Steel City is good old fashioned blue collar town, and it’s a good time. The people are genuine, there’s innovation in food and industry and healthcare. Sports culture can’t be beat there. I’ve been to the ‘burgh a few times, for assorted work related trips and a wedding, and I’ve had memorable visits each time.
won’t you be my neighbor?
When I lived in the Midwest, I used to drive all over the place. It’s so easy to get from point A to point B in the US. The freeways are well kept and well demarcated, and it’s really low stress driving along the open highway.
Des Moines is an underrated, sleeper city. A capital city, it’s the most populated in the Hawkeye state. What you might be surprised to find is that there’s a ton of arts and culture in this city.
The gold domed State Capitol building is one of the more ornate state capitols. Along Locust, Grand and Walnut streets are local boutiques focusing on home decor, clothing and gifts. Des Moines is nice in that way, that there is a real focus on small business owners. The most amazing shop, Eden, is located on 6th street and is a very carefully curated perfumery and cosmetic shop. They have products by Tokyo Milk, Malin+Goetz, Voltivo. There’s Diptyque and Tocca candles and pretty things and it’s adorable, perfect for gifting. There’s a vespa in the showroom, it’s like a store version of Zooey Deschanel.
Next door is a Gong Fu Tea, which is a nice space to sit and contemplate the intricacies of life. Another place to do that is down the road at the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. This is probably one of the best sculpture parks around and it’s located smack dab in the middle of Des Moines. It’s stuck with me for all these years, and for good reason. It features works from heavy hitters such as Louise Bourgeois (whose Spiders also sit in front of the Kemper Art museum in Kansas City),
Keith Haring’s Untitled and my personal favorite sculptor, Jaume Plensa’s Nomade.
Here you can see Juno by Deborah Butterfield (driftwood horses), and Thinker on a Rock by Barry Flanagan.
As an adult, I still don’t quite understand what venture capitalism is, but it seems that Mr. Pappajohn was very, very good at it, to be able to donate all these works to the Des Moines Art Center.
For an artsy, or at least eclectic choice for lunch, go straight to Zombie Burger where they serve artfully crafted burgers with a horror show theme. I had a Raygun, which was a medium patty piled high with bacon, guac, fried jalapenos, monterey jack, and caramelized onions. They have burgers with gouda, proscuitto, peanut butter, mac & cheese, croquettes, fried pickles, you name it. If that won’t kill you, the scary decor will. They also have neon-hued milkshakes with cereal, twinkies, cake mix, the works.
On your way out of town, you should be a total weirdo like me and seek out a covered Bridge in Madison County, as made famous by the book and movie. The movie with Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep was filmed on location in this area. They are not the easiest to get to, off the beaten track, but the one closest to my route was the Cedar covered bridge, and it was an adorable landmark to cap off a quick road trip.
Happy weekending!
Seattle is one of my top five destinations. The drizzly climate suits me, there’s an abundance of arts, music and food, and it’s just so damn cool. The people here are hip, tech savvy and seemingly pave the way for the rest of us without caring if we know it or not. It’s also so close to the effortlessly amazing Vancouver. I love the Pacific Northwest.
That being said, it’s hard to do a city guide for a few days because there’s just so much to see. I could probably do a half dozen guides representing each trip I’ve taken here in the past 5 years, and maybe one day I will. I’m a true believer that you should do the touristy things on your first trip to get them out of the way so that you can start exploring the local vibes of a city, but in Seattle some of their tourist spots are the best and I like to visit them every time I’m in town.
SO much to do, you’ll probably be left sleepless in Seattle…
Stockholm is a huge Scandinavian hub for SAS and Norwegian, so it’s no surprise that it’s a pretty big airport. I spent the good part of a 3 hour layover here looking for Swedish meatballs, finally finding one place that had them. They need more Swedish meatballs.
Arlanda is the main airport in Stockholm, and is about 23 miles (37 km) north of city center. Terminals 2 and 5 serve international flights, while 3 and 4 are domestic. There are around ~72 gates (?) and this may be the only airport where they advertise wedding ceremonies to be held in the VIP lounges. Would not be my first choice for a wedding venue (taking the plunge is not something I’d want to hear in an airport), but to each his/her own?
There is a large shopping/restaurant facility called Sky City in between the terminals, and I’m sure there’s a way to get to it without having to re-enter security from Terminal 2 to 5, but I could not find it. However, security is very fast so it wasn’t a huge deal. The design is very aesthetically Swedish, simple, clean lines with lots of windows and modern light fixtures. There are also Volvos on display throughout the concourses, can’t get more Swedish than that. It was a great place to have a layover, lots to see and do, but installing a people mover would be helpful.
