“What are your favorite travel magazines?” When you write a travel blog, people are curious to know what you read for enjoyment and inspiration. Sometimes they ask for gift recommendations for the travelers in their lives…or what they should...
Apples and Autumn: Visit a Local Orchard and Start Cooking!
Apples and Autumn: For many of us, they’re intertwined. Can’t have one without the other. They mean back-to-school, cool weather, and a return indoors to “cozy in” for the coming winter. Depending where you grew up or live now,...
San Juan, Puerto Rico: Healing and Hopeful
San Juan, Puerto Rico, captured my heart about two years ago. One of the most charming cities I’d ever visited, I vowed to return. Maybe rent an apartment and stay for a month or so, hanging out at the...
How to Meet People When You Travel Solo
How to meet people when you travel solo? Not always easy. It’s not just a matter of being out-going. Some cultures don’t welcome “friendliness” from strangers. In fact, a woman can put herself at risk by seeming to encourage...
Madison Farmers Market: A “Capitol” Saturday
The Madison Farmers Market may be one of the prettiest in the country. With the Wisconsin State Capitol building at the center, farmers and vendors are on every side of the Capitol Square…and down State Street, behind the Capitol....
Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes: Favorite Fall Traditions
Pumpkin patches and corn mazes—American rituals that we welcome each fall. There is something in the air that makes humans want to get out before winter sets in. The shift in the sun’s angles and the shorter days trigger...
UNESCO: Why It Matters to Travelers
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) maintains the World Heritage List—the places that are “meaningful to mankind” and have significant history. UNESCO sites can be natural or manmade. You probably know some of the most famous ones:...
Chicago Columbian Exposition Fair Foods We Still Love
Some of the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition fair foods that rocked the world are still with us today. We take them for granted, but they caused a sensation among fairgoers. When I travel, I like to find foods that...
Milwaukee Art Museum: Beautiful Inside & Out
Milwaukee Art Museum is a surprise for visitors who consider the city to be an unrefined place known for beer, brats, and baseball. Repurposed lakefront: What a success! Built on lakefront that was repurposed after an unsuccessful attempt to...
5 Things Women Should Always Pack
There are five things women should always pack for every trip. Having said that, I feel a need to declare that I am NOT sexist…men may also want to include these items. But I speak as a solo female...