Big Cities, College Towns, All in a Week

Richmond, Va.-- I've had my "Ticket to Travel" for a while, but just now I'm making my first post to this new Travel Blog.

My thanks to Alabama Public Radio for letting me share a few thoughts from the road.

Rather than tackling serious travel-related, newsy issues (as my colleagues who have posted previously), I just what to use this to talk about the fun and exciting things that one can experience on the road.

Within the last Seven Days, I've been in five states and the District of Columbia. It's a "working vacation" as I had to attend an academic conference in the middle of this particular trip. Read more about that conference trip on my blog.



But, while Chicago was my destination for that conference, I made plenty of stops along the way. On the first leg of the trip, there was an overnight stay in the Atlanta metro area (that always happens when I don't leave Alabama until late in the afternoon).





Then, there was a lunchtime stop in Clemson, South Carolina. No, I didn't visit Death Valley. But, I think I did see some of the more picturesque parts of this campus in the Upstate of South Carolina.

Read more about my first trip to the home of the Clemson Tigers on my blog.


Then, there was a stop in Charlotte, North Carolina where I toured the new Billy Graham Library. I reflected on that trip recently on my web log.

Eventually I made it to my homestate of Virginia where I caught a flight out of Dulles International Airport on a Southwest Airlines flight to Chicago Midway Airport.

Not only did I have a chance to "do lunch" with colleagues at the Chicago Tribune, but I also got a chance to have dinner at a restaurant on the Chicago's Magnificent Mile (N. Michigan Avenue)

After flying back to Dulles, I stayed overnight and took a day to visit some of the sights in Washington, DC

While in Washington, I made my first visit to the world's largest interactive museum, the Freedom Forum's Newseum. It was fantastic!



So in the last 10 days, I've had a blast-- visiting big cities, college towns and back here to my hometown of Richmond, Va.

But, this Ticket to Travel doesn't expire for another five days. So you'll be reading more about my latest trip later in the week.