Browsing CategoryTravel

Good Food and Ghost Encounters in Mesilla, New Mexico

A fellow travel writer once mentioned how important it is to recognize the “spark” of any given trip, basically that moment that glimmers in your memory long after the trip is over. These moments don’t happen on every trip, but when they do, you know you’ve found a special place worth writing about. This happened to me at the Double Eagle Restaurant in Mesilla, a little historic area within Las Cruses, New Mexico. As soon as we walked in and were escorted to the back room, I fell in love. The old, intricate wooden bar looked like something out of a…

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Meet the Salvage Dawgs in their Native Habitat… Roanoke, VA

Those of you that spend way too much time on the DIY Network or HGTV (who me?) may have come across a certain show called Salvage Dawgs, where two guys go around tearing out anything and everything you can imagine from old houses. Seriously–bathtubs, light fixtures, and even door handles are fair game for these guys, Robert Kulp and Mike Whiteside, who bring it back to their massive 40,000 square-foot shop in Roanoke, Virginia. Black Dog Salvage is one of the coolest stores I’ve ever walked into. It’s the kind of place I would have especially loved as a kid,…

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Best Restaurants & Bars in Portland, Maine

I love both Portlands… Maine and Oregon, that is. I even wrote about them in the same story once! But my heart will always belong to the East Coast sister (the original!). I grew up going to Maine for a few weeks in the summer every other year to visit my grandparents in Harpswell, and we’d always spend at least a few hours in Portland. Even at 8, I fell in love with the cobblestone streets, hard-knock docks, and of course, the Pirate store on Commercial Street. I’ve been back a few times since then, and only get more crazy…

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Best Free Things to Do in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is one of my favorite budget destinations and quick weekend getaway spots. In fact, I really don’t recommend people stay much longer than 48 hours, when the gilded edges of Sin City start to show their wear. That said, it’s well worth visiting over and over again as you can really tailor your trip to any interest, whether it’s spa, or food, or straight-up gambling. I used to go about 4 times a year, just for an overnight stay or quick In-N-Out stop enroute to either California or Colorado, and I never got bored. That said, as a…

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View from the High Line Park in NYC

Had an extra day in New York after a details-should-not-be-named Bachelorette Party in Atlantic City, so I took the subway to the lower west side to High Line Park. The park lives atop an old subway line, once known as the Death Train since so many people died crossing the tracks. The park has lots of vegetation and cool public art installs that rotate periodically. Lots of areas for sitting and lounging as well–which I would have done more of, but the threat of rain kept me walking the park quickly. I did have to stay parked under an underpass…

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