2025, Can You Believe We're Still Alive? Travels Far & Wide From a Year That We Survived

Well, well, well; w-e-l-l. You know, that’s one of those phrases I picked up somewhere along the way that I return to again and again, but for which the source material is lost to the ages. Where the hell did I get it? Just like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know. But can you guess what the world is about to know? That’s right! The deepest, darkest, most intimate thoughts, recollections, and reminiscences on the year that was right here on All Things Wanderful.

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 6, 2026travel, travelogue, travel blogging, travel guide, travel recommendations, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel ideas, travel writing, travel reviews, travel tips, travel appreciation, travel diary, travel planning, year-in-review, Universal Studios, Universal Studios Hollywood, Jaws, Steven Spielberg, Kai Ryssdal, Marketplace, NPR, Las Vegas, Sin City, Luxor Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Cajun, Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis, Biloxi, To Kill a Mockingbird, Nelle Harper Lee, Harper Lee, Monroeville, Monroe County, Old Monroe County Courthouse, Gregory Peck, Mrs. Teresa' Homemade Treats, Los Angeles, City of Angels, Santa Monica, Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Dodger Stadium, Freehand Hotels, Freehand Chicago, Freehand Los Angeles, Freehand, hostel, hostel stays, Boston, Boston Calling, Harvard, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, All Time Low, The Maine, Cage the Elephant, Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy, all-nighter, Disney World, Orlando, Florida, Tron, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Tower of Terror, Guardians of the Galaxy, Expedition Everest, Alice in Wonderland, Euro trip, cheap airports, cheap travel, Canada, Minnesota, Northwest Angle, Alert, Canadian Forces Station Alert, All Things Wanderful, Chicago, Miami, New York, George Washington Hotel, Flatiron District, Bourbon Street, French Quarter, Ruby Slipper, The Natchez, Oklahoma City, Dorothy Gale, Beverly Shores, Michigan City, Gary, Indiana, Michiana, Chicagoland, West Michigan, Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, South Shore Line, Maycomb, Maycomb County, Truman Capote, Confederacy, 2026, 2025, ten-year anniversaryComment

2024, Won't See You No More: Closing the Door on a Year Loaded With Travel Galore

Stop me right now if you’ve heard this before, but, hand to god(s), we had another major, major year here on the blog, shattering records all over the place. I mean, are you ready for these percentages? I don’t know if you are. I think you’re gonna have to convince me. “Uhh, how the heck am I gonna do that?” you ask, staring blankly at your phone/tablet/laptop screen as you read these words. Well, it’s simple, Fred: …

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 8, 2025travel, travel guide, travel guidance, travel advice, travel blog, travel blogging, travelogue, travel diary, travel writing, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel tips, travel ideas, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel planning, travel photography, travel appreciation, travel junkie, travel logistics, travel bucket list, year in review, year-in-review, happy new year, All Things Wanderful, Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations, No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach, Travel Channel, Sally Field, northernmost point, Minnesota, Northwest Angle, Ireland, England, Cork, Galway, Dublin, London, Europe, European vacation, Eurotrip, Euro trip, United Kingdom, Africa, cheap flights, find cheap flights, airports, Arizona, Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Phoenix, Dodge Challenger, Sleepy Hollow, New York, Hudson Valley, Hudson River, Headless Horseman, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Mitten State, The Mitten State of Mind, Michigan, Michigan travel, Oklahoma, Flint Hills, Kansas, Route 66, Historic Route 66, U.S. Route 66, Hoover Dam, Clark Griswold, Wally World, South Rim, Grand Canyon South Rim, Google Maps, Google, Lake Mead, Mount Rainier, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, Washington State, Crystal Mountain, Crystal Mountain Resort, Mount Olympus, North America, gondola, gondola rides, Iceland, Israel, Jordan, Longmoore Street, Westminster, Airbnb, Blarney Stone, Blarney Castle, Blarney Castle & Gardens, Wicklow Mountains, RMS Titanic, Titanic, Ed Sheeran, Merlin Castle, Chicago Bulls, Limerick, sheela na gig, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Nancy Hands, Nancy Hands Bar & Restaurant, Guinness, Guinness beer, Guinness Storehouse, Hex Girls, Sphynx Tattoo, beach volleyball, volleyball, Chicago, North Avenue Beach, Windy City, Oak Street Beach, Oak Street, beach, beach life, beach day, beaches, Lake Michigan, Barcelona, Barcelona El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport, Dublin AirportComment

2023, Won't You Wander With Me? The Final Epistle From a Travel-Filled Missile

The year 2023, with all of its ups and downs, peaks and valleys, and trials and tribulations, has come and gone — as has another 365 days here on All Things Wanderful. So now it’s time to take stock. What caught people’s attention? What fell flat on its face? Were you, the loyal readers of this increasingly-sporadic travel blog, entertained, or at least mildly amused? Did you find the content contained within this digital rambling wreck informational? Enlightening? Perhaps even erudite?

