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

Route 66 Still Kicks: 3 Sights Worth Seeing Along One of America's Original Highways

Immortalized by John Steinbeck’s 1939 book “The Grapes of Wrath”, as well as the 1946 song “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66”, the highway became one of the most recognized thoroughfares in North America, crisscrossing not just from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, and back again, but also across our hearts (*cue studio audience: “aww!”). And though the highway no longer exists in a technical sense — it was officially removed from the U.S. Highway System in 1985 — stretches of what has become known as “Historic Route 66” in some states are still out there waiting for you.

North AmericaLogan T. HansenJuly 24, 2023travel, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel ideas, travel advice, travel recommendations, travel planning, travel bucket list, Route 66, Uranus, Catoosa, Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken, Historic Route 66, Mother Road, U.S. Highway System, John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, Get Your Kicks on Route 66, Chicago, Santa Monica, Santa Monica Pier, California, Wigwam Motel, Magnolia Gas Station, Blue Whale, Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma, Missouri, Hugh Davis, Tulsa, Pinocchio, Animal Reptile Kingdom, World's Largest Gift Store, Redmon's Candy Factory, Redmon's, Phillipsburg, Lucille Ball, Toxic Waste, Uranus Missouri, Louie Keen, Mayor of Uranus, Roadside America, Uranus Fudge Factory and General Store, Moonicorn Creamery and Funnel Cakery, Escape Uranus, Uranus Axehole, Chicken Bones Party Bar & Grill, Uranus Sideshow Museum, World's Largest Belt Buckle, road trip, road tripping, road trips, cross-country road tripComment

2021 Wasn't Exactly Wonderful, But At Least Some of the Wander Returned

Starting is always the hardest part, isn’t it? Taking that leap, acting on that big idea, staring at the blank page. But after you finally get the ball rolling, a new challenge materializes: keeping it rolling. It’s not enough to simply plant the seed; you’ve got to water it, make sure it has fertile soil to work with, give it a proper amount of sunlight. It can be a lot of work, but then again, nothing worth having comes easy, does it?

General TravelLogan T. HansenJanuary 6, 2022travel, travel inspiration, travelspiration, year in review, happy new year, All Things Wanderful, travel guide, travel advice, travel ideas, travel planning, travel writing, travel recommendations, travel appreciation, travel junkie, travel blog, travel blogging, Denver, Colorado, year-in-review, Cheesman Park, Logan's Run, 2020, 2021, Las Vegas, Detroit, Detroit Tigers, Six Flags, Six Flags Great America, Gurney, Illinois, Michigan, football, football season, College Park, Maryland, Ann Arbor, St. Louis, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Missouri, Northern Illinois, Maryland Terrapins, University of Michigan, Michigan Wolverines, Sooner State, Cessna, Cessna 402C, Chicago, Manistee, Windy City, Cape Air, Manistee County Blacker Airport, Airbnb, vacation rentals, Sin City, New Mexico, Old West, Old American West, Keystone, Keystone Resort, skiing, snowboarding, Centennial State, travel injuriesComment

7 Reasons You'll Want to Visit St. Louis' Delmar Loop

Oftentimes, cities have one or two or a handful of places that deserve your attention more than others. In the city of St. Louis, Missouri’s second-largest urban hub, one of those places happens to be the Delmar Loop, a vibrant entertainment, dining, and music destination that’s home to more than its fair share of local landmarks.

North AmericaLogan T. HansenJanuary 8, 2019travel, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel advice, travel guide, Missouri, St. Louis, USA, The Loop, Delmar Loop, University City, The Show Me State, Joe Edwards, TripAdvisor, USA Today, The Pageant, Delmar Boulevard, movie theater, movie theatre, Halo Bar, Joan Baez, Jesse McCartney, Gin Blossoms, concert, concerts, music, live music, Fitz's, Fitz's Bottling Company, microbrewery, restaurant, food, Art Deco, art-deco, root beer, soda, soda pop, Mission Taco, Mission Taco Joint, BBQ Duck, Mango-Hop-Anero, Jason Tilford, Adam Tilford, California, St. Charles, Kansas City, Pin-Up Bowl, bowling, nightlife, city life, Blueberry Hill, diner, Chuck Berry, Ed Sheeran, The Lumineers, darts, Ranoush, Middle Eastern food, Aboud Alhamid, Syria, Vintage Vinyl, record store, vinyl record, CDs, DVDsComment

Logan's Run Transformed in 2018, & These Were the 5 Most Popular Posts

I could not have imagined, even a week ago, that I would be sitting here, in a Starbucks across the street from Chicago Union Station, finishing up the final post of the year as I wait to board a train headed for St. Louis this evening. But that’s how life goes, things can change in an instant.

5 of the Coolest Things to Do in St. Louis, According to a Local

St. Louis probably isn't one of the first cities you think of when deciding where you might go on vacation in the U.S. It's close enough to Chicago and Nashville that you might just head to one of those places instead and think nothing of it. That would be fine, of course — those are great places to visit, too — but St. Louis can hold its own just as well.

North AmericaLogan T. HansenJuly 11, 2018travel, travel guide, travel advice, St. Louis, Missouri, Gateway Arch, The Arch, Gateway City, Kiener Plaza, Chicago, Nashville, Forest park, Missouri History Museum, Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Zoo, Forest Park Golf Course, The Muny, St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre, Annie, Beauty and the Beast, Ted Drewe's Frozen Custard, Ted Drewe's, frozen custard, Best Ice Cream Shop in the World, Dutchtown, Nova Scotia, City Museum, Washington Avenue Historic District, Shoelace Factory, Missouri Botanical Garden, Tower Grove Park, Henry Shaw, Tower Grove House, Butterfly House, Doris I. Schnuck Children's Garden, Doris Waters Harris Lichtenstein Victorian District, Ballpark Village, Busch Stadium, St. Louis Cardinals, baseball, MLB, Major League Baseball, Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, Budweiser Brew House, FOX Sports Midwest Live!, PBR St. Louis, Howl at the Moon Dueling Piano Bar, Midwest, North AmericaComment

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.

The NY Times' 52 Places to Go in 2018: Reaction, Highlights & Other Tidbits

Christmas and New Year's Eve and Day have come and gone, and I bet you thought the holidays were over, didn't you? Well, guess again, because The New York Times just released its list of "52 Places to Go in 2018" and I'm partying like it's 1999 all over again.

5 Epic Road Trips to Take While You're Still Young

Ahh, the open road. You make up a special playlist, cram every last thing you might possibly need into the car, and set off for parts unknown, ready for adventure around every turn.

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