Sean’s Blog

Jess and I have some vacation time coming up in June. Since we are getting married in August we really are pretty strapped for cash and can’t afford a big vacation. We are thinking about taking a couple days and driving up to Cleveland.

I’ve seen a couple posts and articles about vacationing where you live and it always sounded intersting to me. I grew up in Cleveland, but recently we watched a No Reservations w/ Anthony Bourdain about Cleveland and there was a ton of stuff that I’ve never seen. I think that they were on the east side alot and I was always a westside boy.

But what I’ve decided to try is to research it like I’ve never been there. Hit the travel sites, do the research, just like I would when we go to a foreign country. I have no idea how it will work out, but I’ll write it up when we come back. It should be either really interesting or really boring.

Mark Bittman has a post on his blog and a column in the New York Times about visiting Merida, on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Jess and I visited Merida in the fall of 2006 and it was one of the best trips of my life. Merida is an old colonial city in Mayan Mexico and the capital of the State of Yucatan. The streets are narrow and paved with brick. The architecture is exactly what I though of for a colonial Mexican city. The people are friendly and life revolves around the main square (or zocalo).

Although not a huge tourist destination, there are a ton of things to do there. A couple of my favourites:

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Last weekend, Jess and I went down to Southern Ohio in the Hocking Hills region. Unlike most of Ohio, the glaciers from the last ice age didn’t cover the area so it is hilly and cut through by steep gorges. After a good rain it has waterfalls all over the place as well.

Here is a link to the pictures.

Continuing on with photographs from my (not so) recent trip to Puerto Rico.  These are photographs of Guanica, a small town on the southern Caribbean coast.  It’s a beautiful area that is much different then the rest of the country, being home to a tropical dry forest (with cactuses and all). All the pictures were taken either from the guest house or the hidden beach behind it.

If you are heading to that part of Puerto Rico, check out Mimi’s Guesthouse.  The location is nice and secluded, it is a short walk to an almost always private beach and the owners are friendly and knowledgeable about the area.

Here are the pictures.

Here is the first part of our trip to Puerto Rico in Sept of 2007. We spent several days in San Juan which is a beautiful city with lots of stuff to see and do. My one caveat would be if you are staying in Old San Juan, don’t rent a car until you need to. The driving is hilly, the streets are narrow and confusing (for someone who doesn’t know them). Walk or take a cab until you are leaving the old city.

Link to the photo galleries: San Juan