The Travel Oracle

The Travel Oracle
  • 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
  • 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
  • Cameron Sloan and Ferris at the Art Institute of Chicago the Chicago

    How to “Museum” like a BOSS

    Whether you steal away for just one day or you’re on the trip of a life time, seeing everything you want to see isn’t always easy. Let’s say you’re going to Paris and wanted to see the Mona Lisa. Did you know the Louvre has 380,000 pieces of art. If you only spent 30 seconds looking at each one, it would take you more than four months to see everything. And the gallery the Mona Lisa is in is about as far from the museum entrance as it can be. But never fear, in this article we will give you the tools to “museum” like a BOSS. The backstory In…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Statue of Paul Revere riding a horse with the old North Church in the back ground. There are a line of trees on either side between the two

    How to Spend THE Perfect Day in Boston

    April 2, 2026

    How to be a Digital Nomad

    February 18, 2026
    Man in a Boston Scally cap and a woman seated in Delta One pods

    The 5 things you need before your next adventure

    July 20, 2023
  • Man made hill that looks like the shoulders and face of a man. There is a waterfall spilling from his mouth into a lake.

    If Willy Wonka Created a World Made of Crystal

    Were you like me when you were a child…watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory over and over again? Did you ever wish you could find a golden ticket instead of those pint sized hellions? What if I told you, I visited a place that was like…if Willy Wonka created a world made of crystal instead of candy? Would you want to run and explore it too? Come with me and you’ll be in a WORLD of pure imagination at Swarovski’s Krisallwelten Wattens in Austria. The back story In 2018, we were planning a trip to Berlin so Stephen could run the marathon. As we looked at the calendar and…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Hidden Gem – Cliff Bell’s Jazz Club in Detroit

    June 14, 2022
    Sculpture of a yellow unicorn, which a man peeking behind it

    Boston Marathon 2024 Recap

    July 25, 2024
    Water color portrait of Martin Luter King Jr.

    Celebrating MLK with a Day of Service

    January 22, 2025
  • Marathon runners closely passing by the camera

    The Craziest Things I’ve Seen as a Runners Wife

    Over my career as a runner’s wife, I’ve had the opportunity to go to more than sixty marathons, half-marathons, 10ks and 5ks. From what I’ve been told, it’s unusual that a spouse would attend so many races. Here are some things those “stay-at-home” spouses might not think about: Join me for a journey through the craziest things I’ve seen as a runners wife! Here are my Top 5: 5. It’s not raining – The Cleveland Marathon, 2022 Stephen and three of our friends ran the Cleveland Marathon in May of 2022. The forecast for the race was calling for cloudy skies and temperatures that would fall throughout the morning. Their…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Waterfall in Snoqualmie Washington featured behind the Tunnel Light 2025 Marathon Medal

    Tunnel Light Race Recap

    September 18, 2025
    Screen showing a map of Pennsylvania and New York with the flight path highlighted in blue. In the middle is a circle.

    Our Unexpected Trip to Harrisburg

    November 17, 2022

    All Aboard for the Cascade Express Marathon

    September 22, 2022
  • Hidden Gem – Cliff Bell’s Jazz Club in Detroit

    Looking for some “travel insider” tips? Check out our collection of hidden gems. In these posts, we will highlight some amazing sites and experiences that are under-rated and often overlooked. But, let’s keep these just between us because we always want to be able to get in when we want to go!  This week, let’s talk about a local place that we adore, Cliff Bell’s Jazz Club in Detroit, Michigan. Cliff Bells How we found it We first visited Cliff Bells in 2016 when looking for something to do on our anniversary. We discovered them by doing a Google search for “things to do in Detroit”. Even though they’ve been…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Gondolier piloting a boat with palm trees in the background

    Petting a Jellyfish and Riding in a Gondola

    March 7, 2024
    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

    August 3, 2023
    Statue of the headless horseman chasing Ichabod Crane

    It’s October, Try Not to Lose Your Head

    October 5, 2023
  • Ready for Cleveland Marathon

    Cleveland – The Marathon and the Speak Easy

    Now that spring had sprung in Michigan there is just one thing to do…ROADTRIP! Let’s face it, folks, after being cooped up for the winter everyone is dying to get out and stretch their legs. And of course, there just isn’t anything like Cleveland in the spring – especially when there is a Marathon to run AND you found out that you’re staying on top of a Speak Easy. Join us for some Ohio based shenanigans as The Travel Oracle hits the road! Day 1 – Getting there and Getting Ready! Thank GOD our friends wanted to carpool and that the driver has a hybrid! In fact, I don’t remember…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    How to Celebrate and Still Prep for a Marathon

    April 4, 2022
    Cascade Express Marathon Part Two: The Rest of the Story

    Cascade Express Marathon Part One: The Build Up

    September 15, 2022
    Image of a blue medal that reads NYC Half,hanging from a green ribbon. The Brooklyn bridge is in the background.

