Because 2 weeks of traveling isn’t enough
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#5
One great advantage of Pittsburgh is its central location to visiting most of the major cities East of the Mississippi. Less than 4 hours gets you to Washington DC, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Buffalo. Less than 6 brings you to Indianapolis, Louisville, Philadelphia, Columbus, Detroit, and Toronto. 8 Hours expands the sphere to the metropolises of…
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Gin and Beer in Milwaukee
Long before dueling piano bars and the second-coming of the martini, a guy named Angelo played the trumpet and opened a bar in Milwaukee. The taps may have been kicked since the last time Tony Bennet walked through the door, but gin and vodka are the drinks of choice. This is Angelo’s Piano Bar. There…
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Why Buffalo?
Coworkers and friends scoffed at our plans for a weekend trip to Buffalo. So did the friendly residents of Buffalo who couldn’t fathom why we were there. Living in Pittsburgh, we’re used to this dismissive attitude, and we didn’t let it slow us down. We weren’t in Buffalo to see the eerily empty downtown, cop…
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Guzelyurt
In the Cappadoccia region of Turkey, Byzantine cave churches, underground cities, and verdant valleys are sprinkled throughout the sun-drenched landscape. Seemingly every village has a tourist attraction or 5. We picked Guzelyurt because the guide books said it was under-visited. Getting to Guzelyurt is part of the reason it’s under-visited. Travelling by public transportation involves…
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Çay Time
After 48 hours in Istanbul, we were ready to flee the big city. Istanbul is full of amazing sights and nightlife, but also an overwhelming 15 million residents plus tourists fighting for space. After sitting in traffic for an hour on the shuttle to the bus station, we were desperate to find a more peaceful…
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5 Ways to Make Your Vacation Happiness Last
Recently, the New York Times Well Blog highlighted a study saying that vacations don’t bring lasting happiness. Personally, I think the study is a conspiracy of big corporations to justify limiting employee vacation time. But in case you agree, here are 5 tips to make sure you get plenty of post-vacation happiness. Print It –…
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Iguazu
At the crossroads of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay lies Iguazu Falls and 3 tips for future travelers. The first day we sat down to lunch and thought the many coatis (relatives of the raccoon) were really cute as they waited for scraps of food to fall. A quick hop onto our table via an empty…
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15. Terraza de Los Andes Cabernet Sauvignon
Terraza de Los Andes Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($11 at restaurant) A perfect match for an indulgent dinner of boquerones (sardines served on a bed of tomatoes and onions), a huge serving of entraña (skirt steak), french fries, and dessert of flan mixto (flan served with dulce de leche and whipped cream). This smorgasbord was courtesy…
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14. Doña Paula Syrah 2008
In the past 2 months, the subway of Buenos Aires has been shut down 7 times by striking workers looking for independent union representation. While waiting for what we hoped we the right bus we were passed over constantly by Bus 24 that was too full to stuff any more passengers in. On board, the…
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13. Santa Julia Malbec 2008
Busing around Argentina puts Greyhound to shame. The bus terminals are reminiscent of airports with their full-service cafes, general lack of vagrants, and high level of cleanliness. As for the buses, riding is a revelation from the air conditioned waiting rooms to the seats that recline fully into a bed for overnight travel to the…
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