Great American Cities- St.Louis

St. Louis- September 5-10, 2006

St. Louis, Missouri is a fantastic vacation destination. We took a road trip to St. Louis, as well as Quincy, Illinois, to attend the wedding of my husband’s cousin William to his bride Jennifer.

On Tuesday morning after camping over the long Labor Day weekend, we packed up the car and headed west toward St. Louis, Missouri. We drove from Interstate 76 West to Interstate 71 South to Interstate 70 West through Columbus, Indianapolis and into St. Louis. The drive took about 8 hours and we arrived at our hotel in Edwardsville, Illinois just outside St. Louis.

Almost everything is free in St. Louis. On Wednesday morning we left early for a big day of attractions in St. Louis. First, we went to the Budweiser Beer Tour. We had a great time learning about the history and process of making beer. We saw the Clydesdales and where they stay. We got to try selections of beers and other beverages not sold in stores. The free tour was a lot of fun. After the beer tour we went to the Missouri Botanical Garden ($8/pp)- I had a blast, my husband dragged his feet the whole time. If you are the kind of person that enjoys garden after beautiful garden with themes like Japanese Water Garden, Buddhist Temple Garden, Classic Rose Garden, English Garden..... etc, etc, you are the type of person that would love the Missouri Botanical Garden. If you don’t care to see a lot of plants, it is not for you. I personally enjoyed the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog ($3/pp) quite a bit. It features art and exhibits that focus on dogs of the AKC. As a dog lover, I enjoyed everything I saw. We finished our day at the Laumeier Sculpture Garden, which displays many modern art sculptures in a garden setting that spans acres which is free for all. There are some very interesting pieces in the sculpture garden and I suspect I had a much better time than my husband did.

On Thursday we had more free fun. We visited the St. Louis Zoo, which is free. Our favorite exhibits were the penguins and the giraffes, both of which felt like we could reach out and pet the animals if we wanted. We had a wonderful time. Next we visited the St. Louis Art Museum, which is also free. The St. Louis Science Center is free, as well. All of these places are situated around Forest Park, the biggest park in St. Louis. Once the location of the World’s Fair, there is plenty to fill a whole days worth of sightseeing! There is free on-the-street parking around the zoo so look for a spot before paying to park in the lot. We had a picnic lunch in Forest Park near the Boathouse, then drove past the Jewel Box on our way from the Art Museum to the Science Center and Planetarium.

We enjoyed our best meal at Schlafly’s Brewery in St. Louis. My husband enjoyed the local selection of beers. The choices on the menu utilized local ingredients and both our choices were good ones.

On Friday, we drove from St. Louis to Quincy, Illinois where the wedding was taking place. Quincy is a lively river town with a few sights. We enjoyed the sunset over the bridges that cross the River, the rehearsal dinner held at a local pub and the small-town feel of Quincy. William and Jennifer got married on the banks of the Mississippi River with a beautiful ceremony. We enjoyed spending time with family at the lovely reception. On Sunday, we headed back home. The drive back took about 10 hours.

We had a great time on our St. Louis vacation. We were able to do the entire vacation spending next to nothing- we converted frequent traveler points into free hotel rooms, saved restaurant gift cards and used them while on the trip and bought gas with a free gas card we earned through Speedy Rewards. AAA offered discounts on admission to the Botanical Garden an almost everything else was free. We had a great budget vacation!

Our Honeymoon- Key West, Florida

Our Honeymoon- February 14- 23, 2004

We got married at 11:am on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2004. Everything went exactly as planned and we were able to have our closest family and friends share the day with a luncheon reception. We were glad that we decided to have an early wedding because we could head to our honeymoon suite early and enjoy the night.

We spent our wedding night at the Sheraton Suites Fallsview in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. We had an amazing view of the Falls and rapids from the balcony of our suite. The bathroom was huge and featured a giant hot tub. We enjoyed a wonderful first night together sipping Champagne in a luxurious suite.

