Big yellow school buses perch outside of a high school in Little Rock. The fact that it is a Saturday morning makes them somewhat haunting in their emptiness. I never cared much for high school. Those that did usually didn’t have braces, bad hair and pants that were permanently high-waters. However I never thought of walking into the doors of my high school at 14 years old thinking of that walk was anything but a personal struggle, one that would pass in four years. For nine students in Little Rock, Arkansas that walk into school was the difference between right and wrong, a good society and a Continue Reading
The Meeting of Time, Travel and Money on Back Roads in Arkansas
The road on the map is a squiggly line that appears to connect with the Pig Trail Scenic Byway in the Boston Mountains of Arkansas. That darting line of indecision proves to be the rockiest of roads with no cushy marshmallows to break up the bumps. The car stops as the windows roll down. I listen to the chatter of the leaves in the wind. The sound is magically uninterrupted. Time suspends. Lately I have been struggling with travel, time and money. There never seems to be enough of these three. Travel and time collided for me on a whirlwind trip through Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Vienna, Zurich Continue Reading
Giveaway Greatness: Win a Free Hotel Night with Radisson
With Thanksgiving coming up on Thursday here in the United States, it is always nice to say thank you to anyone who enjoys reading my travel tales. Thanks to Radisson, they are making it possible for me to say thank you in the form of a one-night free hotel stay at a Radisson hotel in North America. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Radisson, the hotel chain is giving away 50 rooms on 50 blogs as part of its “50 Years, 50 Days, 50 Rooms” campaign. Everyday at 10AM EST a blogger’s name will be revealed on the Radisson Facebook page, pointing you in the direction of where to snag the free Continue Reading
Düsseldorf, Germany Wishes You Were Here
The buildings before me appear to be dancing to the beat of their own song, much like the city that contains their movement. Serving as the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf had no definition for me. We were strangers until I danced with the city’s Gehry buildings. The work of American Frank O. Gehry, the three waving complexes make up the center for arts and media in Düsseldorf. Each piece bears its own identity, shape and color. They set Düsseldorf apart from other German cities. They define a city with no preconceived definitions for visitors like me. The Gehry Continue Reading
Finding The Voices of Dusseldorf: A Night At The Opera
“And then I found my voice,” she says ever so casually. Musical capability, especially in terms of having a voice, does not come easy. The character of Musetta in La Bohéme, played by Elisabeth Selle, sits before me at the Operanhaus Dusseldorf. The performance is set to begin in just a handful of minutes, but she is cool, calm and collected. I guess when you casually find your voice, you aren’t too worried about losing it. Her face is ready for the stage, but her attire and manner are not. She sips on coffee and recounts her character tonight, a role of love, joy, passion and Continue Reading
Little Rock, Arkansas Wishes You Were Here
I watch Little Rock from a streetcar window as the trolley chugs through the streets of downtown, a place that lives up to its title. Arkansas’ capital does not boast a dramatic skyline or even a size that overwhelms. It is truly little, but its heart is certainly large. The River Rail Electric Streetcars in Little Rock are easy to spot. They stun the eyes in their bright yellow coloring. The clickety-click of the tracks make for a rhythmic sound one could fall asleep to while cruising the streets of the downtown. For $1, I ride the Blue Line, a 3.4 mile loop with 15 stops in downtown and Continue Reading
Clinton’s Little Rock: A Tour of Arkansas’ Capital Through Presidential Eyes
I pull up a slightly worn seat at a simple table adorned with a red-checkered tablecloth. I can see the kitchen from my perch and probably the big wigs of Arkansas politics. A few patrons wear those goofy bow ties as only some can do. Doe’s Eat Place is the sort of space where people in suits sit on shabby chairs and feast on T-Bone, Porterhouse and Sirloin steaks dressed in fries. Doe’s Eat Place is a Little Rock landmark. The idea was carried over from the first Doe’s in Greenville, Mississippi. Doe’s of Little Rock maintained the no frills tradition for good steaks and hot tamales. Over Continue Reading