DiscoverAmerica.com

The LA Times Travel blog announced the launch of a new website today: DiscoverAmerica.com.

I, for one, am extremely excited about this blog, as there are so many parts of our awesome country that I've never seen. The site gathers information from all sorts of sources - travel guides, Google, etc and puts them all in one place. Then, each page has information on attractions & activities, hotels, itineraries, brochures, articles, and even where to shop and eat, too.

There's also my favorite feature - an interactive map that tells you all sorts of things. You can measure distances between different locations, randomly pick a spot to check into, and even has links to book your trip. Also, it includes all the US territories as well!

Such an amazing resource for anyone who wants to travel around America, I am SO glad that this site exists.

Travel Photo Tuesday: San Francisco, CA

Driving over the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. I love this bridge and can't say exactly why! It's just a great piece of architecture and landmark of California... definitely something to see while you're in San Francisco.

CA 101 Road Trip to San Francisco

BF and I recently went on a trip to San Francisco, and it was awesome. We had such a nice time, and it was so great to hang out, spend time together, and be super goofy. We left on Thursday night, stayed in Pismo Beach, then leisurely finished the drive on Friday. Here are some of the highlights to our trip!

- The GIANT artichoke in Castroville, CA. It's the world's largest, and I had no idea it even existed prior to this trip, so it was awesome to stumble upon! I wanted to eat at the Giant Artichoke Restaurant, but we'd just had breakfast. Next time, maybe.
- Stopping at Pizza My Heart and the Pacific Cookie Company in Santa Cruz! The PCC had a lemon drop sugar cookie that was soooooo good.

This was the chocolate dipped chocolate chip macadamia nut cookie! Delicious!

San Francisco: Where To Stay

My all time favorite place to stay in San Francisco is the Union Square area. I've stayed there on several trips to San Fran, and have been pleased with each place I've stayed.

So when my boyfriend told me he had a conference up there, I immediately looked to Union Square for a hotel.

Union Square is within walking distance of many San Francisco attractions, and it has easy access to even more. My favorite reasons to stay there? (1) The Powell/Market Street cable car, and (2) there are two H&M stores.

2008 & 2009 Travel Plans

I am very ambitious with my 2008 & 2009 travel plans, after going on very few trips (by my standards) in 2007. I have resolved to spend more time traveling, since I don't currently have kids or a mortgage or a car payment. All of these things are bound to catch up with me soon, so I feel that I need to take advantage of this year and next year to get some travel fixes in! My plan? One big trip and a handful of smaller trips this year, and 1-3 big trips next year.

2008 Already Traveled:
- Mayercraft Carrier cruise to Grand Bahama, Bahamas
- Central/Northern CA road trip to Morro Bay, Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Francisco

2008 Planned And Booked Travel:
- Work conference in Dana Point
- East Coast road trip to Boston, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Virginia and Washington DC

2008 Planned, But Not Yet Booked Travel:
- "Break from CA" trip to Portland
- BF's work conference in San Francisco

2009 Planned And Booked Travel:
- Mayercraft Carrier cruise to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

2009 Planned, But Not Yet Booked Travel:
- Europe: Austria & Italy, or Ireland