Category Archives: Essence of Travel

Love those Dutch burritos

Nobody knows Mexican food like the Dutch Continue reading

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Weekly Travel Quote

“We find the joy of the journey is equally divided between anticipating and remembering.” Weekly travel quote. Continue reading

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Contrast of White on White

Dear Curator, I thought you may enjoy a giant white canvas. Yet, like the surface of a store-brand factory-farmed egg it will be ever so slightly mottled with specks nearly invisible to the naked eye. Continue reading

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America’s Worst Airports

I have finally completed by list of the Worst Airports in America. Continue reading

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The Ugly American in Italy, ca. 1950

This passage is taken from the 1955 travel book American In Italy, which I have previously reviewed. It could have been written yesterday: I first heard of the two women from St. Louis from a bellboy who told me they had hung their laundry on the chandelier. When the manager discovered it had washed off the decorations he tried to make them pay.

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Winter arrival, 1:20am, PIA

On the nighttime runway, the blue lights are home. I zip up my coat, stepping down the stairs into the fluorescent lighted terminal, spookily welcoming us like a futuristic spaceport or a 1950’s black and white film.  There is a … Continue reading

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An Improvable Key West Experience

Getting off the beaten path in Key West, far from Duval Street, results in an “improvable” experience for Matthew Stone. Continue reading

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Bad Trips

Do people intentionally do foolish things and create traumatic experiences when they travel just so they can write stories about how bad their trips are? Continue reading

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The Cartoon Says it All

Even the Sunday comics are making fun of airline fees. Continue reading

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The McDonald’s Debate

Is it still worth visiting a city once McDonald’s arrives? Does McDonald’s destroy or add to the local culture? Continue reading

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