The saunters of the world convene in Scottsdale for the weekend. These saunters adorn mostly baseball gear, looking to kill time in between spring training games with perhaps a little turquoise jewelry or a pony ride. The atmosphere is decidedly carnival on this stretch, but little hints of kitsch are acceptable in small doses, including this character. Old Town Scottsdale welcomes you, lasso and all. Amidst all of the jewelry shops and art galleries is a suburb of Phoenix in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. With Phoenix to the west and the McDowell Mountains to the east, this town in the Continue Reading
Four Days and Four Nights in Vienna
I wasn’t supposed to be in Vienna and yet I think I was. A city I only briefly visited in college with a school group, from that first meeting, I knew I wanted more. On my recent trip through Eastern Europe, the plan was to head to Romania. However with sub zero temperatures, national road closures and snow, I decided to forgo being a world news story and find the story instead in Vienna. Vienna is utterly effortless. It is a city so grand, so royal, and at the same time, it is unpretentious and kind. For a big city, Vienna is unhurried, appreciated with ever bite of schnitzel and Sacher Continue Reading
Suzy Stumbles Over Travel: Week of March 19, 2012
As another Monday is here, I bring you this week’s Suzy Stumbles Over Travel. In case you are new to this site, each week I ask writers and readers to submit their favorite travel post of the week. I read each submission, comment, tweet the article on Twitter, stumble the piece using Stumbleupon and post a link to the article on my Facebook page. The following week I select my five favorites to be featured here and the stumbling begins again into the next week. Just a few things to keep in mind, please only submit one post per person each week. Your submission must be travel related. Please Continue Reading
Prague, Czech Republic Wishes You Were Here
Most of Prague is out in the elements, including the pickpockets. Exposed for the entire world to see, when high temperatures reach 7° Celsius, spotting those pickpockets on the Charles Bridge becomes a favorite pastime. Linking Prague’s neighborhoods of Staré Mesto and Malá Strana, the Charles Bridge has its own, built in pickpocket control, countless statues. The shadows created by the statues draw crowds on the 510-meter long pedestrian bridge crossing the Vitava River. Its construction hails from the 14th century. As legend would have it, it is supposedly so sturdy because the builders Continue Reading
Traveling For Love of the Game: Reasons To Attend Baseball’s Spring Training
The sound of a baseball meeting a catcher’s glove signifies everything about spring for me. I get chills to hear it for the first time, especially after a long winter. Shadows are cast over a bullpen plate as a game takes place just steps away. Hordes of fans like myself watch the pitcher-catcher duo practice their duet, almost like animals at a zoo. Their exchange barely seems human in the way in which the pitcher moves and the catcher receives. If you find yourself traveling throughout the United States from April to October, most likely you will find a baseball game taking place. It is Continue Reading
Suzy Stumbles Over Travel: Week of March 12, 2012
Back from the Arizona heat, I bring you this week’s Suzy Stumbles Over Travel. In case you are new to this site, each week, I ask writers and readers to submit their favorite travel posts of the week. I read each submission, comment, post the article to my Twitter, stumble the piece using Stumbleupon and place a link to the submission on my Facebook page. The following week, I select my five favorite submissions submitted last week to be featured here. The stumbling begins again into the next week. Just a few things to keep in mind, please leave a link to your submission in the comment box Continue Reading
Budapest At Night Wishes You Were Here
I make my way up the street, bumping into what appears to be a costumed man. Complete with top hat and tails, he churns a pile of chestnuts, hoping for a sale. My nose is assaulted with a whiff of Budapest as I continue up the road to cross Margit híd, otherwise known as Margaret Bridge. Giant pieces of ice hurry down the Danube, almost looking like little fragments of countries turned into islands. The pieces move in a mesmerizing motion, so much so that find myself immune to the cold, perfectly content on staring at winter in essence in Budapest. When it reaches such cold temperatures in Continue Reading