The Travel Oracle

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  • Who is the Travel Oracle?
    • Contact us!
    • The places we’ve been
    • The Oracle Recommends…
    • Our City Guides
    • Travel Booking Services
  • Our World Famous Kidney Donor Athlete
    • Running Stories
  • Subscribe
  • The Golden Pelican Awards of Excellence
  • Newsletter
The Oracle Recommends...
The Oracle Recommends...
Running the World
Running the World
Feeling Spooky
Feeling Spooky
  • Picture of actor Nicholas Cage, holding a goblet of red wine. He's wearing all back clothing, red sun glasses and red beads.

    Visiting the Voodoo Queen and Nick Cage in the Big Easy

    Ah, New Orleans: The great melting pot of the South. Years ahead of the rest of the country, people from all different backgrounds came together to make one community. Nowhere is that more apparent than the day we went visiting the Voodoo Queen and Nick Cage in the Big Easy! If you’re a taphophile, like me, or someone who just likes to share an adventure, get comfy, grab a beverage and join us for some fun stories while walk among the tombstones. First thing you should know…you have to go with a tour Thanks to the abuse the cemeteries have endured over the years, the arch-diocese of New Orleans no…

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    Band on stage at the House of Blues. Behind them is a large graphic that reads "The Boxmasters"

    The Front Row Blues in the Big Easy

    September 13, 2023
    Yellow two story building with a balconly

    Chasing Ghosts (among other things) in the Big Easy

    July 27, 2023
    Man holding a plate of beignets, covered in powdered sugar

    The Top Things Not to Miss in the Big Easy

    August 25, 2023
  • Yellow two story building with a balconly

    Chasing Ghosts (among other things) in the Big Easy

    I don’t know about you but sometimes I feel like life can be…a lot. You feel me? And last month was extra much. Though I tried to compartmentalize and take things as they came, Stephen could see I was carrying a lot of stress on my shoulders. Knowing me like he does, he planned a curated weekend around all the things I love…history, ghost stories, folk lore, live music, great food, art, and alcohol. If that sounds like fun to you too…join us as we unpack our first day in New Orleans and go chasing ghosts (among other things) in the Big Easy. First, let’s talk about where we stayed…

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    Who Was on the Stairway Each Night?

    October 12, 2023

    Adventure to the Most Haunted Cemetery in Michigan

    October 13, 2022
    Cell block at Alcatraz. Shows two levels and the lights in the ceiling.

    Is Alcatraz Really the Most Haunted Place in America?

    October 23, 2025
  • Man in a Boston Scally cap and a woman seated in Delta One pods

    The 5 things you need before your next adventure

    Whether you’ve been planning for months or just decided on a last minute road trip, what you bring with you has the ability to make or break your vacation. If you’re anything like me, not packing the perfect suitcase equals a trip to the local Walmart. (And depending on where you are…”local” can be an hour drive!!) Though we cannot predict the weather, we do have a list of the 5 things you need before your next adventure. 1. Get you some packing cubes I’m sure you’ve read this in many a travel article but let me say, this sh&t WORKS! Think of them as a dresser in your suitcase…

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    We’re Three Today!

    June 5, 2025
    Buddhist temple with red pillars and a tall gray, tiled roof surrounded by a lane of red buildings on either side

    What You Won’t Want to Miss in Tokyo

    February 5, 2026
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    The MUST HAVE Travel Gear Collection

    July 29, 2025
  • Woman standing in a red telephone booth

    London – the Rest of the Story

    Though we were in London for the marathon, we did make time to see a few fun sites about town before we had to skip back across the pond. Of course, we did manage the secret bar crawl in the evenings during the week, but we took advantage of THE WHOLE day Saturday and we want to share the highlights with you. So grab a cup of your favorite beverage and join us for a look at London – the Rest of the Story. First…Finally saw Ben in ALL his glory So this wasn’t our first time in London. In fact, this was third time I attempted to see Big…

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    The front entrance of the Natural History Museum in London. It is has two towers with a large archway between them. The rest of the building has ornate arched windows.

    What if Hogwarts Also Had Dinosaurs?

    May 15, 2025
    Man running in a road race. Lifting his arms in victory

    The London Marathon – The Last of the World Majors

    June 29, 2023
    Woman standing in a red telephone booth

    One Perfect Day in London

    September 13, 2023
  • Man running in a road race. Lifting his arms in victory

    The London Marathon – The Last of the World Majors

    It’s been over nine weeks since I completed the London Marathon, becoming the first kidney donor to earn the coveted Six Star Finisher medal for completing all of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. We finally had a little down time for me to get around to writing a recap of the historic race. Before we get into all that, I’ll provide a little background info on what happened leading up to the race. So grab a cold one, kick back, and relax. Here is the recap of the London Marathon – the last of the World Majors! The Pre-Race Injury As many of you already know I injured my back four…

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    Crowded bar in room with a low ceiling that has old wooden beams.

    Checking Out The Hidden Bars of London

    June 22, 2023
    The front entrance of the Natural History Museum in London. It is has two towers with a large archway between them. The rest of the building has ornate arched windows.

