Tag: Washington DC

Boston: Final Thoughts

John Guillen11 Comments

I could write a 10,000 word post about everything I loved during my trip to Boston. I could. I won’t.

Boston was simply magnificent. There are 300 year old buildings next to modern hotels. There is history on every corner. And there is water everywhere. Several of the museums and places I visited were on the water. The best view was probably from the JFK Presidential Library. I wasn’t able to do anything out on the water, but that’s okay! It was more than enough to just get a glimpse of it.

The beauty of this whole thing is I know for certain I’ll be going back. I’m not sure if it’ll be in 2017, 2018, or beyond. But I know it’ll happen. And I’ll be just as excited for round two as I was for the first time.

Again, I cannot encourage you enough to visit as many places as you possibly can. Austin, DC, and Boston have been first on my list. What’s on yours?

I’m off!

John Guillen2 Comments

When I was much younger (nearly 20 years ago) I went on the vacation of a lifetime. Disney World. For something like three weeks. The experience was nice, but I was so young that I was limited in what I could actually do. And no roller coasters.

Today the vacation of a lifetime happens a second time. Eight days in Boston. As you can see my interests have changed as I’ve grown into an adult. Disney World is about magic. It’s about enjoying being a kid. It’s about escape. Boston? To some those things may also apply. To me it’s about history. The birth of this great, flawed nation I love with all my heart. It’s about growth. Learning. And Red Sox – Yankees doesn’t hurt anything. ☺

In the few short years I’ve been an adult I’ve wanted to travel the world. What better way to learn than from other people, cultures, and places? There’s so much the world has to offer to stay in one place all the time.

So I’m not. I’m not a multimillionaire. I don’t have a bank account with $50k in it. But I have a good paying job with a company that encourages its employees to take time away from work. I make more than enough to take one big trip a year, and if I really focus on my finances I can squeeze two trips out of a single calendar year without changing much of what I already do.

Last year I went to DC for only four days and it was INCREDIBLE. Guys, who cares what I say about books? If there’s one thing you take from your time reading my blog let it be this:

There are few things we’re able to do in our short time on earth that are as rewarding as traveling. I cannot encourage you to travel enough. Your reasons may be different than mine, but there’s really no reason not to take a trip every now and then. Cost. I know it’s expensive. Buy tickets way in advance. Save for months. It’ll be a sacrifice. But it’ll be worth it. I promise you.

The Countdown Begins

John Guillen8 Comments

A week after I quit my job at Half Price Books last July I made a decision regarding my next vacation. Washington, DC. Again. I visited last May and I simply couldn’t wait to get back. The dates? January 18-25. To experience my first presidential inauguration. But then election night happened, along with my inability to find employment. My plans changed.

In December while waiting on word from numerous potential employers I decided to start adjusting my plans. My next choice? Boston.

I originally planned on April 18-25. But the Yankees are playing the Red Sox on the 25th. I COULD NOT MISS IT if I was already going to be in town. I added a day. I’m leaving on the 18th to visit one of the most historic cities in America. It’ll be my longest and first solo trip, but I could not be more excited.

This trip has been nearly 9 months in the making, and I’m ready to go.

Which place have you visited that left you immediately wanting to go back?

Saturday Selects: Why I Love Museums

John Guillen8 Comments

Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write on the ocassional Saturday about topics outside the general bookish theme of the blog. Today I’m discussing museums.

I think if you’re reading this you likely know about my trip to DC last year. For four days I went to every museum I possibly could. After the conclusion of the trip I still have a lengthy list of museums in and around DC I want to visit. A month before I went to DC last year I went to Austin for two days. It was the first time I visited one of the presidential libraries. In those two days I went to four museums and the state capitol of Texas. Next month I’m spending eight days in Boston.

As you can see I’m just about obsessed with museums. Quite honestly I’d like to visit every museum I possibly can during my brief time roaming Earth. But the question I often get is “Why?”. Why do I want to travel to different cities of the world just to go to museums?

I’ll tell you. That’s where all the history lives. I’m not saying there aren’t bits of history scattered throughout cities and historical places, but for what is typically a nominal admission fee you’re granted access to hundreds, thousands, and in some cases millions of pieces of individual history. How great is that!

You don’t have to be a history buff to appreciate the opportunity museums give us. We’re allowed to learn about cultures, eras, wars, and movements because people behind the scenes have usually devoted their lives to preserving history and historical artifacts of all shapes and sizes.

