For many of us, this year has thrown a serious curveball in our plans for vacations. With lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, and not much travel outside of the US, moving around has become a strategic game of, "Where is it safe to visit today?" Honestly, no matter where you travel, you can't really outrun what is going on, so you must continue to be vigilant about your safety and health no matter where you go. So the question now is, is all hope lost to get out, change your scenery, and explore somewhere new? I don't believe so.
In an article by Travel Agent Central, "A survey conducted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) found that only 44 percent of Americans are planning overnight vacation or leisure travel in 2020, with high interest in road trips, family events and long weekends over the summer months."
Now is the time to get creative with your trips. The beautiful thing about traveling is that you can turn any trip into an adventure. We often like to go big and place heavy emphasis on traveling abroad. We literally forget that there are hidden gems right in our own backyard.
One way to get creative is with road trips. Yes, road trips are a thing, and if you are itching to get out during lockdown there is no better way to travel right now than hitting the open road. Domestic travel doesn't have to always be by airplane; it can be by car or even a camper if you are feeling really in the spirit.
Road tripping has so much to offer that a plane ride cannot: up-close views of landscapes and scenery, unplanned pit stops in small towns for quirky adventures, and hours of conversations with road partners that include singing off-key to a dope curated playlist. The bonding time with friends or a significant other alone is enough to push road trips to the tops of your list this summer. The most important key to planning any trip is the route.
The Overseas Highway: Miami to Key West
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Distance: 168 miles/3 hours and 20 minutes
Route: The Overseas Highway (US1)
Considered one of the greatest American road adventures, the route between Miami and Key West boasts over 100 miles of road that stretches over 42 bridges and connects 34 islands. So essentially this is island-hopping road trip-style. The views are as tropical as they can get, with miles and miles of blue turquoise water as far as the eye can see.
A major tip about this route is that most of the attractions on a Miami to Key West road trip are easily found by knowing what mile marker they are located near. For example, at Mile Marker 118 you are officially in the Florida Keys. It's here that you are just over 100 miles from Key West with lots of quirky pit stops and experiences that lie ahead.
As you make your way to Key West, you will pass through hundreds of small islands that make up the Florida Keys. The islands you'll pass are all connected by Highway 1 which is also known as the "The Overseas Highway". This route can best be described as "A visit to the Florida Keys is a road trip in the grand American tradition: it's not just about where you are headed, it's also about what happens along the way."
Suggested Stops: Cruise on the African Queen (Mile Marker 100), Islamorada Sandbar Island Party (near Mile Marker 84), Seven Mile Bridge (Mile Marker 47-40), Duval Street at Night, Hemingway House, and Mile Marker Zero.
Pacific Coast Highway: San Francisco to Los Angeles
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Distance: 460 miles/9 hours
Route: Pacific Coast Highway and Highway 101
In all honesty, this is probably one of my favorite road trips and routes. In 2013, I took an extended vacation that included a road trip through California for my first visit to the Golden State. It was the best decision I could have made to see a lot of California and Nevada. Our route went from Reno, NV to San Francisco, CA, to Los Angeles, CA, and ended 10 days later in Las Vegas, NV.
For a portion of that trip we took Highway 101 after a brief stay in Solvang, CA. Highway 101 is basically the same thing as Pacific Coast Highway except for part of it goes inland for a few miles between Salinas and San Luis Obispo. The scenery on this route is unmatched, around every corner there are enormous mountainscapes with the Pacific Ocean pushed right up against each edge.
Driving the Pacific Coast Highway is the equivalent of driving along a thin divider that separates two vast and picturesque worlds. The coastal route is about 150 miles and will take about 3 hours, as it's a slower route. The winding roads and beautiful beaches give you plenty of places to stop along with California's stretches of coastline for off the beaten path adventures as well as many places to get a lobster roll or any other food of your choice.
One quick note, if you can keep your eyes on the ocean, it is not uncommon to see whales and dolphins pop up every now and again. Tip: the best way to travel this one is with the top down.
Suggested Stops: Half Moon Bay, Big Sur, Point Bonita Lighthouse, Monterey Aquarium, Morro Rock, Madonna Inn, Hearst Castle, Solvang, and Santa Monica Pier. This trip is long so take your time with this one.
