About

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Who is Suzanne?

Suzanne is a girl with two passions: travel and writing about travel. And shoes. (Ok, so obviously counting is not one of her passions.) Originally from California, Suzanne moved to New York in 2006 to pursue more education and her writing career. She fell in love with the city where everyday is an adventure or exploration of something new.

Suzanne is a freelance writer who enjoys books, (good) coffee, good friends, and warm days. She is also a cupcake connoisseur and a lover of most desserts, especially alfajores from Argentina. She’s also a pretty big nerd, despite the gold stilettos. (In a former life, Suzanne was most likely a history professor, or at least she hopes she was.)

What is Around the World in Gold Stilettos?

Suzanne began this blog on the eve of a her post-graduate school six-week trip to Argentina and Peru. Its original name was “Somewhere Beyond…” after her conviction that she’s always looking for what’s beyond (somewhere to go, a big life move…) and is always a little “beyond” herself (even if it’s usually beyond reality or beyond sanity). She was never fully pleased with the title, and along the way decided that her goal in blogging was not just to share her travel adventures but to encourage and entertain other female travelers.

Suzanne’s travel philosophy is “Travel fearlessly, and wear great shoes.” She believes in bold, independent travel, where the next adventure is always just around the corner and where mishaps (and she’s definitely had her share) are all part of the fun. But mishaps aside, Suzanne insists that a female traveler should not have to forsake her sense of style just because she’s traveling boldly, or carrying a backpack.

Around the World in Gold Stilettos is part personal experiences, part insights and observations, but above all devoted to exploring the world, both in Suzanne’s native and beloved New York and anywhere else she happens to find herself. It’s about encouraging fearless females to set out and explore, even if (and especially if) they’re going it alone. And it’s as much about muddy hiking boots as about hot high heels. Because what is a fearless female if not a little bit of everything? And what is her shoe rack without a pair for every occasion?

Why Gold Stilettos?

One day in her travels, Suzanne chatted with a friend back home (while she was in Argentina and at that very moment wearing a pair of borrowed sneakers) who commented that he liked the “shoe theme” on her blog, referring to several posts regarding shoe mishaps. It occurred to Suzanne that shoes were the way to go: feminine, stylish, necessary in travel… and one of her favorite things.

Many bad shoe sayings later, “Around the World in Gold Stilettos” was born. It was originally “red stilettos” but Suzanne decided (in keeping with the already oh-so-realistic nature of the phrase) that it had to be gold, since she did in fact own a pair of gold stilettos, but was still in search of the perfect red pair. No, she still hasn’t found them, and no, her gold heels usually don’t travel with her (though sometimes they get angry and go on trips of their own).

What does Suzanne do in New York?

Her academic career having come to an end, Suzanne is currently freelance writing and dreaming of her next big adventure. She spends a lot of time seeking out adventures (and mishaps) in New York. And she likes to walk her shoes.