Big Lake, Arizona
Four – The folks who live in the places where you visit and vacation want you to love their home town. So, while travel guides and vacation packets from the local tourism bureau are all well and good, make sure that you ask around for the best things to see, places to stay, restaurants, clubs, shops, and the like. For example, my husband and I never would have experienced the Snake River Brewing Company in Jackson, Wyoming (and THE BEST wild game chili I have ever had IN MY LIFE), had we not asked a waitress to tell us where the locals like to hang out.
Indianapolis MotoGP August 2010
Five – Speaking of food, be bold and experience the local cuisine, locally-brewed beer, and locally-pressed wine. I’ve had halibut cheeks in Monterey – prior to that experience, I had no idea halibut even had cheeks. I’ve had venison medallions in Wyoming – far superior to tough and gamy childhood dinner memories. I’ve had blueberry beer in Maine – and now I just might concede that some fruits are allowed to co-mingle with my brew. I also had a truly outstanding Riesling in Aspen, Colorado – which is where I learned that I need to remember to write down the details of the beverages I like, so I can order them over the internet.
Six – Don’t schedule your flight (or drive) out for the same day as the event you attended. This is a lesson we learned the hard way, though everything turned out okay in the end. Last year my husband and I attended the MotoGP race in Indianapolis. Race events were held Friday and Saturday, with the final race on Sunday. The final race ran at 3:00 p.m., and our flight left at 7:30. So we figured we’d pack up the car before we left the hotel, leave after the final race (around 4:00), and drive straight from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the airport. Since the airport is only about a half-hour away from the track, we figured we’d have plenty of time.
You know where this is going, right? Yeah. We didn’t count on the fact that the final race would be delayed due to a crash and a re-start. Then, it took us nearly two hours to just get out of the parking lot. And then we still had to drive to the airport. By the time we turned in our car at the terminal, we had a scant twenty minutes to spare. We were hot and sweaty (and probably smelly, sorry guy in 17B) from being in the ninety-degree heat all day. I don’t know about YOU, but I know that I prefer to be freshly bathed when I travel. (To be fair, we weren’t the only ones who pulled this – half of the folks on our flight came straight from the race. Those poor flight attendants.)
We’re going again this year. We’re flying out on Monday morning.
I’ll have more articles to follow! In the meantime, check out these terrific resources and articles from my fellow UpTake authors:
- Planning a Chicago Getaway with Kids
- Five Tips for Taking Better Underwater Photographs
- One Day in Charlotte
Photo credits: Tiffany Joyce.