Blue Ridge Parkway: Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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Distance: 468 miles
Route: Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Let's switch up the scenery just a bit and take a trip through the Blue Ridge Parkway. This route winds through the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountain Range, starting at its most southern point Shenandoah National Park and going all the way to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Blue Ridge Parkway is considered one of the country's greatest scenic drives.
"Spanning the southern and central Appalachians, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers an exceptional glimpse of the regional flora and fauna. It is world-renowned for its biodiversity. The Parkway covers a wide range of habitats along the Appalachian Mountains, and some of these habitats are exceptionally rare. Visitors encounter unsurpassed diversity of climate, vegetation, wildlife, and geological features," says Blue Ridge Parkway website.
When planning your trip, it is suggested to plane it over the four districts of the parkway: the Ridge Region, the Plateau Region, the Highlands Region, and the Pisgah Region. This road trip can be taken at any time of the year but the most spectacular time is during autumn when all the leaves are changing for miles on end.
Suggested Stops: On this trip, the suggested stops are more about what is out in the natural setting of the mountain range. For instance, the many hiking trails, swing bridges, overlooks, and waterfalls. There are many small cities that you can stop in to grab some souvenirs and also many wineries, such as the Biltmore Estates, where you can pick up the local flavors. However, your focus will be on the vast landscape of the mountain ranges.
The Blues Highway: Memphis, TN to New Orleans, LA
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Distance: 400 miles
Route: US 61/US 278/US49/US 61
Everyone knows the key component to a dope road trip is the music. Amazing track after track to get you down the road is the best way to pass time. But what if you made the road trip about the music? This route is the perfect route to make this happen. Memphis TN, to New Orleans, LA, also known as The Blues Highway, and is laced with culture, music, and great southern food. It is recommended to start in Memphis and make your way south to New Orleans but be warned in the summer the heat can be intense.
"Separated by about 400 miles of road, Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana, are both hubs for music, food, and Southern culture. The six-hour drive between them can be expanded to an epic, 10-hour road trip through the Mississippi Delta, featuring notable music clubs and venues, Civil War landmarks, and more along the way," according to Trip Savvy.
(Recommendation from the writer: Skip all Civil War landmarks as they do not represent an accurate depiction of our history or they no longer exist. #BLM). This route is packed full of places to see and visit so it is best to plan ahead so you can see everything, get some delicious food along the way, and maybe do a little gambling if you are feeling lucky.
Suggested Stops: Blues Hall of Fame, Beale Street, Ground Zero Blues Club, The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, and The Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture to name a few.
BONUS ROUTE: Road to Hana: Kahului to Hana, Hawaii
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Distance: 64.4. Miles
Route: Hawaii Routes 36 and 360
Since we are in the pandemic, this one might be a stretch but this will be a bonus route for when things find some balance and we can feel safer about traveling. However, this list would not be a truly complete road trip list without the Road to Hana. This scenic drive is located on the northeast coastline of Maui and is officially named the Hana Highway on maps. It will also be listed as Hwy. 36 and Hwy. 360.
A lot of people consider the Hana Highway to continue beyond Hana to the Oheo Gulch, and even further to the Upcountry Maui via Hwy. 31. Hawaii.com says, "With its 600-plus turns, 50 (or so) one-lane bridges and breathtaking views that alternate between mountain streams and soaring sea cliffs, the Hana Highway is less a roadway than an event in itself."
It is recommended to get out early to avoid traffic on this route. Also, there is a lot to see on the drive so you want to keep your eyes on the road. If you want to take in the full experience, definitely consider getting a driver to get you from start to finish. It is impossible to see all the sights along the route in one trip, so you may want to plan out two to three days to travel and hit the highlights.
Suggested Stops: Ho'Okipa Beach Park, Twin Falls, Huelo Lookout, Maui Garden of Eden, Keanae Pennisula, Pua'a Ka'a Falls, Hanawi Falls, Nahiku Marketplace, Wai'anapanapa State Park, Hana Town, Hamoa Beach, Wailua Falls, 'Ohe'o Gulch aka "Seven Sacred Pools", and Kings Garden Maui.
