The Travel Oracle

The Travel Oracle
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  • 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
  • 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

    It doesn’t matter if you’re in town for a conference or to run the Marathon, there are things in Boston you DO NOT want to miss on your first trip. Since we’ve been to Bean Town a time or two, let us share with you how to spend THE perfect day in Boston. Preparation is Key If you only have one day here, you’ll want to make the most of it. Do everything you can to make sure you’re ready for the adventure in advance. First Stop – Breakfast at Stephanie’s on Newbury Stephanie’s on Newbury is ALWAYS busy. Not because it’s a touristy place but because it’s JUST THAT…

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    Bronze statue of Edgar Allen Poe walking down the street, holding a briefcase with a raven flying out of it

    History Nerds and Taphophiles will LOVE This One

    July 18, 2024
    Man in a kilt, sweatshirt and Scally cap standing outside a restaurant

    Rockin’ the Kilts on St. Patty’s Day

    March 17, 2026

    Check out the Runnah Hoopla on Day 2

    April 5, 2022
  • Man in a kilt, sweatshirt and Scally cap standing outside a restaurant

    Rockin’ the Kilts on St. Patty’s Day

    If you’ve never been to South Boston for St. Patrick’s Day, you really need to go at least once. We visited in 2024, and sang with the band, drank some golden ales, spied on some priceless works of art and smashed some lobster and chowder. All of it, was leading up to the reason we were there…to catch the parade and mosh with the locals at the Dropkick Murphys concert at the MGM. Join us this week for an amazing time where we’re acting like locals and rockin’ the kilts, on St. Patty’s Day. The Pre-Game Since our hotel, the Cambria, was right on the parade route, we knew we’d…

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    Man wearing a scaly cap, holding a pint of craft beer

    Driving the Snakes Out of South Boston

    May 30, 2024
    Bronze statue of Edgar Allen Poe walking down the street, holding a briefcase with a raven flying out of it

    History Nerds and Taphophiles will LOVE This One

    July 18, 2024
    Quincy Market Rotunda

    Boston – The Search for Craft Beer, Lobster and Gelato

    April 1, 2022
  • Waterfall in Snoqualmie Washington featured behind the Tunnel Light 2025 Marathon Medal

    Tunnel Light Race Recap

    This last Sunday I completed the Tunnel Light Marathon in Snoqualmie, WA. Having just registered for the 2026 Boston Marathon a few days prior, this would be an attempt to qualify for the 2027 race.  Pre-Race Prep? I was feeling pretty good overall health wise heading into the race. I had some concern how the legs would hold up after running the Sydney Marathon two weeks ago and pacing my friend Rob for 34 miles just six days ago.  Race Morning Got to the start line around 7 am and spent the next hour getting ready. Watched the end of Vision Quest, hit the porta john a time or ten,…

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    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 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
    Man wearing a hat and shirt, covered in cartoon donuts who is standing before a road sign that reads “Gladstone City Limit”

    Pacing with a Purpose: A Marathon Weekend in Gladstone

    June 19, 2025
  • Lobster roll on a round plate with a slice of lemon, cole slaw and French fries

    5 Places You Must Eat in the U.S.A.

    Eating your way around the world is one of the THE BEST things about traveling. In fact, I usually remark that I wish I’d have packed an extra stomach. Well, we hope you’re hungry! This week we are going to take you to the 5 places you MUST eat in the U.S.A. From the East Coast to the West Coast, join us as we grab our forks and dig in! Monte’s Trattoria – New York City, NY Since 1918, Monte’s has been serving authentic home style dishes from Italy. The waitstaff is all male and they speak Italian as their first language. If you want pasta, there is no better…

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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
    Pink one story building with a sign that reads "Koolsville"

    Getting a little In and Out after Tattoos

    April 25, 2024
    Man wearing a scaly cap, holding a pint of craft beer

    Driving the Snakes Out of South Boston

    May 30, 2024
  • 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!

    At the Bayshore Marathon in 2022, we made the leap to open this website as a way to share our love for travel with the world. Since then, we’ve been on some CRAZY adventures together and learned a lot along the way. Why not join us as we unpack some of the highlights as we celebrate. We’re three today!! If we were a toddler, we would have our own cake to smash! The First Place We Wrote About As you may know, Boston holds a special place in our hearts. Stephen is working to becoming a legacy runner for the Boston Marathon which means we are planning to go back…

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

    Rockin’ the Kilts on St. Patty’s Day

    March 17, 2026
    Bronze statue of Edgar Allen Poe walking down the street, holding a briefcase with a raven flying out of it

    History Nerds and Taphophiles will LOVE This One

    July 18, 2024
  • 4 men standing in front of a giant soccer ball, holding Mexico and Norway flags. The person in the middle is wearing a sombrero

    Top 5 Sporting Events I’ve Been a Part of or Witnessed Live

    In addition to traveling, The Travel Oracle is also pretty passionate about sports. Runner_dad has been fortunate to see some pretty epic sporting events live. Here’s a little trip down memory lane with his top five.  1 – Packers vs Lions Oct 5, 2024 – Thursday Night Football, Ford Field. Lions win 34-31  First football game for Savanna, Connor’s first Lions’ win. A heavyweight slugfest. The fourth and one gamble. Field goal by Jake Bates to win the game as time expired!! Total playoff atmosphere. This comes in at number one because I know that 30 years from now the kids will still remember this day, just as I remember…

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    Runner crossing the finish line at the Publix marathon - under a balloon arch.

