August – September 2007
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Intro
This was my first major U.S. road trip, and little did I know it would be my first of many to come. Given my obsession to travel out of the country as much as I could, I realized I haven’t actually seen much of my own. So, using Chicago as my ‘base’, I did a big loop taking in 6 mid-western states in 5 days, including the great American cities of Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Louisville, Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland.
Each of those cities had plenty of life, character, and stand-out sights like the modern architectural marvel of Milwaukee’s Art Museum,
Indianapolis’ delightfully redeveloped Canal Walk, Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, or Louisville’s duo of museums honoring Mohammed Ali and the Louisville Slugger – but all this ‘stuff’ is not at all what the classic American road trip is really about.
I’m not gonna lie, it’s a little hard for me to get seriously excited writing about the U.S. — I’d rather be telling you about my trek up to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery in Bhutan, or how I thought I was going to die in the mountains of Tajikistan, or how I was propositioned by a taxi driver in Oman… BUT road-tripping in the U.S. is still definitely a unique experience to be had, and it’s not for major city sights like I mentioned above — but rather for the charming little main-street towns, genuinely friendly and helpful people, and beautiful open-road vistas you encounter along the way.
Less than two weeks later, I headed to Seattle for a conference, and spent some time exploring its newer sights like the amazing Seattle Library, the Seattle Art Museum’s Sculpture Garden, and the really crazy Experience Music Project. Side trips to Bainbridge Island and Tacoma’s cool Museum of Glass rounded out my weekend trip to the Pacific Northwest.
If anything, this trip reminded me not to take for granted all the incredible things there are to see and do in my own country – but, still… let’s be honest, I’m going crazy with anticipation for the next real trip in just a couple months, my first trans-continental journey through Africa! 🙂
Journey Map
Featured Image
Canal Walk, Indianapolis, USA
