Tag - bill wiatrak

Finding your Travel Soundtrack

I was taking a selfie outside Jon Bon Jovi’s childhood home in New Jersey. The place looked like all the other houses nearby, except Jon had grown up there, learned to play the guitar and had later given the house away in a rock and roll contest.  I felt a little like George Carlin’s character in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure when he pops in to check...

Going Back to the Future

Back to the Future is considered by many to be one of the best movies ever made. Besides a great story-line, the film is full of endearing characters, great comedic moments, adventure and it’s a movie that never fails to entertain me. I love visiting filming locations and I was in the perfect place to visit the best BTTF spots, Los Angeles. DeLorean from BTTF –...

A Taste of Kauai

The water was a little rough as we rounded Kamala Point on the south coast of Kauai. I knew there was a reason the place looked familiar. After all, it WAS the same spot where Harrison Ford’s character got marooned with Anne Heche in the film 6 days 7 nights. Our boat crew grabbed two 5-gallon buckets from the hold and I assumed one of the girls in the back had...

Bargain Traveling the British Isles

I’d been contemplating a trip to the UK. Not just a stopover in London (which can be awesome) but a visit to some places off the beaten track, particularly the crown dependencies. If you have no idea what they are, you’re not alone. Three islands, Jersey, Guernsey and Man have this rare title. They aren’t part of Europe and they’re not technically the UK. They are...

Penny Lane to Abbey Road

“I found her” my travel partner exclaimed. We were wandering through a Liverpool cemetery looking for one of the most recognized names in music; a person whom Paul McCartney had claimed he’d made up, but happened to share the same name as the woman on a gravestone at the very church where John and Paul had met: Eleanor Rigby.  Eleanor Rigby’s Name Can be...

Chasing Whistler’s Mother

I had been scouring the museum for Arrangement in grey and black no. 1, and wanted to ask someone where it was, but wasn’t really sure how to say it in French. It was 9 am in Paris and I was still exhausted from my red-eye flight from Ethiopia. My brain wasn’t working. You’ve seen photos of this painting. It’s been called the Victorian Mona Lisa and is one of the...

Six Great Travel Lessons

Most experienced travelers have made mistakes that have taught them valuable lessons of what to never do again. Traveling in an unfamiliar place and having your guard down can always be a little risky. A seasoned traveler knows that “when life throws you lemons, make margaritas”. Drawing from past experiences can teach us how to travel better in the...

Awesome Things to do in Japan

Japan. It’s a mystical country unlike any other destination in Asia. With a sense of style that far surpasses its neighbors, exotic foods, and an island chain that extends almost 2,000 miles, Japan is full of surprises. It could take a lifetime to discover all this wondrous country has to offer, so where do you go on your first visit? Here’s my list of awesome things...

Where’s Rudy?

THE SHOCKING TRUE STORY When I first met Rudy I thought he might be missing an eye. I was at a pirate party for a mutual friend and as we were talking I noticed his pirate eye patch didn’t really look like a costume eye patch at all. Rather, the leather looked like it might be grafted into his skin. The more I looked at it, the more I wondered whether he was wearing...

Comoros – The Forgotten Islands

I love visiting countries off the tourist grid and I’m sitting in one now. Chances are you’ve never heard of Comoros islands unless you’re a marine biologist or a fan of random islands that start with the letter “C”.  The Comoros islands’ biggest claim to fame is that the country is situated in the last remaining part of the globe that has coelacanths deep...