We spent our honeymoon in Key West, Florida. We left on Monday morning. Our flight left from Cleveland and had a connecting flight in Atlanta. Because of delays, we had to run through the Atlanta airport to make our connecting flight to Fort Lauderdale. Although we made it by a few minutes, our baggage did not and we had to wait an hour for it to arrive on the next flight. We enjoyed a lunch and drinks at the airport Chili’s. After we retrieved our bags, we rented a convertible and headed south.

We decided to take Route 1 all the way, which ran right thru Miami. We took in the sights and sounds of a place we’d never been. Miami is full of vibrant colors and colorful people. We drove through the Florida Keys in the evening. Each of the keys has its own personality. We pulled over and bought deli sandwiches. We stopped a convenience store for bottled margaritas and beer. We enjoyed our leisurely drive through the Florida Keys. We arrived in Key West after midnight.

We’d rented a private cottage for the week. It had a kitchen, outdoor patio with grill, hot tub and outdoor shower, set in a lush garden with mango trees and tropical flowers. It was paradise and the perfect place to spend our honeymoon. We enjoyed cooking fresh seafood on the grill. We spent an entire day just lounging on the deck, sleeping on towels in the sun. We were only half a block off of Duval but we didn’t hear anything. We had our own little oasis.

Key West is one of the those places where you could spend hours partying or hours walking quiet streets in quaint neighborhoods, just depending on what you want to do at any given time. We had a great time just walking around and taking in the unique qualities of Key West. It is an eccentric island with a lot to see and do. We enjoyed the Hemmingway House, the Southernmost Point, the Butterfly Exhibit, the Glass-Bottomed Boat but had the most fun on the speedboat that flew around the island going more than 80 mph! That was definitely the highlight of our vacation. We took in the sunset every night at Mallory Square and loved watching the various street performers.

We always like to get a place with a kitchen so we can prepare our own meals to save money. We went to the Waterfront Market and bought produce, fruit, breads and best of all, fresh seafood. Our best meal was grilled Key West Pink Shrimp skewers marinated in orange juice and herbs. Making our own meals was a great way to spend special time together.

We did eat out a lot! We had fish sandwiches at Hog’s Breathe, drank rum drinks at Sloppy Joes and had amazing Cuban food and a huge pitcher of Sangria at El Siboney. A perfect day of meals to me would be Blue Heaven for breakfast, Camille’s for lunch and the Key West Seafood Garden for dinner. Blue Heaven, at 729 Thomas Street, serves Moscow Mimosas with delicious breakfasts at an open-air restaurant with lots of quirky charm. Camille’s, at 1202 Simonton Street, serves delicious sandwiches. The Key West Seafood Garden, at 519 Duval Street, looks like a tiki bar from the outside but is really a collection of romantic tables set in a tropical garden. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is serene- we spent our most romantic dinner there. El Siboney, at 900 Catherine Street was another dinner favorite. The Sangria was tasty and plentiful and we enjoyed the stuffed crab and rice dish. There is always a line out the door for this place!

A bar on every corner makes it very easy to remain relaxed in laid back in Key West. We drank way more than usual. It is also fun to get your own rum or vodka at the liquor store and add it to a fruity smoothie, sold in every flavor you desire everywhere on Duval. Just walking around and taking in the atmosphere of Key West was a highlight of the trip. It was a beautiful honeymoon location and we had an amazing time!

Great American Cities- Indianapolis

Tool Concert- September 7- September 9, 2001

A friend in Indianapolis called and said she had an extra ticket to the Tool concert that weekend. I’d been to Indianapolis a few times before and always enjoyed myself. I packed up my car and drove 5 hours on Friday night after work, taking Interstate 71 to Interstate 70 into Indianapolis.

The next morning my friend and I drove around taking in the city- past the Indianapolis 500 Raceway, into downtown and then went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I love visiting a museum in every city I visit and I enjoyed this one! We went back to the apartment to get ready for the show.