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Amber Riley has the type of laugh that sticks with you long after the raspy, rhythmic sounds have ceased. It punctuates her sentences sometimes, whether she’s giving a chuckle to denote the serious nature of something she just said or throwing her head back in rip-roarious laughter after a joke. She laughs as if she understands the fragility of each minute. She chooses laughter often with the understanding that future joy is not guaranteed.
Credit: Ally Green
The sound of her laughter is rivaled only by her singing voice, an emblem of the past and the future resilience of Black women stretched over a few octaves. On Fox’s Glee, her character Mercedes Jones was portrayed, perhaps unfairly, as the vocal duel to Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), offering rough, full-throated belts behind her co-star’s smooth, pristine vocals. Riley’s always been more than the singer who could deliver a finishing note, though.
Portraying Effie White, she displayed the dynamic emotions of a song such as “And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going” in Dreamgirls on London’s West End without buckling under the historic weight of her predecessors. With her instrument, John Mayer’s “Gravity” became a religious experience, a belted hymnal full of growls and churchy riffs. In her voice, Nicole Scherzinger once said she heard “the power of God.”
Credit: Ally Green
Riley’s voice has been a staple throughout pop culture for nearly 15 years now. Her tone has become so distinguishable that most viewers of Fox’s The Masked Singer recognized the multihyphenate even before it was revealed that she was Harp, the competition-winning, gold-masked figure with an actual harp strapped to her back.
Still, it wasn’t until recently that Riley began to feel like she’d found her voice. This sounds unbelievable. But she’s not referring to the one she uses on stage. She’s referencing the voice that speaks to who she is at her core. “Therapy kind of gave me the training to speak my mind,” the 37-year-old says. “It’s not something we’re taught, especially as Black women. I got so comfortable in [doing so], and I really want other people, especially Black women, to get more comfortable in that space.”
“Therapy kind of gave me the training to speak my mind. It’s not something we’re taught, especially as Black women."
If you ask Riley’s manager, Myisha Brooks, she’ll tell you the foundation of who the multihyphenate is hasn’t changed much since she was a kid growing up in Compton. “She is who she is from when I met her back when she was singing in the front of the church to back when she landed major roles in film and TV,” Brooks says. Time has allowed Riley to grow more comfortable, giving fans a more intimate glimpse into her life, including her mental health journey and the ins and outs of show business.
The actress/singer has been in therapy since 2019, although she suffered from depression and anxiety way before that. In a recent interview with Jason Lee, she recalls having suicidal ideation as a kid. By the time she started seeing a psychologist and taking antidepressants in her thirties, her body had become jittery, a physical reminder of the trauma stacked high inside her. “I was shaking in [my therapist’s] office,” she tells xoNecole. “My fight or flight was on such a high level. I was constantly in survival mode. My heart was beating fast all the time. All I did was sweat.”
There wasn’t just childhood trauma to account for. After auditioning for American Idol and being turned away by producers, Riley began working for Ikea and nearly missed her Glee audition because her car broke down on the highway while en route. Thankfully, Riley had been cast to play Mercedes Jones. American Idol had temporarily convinced her she wasn’t cut out for the entertainment industry, but this was validation that she was right where she belonged. Glee launched in 2009 with the promise of becoming Riley’s big break.
In some ways, it was. The show introduced Riley to millions of fans and catapulted her into major Hollywood circles. But in other ways, it became a reminder of the types of roles Black women, especially those who are plus-sized, are relegated to. Behind the scenes, Riley says she fought for her character "to have a voice" but eventually realized her efforts were useless. "It finally got to a point where I was like, this is not my moment. I'm not who they're choosing, and this is just going to have to be a job for me for now," she says. "And, that's okay because it pays my bills, I still get to be on television, I'm doing more than any other Black plus-sized women that I'm seeing right now on screen."
The actress can recognize now that she was navigating issues associated with trauma and low self-esteem at the time. She now knows that she's long had anxiety and depression and can recognize the ways in which she was triggered by how the cult-like following of the show conflicted with her individual, isolated experiences behind the scenes. But she was in her early '20s back then. She didn't yet have the language or the tools to process how she was feeling.
Riley says she eventually sought out medical intervention. "When you're in Hollywood, and you go to a doctor, they give you pills," she says, sharing a part of her story that she'd never revealed publicly before now. "[I was] on medication and developing a habit of medicating to numb, not understanding I was developing an addiction to something that's not fixing my problem. If anything, it's making it worse."
