Why should you bother reading this?

I've been MIA for a couple weeks, cause I've been thinking about this blog and what needs to happen for it to be, well, worth reading. When I started it, I knew I liked traveling (and to be honest, who doesn't) and I knew I was good at planning trips. But how do you turn that into a blog? Especially one that stands out among the millions out there on the Web.

Here's the thing. No matter who reads this blog, it's worth it to me, because I have a spot where I can journal where I've been, what I liked there, so that if I decide to go back, I don't have to rely on my memory. Mine isn't the best, and I'm only 26 so I can only imagine what it'll be like later.

But the problem is that I'm not satisfied with just blogging when I travel, since that'd be, oh, twice a year. And I'm not satisfied with just doing this for me. By blogging about travel, I was hoping to do two things. One - inspire others to visit the places I've been, and equip them with a list of great places to go and things to do when they go. Second, I hoped that at some point, people would contact me for help researching their trips, so that I can stop watching America's Top Model reruns on MTV in my free time. I'm only half kidding.

So to keep my blogging dreams going, I'll also be writing about all the places here in Northeast Ohio that'll make you feel like you're on vacation, even if you're just leaving town for a few hours. Like did you know you could hop on a bus and ride to Chicago for a buck each way? Plus, since a blog is just as much about the person writing it as it is about the people reading it. I want YOUR ideas. YOUR favorite spots.

The thing is, I don't have the same interests as every traveler. I'm not into tourist traps. I don't care for five-star restaurants. I like to explore a city on foot. I like eating at places where I can wear jeans and fit in. I like going to wineries. I love warm weather. But I think what I'm good at, no matter whether I'm looking for a diner or art museum, is doing enough research so that when I get to where I'm going, I've got a list of things to choose from. That way, I can still wake up, go with whatever mood I'm in (and whoever I'm traveling with is in) and know that whatever I pick from the list, it'll be good. And I want to help other people do the same thing.

Basically, I want to make this a forum for travelers in Cleveland. So starting now, I'll be writing about what it takes to get out of Cleveland. Because we all need to, and it's not as hard (or expensive) as you think.

My Little Black Book of Travel

As a challenge to myself and a service to anyone reading my blog, I thought I'd make a list of all the places I've traveled, so that if anyone wanted recommendations for them, they could ask me. Here it goes:

International:
Naussau, Bahamas
Toronto, Ontario (and Niagara Falls)
Paris, France
Italy (Florence, the Amalfi Coast, Rome)
Germany (just for a day)

Domestic:
California: San Francisco, Sausalito, Sonoma and Napa valleys
Colorado: Estes Park, Boulder, Aspen, Winterpark
Florida: Sarasota, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Key West, Panama City, Orlando
Georgia: Savannah
Illinois: Chicago
Indiana: Indianapolis
Massachusetts: Boston
Michigan: Detroit
Missouri: St. Louis
Nevada: Las Vegas
New Mexico: Santa Fe, Taos
New York: Ellicottville (Holiday Valley Ski Resort), Clymer (Peek'n Peak Ski Resort), New York
Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh, Erie, Hershey, Gettysburg
South Carolina: Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head
South Dakota: I cannot remember which city - it was for a family reunion when I was in sixth grade - but DO remember seeing Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse
Texas: Dallas (for a conference, so there wasn't time for sight-seeing)
Wyoming: Again, I don't remember the city but we visited Devils Tower (seen in the movie, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind")

My Wish List:
Australia
Spain
Montreal, Quebec
Finger Lakes, New York
Seattle, Washington
San Diego, California
Arizona (not sure where yet)
Wyoming (to a dude ranch)
Nashville, Tennesee

Get the Recipe for a Restaurant Meal

For me, good food helps make a good trip. In another post, I recommended using FoodTV.com (the Food Network's site) to find restaurants before your trip. Traditional travel sites, Fodors.com and Frommers.com, are also good, and if there is one, the city's magazine will help. But when you actually get to these restaurants and hit the jackpot with a great meal, how do you bring it home?

The answer: Write to Bon Appetit magazine.

The magazine invites readers to send them their favorite restaurant dishes. Then, the magazine gets in touch with the chef at that restaurant, asks for the recipe and publishes a handful of them every month.

If you've got something to submit, below are the instructions (I pulled these directly from Bon Appetit's website):

"RSVP"

If you would like Bon Appétit to obtain a specific recipe from a restaurant where you have dined, send the editors the name and address of the restaurant and the name of the dish or type of dish. Because space is limited, the magazine cannot honor all requests. Submit our request form (visit Bon Appetit for the link) or write to the following address:

"R.S.V.P." c/o Bon Appétit
6300 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048