I’ll just say I drank a lot at the show. My friend and I were able to convince guys to pay for each of the several Long Island Ice Teas we drank that night and we had a great time laughing and stumbling around. We found a fun bunch and partied the night away with our new friends. The concert was a blast with amazing optical and lighting effects that matched the transfixing music. We caught a ride with a non-drinking friend and made it home fine! I drove home the next afternoon. The weekend trip was a much needed fast break from life!

Great American Cities- Pittsburgh

As much as the former Clevelander in me hates to admit it, Pittsburgh is a great American city! I’ve visited Pittsburgh as a child and an adult and always have a blast.

Three Rivers Stadium Implosion- February 10-11, 2001

The very best trip I’ve ever taken to Pittsburgh was a spur of the moment trip that was conceived, executed and completed within 24 hours! I heard that Three Rivers Stadium was going to be imploded. I called my sisters and asked them if they wanted to go see that building fall down. They were down so we got our mates in on the plan and got to it. I called a hotel and reserved a room. We decided not to get exact directions to Pittsburgh and instead just headed east in the general direction. We knew we’d run into the area eventually. We found a highway with Pittsburgh signs and headed for a tunnel, which I hate! But, as we pulled through the tunnel and Pittsburgh appeared, a crowd favorite song started playing on the radio and we all cheered and got keyed up for an excited experience.

We parked our car and used public transport to explore the city. We took a train to Station Square and rode an incline up to Mount Washington. We ate dinner at a little restaurant that served comfort foods. We headed back to the hotel in downtown Pittsburgh and got to bed early.

The next morning we got up at 5:am so that we could find a premium position to overlook the stadium. We decided to head back to Mount Washington and found a great place to view the whole thing. The weather was freezing and we wrapped ourselves in the hotel blankets. The crowd around us consisted of Pittsburgh sports fans- Steelers and Pirates fans that enjoyed many games at Three Rivers- and a few Cleveland fans that enjoyed watching their rival team’s stadium fall. When you get diehard fans from rivaling teams drinking beer at 6:am, fights are bound to break out and they did. But the crowd finally commenced a count down and at the right time the stadium began to fallsection by section. When the entire thing had collapsed, the crowd cheered and then ran because a giant plume of dust and debris had risen into the air and was heading right for Mount Washington! The dust reached the crowd as we all scurried into shuttle buses that were headed to the train station. We were off the hill in no time and back at the hotel room by 9:00am. We packed our bags, checked out and headed home, this time taking US Route 30 all the way from PA, briefly passing through West Virginia and into Ohio. We were home before noon, less than 24 hours after we first decided to go and witness the implosion of Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Ohio. We all had a blast!

Weekend Getaway- April 12-14, 2002

My sisters and I decided to see a performance art exhibit which was being held in the East Liberty area of Pittsburgh. We asked our mates to make a weekend out of it. The six of us rented a van, reserved a hotel suite with a kitchen, packed coolers of food and left first thing in the morning. The drive to Pittsburgh is only about an hour and a half and we arrived in the late morning.

Our first stop was the Phipps Conservatory, which has been a family favorite since I was a girl. I’ve been to the Conservatory during each season to experience the gardens and exhibits. The spring weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the indoor and outdoor areas at Phipps. We had a picnic in a nearby park.

Our next stop was to the Andy Warhol Museum. We walked up all 7 flights of stairs and enjoyed exhibits that included his famous screen prints of consumer products and famous people, his collections of Fiestaware and Tiffany jewelry, and other unique and imaginative objects. After the museum, we drove around and took in the area before heading back to the hotel to make dinner and play games.


The next day we saw the performance of Graceful Light in Weightless Darkness at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theatre. The performance featured modern dancers that wore costumes made of fiber-optics and other light creations. Dancers of all body-types were included and the ideas were innovative and inspiring. We all enjoyed ourselves. We spent the night at the hotel and headed home the next morning.

