The Girl Who Goes

independent, intentional travel

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5 Breweries in St. Louis That Aren’t Budweiser

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Hi! It’s me, Cathy. I recognize it has been a pretty long time since I last wrote anything. That’s just because I didn’t have anything to write about 😬 Times like this, I really miss my old life in Spain where there was always something to write about… and I admire my past commitment to posting something new every 10 days…

Anyway, more travel is in my immediate future! Later this month, Matt and I are driving up to Milwaukee for a few days. And then when we get back, we’re flying up to spend a week in Washington/Oregon with one of his college friends! So, more to come. But for now, we’re here to talk about breweries across the state from us in St. Louis, Missouri. [Read more…]

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Trip Review: Washington, D.C.

I’m back to traveling, kind of! Two weeks ago, Matt was asked to travel to Washington, D.C. for work. But since he has Southwest Airlines Companion Pass, that means I get to go along, too. For free! I wasn’t going to turn down the chance for a free vacation.

Luckily, it looks like many more trips to DC will be in our future! In fact, we’re here again right now. But last time, we decided to extend our stay through the weekend and really take in the sights. (Matt has to go into the office during the day.) Because it was our first time traveling in so long, I thought I would write a bit about what it was like in DC. We’re not in a post-COVID society quite yet, but things are still different from before we had vaccines. So, this is what it’s like to visit the U.S. capital in May 2021. [Read more…]

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Why You Should Visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado

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The view from Tomichi Point at Black Canyon National Park — hazy from western wildfires

“Several canyons of the American West are longer and some are deeper, but none combines the depth, sheerness, narrowness, darkness, and dread of the Black Canyon.”
— Duane Vandenbusche, author of Images of America: The Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Have you ever heard of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park? No? Well, you’re not alone. But when we stayed in Grand Junction for a week in September 2020, we were so close to Black Canyon that I couldn’t resist the chance to check off another National Park from my personal list.

Matt had never heard of it but was also happy to make the 1.5 hour drive and spend the day exploring. And the more we researched it, the more excited we were to visit. Keep reading to find out why you should visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. [Read more…]

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How to Spend One Day at Arches National Park, Utah

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THE Delicate Arch, seen during our one day at Arches National Park recently

Out of the 29 National Parks I’ve been to, there’s one that I’ve returned to time and time again: Arches National Park. Located in eastern Utah, not far from I-70 and near the small town of Moab, Arches wasn’t even a park I knew about until my family visited for the first time in 2012 during our annual road trip. Our memories of its fiery red rocks and blue skies came second only to our memories of a particularly ill-advised hike.

Let me just say… hiking to Delicate Arch at 3pm in the middle of July with inadequate shoes and insufficient water isn’t something I would recommend. Also, it’s 1.5 miles each way, not round trip like we’d thought. All I remember is both of my sisters crying the entire time — Becky because she had a migraine; 10-year-old Carrie because with each corner we turned, we weren’t yet at the famous arch. [Read more…]

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How to Transfer From Midway to O’Hare Airport in Chicago

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The CTA train will help you transfer from Midway to O’Hare, or the other way around

Wow… six posts later, I’ve finally finished writing about the holiday trip I took with Matt! Hard to believe that we set off for our travels almost 3 months ago already. Anyway, it’s time for some new topics!

Last week, my mom and I visited Sevilla in the south of Spain. I was able to find her a relatively cheap flight to Madrid to spend a week with me here. And if you didn’t know it already, I booked a last-minute flight home to Kansas City to watch the Super Bowl with my family (just for a weekend). Which was also super cheap. But how did I do it? [Read more…]

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Portland, Maine: 5 Foods You Need To Try

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Portland, Maine food = lots of lobster

Right before heading back to Spain for my second year as an English teacher, I made a quick stop in New England for a friend’s wedding (shout out to Emily & James!). Matt and I decided to make a vacation out of it, so we spent a few days in Portland, Maine, in advance of the wedding weekend.

We were soon joined by my two best friends from college, Hanna and Carson, who are two of the most dedicated foodies I know. When I think about what we did in Portland, so much of it was food-related that I realized I needed to make this a post all on its own. So… these are the top 5 Portland, Maine foods you need to try! [Read more…]

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5 Unique Things to Do in Seattle, Washington

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Keep reading to figure out how to get this view 😉

After my first year working as an English teacher in Madrid, I had the opportunity to spend about nine weeks at home in the U.S. I definitely enjoyed the time with friends and family — but the last two weeks of my “summer” were a whirlwind of travel. And I like it that way!

The second-to-last week of my U.S. visit, I spent Monday-Friday in Seattle with Matt, who was there on a work trip. I had visited Seattle for the first time about two years before, but it was only for a few days. This time, I was able to explore some things off-the-beaten path since I’d already seen the “big” things. So, here’s a list of 5 unique things to do in Seattle! [Read more…]

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A Day in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

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Tubbs Hill, Lake Coeur d’Alene

Now that I’m back in the U.S. for the next couple months, I’m taking every opportunity to keep traveling and keep exploring. Two weeks ago, I flew to Spokane, Washington, to meet up with Matt since he was there for a work trip. I was super excited to spend more time in Washington after traveling to Seattle and a few national parks up there in the past few years! But I actually didn’t stay in Washington for long — we took a quick day trip from Spokane over to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. [Read more…]

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Trip Itinerary: Portland, Mt. Rainier NP, and Olympic NP

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Our trip from Portland to Mt. Rainier to Olympic brought us tons of amazing views, like this one.

A few weeks ago, our beloved exchange student Gaia left the United States to return home to Italy. It was tough on all of us — particularly on my 16-year-old sister Carrie. The girls had become extremely close over the past 10+ months, and it wasn’t easy when Gaia’s time in the U.S. came to an end.

I wanted to help Carrie cheer up, so I decided to take her on a trip. Last year, the two of us visited Seattle and Vancouver together; despite our extensive travels, the Pacific Northwest was a region we’d left largely unexplored. This year’s destination: Portland, Mt. Rainier National Park, and Olympic National Park.

We spent 4 full days and 2 half-days of travel. I’ve broken down my itinerary below — keep reading if you’re interested in planning your own trip! [Read more…]

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How to Plan a Day Trip to Teotihuacan Without a Tour

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Me at Teotihuacan without a tour in 2018

For those visiting Mexico City, you can’t miss out on a visit to Teotihuacan. This fascinating archaeological site is 25 miles from the city center. As with any day trip, you’ll have to do a bit of planning to get the most out of your experience — especially if you choose to visit Teotihuacan without a tour, like I did for the first time in 2018.

A couple of notes before I get into it. I’ve now been to Teotihuacan twice, with my second visit in 2022 — so as you can imagine, a lot has changed as a result of the pandemic. During my first visit, you could climb the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon, as well as the smaller buildings lining the long avenue. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case, as these are all off-limits due to preservation efforts.

With that in mind, I’m not sure I would recommend visiting Teotihuacan without a tour as highly as I did before these recent developments. That’s because it takes a lot of time and effort to get out to the archaeological site, and if you’re not able to climb, all you can really do is walk around, and it’s a looooong walk from one end to the other. (The pyramids are still really amazing to marvel at, of course!) But I personally feel that, now, it’s more worth it to join a tour — whether that’s a Teotihuacan hot air balloon tour like we did in 2022 (read my review here) or a different guided tour.

Anyway, if you still prefer to go it on your own, here’s how to plan your trip to Teotihuacan without a tour. [Read more…]