Work. Travel. Explore.

upupandaways.com

Perhaps the greatest thing I love about my job is that I get paid to learn more about humanity. What people care about, what drives them and the choices they make. When I travel, I often try to explore the city I am communicating to. I will try to discover the neighborhood diner that has 4 stars on yelp, the treasured museum or the historical site that defined the city. On a recent trip to Philadelphia, we found a small restaurant (that may have had only 15 seats). The couple sitting next to us knew the owners by name and lived their entire lives in this city. I find that exploring the restaurants and landmarks of a city help me understand the soul of the people. Philly is proud and I think it is part of it’s history. This city was built by passionate people and their dreams helped to form a nation. We only had 45 minutes to explore, but we visited Constitution Hall and walking through those walls gave us a deep sense of legacy. I was reminded that it takes great courage to dream.

Take the time to explore – even 45 minutes can help inspire you to dream.

its hoppin in asheville #traveltuesdays

asheville wicked weed brewingDoug is an amateur brewer and on most trips we frequent a brewery and he becomes fast friends with the brew master and they discuss things like gravity, yeast strains and grain contents. Recently, we fell in love with Asheville. This hipster town knows their beer and we stumbled across a brand new brewery. Wicked Weed is a collective of passionate people who love sharing a pint, great tasting beer and an atmosphere that respects the building’s history with an eye for design. We can’t wait to get back to see how they are doing.

heildberg_project

heidelberg project #traveltuesdays

Located in the heart of Detroit exists a community committed to fueling the creative spirit. Tyree Guyton started the Heildelberg Project with found objects and HBO even documented the city’s protest and destruction of his vision and the evolution of this art experience since then.  Doug and I stumbled across this work of art while exploring Eastern Market one weekend. I heard about this unique Detroit landmark from one of my students at CCS and couldn’t resist seeing such an iconic creative project that serves as a metaphor for the city itself. The two blocks offer a unique, urban point of view on politics, community and the city of Detroit. A full block of houses are covered in everything from stuffed animals to coins. Sculptures grow out of the ground made of discarded doors, wandering shopping carts and painted boards. As an organic element, each summer, towering sunflowers surround the installation and this element always makes me smile. Nothing like starting off the summer with an interesting and educational stay-cation. What places have you explored in your town?

passport required #traveltuesdays

One of my favorite summer getaways was to Kincardin, Canada. We took the dogs, jetskis and enjoyed a long weekend at our friend’s beach house on a Lake Huron Beach. This picture was taken early one morning as I was walking the dogs – a storm had just come through the night before. This beach is rated to have one of the best sunsets in the world by National Geographic. Do you have a favorite coastal vacation?

for the road warrior #traveltuesdays

We just got home from our first roadtrip with Mags (we went to visit my parents in Alabama). She was a champ and I can’t say enough about how much we enjoyed the SYNC in our new Ford Escape. It made us feel that a cross country roadtrip is possible again. In 2008, Doug and I hit route 66 and traveled from Detroit to California. It was a drive of a lifetime. What has been your favorite roadtrip?