International Travel~ Canada

First Trips with my Grandparents~

First, a word about my grandmother~ A large part of my wanderlust came from her. She loved to talk about her travels and where she wanted to go. She talked about the ‘Big Apple’ and ‘Lady Liberty’. She looked for napkins that stood up and ordered in French when we went to upscale restaurants. She wore a different broach her dress every day. My grandmother was fabulous. I’m sure she inspired my mother to be the vacation planner that she was, too. I love and miss my grandmother and wanted to mention her in this section. My grandfather is a WWII hero who also loves to travel. (He's in his 80s and is still traveling to Great American Cities!) He has his pilot’s license and we flew on short missions to Pennsylvania to visit family. He’s a stern and sometimes scary guy but some of my best memories include him at his best.

Canada is just across Lake Erie and was always a popular destination in travels throughout my life. I’ve been there many times! Some of my earliest trips were to Niagara Falls with my grandparents when I was five to ten years old. We stayed on the Canadian side at a hotel on the rapids, just minutes from the Falls. The Fort was right up the road and we visited that every time we went. The Maid of the Mist was scary and awesome and my grandfather looked much happier than he usually does. We entered the caves under the Falls and saw them from underneath. We’d always go up in a tower and eat in the revolving restaurant. The touristy things like the mummy musuem were fun for us as kids. The night-time light show was a favorite! Niagara Falls is an amazing natural wonder that never loses its appeal!

Later Canadian Travels~

I visited Niagara Falls a few other times before I was 21 because we could drink there. We drove all the way up on a whim one New Year’s Eve, got a hotel room for $20 (got to love off-season) and celebrated the New Year in a bar on top of a tower overlooking the Falls. We walked down to the Falls- the mist almost froze in the air. Everything glistened. There were no visitors and it was all quiet. We stood there alone for a long time and took in the majestic sight. It was a memorable road trip.

May 30-June 5, 1999

One of my very best road-trips to Canada was a week long Niagara Falls to Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto trip in the summer in my early twenties. We got tickets to see Phantom of the Opera when Paul Stanley from KISS was playing the Phantom. We followed Interstate 90 East from Cleveland to Buffalo, New York and into Niagara Falls. We visited the Falls, which were packed with people. We road the Maid of the Mist, drove up the river along the rapids, visited some beautiful gardens and a temple and had a great dinner. The next day we relaxed and hung around. We left the next morning for Niagara-on-the-Lake. We didn’t have a plan- we just decided to stop at a few wineries along the way. We bought a bottle in the early afternoon and had a picnic on a riverbank. We found another winery and bought another bottle for later that night. We headed toward Toronto.

Toronto is, to me, the New York City of Canada. It is fashionable and fast paced but clean and courteous. Our first day in Toronto we visited a few museums. I’d waited a long time to see a collection of Henry Moore’s and was thrilled to go to the Art Gallery of Ontario. We also visited the Royal Ontario Art Museum, which had a beautiful collection of Inuit Art. We spent the following day experiencing the city. We ate at an amazing place that was made up of stations with different foods featured at each station. We went from station to station ordering what we wanted. My partner picked a piece of beef and watched as it was prepared. I picked a mushroom dish and we shared some sushi from another station. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the place. I thought it was ‘Marchette’ but when I Google that, nothing comes up. (Update: Thanks to the Travel Board on http://www.thenest.com/, I've been informed that the restaurant is called Le Marche/ Richtree Market at 42 Yonge Street (BCE Place on Front Street) in Toronto!) I was amazing, though. The next day, we saw the show and had a great time. The audience was a combination of KISS and Andrew Lloyd Webber fans- a fun bunch. We headed back the next morning, stopping at the duty-free shop and getting huge bottles of vodka and whiskey.

This trip was also amazing because of the budget price. The conversation rate was great and the $500 USD I budgeted were more than enough to sustain us in Canada for almost a week! We got room service, ordered movies, shopped and had a great vacation!

