Seatmates: Aja Frost & Aliza Sir
On an unforgettable Japanese ryokan, traveling across New Zealand in a van, and the one thing you should always do when taking a red-eye flight to Europe
This interview is part of Seatmates, a Window Seat series where tastemakers, travelers, and creatives share how they move through the world—what they pack, where they stay, and the travel rituals that shape their lives.
There’s been a lot of exciting things to celebrate in my world recently. I just celebrated my birthday on the 12th, which called for my favorite thing in the world: a lavish staycation! My husband and I spent a night at the iconic Hotel Chelsea where we split an incredible burger at Café Chelsea and enjoyed the life-changing “Respira” massage treatment at the hotel spa (which, side note, makes you feel like you’ve been transported straight to the French countryside). It’s well worth a visit even if you’re not a guest of the hotel.
And…Window Seat reached 1,000 subscribers! 🎉
This passion project is only about five months old, and I’m so proud to reach this milestone—it’s the best birthday gift I could have asked for. To celebrate, I’m offering a 20% discount on paid subscriptions until the end of the month.
Now, onto the letter! This is a very special edition of Seatmates, as we’re lucky to have not one but two guest features! For this issue, I was thrilled to speak to Aja Frost & Aliza Sir, authors and co-founders of one of my favorite newsletters, Platonic Love: a Substack bestseller for women in the messy middle: navigating the transformation from “twenty-something” to “Adult with a capital A.”
Read on for hotel areas to avoid in popular tourist locales, get intel on the best monthly techno party in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and learn the surprising places where in the world they enjoyed some of their best meals.
Tell us a little about yourself.
Aja: We actually wrote each other’s bios for Platonic Love (I recommend doing this with a friend or coworker; it’s fun!) Here’s what Aliza said about me:
“Aja feels like a long-time friend—or even better, big sister—from the first time you meet her. She knows how to skip the small talk, dresses like she lives in Brooklyn, and listens to your stories with care and compassion. When Aja’s not catching up on podcasts during a long walk through Cambridge or meeting friends at a hip new restaurant for dinner, you’ll find her at home with her wonderful partner, Sam, nestling up on the couch with her Kindle.”
And here’s what I said about Aliza:
“Aliza is a trier of new things, wonderful friend, and hot yoga twisty pretzel. She’ll never show up to a costume party in a lackluster outfit. She loves a sweet nighttime treat, especially chocolate, and her ability to find parking spots is unmatched. Aliza lives with her lovely and always supportive husband Sam, adorable son Jude, and playful dog Oliver near Cambridge, Massachusetts.”
Aliza: A lot of people assume that Aja and I were best friends before we started Platonic Love—but our relationship has actually grown in tandem with our creative (or “business”) partnership. We initially bonded over books, but quickly found we never ran out of things to talk about (despite being at pretty different life stages!).
How do each of you approach planning travel? What inspires you to visit somewhere new?
Aja: I’ve learned that having too much booked in advance makes me claustrophobic and angsty—not the way I want to feel on vacation! On the flip side, if I land in a foreign place with zero plans, I inevitably waste a ton of time figuring out what to do. My Goldilocks answer: I’ll do a lot of research beforehand on activities, places, and neighborhoods. I trawl Reddit, Substack, and personal blogs for tips from locals to get the most unbiased and informed recs and add everything that intrigues me to a color-coded Google Map. Once I’ve gotten to my destination and am ready to explore, I’ll choose a general area and use my map as my guide, popping into whatever’s accessible and sounds appealing. This approach also allows me to go off-course whenever: If I see an interesting street, I’ll go down it; if I get hungry, I’ll find the closest bookmarked restaurant, etc.
Aliza: I like to know where I’m sleeping that night and have a rough idea of the top tourist sites or places I might need advance passes (like Frida Kahlo’s home in Mexico City or a popular museum), but otherwise, I love seeing where the vacation takes me, whether that’s through conversations with locals or exploring a neighborhood. I think lowering expectations (you’re never going to hit it all!) makes for a more fulfilling experience.
This is a hot take: I typically enjoy a lower-key restaurant over the Michelin-starred place that all the travel blogs are raving about. (The best oyster I’ve ever eaten was at a small dive on Miyajima, an island just over an hour off the coast of Hiroshima, and all my unforgettable meals in Mexico City were from stalls and food stands.) There are exceptions, but this relieves some of the pressure around planning ahead and making reservations.
As residents of Cambridge, Massachusetts, what are your favorite local spots to recommend to out-of-towners?
Aja: I love this question because I love Cambridge. I rarely go into Boston proper, there’s so much here. To eat: Pammy’s. To drink: Rebel Rebel. To dance: Middlesex (where my fiancé throws a techno party once a month!)
Aliza: Ditto to all of Aja’s recommendations. I’ll add… To eat & drink: Cicada Coffee Bar or Dear Annie. To be outside: Night Shift Brewing has several beer gardens open during the summer, or just take a walk along the Esplanade; it’s beautiful.