During a recent work trip, I decided to seek out some of the highest-praised shrimp & grits in Charleston, South Carolina. Transplants and locals alike raved about the amazingly delicious food scene and dropped the names of their favorite area restaurants. I listened and was appreciative of all their insights, but adamantly made clear that I only had eyes for shrimp & grits. Some of their suggestions made it onto my list, while others were left off based on the limited time that I was available. Regardless, over my 9-day rampage across Charleston, I experienced 11 of the best shrimp & grits restaurants in the area.

On a recent work trip to San Marcos, I decided to seek out some of the highest-praised BBQ in central Texas. Like many of my travels, it began with an idea and led to an obsession and gluttonous adventure. My ultimate goal was to visit a different place each day and then rank them. To maintain fairness, I decided I would order the same items at each location: brisket (some lean, some fatty), pork spare ribs, coleslaw, and beans. I conducted some preliminary online research to identify the highest rated barbecue places within a 1 ½-hour drive of San Marcos. After considering each location’s days and hours of operation against my schedule, I narrowed down the list and began my “7 days of Q.”

We were late... We woke up late. We ate breakfast late. We filtered water late. We broke down camp late. We eventually hit the trail a little after 9:00AM. Trust me, that's hella late. We had over 7 miles and two passes to cover before early afternoon when the mountain weather gets as unpredictably moody as a newborn.

How well do you know your home state? I thought I knew my home state of Michigan pretty well. However, a recent road trip through the Upper Peninsula (“The U.P., ‘eh”) shattered my assumptions. Along my trip I found breathtaking scenery and discovered what it is to be a “Michigander.” Michigan is more than home to the media’s depiction of Detroit; it is home to Midwesterners who value humility, pride, and community. Michigan is more than home to the Great Lakes; it is home to one of the largest populations of wildlife and natural resources in the country. Michigan is more than the place where I grew up; it was, and will always be, the place that I am proud to call home.

When my friend Dan suggested that we go to Alaska for our annual Independence Day road trip, my reaction was mildly unenthusiastic. The egotistical independent traveler in me recoiled at the thought of floating cities anchoring into port and flooding the streets with camera straps, tennis shoes, and land excursion itineraries that fit every budget and ability level. However, after some careful thought & research, I became convinced that Alaska could be more than just a generic corporate package. And, so it went.

Snowpocalypse. Snowmagedden. Snowverkill. Regardless of the flaky wordplay phrase of the week, all the media-fueled hype accumulates to just another winter storm for this Midwesterner. Although I would certainly prefer the sunny 75’F winters of Florida, I have no problem surviving in the snow globe encased Washington, DC. These are the winters of my youth. When I was growing up, it seemed as though twelve to sixteen inches of snow blanketed Detroit on a regular basis throughout the winters. Hell (Hell, Michigan) had to freeze many times over before we cancelled school! Over the past week, Old Man Winter and I have had some time to re-acquaint ourselves like estranged childhood friends. As it goes, Snowpocalypse has reminded me of all the things that I hate and love about a winter storm.

I’ll be honest; I had low expectations for Miami. Miami’s reputation for being a shallow, materialistic, over-populated, over-augmented, over-tanned, and under-dressed “LA of the East Coast,’ never appealed to me. After living in Tampa, FL for 3 years, I had but fleeting momentary regrets of never driving 4 hours south to visit. However, being the idealist I am, I wanted to give Miami, and particularly South Beach (SoBe) a chance to prove me wrong. Okay, perhaps my decision to take a trip down to Miami may have been influenced by the fact that it was November and DC was dipping into the low 60s during the day, while Miamians were basking in the mid-80s and sunshine. Either way, I set out to see what Miami is all about.

If you’ve got a 3-day weekend to kill, Pittsburgh is probably not the first destination that comes to mind. To be honest, I always thought Pittsburgh was a city that surfed the wave of the steel industry, only to be thrown with arms & legs flailing by the decline of manufacturing in the United States. However, I heard rumors that Pittsburgh had recently scraped away the rust and urban decay to weld the roots of the growing green technology industry into its economy. Like a brother from another mother, I had a soft spot for Pittsburgh (perhaps, in my skull). But like Pittsburgh, my hometown of Detroit has had its time of glory and ghetto; unfortunately, more of the latter than the former. My underlying hope in visiting Pittsburgh was to see if an industrial city that went down in flames can really reinvent itself and rise up with dignity once again.