Crazy High School Road Trips- Cross-Country

From Malvern, Ohio to Victorville, California and beyond...
September to November, 1993

Includes Great American Cities- Los Angeles, CA and Las Vegas, NV

Amy and I had the travel bug and parents that let us do what we wanted. We’d gotten into but somehow out of a lot of trouble along the way. We had wanderlust, only a few boundaries and we decided, at the ages of 16 and 17, the same day our senior year of high school was to start, to take a cross-country road trip to California. Amy had a friend there (the Air Force guy from SC) and we could crash with him. We packed up clothes, a boom box, a television and a few stuffed animals in the Cavalier and embarked on our adventure.

We traveled on US Route 30 West to Interstate 71 South and into Columbus, Ohio. We caught Interstate 70 West and headed toward Indianapolis, driving under a huge ‘Good-bye Ohio’ sign. The only thing I really remember about Indianapolis was the road construction. If the Cavalier blew a tire (a fear we carried with us ever since our excursion to SC), there’d be no place to pull over. Another thing we noticed in Indiana and Illinois was the abundance of anti-abortion signs along the highway. We drove into St. Louis, Missouri at around 1:am. The Arch was prominently displayed and was our first major site! Amy and I were ready to pass through on our westward journey. We slept in the car with sheets rolled up in the windows somewhere in Missouri that night.

We caught Interstate 44 West and headed toward Tulsa, Oklahoma. The scenery had changed. The topography was flatter and the soil was darker and deeper red. We passed under a McDonalds that spanned the highway, a water tower proclaiming the town was the birthplace of Garth Brooks and lots of signs for road-side Native American attractions. Even though our hometown in Ohio boasted a large buffalo farm, we still loved the sight of them grazing. In Oklahoma City, we took Interstate 40 and into Texas. Night had fallen by that point and storms had started. The flat topography and blowing dust and debris was much different than the storms we’d experienced back home! It was a scary and exhilarating experience! A rest stop in Amarillo, Texas was where we slept that night.

The farther we went the more excited and surprised we were! Farm land had turned to the distinctive southwestern landscape we’d only seen in photographs and television before. Cacti, rock formations, deep earth colors- we were blown away. Albuquerque, New Mexico was one of the best cities we passed through. We got lost in the inner-city and needed help finding the highway. We were offered help by what could only be considered to be thugs by a couple of teenage girls from rural Ohio- but they were the nicest guys ever. We blew out a tire (a reoccurring theme in our travel, apparently) on our way out and a road crew worker changed it for us. The people of New Mexico were welcoming, helpful and polite. We loved it there! We followed Interstate 40 West into Flagstaff, Arizona and slept in a motel.

The biggest mistake of our trip was not detouring to see the Grand Canyon. We decided to see the Painted Dessert instead and it was beautiful. We periodically got off the interstate to drive on stretches of Historic Route 66. We stopped at roadside stands. We were finally close and we enjoyed a day of leisurely driving through the southwest. We arrived in Victorville, California that night. Victorville, CA is a small desert town in San Bernardino County. The landscape is filled with Joshua trees. There are mountains in the distance.

For the next few months, Amy and I lived freely. We didn’t have much money, ate a lot of ramen noodles and potatoes and had a blast. We visited Los Angeles, California- we saw a taping of Love Connection, walked on Hollywood Blvd. at 3:am, visited sex shops, drove up Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, jumped in the ocean and climbed huge boulders in the mountains. We loved every day of low 80°’s F weather with no rain but experienced a few small earthquakes- a fault line literally ran through the back yard.

A Cali guy and I drove to Las Vegas, Nevada a few times and although I was still a teen, I enjoyed the atmosphere of the casinos. He threw dice while I drank drinks with OJ and we ate for about $5. We walked up and down the strip and visited Excalibur, the Mirage, Caesar’s and a bunch of other casinos in downtown. He won enough Black Jack to score a room with lights around the bed. I flirted with an older Texan with a giant hat and he gave me some money. Porn was scattered around the streets and people who looked broken congregated around the casino entrances. Las Vegas was different than any place I’d experienced before. It was easy to blend in at a place like that.

We finally decided to come home after a few months of scraping by and missing family. We did the drive home in two days. We went back to high school. I finished up in summer school.

