Pickle Deli Square

Mar 1

Mar 1 My favorite foods in San Diego

A lot of people think that because I love eating so much, and I love travel, my favorite dish must be from a hole-in-the-wall somewhere in the world that's inaccessible, or that my favorite restaurant is a place where some hotshot chef practices...

Mar 1

Mar 1 Roadtrip Roundup: Favorite hotel overall

K

Travel

My favorite overall was not the most expensive, nor the cheapest, nor particularly remarkable in its design, inside or out. It was just the most comfortable, with the best value overall...

Feb 27

Feb 27 Roadtrip Roundup: Favorite day overall

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Travel

Definitely the single day I look back at most fondly is the day we spent in Marfa, TX...

Feb 26

Feb 26 Hotel Design Notes: a place for every soap

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Vernacular Design

Feb 26

Feb 26 Roadtrip Roundup: Favorite hotel amenities

K

Travel

We got to try a lot of different hotel amenities on this trip. There was a mix of branded products, house brands (like private label), or co-branding exclusive lines with national brands...

Feb 25

Feb 25 Roadtrip Roundup: Best and worst desserts across America!

K

Food

Everyone knows that when one goes on vacation, you stop eating "normally" and indulge...

Feb 24

Feb 24 Roadtrip Roundup: Best and worst drives

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Travel

My favorite drives by far were the open US or State roads in the west (not so much the Interstates). Oftentimes we were the only ones on the road, but even if there were other cars, we all just went at our own pace...

Feb 24

Feb 24 Back in San Diego! Roadtrip Roundup: by the numbers

K

Travel

Total roadtrip miles, overall MPG, best MPG, fastest speed and slowest speed...

Feb 21

Feb 21 Why driving Westbound makes more sense

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Travel

I just get happier and happier the further west I get in this road trip...

Feb 21

Feb 21 Hotel Breakfast Roundup: the rest

K

Food

Rating the other free breakfasts...

Feb 21

Feb 21 Hotel Breakfast Roundup: free hot breakfast wars!

K

Food

Ranking the free hot breakfasts at "Mid Scale Limited Service" hotels: Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and Fairfield Inn...

Feb 21

Feb 21 McDecor: the red rocks of Sedona

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Vernacular Design

I saw my first ever McDonald's that changed the color of the Golden Arches!

Feb 20

Feb 20 Tour Guide Honor Roll!

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Travel

In the last 3 weeks I've taken a bunch of tours, and not surprisingly there are hits and there are misses. Here's a selection of the tour guide hits...

Feb 20

Feb 20 Hotel Design Notes: Wigwam Motel

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Vernacular Design

I had been anticipating this hotel the whole trip: Wigwam Motel on Route 66 in Holbrook AZ! The basis of the "Cozy Cone Motel" in the Pixar film "Cars," the Wigwam Motel represents to me a bygone time when caricatures of "Other" cultures was exotic yet innocent...

Feb 20

Feb 20 McDecor: Navajo Culture and Burger King

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Vernacular Design

The McDonald's and Burger King in Kayenta, AZ make efforts to pay respects to local culture and history...

Feb 20

Feb 20 Iconic Monument Valley

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Travel

What is it about Monument Valley that is so iconic?

Feb 20

Feb 20 Traveling in the Off-Season: Monument Valley

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Travel

Taking this road trip in January/February has a lot of benefits, namely lower prices and few crowds. Monument Valley was no exception...

Feb 18

Feb 18 Animals in the Wild!

K

Travel

They say there are a couple things in advertising that always raise favorability: babies and cute animals...

Feb 18

Feb 18 Future Cities: Mesa Verde

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Travel

Mesa Verde boggled my mind. Here was a culture from AD 700-1300, such a long time ago, that created these villages inside of cliffs...

Feb 15

Feb 15 How To: have a free art weekend in Santa Fe

K

Art

The art scene is pretty thriving in Santa Fe, and it ranges from the crafty to the conceptual. Here's how you can get the most out of the town on zero dollars...