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TravelSmart Woman
  • Meet Me
  • Media Kit
  • U.S. Destinations
    • California
    • Chicago
    • Florida
    • New Mexico
    • Road Trips
    • Seattle
    • Seasonal
  • Worldwide Destinations
    • Camino de Santiago
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • Cuba
    • England
    • France
    • Greece
    • Italy
    • Other

U.S. Destinations

The USA has everything a traveler needs! Each region and city offers something different and unique.

ChicagoFood

Chicago Hot Dog: Accept No Substitute

July 2, 2022 Chicago, Food Comments are off
Chicago Hot Dog

It’s summer in Chicago–and that means plenty of outdoor cooking. Hamburgers, brats, Italian sausage, Polish sausage…but what about hot dogs? Yes! Go ahead, if you like: plop them on grill, hold them on a stick over a campfire. But...

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Budget TravelDraftMuseumsRoad TripsSolo TravelU.S. Destinations

Cahokia Mounds, IL: Prehistoric American City

May 17, 2022 budget travel, history, museum, road trips, solo travel Comments are off
Painting of Cahokia Mounds

Cahokia Mounds, in southeastern Illinois, was once a thriving American city…before there was an America. During its peak–about 1100 A.D., the population was larger than London’s at the same time. Until 1800, no other urban area in the United...

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Budget TravelCaliforniaSolo Travel

Sonoma Plaza: Where California Began

September 1, 2021 solo travel Comments are off
Sonoma Plaza: Where California Began

They say a city’s soul lives in its public places. If that’s true, then Northern California’s Sonoma Plaza rivals any of Europe’s grand squares or parks. Only eight acres, it’s still California’s largest plaza. And it’s where California began....

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Books, Magazines & MoviesChicagoMuseums

American Writers Museum Celebrates Words–of All Kinds!

July 11, 2021 Books, Chicago, history, museum Comments are off
American Writers Museum, Chicago

When the American Writers Museum opened in Chicago in 2017, I wondered, “What took so long?” The only museum that is dedicated to American writers–a category that is expansive–it’s puzzling to think that someone didn’t come up with the...

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Travel PlanningU.S. Destinations

State Parks: Something for Everyone!

June 14, 2021 U.S. Destinations Comments are off
Starved Rock State Park, Oglesby, Illinois

State parks, you say? Something for everyone? Really? Not national parks? Sure, America has a dazzling variety of national park sites–423 of them-and that will be a great blog post for another day. But for now, let’s consider those...

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Thoughts on TravelTravel PlanningU.S. DestinationsWorldwide Destinations

Craving Europe? Try These US Destinations!

May 13, 2021 Covid-19, museum, Travel Planning, Virtual Travel Comments are off
The Acropolis in Athens awaits!

Are you craving Europe and all its magic? Me, too. But sometimes we can’t get there, whether a pandemic has us confined to our own borders, or the timing simply isn’t right. (Then there’s that dang budget.) Try these...

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Road TripsSolo Travel

Wisconsin Rustic Roads: Take an Old-Fashioned Drive

September 27, 2020 road trips, US travel Comments are off
Wisconsin Rustic Roads-take an old-fashioned Sunday drive

Raise your hand if you remember–or have heard of–Sunday drives. Families would pile into the car and set out to…well, just drive. Often, there was no particular destination, just a chance to roll down the windows and see the...

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MuseumsU.S. Destinations

Springfield, IL: Lincoln & Corn Dogs

September 13, 2020 grandchildren trips, museum, US travel Comments are off
Springfield, Illinois, is a great place to take grandchildren.

I promised my eight-year-old grandson, William, a summer adventure. Just him and me. But Covid-19’s tight grip eliminated most options. Finally, in mid-August, we had a half-open window of opportunity: Springfield, Illinois called and we went. Springfield happens to...

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ChicagoFood

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza: The Truth, The History & The Recipe

August 30, 2020 Chicago, Food Comments are off
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Class at Pizzeria UNO

Anthony Bourdain struggled to call Chicago Deep Dish a “pizza.” For good reason, maybe. The late chef and culinary guru loved many things about Chicago: “…tall towers, hard corners, and sharp elbows. And, of course, food.” But that deep...

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Budget TravelRoad TripsSolo TravelU.S. Destinations

Solo Road Trip to Manistique, MI: A Beautiful Bargain

August 9, 2020 budget travel, Michigan, road trips, solo travel, US travel 2 Comments
Geese crossing Manistique MI boardwalk

I confess: I was itching to get out again after nearly five months of sheltering-in-place. A solo road trip seemed like a good idea for several reasons: First, solo travel is my jam. Second, one’s own car is the...

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Worth 1,000 Words…

A labyrinth can reset our mind and intention. Can we do the same with how we travel? (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
Flower Vendor at sSeattle Pike Place Market
Seattle’s Pike Place Market is one of the nation’s treasures. (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
The World's Largest Rocking Chair in Casey, Illinois.
Going to Seattle? Of course you'll want to visit the Space Needle. Fresh from a renovation, here's what to know!
"Becoming Human" by Christian Ristow welcomes you to Meow Wolf.The flower-sniffing robot is 30 feet tell. (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
A "young man" of 70+ years leads the band in Santa Clara. (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
Sandia Peak Tram was a challenge to build.
After your selfie at The Bean, visit one of the Chicago food halls!
The passage to the stadium was once covered entirely by a stone arch roof. Today, only one section remains. It's easy to imagine how athletes felt as they ran down the narrow entry into the stadium
The wooden roof is what burned on 15 April 2019, taking the spire with it. When it was built, Notre Dame Cathedral required 52 acres of forest to complete the roof.
Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe, NM: The Mysterious and Miraculous Staircase
Better to see something once than hear about it a thousand times..
Solo travel doesn't really have many downsides
Unclaimed Baggage Center is easy to find in Scottsboro, AL.
Milwaukee Art Museum: Architect Santiago Calatrava designed MOM to resemble a ship. Given its location on the Lake Michigan waterfront, his idea was brilliant. (Photo credit: Suzanne Ball. All rights reserved.)
Peace solo travel by eating at a nice restaurant
Rome-Colosseum
U.S. Destinations-Seattle-Pike Place
Window shopping in Florence: Silk ties
The Acropolis in Athens awaits!
Craving Europe? There are some surprising European destinations in the US!

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