    The Publix Florida Marathon Race Recap

    February 13, 2025
    Man in race clothes standing next to a man dressed as Boba Fett

    The Fantastic Florida Holiday Escape

    December 15, 2022

    How to Celebrate and Still Prep for a Marathon

    April 4, 2022
  • Woman in a dress, touching the image of Edgar Allan Poe on his tombstone in the Westminster Burial Ground

    In the Footsteps of E. A. Poe

    Since I was young, there was just something about the stories of Edgar Allan Poe that compelled me. I don’t know if it was the way he could foist a surprise on the reader. Or the way he portrayed loss with such touching tenderness. More recently I discovered the details of his life and his bizarre and unexplained death. It was this as much as his writing that compelled me to follow in the footsteps of E. A. Poe. For many years, E. A. Poe shared this little home with his grandmother, Elizabeth Cairns, his first cousins, Virginia and Henry Clemm, and his aunt, Maria Clemm. For perspective, the main…

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    Statue of the headless horseman chasing Ichabod Crane

    It’s October, Try Not to Lose Your Head

    October 5, 2023
    White cottage with three rear facing windows and a small slanted shingled roof

    Who Was on the Stairway Each Night?

    October 12, 2023
    Stone tomb of the Couch family in Lincoln Park, Chicago

    Some Dark History Built Over an Old Cemetery

    October 16, 2025
  • Sculpture of a yellow unicorn, which a man peeking behind it

    Boston Marathon 2024 Recap

    Usually after a race, especially a big one, I can’t wait to sit down and write a race recap to share with y’all. I’m not really sure why it took me three months to get around to writing about this year’s Boston Marathon but here ya go. I hope you enjoy reading about it much more than I did running it this year. Good Beginnings The day of the race always requires an early alarm. We were fortunate to stay with some new friends in Cambridge at a great little Air BnB. Although Patrick and I were taking different routes to the start line, it was nice that we got…

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    Quincy Market Rotunda

    Boston – The Search for Craft Beer, Lobster and Gelato

    April 1, 2022
    Whale tail coming out of the water

    TBT: The Most Amazing Sound We Ever Heard

    February 23, 2023
    Man wearing a scaly cap, holding a pint of craft beer

    Driving the Snakes Out of South Boston

    May 30, 2024
  • Bronze statue of Edgar Allen Poe walking down the street, holding a briefcase with a raven flying out of it

    History Nerds and Taphophiles will LOVE This One

    If you’ve been following us from winter to spring, you may have noticed a pattern: So, can you guess where we ended up in April?? That’s right, our legendary kidney donor athlete had to go back to Boston to run the marathon. Have you ever wondered what the spouses of runners do after they kiss their person good bye? Why…we worry for their safety; pray for their success; and suffer anxiety while watching their progress on the course, of course! But this time, I added my own walking tour of the American revolution and some super interesting gravestones. History nerds and Taphophiles will LOVE this one! The Cambridge House Share…

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    How to Celebrate and Still Prep for a Marathon

    April 4, 2022
    Whale tail coming out of the water

    TBT: The Most Amazing Sound We Ever Heard

    February 23, 2023
    Woman touching the foot of the statue of John Harvard.

    How Smart are You – going to Harvard for Free?

    April 11, 2024
  • Woman holding a beer and showing off her tee shirt that has a shamrock on it and the word "Shenanigans"

    Boston on the Holy Day of St. Practice

    As you may recall, we found ourselves having the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day completely free of obligations. Last week we talked about the plan we hatched to drive the snakes out of South Boston (otherwise known as drinking a lot of beer at Irish Pubs.) This week we will explore the fun that can be had when you’re in Boston on the Holy Day of St. Practice. But first, a little run Since we were up unreasonably early, we decided to kick our day off with some exercise. The mister headed down to the treadmill, while did a little solo urban exploration. I’m not much of a runner these…

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    Quincy Market Rotunda

    Boston – The Search for Craft Beer, Lobster and Gelato

    April 1, 2022

    Check out the Runnah Hoopla on Day 2

    April 5, 2022
    Man wearing a scaly cap, holding a pint of craft beer

    Driving the Snakes Out of South Boston

    May 30, 2024
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