My summer has been filled with many weekend trips. I have traveled from my old college town, Burlington, VT, to my home at the beach in Mystic, CT. I have put almost 8,000 miles on my car this summer from my many trips, but, I must say, it has been worth it.

While I love traveling by plane since it is usually very quick and easy, there is something I love about road trips. Since driving takes much longer, it gives me time to get caught up in the anticipation of getting to my destination. I could do without the miles of traffic I usually hit, but once I get to where I am going, I quickly forget about the frustrations of the traffic.

My hometown of Mystic is a beautiful seaside town where tourists flock for summer weekends. Typically people visit for Mystic Seaport, Mystic Aquarium and, of course, the beach. I try to spend every other weekend during the summer at the beach, soaking up the sun before it goes into hiding for months.

Now that summer is coming to an end (I woke up this morning and it was in the 50s), my weekend trips will not be as frequent. While I will miss the summer heat, I am looking forward to watching the trees change color, to apple picking in Vermont and, hopefully, to a few weekend trips to Miami to help heat up the cold months to come.

–Jackie Adam, advertising and editorial coordinator

You know how it is when you move to a new place, and you tell yourself that you’re going to get out and explore all the sights and attractions the area has to offer . . . and then life takes over and you just don’t get around to it? Well, I’ve been here in Southern Oregon for nearly a year now, and have found (or made) little time for checking out all the natural and cultural wonders within a two-hour drive of my new home. It took a short visit from our daughter, Jenny, who lives in and attends school in Chicago, to get us beyond the Rogue Valley this past week.

Like me, Jenny loves the ocean and visiting the coast (Lake Michigan just doesn’t cut it for her, fine as it is). It had been well over a year since her last trip to the Pacific Ocean, so she asked that we take a day trip to the closest beach towns to us, Crescent City, Calif., and Brookings, Ore. Since we were in the midst of a heat wave (we escaped on a day that reached a record-high 109 in the valley here), we readily agreed, as the weather on the coast was cloudy and a refreshing 65 degrees.

The hot weather and relentlessly sunny skies stayed with us well after we crossed the Oregon-California border and dropped over the Coast Range crest. Our route, along US Highway 199, was primarily a two-lane highway which in California takes a rather twisty route following the Smith River. At some point the mostly pine forest gave way to a mix of conifers and deciduous trees. When we stopped for a flagger at a construction site in a rocky gorge next to the river, we finally rolled down the windows and realized that the air was delightfully cool and fresh—AHHHH! Not much further on, the road leveled out as we neared the coast, but it continued to twist and turn, this time amongst the trunks of increasingly large coast redwoods.

Jenny was eager to get some photos of the trees to show her Midwestern friends back at school, so we pulled over at a turnout which provided access to the Reed-Simpson Grove. A one-mile loop trail here, in the midst of the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, allows one to quickly leave traffic noise behind and become enveloped by the awe-inspiring wonder of these giants. Although we had intended to venture only a short way down the path, the sight of the next enormous or multi-trunked specimen enticed us on. Words and pictures don’t do justice; I believe, like most such places, one must actually stand in its presence and absorb it through every sense to get the full impact of this timeless place.

I can tell you that the trunks of some of these behemoths would require half-a-dozen people or more, hands linked, to encircle their bases, and that one grows dizzy following the spiraling furrows of bark as they twist upwards to the sun-filtering canopy far above. The forest floor is quiet, our footsteps muffled by a deep, spongy layer of decaying bark and needles. The soothing sough of a slight breeze, moving through the branches above, surrounds us like a benediction, and I find myself breathing deeply and every muscle relaxing into the peacefulness of this natural cathedral.

After some unmarked span of time, we slowly made our way back to the car and continued on our way. Although our goal that day was the coast, the highlight of the trip was that unplanned and unexpected respite among the redwoods.

–Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

In the early ’90s, when Michael Jordan was leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in eight years, tickets to Bulls home games became impossible to get. If you could get one, you paid a heavy price and also endured the usual Chicago traffic snarl to get to the game. Looking for alternatives, my friends and I decided to see the Bulls in Milwaukee when they went there to play the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite the 75-mile drive, it really didn’t take much longer than going to a Bulls home game.

