Insect caviar! An urban green space twice the size of Central Park! The 52,000-pound Aztec Sun Stone!

The oldest and highest elevation North American metropolis dives straight into the hearts of the Exploregonians as they venture to Mexico City.

Katie and Jordan make a friend on the plane and after landing, has her parents give them all a tour of the historical heart of the city and then a pitstop to a secret doughnut experience.

Katie gushes about Mexico City’s art scene and Jordan loves the wild murals and graffiti.

Jordan forces himself to wear jeans in the heat of Mexico because he read, in order to blend in, wear pants; Thankfully, it doesn’t prevent him from enjoying all the trees in the city.

Katie is obsessed with Chapultepec, the enormous urban park twice the size of Manhattan’s Central Park. The two tour the National Anthropology Museum and Katie discovers the charming ball game in “The Road to El Dorado” is real and often ended in decapitation, but before they entered the museum, were ambush-interviewed by a group of 12-year-old boys on a field trip.

The city will always hold a special place in Katie and Jordan’s hearts.

Have a travel story to share? Send a voice memo or write a cute lil' mini-memoir to exploregonianspodcast@gmail.com and remember to follow us on Instagram and-and and if you'd like to show us some love or send a "thank you" if you enjoyed the episode, you can treat us to a coffee! Thanks for listening!

How do two scaredy cats celebrate Halloween? Katie does it by closing her eyes in haunted houses and Jordan wears a visor to weave through corn mazes in the daylight.

Tricks and treats abound as Katie and Jordan talk about some of their favorite memories of Halloween in Oregon, a famous movie that shot in the town of St. Helens, and Katie talks about a Care Bear costume that was just too snug in the hands as a kid and a handmade Tinkerbell costume that Katie enthusiastically cut way too short in the back.

And Katie remembers one of her favorite Halloweens ever featuring a Bollywood-enhanced version of Thriller.

Have a travel story to share? Send a voice memo or write a cute lil' mini-memoir to exploregonianspodcast@gmail.com and remember to follow us on Instagram and-and and if you'd like to show us some love or send a "thank you" if you enjoyed the episode, you can treat us to a coffee! Thanks for listening!

Katie thinks she’s hilarious as the podcast goes back-to-back Portlands! Jordan says it’s taking a bit of a “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” approach.

Find out if Portland, Maine is the actual, true Original Recipe Portland and how a flip of a coin changed the destiny of both big-city American Portlands.

Katie loves the brick and ivy in the Old Port area, but really wishes she saw more people in yellow rain slickers and matching hats. Jordan is confused by New England Boat Culture and shares which state has more coastline: Oregon or Maine.

Also, hear about lobster rolls and a woman with aggressively strong boundaries.

Have a travel story to share? Send a voice memo or write a cute lil' mini-memoir to exploregonianspodcast@gmail.com and remember to follow us on Instagram and-and and if you'd like to show us some love or send a "thank you" if you enjoyed the episode, you can treat us to a coffee! Thanks for listening!

It’s finally time to journey to the City of Roses!

Katie and Jordan scratch the surface of a dozen years of adventures in Portland, Oregon and reminisce about the dance injury that led to Jordan giving Katie a piggyback ride to urgent care.

Jordan’s earliest Portland memories are wrapped around nearly being abducted by the circus and going to his first concert to see the dream performer every 90s kid was dying to see: Neil Diamond.

Katie claims Portland is kinda goth and Jordan claims it’s just introverted.

The duo discuss Portlandia, the United States’ second-largest copper statue that is under some intense copyright by its creator.

Jordan learns all about the legendary Portland figure Bill Naito and how he shaped much of the modern identity of downtown Portland for the better.

Have a travel story to share? Send a voice memo or write a cute lil' mini-memoir to exploregonianspodcast@gmail.com and remember to follow us on Instagram and-and and if you'd like to show us some love or send a "thank you" if you enjoyed the episode, you can treat us to a coffee! Thanks for listening!