    What if Hogwarts Also Had Dinosaurs?

    May 15, 2025
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    March 27, 2025
  • Crowded bar in room with a low ceiling that has old wooden beams.

    Checking Out The Hidden Bars of London

    The Boston Marathon was behind us and we hopped the pond to jolly old England. Though the main purpose of our trip was to have Stephen run the London Marathon and earn the Abbot Six Star Medal, we had one other important mission in our minds – checking out the hidden bars of London! The Inspiration Since we’d been to London before, we wanted to find some new things to experience. We looked into some museums and shopping areas. And since we were near Whitechapel, I even looked into some “Ripper-themed” excursions. But then I found it, an article on The 15 Best Speakeasy Bars in London*. With this itinerary…

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    Woman kissing a runner at the Boston Marathon

    On the Road from Boston to London

    April 20, 2023
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    One Perfect Day in London

    September 13, 2023
    Man running in a road race. Lifting his arms in victory

    The London Marathon – The Last of the World Majors

    June 29, 2023
  • Image of a pint of light beer with a Tokyo Marathon Finishers medal on it. The bar beneath it is marble.

    How to Celebrate Surviving a Marathon while Concussed

    Our journey through Japan is coming to a close and in case you missed it, last week we shared about the “Great Cookie Toss at the Tokyo Marathon”. This unfortunate incident was caused by a significantly small room and one wrong move. But this week we want to share with you how to celebrate surviving a marathon while concussed. Hopefully you’ll never need to apply this to your life, but just in case, be sure to book mark this page. The Victor Returns Cold, concussed and triumphant, Stephen made it back to the crevice after completing the Tokyo Marathon in 3 hours and 20 minutes. After he unpacked the story…

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    The Road to the Tokyo Marathon

    March 7, 2023
    Woman standing in the middle of the little stone monk statues. She is hunched down, smiling and holding an umbrella

    A Rainy Walk in the Kimono and Bamboo Forests

    April 1, 2023
    Tokyo Marathon Finishers Medal in front of a cherry blossom tree

    Running the Tokyo Marathon

    February 26, 2026
  • Zoomed in look at Godzilla's head and claw above a building

    Visiting Godzilla on the Way to the Tokyo Marathon

    It was race day – 1 in Tokyo and time to ACTUALLY take it easy. But never fear, we still have a few fun things in store for you. Walk with us this week as we go visiting with Godzilla on the way to the Tokyo Marathon. Breakfast and a Covid Test As usual, our morning started at the Italian restaurant attached to our hotel (aka The Crevice.) And we had our typical Japanese breakfast of salad, rice with curry gravy and coffee. Frankly, I was REALLY into it by this time. What WAS new this day…taking a Covid test. Stephen had to upload two negative tests in order to…

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    Buddhist temple with red pillars and a tall gray, tiled roof surrounded by a lane of red buildings on either side

    What You Won’t Want to Miss in Tokyo

    February 5, 2026
    Red toriis (or gates) with Japanese writing on them and black bases

    The Fastest Train to a Quieter Time

    March 22, 2023

    Sumo Wrestling: The Best Way to Start Your Day

    May 11, 2023
  • Sumo Wrestling: The Best Way to Start Your Day

    With the Tokyo Marathon quickly approaching, we decided to slow our roll just a bit. This week join us as we unpack one of our last two days in Japan including visiting the restaurant wrecked by the Crazy 88s, and walking the Shibuya Crossing. Oh and of course, Sumo Wrestling: The Best Way to Start Your Day! Starting the Day by Running with the Sumos Traveling in the off-season has it’s benefits: But it also has some down sides, like missing out on some of the big draws of tourist season. For Tokyo, this included the blooming of the cherry blossoms and for us, watching Sumo wrestling. Not wanting to…

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    Red toriis (or gates) with Japanese writing on them and black bases

    The Fastest Train to a Quieter Time

    March 22, 2023
    Zoomed in look at Godzilla's head and claw above a building

    Visiting Godzilla on the Way to the Tokyo Marathon

    May 19, 2023
    Polar bear walking toward the camera

    Adventure to the Ueno Zoo

    March 16, 2023
  • The Count Down to the Tokyo Marathon

    With the snow monkeys in our rear view mirror, it was time to look ahead. We had just a couple days left for sight seeing as we began the count down to the Tokyo Marathon. Join us for one of our last days in Tokyo as we crawl through squishy black holes, visit with Lady Liberty and eat mysterious things at the market in Kanda! The Bullet Train Back to Home Base We were a little sad as we headed back to “the crevice” aka our spacious hotel room in Tokyo. Not because we were leaving behind the mountains and the snow monkeys. It was because this was our last…

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    Sumo Wrestling: The Best Way to Start Your Day

    May 11, 2023
    Red Torii in the water with a small boat in the distance

    The Day of the Deer Assault

    March 30, 2023
    Man in a Boston Scally cap and a woman seated in Delta One pods

    To Japan Via Delta One

    March 2, 2023
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