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 7, 2024travel, travel advice, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel writing, travel blog, travel blogging, travel recommendations, travel reading, travel reviews, travel ideas, All Things Wanderful, travel diary, travel bucket list, northernmost point, Canada, Great Lakes, Cal-Neva, Cal-Neva Lodge, California, Nevada, Michigan, Little Manistee, Little Manistee River, kayaking, Maine, ghost trains, Key West, Florida, New York City, Big Apple, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Flint Hills, Route 66, Historic Route 66, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Alum Cave Trail, The Sinks, Old Smoky Distillery, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Minnesota, George Floyd, George Floyd Square, Kansas City, Missouri, Crystal Mountain, Crystal Mountain Resort, Seattle, Twin Peaks, Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, Kansas, Wichita, skiing, Mall of America, George Perry Floyd Square, Ground Zero, The Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn, Rockefeller Center, The Edge, The Edge NYC, NYC, New York, Hall des Lumières, Mediterranean food, Ernest Hemingway, Northern Michigan, Airbnb, Bering Strait, Diomedes, Diomede Islands, Little Diomede, Big Diomede, travelogueComment

Minneapolis' George Floyd Square is a Reminder of How Far We Still Have to Go

The events of May 25, 2020, when a former Minneapolis police officer put his knee on a man’s neck and kept it there until he could no longer breathe, and the summer that followed, when millions marched in the streets of cities not just across the United States but all around the globe — amid a worldwide pandemic the likes of which hadn’t been seen in a century, no less — created a chapter in our collective history that won’t soon be forgotten.

The Northernmost Point of the Contiguous U.S. ...Is Only Accessible Via Canada?

If you asked 100 random people on the street what the southernmost point of the continental U.S. is, perhaps 50 to 60 of them could correctly tell you that Key West, Florida, is the destination you’re after. What would happen, though, if you asked the same group to name the northernmost point? Would the number of correct responses be similar? Higher? Lower? If I were betting on it, I’d certainly take the under.

North AmericaLogan T. HansenAugust 31, 2021travel, travel guide, travel advice, travelspiration, travel recommendations, travel ideas, travel inspiration, travel planning, travel guidance, travel bucket list, Minnesota, Lake of the Woods, Lake of the Woods County, northernmost point, United States, Alaska, Utqiagvik, Barrow, Barrow Point, Angle Inlet, Northwest Angle, Canada, Manitoba, Arctic Circle, John Enger, MPR News, MinnPost, Key West, Florida, Lower 48, lower 48 states, Great Britain, Revolutionary War, Minnesota State University, Minnesota State University-Mankato, William E. Lass, history, history lesson, geography, Treaty of Paris, Mississippi River, The Angle, NW Angle, John Mitchell, Atlantic Ocean, Treaty of Paris (1783), U.S. independence, Lake Itasca, 49th parallel, Pacific Ocean, Jim's Corner, Young's Bay Resort, Carlson's Landing, Prothero's Post Resort, Angle Outpost Resort, Northwest Angle Country Club, fishing, hiking, outdoors, the great outdoors, Mother Nature, natural beauty, natural attraction, biking, angling, golf, snowmobiling, snowmobile, Provincial Road 525, Winter Road, US-Canadian border, U.S.-Canadian border, international travel, international border, adventure, adventure travel, adventure tourism, winter travel Comments

Moscow Madness: 23 U.S. Communities That Share Their Name with the Russian Capital

With thousands of cities and communities the world over, there's bound to be some places that bear the same name — people are only so original, after all. For example, in the United States alone, there are 31 cities named Franklin, 29 each named Clinton and Washington, and 28 named Arlington.

Here Are the Top 10 U.S. Cities for Drinking (Hard) Cider

Hard cider is quickly becoming the most popular drink in many cities across the U.S. – and it’s easy to see why. From smooth and sweet to tart and tangy, you’ll find your favorite brew in one of the U.S.’s top 10 cities for cider lovers.

North AmericaRedfin CorporationMay 26, 2018travel, travel guide, travel advice, cider, hard cider, Portland, Oregon, Portland Cider House, Bushwhacker Cider, Cider Bite, Reverend Nat's Hard Cider, Cider Riot!, Portland Cider Co., Schilling Cider House, The Civic Taproom, Seattle, Washington, Capitol Cider, Seattle Cider Company, Number 6 Cider, Locust Cider - Ballard Taproom, Cockrell Brewing, New York, New York City, Big Apple, Brooklyn Cider House, The Owl Farm, Eli's Night Shift, The Ginger Man, Craft Culture, Taproom No. 307, Fools' Gold, Valhalla NYC, Haymaker Bar and Kitchen, Denver, Colorado, C Squared Ciders, Hops & Pie, Colorado Cider Company, Stem Ciders, The Rackhouse, Falling Rock Tap House, San Francisco, California, Upcider, Fermentation Lab, Crooked City Cider, The Crafty Fox Alehouse, Showtell's, 21st Amendment Brewery and Restaurant, Elixir, Mikkeller Bar, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Arbor Brewing Company, Bill's Beer Garden, Beer Grotto, Grizzly Peak Brewing Company, Salt Springs Brewery, Chicago, Illinois, ERIS Brewery and Cider House, Right Bee Cider, The Northman, Fountainhead, Hopleaf Bar, The Long Room, Sleeping Village, Emporium Arcade Bar, Begyle Brewing Company, The Bad Apple, Bangers & Lace, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cinder, Hale & True Cider Co., Original 13 Ciderworks, City Tap House - Logan, Commonwealth Ciders, Stone & Key Cellars, Asheville, North Carolina, Urban Orchard Cider Company, Noble Cider, Daidala, TreeRock Social Cider House, Sovereign Remedies, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Urban Forage, Sociable Cider Werks, Town Hall Brewery, Elevated Beer + Wine + Spirits, Crooked Pint Ale House, Kieran's Irish Pub, Red Cow, United States, cider mill, RedfinComment

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