Katie and Jordan reckon with possibly being Disney Adults in Denial as they return to The Happiest Place on Earth for Halloween time.

The duo attend the popular Oogie Boogie Bash and wear unexpected costumes (that Jordan was 80 percent sure would be allowed in) that ultimately led to very fun interactions with everyone in the park. Katie goes on a deep dive in a rabbit hole exploring the convoluted backstory of the event.

Jordan shares his wisdom-nuggets about the first Disneyland Halloween event in 1959 and the most important one (with wild results) on Oct. 31, 1994 — on a Monday, of all things! He also reveals that the Southern California theme parks are largely responsible for how Halloween has taken hold of the American imagination over the past fifty years.

Also, Jordan will die on the hill that "Ghost Galaxy" is the worst seasonal overlay in any Disney park worldwide. Ew.

Have a travel story to share? Send a voice memo or write a cute lil' mini-memoir to exploregonianspodcast@gmail.com and remember to follow us on Instagram and-and and if you'd like to show us some love or send a "thank you" if you enjoyed the episode, you can treat us to a coffee! Thanks for listening!

There is a famous anomaly in Southern Oregon that Katie and Jordan finally physically find themselves in this week.

The Oregon Vortex has confused, frustrated, and mystified people for nearly a century. People appear way shorter or taller than they usually do! Things roll uphill! A broom can stand by itself! By. Itself. This mysterious sphere of a vortex has even inspired a Disney animated series.

Katie and Jordan discuss what it was like to visit the legendary place in Oregon that is equal parts science experiment and roadside attraction.

Have a travel story to share? Send a voice memo or write a cute lil' mini-memoir to exploregonianspodcast@gmail.com and remember to follow us on Instagram and-and and if you'd like to show us some love or send a "thank you" if you enjoyed the episode, you can treat us to a coffee! Thanks for listening!

Battling intense allergies and/or a sinus infection, Katie discusses her first solo outing as a traveler: the Galápagos Islands. She journeyed from Colombia to Quito, Ecuador before hopping on a plane and a boat to the archipelago, which is an excellent word.

Jordan throws out the trivia nugget for the old definition of “galápago” then proceeds to make two excellent puns on the word that impresses nobody.

Katie’s first time snorkeling was off the islands and when she wasn’t in the water, she was obsessed with the marine iguanas and has dozens of photos to prove it.

While in South America (which someone once debated Katie that she wasn’t “really” in South America because it really doesn’t start until Peru), Katie describes her Spanish ability as “mal” which translates to bad as in “evil” and not bad as in “bad”.

Have a travel story to share? Send a voice memo or write a cute lil' mini-memoir to exploregonianspodcast@gmail.com and remember to follow us on Instagram and-and and if you'd like to show us some love or send a "thank you" if you enjoyed the episode, you can treat us to a coffee! Thanks for listening!

The river is calling Katie and Jordan’s name this week as they head south along Oregon’s Highway 138 (a.k.a. “The Highway of Waterfalls”) along the special North Umpqua River!

Katie takes Jordan whitewater rafting on a “ship of a raft” for his birthday and she is still unsure if he could do a full day on the water. Jordan is moved as they navigate downriver along an area important to the Umpqua people, which is a tribe he is allegedly descended from.

They soak their aching bodies in the Umpqua Hot Springs after and feel like the hot springs can have more of a party vibe than they’re into. To get into the birthday spirit, however, Jordan decides to get into his birthday suit.

Katie and Jordan end their Umpqua River journey at a historic inn that boasts a 14-page, 7,000-word history, featuring about 17 main characters on its “About” page.

Have a travel story to share? Send a voice memo or write a cute lil' mini-memoir to exploregonianspodcast@gmail.com and remember to follow us on Instagram and-and and if you'd like to show us some love or send a "thank you" if you enjoyed the episode, you can treat us to a coffee! Thanks for listening!