The Journal #46
My cup is empty, yet full!
Before I dive into the last few weeks of travel, I want to remind you that tickets for my Supper Club are available for purchase. Detroit is July 26th and there are around 20 tickets left. New Orleans has two event - Drago’s and DakarNola, the latter is nearly sold out. If you are traveling to New Orleans, drop me a line as Four Seasons is our host hotel and are giving us a great discount!
What a whirlwind 30 days it has been! Just after James Beard in Chicago and Dave Chappelle (It still blows my mind that we know each other and he is always so insanely kind and complimentary when I see him) in Detroit, I was off to Anaheim with my Disney Power of Joy Family Reunion. I have been part of this program for two years and it is a celebration of black creators and we have become Disney family through it.
My friends still think my Disney Adult personality side quest is weird, but I love it! I love the ears and more importantly, I just love feeling like a little kid for a couple of days. You’ll even see me skipping in the park and playing with bubbles! This was my first time at Disneyland and I loved it. Much smaller than Disney World which means you get to see so much more of the park and ride the same rides more than once.
From Anaheim, on a very disgusting 6am flight back to Detroit, only to have to catch a 7am flight to DC. I changed that to 10am and the extra three hours tasted like the best meal of my life! In DC, I hosted an incredible dinner for Eat 250: a culinary celebration of America’s birthday. I hosted with Chef Rock Harper and Chef Pierre Thiam and it was simply incredible as it was the first time that people were tasting food from my book! I also revealed the cover of the book and it officially went on preorder.
I spent a long week in DC to avoid planes, then hopped over to NYC to see the 25th anniversary concert of Res’ How I Do, one of my favorite albums of all time. Me and my bestie went and it was a perfect 24 hours in NYC.
Detroit for a nice ten day break, pilates, long walks and lots of cooking, before I went back to NYC for a weekend with friend’s and Travel and Leisure’s World’s Best Summit. While at brunch on Saturday, me and my friend bought tickets to see Jay Z with a few other friends. We had an incredible time at the show! EMINEM performed so my Detroit self was thrilled! He set on Saturday was the shortest of all three days and it was the only day Beyonce didn’t perform. I would like a partial refund.
During the T&L summit, I stayed at the Wall Street Hotel and it was amazing! Great rooms, great bar, great staff, great bed, everything I love about a five star hotel. I also really liked the location. Its close to a few trains and lots of great downtown sites, like Printemps and World Trade. If you stay there, let them know I sent you!
The World’s Best Summit started with a cocktail hour on the rooftop of The Wall Street Hotel where I got to meet fellow panelists, the T&L team and sponsors. I was also able to impress people with the bit of Japanese that remains in my brain. Side note: I lived in Japan for one year and past Level 4 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Exam. Translation: I used to speak, read and write in Japanese! I digress. The highlight of the evening was definitely the margarita nad french 75 jello shots, which made me realize, I am not doing enough from a hosting perspective.
Tuesday was the first full day of the Summit and I watched every single panel. You can see the full schedule here. Wednesday was my panel, the Power of Feeling Uncomfortable. It was me, a Olympian, Travel and Leisure Editor-At-Large, a man who summited Everest and a former Queer Eye, turned travel host. As the only woman, I held me own! There is a beautiful write up of our panel here.
I haven’t been on stage in a while and this was a reminder and affirmation that firstly, I love it and secondly, I am very good at it. I never know what I am going to say on stage and I am always grateful when I get off stage and people tell me their takeaways. That panel felt magical and I am grateful. To top off the afternoon, Regina King closed us out in a fireside chat with Jacqui Gifford, the EIC of T&L. She shared some of her favorite travel memories and introduced the room to her wine brand MianU, which she started in honor of her son, Ian. A bittersweet endeavor.
I really wanted to meet Regina King after the panel and somehow pulled it off. I got an introduction from Jacqui and we immediately embraced. I sat with her for nearly an hour, got to taste the incredible orange wine and we committed to traveling to the country of Georgia together. What a day!
Travel Tip
If you want to travel, Chase the Deal, not the Destination! I have mentioned Thrifty Traveler’s Premium Club before and this is a reminder for you to sign up. This week they sent an email about a Delta SkyMiles sale, 25k to Australia and New Zealand. To put that in perspective, it cost more than 25k miles to get between Detroit and NYC. Thrifty Traveler’s Premium emails daily flight deals, but also includes mileage deals as well. The subscription is usually $100 per year, but you can use my link and get $20 off. This $100 per year saves me over $1000 every single year. Totally worth it.
Where I’m Traveling
I am writing this from Halifax, more on this later! But I am off to Senegal right after my Supper Club lunch to do some work with the Gates Foundation and manage the demotion and reinstallation of tile at my condo there.
Catch Me Around the Web
Feeling Uncomfortable Might Be the Most Important Part of Any Trip, According to World Travelers—Here’s Why - Travel and Leisure - July 2026
Can Travel Heal Grief - Travel That Made Me Podcast - July 2026
D.C.’s restaurant industry is throwing its own America 250th celebration - Axios - June 2026
What I Am Reading
I have a monthly book club. If you want to join, sign up here: Join the book club. Our next meeting is August 2nd and the book is Under the Udala Tree.
Admittedly, I have not been able to read as much as I did during those quiet days in Dakar. In the last month I have only read/listened to three books, which is so few for me. I need to reprioritize reading!
Score by Kennedy Ryan - I really enjoyed this book as it is part of a series and I love being reacquainted with past characters. The book’s main character is bipolar and it is something that I have never seen intimately written about in the past so it really gave insight into how the diagnosis affects the person and those around them. Masterfully done! 4/5
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - Wow. What a book. I am late to Hosseini’s work but I know that I will read everything he has published. This story details the heartbreaking life of two lovers in Afghanistan. It clearly paints a picture of what daily life was like under the Taliban. The book is beautiful, heartwrenching, hopeful and satisfying, all at once. 5/5
The Revelation of Dionne Daphne by Mara Brock Akil - This book. Phew. Honest, brave, heavy, validating, complicated. While not for the faint of heart, this is a book everyone should read to see how sexual assault affects women into adulthood. So well done. 5/5
What I’m Eating Drinking
I have been eating and drinking very well, per usaul. A few standouts from the last few weeks: Moon Rabbit and Shōtō in DC, Medusa and Takoi in Detroit, Mabel Gray in Metro Detroit, Dave’s Lobster in Halifax, The Red Room Bar at Printemps in NYC.
Be well. Travel well. Live well. Until next time: catch me if you can!
- Jessica
Say hi on Instagram, watch my latest video on YouTube or check out my book for more travel tips!
You convinced me to read Mara’s book!!