Travel The East

A friend's wedding this past weekend gave us the perfect excuse to explore Annapolis, Maryland. With neither of us having visited Maryland's capital city before, we were surprised by how many activities, as well as history and beauty this waterside setting has to offer. We ambitiously did the 7-8 hr drive from Boston on Friday morning, arriving just in time to settle into our hotel, do a little shopping in Downtown Annapolis, and then get ready for dinner.  The cobblestone streets off of City Dock and Main Street are lined up with shops, selling anything and everything from super-brands like Vineyard Vines to locally-made apparel and crafts. Friday evening we booked dinner reservations at the Blackwall Hitch and couldn't have been more satisfied with our choice.  Lea Hurt with the Public Relations team and General Manager, Kurt Hamilton, gave us a tour of the restaurant's many dining rooms, rooftop bar, and beautiful ambiance. The food was no d

By the time 5pm rolls around Friday afternoon, we're looking for quick escape out of the concrete jungle.  And as much as we would love to travel the world every weekend, a budget-friendly excursion tends to be a more doable option. So when we got a call from Southbridge Hotel & Conference Center inviting us to come down for the weekend, we were more than excited to explore a new and lesser known part of New England. Southbridge Hotel & Conference Center is only about a 1-2 hour drive (depending on traffic) just southwest of Boston. The property itself is strikingly large; situated on its own peaceful and scenic oasis away from the surrounding city. With a beautiful indoor pool, racquetball and basketball courts, billiards, a bar serving local brews, on-site restaurant ( where we highly recommend you order the steak and vegetable medley ), as well as hiking trails throughout the property, we had way more than enough activities to keep us occupied upon our arriv

Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, blends contemporary city with classic European charm, still visible from its roots.  Evidence of its origins as a British Colony remain with the Victorian architecture and many formal gardens sprinkled throughout the city's landscape.  Victoria also boasts the mildest climate in Canada, with an average of 308 rainless days a year! No complaints with that kind of annual forecast! Situated on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria was our final port destination on our Alaskan cruise trip . Victoria Fisherman's Wharf Tie up your shoelaces; Victoria is a walking town.  There a tons of  walking paths  allowing tourists to do their own self-guided tours of the city.  There were signs clearly labeling these routes to easily get downtown by foot.  This is the option we chose, but of course there are taxis, buses, and other typical means of city transportation to take your pick from. Pontoon Homes at The Fisherman's Wharf

Bald Eagle at Ward Lake in Alaska Ketchikan Alaska is the quintessential Alaskan fishing village, like most of the major cities in Alaska. It is also one of the most southern cities in all of Alaska. Our cruise ship was only docked for a half day, so for our time on land we tried to do as much as possible in a few hours. We started off by renting a Jeep. Renting a vehicle is a great way to see a lot of area in a short amount of time and not be confined to the schedule of a tour. If you plan to rent a vehicle in Alaska we’d recommend doing so a few months in advance. Most of the cities only have one or two businesses that rent vehicles and they go quick. Our first stop on our morning journey was a 10 mile drive from our port to Ward Lake . This was a small lake that took under an hour to walk around but offered a great glimpse into the Alaskan wildlife. There is a clean path that leads around the whole lake. On our walk we saw bald eagles, hundreds of salmon swimming in