Remember: ✈️ = S.O.S. to ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ = you can jive, having the time of your life (Dancing Queen)
Convenience to the city: ✈️✈️✈️ (far from city center, there are trains/buses that go directly to the airport, if you have a very long layover, probably doable)
Ease of navigating through terminals: ✈️✈️ (there has got to be a way to get to Sky City without exiting, so I’m taking a plane off for lack of directions to it)
Convenience of check in/security lines: ✈️✈️✈️ (it was very fast, even though the line was long)
Dining: ✈️✈️✈️ (Scandinavian, Asian, Italian, pubs, McDonald’s, juice bars, Starbucks. Taste of Scandinavia has Swedish Meatballs and it only took me walking around like five times to realize it was the only place that had it)
Bathrooms: ✈️✈️ (clean, each stall has its own sink, but very long lines)
Charging stations/wifi: ✈️✈️✈️ (free wifi available, fair amount of charging at the gates)
Amenities: ✈️✈️✈️✈️ (decent shopping-longchamp, marc jacobs, victoria’s secret; two hotels, airline lounges, pharmacy, medical clinic, hair salon, dry cleaning, DHL. And like I said you can get married here, so basically it’s its own city)
finally
I don’t know how many times I’ve been in this airport, I’ve lost count. Chicago is one of my favorite cities in the world and it was hop, skip, jump away from Kansas City, so there’s a lot of flying through MDW. Some of us on this blog are from Chicago or have family/significant others there, so we’ve all seen it dozens of times.
MDW is the little (although older) brother to O’Hare and from a convenience standpoint, it is much preferred. A, it’s quick (although security can be a nightmare). B, it has direct access to the Orange Line which I take for ~ 8 miles to the Loop downtown. C. it’s not O’Hare. I’ll save it for a blog post one day, but O’Hare has given me PTSD more than once.
It’s a manageable airport, 43 gates split amongst three concourses A, B, and C. Southwest airlines controls 34 of these gates out of A and B concourses. Delta, Volaris and something called Porter airlines operates out of A. C is for charter planes.
There’s a decent food court, with greek, pizza, a Potbelly. There’s also a McDonalds and Let Them Eat Cake, which sticks in my mind every time I walk by. You will smell honey roasted awesomeness from Nuts on Clark.
Remember: ✈️ = Bears at their worst to ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ = Cubs winning the WS in 2016
Convenience to the city: ✈️✈️✈️✈️ (take the Orange line directly to the airport)
Ease of navigating through terminals: ✈️✈️✈️ (it’s not very big, there’s moving escalators)
Convenience of check in/security lines: ✈️✈️ (sometimes it can take a very long time to get through this line, it’s very busy)
Dining: ✈️✈️ .5 (not bad for its size, but minus a point for closing SuperDawg)
Bathrooms: ✈️✈️
Charging stations/wifi: ✈️✈️ (free wifi NOT available)
Amenities: ✈️✈️ (airport shops are typical, there’s a yoga room, no lounges)
Japan is one of my all time favorite traveling destinations; it’s also a busy layover spot to get to the rest of Asia. It is amazing to me how a country can be universally reserved and orderly while being culturally avante garde. Japan is an amazing contradiction of tradition and progress. Unfortunately I’ve only been there twice, but hoping to go back many more times in my life.
Traveling to Japan, the tone is set when you arrive at Narita Tokyo International Airport (NRT). This airport is huge and awesome and clean. There are three terminals encompassing somewhere around ~155 gates. Terminal one is split into a North and South wing, with the North serving Delta/SkyTeam carriers (Aeromexico, Air France, China, China Eastern, China Southern, KLM, Korean, Vietnam), Hawaiian. The South encompasses United/Star Alliance carriers (Air Canada, ANA, Egypt, EVA, Lufthansa, Singapore, South Africa, Swiss, Thai, Turkish) and Etihad.
Terminal 2 is where Japan Airlines operates along with American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, FinnAir, Iberia, Qantas, Tam and a few airlines from other Asian countries. Terminal 3 is for low cost carriers. This airport is amazing for layovers as there’s a ton to do, but it is somewhat far from the city, so you can’t just make a quick trip into Edo itself (it’s 40 miles away) if you only have a few hours.
The food here is amazing, but I am biased because if I can get a decent bowl of ramen in an airport, it’s shooting to the top of the list (that’s right, Heathrow ;). There’s your regular McDonald’s, Starbucks offerings for western food, but if you’re laying over in Japan, enjoy Japanese food! There’s udon, soba, sushi, curry, yakatori, ramen, donburi, tonkatsu shops, and a food bar where you can get ALL of these things. I spend most of my time here stuffing myself (but if you’re flying on JAL, save your stomach for their snacks and yuzu sky time drink).