    United Airlines NYC Half Recap

    March 20, 2025
  • Momma and Us

    NYC 22 – Day 1(the Museum and the Piano Bar)

    Since my Momma is a big Harry Potter fan, we decided to take her to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway for Mother’s Day. While we were there, we figured we should take her to see the best of everything else in NYC too. Join us for our first day’s journey to the Museum of Natural History and to the Piano Bar. Morning Shenanigans First Parking – We were not able to use our regular parking vendor because for the first time in our adventures, they were sold out! This forced us to opt for the pricier and more convenient parking in the McNamara parking deck. Instead…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Float of the cartoon character, Kung Fu Panda

    Crazy Big Balloons and Throwing Down with the Locals

    January 18, 2024

    New York 2022 – Day 4 (The Intrepid and the hike)

    May 6, 2022

    New York 2022 – Day 2 (The Pub crawl and the Play)

    May 8, 2022
  • New York 2022 – Day 2 (The Pub crawl and the Play)

    When we woke on Saturday, it was raining…like really raining…like soaking, pouring, flooding rain. But we are adventurers so we sallied forth, umbrellas in hand. How could we let a little rain or a minor typhoon stop us? We had the Pub Crawl and the Play ahead of us. Morning Shenanigans Where we ate and drank – Our first stop was 787 Coffee for pastries, coffee and hot chocolate. Outside, a group of about 10 people were gathering and pinning numbered bibs to their backs. We discovered that this particular Saturday was The Great Saunter which brings together thousands of people to hike the 32 mile perimeter of Manhattan. I…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    A row of trees covered in yellow lights, behind a hot air balloon, that is lined in white lights

    What Would You Do with Just One Day in NYC?

    December 14, 2023
    Travel themed birthday cake, where the main part looks like a globe. There is a suite case next to it and a candle showing the number 3 on top

    We’re Three Today!

    June 5, 2025
    Bar at the SkyClub at LaGuardia airport. Their are bar stools in silver upholstery in front of a gold and silver flecked bar with a black granite counter top. There are pendulum lights hanging over the bar top and three bar tenders behind, making and pouring drinks. Behind them are floor to ceiling shelves with bottles of alcohol and two mounted TVs.

    Check Out the Newest Lounge at LaGuardia

    November 7, 2024
  • New York 2022 – Day 3 (The tour of Sleepy Hallow)

    Morning Shenanigans Our friend, from Tarrytown, offered to give us a tour of Sleepy Hallow on Mothers Day. Since we couldn’t possibly say “no” to such a fun offer, we dragged ourselves out of bed at 8, grabbed a quick bite at Duncan Donuts, and made our way to Grand Central Terminal. Cheapskate Tip – Grand Central Terminal is worth visiting even if you’re not going anywhere. The main hall alone is quite impressive with it’s marble flooring and constellation murals on the ceiling. The floor beneath it is full of shops and some reasonably priced restaurants. The hour long ride on the Hudson line took us through areas we…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Momma and Us

    NYC 22 – Day 1(the Museum and the Piano Bar)

    May 9, 2022
    Man with an orange Mohawk, holding a coffee, with running shoes around his neck - looking less than ahppy

    NYC Marathon Pre-Race Report

    November 14, 2024
    Man in a racing kit, with his arms spread wide, crossing the Willis bridge

    NYC 2024 Marathon – The Rest of the Story

    November 21, 2024
  • New York 2022 – Day 4 (The Intrepid and the hike)

    We were up early and ready for our last day in NYC. First stop, a proper breakfast at the Brooklyn Diner Cafe in midtown. This diner was swanky, cozy and tasty…which meant the menu was pricey! Stephen and I ate while momma had a hot chocolate. Total price…around $75! But they do give you mouthwash in the bathroom, so there’s that! We then strolled through Times Square and Hell’s Kitchen to get to the Intrepid Museum, our next stop on our best of NYC tour. Stephen was so happy to find a black and white cookie – an absolute MUST for any trip to the Big Apple. Cheapskate  tip –…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    New York 2022 – Day 2 (The Pub crawl and the Play)

    May 8, 2022
    Man in a racing kit, with his arms spread wide, crossing the Willis bridge

    NYC 2024 Marathon – The Rest of the Story

    November 21, 2024
    Man with an orange Mohawk, holding a coffee, with running shoes around his neck - looking less than ahppy

    NYC Marathon Pre-Race Report

    November 14, 2024
  • 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…

    read more

    You May Also Like

    Whale tail coming out of the water

    TBT: The Most Amazing Sound We Ever Heard

    February 23, 2023
    Man in a kilt, sweatshirt and Scally cap standing outside a restaurant

    Rockin’ the Kilts on St. Patty’s Day

    March 17, 2026
    Statue of Paul Revere riding a horse with the old North Church in the back ground. There are a line of trees on either side between the two

    The Very Best of Beantown

    August 23, 2023
 Older Posts
Newer Posts 
Ashe Theme by WP Royal.