I spent this past weekend on the road (literally) as my youngest and I were off on the last college tour before she makes her decision on where she’ll spend the next four years of her educational career. This time, we were off to the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa), a jaunty, twelve-hour trip (door to door) from my house in MD to campus. We rose early on Friday and hit the road before the sun came up, my youngest excited…
Only two weeks left, folks, and all over the four-state region, it really is starting to look and feel like the holidays have arrived. There’s even snow in the forecast for this week (poo-poo to you winter haters – I say bring on the holiday fluff!) Ever since I was a wee lad, one of my favorite holiday traditions was to drive (or ride) around and look at all of the houses that really went out of their way to…
I’ve had the good fortune and opportunity for a few weekend getaways recently, and it has reminded me of what I like and dislike about travel (in general). These opinions are entirely my own, but let’s see how they stack up to yours: Likes The planning/anticipation I love to research the city or destination I’m planning to visit. I scour the internet for restaurant reviews, points of interests, and sample itineraries. I look at photos, maps, and try to get…
I’ve had the good fortune recently to be able to reconnect with my younger brother and his wife (who live on the West Coast). He and I have shared some good conversations, and one of the topics that has come up is future plans and what we think the next five, ten, or even twenty years will bring to our lives. We’re both at the age where friends in both of our personal circles have unfortunately started to pass away,…
My youngest is entering her senior year in high school this year, so that means that we’re well into the planning and preparations for gearing up for her post-high school education. SATs have been taken (multiple times), high school classes have been chosen with care, and it’s now time to start narrowing down the field for colleges. I’m a big proponent of physically visiting a college BEFORE signing one’s name on the dotted line. Sometimes, a campus will just click,…
I’ll admit, due to the pandemic, it’s been a summer to remember (or forget, depending on your point of view). With all of the social distancing, rules, and just plain fear of catching the COVID-19 virus keeping customers away, running a business during the past six months has been anything but easy. Today, I’ll focus on restaurants and other food eateries, one of the hardest hit sectors in the recent economic downturn. ‘Business Insider’ recently reported that as many as…
While many, many businesses have been negatively impacted by the pandemic and its associated business lockdowns, there’s been one outlier that has not only bucked the trend, but is actually thriving in this new consumer climate: The Drive-In Movie Theater. A staple in the 1950s (there were over 4,000 of them nationwide in 1958), they providing the driving public with a way to get entertainment without ever leaving the interiors of their shiny, new automobiles. Carloads of teens, adults, and…
Many states are beginning to slowly ease back on restrictions and business closures they imposed as a result of the coronavirus and pandemic mitigation efforts. Here in Maryland, we’ve just entered the beginning of “Phase Two” of the economic “reopening” plan, which allows most retail locations, restaurants, and other businesses to resume operations (albeit with several caveats and restrictions). As the recent lock-downs as a result of COVID-19 start to expire, what exactly does that mean for our future experiences…
As we move nearer and nearer to the summer season, one of the many things that will have to fundamentally change (due to coronavirus) is the summer vacation. Even though many states are starting to loosen restrictions on dining, shopping, and travel, there are many new guidelines related to social distancing, sanitization, and group size that will fundamentally alter “how” we travel for months (and maybe years) to come. Will all of these changes be worth the hassle? Better yet,…
If you’re anything like my family, getting folks to and from their various job duties, school functions, and appointments is a constant battle. I’ll describe my family’s situation below, but I’m sure you may have some hybrid of this situation (or if you have young children – don’t worry – it’s coming). First, there is the sheer lack of available drivers in my clan. I have a wife and two daughters (one is eighteen and the other is sixteen). Now,…