Balabanova All Over
#TakeYourTimeOff
About Nadya
Hi there! I am so glad you found me! My mission is to empower you to #TakeYourTimeOff and explore the world. I started this blog as a way to keep family and friends in the loop when I went on a 3-week trip to Asia in 2011. Although I’ve always enjoyed traveling, it wasn’t until a trip to Peru in 2012 that I started to think about ways to make travel a… Read More
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Top Posts
[Pacific City, OR, May 15, 2026] Neskowin what now? I was surprised that more Oregonians didn’t already know about the tree stumps one could only see at negative low tide at the beach near Pacific City. I had been wanting to see the ghost forest for a long time, but negative low tides are generally rare and even rarer on a weekend. So when a meetup group I’ve been a part of… Read More
[Austin, TX, Apr 28, 2026] I had a little bit of free time during the day, so I decided to hop on over to the Blanton Art Museum. It was just a block over from the conference center and across the street from the Bullock Texas State History Museum, which I visited yesterday. I was surprised to learn that my admission was free. It turns out, the Blanton offers free admission every… Read More
[Austin, TX, Apr 27, 2026] The Bullock Texas State History Museum was directly across the street from the conference venue. I couldn’t help but utilize a lunch break to check the Texas-sized museum. The 4-story granite building features close to 40,000 square feet of exhibition space and a 400-seat IMAX theater with a six-story high screen! I had picked up tid bits of Texas history on my visit to the Alamo back… Read More
[Austin, TX, Sun, Apr 26, 2026] Conference registration began in the afternoon, which meant that I had the morning free. I decided to check out the Lyndon B Johnson Presidential Library because it was the farthest away from my hotel from all the sights on my list. I was excited to visit my 3rd presidential library. I had visited the Ronald Reagan one when I lived in LA, and the Bill Clinton… Read More
[Portland, OR –> Austin, TX, Apr 25, 2026] It was time for my annual conference again, which took place in Austin, TX at the end of April. The University of Texas at Austin was hosting, which meant that I stayed close to campus. UT Austin hosted the conference back in 2012. Back then, I added a couple of extra days to visit San Antonio. I didn’t have the opportunity for an extension… Read More