Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Tribune
February 21, 2022
Working on film sets doesn’t always offer a lot of downtime. But “American Siege” actress Anna Hindman said she was delighted she had the opportunity to experience the hospitality that Fitzgerald, Georgia, had to offer. “I was lucky to have some downtime to explore (and enjoy) the location,” said Hindman, who’s based out of Clarksville, Tennessee. “(Fitzgerald has) a cute downtown area with a great coffee and sandwich shop called Our Daily Bread. That was the first place that was recommended to me when I got there. I also ride motorcycles and some of the crew own and work at a motorcycle shop within walking distance from the cafe, so that was cool to look around in. Laffrey Witbrod, our cinematographer, and I also walked to this giant chicken that’s being built in town. Someone said it’s going to be an Airbnb. I would definitely stay there. Fitzgerald is known for its wild chickens.”
Q: Can you tell me a bit about some of the places you’ve lived?
A: Yes! I have a tattoo on my arm of the state flower of each state I’ve lived in. New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and California. But I need to add a few now!
Q: What kind of travels have you done during this pandemic?
A: I’m a huge fan of the short road trip. Since my wife, Jess, is active military, we take advantage of long weekend trips a lot. Especially with the pandemic, our trips generally involve the outdoors. We rented a cabin near Asheville (North Carolina) during the fall and went apple picking and sightseeing there. We also used to take the short drive to see her grandparents in Hilton Head. My brother got married at a campground in Tennessee this past year, so we drove out there and had a great time with family on the campground. We’ve also driven out to North Carolina to go hiking with our dogs. Since we have two dogs, we prefer a car over air travel, because we always want to take them with us. We recently went to Chattanooga and found a cute outdoor dog bar called Play. Wash. Pint., where the dogs got to play around and we got to drink local craft beer.
Q: Pre-pandemic, what was your favorite destination?
A: Florence, Italy. I highly recommend it! There are so many things to do and it’s a walkable city, which makes visiting very easy. My favorite thing to do in Florence is going to aperitivo. Around four p.m., the restaurants will start putting out little appetizers. When you buy a glass of wine, you get to go to the little buffet of food. Aperitivo means stomach opener, so it’s traditionally eaten before dinner. I love all the things being sold around Florence, so I like to walk around and browse. They’re known for their leather. It’s such a beautiful city.
Q: What untapped spot should people know about?
A: This is also in Italy, a place called Il Baciarino. It’s a small, family-owned agriturismo. It’s in a town called Vetulonia in Tuscany. I spent three months working there and it is absolutely incredible. The owner built all the casettas (cottages) himself. Each one has a different personality, and you book it like an Airbnb. They all overlook the most incredible view. I recommend you fly into Florence, and from there it is about a two-hour drive or train ride.
Q: What was the first trip you took as a child?
A: The first trip I remember taking was camping with my parents. I loved it. We went every year to the Catskills. I loved exploring the campsite and riding my bike around.
Q: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?
A: Every person has a story and that we are all so much more alike than we might think. It doesn’t matter what part of the world you’re from. We’re all experiencing similar things.
Q: Do you speak any foreign languages?
A: I speak Italian! I’m pretty rusty, but I took it in college and was thrown into it during my time at Il Baciarino. Italian was hard to learn on paper in school – it was a lot of memorization. It wasn’t until I went on a trip to Italy in college where we took Italian classes every day that I really started to understand it. You have to be unafraid to make mistakes and look silly. I have a lot of respect for anyone who is learning or knows a second language.
Q: Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A: Poland, since I’m Polish!
Q: When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A: My skin-care items. I have this one face wash from Lush that keeps my skin under control no matter the situation. It’s called Let the Good Times Roll. I have sensitive skin, so it’s made traveling less stressful for my skin.
Q: What would be your dream trip?
A: My wife and I haven’t had an official honeymoon yet and we would love to go somewhere tropical where you can stay in a spot right on the water. Finding an LGBTQ+ friendly place would be ideal.
© 2022 JAE-HA KIM
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