In 2001, Miller Park opened as the new home of the Milwaukee Brewers. Sports Illustrated rated it the best ballpark for value per dollar spent. It really is a beautiful place to watch a baseball game. Miller Park also has hosted many concerts and other events.

Milwaukee has more to offer than just sports, though. The Milwaukee County Zoo opened in 1892 and has grown ever since. It is one of the biggest and best zoos in the country. The Milwaukee Art Museum, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, houses over 25,000 works of art and offers a visual delight in itself as well.

There are plenty of great restaurants in Milwaukee, too. From fine French dining at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro to a lively, fantastic sports bar called Major Goolsby’s and everything in between, Milwaukee has great food options.

The Wisconsin State Fair is held annually in West Allis (basically just west of Milwaukee). Milwaukee also hosts Summerfest, the world’s largest music festival, as well as many other ethnic-themed fests.

I know, as a lifelong Chicagoan, I am supposed to have ill will towards Milwaukee. I should be armed with many cheesehead jokes. I should eschew it because of the many ways it is not like Chicago. However, I actually like Milwaukee because of the many ways it is not like Chicago. I love Chicago, but I kind of view Milwaukee as a long-distance suburb. It’s a great place to visit and spend a day or two.

–John Wroblewski, distribution specialist

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Today I find myself in Boston. As a New Yorker, I naturally cringe when I think about entering the hometown of the Boston Red Sox and infamous Fenway Park. But I will let you all in on a secret — I actually enjoy spending time in Boston!

I arrived last night, driving up from New York. I made great time and arrived at the Lenox Hotel in time for a late dinner.  The city has charm, and it is beautiful to stroll around on warm summer evenings.  Last night was more exceptional, thanks to the fact that many of my friends from my days at the University of Vermont migrated to Boston after graduation.

I was able to meet one of my college roommates for dinner.  We laughed the entire time, recalling stories from our college days. There were more pranks than I remembered, and even the waitress couldn’t help but laugh when she heard our stories.

I still enjoy hearing my parents recount their college stories during get-togethers with their college roommates. The times between visits may be large, sometimes spanning years, but the smiles on their faces as they remember the past truly light up a room. I find it hard to believe how far away my college days are from me, but I will always look forward to reliving those great days with my college friends for years to come.

-Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher

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I can’t believe it’s almost August and I have not been to the Jersey shore yet! And, worse, I have no plans to make it to the beach at all this summer — well, at least not Ocean City, Wildwood or Sea Isle City, the beaches I grew up visiting each summer.

The Jersey shore is far from luxurious, but a trip to New Jersey’s southern coast was a staple of my childhood — and many of my peers’ childhoods — each and every summer. Most people would probably visit the beaches of Jersey and wonder why they are so meaningful. There are plenty of nicer beaches around, but the Jersey shore is loaded with memories for me, and it reminds me of being a kid. My family would rent a house for a week and I’d bring a friend, or vice versa. As we grew up, the weeks became long weekends, and some of my friends’ families began purchasing shore houses of their own. There were days spent on the beach, nights spent on the boardwalk. No trip was ever complete without pizza from Mack & Manco, breakfast at Uncle Bill’s or yummy desserts from Kohr Brothers or Laura’s Fudge.

After senior year in high school, most of the area graduates head to the shore for Senior Week. That was one of the best summers of my life, as my friends and I rented a house for the entire summer, got part-time jobs and spent our last summer together being beach bums. My early mornings at Ward’s Pastry did not dampen my spirit. We had a blast, and I still think of all my fond memories from that summer often.

Even though it is only about two hours away from home, it was always a favorite summer vacation. After college, my trips to the beach became more infrequent as work obligations and other more exotic destinations called, but last summer I spent the July 4 weekend at the beach with a large group of friends. It was the last time many of us had with our friend Justin before his untimely passing last September. So, now the Jersey shore holds an even more special place in my heart.

–Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive

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