I've wanted to tour the Dogfish Head (DFH) brewery since sampling their 120-minute IPA for the first time earlier this year. When I saw an advertisement for their annual 5k/10k Dogfish Dash, I jumped at the chance to register, not only because I knew I could finish well, but also to have some time to tour the brewery and bring home some of their brews I could not find north. After making the 3.5-hour drive to Rehoboth Beach on Saturday afternoon, I checked in my hotel and promptly headed over to the Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats on Rehoboth Ave. Over [View Full Entry]

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So I elected to book my flight via Continental because I'm all about piling on the MILES! Newark (EWR) - Houston (IAH) - Honolulu - Guam - Cairns. Arrived at Cairns after 11pm, then flew to Sydney at 545am. I paced the Cairns Domestic Terminal for hours, trying to stay warm. Other than a handful of airport staff making the rounds, it was quite boring. If you're staying in downtown Sydney, it's not critical to hire a car. After taking cabs between Darling Harbour and The Rocks my first two days there, I realized I could walk from one district to [View Full Entry]

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During the season, I visited five MLB stadiums for the first time - US Cellular Field, Nationals Park, Citi Field, new Yankee Stadium, and Camden Yards. I traveled to Baltimore for the a Braves-Orioles game on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. After a late evening out with friends, I didn't feel up to driving so I bought a same-day Amtrak ticket to/from Baltimore Penn Station. Upon arrival in Baltimore, I transferred to the light rail ($1.60 one-way fare) for the 20-minute ride to the ballpark. Outside Camden Yards, you can find decent crowds at street vendors and food carts hawking burger [View Full Entry]

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Another weekend out of town... left after work Friday evening, returned on the red-eye in time for work on Monday morning... I was looking forward to really hot weather in Phoenix, only to find temperatures peaking in the high 80's, low '90's all weekend. Nevertheless, I had a great time catching up and staying with friends in north Phoenix. On Saturday morning, we embarked to Sedona, about a 90-minute drive north of where we were based. This was my first trip to this resort town and we had a fun time! You don't really notice Sedona while driving on the 17 [View Full Entry]

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My friend and I decided to splurge on a last-minute trip to get out-of-town for the Memorial Day weekend. Should we fly to Los Angeles? Or, Paris? Because of the holiday and our timing, fares to Europe were cheaper than flying within the continental US not because they were on sale, but because demand wasn't as high. Yet, we opted to fly to LA for a variety of reasons and reflect back with no regrets. Our objective was to fit in as many touristy things as possible. It was my third visit to town. It was her first visit. We found [View Full Entry]

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December 13-15, 2008: I wish I could go to PV every weekend, but I'd have to win the lottery first! Another completely random passport stamp, many more to go! I'm one of the few who was glad that the EWR-PVR flight was on sale as the trip to/from was not full at all. On this weekend, most folks are at home shopping for the holidays and/or preparing for loved ones to visit. Barely twelve hours removed from a holiday party, I found myself in warm and sunny Puerto Vallarta walking up and down the Malecon in El Centro, where I relied [View Full Entry]

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Two days removed after returning from Switzerland, I envisioned spending the holiday weekend in bed recovering from jetlag. Thursday morning, I was reminded that cousin Robert is visiting the gang in Cali. 50000 miles, $75, 30 hours later... I was on a plane to Sacramento (via Houston). I'm not sure why I continue to travel impulsively. One day, I'm catching up at work and thinking I'm going to chill out during the holiday weekend. Two days later, I'm eating barbecued spare ribs in Chinatown, San Francisco with my relatives from Virginia and California. The next day... I'm hiking the Mis [View Full Entry]

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My trip to Switzerland almost became my shortest overseas trip ever... upon approaching customs, I realized I left my passport on the plane. Drama aside, my passport was found one hour later and just prior to the plane being boarded for its return trip to the USA! Thanks to Zurich airport security and staff for reassuring me everything would be okay. When I finally breezed through customs, I was slightly disappointed because its officers only scan passports... no stamp! To our slight surprise, we found the US dollar to be stronger than the Swiss franc... but prices were higher to offset [View Full Entry]

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Those who visit Las Vegas in the middle of June are there for one of three reasons: one, work-related convention or conference; two, a special occasion; or three, for the sheer heck of it. Unabashedly, I fall in the last category. I LOVE hot, especially dry weather. Being outdoors too long certainly didn't make any sense. At Mandalay Beach, I spent more time in the pool (20 minutes) than I did in the water at any other point this year. Within seconds of exiting the pool, I was already dry. The sand was hot and obviously the asphalt was hotter. Two [View Full Entry]

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Hawaii... synonymous with fresh pineapple, meaty fish, and abundance of sun. Amazingly enough, during my brief, 10-day stay in Oahu and Maui, I did not go in the water. Heck, I spent a total of 40 minutes chilling at the beach, though I was fairly active with walking, jogging, and hiking. At the end of the trip, I was certain of a few things. Loved everything about Hawaii, except Waikiki. I arrived in Oahu on May 22 and rode the Airport Waikiki Shuttle to my hotel. If your hotel is on the east end of Waikiki, figure to be the last [View Full Entry]

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