I love museums because I’m only one person in one era living one life experience, but I’m so eager to learn about the things I haven’t and won’t be able to experience. Museums are time machines. And who doesn’t love those?

Scratch one off the Bookish Bucket List!

John Guillen4 Comments

I realize I have a ton of content on here. A million pages. A long bio. And nearly a thousand blog posts. But one of the things that gets little attention is my Bookish Bucket List. I first came up with the list about two years ago in an effort to show y’all the book-related things I’d like to accomplish, and also to track them as I do so. During my trip to DC I was able to scratch one off the list!

If you watched my four videos from the trip then you likely know which one I’m talking about. If not, VISIT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. It was one of the most anticipated places I wanted to visit.

Guys, I can’t do it any justice here. It is simply beyond any expectations you may have. Stunning. Breathtaking. Beautiful. Magnificent. You can insert any word to describe it and it’ll be inadequate. I was sad to have to leave there, genuinely sad. It doesn’t matter if you have any interest in books or reading or literature or even American history, this is a place you must experience.

My Bookish Bucket List is just a little bit shorter after my visit to the Library of Congress in Washington DC. It is so much more than a library. It’s a landmark. It’s one of the many landmarks we have.

Have you ever visited the Library of Congress? What’d you think!?

Also, give me a follow on Instagram if you’re interested in seeing pictures from my trip. I only have about 950 of them. 🙄

This is the iconic Reading Room. I took this picture.
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Come to DC With Me: Day 4

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You’ve now reached the end of my little series documenting my trip to Washington DC. The trip came to an end much too soon, and I can’t wait to go back. But the final day was another busy one for us. We finished visiting the monuments and memorials on the National Mall. We visited the Holocaust Museum. We finished the trip with the National Archives and the Newseum. The best part of this final video is that I give my thoughts on the entire trip as we’re driving to the airport. These are my thoughts just as I was thinking them.

Now watch! And thanks for visiting DC with me! Back to normal programming tomorrow.

Come to DC With Me: Day 3

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By this point my time in DC is coming to an end much faster than I’d like. Which means less time to have my camera rolling. Today’s video is really short. I didn’t record a daily recap or an intro, so it’s really only a couple clips from the National Museum of Natural History. I mean, there’s dinosaurs.

Now watch! Final day is tomorrow!

Come to DC With Me: Day 2

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Day 2 in DC was a lot better than day 1. No rain. No getting planes. Nothing but seeing some of the sights. Day two was the longest of the four days we spent in DC. We supposedly walked some 13 miles and spent over 14 hours out seeing things. Library of Congress. Lincoln Memorial. Washington Monument. Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Korean War Veterans Memorial. National Air and Space Museum. Museum of American History, It was the quite the day, and I have the video evidence to show for it.

The first 4:25 of the video is clips from the various places and monuments we visited. The rest of the video is me talking about everything we visited and how it all impacted me. I don’t expect you to watch the whole thing, or even the majority of it, but during the second half of the video I really get personal with my thoughts on everything I’m seeing. I edited minimally to give you a greater glimpse into how the trip has affected me.

Now watch! Maybe just a little bit? 🙂

Sorry I’m out of focus, guys. No one behind the camera for me.

Saturday Selects #25: On Travel

John Guillen6 Comments

Saturday Selects is a series of posts I write on the first Saturday of each month (usually) about something outside the general bookish theme of the blog. Today’s topic: travel.

Some of you know my first real trip is coming up. It’s next month and I’m going to Washington DC for four days. I’ve been in Houston my whole life and I’m ready to start seeing the world. That sounds like such a cliché, but there’s so much out there I hope to see.

Well I’m still six weeks away from my trip (planned four months ago) and I find myself thinking of other places to visit in the US. Is this normal or am I suffering from an incurable ailment destined to ruin the rest of my years!? I’m even looking at dates! Uh oh.

For the record, I don’t spend money. I have a little bit saved up that’s causing all this. I can’t imagine what I’d be doing if I had a higher paying job. I’d probably lose my job after deciding to ditch work for a quick trip 1 too many times. Welp.

The two places I see myself visiting next are Austin and the Grand Canyon. Most likely in that order.

Tell me your best travel stories! And if you can remember your first trip, tell me about that too!

PS: I have a few comments to reply to. I intend to get to all of them today.