I value the memory of our cross-country trip from Ohio to California and back. Seeing the country change before my eyes really inspired me. I loved experiencing the different cultures of the various places we visited along the way. Colorful local experiences in restaurants, seeing things we’d only heard about and experiencing a level of freedom were all things that changed my perspective on the world and the way I travel.

Crazy High School Road Trips- South Carolina

I’ve taken a few trips in my life that changed the way I look at the world around me. Two of these trips happened while I was in high school. My best friend Amy and I were free birds. We always had a boy or two on the side but it was me and her against the world. And, for a couple of cute chicks not more than 17 years old, we saw quite a lot!

Shaw Air Force Base- Sumter, South Carolina

Interstate 77, which runs from Cleveland, Ohio to Columbia, South Carolina, ran right through Canton and we’d traveled that road many times. We’d joke about not taking our exit off of 77 and following it to the end. One night, we decided to do it!

In the middle of February in the middle of the night, Amy and I decided it would be a great idea to pack up my little Chevy Cavalier and drive to South Carolina to visit a friend who was stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in SC. It was supposed to be a 10-hour drive but we did it in 8. We left around midnight and arrived in the early morning.

We got on Interstate 77 from US Route 30 in Canton, Ohio. We drove through Marietta, Ohio, before passing over the Ohio River and into West Virginia. Driving through the mountains was scary but exciting- we could peer over the edge into a deep valley in some areas. The first big city we encountered was Charlestown, WV. I remember that it seemed to glow with a gold hue. We passed through the western part of Virginia and into North Carolina. Once we were near Winston-Salem, we started to notice the differences between the eastern Midwest and the South, namely lots of cigarette ads! We drove through Charlotte, NC and into Columbia, South Carolina. We headed east for Sumter from there.

We had some trouble finding the Air Force Base and stopped to ask for directions. The small group that had gathered around the counter of the convenience store looked amused and told us the Base wasn’t called that there- it was called Shaw Field. We finally pulled up to security as the sun was starting to rise. We had to do some fast talking to get on the base but I don’t think that two teen-aged girls that looked a little out of place seemed too suspicious to the MP guards and they let us through security.

We had a great time. We went to a basketball game between the Air Force pilots and the airplane mechanics. Apparently, there was a big rivalry between the two groups. I really don’t remember who won but I do remember a particularly hot pilot named Peach- “Whew Peach!” We also went to a Super Bowl game- Dallas won! The drive back through the mountains during a blizzard was scary. We experienced our first blown out tire. But, we sang and laughed the whole time.

I had to serve two Saturday-schools for skipping two days of class to take the trip but it was worth it. I now knew I could get as far as I could drive!













Postcard from Sumpter, South Carolina

Great Ohio Cities- The Big Three Cs

Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati are the three largest cities in Ohio. They each have their own culture and a lot to offer the budget road-tripper. Cleveland is in the north of the state on the shores of Lake Erie, Columbus is in central-Ohio and Cincinnati is in the southwest tip on the Ohio River. They are connected by Interstate 71. One thing these three cities have in common- they LOVE their sports!

Cleveland~

The first trips I remember were to Sea World and Geauga Lake in Aurora, near Cleveland, Ohio with my family (probably my first time in a hotel) and the Cleveland Zoo with my cousins when my sister was still in a stroller. Childhood trips also included the Natural History Museum and the Cleveland Art Museum, which are nearly next to each other. The art museum is free! We've made the 1.5 hour drive to Cleveland many times. More recent Cleveland visits included the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Edgewater Park, Browns, Cavaliers and Indians games, lots of Playhouse Square shows and countless concerts!

Our most recent family trip to Cleveland was a visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. My father wanted to go. My friend Katie gave me 6 FREE TICKETS (thanks, chica)! My siblings and I were able to enjoy a great afternoon with our father who had a great time talking about his own Rock & Roll memories. The exhibits were very interesting. The films were great. The Rock Hall is definitely one of the best attractions Cleveland has to offer.