“[I was] on medication and developing a habit of medicating to numb, not understanding I was developing an addiction to something that’s not fixing my problem. If anything it’s making it worse.”
Credit: Ally Green
At one point, while in her dressing room on set, she rested her arm on a curling iron without realizing it. It wasn't until her makeup artist alerted her that she even realized her skin was burning. Once she noticed, she says she was "so zonked out on pills" that she barely reacted. Speaking today, she holds up her arm and motions towards a scar that remains from the incident. She sought help for her reliance on the pills, but it would still be years before she finally attended therapy.
This stress was only compounded by the trauma of growing up in poverty and the realities of being a "contract worker." "Imagine going from literally one week having to borrow a car to get to set to the next week being on a private jet to New York City," she says. After Glee ended, so did the rides on private planes. The fury of opportunities she expected to follow her appearance on the show failed to materialize. She wasn't even 30 yet, and she was already forced to consider if she'd hit her career peak.
. . .
We’re only four minutes into our Zoom call before Riley delivers her new adage to me. “My new mantra is ‘humility does not serve me.’ Humility does not serve Black women. The world works so hard to humble us anyway,” she says.
On this Thursday afternoon in April, the LA-based entertainer is seated inside her closet/dressing room wearing a cerulean blue tank top with matching shorts and eating hot wings. This current phase of healing hinges on balance. It’s about having discipline and consistency, but not at the risk of inflexibility. She was planning to head to the gym, for instance, but she’s still tired from the “exhausting” day before. Instead, she’s spent her day receiving a massage, eating some chicken wings, and planning to spend quality time with friends. “I’m not going to beat myself up for it. I’m not going to talk down to myself. I’m going to eat my chicken wings, and then tomorrow I’m [back] in the gym,” she says.
“My new mantra is ‘humility does not serve me.’ Humility does not serve Black women. The world works so hard to humble us anyway."
This is the balance with which she's been approaching much of her life these days. It's why she's worried less about whether or not people see her as someone who is humble. She'd rather be respected. "I think you should be a person that's easy to work with, but in the moments where I have to ruffle feathers and make waves, I'm not shying away from that anymore. You can do it in love, you don't have to be nasty about it, but I had to finally be comfortable with the fact that setting boundaries around my life – in whatever aspect, whether that's personal or business – people are not going to like it. Some people are not going to have nice things to say about you, and you gotta be okay with it," she says.
When Amber talks about the constant humbling of Black women in Hollywood, I think of the entertainers before her who have suffered from this. The brilliant, consistent, overqualified Black women who have spoken of having to fight for opportunities and fair pay. Aretha Franklin. Viola Davis. Tracee Ellis Ross. There's a long list of stars whose success hasn't mirrored their experiences behind the scenes.
Credit: Ally Green
If Black women outside of Hollywood are struggling to decrease the pay gap, so, too, are their wealthier, more famous peers.
Riley says there’s been progress in recent years, but only in small ways and for a limited group of people. “This business is exhausting. The goalpost is constantly moving, and sometimes it’s unfair,” she says. But, I have to say it’s the love that keeps you going.”
“There’s no way you can continue to be in this business and not love it, especially being a plus-sized Black woman,” she continues. “We’re still niche. We’re still not main characters.”
"There’s no way you can continue to be in this business and not love it, especially being a plus-sized Black woman. We’re still niche. We’re still not main characters.”
Last year, Riley starred alongside Raven Goodwin in the Lifetime thriller Single Black Female (a modern, diversified take on 1992’s Single White Female). It was more than a leading role for the actress, it also served as proof that someone who looks like her can front a successful project without it hinging on her identity. It showcased that the characters she portrays don’t “have to be about being a big girl. It can just be a regular story.”
Riley sees her work in music as an extension of her efforts to push past the rigid stereotypes in entertainment. Take her appearance on The Masked Singer, for instance. Riley said she decided to perform Mayer’s “Gravity” after being told she couldn’t sing it years earlier. “I wanted to do ‘Gravity’ on Glee. [I] was told no, because that’s not a song that Mercedes would do,” she says. “That was a full circle moment for me, doing that on that show and to hear what it is they had to say.”
