Boston, MA

Brrr! It was a cold walk along the Fish Pier in Boston. The pubs were great! I love good whiskey and good atmosphere and Boston had that in abundance. They looked at me funny when I asked if they had anything besides fish at the No Name Restaurant, but I did enjoy their french fries. There was a decent Mexican restaurant on the waterfront called Temazcal. It didn't get very good reviews on Yelp, but I liked it. I also enjoyed Salvatore's, an Italian restaurant opposite it. My collegue and I were talking about what it's like to travel as a vegetarian. I told her if I can find something on the menu, I'm usually so hungry I'll eat just about anything. That said, the veggie burger I had at the hotel bar was so disgusting I had them remove it from my bill. 'World's Best Veggie Burger,' it was not.

San Francisco, California

A view of the Bay Bridge from where I was working in October. I had a tough time finding vegetarian food in the port area, but I did get some decent dishes from the company I was working with. On day two there was a little tray that had a toothpick and a flag that said, "Vegetarian." A pleasant surprise.

Dozin' with the Dinos

Last month I took our boys (both eight) on an overnight trip to the Field Museum in Chicago. It was part of a program the museum sponsors titled Dozin' with the Dinos. The program allows groups and families with children ages 6-12 to explore the museum after hours. This was the first 'lock-in' type of activity we've done. We loved it. Our group as well as groups of Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, church groups, and schools arrived in the early evening on Friday and departed at 9 AM the following morning. There were about 700 of us in all. We attended workshops in the atrium which featured disecting owl pellets to find skelletal remains, making a mummy, and getting up close and personal with tarantulas and snakes. We explored the Egyptian pyramid by flashlight (the boys and I explored the pyramid 6 times altogether.) We watched a movie on the Sue excavation, the giant T. Rex featured to the left (more interesting to me than them.) In the end we left no corner of the Field unexplored. The highlight for me were the dinosaurs, a favorite of mine as a kid. The highlight for the boys was staying up late and sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor of a museum. The pyramid was a close second. We bedded down in the "World of Mammals," but we didn't spend much time there. Every time I thought the boys were burned out and ready for bed we were off to look at something else,bioluminescent insects or Polynesian artifacts. We took a miss on story time at the Maori hut, but there was little we didn't see. I'd definately do it again. The staff was incredibly courteous and the parents and their kids were great.

 

Dinner and breakfast were provided. 

Tickets for the 2014 Season launch July 1, 2013. Please visit this webpage for a list of available dates.

The Shores Resort and Spa - Daytona Beach

The pool at the Shores Resort and Spa - Daytona Beach

Daytona Beach (Daytona Beach Shores)

There's nothing like being on a beach first thing in the morning. The air is filled with salty smells and sea sounds. The sand feels cool beneath your feet. Only a few people were out when the boys and I took an early morning stroll: vendors getting set up for the day, joggers taking their morning exercise, a silver haired granny with a surfboard clutched in her hand (not pictured) walking through the surf, looking for the right wave. It's hard to imagine that this beach served as a race track for nearly 50 years.  

Hogsmeade Village

Hogsmeade Village at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Islands of Adventure - Universal Orlando Resort)

Hogwarts Castle

Hogwarts Castle at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Islands of Adventure - Universal Orlando Resort)

Winter Park, Colorado

I was catching up on my reading this morning and saw that Budget Travel magazine recommends  Winter Park as one of their 'Great Ski Deals.'

A few years ago my uncle talked me into heading to Winter Park for a ski trip with him and my cousin, Seth. I had never been on skies before, but it seemed like a great way of breaking up the monotony of the Midwestern winter. The two of us took Amtrak's California Zephyr overnight to Denver and then on up to Fraser the following morning. 

I wouldn't say I acquired any great skill on the slopes, but it was still a nice getaway. I didn't break my neck or my bank account. There were plenty of places to eat in Winter Park within walking distance from our hotel. And we even managed to catch a lift to some hot sulfur springs that were nearby.

Red Rock Canyon - Las Vegas, Nevada

I've had the opportunity to spend my share of time out in 'Fabulous' Las Vegas, Nevada. If your time on 'the Strip' starts to wear on your nerves you can take a short drive out of town to the beautiful Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area for a hike in the hills above the city. I spent a long afternoon climbing amongst the rocks with my buddy, Danny and his fiance, Katie, following the many trails, feeding the wild donkeys and generally recharging my batteries.

Arizona

One of our fondest early trips was to the Grand Canyon. Like most of these trips we had very few days to do them. So, we tried to make the most of the time we had available.

I think many Americans tend to forget just how cool the Grand Canyon is. It's one of the top attractions for Europeans visiting America, but I can count on one hand how many of my friends and family have seen it. There's nothing on Earth that will make you feel quite as small as the Grand Canyon. And few places in America rival it for beauty.

We flew into Phoenix, picked up our rental car, and hit Route 17 to Flagstaff. We stayed in a hotel beneath Humphrey's Peak with mostly German and French tourists, drove through the Coconino National Forest down to Sedona, walked among the Red Rocks and soaked up the cosmic vibes and then drove up to the Grand Canyon before circling back down to Phoenix. 

State Route 1, Pacific Coast Highway

Back in 2000, Jenni and I decided to drive one of America's great roads, Highway 1 in California. We took about 7 days to drive from San Diego to San Francisco. The road winds through so many cool places, it's hard to name them all. We hung out on the beach in Malibu, visited the Mission in Santa Barbara, saw Henry Miller's home in Big Sur, walked through Cannery Row in Monterrey, toured the Hearst Castle at San Simeon, and picked up numerous bottles of wine and speeding tickets along the way. If you're thinking of doing a road trip close to home, get your motor running and head out on the highway. But try to keep your eyes on the road, it's a long way down.

Biltmore House, Asheville, NC

When I was a kid my parents took us to visit the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. Built at the end of the 19th century by George and Edith Vanderbilt in a french chateaux style, the estate remains the largest private home in America. Jenni and I took a day trip down to Asheville a few years ago and took a tour of the house and the winery. It was a great experience. The house features a bowling alley and an indoor swimming pool. The extensive grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, of Central Park fame.

Coming up...

We just got back from our first trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida a couple weeks ago. It was the first big trip with our four-year old twin boys. (Here they are with Brad at Disney's Animal Kingdom park.) I already want to travel again. I would go tomorrow, but planning is essential. The next one we're researching is Stockholm, Sweden. Brad's great-grandparents came from Sweden and he's always wanted to go. From everything I've read, Stockholm is supposed to be a great city to visit. We want to take the boys but have reservations about the long haul flight. I think they'll be fine, but Brad is hesitant. Regardless, we travel as a family now...