• The Road to the Tokyo Marathon

    After our 14+ hour flight via Delta One, we arrived in Japan. One of us was well rested. The other was just too excited to sleep. After all, we had weeks of temples, shrines, pagodas, pandas and snow monkeys ahead of us. After our driver took a wrong turn, taking us a half hour out of our way and getting a ticket. We finally unpacked our bags to begin our adventure on the road to the Tokyo Marathon. Day 1 – The EARLY Morning We arrived at the Sotetsu Fresa Inn around 10pm local time and were glad to drop our bags in our little room. At first, it felt…

  • Subscribe to The Travel Oracle

    So you found our site. Maybe through Facebook. Maybe it was on Instagram. Perhaps you saw a Pin on Pinterest. Or maybe we twitted. Twittered? Anyway, you may be asking yourself, “why should I subscribe to the Travel Oracle?” Here are some GREAT reasons to join us on our journey. You’ll get our latest articles right to your in-box That’s right! You won’t need to hunt for us or wonder what we’re up to. Every week we will send you the absolute latest right to your email in-box. Our subscribers get exclusive content We scour the internet for related articles we think you’ll really enjoy and we occasionally write “secret…

  • Whale tail coming out of the water

    TBT: The Most Amazing Sound We Ever Heard

    “Living in interesting times” has been reported to be an ancient Chinese curse. Navigating our way through the Covid pandemic, things sure did get interesting. People who love to run races dealt with cancellations, medical testing, socially distanced running and lots of rescheduling. Here’s a look at an incredible experience resulting from the Boston Marathon being rescheduled for the day after the Chicago Marathon. This was the day we went storm chasing in Gloucester and experience the most amazing sound we ever heard. What Came Before Since “the before” is a whole story in itself, let me briefly sketch what the weekend looked like for us: And Then…Vacation! By some…

  • How to be a Digital Nomad

    If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that people DON’T believe in washing their hands. Just kidding. It actually taught us a lot of things – like you can get used to wearing a face mask. You can binge watch just about anything if you’re bored enough. And if you’re a person who works on a computer for a living, not only can you work from home…you can work from ANYWHERE! Let me share with you some things I’ve learned along the way. Here’s how to be a digital nomad and not lose your mind! Get a Travel Monitor If you have a laptop, that’s good. But having a travel monitor…

  • Steam train with a black and red engine car

    Checking out the Wizarding and Surreal Worlds

    Having accomplished eating ALL the food at Thanksgiving dinner and running the Space Coast Half Marathon, we were ready for a change of pace. We didn’t have much set in stone for our second week in Florida. Stephen would be running a trail Ragnar with some friends. I planned to work all week but schedule was relatively open on Friday. Seizing the opportunity, I took Momma for another adventure. We landed on checking out the Wizarding and Surreal Worlds in Florida! (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the Surreal World of Salvador Dali, that is.) Inauspicious Beginnings Monday through Wednesday were sort of “business as usual” for our crew.…

  • Image of Little Island park. Looks like white wine glasses emerging from the river with trees on top of it

    A Rare November Day in NYC

    What do you do when it’s 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky? Before you answer, let me also add in that we were in NYC AND we had the day off. Did that change your answer? Did it conjure images of Mary Tyler Moore twirling in the street? (Actually, that image would probably only appear if you’re over 55.) Well regardless of your mental image, let me share with you what we did on a rare November Day in NYC! Catching You Up ICYMI…we were already in NYC for 3 days by this time. We were ready to start day 4. The race was over and I…

  • Statue of a horse and a jockey in front of Churchill Downs

    The Very Best of Derby City

    Sometimes the gods just smile on you. That’s how we feel about the opportunities we’ve had this year to visit the biggest, small town in the USA – Louisville. We’ve been there twice so far to help out a friend with pet and house sitting. (You should know, they have THE CUTEST animals – so be sure to check out our Adventures in Pet Sitting post to see their furry faces.) Maybe you’re thinking about heading down to Louisville for the Marathon this November or maybe you’d like to don a fancy hat and watch the races. Whatever the reason, we have some great recommendations for the Very Best of…

  • Image of a man and woman wearing masks and holding up tickets

    What Life Was Like The First Weekend NYC Reopened

    The spring of 2021, you remember it, don’t you? The weather was warming. The flowers were blooming and we all came out of our lockdown caves, and squinted at the sun. We walked onto shaky ground, hoping upon hope, that maybe life would somehow get back to “normal”. That June, we had a little help rediscovering one of our favorite places on the planet from an unlikely source. This is the story of how Jimmy Fallon helped us experience what life was like the first weekend NYC reopened. The Jimmy Fallon Connection Stephen enters a lottery every year for tickets to Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show. While getting…

  • Boston 2022 – Getting There and Being There

    Boston 2022 – Getting There and Being There! Nothing compares to Boston in the Springtime – especially if you’re a runner (or runnah, as the locals say.) Check out the details of our 6 day, 5 night trip in April – getting there and finding beer! Parking – We used our normal vendor, US Park. This morning, the lot was very full and we had to wait about 20 minutes for shuttle pickup.  That’s very unusual for them so hopefully it was a one time thing. Cheapskate tip – Visit Detroit Parking Coupons to save a little dough. They also offer veteran’s discounts and discounts for various businesses as well so be sure to…

  • Check out the Runnah Hoopla on Day 2

    We got up at 7am to knock out a three mile run before all the Runnah Hoopla began, passing Paul Revere Park, the Bunker Hill Monument and the USS Constitution. Runner tip – Running early is a great way to explore a new city as you’re often out earlier than the people who live there and all the tourists. The Bunker Hill Monument is currently closed due to construction work but walking the grounds and seeing the outside is still worth the trek. The USS Constitution (aka Old Ironsides) is permanently moored at the Charlestown Naval Yard where she was built in the 1790s. Cheapskate tip – Both the Bunker…