Destination: Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach is great escape!

The Beach
Broadway at the Beach

Destination: Southern California

Soak up the rays in SoCal!

Overview
Blue Angels Air Show
San Diego Zoo
Disneyland
California Adventure
Los Angeles
Hollywood
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Pacific Coast Highway
Calexio
Sea World
Stadium Tours

Destination: Boston

The heart of New England, Bean Town.

Overview
Freedom Trail
Boston Commons
Cheers
Fenway Park
Sam Adams Brewery
Boston Harbor/Quincy Market
Prudential Building

Desination: Chicago

These are my favorite spots in the Windy City.

Overview
Sear Tower (Willis Tower)
Milennium Park
Navy Pier
Carriage Rides
John Hancock Building
Wrigley Field~~Coming Soon

Destination: Las Vegas

Here are the sites you need to see in Sin City!

Overview
Hoover Dam
Stratosphere
Bellagio
Paris
Mirage
Sirens of T.I.
Favorite Casinos
Other Hotels on the Strip
Catch a Show

Desination: Washington D.C

Here are some great things to see in our nation's capital.

Overview
Capitol Building
Washington Monument
Old Post Office Pavillion
Lincoln Memorial
White House
Lafayette Park
Arlington National Cemetery
Smithsonian
Holocaust Museum
Ford's Theater
Nationals Park
The Metro

Travel Locations

Thanks for reading my blog! Please let me know what you think, or if you have any questions. Here are blog entries from places I have been.

Washington D.C
Las Vegas
Chicago
Southern California
Myrtle Beach
Boston
New York City
Minneapolis
Paris~~Coming Soon
Gettysburg~~Coming Soon
Baltimore~~Coming Soon
Destin, Florida~~Coming Soon
Oregon Coast~~Coming Soon
Mount Rushmore~~Coming Soon
Green Bay~~Coming Soon
Madison~~Coming Soon
Aruba~~Coming Soon

Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach is a destination you go to if you want to truly relax. If you want beautiful beaches, a great tan, and to get away from the winter blues (if applicable), Myrtle Beach is the place for you!

I had the opportunity to road trip to Myrtle Beach, my first road trip with my friends. Road tripping is a great, and a cheaper alternative to flying. Granted it takes a lot longer to get to where you are going, if you are with the right people, it can be a lot of fun! From our depature city to Myrtle Beach, it was about 22 hours, but we made it in about 20 due to fabulous travel conditions! Another great thing about road trips is if you have enough people, you can drive and sleep in shifts. It worked out perfectly for us, especially since we had a van!

We got into Myrtle Beach and we were ready to settle in. A former friend of mine had timeshares, so we got a prime condo, just a block from the beach! I'm not sure what everyone else did, but I quickly changed into my swim suit and headed outdoors. We didn't go right to the beach, so we chose one of 4 hot tubs to relax in. If you happen to have a timeshare, that is great! If not, there are plenty of reasonable hotels the same distance, if not closer, to the beach.

The rest of the week, all we did was relax on the beach! It was paradise! We played catch on the sand with a football, swan in the ocean, and soaked up as many rays as possible! I couldn't imagine a more perfect spot to be in in the month of March!

One particular day, we all went shopping at an outlet mall just up the road from the beach. I remember this outlet mall being consuming. If your niche is shopping, you'll love this mall. It is appealing to all the senses!

Eventually or time in paradise had to end, but with my following tips, hopefully yours can last just a little longer.

Tips on Myrtle Beach:
-If you are booking a hotel room, try to get one with a microwave and fridge. This way you can save money on food, and bring home your leftovers after a great night out!
-Make sure to inquire with your hotel if they have a swimming pool and hot tub (I can't imagine the majority not having them, though). Do this so you can still enjoy the water when it's too late for a swim in the ocean, or if the ocean gets too cold.
-Make sure to wear sun-screen. Even if you go there in the winter, the sun is still strong in Myrtle Beach. If you burn on the first day, it could ruin the rest of your trip. (Take this from experience)!

Stadium Tours - SoCal

By now, I don't think I need to remind you what a huge sports fan I am. My roommate who I was on the trip with happened to be equally enthused, so while we were seeing SoCal, we made time to see most of the sports stadiums around the L.A./San Diego area.

