What I did: The Big House- Michigan Stadium, more commonly referred to as "The Big House" is the largest stadium in the United States. It holds over one hundred thousand people for Michigan Wolverine football games on Saturdays in the fall. I haven't had a chance to attend a game there yet, but I was able to see the impressive stadium. Livonia Family YMCA- While not spectacular, the Livonia Family YMCA had everything I needed to get a quality workout in. Visited Family in nearby Livonia- I have a cousin that lives in nearby Livonia, so I was able to spend time with him and his family. Explored Ann Arbor- Ann Arbor is a cool little university town. Michigan University calls Ann Arbor home, and much of the people in the town seemed to be college-aged. Where I ate: Zingerman's Deli- Zingerman's Deli is a high quality deli in Ann Arbor. They also have a few other sister restaurants in the area. It is definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. Sheesh (Livonia)- Sheesh is a good Mediterraanean restaurant in Livonia. There are many healthy options, and the prices are pretty good as well. Browndog Creamery (Northville)- Browndog Creamery is an excellent ice cream place and restaurant. The serve a variety of tasty flavors, and even sell beer floats. The Ravens Club- The Ravens Club is a nice lounge in downtown Ann Arbor. The serve high quality drinks and have a nice looking food menu as well. While I was there they also had some nice live jazz music playing. Dave and Buster's (Livonia)- Dave and Buster's is an American restaurant chain headquartered in Dallas but with locations throughout the continent. They show a massive amount of sports on their many televisions, and they have a wide variety of video and arcade games to play. The food and drink is nothing special, but it isn't horrible either. The Red Hook (Ferndale)- The Red Hook is a nice coffee place in Ferndale. The nitro cold brew they serve was very good. Bates Hamburgers (Livonia)- Bates Hamburgers offered tasty food at a cheap price, but there wasn’t much in the way of healthy items on the menu. Where I stayed and how I got around:
I stayed with family in nearby Livonia while I visited Ann Arbor. I was able to ride with them while I was in the area as well. My favorite thing: Zingerman's was a very good place to eat, but my favorite place I ate at in the area was Browndog Creamery. It was excellent. My least favorite thing: The Ann Arbor area has many good things, but not many that stand out significantly from other cities. Also, while the weather was excellent during my time there, it can be brutal for much of the year.
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What I did: Herodium- Herodium is located about one hour and 45 minutes outside of Tel Aviv. Herod the Great, the king who murdered a large number of children in an attempt to kill Jesus, and killed a large number of his own family members to preserve his reign. He named the site Herodium after himself, and his tomb was discovered on the site. It provides nice views of the surrounding areas, including the Dead Sea. It is an interesting glimpse back into history. Dead Sea- Located about another 45 minutes past Herodium is the famous Dead Sea. The shores of the Dead Sea are home to the lowest land elevation point in the world. Due to the high level of salinity in the Dead Sea, it is incredibly easy to float (it is virtually impossible not to). On my last trip I had a fresh tattoo, so I was unable to do more than stick my feet in the water, but I would like to go for a swim on my next trip. Beach and Promenade- There is a nice promenade that runs along the beach in Tel Aviv. It is a great place to walk along or stop for a picnic. Also, although I did not have time to surf on my most recent trip to Tel Aviv, there were many surfers out on the water. Sandemans- As mentioned in a previous post, free walking tours can be a great way to see a city. The Sandemans free walking tour in Tel Aviv started at the famous clock tower in Old Jaffa and gave some nice context and history about the area. Caesarea Philippi- Caesarea Philippi is a historic place with a great amount of history. It is a long ride fun Tel Aviv, but it is an interesting place to sit, walk around, and ponder about the things that happened there. Where I ate and drank: Sarona Market- The Sarona Market has a variety of places to eat and drink. It is mostly indoors, and while there is some food to buy for later, most of the food and drink there is intended to be eaten on site. There are lots of good options to choose from. Dr. Shakshuka- Dr. Shakshuka is a nice place to get the traditional middle eastern dish shakshuka. It is made by crushing tomatoes, adding spices, and poaching eggs inside the tomato mixture. It is usually served in the pan it is cooked in. Benedict- Benedict is a high quality all-day breakfast place. The food I had there was excellent. There are healthy options on the menu as well as "cheat meal" options. Where I stayed: Abraham Hostel Tel Aviv- I stayed at the Abraham Hostel in Tel Aviv. It was a very nice place to stay. Everything was clean, it was well located, and it was a nice place to meet fellow travelers. How I got around:
