When I'm not on the road working as an anonymous AAA inspector, racking up mileage and perfecting my in-car karaoke voice, I call downtown Indianapolis my home. In a few days, Indianapolis will take center stage as host of the Super Bowl, arguably America's largest sporting event.

As Super Bowl XLVI draws near, the city and residents are excitedly preparing to welcome a vast number of visitors. As someone who works daily to inform our members about high quality hotels, restaurants and attractions, I am equally excited to share this great city. ... Read More

I love most restaurants but like everyone else, a few stand out in my mind as favorites. Additionally, getting a good deal is always a bonus.

The places I mention below prove that food doesn’t need to be fancy to be good. It can be as simple as putting love in your pies, adding whimsy to hot dogs or cooking a burger just right — all of which will have people coming back for years to come.  ... Read More

Unlike Alice on an adventure in Wonderland, I don’t need a little card demanding, “Eat me!” to reach for the cake. You see, I have a raging sweet tooth. Whenever I smell freshly baked cookies, for example, my desire to eat them is like a five-year-old child having a tantrum on the floor.

The logical “parent” part of my brain lectures me on the consequences of failed exercise routines and excessive fat consumption while reminding me of the extra pounds I’ve gained lately. The five-year-old part simply doesn’t care. ... Read More

San Francisco is one of the world’s great restaurant cities. In addition to a plethora of Four and Five Diamond establishments, it offers a global smorgasbord of savory delights, not to mention the bounty of nature’s table by way of the greater Bay Area’s many organic farms.

But I’m here to help answer the question of where you can turn when you need to fill your stomach without relying on an expense account or owning a wallet that faints at the thought of Gary Danko or The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton. What if you just want to eat some good, well-prepared food that won’t break the bank? Keep reading; I have some recommendations. ... Read More

Tailgating has two definitions according to Wikipedia. One involves driving too closely behind another vehicle, which as a professional driver and a AAA employee, I do not condone. 

The other is a social event that takes place around the tailgate of a vehicle and “involves consuming alcoholic beverages and grilling food.” While correct, this simple definition lacks the tradition, the spirit and the overall sense of camaraderie that tailgating brings to fellow sports fans. ... Read More

Modified from story written by William J. Purpura and originally appeared in AAA's Home & Away magazine.

One of America’s memorable entertainers has his heart pinned on the Wolverine State. It is a chilly night and Ann Arbor is wrapped tightly in a bone-drilling early-winter blanket of cold. Inside the Blind Pig, though, upstate New Yorker Julia Nunes has the heat cranked up as she delivers husky-voiced sets of rock vocals to an adoring college-age crowd.

As good and edgy as Nunes is, she’s no Ann Arbor anomaly. The city’s bars, theaters, art studios and restaurant kitchens are teeming with her kind of explosive talent, which explains why southeast Michigan is such a draw for those in search of all things artful. ... Read More

Baltimore is known as the Charm City – and I must admit, I was charmed by it.  Since I was tasked with shipping my son’s vehicle to Germany at the Port of Baltimore, I thought I might as well spend some time poking around the city. 

It was a pleasant, stress-free six-hour drive from Cleveland to Baltimore. As always, the AAA TripTik provided accurate, easy-to-follow directions. (And I still don’t trust a GPS.)

My home for my two-night stay was the Hampton Inn Downtown Convention Center. This Three Diamond hotel is located across the street from Oriole Park at Camden Yards and close to a couple of attractions that I was planning to visit. Public transit stops are just a few blocks away.... Read More

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said, “There’s no such thing as fun for the whole family,” but Fort Worth is one place that might prove him wrong. 

My previous post on the Fort Worth Stockyards (Fort Worth: Cowboys and Culture, Part One) emphasized the cowboy influence that is both part of the city’spast and present Residents here, however, may be even more proud of the cultural gems Fort Worth has to offer with its myriad of museums and attractions that can accommodate every member of the family. ... Read More

My previous Dining in St. Thomas: Part 1 blog post was written for the thousands of folks who visit St. Thomas on cruise ships and are seeking a place to eat while shopping in downtown Charlotte Amalie.  For those who are lucky enough to stay on the island for extended periods of time, St. Thomas offers a large choice of restaurants from the laid-back waterside bars to some of the best fine dining available anywhere. ... Read More

Santa Fe has long been known as the place to visit for art lovers who wish to browse the 250 galleries situated throughout the small, accessible city, located on Canyon Road near the Plaza and the historic Railroad District.

But for lovers of the culinary arts, Santa Fe promises a similar bounty of restaurants to explore and enjoy. ... Read More