Working as a tour guide in Philadelphia’s historic district, I must have become a little Pennsylvania-centric on my view of the American Revolution because I was absolutely stunned when I stumbled upon the Trumbull Room at the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut. It was the thrill of unexpectedly running into dear acquaintances while on vacation – the familiar blue and yellow uniform in the painting of my favorite founding … [Read more...]
First Week USA Challenge ‘Fifty States of Wigge’
I am currently on my new USA Challenge challenge called ‘Fifty States of Wigge’. That means I have to travel all 50 states in 50 days and I have to face one challenge in each state. My start of the USA challenge was in Maine last week, traveling all by van. The result after seven days is pretty awsome, because I have traveled to already eleven states and drove 1,400 miles. Eleven states sounds way ahead of my schedule, but keep in mind that … [Read more...]
Knoxville Rocks the History Trail
Tennessee is really a fascinating place, particularly for history buffs. There are sites exemplifying pioneer history, the founding of the United States, the Civil War, the Great Depression, WWII, and the Civil Rights Movement – all easily accessible from Knoxville (itself named after Henry Knox, Revolutionary War hero and Secretary of War under President Washington). Most interesting to me is that America as the grand experiment - a country … [Read more...]
Christopher Elliot Consumer Advocate and Journalist
Christopher Elliott is a strong advocate for consumers (and not just travel related cases). So serious and passionate about his job fighting for consumer rights - he says he sleeps with his phone! In addition to his consumer advocacy work, he is also a very accomplished journalist. We have followed his career since the late 1990's (he has been online since the early 1990's). Recently we reached out to him with some questions - with an … [Read more...]
Knoxville, TN: Holding on to the Stories
“When an old person dies, it’s like a small library burning.” -- Alex Haley, author of Roots, spoken to his friend John Rice Irwin, founder of the Museum of Appalachia[i] Until I went to Knoxville, Tennessee, I hadn’t experienced a place with such a strong sense of preserving the past. Not just the events or places of the past – I work as a tour guide in Philadelphia and we have that here – but the importance of each individual life gone by, … [Read more...]
An Afternoon in Brooklyn’s Park Slope
I recently spent a Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn’s Park Slope. There were a handful of places I wanted to visit to make the nearly 30 minute trip from Washington Square Park worthwhile. I played U2’s The Joshua Tree on my new iPhone 6S and boarded the D train to the Atlantic Av-Pacific St. From there, I intended to transfer to the 2-3 line, but there was a delay, so I boarded the Q train and took it one stop to 7 Av instead. This area was new … [Read more...]
Walking from Pennsylvania to New Jersey & Back
I recently spent my first full day in Easton, PA. Although, I’d driven through Easton hundreds of times over the past 19 years, I never spent a full day exploring on foot. Known to many as the birthplace of former boxing heavyweight champion, Larry Holmes and home of the Crayola Factory, Easton lies on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River. The Lehigh River meets the Delaware River just south of the Northampton Street Bridge, which connects … [Read more...]
Walking from New Jersey to New York and Back
Over the past 2 years, I’ve walked over the BMW (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg) bridges, which connect Brooklyn and Manhattan. This summer, I finally walked over the George Washington Bridge and highly recommend it to any urban explorer. As a car owner who lives in Pennsylvania, I drove as close as possible to the pedestrian entrance on the New Jersey side of the bridge. If you are a history buff (like myself), I recommend parking at Fort … [Read more...]
Pittsburgh: Land of Celebrities
I am a self-acknowledged history nerd with a film degree. I had no idea that Pittsburgh had an abundance of sites covering my two big interests - colonial and current celebrities. Mostly I am interested in the places celebrities were - so that I can stand in, sit on, or touch the same spot. I imagine I am forging a connection that transcends space and time, that the celebrity's genius energy can infiltrate my own and affect it in a positive … [Read more...]
Pittsburgh: Inspiring Awe and Nostalgia
Visit Pittsburgh. It’s a vibrant city with fantastic views and all kinds of easily accessible ways to see them, a sports legacy to envy, and vital American history. But more importantly, it is a tribute to what city government, public and private enterprise, and concerned citizens – what we, as human beings – can accomplish. In the last 50 years or so Pittsburgh has orchestrated a miraculous environmental transformation. Ride to the top of the … [Read more...]
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