When traveling inside Tel Aviv I walked everywhere I went. When I traveled to Herodium and the Dead Sea I traveled with friends and we went on a bus with an organized tour. My favorite thing: There are many things to like about Tel Aviv. Like other cities in the area there is an immense amount of history to be found in Tel Aviv. However, unlike many of those areas, Tel Aviv also has things like a beach and a promenade. My least favorite thing: There isn't much to dislike about Tel Aviv. I unfortunately didn't have as much time to spend there as I would have liked, so I would like to return to see more of it. For next time: As mentioned previous, I would like to swim in the Dead Sea next time I am in the area. I would also like to spend more time at the beach in Tel Aviv and try surfing there. What I did: Central Ave- Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg has a variety of shops and restuarants. While the restaurants along picturesque Bayshore Drive can get fairly expensive, the restuarants and shops along Central Avenue tend to be well priced. Dalí Museum- The Dalí Musuem in St. Pete has the largest collection of works by Salvador Dalí outside of Europe. In addition to the famous Catalonian's work, there arealso a seasonal displays from other rotating artists. Rays Game- The Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team play at Tropicana Field in St. Pete. The stadium itself is not in great shape, but tickets can be purchased relatively cheaply. "The Trop" also hosts other events such as concerts and football games. Beach Volleyball- Just east of downtown St. Pete are some nice parks along the water. North Shore Park is a nice place to play beach volleyball, and Vinoy Park hosts a variety of events including 5K races and professional beach volleyball tournaments. Chihuly Collection- The Chihuly Collection is a variety of glass artwork by artist Dale Chihuly. The works are impressive and worth a look. Graffiti- Downtown St. Pete has a variety of excellent works of graffiti. Many of them are along or just off of Central Avenue. Where I ate and drank: Bandit Coffee- Bandit Coffee Company is an excellent coffee shop on Central Avenue in St. Pete. The nitro cold brew they serve (sourced from Tampa company Commune & Co.) is the best cup of coffee I have had in St. Pete. It is especially good on a warm Florida day. They also serve a variety of other high quality drinks. 3 Daughters Brewing Company- 3 Daughters Brewing Company is not only my favorite brewing company in St. Pete, it is one of my favorite brewing companies in the world. Their nitro stouts and their belgian quadruples are excellent. They also have a cool environment and a variety of games to play on site. Bodega Comida Cantina Cafe- Bodega is an excellent, well priced Cuban restaurant. They also serve a variety of juices next door to their cantina. Casita Taqueria- Casita Taqueria is a great place to get high quality, low priced food. They have a variety of excellent tacos. Urban Brew and BBQ- The Urban Restaurant group runs four restuarants in the St. Pete area. They make their food from scratch at each of the four restaurants. Urban Brew and BBQ is my favorite of the four. The brews and the barbecue they serve are both very good. The Cider Press Cafe- The Cider Press Cafe serves a menu full of raw, vegan, plant-based food. It is tasty and healthy. Pipo's Cuban Cafe- Pipo's Cuban Cafe serves authentic, tasty Cuban food. It is also very well priced. Mazzaro's Italian Market- Mazzaro's Italian Market sells a variety of specialty, hard to find goods to cook at home. They also sell coffee, sandwiches, and gelato to eat on site. Intermezzo- Intermezzo is a great place on Central Avenue in St. Pete. By day they are an excellent craft coffee shop, and by night they are an excellent craft cocktail bar. They also serve amazingly delicious oysters on select nights. Where I stayed and how I got around:
I lived about 30 minutes by car from St. Petersburg for a large chunk of my life, so I was able to visit this wonderful city while staying at home. The public transportation in the entire Tampa Bay area is some of the worst for a major metro area, so you need to use a car to reach most places. They have instituted a downtown bike share program and a water taxi that connects Tampa to St. Petersburg, hopefully signally a positive change in the public transportation in the area. My favorite thing: The weather in St. Petersburg is amazing and sunny, and the town has a nice, laid back vibe. The food is also fairly well priced and offers a variety of options. My least favorite thing: As mentioned above, the public transportation in St. Petersburg and in the surrounding area is horrendous. For next time: Next time I visit St. Pete I would like to check out their Saturday morning market. After originally using it as a workout/jiu jitsu bag, the Datsusara Battlepack Core Backpack has been a very good, although not perfect, backpack for me. Here are the advantages and disadvantages I have noticed:
Advantages
Overall I would recommend the Datsusara Battlepack Core Backpack as either a gym bag or a travel bag. |
About MeWelcome to the Healthy Explorer Blog. If you like travel stories have a look around my blog and check out my podcast— maybe you'll find an extra spark for your own adventures.
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