Yes, the Vagabonds have been slacking with our blog posts. We must apologize, but too much fun is going on and not enough time in the day! Since we left over, we’ve traveled down the west coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles, jumped on a train to the Grand Canyon for a few days and than back to Los Angeles again. Currently we’re en route to San Antonio, Texas – which is allowing us ample time to catch up. I’m sure you’ve missed us so get ready for lots of posts!
Crystle with Woody made of Legos
Although Mike likes to shop more than most women, we did in fact find a his and her attraction in the Twin Cities. Mall of America was a must for me but, little did I know Mike was just as intrigued! I mean who wouldn’t be with roller coasters, Lego Land, golf course, aquarium and endless places to eat – all under one roof! We spent a couple of hours walking around, trying our best not to get lost amidst the Gaps, Apple Store and the Windows Store (yes, there was a Microsoft Windows Store and it looked remarkably similar to the Apple Store). One of the coolest things we saw was a giant robot made entirely out of Legos that would take one man, working 40 hour weeks, 7 years to complete!
Amusement Park Inside the Mall of America
The other half of the his and her attraction was a Minnesota Twins game. We had incredible seats, courtesy of Uncle Jim, at the new Target Field. One of the coolest features of the new park is that the entrance to the ballpark literally blends the street, entrance, right field stands into one – people walking right outside of the ballpark could catch a home run ball! We found Minneapolis to be a very friendly city and it’s obvious that they wanted passerby to feel like a part of the game. The Twins lost the game – that’s 2 out of 2 games that the home team lost. We’re starting to think that the Vagabonds bring bad luck to the home team. Let’s hope this holds true in Seattle as the Mariners take on the Yankees!
‘til next time… The Vagabonds
Well, we survived our first night aboard Amtrak – a little frozen (the AC was cranking and no blankets in sight) and a bit tired, but excited! We are about an hour away from our first destination, Chicago, and we are looking forward to a slice of deep dish pizza and a shower. This morning we had breakfast in the dining car, which by the way is quite reasonably priced and pretty tasty. Our dining buddy this morning was Vera, a grandmother and avid traveler. She was on her way back from Cooperstown, where her grandson was playing baseball, to her hometown in LA. She was originally from Chicago and is an avid Chicago Cubs fan and since we are going to Wrigley Field tonight, it certainly opened conversations, especially about baseball!
’til next time… The Vagabonds!
Traveling is something that most people love to do and wish they could do more often. The only problem with traveling is, believe it
or not, it does disrupt your daily life a bit. You see, humans are creatures of habit. We have our daily routines and generally don’t like change. Traveling for a week might not disrupt the flow of things too bad, but a month…that could mess a person up!
We can’t wait for this trip, but we have one major predicament. You see, for the past four months we have gotten into…and I mean really into crossfit! Just ask our friends. Its all we talk about. I mean they MUST be getting sick of it by now. For those of you who are unfamiliar with crossfit, let me break it down for you. It’s a military like workout, that is timed and consists of a variety of
strength based exercises. No one workout is the same. Your body hates you for doing it, but the results are undeniable. The question is, how do we maintain our obsession (yup, I called it an obsession) over the thirty days we are separated from our gym? Here are a few of options:
1. While in transit, we can attempt workouts that do not required equipment. Squats, push ups, burpees, lunges, etc. This might work in a hotel room, but just imagine the looks we might get if we are doing squats in the middle of the aisle of our train!
2. We can scour the internet (or iphone app) for local Crossfit gyms in the cities we’ll be visiting. Rumor has it you can visit most gyms for around $10, which won’t break the bank.
3. We will be walking around cities for miles at a time and hiking in Montana and Arizona. I suppose this does count as exercise, but like I said, we’re addicted, so this probably doesn’t count.
Considering how great our followers are, we were wondering what ideas you might have for us? Drop us a comment and let us know how you exercise on the go. Thanks.
’til next time… The Vagabonds
Since starting the plans in motion in January, people have been offering all sorts of suggestions of which cities to visit, what sights to see and which restaurants to eat at. A couple weeks ago, a friend from work had taken her students to the school auditorium to listen to an author speak. In a daze between listening to the author of pre-teen books and planning her next lesson, sh
e thought she overheard the author mention an underground city in Seattle. She was quick to pick up her phone and send me a text knowing that Seattle is a stop on our 30 day tour. Just as fast as she sent the text message, she realized, “Whoops, maybe this guy was talking about an underground city that he made up for his books”. So on our way home, she and I looked up Seattle and this rumored underground metropolis. And what do you know… this obscure place does exist!
So a little history of Seattle – apparently, Seattle suffered from a fire, appropriately named The Great Seattle Fire of 1889. This disaster demolished 25 square blocks of the city comprised of mostly wooden buildings. During reconstruction, they decided to build on top of the devastated land and create the Seattle we know today. That of course is the short version of Seattle’s history, but if you want to know more by all means… It is quite an interesting story. Anyway, a guy named Bill Speidel decided to rediscover what was beneath Seattle’s streets and create tours of the forsaken city, BF (Before Fire). Apparently, Mr. Speidel offers a comedic glimpse into Seattle as it was known prior to 1889 and what the grounds had become AF (After Fire) – illegal gambling, flophouses for the homeless and speakeasies! Thus, he has made his tour a must see as we make our way through this summer!
