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Catherine Gacad

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Kaleidoscope Vacation

IMG_4120I’m finally back from almost two weeks on vacation. Forgive me for not writing, I was truly soaking it in.  In extreme Gemini form, I couldn’t have picked a trip that showcased such polar opposites.

My 9th anniversary on the playa, working for Burning Man in support of the artists.  It’s trite, but it’s true–yes, we call Black Rock City home.  Every summer, I can’t think of anything better than working long hours, feeling a city as it bursts with creativity, and then sipping warm sake while watching double rainbows with my ARTery family.  Year after year, it does not get old.  You can relax all you want.  We all have those nights where we fall asleep soon after dinner.  And you can party all you want.  Because even on that first official night, there are dance camps so packed you can hardly believe it even though you’ve been doing this for close to a decade.

Compare that to my first time in the Hamptons, East Hampton to be exact.  It’s straight out of East Egg from the Great Gatsby. Large white mansions hidden behind a fortress of tall hedges.  So luxurious and charming and relaxing.  I almost laughed when we parked at a beach hot spot lined with glossy Mercedes, Audis, and BMWs.  My poor dusty Honda Civic would feel so out of place.  But the scene at the crowded bar was familiar.  People drinking, laughing, flirting.  It was strikingly like the playa except for the clothing.  Ralph Lauren vs Mission Thrift.

Maybe not as polar opposite as I had thought.  Vacation is simply friends having a damn good time.  In the end, I feel so very lucky to be able to experience both worlds. Now for some pictures.

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09.01.10

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Welcome to my site, derived from an advice column I wrote while getting my MBA. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I give helpful, opinionated advice based on my own experience and from the expertise of my extensive network. For more, click here.

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