Travel 2009: A Year for the Home Fires

Tonight, people will say goodbye to 2009. Don't let the door hit you in the ass.
A tough year in many respects, 2009 was a year to stay relatively close to home. Many of us, despite the wanderlust in our hearts, did just that.
The stay-cation became an accepted norm. In New York, the stay-cation is no raw deal. People pay good money to get here; we don't have to sink the airfare or hotel cost to see a Broadway show or visit the Met.
In more certain times, we take one big trip out of the country and several domestic trips every year. But we only left the borders of the city a couple of times, though we did reach the left coast once.
The moment my job was assured, we spent a week in California, driving down Highway 101 and spending some time in both endcaps, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In August, we went to Milwaukee for a week, since we skipped it in 2008 in favor of Austin. Milwaukee is my adopted hometown and 2009 was a year for going home.
Not everyone confined themselves to the continental US. Good friends went to Turkey and Greece, another just headed to India.
Where, if anywhere, did you go in 2009?

What Made Milwaukee Famous

Gene and I took another trip to Milwaukee this summer, visiting some of our favorite places and some new places as well.
I took Gene to Miss Katie's Diner for some wet Milwaukee barbecue ribs and buttery hash browns. We celebrated my birthday in typical Milwaukee style with a vast intake of calories. We noted changes since our last visit two summers ago; Elliot's Bistro is gone and Von Trier's is just a shadow of its former self.
We got a kick out of the rumors of The Pfister Hotel's haunting. Hey, if it brings the room rates down, I'm all for it.
Check out my photos and journal of the first half of the week in Milwaukee.

How Travel Unclutters the Mind and Enriches the Spirit

The rewards of travel are greater than simply seeing a new place.

For the duration of a vacation, your possessions are reduced to the contents of your suitcase.You don’t need all that crap in your basement, attic or storage space. You don't need shoes in every color and maybe, just maybe, you will feel the lightness that comes with owning less.

You may be carrying baggage in the physical sense on vacation, but your metaphysical baggage is lifted.

For the duration of a vacation, the nagging pressures of everyday life evaporate. You don't fret about house repairs, repainting, paying bills, or getting along with your boss. You don’t worry that you aren’t keeping up with life's demands and how the bathroom is never quite clean.

For the duration of a vacation, life is no longer about going to work, lunchtime errands, traffic jams, and second-shift chores once home.

When traveling, you fall into discovery mode. Your mind is free to focus on where you are. Live in real time where there is little stress. Soak in the joy of awe-inspiring scenery, the profundity of historical places, the flavors of new cuisines and okay, great new places to shop.
For the duration of a vacation, everything is here and now. You shift effortlessly into mindfulness.

My last vacation seems longer ago than it really was, and my next one seems far in the future. But I am planning . . . Italy? South Africa? London? Germany?

Go To Arizona for Top Hotel Spas

I found a list of Travel & Leisure's Top 25 Hotel Spas in the continental US and Canada, as I browsed their October issue--just noting what cool places I will not be going to in the foreseeable future. Why did they include Canada in the parameters when no Canadian hotel spa made the list? To rub it in? (a little spa joke)
Hard to miss that five of the 25 hotel spas are in Arizona--four in Scottsdale and one in Phoenix:

Fairmont Scottsdale
The Phoenician
Camelback Inn
Desert Ridge Resort & Spa
Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North

(Don't let the names fool you. the Phoenician is in Scottsdale and it's the Desert Ridge Resort that is in Phoenix.) Arizona has 20% of the best hotel spas on 3% of the United States land area. Why haven't I been there yet?!
The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin ranks #5. Wisconsin's pride and joy, you may only know the name Kohler because it is etched into your bathroom fixtures. I know Kohler because their Sunday brunch is etched in my brain.
Don't we all deserve a spa weekend?