As Scherzinger praised the “anointed” performance, a masked Riley began to cry, her chest heaving as she stood on stage, her eyes shielded from view. “You have to understand, I have really big names – casting directors, producers, show creators – that constantly tell me ‘I’m such a big fan. Your talent is unmatched.’ Hire me, then,” she says, reflecting on the moment.
Recently, she’s been in the studio working on original music, the follow-up to her independently-released debut EP, 2020’s Riley. The sequel to songs such as the anthemic “Big Girl Energy” and the reflective ballad “A Moment” on Riley, this new project hones in on the singer’s R&B roots with sensual grooves such as the tentatively titled “All Night.” “You said I wasn’t shit, turns out that I’m the shit. Then you called me a bitch, turns out that I’m that bitch. You said no one would want me, well you should call your homies,” she sings on the tentatively titled “Lately,” a cut about reflecting on a past relationship. From the forthcoming project, xoNecole received five potential tracks. Fans likely already know the strengths and contours of Riley’s vocals, but these new songs are her strongest, most confident offerings as an artist.
“I am so much more comfortable as a writer, and I know who I am as an artist now. I’m evolving as a human being, in general, so I’m way more vulnerable in my music. I’m way more willing to talk about whatever is on my mind. I don’t stop myself from saying what it is I want to say,” she says.
Credit: Ally Green
“Every era and alliteration of Amber, the baseline is ‘Big Girl Energy.’ That’s the name of her company,” her manager Brooks says, referencing the imprint through which Riley releases her music after getting out of a label deal several years ago. “It’s just what she stands for. She’s not just talking about size, it’s in all things. Whether it’s putting your big girl pants on and having to face a boardroom full of executives or sell yourself in front of a casting agent. It’s her trying to achieve the things she wants to do in life.”
Riley says she has big dreams beyond releasing this new music, too. She’d love to star in a rom-com with Winston Duke. She hasn't starred in a biopic yet, but she’d revel in the opportunity to portray Rosetta Tharpe on screen. She’s determined that her previous setbacks won’t stop her from dreaming big.
“I think one of my superpowers is resilience because, at the end of the day, I’m going to kick, scream, cry, cuss, be mad and disappointed, but I’m going to get up and risk having to deal with it all again. It’s worth it for the happy moments,” she says.
If Riley seems more comfortable and confident professionally, it’s because of the work she’s been doing in her personal life.
She’d previously spoken to xoNecole about becoming engaged to a man she discovered in a post on the site, but she called things off last year. For Valentine’s Day, she revealed her new boyfriend publicly. “I decided to post him on Valentine’s Day, partially because I was in the dog house. I got in trouble with him,” she says, half-joking before turning serious. “The breakup was never going to stop me from finding love. Or at least trying. I don’t owe anybody a happily ever after. People break up. It happens. When it was good, it was good. When it was bad, it was terrible, hunny. I had to get the fuck up out of there. You find happiness, and you enjoy it and work through it.”
Credit: Ally Green
"I don’t owe anybody a happily ever after. People break up. It happens. When it was good, it was good. When it was bad, it was terrible, hunny. I had to get the fuck up out of there. You find happiness and you enjoy it and work through it.”
With her ex, Riley was pretty outspoken about her relationship, even appearing in content for Netflix with him. This time around is different. She’s not hiding her boyfriend of eight months, but she’s more protective of him, especially because he’s a father and isn’t interested in becoming a public figure.
She’s traveling more, too. It’s a deliberate effort on her part to enjoy her money and reject the trauma she’s developed after experiencing poverty in her childhood. “I live in constant fear of being broke. I don’t think you ever don’t remember that trauma or move past that. Now I travel and I’m like, listen, if it goes, it goes. I’m not saying [to] be reckless, but I deserve to enjoy my hard work.”
After everything she’s been through, she certainly deserves to finally let loose a bit. “I have to have a life to live,” she says. “I’ve got to have a life worth fighting for.”
Credits
Director of Content: Jasmine Grant
Campaign Manager: Chantal Gainous
Managing Editor: Sheriden Garrett
Creative Director/Executive Producer: Tracey Woods
Cover Designer: Tierra Taylor
Photographer: Ally Green
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