united states – ToewsTravels

coit tower and murals, san francisco

san francisco museum of modern art

in miami en route to guyana, something happened that i’ve been hoping would happen for a while. my flight got delayed overnight! the reason this excited me is that i have a credit card with trip delay insurance covering up to $500 in expenses in the case of such delays, and i’ve always wanted to use it! i’m glad it happened when i didn’t really have anywhere important to be.

to maximize the benefit, i booked a $400 room at the coral gables biltmore hotel! it was very nice, and has one of the largest swimming pools in north america. if only i had more like 24 hours to enjoy the amenities, rather than just 6, but there is always next time. for dinner i headed to ruth chris’s steakhouse in coral gables, where i ordered their $85 t-bone steak. as i was already pushing up against the $500 limit, i couldn’t afford any sides, lol.

a couple weeks later, i got a $500 check. here’s to the next trip delay!

fairbanks – land of the midnight sun!

i was able to fly from ohio to fairbanks for the extremely low cost of 10k delta points and $5. i stayed for just under 24 hours.

the museum of the north at university of alaska – fairbanks

the museum of the north at university of alaska – fairbanks – many interesting exhibits on alaska’s regions and people groups

the coolest cafeteria seats at the university of alaska – fairbanks

thai food in fairbanks – more thai restaurants per capita here than anywhere else in the united states

st. croix

ann and i were able to able to visit st. croix, the largest of the u.s. virgin islands, for a quick trip. we jumped on a mistake airfare; $72 each return from ohio! the island has a remarkable history, including belonging to seven distinct colonial overlords since the europeans arrived, and emancipation of slaves prior to the american civil war. these days it has a laid back, bucolic vibe, with plenty of abandoned buildings despite the high price tags.

a post-apocalyptic abandoned sugar mill in aguirre, puerto rico

abandoned aguirre sugar mill, puerto rico

the company town of aguirre in southern puerto rico is home to a massive sugar mill that was in use until the 1990s. the mill is now completely abandoned, and has the most post-apocalyptic vibe i’ve ever experienced, especially at dusk. it is fenced off, so we needed to climb through the window of an abandoned building to access it.