2008 Woodie Awards
On the road again
Michael Golden
Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: Opinion
I was blessed with parents who love to travel, so I'm fortunate enough to have now visited every single state, country and continent ever, even the old and sunken-into-the-ocean ones. Because spring break is just around the corner, I figured I'd share some of the things I have learned while traveling.
A road trip to the Grand Canyon was one of my favorite vacations ever. It's probably the prettiest place I've been to in the U.S., bar none (however, it does not top the Swiss Alps, sorry). The drive is rather long, but there are plenty of neat-o places to stop at along the way. Santa Fe, N.M., is a wonderful little city, as is Flagstaff, Ariz. And since you're more than halfway there, you could continue on to California. I never traveled to California myself, probably because my dad told me when I was young that it was the "land of fruits and nuts." Looking back, I assume he was kidding, but things like that can mess with a kid's head.
On the other side of the coast, the Outer Banks, or OBX as lazy people and bumper stickers like to call it, is always worth stopping by during the summer- nice beaches, nice waves. Further north, and a little east, lies New York City. Books could be written about this place. Someone should get on that. Here's a pro-tip, though: waiting in line to visit the Statue of Liberty is a colossal waste of time. If I wanted a crappy view from the inside of a giant woman, I could stay at home and watch ultrasound videos. One more warning about traveling north-there is a certain point where nine out of 10 Mexican restaurants will serve you food that is much worse than what you're used to. Beware.
There are two constants when visiting those big gas-and-convenience stores along highways. The first is a selection of terrible movies from the 1980s and 1990s with people you don't like or don't know-these are good for comedic value or alternatively, last-ditch weapons against zombies. The second is a glass case filled with glittery knives and swords, adorned with dragons. Naturally. Useful for opening letters and presumably better against zombies than DVDs.
A road trip to the Grand Canyon was one of my favorite vacations ever. It's probably the prettiest place I've been to in the U.S., bar none (however, it does not top the Swiss Alps, sorry). The drive is rather long, but there are plenty of neat-o places to stop at along the way. Santa Fe, N.M., is a wonderful little city, as is Flagstaff, Ariz. And since you're more than halfway there, you could continue on to California. I never traveled to California myself, probably because my dad told me when I was young that it was the "land of fruits and nuts." Looking back, I assume he was kidding, but things like that can mess with a kid's head.
On the other side of the coast, the Outer Banks, or OBX as lazy people and bumper stickers like to call it, is always worth stopping by during the summer- nice beaches, nice waves. Further north, and a little east, lies New York City. Books could be written about this place. Someone should get on that. Here's a pro-tip, though: waiting in line to visit the Statue of Liberty is a colossal waste of time. If I wanted a crappy view from the inside of a giant woman, I could stay at home and watch ultrasound videos. One more warning about traveling north-there is a certain point where nine out of 10 Mexican restaurants will serve you food that is much worse than what you're used to. Beware.
There are two constants when visiting those big gas-and-convenience stores along highways. The first is a selection of terrible movies from the 1980s and 1990s with people you don't like or don't know-these are good for comedic value or alternatively, last-ditch weapons against zombies. The second is a glass case filled with glittery knives and swords, adorned with dragons. Naturally. Useful for opening letters and presumably better against zombies than DVDs.