Hello, friends! I've taken a little blog breather since I have so many upcoming travels that I'll be writing about over the next few months. But a new "Ask Chris" question has me back in action once again! This question comes from Facebook. And, here we go! Dear Chris, I'm going
As a fledging “mid-Atlantic travel expert,” I’ve been road-tripping around the region practically every weekend for the past year in an effort to find the best and most unique experiences the mid-Atlantic has to offer. As a result, I frequently receive emails from people looking for help planning specific travels
For the past 30-some years, minstrels-in training, ladies, lasses and squires, beggars, wenches, knaves and even kings have been conveying on a 27 acre bit of forested land in Crownsville, Maryland each fall. No, it's not a time machine. It's the Maryland Renaissance Festival! Here, people come to step back in time, to
A few weeks ago, I had a hankering for my mom's famous peach pound cake. Baking it was no problem -- I've been making it annually for the past few years -- but I had a dilemma. I needed peaches. It's the peak of summer and ordinary grocery store peaches just
Today, I'm unveiling a new feature on Packed Suitcase: My "IT" List-- a snappy roundup of my absolute favorite things about places I've been. First to get the "IT" List treatment... Dewey Beach, Delaware! [caption id="attachment_4798" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Photo Credit: Dewey Beach Vacation Rental[/caption] This tiny .3 square mile stretch along Delaware's Route
As soon as I open the car door, it hits me. A delightfully humid whiff of briny ocean air. The man in front of me’s unloading his car and I see a boogie board and black mesh bag filled with neon-colored shovels and buckets. It becomes obvious to me: people
Last weekend, my Godmother asked me a question. She said, "I see all of those photos you post on Instagram of fabulous food you eat on your travels. You just take a bite or two and then stop... right?" [caption id="attachment_4742" align="alignleft" width="199"] Noshing on Poutine in for my "2 Days
It's no secret that I love the beach. I love everything about it: from the salt-laden air to picking crabs to the natural symphony of lapping waves. But my home, located right outside of Washington, D.C., makes it a little hard to easily get to a beach. To get my
I created my 55 Places Bucket List in 2008, long before I heard of Volt Restaurant and chef Bryan Voltaggio. Like many others, I jumped on the Volt bandwagon after Voltaggio's successful 2009 run on Top Chef, where he was runner-up to his younger brother, Michael. Both supremely talented, Bryan's thoughtful precision battling
A few weeks ago, I waxed poetic about the wonders of Ottawa after my very first visit to Canada's capital city. Today, the sheen still hasn't worn off. I dream of returning and revisiting some of the places that I discovered on my trip. Thankfully, Ottawa's just a brief plan ride from many
On a warm spring evening, I left DC and headed 3 hours north to the historic town of Wayne, Pennsylvania. I had plans to spend just one night there before venturing further south to explore the expansive gardens of the Brandywine Valley. I knew that Wayne was developed as part
Last week, I met a man on the train between Toronto and Ottawa. We exchanged the normal how-do-you-do's, bonded over the unparalleled perks of VIA Rail business-class train travel and started to chat about our journey. When he discovered I was a travel blogger headed to Canada's capital city, he furtively looked
