Travel allows me to get out of the daily grind, soak in beautiful landscapes and culture that gives me new ways to interpret myself and the world. In our usual existence, we have what I call a "sphere of influence." What I mean is simply the radius in which we usually operate: work, to grocery …
Journey Within the Pages
When there's a lull in travel plans, like say when I've just gone back to my job at a high school and I'm planning a wedding, my next best way to get out of my own experience and environment is to read. I don't need to read books about women like me--not only am I …
The Stadium Tour Continues
Last weekend I did my solo road trip to Pittsburgh, another stop in the grand tour of baseball stadiums. 500 miles each way, give or take a bit. I left around Friday noon, looking forward to a sunshine filled afternoon drive to Cleveland. Unfortunately, the weather gods decided to toy with me. It rained on …
Broad Strokes and Deep Dives
Steven and I tend to travel big. By that I mean, we want to see a lot so we may miss some of the smaller joys of a place. That's not to say that we drive-by travel. We are not taking selfies at national monuments and moving on, but we may spend only a day …
What is in a Name?
I know that I have said it before, but I love to drive. Put me out on the open road with the top down, good music, good company, and an interesting destination, and I am as happy as can be. During our trip out west, I noticed that lots of the highways have been named after people. …
Does Time Travel Count?
No, we are not time lords (Susan should speak for herself; I am not willing to concede this point...yet), but we did go back in time last week. Anyone who lives in Chicago or who has ever been in Chicago in the summer knows that every weekend brings a new neighborhood festival. They are all …
Going Solo
....around the world in a rowboat. Ok, maybe not that far, but I am taking a solo weekend trip (I am so sad --as far as Steven knows) to Pittsburgh in a couple of weeks. It is part of the baseball stadium tour that I am doing with my son and we're meeting there for …
Vacation, All I Ever Wanted
Sigh. We have hit the vacation doldrums. We just planned the trip to New York; my return to work is rapidly approaching, and we have no idea what the vacation future holds, or really what the future past New York holds. Vacation planning keeps me going. It's a way of exploring while living daily life. …
More Oddities from Our Trip Out West
America is the land of mass marketing. We are all used to the plethora of junk emails, the fact that the only thing we get in the mail are bills and marketing materials, the huge billboards on the side of the highways and cutesy, if somewhat odd, (deranged?), names that businesses use. I sometimes wonder …
Caveat Emptor (Basic Economy)
Steven and I are planning a trip to New York that coincidentally turned into our honeymoon. We got Springsteen on Broadway tickets before we got engaged, but now the trip is the weekend after the wedding, perfect timing--I get to marry Steven and see Bruce. We started hunting for hotels and airfare in earnest yesterday. …