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

I recently took my second-ever international trip to Italy. Although I was tempted to jam as many sights into our 10-day itinerary as I could, my husband and I made a tough decision. We decided to spend three days in each of Italy’s major cities: Venice, Florence and Rome.

Although we knew we would miss out on the style and fashion of Milan, the quaint village towns of Cinque Terre and the spicy flair of southern Italy, we thought the sacrifice would be worth it. ... Read More

This year marks the 150th Anniversary of the Great State of Kansas (the 'Sesquicentennial').  There are many events going on during the year to celebrate and the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka is offering a cool exhibit called “150 Things I Love About Kansas.”  I didn’t totally agree with all the things to love, but I thought the museum did a pretty good job covering the state. ... Read More

 I’d never been to the de Young Museum, a AAA GEM attraction, so when a recent San Francisco sojourn coincided with the special exhibition “Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond,” it seemed like the perfect opportunity for my first visit. Subtitled “Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musèe D’Orsay,” it’s been bringing in hordes of art lovers since opening in late September. I purchased my timed entry ticket for a Tuesday at noon, figuring a non-holiday weekday would be a good time to avoid crowds. ... Read More

   
Art museums in big cities almost always inspire, and that’s certainly the case at the Art Institute of Chicago. I spent a morning wandering through the institute’s maze of galleries on a recent Windy City trip before sensory and informational overload (not to mention my growling stomach and aching lower back) forced me to leave. It’s just too much to absorb in one visit. What I did see, however, knocked my socks off. ... Read More

Some people can hop on a plane without so much as a guidebook in their carryon bag and actually look forward to exploring a strange place without an itinerary or even knowing much about where they’re going.

I’m not like that. I’m a planner. I research and read and prepare detailed itineraries for my trips; it doesn’t matter if I’m traveling for work or pleasure. Although I don’t go so far as to schedule bathroom breaks, I have been known to map out my meals as well as how much time I think it will take to get from Point A to Point B.... Read More

There are many attractions and activities in the Boston area that offer a change of pace for the non-traditional tourist.  Having been to Boston a few times, I was looking for unique experiences and was fortunate to find some. One of Boston’s most unique attractions, and one I had never heard of, was the Mapparium. ... Read More