turned (half the backyard) pretty ๐Ÿ˜†(and into a sunflower field) ๐Ÿฅน๐ŸŒปโ˜€๏ธ

why re-plant grass when you can have flowers instead? ๐Ÿ™ƒ I’ve loved studying the way the sun hits them throughout different times of the day and seeing all th
mid august abundance from the garden ๐Ÿฅน I always love taking an annual bounty photo when the biggest variety of things are growing and that time is now โœจ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพ๐Ÿ…๐Ÿ†๐Ÿฅ’๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒถ๏ธ

extra grateful for it all this year because flashback to this spring I wa
this lopsided pumpkin was at the bottom of the bin (left behind after all the more perfect pumpkins had been chosen) ๐Ÿฅฒ - I decided to take him home and turn him into the ๐Ÿซ  emoji (feels particularly fitting for 2025 ๐Ÿ˜…)

happy halloween! โœจ๐ŸŽƒโœจ

#pump a couple spooky sights from a walk with @bigntoasty this past weekend ๐Ÿ‘ป on our way to the new @inciardimachines at @bloomingdales ๐Ÿ›๏ธ (played $18 of quarters… and pretty sure ballerina man is even more of a myth than the headless horseman ๐Ÿ’€?
a beautiful fall afternoon with @vacayjenny and her pup Frankenstein ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿพ first stop was @hacklebarney_farm for apple cider and donuts ๐ŸŽ then we hiked at Hacklebarney State Park just down the road ๐Ÿฅพ the leaves are peaking and the weather was perfec
dinner at @scarrspizza ๐Ÿ•, dessert at bananas @morgensternsnyc ๐Ÿฆ, and @rustonkelly (& @sam_macpherson) at @boweryballroom ๐ŸŽถ

some unexpected joys along the way: ๐Ÿฎ at @stickyricenyc and ๐Ÿฅ” snack chandelier at @champagneproblemsnyc โœจ

#nyc #lowe kickstarted a fun saturday night in the city with the newly opened analog photobooth museum @autophoto ๐Ÿ“ธ was bummed the color film and wide format booths were out of commission ๐Ÿฅฒ but I guess that just means a return trip is necessary in the future
fall hikes with @takearecess and my best girl ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿงก my favorite flavor lately has been grapefruit tangerine ๐ŸŠ but they’re all so good โœจ

you can use my code “amyventures” for 15% off ๐Ÿซถ
https://app.devotion.club/brand/recess/amyve
we’ve encountered this young buck a few times in recent months on our walks, and he always lets me take his picture ๐ŸฆŒ - he seems more curious than scared (even when the dogs bark) and grazes so close to the path ๐Ÿ˜… the last photo was from this the life of a tomato girl โœจ๐Ÿ…๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพโœจ

made the executive decision to harvest the rest of my tomatoes last week when we got our first fall freeze warning ๐Ÿฅถ went out there at 9 pm in the dark and filled up all 3 of my larger sheet pans ๐Ÿ˜‚ (they&r one last dose of summer this weekend in one of our favorite places ๐ŸŒž new @taylorswift music blaring from my car’s speakers down the parkway โค๏ธ‍๐Ÿ”ฅ ocean beaches back open for the dogs ๐Ÿพ the clearest and bluest skies, water warm enough to s so long september ๐Ÿ‚

the last days of summer and first glimpses of fall โœจ savoring every last tomato and flower in the garden (and collecting seeds for next year) ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพ celebrated stewie’s 6th adoptiversary too… how quickly 6 year first fall bake of the season โœ”๏ธ๐Ÿคญ๐ŸŽ an apple galette where I measured nothing ๐Ÿ˜… baked on a very foggy night ๐Ÿ‚

- 3 apples, thinly sliced
- lemon juice, cinnamon, ground ginger, brown sugar, corn starch, salt (tossed the apples in all of this)
- 1 rounded up all the yummy things I made this summer on substack (link in bio) ๐ŸŒž

๐Ÿ‘ peach wineberry chia seed jam
๐Ÿ„ chicken of the woods mushrooms (various ways)
๐Ÿ• peach pizza
๐ŸŒถ๏ธ jalapeño garlic basil pesto 
๐Ÿ… cutting board salsa
๐Ÿซ bluebe we’ll always have summer ๐ŸŒผ

#summer #endofsummer #summerdump #jerseycollective #rescueismyfavoritebreed #summergarden #summergardening doing @sangennaronewjersey with your brother, boyfriend, dad, and cousin is the only proper way ๐Ÿ˜

๐Ÿ• pizza from @coneyislandpizza (included some photos from last year too)
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น arancini (rice balls) from @thelittlesicilian
๐Ÿฅ” tornado potato from @s fall is in the air and chilly nights are here - which means tis the season for warm and cozy dinners again ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ

I’ve been making this curry noodle recipe on repeat using veggies & herbs from the garden (eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, zucch
a beautiful night enjoying golden hour at @riamedefarm earlier this week ๐Ÿ˜๐ŸŽโ˜€๏ธ 

founded in 1952, Riamede is the oldest PYO apple orchard in NJ with 54 varieties growing on the historic property (owner Ashley & her team work hard to preserve its
the summer I turned (half the backyard) pretty ๐Ÿ˜†(and into a sunflower field) ๐Ÿฅน๐ŸŒปโ˜€๏ธ

why re-plant grass when you can have flowers instead? ๐Ÿ™ƒ I’ve loved studying the way the sun hits them throughout different times of the day and seeing all th
some scenes from my favorite place to be in august… home in the garden with the dogs ๐Ÿฅน๐Ÿก๐ŸŒฑ๐Ÿ…๐ŸŒป๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพ๐Ÿพโœจ

#summer #august #garden #njgardening #njinbloom #jerseycollective #njisallgood #homegarden #home
ending summer the same way I started it (with @takearecess) ๐ŸŒž๐Ÿน๐ŸŒป๐Ÿ’ฆโœจ

my code “amyventures” gets you 20% off through 9/2 for labor day weekend ๐Ÿซถ

https://app.devotion.club/brand/recess/amyventures

#takearecess #nonalcoholic #mocktail #
mid august abundance from the garden ๐Ÿฅน I always love taking an annual bounty photo when the biggest variety of things are growing and that time is now โœจ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพ๐Ÿ…๐Ÿ†๐Ÿฅ’๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒถ๏ธ

extra grateful for it all this year because flashback to this spring I wa

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Amy Chen (unless otherwise stated). If you decide to reference anything from my blog / website, please give proper credit. Thank you! :)


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