There are luxury and duty free shops galore: Ferragamo, Tiffany & Co, Burberry, etc, but I recommend hitting up the Japanese convenience stores, Hello Kitty, and souvenir shops. Where else are you gonna get your last minute Japanese KitKats for your flight?
Remember: ✈️ = Sayonara, sucker to ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ = domo arigato, mr. roboto
Convenience to the city: ✈️✈️✈️ (far from city center, BUT there are trains that go directly to the airport)
Ease of navigating through terminals: ✈️✈️✈️ (it’s very large, but there’s an abundance of clear signs in Japanese and English)
Convenience of check in/security lines: ✈️✈️ (it’s a very busy airport, but they go as efficiently as they can)
Dining: ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ (Japanese food bonanza)
Bathrooms: ✈️✈️✈️✈️ (like everything in Japan very clean, and has their musical toilets with the automatic seat covers)
Charging stations/wifi: ✈️✈️✈️ (free wifi not available, decent amount of charging)
Amenities: ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ (lots of things to see, shops, food, japanese culture, kabuki, shower and rooms available to rent, airline lounges, observation deck to watch takeoffs and landings–I want to live here)
I can safely report that there is nothing rotten in the state of Denmark. In fact, I can certify that Denmark is 100% fresh after spending a few days there (rotten tomatoes reference for us nerds).
Danes are known for their convivial spirit as embodied in the trendy term hygge (pronounced who-guh). There’s no corresponding English word, but it is approximated to cosiness in life, i.e. drinking hot chocolate with your friends by an open fire with a wool blanket while wearing yoga pants. Hygge is also personal responsibility: the Danish are have a great deal of respect and care for their homeland and fellow man. They’re said to be one of the happiest peoples in the world and it’s probably because of this trust and friendliness. People don’t lock their bikes up. This blew my mind.
I spent a culture, food, art, architectural jam packed three days here, and it left me wanting to go back and experience more of that hygge life. Read my itinerary and tips after the jump. Hygge down!
I wanna Dansk with somebody…
Because we on this blog are from all over the United States, from the west to the East, the Midwest to the South, we decided to create a series of “hometown hits,” where we cover different neighborhoods from one of our many home regions.
With the devastating rains and flooding of Hurricane Harvey temporarily obscuring the true landscape of Houston, Texas, we wanted to shine a spotlight on this wonderful metropolis. And what a metropolis it is, the fourth most populated city in the US, the largest city in Texas–and we all know everything is bigger in Texas right? Nowhere is that more true than in this city that sits on Galveston Bay; there are big buildings, big hospitals, big space exploration and big hearts in abundance here.
One of us on this blog was raised and has roots in this fantastic city, so we hope that underscoring a vibrant neighborhood will act as a reminder of the Houston that is and will rise again. And while this disaster may be a temporary setback, and the rebuilding efforts will take time, this city and its people will unite, they will persist and they will come back stronger, and better than before.
photo from visithoustontexas.com
Montrose has to be one of the most interesting neighborhoods in all of Texas, if not all the world. They say keep Austin weird, but it also applies here. They call this Bohemian area the “heart of Houston” and it does exemplify the diversity this city has to offer.
Montrose became a hub of the counterculture movement in the 60s, however in the past 20 years it has become more and more high end without losing its charm. There are artists, antique and thrift shops, musicians, communes, spendy boutiques, a large LGBT faction, tattoo parlors, upmarket mansions, hipsters, and bars and restaurants galore. Literally everything you need to have a good time is in this one area. It’s supremely colorful and ecclectic, both in its people and in the buildings/homes.
Close to the museum district, this area also boasts several notable collections at The Menil and at the Rothko Chapel (features works by Mark Rothko and Philip Johnson). It is also close to all the universities in town, attracting all comers, who are all welcome.
Standouts include:
Barnaby’s: if you look up the definition of a cozy cafe, this is what you’ll find
Black Labrador Pub: literally the cutest British pub, human sized chess board!
Chapultepec Lupita: 24 hour Mexican with dozens (plural) of tequila selections.
