• Large silver orbs, sitting on hills of green moss at TeamLab Planet in Tokyo.

    Museums that are Totally Worth Your Time

    In a new city and looking for something fun to do? Well, if you’re anything like us, we check out the museums. Think that’s weird? Well, let’s put it this way. At one, we got to rap and play drums. At another we got to partake moonshine tasting. We’ve spied dinosaurs, giant sloths, and blue whales. Want to get the inside scoop on where these were? Come with us this week for museums that are TOTALLY worth your time. TeamLab Planets – Tokyo, Japan Part art installation, part play ground – we had SO much fun experiencing TeamLab Planets in Tokyo. We knew it wasn’t going to be like anything…

  • Interior courtyard at the Isabella Gardner Museum. There are plants around the perimeter of the mosaic floor. Three levels of arched windows look down from light brick walls.

    The Art Museums You MUST Visit

    As Homer Simpson once eloquently said, “More artsy, less fartsy.” We here at the Oracle echo his deeply held belief. Art can be elevating and deeply moving. But if you’re in a venue that makes you feel like a fish out of water, it’s not worth your time. Join us this week as we take you to the art museums you MUST visit. And we think you’ll like them, EVEN IF art isn’t your thing! The Fogg Museum at Harvard – Cambridge, MA On a chilly March day, we stopped at the Fogg museum for the first time. We wanted to find a way to pass some time indoors and…

  • 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…

  • Traditional German band, with tubas and bassoons and drums, at the Haufbrau Haus in Munich

    The Five Best Places to Grab a Beer

    The second category in our “World’s Best” is a bit less “high society” and WAY more our normal vibe. (Click here to check out our first award category, the World’s Best Cocktail Bars.) That’s right, this week we are going to spin you around the globe and take you to the five best places to grab a beer. So if you’re one for an icy cold afternoon repose, pull up a bar stool and let’s go! The Surf Bar – Williamsburg, NY We visited the Surf Bar as a first stop on the “Martin’s Best” pub crawl. Though they JUST opened and we were the only people there, it was…

  • Golden Pelican award displayed with his arms spread wide on a black stand.

    The World’s Best Cocktail Bars

    In honor of our third birthday, we thought we’d share our picks for the best of the best. This week, we will take take a deep dive into the best bars around the world. These bars would earn the “Golden Pelican” for having the best cocktails mixed with the best atmosphere. So pull up a stool and let’s visit the World’s Best Cocktail Bars. The American Bar – London, England The American Bar has been at the top of several “Best Bar” lists over the years. Since we were in London, we felt it we should have “just one drink” there to see what the hype was about. (For those…

  • 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

    I don’t run many half marathons and I certainly don’t race many but I was fortunate enough to snag a bib in the lottery for this year’s United Airline NYC Half this past weekend. I figured it would be a good tune up and a test of my fitness heading into this year’s Boston Marathon. The Goal My primary goal for the race was to run a hard effort and to challenge myself on the hills. I haven’t been a very strong runner on hills in the past and have incorporated more hill work and strength training to try and fix that. The course profile offered me a great opportunity to…

  • Man in a racing kit, with his arms spread wide, crossing the Willis bridge

    NYC 2024 Marathon – The Rest of the Story

    Do you remember a movie from the 80’s called “Planes, Trains and Automobiles“? Well if you haven’t seen that yet, you should really check it out. It’s really funny and it’s Thanksgiving themed. And if you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check out last week’s NYC pre-race report, where we take an Uber, to a ferry, to a bus, JUST to run 26.2 miles! And once that’s done, come back here for the rest of the NYC 2024 Marathon story. Bridge #1 – the Verrazzano Narrows Once the cannon went off my shuffle to the start line began. It wasn’t but a minute before I crossed the start…

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

    NYC Marathon Pre-Race Report

    Hard to believe it’s almost been two weeks since I completed my third NYC Marathon. Thought I’d share a little bit with y’all about how the day went for me. Today I’ll be sharing the journey to the start line. Join us this week for the NYC Marathon Pre-Race Report. With the marathon falling on the day we set the clocks back an hour, it means either an extra hour of sleep or an extra hour of tossing and turning. Fortunately for me I usually sleep pretty well the night before a race and tonight was no exception so I enjoyed the extra sleep. Alarm was set for five am but…

  • 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

    Hey there Friends. Having just arrived home from a trip to NYC, we would love to share with you our thoughts about this Delta Sky Club. So…grab a cup of something warm and check out the newest lounge at LaGuardia International Airport. Lots of Room for Lounging Located just past security in Terminal C, the Sky Club is one of the largest in the Delta network, boasting over 35,000 square feet and seating for more than 700 travelers. Anyone who has spent time in a crowded airport lounge will really appreciate all the space available. Status is “Perk-a-Licious” When we arrived at 7:30 am, there was a short queue waiting…

  • The secret bar in the busiest place - The Campbell in Grand Central Terminal

    The Secret Bar in The Busiest Place

    If you’re anything like me, it’s hard to pass up a good mystery. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about Jimmy Hoffa going missing in Detroit or crop circles on the Salisbury plain in the UK. And I love sharing the knowledge about these mysteries with ANYONE who will listen. So let me share with YOU the secret bar in the busiest place – The Campbell at Grand Central Terminal. The Knowing You may wonder how we came to know about this awesomely wonderful super-secret bar. Well, not only are we avid travelers, we like to read about travel. And we like to talk about travel. Also I would…