1. I have a friend that went to New Mexico for a week. I thought that was completely random, so I asked why she did it. She said she wanted to be able to say she'd traveled to every state, and proceeded to tell me about the interesting things she did while in NM. I've done a little international travel, but had never considered staying within my own national borders- I was intrigued!
2. I live in a tourist trap- the Washington, DC area. Many of the sites I take for granted are actually special places for others- they are feeling the sense of amazement I felt when I first moved here ten years ago. I forgot what it felt like to go someplace and be tickled at a building or a statue or be really excited to take a picture eating some local food specialty. I then also realized that as long as I've been here, I hadn't scratched the surface of area "hot spots" people were so excited to see- I was ashamed!
3. I love the Travel Channel and the Food Network. I also love watching the hosts go to random cities and try foods, visit off the beaten path locations, and explore parts of America that I've only read about. How amazing that so much diversity is within the confines of my home country- and how much fun could it be to experience some of these adventures myself? I was inspired!
4. I've been to a lot of states, but had never really done any "tourist" stuff- well, not consistently. Because of making friends from across the country, marching band, sorority conventions, and other random trips, I can already say I've been to Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, DC, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. And I'm from Pennsylvania. But with a very short list of exceptions, I've never done touristy stuff- I've gone for specific events and left. How would re-visiting these states (and the rest of the country) compare to me just going because I had an event there? I was interested to find out!
Because of these, I have challenged myself to visit all 50 states (and DC) from the perspective of a tourist- even my own hometown/state (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). In true 5W+H format, I've created this outline:
WHO: Well, me, and whatever friends and family want to tag along.
WHAT: Travel to each of the US States (and DC) and tour/explore/experience them as a tourist would- visiting tourist traps and places of interest that show the area's history, trying local foods, and exploring local cultures and celebration whenever possible. The catch is, unless it;s something extremely unique/awesome, I can't repeat something I've already done. For example: I've seen the Liberty Bell before, no need to see it again, but Philly cheeseteaks? C'mon, who would be happy to have only ever had one?!
WHEN: August 2011-August 2016WHERE: All 50 states- all of 'em!- and DC too.
WHY: Because it sounds fun and I want to. Good enough reason for me!
HOW: Ah, there's the tricky part. Being on the East coast, the close proximity of the states here will make exploring them easy. Just hop on a Megabus or Greyhound, go on a weekend off, and come back in time for work on Monday. But once I start getting into states further away, I'll have to look into cheap flights (hello JetBlue, Southwest, and Airtran specials!), Amtrak, and my own personal schedule/life to see what events will take me places. Larger states will take more than one trip (Texas, California, Florida, etc.) and many states will take longer than a weekend/extended weekend (Hawaii and Alaska, for example) but we'll cross those bridges when we get to them.
Ready? Let's Go!