Iron Chef Michael Symon has two restaurants in near downtown Cleveland- Lola and Lolita. My family’s choice is an Italian place a little out of downtown but worth the drive- Stancato’s in Parma. The buffet on Sunday is the best!

Columbus~

We’ve taken many family trips to Columbus. One of the last trips we took before my mom passed away in 1992 was to Columbus. We went to COSI (a science museum), the German Village and the State Fair. A decade later, my sisters and I planned a weekend get-away to Columbus to visit the Zoo and just have some fun. We ended up planning it on exact weekend that we spent our last family trip together ten years earlier! My sisters and I had a blast on that trip. I unknowingly turned the wrong way down a one-way street and did a quick, tire-squealing U-turn to the glee of my passengers. We rode go-carts. We saw manatees, which are actually way bigger than what they seem on TV. We even ordered room-service. Good fun!

Recent trips to Columbus included visits to the Columbus Museum of Modern Art and the Franklin Park Conservatory. Both the museum and Conservatory are always changing exhibits and are different every time you return. The natural beauty of Conservatory is absolutely stunning.

I can’t think of any one place I enjoy eating in Columbus. I love to indulge in a cream puff from the German Village.

Cincinnati~

Cincinnati is a great place to visit. There is so much to do! I had a friend that attended University there and I visited quite often. We’ve enjoyed King’s Island Amusement Park, the Cincinnati Art Museum, Krohn Conservatory and Eden Park. We crossed the Ohio River to enjoy the Newport Aquarium which is in neighboring Kentucky. Riverboat gambling is in nearby Indiana. There are always concerts and other cultural events going on in Cincinnati. It is a vibrant city.

You can’t visit Cincinnati without trying some of the famous Skyline Cincinnati Chili. Don’t worry- they have great Greek salads and other sides of chili isn’t your thing, but you should try it once because it is unlike chili from anywhere else! Montgomery Inn is a fantastic ribs place with a great atmosphere. There are a few locations and while the original location is very nice, the Montgomery Inn at the Boathouse has a perfect view of the Ohio River. It is a favorite spot!

August 24, 2009

On a recent business trip to Cincinnati, I was looking for things to do in the evening. The Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center is open late on Mondays and is free after 5:pm. I drove into downtown, parked at a deck and first walked to Fountain Square. It is a nice place to sit, people watch or relax. From Fountain Square, I walked to the CAC.

It is seven floors- the top floor was the children's museum and photography was allowed in that area. I enjoyed the exhibits and video installations in other galleries very much. The CAC is located in a bustling part of Cincinnati with a lot of restaurants nearby. It is a great Cincinnati attraction!

Great Ohio Cities- Local Spots

Local Cities- The fun to be had in the cities that were nearest to where I grew up.

Canton~

Although Canton, Ohio probably wouldn’t be considered a typical vacation destination, I decided to start with this one because this is the closest city to where I grew up. It deserves a shout-out! :) I’ve enjoyed plenty of local attractions. A daytrip to Canton from Cleveland or Columbus would be a fun excursion.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is probably the largest tourist attraction in Canton. It is a fun museum for all ages and there’s something for everyone. Every other year, Fawcett Stadium right next door hosts the biggest high school football game of the year- Canton McKinley Bulldogs vs. the Massillon Tigers. I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying the big game in both Fawcett Stadium in Canton as well as Paul Brown Stadium in Massillon.

The McKinley Monument is also near the HOF. It is a large monument in a park setting. Visitors enjoy the trails and the 100+ steps leading up the Memorial Mausoleum, his final resting place. There’s plenty of space to picnic- my father enjoys a lunch while watching birds and people. Every year, usually the Wednesday or Thursday before the 4th of July, the Canton Orchestra holds a free open-air concert at the McKinley Monument. Everyone brings a blanket and some treats and enjoys being out with the community and celebrating the 4th with fun music and fireworks.

