Where the Roads Led: Cities to Stadiums and Everything in Between

Theri Gaynor
Aug 7
6 min read

It’s TherisTravelTales one year anniversary!

Having spent a year writing and sharing stories about some of the U.S. cities and baseball stadiums I’ve visited, I felt this was a good point to look back and share some of the highlights and trends I noticed.

An easy reading list of the places I’ve written about this past year:

Plus: My Dream to Drive Route 66 and Chasing the Spirit of Route 66 Part 1 and Part 2

When I started planning trips for myself, the only plan I had in mind was to get there. Then I’d let the cards land how they land. I was led by the eagerness of driving on the open road and the spark of adventure to take in as many new places as I could. But once I added seeing a baseball game in every MLB stadium, my scheduling and strategizing skills became a necessity. My map reading skills improved too!

As of now, I use the following as a jumping off point to make the most out of a destination:

Something historic. A hotel, a restaurant, a place or thing to see. It could be architectural or cultural, but I want to learn about the area or the person from the area.

Something kitschy. Was there a television show based on the area? Is the area known for something specific?
Something else. Are there other things of interest to see or do nearby? For instance, if I go to the area for a baseball game, what can I see or do to make my visit even more enriching?
Food! This sort of ties in with “something kitschy” Is the area known for a certain food or is there a specific restaurant or dish to try?
Public Transportation. I love to drive, but driving in cities or congested traffic areas isn't something I want to do on vacation. You miss out on things as the driver! Plus, some hotels have fees for taking your car in and out of the lot and that’s a drain on the pocketbook. So, if there is public transportation around, trains, trolleys, boats, segways, (although I have yet to use a segway) all the better. Knowing the Uber/Lyft rules of the area are things I try to learn too. If I can avoid a rental car at all, I'd consider that too because I could apply that money to something else to see or just to spend less.

Photo 1: Entrance to the Tudor Arms Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio

Photo 2: The Bronze Fonz in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Photo 3: Grape and Gorgonzola cheese pizza - Pies & Pints in Charleston, West Virginia

Photo 1: pink Cadillac - museum on the Graceland property - Memphis, Tennessee

Photo 2: Happy Harry's Rib Fest in Fargo, North Dakota (yearly, in June)

Photo 3: Hop on Hop Off Trolley in San Diego, California

My favorite way to see an area is a Hop-on-Hop-off bus or trolley (if available). These sightseeing buses or trolleys often have a daily fee that covers the guided tour and use it as transportation to and from key points in the city throughout the day. I like to plan this as one of the first things we do after arrival. I’ve found this provides a low-stress way to get some sightseeing done. Especially after a long day of driving. Also provides the opportunity to get a feel for the area and decide what things to do and in what order. If you are lucky, you might find a service like this that is free. We were lucky to find that in Little Rock.

In addition to a sightseeing tour early into the visit. I also like to stay in a historic hotel. Not only does it provide history of the area. A hotel can be explored almost any time, day or night. To me, this enriches the experience of the area.

Some of the best surprises from the trips I wrote about this past year were:

A lone wind instrument heard outside the window of our hotel room in Flagstaff.
Déjà Vu Restaurant & Bar in New Orleans. Casual. Late night place. Great gumbo!
Stickyz Rock ‘n’Roll Chicken Shack in Little Rock. Decent food. Lovely service. Nearby.
Kauffman Stadium-Kansas City. A reminder why baseball is America’s favorite pastime.
Fenway Park in Boston. Where the crowd can get a call overturned (or so it seemed.)

Photo 1: Welcome to Stickyz in Little Rock

Photo 2: Fountains at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City

Photo 3: Inside Deja Vu Restaurant & Bar in New Orleans

Best transportation overall: St. Louis. It’s a quick flight from NYC. The train took us from the airport to the hotel, the baseball stadium, and the Gateway Arch.

Once in a lifetime experience: Both Las Vegas and the French Quarter are places I’d suggest visiting at least once. Each so unique and have something going on 24/7.

Things I wished I’d seen/done:

Budweiser Clydesdales in St. Louis
The bar downstairs at Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff
Gone to Toby Keith’s bar in Las Vegas (it’s closed)
Ridden on Lolly the Trolley in Cincinnati (no longer in operation)

Things of note:

I can now type “Albuquerque” and “souvenir” without looking up how to spell them.
It’s almost impossible to get a direct flight from NYC to Kansas City. Fargo too!
Consider airports and visitors centers for souvenirs. They can be hard to find!

Things I never thought I’d need to pack!

Tire pressure gauge
Toilet paper
Aspirin
Umbrellas
Sunblock
Band-Aids

Surprisingly, (or maybe not) the above things were needed for at least one trip. From then on, we had them on our checklist. And yes, there were hotel rooms that didn’t restock enough toilet paper and didn’t have any at the front desk.

Fun Photos:

Photo 1: The Swinging Friar (mascot for San Diego Padres)

Photo 2: Albuquerque International Balloon Festival (usually every Fall)

Photo 3: Cadillac Ranch outside of Amarillo, Texas

One trend that I found myself reflecting more often than expected was wanting to stay longer. When I started arranging these vacations I had two goals in mind, driving to as many cities as possible and noting whether a second, longer visit to any of the areas would be enjoyable. I didn’t realize that I’d feel sad about leaving without seeing more.

Charleston, West Virginia
Flagstaff, Arizona
Little Rock, Arkansas
San Diego, California
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

These are just some off the top of my head that surprised me and left me wanting to stay. It really is hard to gauge how many days would be too little or too many.

Another trend I noticed was that as we gained more experience traveling, leaving a day free before departing really helps us organize better. I mentioned this often in my past posts. This aligns well with us using Sunday as a travel day as well. Knowing that many places close early, often by 5PM, lessens the likelihood that we will be watching tv in the hotel instead of taking advantage of our time in the city.

Lastly, looking for souvenirs became a chore on some trips. Delaying our travels by hours just to buy these goodies. I like to pick up a magnet and T-shirt that says the state that I’ve visited. My partner collects keychains with the name of the state. I was surprised at how difficult it was to find any of these items in some of the places we visited, I’m looking at you Fargo and Flagstaff! To be fair, after some searching (probably why I can type ‘souvenir’ without checking now), we found what we were looking for in Fargo at the airport gift shop, and at the visitor’s center in Flagstaff.

I hope that you enjoyed this break from the general format. Cheers to sharing more adventures in year two!