El Real Tex Mex: the famous neon marquee of the old Tower movie theater sits near the very recognizable Westheimer and Montrose at the heart of this district
Indika: modern Indian cuisine in a expansive setting (it’s walls are tikka masala color)
La Mexicana: cozy, homey Mexican establishment that’s been around for 30 years
Les Ba’Get: modern fusion Vietnamese brick and mortar of a beloved food truck
Niko Niko’s: it’s all greek to me, especially when delicious and served out of an old gas station (I have a thing for those kind of places: Joe’s KC and Vinsetta’s Garage)
Riel: sophisticated global cuisine that is literally all over the map…but it works
Ramen Tatsu-Ya: yeah I know it’s from Austin, but it’s ramen and I like it
The Dunlavy: the most picturesque views of Buffalo Bayou from floor to ceiling windows in their dining room
Torchy’s Tacos: also from Austin, their tacos are amazing
Underbelly: this butchery showcases the diverse multicultural flavors of this city, often with fish sauce (umami city)
Everyone has always known the resiliency and strength of the people of Houston, but now more than ever, we’re seeing it. From the first responders to the good samaritans driving boats down to help the rescue efforts, we send our thoughts, prayers, and love to its citizens. If you are able to help, the American Red Cross and United Way are reputable charities that have a high donation value. Several celebrities such as JJ Watt and Kevin Hart also have youcaring and crowdrise pages, respectively, where you can donate as well. Other ways to help include donating care packages and blood, and supporting anyone who may be feeling helpless or upset over the situation.
Don’t mess with Texas, cause we’ve all got their back.
McCarran International Airport (LAS) serving Las Vegas, Nevada is one of my favorite airports to fly through. There’s a lot to do here on a layover like gamble! I’m not sure I’ve ever flown internationally from here, but I would say I average 6-8 domestic connections per year. It’s a huge hub to and from the west coast with 110 gates.
First of all, it’s fairly close to the strip (less than 5 miles), and it’s cool to see Las Vegas boulevard from an aerial view as you start your descent. This part always makes me very excited. However, because Las Vegas is hella hot, both takeoffs and landings can be very turbulent. This part makes me hesitant. That’s Las Vegas in a nutshell.
The worst thing about flying into Vegas is that inevitably, one of your flight attendants will call it “Lost Wages.” This is the worst joke, it needs to be retired. Please.
The confusing thing is that it is split into Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. There is no Terminal 2. Not sure if David Copperfield made it disappear or what, but it’s not there. Terminal 1 (concourses A-D) has a lot of domestic, but not all. Terminal 3 (also D along with E) has international and some domestic.
I love people watching here. There’s no other airport where the arrivals and departures are so bipolar. When people get here, they’re ready to party, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed. And then when they leave…well they look more like Conor McGregor after 10 rounds with Floyd Mayweather.
The security lines are always a bit hairy, and you’ll watch the TSA video featuring celebrity impersonators/Vegas entertainers like a hundred times, but once you’re in, there’s chimes and flashing lights and all sorts of commotion from the slot machines!
They have good fast food options, it’s easy to get from one concourse to the other (although from the Southwest C gates takes half your life). You have to take a tram from the gates to baggage, but it’s quick. The baggage claim area is huge. Their rideshare waiting area can be tricky to get to (have to cross the street into a parking structure whose elevator levels have the weirdest designations)–random mezzanine level, huh?). But overall, if you had to have a layover here, it wouldn’t be a complete loss (unless you do get tempted by the shiny machines with the flashing lights).
Remember: ✈️ = lost wages to ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ = viva, las vegas!
Ease of navigating through terminals: ✈️✈️✈️ (good signs, it’s a long walk)
Convenience of security lines: ✈️✈️ (get there early)
Dining: ✈️✈️✈️ (mostly fast food, great hours, and there’s Coffee Bean and Starbucks)
Bathrooms:✈️✈️ (always crowded, need more)
Charging stations/wifi: ✈️✈️ (free wifi available, not enough charging stations in the gate areas, but have designated areas that are always packed)
Amenities: ✈️✈️✈️✈️ (Gaming facilities. People watching can occupy you for hours. Only a few lounges (AmEx and United), some Xpress Spas, weird B list mall stores, no luxury purveyors because I think they want you to spend the money in their casinos instead)
Oh boy, oh Boise. Since many people (read: members of my family who are reading this) will be flocking to Boise this week for the total eclipse of the heart of the sun, I thought a Boise guide would be apropos.
When you think of Boise, you may think of potatoes or Boise State University, but this capital city is really trendy, with new restaurants and revitalization of its downtown core. They don’t call it the Portland Jr. for nothing (although I think it stands on its own quite nicely). The proximity to world class skiing doesn’t hurt either. I was pleasantly surprised visiting Boise, it’s serene and wide open. I’m a person who appreciates space, and “sleeper” destinations that aren’t yet overrun by tourists.
Turn around, bright eyes…or you may miss all there is to see!
Traveling docs 