Blog posts from USA Travel
Labor Day weekend in Oak Island, NC

Labor Day weekend in Oak Island, NC

Over Labor Day weekend we were invited to stay at a house two blocks from the beach in Oak Island, NC - how could we say no? Oak Island is less than a 3 hour drive from our place, but we still made...

Midwest 2023: three days in Wisconsin

Midwest 2023: three days in Wisconsin

In 2022 we had plans to visit our friend's house on Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin, but ended up cancelling. Determined to visit, we re-scheduled for August 2023, first flying into Chicago and renting a...

Summer 2023: overnight in Lancaster PA

Summer 2023: overnight in Lancaster PA

On our way back home from New York we stopped for a night with our friends in Lancaster, PA. After unpacking the car, they took us to Lititz to check out some breweries and local shops. Downtown was...

NY Summer 2023: food

NY Summer 2023: food

Over the weeks we were in NY we tried a lot of different food options, from restaurants with a view to farmstands and spots in between. Below are our notes: July 2 We arrived in time to spend the...

NY Summer 2023: wine and beer tasting

NY Summer 2023: wine and beer tasting

July 1: Long Island Farm Brewery We stopped here after a long day of driving to stretch our legs. Though this brewery is about 30 minutes from my parent's house we had never visited before. I...

NY Summer 2023: sights

NY Summer 2023: sights

We spent the majority of July away from NC, escaping some of the heat and humidity. Though we typically worked during the day, we had plenty of time in the evening and on weekends to check out the...

Summer 2023: weekend trip to Connecticut

Summer 2023: weekend trip to Connecticut

It has been several years since we had seen some of our family members in Connecticut, so the weekend after Independence Day we traveled up for a quick overnight visit. Our 9:30am ferry out of...

The mountain vacation that wasn’t

The mountain vacation that wasn’t

Instead of heading out-of-state for Memorial Day we planned a week-long return (2021, 2022) to the NC mountains. As the title of this post indicates, it simply wasn't meant to be... On 11am Friday...

Weekend trip to Richmond: Scott’s Addition

Weekend trip to Richmond: Scott’s Addition

We spent most of Saturday afternoon exploring the Scott's Addition neighborhood of Richmond, a trendy district known for its density of breweries and restaurants. We tried the following: Three...

Weekend trip to Richmond, VA

Weekend trip to Richmond, VA

Richmond is about a 2.5 hr drive for us, so it makes for an easy weekend getaway. We've long wanted to see the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, and April is a great time for gardens in the South, so...

Orlando 2023: EPCOT

Orlando 2023: EPCOT

Sunday was our day at EPCOT. I set an alarm for 6:55am to join the first virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy but didn't get in. We slept a bit longer and while enjoying my fancy cold brew, I...

Orlando 2023: Mills 50

Orlando 2023: Mills 50

On Saturday we didn't want to stay in the hotel room (or at Disney Springs) the entire day, so we took an Uber to the Mills 50 area to check out the street art. While we did find a few murals to...

Orlando 2023: Disney Springs

Orlando 2023: Disney Springs

Our hotel was an easy 8 minute walk to Disney Springs, so the first night we went exploring. The temps were on the chilly side but most places with outdoor seating had heaters set up.   After...

Orlando 2023: intro

Orlando 2023: intro

I had intended to visit Disneyworld with my sister's family in 2021 but that trip was unfortunately cancelled, leaving me with an unused 2-day ticket. After perusing forums and making several calls...

San Diego 2023: sights

San Diego 2023: sights

On Friday, we had some time between Eric's sessions, so we drove over to Ocean Beach for a cliff-side walk and visit to California Wile Ales. We got to see a ton of pelicans, people walking dogs,...

San Diego 2023: introduction

San Diego 2023: introduction

Most years pre-COVID, Eric would get work approval to attend the PAG conference in San Diego and I would tag along. I typically worked while Eric was spending the day in sessions and this time my...

Our Itinerary

2023 Trips

San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Bordeaux + Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castilla y León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)

2022 Trips

Florida (Feb)
NC Mountains (Apr)
Washington DC (Apr)
Valencia, Spain (May)
Hilton Head, SC (May)
Pacific NW (Jun)
Long Island (Jul)
Florida (Sept)
Chicago (Sept)
Poland (Sept)
NC Mountains (Nov)
Euro Xmas Markets (Dec)