To experience a little piece of Canton history, stop in at Taggart’s Ice Cream Parlor at 1401 Fulton Road. They’ve been there for decades. They serve sandwiches, side dishes and fabulous ice cream treats. The Bittner is their classic treat but I personally love the Pecan Sundae. If you’re in the area, walk up a few blocks to 1524 Fulton Road and visit Plant Et Art, a funky gift shop with quality candles, functional art, plants and other unique items.

Massillon~

Massillon is just west of Canton and a great place to visit! As previously mentioned, they are the other half of the giant high school rivalry that has been going strong in our area for more than 100 years! The culture of football a part of Massillon!

Just driving around the city is a blast. There are several large murals painted on the sides of buildings around the city. The murals include themes of football, the canal days and the armed forces but my favorite is the mural that can been seen while driving north on Erie Street, right before Lincoln Way on the right (32 Erie Street South)- 55 Diamond Court- this one depicts real locals living a typical day, waving from their windows and walking around the neighborhood. The Historic 4th Street District has beautiful homes. The Lion Lincoln Theatre is an old-fashioned theatre that still shows movies on Friday and Saturday nights. During the summer, Massillon holds street festivals and car shows, bands play and everyone has a blast. The food at Smiley’s Ristorante and Pizzeria at 27 Lincoln Way East in downtown Massillon is delicious!

Massillon has a lot to offer to those who enjoy active recreation. The Towpath Trail and Tuscarawas River run right through Massillon and there are plenty of hiking, biking, kayaking and canoeing opportunities to be had! The Trailhead at Lake Avenue has bike and canoe rentals at Ernie’s Bicycle Shop. We’ve enjoyed canoeing the river many times. We have done bike trips to Canal Fulton and Clinton to the north- soon the trail will extend through Akron into the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. To the south, the trail extends into Amish Country. The Towpath also connects to the Sippo Lake Trail which travels west to Dalton and beyond.

Akron~

There is always something to do in Akron. The University of Akron offers a lot of culture- there are shows and lectures and EJ Thomas Hall. The Akron Museum is newly renovated. Don Drumm Art Studio is a fun place to see beautiful things. But to me, the best of Akron is the MetroParks system. Well-marked hiking paths run through all different types of terrain. The Towpath Trail is a great place to bike from downtown Akron all the way through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and on toward Cleveland. My siblings, friends and I utilize the MetroParks system almost every weekend!

If your into culinary DIY, check out the West Pointe Market, which has a variety of gourmet foods. My husband and I have a tradition of enjoying our favorite of everything in the WPM on our anniversary- that includes delicious cheeses, great bottles of wine and, of course, a variety of choices from the chocolate counter!

The local’s eatery in Akron is Swenson’s, a local drive in with quick service, good burgers (meaty and vegetarian), thick shakes and lots of Akron charm. Locations are allover the city. Swenson’s #1 on the West Side is right up the street from the West Pointe Market.

I'll start at the beginning

I’ll start at the beginning...

I grew up in rural Ohio with my parent and three siblings, a younger brother and two younger sisters. We took a family road trip each summer to nearby destinations like Cleveland, Columbus and Pittsburgh, PA. We’d visit amusement parks, zoos, science museums and historical attractions. Those family road trips have shaped the way I travel now. Most of my travels have been road trips to great American cities and occasionally across the border. Most have been taken with my siblings and decades later, we're still having a great time! We pack a bag and a cooler and off we go!

I’m a crazy travel planner. I get just as much enjoyment out of planning the trip as I do taking it. However, some spontaneous trips have been just as fun! I have a AAA membership and take advantage of the guidebooks they offer. I keep a stack of roadmaps in my glove compartment.

I’m a budget traveler. We usually stay at mid-priced hotels in the suburbs instead of the trendy place downtown. We eat out for lunch and picnic for dinner. We look for free fun. I also collect postcards and magnets, which are inexpensive and take up very little space.

I want to share my road trip experiences to great American cities and the activities I enjoyed while there. Some of my best memories are of great vacations and quick excursions. This is a chronicle of my travels.














A pic of the family farm, where all of my early travels began.