Who am I: As the youngest child in a family of music-loving road hogs, I’ve spent pretty much every summer vacation of my life trekking across state lines, through national parks, and throughout the Gulf and beyond. (For context, it wasn’t until my original road trip pitch struck genuine fear into the hearts of my colleagues that I realized a 17-hour family road trip is beyond the norm. The following itinerary has been tightened, tailored, and edited to be bearable.)
On top of that, music has always been a lingering passion of mine, from childhood piano lessons and gospel choir to high school marching band and orchestra performances, pretty much everything I do has a soundtrack. Even before arriving at Thrillist as a senior editor, my professional life as a food and travel journalist has always revolved around music and festival culture, and I’ve covered everything from Brooklyn’s AfroPunk to Houston’s Southern Smoke Festival. So, I’ve spent years searching concert lineups, finding afterparties, and flagging the under-the-radar hotels where live jazz musicians host their guerrilla sets.
