New Year - New Web Address

This will actually be my last post.  I just wanted to post one more reminder that the blog is moving.

Thank you so much for visiting.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Merry Christmas Travelers! 

I hope everyone had a good one.  I got to see a very rare White Christmas, which was exciting.  I'm just glad it didn't cause me the headaches it is causing other travelers this week.

I just got a chance to look through my newest National Geographic magazine (always a good source of new 'life-list" destinations) and found this great photo of people dressed up as St. Nicholas leading Krampus, a "mythical Alpine mischief maker" in Bavaria (Germany).

Sports Analogy - Man Up!

Many sources have been discussing the recent "wussification" of America.  In the arenas of movies; the male lead recently has become the meek indecisive lead; and there is a recent trend of always blaming problems on someone else instead of taking responsibility and fixing them.

Back From New York and Christmas Party Time

First - The Parties:

Its Christmas party season and if you haven't been to one already, you most likely have one coming.

If you are throwing a party and want to avoid the slightly played out "tacky sweater" theme, just go the traditional route and stay classy with this quick party plan.

Six Flags New Orleans, Still Abandoned

And still standing, but not for much longer.

First off, New Orleans is always a good time, and tourism is a great way we can help them since it is one of the main aspects of their economy.  We rode the train down from Memphis last year after Christmas, something I always wanted to do, and the views and people on the train were very interesting.  It took a little longer than driving, 8 hours, but it is well worth it because you can relax, listen to music, read or have some wine instead of worrying about driving the car.   My pictures can be seen here.

Halloween Week Roundup

• I've wanted to experiment with my own burning pumpkins since I discovered these pictures a couple years ago.  Maybe I will get a chance this weekend.  The above picture if from the collection of the best burning pumpkin pics on the Web.

a Dapper Gent's Travel Tips

I have noticed this the past few times I have been at the airport or the train station.  People dress to "be comfortable", in their "juicy" sweatpants, but they end up looking like the just rolled out of bed.  A rule I like to follow is to dress like you want to be treated and the author of the article below seems to agree and says that dressing up a few notches will get you better attention from flight attendants and security personnel on your travels.

Shelby Farms Greenline Opening Celebration

It's officially open!

And there will be a celebration Saturday with block parties, a fun run, and concerts at Shelby Farms that night.

Travel Inspirations

Quick roundup of some pictures and videos to trigger your travel imagination:

First, an incredible time lapse video taken in Tokyo, Japan.
The newest one can be found here.  The rest of the artists videos are found here.

South Front Antiques - Memphis, TN

For many of us its pretty hard to get away and do any traveling even if just around your own city.  But it is good to at least get out of your normal home-to-work routine and check out something new, even if it is in your own city. 

I got a chance to visit some of our local spots one Saturday morning this spring and finally was able to get the pictures up.

It is one of the places I've been wanting to check out in Memphis since hearing about it in a newspaper article last year.  South Front Antiques in Downtown Memphis, on Front Street conveniently, became the main goal on this day.

YouTube - Guy Walks Across America

This is a cool stop motion video appropriately named "Guy walks across america"

The Border: A Dirty War (Part 1)

As is my current personal policy toward Aruba, I will not be spending any of my hard-earned tourism dollars in Mexico until they at least start to act like they care what is coming across our border.

Our BBQ Team Made The News - The Pork University

Better late than never:

Memphis, TN has some of the best food in the country.  Soul food and BBQ being not small among them.  So naturally, Memphis is the place to have the World Championship of BBQ cooking.

Emergency Tools, Books and Gear Part II

This is a follow up to the previous post Near Emergency in Memphis.

To continue my previous story about emergency preparedness and things you should have on hand in case something happens; I thought I would put together a list of things I own (or wish I owned) from my personal Amazon "Wish List".

One of The Great Things About Memphis

Memphis is flip-flop country!

Even though Memphis is nowhere near the beach almost everyone wears flip-flops when its warm and I have seen many people wear them almost all year round. 

Life List Destinations

Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa, near Reykjavik, Iceland



This is one of my top places in the world to visit, Iceland in general, but specifically when I make it to Iceland, I'm going to have to go here.  Hopefully they won't have any more volcanic eruptions.

Time to Destroy Another Pair of Shoes at MusicFest...

...and BBQ Fest.

And I mean that in the best possible way!

I always start thinking about the mud at the various Memphis in May festivals this time of year and try to decide which current pair of shoes I can afford to throw away after this year's blowouts.

Good to Buy in April - Magazines for the Beach!

April is a great time to buy magazines, not only because many are 2 years for the price of 1 at Amazon right now, but also because they will start arriving at your house right when you need them to take to the beach, or read on the airplane to the beach! 

Another Step Forward for the Memphis Greenline!

They are starting the work on the bridge spanning the Wolf River into the park.
And it looks like, as I pass the greenline at various points, that they have the rail bed smoothed out and ready for pavement.

Work to begin on pedestrian/cycling bridge over Wolf River » The Commercial Appeal

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Skiing in St Louis

In an effort to lend the blog's name some credibility, here are some pics of our trip skiing in the great white north of St Louis.