america
Travel from sea to shining sea; by car or by plane, there's plenty to see in the good ole US of A.
Day at Old Sturbridge Village
I have not been to Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA since I was six or seven, which is going on 15 or 16 years ago. Today, it was open for free as part of the state’s “Free Fridays” program, so my mom and I went there to meet Ruth, an old friend of her’s. The drive from Gloucester was about an hour and 40 minutes.
By Rachel Lesch8 years ago in Wander
Quest of the Phoenix 2017 (6)
Up at 6 AM again (after an eight-hour rest; hard to believe this is a “vacation” with me going to bed and getting up so early) and spent three hours preparing myself. First, I went and got a nice nutritious continental breakfast with all of the food groups represented (except meat), then I spent some time planning my route to South Mountain Park, grooming, and dressing carefully to hide the fact that I was slightly out of shape — I would be hiking in the rising heat of the late morning, so I couldn’t get away with wearing a jacket or whatnot.
By Nathan Sturm8 years ago in Wander
Most Expensive Hotels on the West Coast
Traveling in style has always been in vogue, and these days, the competition for being the most lavish hotel in America has never been more extreme. Nowadays, resting in the lap of a luxury hotel or resort takes many different forms — including the hyper luxury form.
By Mackenzie Z. Kennedy8 years ago in Wander
Quest of the Phoenix 2017 (5)
Once again I was up at 6:30 and had a breakfast of tea and granola/fruit bar. Browsing maps and such on my phone, I was determined to CAREFULLY plan my route into Phoenix to avoid anything like last night’s debacle. In any event, I knew that my motel this time would have an actual “parking lot.” Still I retained some residual nervousness.
By Nathan Sturm8 years ago in Wander
Two Wandering Souls
Little did we know, there, right in front of us, was change. For months I had been planning the trip of a lifetime. I had made spreadsheets and mapped out countless routes. Organizing each stop to create the ultimate, soul searching road trip. My itinerary was set, my budget saved, my car fixed, everything was ready to go, or so I thought.
By Eslieann Lefler9 years ago in Wander
Quest of the Phoenix 2017 (4)
I rose early again but took my time getting ready, since I had a shorter drive today (or so I thought). Checking out, I also bought a postcard depicting Canyonlands National Park, since Tina (and her mom) had requested one and it enabled me to give the innkeepers an extra 80 cents to thank them for their nicely-scented room. I was on the road again by 9:30 and in good spirits, for today I would be driving through Monument Valley.
By Nathan Sturm9 years ago in Wander
California Dreaming
The first time I had gone on vacation to California was when I was 16 years old. My parents finally gave in due to my bugging the crap out of them to take me to Disneyland for my "Sweet 16" Birthday. Hard to believe at that time I was more interested in meeting Mickey and Minnie than going to a party and getting drunk with friends. Is what it is though and was happy to have talked my parents into taking me and thankful they had the money to do so.
By Kate Adams9 years ago in Wander
Worth the Gamble
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. I zigzag my way through the airport crowd, in between the hundreds of walks of life who came from all over the country and probably even the world to be here. Some traveling for business, others for pleasure—maybe for a little of both. A wild getaway of finer living with a touch of risky behavior and revealing outfits. It is good to be back—and to be of legal drinking and gambling age.
By Jordan Murphy9 years ago in Wander
Quest of the Phoenix 2017 (3)
The clock in my room had not been adjusted for Daylight Savings Time and I forgot to correct it, so I thought I was getting up at like 6:30 but actually it was 5:30. So when I went out for continental breakfast 15 minutes later (they’d said that breakfast started at 6:30), I was actually 45 minutes early instead of within the proper range. The Spanish speaking guys were hanging around the lobby ignoring me and talking to each other as I wondered why the bread products were still half-frozen and why I could smell eggs but not see any yet. At least I got a bagel and some coffee.
By Nathan Sturm9 years ago in Wander
Quest of the Phoenix 2017 (2)
I rose at about 6:45 and hit the road by 8:30. The plan was to follow the directions I’d looked up on my phone to the local Firestone. However, the area around my motel consisted, in addition to construction sites, also of a bizarre sea of interlocking parking lots with no real “town” amongst them and streets and street signs that operated in ways I hadn’t seen before, so I ended up bungling around for awhile in that area, then driving across a highway into the actual downtown area, which was just as bad, involving narrow one-way streets and wandering lanes. After a bit, I just said “screw this” and opted to hit the freeway for Omaha.
By Nathan Sturm9 years ago in Wander
The City That Never Sleeps
On first impressions, it seemed to be less alien than I imagined. When you sit and think about how different our two countries are, you tend to imagine there to be guns visible at every glance, patriotic nationalists bombarding you from all forgotten angles, and a pale green cat... A cat bigger than any building you've seen before, just there... Towering over the city... With dollar signs for eyes and a laugh that you just can't seem to run from... A cat that has paws bigger than clouds, that boom together when he makes that money rain... But, to my disappointment, he wasn't there, and neither was the rain... Neither were the anti-abortion activists spouting their brainwashed hypocrisy, neither was the young African American man who was shot and killed before my very eyes, and all the other people on the street who trivially walk by... Just me, and my eyebrow raised.
By Charli Knight9 years ago in Wander
New Orleans
New Orleans is well known for the Mardi Gras. People from around the country visit to dress in costume, drink, watch the parades as they go down the small streets of the French Quarter and when the police aren't looking bare their chests so as to have beads thrown at them from people on floats in the parade.
By Kate Adams9 years ago in Wander