In San Diego, we saw Petco Park where the San Diego Padres play baseball and Qualcomm Stadium where the San Diego Chargers play football.

In L.A., we saw Dodger Stadium where the Los Angeles Dodgers play baseball, and we even got to take a peek inside! We also saw the Staples Center, where the L.A. Lakers and Clippers play basketball. Staples Center is also home to the L.A. Kings hockey franchise. And finally, in Anaheim we saw Angel Stadium where the Anaheim Angels play baseball, and we had the great honor to take in a Anaheim Ducks hockey game at the Honda Center (formally known as The Pond)!

In college, my roommate and I were avid hockey fans, and I don't think we missed 5 home games all throughout our 4 years in college. Matt and Linda caught wind of this and took the liberty of getting us tickets to our first ever Pro hockey game, and in Club Level seating even! We definitely got our money's worth as 3 fights broke out in the game, the game went into overtime, and we even saw a shootout, which is rare! They sure saw us coming!

Tips on SoCal Stadiums:
-If you are visiting the Southern California area at any time of the year, try and make it to a sporting event at one of these venues. Baseball is my passion, but choose yours and run with it. Being outside these stadiums was a rush for me, and I can't imagine what it would be like to have taken in a game at all of them!

Sea World - SoCal

Sea World was the last attraction we went to while visiting Southern California. There are a few Sea World locations throughout the country, but my first experience visitng one was this, in San Diego. Being it was our last day, we had the chance to relax, see a few shows at Seaworld, and take in the last few remaining hours that SoCal had to offer.

The first thing we did was get a seat at the Shamu Show, called "Believe." What an amazing show it was. I am jealous of the lucky few that get to play with dolphins all day long as a job! The trainers showed off their talents and let the dolphins take the spotlight! Fantastically done!

We then moved along to other exhibits in the park like the sea turtles, the penguins, and an underwater great white shark exhibit, just to name a few.

Anyone could spend a whole day here and never run out of things to do! There are many more shows and exhibits, and if you are interested, you'll just have to go and see for yourself!

Tips on Seaworld:
-Seaworld is amazing for any age. Children would love it as there are countless sea creatures, and many hands-on exhibits.

Calexico - SoCal

As we looked back on the glam of L.A., we made the journey back to Uncle Matt and Aunt Linda's in El Centro, CA, which is about 2 hours east of San Diego. El Centro is a city about 10 minutes from the border of Mexico, so one evening, we drove on down. We came to the city of Calexico, on the California side of the border. I soon found out that the city on the Mexico side is called Mexicali. Get it? Anyway, this was a real eye opener for me. As we were driving, I could sense that we were nearing the Mexico border. Everything turned dark, the roads were all dirt, and all the advertisements and store-fronts were written in Spanish. It was an eerie feeling. Being we were there at night, we had to be very cautious of the border patrol, so we barely had time to get out of the car for a picture. Matt and Linda then started telling us stories of the illegal immigrants who try to sneak over to the U.S. in search for jobs.

These illegal immigrants would travel by night to try and get into the country. On the border where we were, there was a huge mountain that the illegals would try to cross as to bypass the border patrol. Matt and Linda said the best way to spot if an illegal crossed the border is by their shoes. Most of their shoes would be worn from climbing over the mountain and walking through the rough terrain. Illegals who set out at the fall of darkness would barely make it into the U.S. by morning without being caught because the mountain is a lenghty one to get around. By morning, these people would be captured and then taken by bus to into Mexico again. We actually saw some illegals sitting beside a building, waiting to go back into Mexico, as they had just been captured. Matt and Linda also told stories of how some illegals had drown in the Rio Grande, trying to swim under water in attempts of not being seen by the border patrol, but they would be swept away by the strong current.

This experience was such a reality check for me. Here I am, sitting in the mid-west with seemingly nothing to worry about, and down around the U.S. border, people's lives are in danger. I guess it's just a way of life for them. Going to the border helped me understand Southern California's culture a lot better!

Tips on Calexico:
-I wouldn't suggest any tourist go all the way to the border, especially not at night. If you don't know where you are going, it can result in serious danger. There are too many illegal immigrants looking for any way to get in, and if you are in the wrong place, bad things can happen. Not to mention you can easily get in major trouble with border patrol.