I Want to Go to There
Yesterday a site called Twisted Sifter posted their top 100 photos of 2012. There are some really creative photos in the mix, but the ones that truly moved me were of locations I had never heard of or seen before. They struck me as a few of the places I’d love to visit in my [...]
How to Eat Your Way Across Austin, Texas: A Photo Blog
Two and a half years ago, my friend Eric quit his job as a lawyer and moved down to Austin with his girlfriend to pursue the dream of owning a restaurant. 8 weeks later, he had a food truck called The Peached Tortilla up and running, and he’s been quite successful. I’ve been wanting to [...]
Things I Learned About Myself by Traveling Abroad Alone
This past week I’ve discussed my Ireland trip in detail, and I’d like to end the week with a reflection on what I learned from going on this trip solo. I wanted to stretch myself on this trip, to step outside of my comfort zone. I’m a planner at heart, and thus I didn’t plan [...]
11 Ways to Have a Great Vacation in Ireland
Make sure you stay tuned for the contest at the end of this entry. It involves Irish chocolate! I spent the last 6 days just outside Dublin in Clontarf, Ireland. It was a solo trip, and I’ll delve into what I learned about myself tomorrow. But for now, here are 11 insights I have into [...]
5 Reasons to Stay at the Clontarf Castle Hotel
I’ve always wanted to live in a castle. Unless I ever get filthy rich or decide to pursue a career in butlery, that’s not going to happen. Thus I satisfied part of that childhood desire of mine by staying in a castle the last four nights. Tonight is my last night in the Clontarf Castle [...]
Ireland by Percentage so Far
If all I knew about Ireland came from the first day and a half of observations and experience, here are all the assumptions I’d make about Ireland: It rains 0% of the time. 99% of Irish people are thin and seemingly in shape. 50% of dogs that walk by me are somewhat interested in tasting [...]
By the Time You Read This…
…I’ll be a stranger in a strange land. That’s right, I’m in Ireland. I’m writing this post on Wednesday, but I’ve scheduled it to publish at exactly the time that my plane sets down in Dublin. This trip is unlike any other I’ve ever taken. The only planning I’ve done is buying a plane ticket [...]
The Best Test of a Relationship
I’ve been quoted in many books of quotes as saying, “The best test of a relationship is to take a trip together.” In my experience, it’s completely true. When you’re on a trip, you’re outside of your comfort zone. Your raw, unedited side comes out, and you get to see what your significant others’ raw, [...]
7 Random Road Trip Tips and Thoughts
Back during a time when I was making many road trips for my first–and last–long-distance relationship, I wrote an entry about how I’d pimp my ride for long trips if I could. Today I have a few follow-up tips and thoughts for long road trips, particularly those for which you’re alone for 10+ hours. Crunchy [...]
How Do You Travel?
I’m fascinated by how people travel and vacation in different ways. Picture your ideal vacation. Say you get a week off work and have a $1,500 budget. Where do you go? What do you do? Here’s what I’d do: I’d fly to a foreign land, find a remote town and settle in for the week [...]
Mom Stories: Part 1
One of the most endearing, loving, and amusing things my mother does is overprepare me for travel abroad. It all started back in 2001 when I was headed to Kyoto for the year. Concerned about the quality of the water in Japan (a first-world country where people don’t, contrary to popular belief, drink unfiltered toilet [...]
Things I Learned on the Drive
I recently drove back home to Virginia for Christmas. Why drive 13 hours instead of fly? One, Biddy is too big to take on the plane. Two, I can’t fly directly to Richmond, so counting the drive to the airport, security, two flights, the layover, and the drive home, it adds up to about 8 [...]
Some Thoughts About Louisville
For a variety of reasons, I’ve been to Louisville a number of times over the last year and a half. I wrote this entry on last year’s Kentucky Derby, along with this entry on a Ray Lamontagne concert. I paid Louisville another visit on Thursday and Friday, this time for another concert. I have a few [...]
10 Fun Facts About Memphis
I spent the last weekend in Memphis, Tennessee for a bachelor party for a good friend of mine. I learned a lot about Memphis during my time there, so I thought I’d share some fun facts about the city. I hope I can think of ten of them. The food is delicious but quite unhealthy. [...]
Vegas #5: Travel in Packs
How well do you travel in groups? What conflicts have you experienced in group travel? What’s the ideal number of people to travel with? When I’m dating someone new, I consider the first road trip or flight together a good test for how the relationship is going. It’s a great way to see someone else [...]
Vegas #4: The Things I Shouldn’t Tell You
I went to Vegas this past weekend expecting a relatively calm weekend. I’m not a partier; I like to drink, but I generally avoid the crowds at clubs and crazy bars. I guess strip clubs are an option in Vegas, but again, not really my thing. I did, however, discover something that I didn’t know [...]
Vegas #3: A City of Indulgences
From a business perspective, Las Vegas is one of a kind. It’s a city built with the money of people who came there to get lucky. It’s a place where people convene with the common desire to indulge. Not one restaurant, not one retailer…an entire city built on this concept. On my last day there, [...]
Vegas #2: How to Assimilate in Vegas
I did not assimilate in Vegas. I didn’t party, I didn’t gamble, I didn’t do anything crazy. The wildest thing I did was drink a mimosa at 10:00 am in the morning (to be fair, that wasn’t my last pre-noon mimosa of the day). I did, however, enjoy the people watching. Here are a few [...]
Vegas #1: The Roulette Story
I just got back from a weekend-long trip to Vegas. It was my first time there, and I have a lot of thoughts about the city and the experience, so this week I’m going to devote an entry a day to Vegas (within the constraints of the normal categories of this blog: guy talk, management, [...]
If I Could Pimp My Ride…
If I could pimp my ride, I’d retrofit it to be the ultimate long-distance vehicle. Prior to last year, I was horrible at long-distance driving. I’d get stiff, bored, and tired after about 2 hours in my Camry. But last year I had a long-distance relationship that resulted in several 8-hour trips to West Virginia. [...]
The Greatest Bookstore in the World
Before today, I just assumed that the greatest bookstore in the world was Powell’s in Portland, Oregon. It has all the press, it’s huge, friends recommend it, and I enjoy their e-newsletter. Powell’s may be amazing, but thanks to alert reader Frank W., I learned about a new bookstore today. My friends, I present to [...]
The Seven Best Cities in the World for Writers
(Note: The original list was for five cities, but the list has grown thanks to alert readers. If you have a city to add and the data to back it up, let me know. Also, I’m connected to an independent publishing company called Blank Slate Press, so if you’re a novelist or a reader of [...]
The Infamous Iguana
So I was going to post a survival entry about how to survive an iguana attack, but as I was writing it, I realized that most people probably don’t realize that iguanas are scared of people. You need to know that or you won’t get the joke. In fact, I was asked by a friend [...]
WBC Yeah You Know Me
Puerto Rico lost to the U.S. 6-5 today in the World Baseball Classic. But last Wednesday, they were primed through a run through the international tournament after a 5-0 win against the Netherlands. I was at the game. The first round finale was played in San Juan at a fairly nice stadium that reminded me [...]
