Destinations

On the hunt for a little fun in Huntsville, Alabama When Skyler was 3.5, we took a little family getaway to Huntsville. Before the trip, we made our ABC list of preferences …

I like to document things, so Justin helped make a list of every single bar or restaurant where we ate or drank during the period between May 25 – June 15. Have …

One of my favorite ways to pass a sunny afternoon in Nashville is to play tourist in my own town and remind myself of all the beauty, tastes and fun that our …

After a week on the cruise ship, I was ready to get off the boat.  Why hadn’t we gotten off sooner, you ask? I’ll take the blame for this one. The three …

My 10th grade American history professor was a black Pentecostal preacher, so lectures were often lively but even the most engaging teacher can’t force 15 year olds to care about what happened …

The first stop on our grand South American adventure is Santiago! Home to nearly 7 million people, Santiago is one of the largest metropolises on the continent, with an urban sprawl to …

A highlight of our South American cruise was seeing penguins in their natural habitat in the Falkland Islands. I can’t say that, prior to this trip, I’d ever given the Falklands much …

For some odd reason, we only had a few hours in the Uruguayan port city of Montevideo, the second to last stop on our South American cruise. A small and safe capital …

The best family weekend trip from Nashville: Chattanooga!  The best weekend getaway from Nashville is less than three hours away: Chattanooga! A weekend in the Scenic City is the perfect way to …

Someone recently told us that they thought Bruges was beautiful but like a museum. We didn’t really know what they meant and had no preconceived notions about the town. (Well, not many, …

We arrived on Wednesday, Aug 10. It’s been a fun, but not over-taxing, four days. We’ve seen some and still have some of the big sites to see (up next: la Sagrada …

#tbt to that time I went to Europe with my dad, my brother and his girlfriend…

In elementary school, I used to tell people that Schwartau was the shortened version of my real last name, the Ellis Island version given to my ancestors when they immigrated to America. …

August 20, 2005. I was 20 years old, had 6 years of French under my belt, and got to fly international first class (!!!) avec mon père to Paris. Two full semesters …

We had the opportunity to spend 8 wonderful days in this city. We’ve seen so much, met lots of friendly people, and have blisters on our feet from walking so much. I wish …

A lot of people don’t like Paris. Whether it’s bad experiences with rude French people or confusion on the metro or witnessing homeless guys peeing on the side of a building, plenty …

(To view any of the photo thumbnails larger, just click on them to load in a lightbox viewer.) Budapest is made up of two cities – the hilly, quieter Buda and the …

From 1999-2003, I attended the International Baccalaureate program at St. Petersburg High (Go Green Devils!) so for four years, I had a 20-30 minute commute to and from school. My friends did …

I wanted to share the map of Nashville that I share with visiting friends and family. This is what I give to people who are visiting for a weekend, need all-ages activities, …

Though I’ve been a few times, LA has never been high on my list of places to go. I don’t remember much from my first trip, when I was 11, or all …