’til next time… The Vagabonds
This blog was created from a simple dream and involved traveling cross country by train. Every single person that we have told about our plans has been intrigued and in some cases even jealous. The problem is this type of trip can be a bit expensive and requires a lot of time. Well, have no fear. We have a way you can get the cross country by train experience for just over $30 and a just under an hour of your time! How is this possible you ask? The solution is a great game called Ticket to Ride (PS: This is where we got the name for one of our other posts) where players collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America. The longer the routes, the more points they earn. Additional points come to those who can fulfill their Destination Tickets by connecting two distant cities, and to the player who builds the longest continuous railway. A friend of ours is a board game buff (if your reading this you’re well aware of who you are!)and ordered it online. We played it at his house and it is a very competitive, but fun game that allows you to sabotage your friends progress and then rub their noses in it, which is always a bonus. Now I realize that this might not be what you are looking for in a travel blog and it definitely won’t cure your need for adventure. With that said, it will provide you with an hour of fun with friends on your weekly game night and sometimes a break in the monotony from your busy work week. This can be just what you need to get you through the doldrums until you can get a weeks vacation or save up enough coin for your big trip!
’til next time…The Vagabonds
You can purchase “Ticket to Ride” here
While Airbnb is allowing us to travel like humans, we realize that being on a train for days at a time could get brutal. Restless nights on a tra
in could turn a loving couple into two fighting zombies, so we needed to come up with a solution. We have decided to get a roomette on the train for a few legs of our trip. It will act as our private sitting area by day and will transform into our sleeping quarters at night. While it is indeed small, the idea of sleeping prone makes these little digs seem like a four star hotel!
The price is based on availability so if you ever decide to travel by train, get your tickets as early as possible (Amtrak told us it is often necessary to book eleven months in advance to get a good rate!)
’til next time…The Vagabonds
You may be wondering how do the Vagabonds plan on traveling for thirty days and afford to stay in beautiful accommodations in the heart of America’s most beautiful (and expensive) cities? The answer is AirBnB.com. What is it you ask? AirBnb lets people rent out extra rooms, apartments, houses or space – anywhere in the world! Sound strange to you? Sure, I can see that but let’s crunch the numbers.
I found the average cost of a hotel room in each of the cities we are visiting. To do this, I found the 
cost of a room at a Marriott and a Travel Lodge hotel (figured I’d go with a pricerhotel and a budget hotel) and calculated the average cost. The total for us to stay in Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angels & San Antonio would be $2,296! I know you are thinking that sounds like a lot of money but that’s where AirBnB comes in.
To stay in the same cities for the same amount of time, AirBnB.com will be providing us with top notch accommodations of our choosing, in the heart of those cities at a fraction of the cost. Total cost using AirBnB.com, $1,201! That’s a savings of over a thousand dollars!
Now some of you might say, “I don’t want to stay in a room in someone’s house” or “I’m ok going the cheap route and staying at the Travel Lodge”. Our response, the places, including the rooms in someone’s house, are nicer than most hotels, including the Marriott. Part of our adventure is to meet new people, to talk to people who live in these wonderful cities, and have incredible stories to share with you!
Stay tuned throughout the summer for updates and pictures of all the places we’ll be laying our heads to rest.
’til next time… The Vagabonds
Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. It’s not a cheap photoshop trick; what you are looking at is our actual train tickets for our cross country trip. After a lot of research and careful planning we finally have something tangible in our hands that says “this is definitely going to happen” and I must say it feels great!
I have one piece of advice to anyone out there who cares to listen. If you have a dream, something you want to accomplish, then do it. Don’t talk about it, make it a reality! If you can’t afford it, then work towards it, but make it happen. There is nothing more satisfying then knowing you are living life on your terms.
’til next time…The Vagabonds
Why is the dog referred to as man’s best friend? Is it their undying love and affection? Is it their loyal nature? Maybe it is their ability to read their owners emotions and in some silent way know exactly what to do in every situation. I know that I have shared my joys and my sorrows with my loyal bulldog. I have told her things I have never told anyone else (Yes, I tell my dog secrets). She is a part of my family and we love her with all of our hearts. The problem with dogs is that like all living things they don’t live forever. While hiking Mount Beacon with friends and our dog, Matilda, we came across the rock structure in the photo above. It was a monument built to memorialize a lost friend. A final gesture in friendship and one of the nicest ways to say “thank you” I have ever seen. Our Matilda will not live forever, I know this. While I don’t know what goes through a dogs mind, I just hope that when it is her time to leave this world she knows how much we love her and how special she is.
’til next time…The Vagabonds
