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
Adventure isn’t about how far you go or how many exotic places you see, it’s about doing things out of the ordinary. That means
you can find adventure right in your own backyard. With summer right around the corner, I felt the need to write about a great activity that has seen a decline in popularity in recent decades…the drive in movie. The first drive in movie theater was created in 1933 in Camden, NJ, but they reached the peak of their popularity in the ’50s and ’60s. They were considered to be great because a couple could bring a screaming kid and nobody cared and the extra privacy the car offered was ideal for date night for teens. Drive ins declined in popularity as the real estate they were on became more valuable and as a result sold for development.
Despite a decline in popularity, these theaters can still be found today with a little research and they offer a great value. You generally get two movies for $8-$10. You can bring a date or the whole family and in some cases even the dog! The best part about drive ins is the nostalgic feeling they give you; it takes you back to a simpler time when the world moved a little slower.
We may not have the technology to step into a time machine to visit the past, but if you are looking for an adventure try the next best thing and spend a night at the drive in this summer with family and friends. It might just be the blast from the past you need!
’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
If you are like me – ultra organized, have lists for everything, and a need to have everything in it’s place – than Pinterest.com is for you! It’s taking me some time to get use to it, but Pinterest is a great way to organize all of your online findings. I’ve been using this virtual pin board as a means to collect all of the restaurants, tourist attractions and important resources I may need as we plan our thirty day adventure. Just the other day, a friend mentioned to me that Seattle has an underground city, offering tours of the metropolis destroyed by a fire. I decided to look it up and immediately pinned the website to my “USA by Train” board. Doing so enabled me to remember a possible site to experience on our venture across the United States. Pinterest has kept all of my travel resources in a central location so that as I am planning and even when we are on our trip, I can simply access my online bulletin board for fabulous restaurants and must see attractions! It is truly amazing where our world is technologically and to even imagine how we survived before such advances!
We’d love to hear your suggestions so feel free to share your thoughts on where to eat and what to do in the cities we are visiting. There is so much to do and see and guidance from those who’ve experienced it all first hand is welcomed! I’ll be sure to pin your suggestions to my virtual bulletin board.
’til next time… The Vagabonds
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
For all you visual learners, we’ve (as in my artistic boyfriend) have created this map of our itinerary. According to the Muppets, it’s faster to travel by map, fortunately for us it will still take 30 days!
’til next time… The Vagabonds!
Travel is a big part of our bucket list and to travel everywhere. Europe is close to the top of that list and when talking about our possible travel plans, we had mixed emotions on what we should do first, US or Europe. Although, we WILL see Europe (probably backpacking most of it) we found that it was so important that we see and experience our own country first before we venture across the Atlantic.
“The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.”-G.K. Chesterton
’til next time… The Vagabonds
