February 18, 2020
Is the open road calling your name? Do you want to plan a road trip but just don’t know where to start? While there is something to be said for spontaneity, good road trips don’t just happen. At least not cross country, high mileage road trips. You might be able to leave some things unplanned, but some advance preparation is necessary to complete a successful, fun road trip. Here’s a few tips and things to get you started. Pick Your...
January 30, 2020
I wasn’t a beer drinker. In fact, I hated beer. It wasn’t until craft breweries started popping up and I tried real beer, (please don’t throw your can of Budweiser at me) that I truly became a beer lover. Obviously, I’m not the only beer lover either. The way breweries and craft beer have taken off in the last ten years is incredible. Mid-summer of 2019, there were a 1000 more craft breweries operating in the US than the previous...
January 19, 2020
There’s no shortage of great places to eat in Puerto Vallarta. Each unique neighborhood has plenty of choices to please any palate. Unless you have a rental car, most people tend to eat in the area they are staying, so I’ve divided this post into the hotels zones just like in my where to stay in Puerto Vallarta post. Here’s my suggestions about where to eat in Puerto Vallarta and for kicks, some drink suggestions too. Marina Vallarta The Marina...
January 15, 2020
As a Southerner, I’m no stranger to BBQ. Restaurants announcing “the best BBQ” are a dime a dozen up and down the roads of the south. BBQ is so good, I’m skeptical to even try it in other parts of the country. But when I visited St Louis and saw all the billboards for St Louis BBQ, I knew I had to try some while I was there and see how it stacked up against southern BBQ. Turns out…pretty good....
December 31, 2019
My goal for 2020 is to say yes to new adventures or I should say, yes to MORE new adventures. I had plenty in 2019. I visited two new countries and revisited some other favorites. Driving almost 20k miles in road trips, I crisscrossed the country several times, road tripped Baja and camped solo for the first time. I had lots of the good moments that either didn’t make into a post or I just haven’t written about yet. I’m...
December 31, 2019
What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, I was just a few months into my blogging journey. I had moved to a new town at the first of 2018 and we were deep into a home remodel. My daughter was still away at college. I had the best travel year ever, checking off some longtime bucketlist destinations like Iceland and Cuba. This year, while the travel has been very good everything else has been, to put...
December 5, 2019
Ah Vallarta. It’s the perfect getaway. So perfect you may never want to leave the city center. Although you would be missing out if you didn’t take some day trips and explore the many charming beach towns located on the coast around Puerto Vallarta. I still haven’t visited all the ones I want to see but I’m working on it. If you’ve been to the area several times or are just looking to venture out, like me, and do some...
November 30, 2019
I traveled for work for years before I even considered taking a solo trip for fun. Sure I knew that a lot of people were doing it and it had become a thing. But as a gen xer with a family. Was I really going to do it now? I was lucky enough to have a job that as long as my work was completed by a certain time, I could do whatever I liked the rest of the time....
August 21, 2019
As a traveler to Mexico, at some point, you’re going to find yourself in Guadalajara. It’s location and the fact that it’s the second largest city in Mexico makes it a prime area for flights in and out of the country and also for exploring the region. While you might be tempted to fly on through to your final destination, why not do a layover and spend at least 24 hours in Guadalajara? You could easily stay a couple of...
August 13, 2019
I love road trips. If I’m not on a road trip, I’m either planning a road trip or dreaming about one. Since road trips and music go together like cheese dip and tortillas, I made a playlist of songs that make me wish I was on a road trip. Turn up the volume! 1. U2 | Beautiful Day How can you listen to this song and not want to take a road trip and see the country? Even though the...
July 8, 2019
“National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst” If the parks are our best idea then the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Lands pass may just be the second best idea. What is the America the Beautiful Pass? The America the Beautiful pass or the US park pass is a pass that you can purchase for $80 USD. The pass covers your entrance...
July 2, 2019
I love a Vegas vacation but I’ll be the first to admit that after a few days, I start to crave a change of scenery. The good news is, you don’t have to go very far to find it. Southern Nevada is full of natural beauty and really some cute towns. All within a few miles of the Vegas strip. Even if you didn’t pack your hiking boots, most of the areas have scenic drives or some paved walkways. Here’s...
June 23, 2019
Some of the best food, not to mention the best fish tacos, I’ve ever eaten while traveling in Mexico was in La Paz. La Paz is located on the eastern side of the Baja peninsula in Baja California Sur. Its location right on the the pristine blue Sea of Cortez means super fresh seafood and some of the best views from the restaurants located on the beachfront malecon or boardwalk. But it wasn’t just the seafood that was amazing. Breakfast...
June 1, 2019
We were excited as we drove the isolated back roads through Idaho to Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. My daughter and I were halfway through a 5500 mile road trip from Georgia that included Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Glacier National Park. We had been driving all day from Montana and we really wanted to be out of the car. Mainly, we were excited to see the park. We had talked about visiting Craters of the Moon...
May 2, 2019
Who would have thought that cheese dip would be the reason I’d finally get to spend some time in Arkansas? Definitely not me. You see, I had no idea that Little Rock was the birth place of cheese dip. Nor did I know they had a whole festival to celebrate it. But when the the Little Rock Convention & Visitor’s Bureau asked me to come and check out the festival as part of a Savor Arkansas food tour, I said...
April 21, 2019
It's no secret I love Mexico and Mexico City is where I fell in love with this beautiful country. I've been lucky enough to visit several times now and I know my love is here to stay. Whether it's your first time or your tenth, I've come up with a few must do's in Mexico City. Be warned; you might just fall in love too.
April 9, 2019
Confession. I almost didn’t go to Sayulita. When I was considering going, everyone I mentioned it to said it had changed a lot. They said it was too crowded, too commercial and had too many gringos. Yikes. But since I was already in Puerto Vallarta, the proximity made going there a no brainer. I had time, so why not spend 48 hours in Sayulita? Surprise! It’s adorable! I had way more fun than I thought I would. In the last decade,...
April 8, 2019
Just five miles off the Pacific ocean, near Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita lies a group of uninhabited islands called las Islas Marietas or the Marieta Islands in English. Even if you aren’t familiar with the name of the islands themselves, you’ve probably seen photos of the crater like Hidden Beach or Playa del Amor, floating around on the internet. I had a chance to visit the islands as part of a trip to Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita. Even though...
March 27, 2019
Chicago is one of my favorite cities. Fortunately having friends there and a place to stay has meant getting to know the city pretty well and visiting year round. While I don’t think there’s a bad time to visit Chicago, there are some months that are better than others. Spring is one of my favorite times to visit. There’s something a little extra special as the city is waking up from the cold. The snow that has been piled up...
March 5, 2019
In 1904, St Louis hosted the World’s Fair. Who would have thought the donut would still be paying homage to that event now? But that’s exactly what World’s Fair Donuts, located at 1904 (see what they did there?) South Vandeventer Ave is doing all these years later. No they weren’t selling donuts then but they have been baking up glazed buttermilk cake donuts, long john’s and blueberry chip cake conuts, their specialty, for around forty years. The majority of those...
