Chicago (by way of Gary, Indiana)

I also went to Gary, Indiana this week. Thank you Southwest for having a direct flight from Seattle to Midway. And, thank you Southwest for being on time. Originally I intended to find Michael Jackson's childhood home, but after wrapping up my business in Gary I decided that Gary was scary and that I didn't want to risk getting lost there. So, I decided to spend my extra time before my flight shopping in Chicago. So, I went to the Magnificent Mile and shopped at stores that I had no business being in.
Chicago from my rental car
Magnificent Mile
John Hancock

Street performer (i covet his outfit)

Seattle!!!

This week I went to Seattle. I positively adore (worth three exclaimation points) Seattle because of its laid back vibe and beautiful scenery. This is actually the second time that I've been to Seattle. I think that I have the best Seattle weather luck -- it's been sunny and warm both times. And, on this trip I had a whole afternoon to explore.


Last time I went to Seattle I did not have much time. So, I totally wanted to go to the Space Needle this time. The Space Needle. At $16 (plus tax) - no student discount! (yes, I still use my ID to get cheaper tickets)- it was a bit pricey. Also, I had to wait a bit with a bunch of random families. In the end, it was totally worth it.

After the Space Needle, I went to Pike Place Market. Pike Place Market is a lot fun -- it has a bunch of booths and stores with everything from fresh fish (that they throw) to hippies selling random arts and crafts. I think they threw the fish for a functional purpose at some point in time, but now it is just for us tourists. Now, they sing songs while they throw them. And, the very first Starbucks is here. Of course I braved the crowds and went to said Starbucks. Out back, you get a beautiful view -- along with street performers and homeless people begging for money. I think they add to the atmosphere.

Blast from the past: Roanoke, Virginia

Sometime around the election I had the opportunity to travel to Roanoke, Va. It is definitely not a thriving metropolis -- in fact, my hotel (which seemed to be frequented by truck drivers) included passes to the workout facilities at the YMCA across the street because it did not have workout facilities itself. What Roanoke lacks in work out facilities it makes up with a DQ and Joe the Plumber supporters. Who knew Joe was a source of such sage advice? ("Joe the Plumber says vote then come to DQ"). The election had to be a horrible disappointment for Roanoke.

Why Not Minot: Minot, North Dakota

This week I made the trek to Minot, ND. To get here, it took two connections. Six flights in a total of two days. Even for me, that's a lot of flying. According to MinotND.org, Minot is a micropolitan with a population of approximately 37,000. This makes it the 4th largest city in ND. And -- as I learned during my 21 hour stay -- Minot has a rich Scandinavian heritage, people really talk like the movie Fargo, and July means hoodie weather.

The first thing I did was visit the visitor's welcome center.

Museum

House
Finnish Sauna

Hans Christian Andersen
Dala Horse

After fulfilling my cultural needs, I decided to explore the heart of the city. It was quite an adventure and revealed the some jewels. For instance, casinos are big in Minot.

Udder Palace Blind Duck

Blast from the past: Food on the road

One of the things I like about traveling is trying food that we don't have. Generally, I like trying chains that we don't have -- Sprinkles, Pinkberry, Dunkin Donuts, In-n-Out, Jamba Juice, and biscuitville. I'm sure there are others that I can't think of right now.

Biscuitville is awesome. They serve homemade biscuits all day long -- think if Hardees/Carl's Jr -- and sides like gravy, grits, and fries. And, it's really cheap. http://www.biscuitville.com/

Cafe Du Monde is simple and good. The only food they serve is beignets. Beignets are like donuts, but better. They also have coffee (eek!), hot chocolate, water, and chocolate milk. http://www.cafedumonde.com/main.html

I have jumped on the cupcake bandwagon. I know I am late to this party. I consider myself fashionably late. Anyways, I love cupcakes. That's why I quickly devoured the red velvet cupcake from Sprinkles that was in the wrapping to the left. And, pretty much every other flavor I have tried. http://www.sprinkles.com/

Sexxpresso. It claims to be the hottest coffee in Vegas. Looks like Starbucks may have some serious competition with this one. I can't vouch for this one, as my experience was limited to taking this picture as I was driving down the road.

Blast from the past: Daytona Beach

I've got a backlog of pictures from trips that I have already taken. So, occasionally I will post "blast from the past" blogs. A few weeks ago, I went to Daytona Beach, Florida -- birthplace of Nascar.



I did not know until I got there that people drive on the beach at Daytona. They even have speed limit and traffic lane signs.

Another interesting bit of trivia about Daytona Beach (unfortunately I lack photographic proof) is that every female regardless of age or weight felt the need to wear an inappropriately small bathing suit.

First Post

Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog. I travel a lot. And, along the way, I try to take a few pictures with my phone. So, I've decided to create this blog as a place to publish some of the pictures. Enjoy!