Tag: live music

A Layover in Los Angeles

LAX is a busy hub, with hundreds of flights to and from destinations around the world, including many long haul flights across the Pacific. These lengthy flights make most people arriving in L.A. tired and cranky. Knowing your next flight doesn’t depart for ten or twelve hours only makes it worse. On our most recent trip from Australia to North America and back, we traveled through LAX, so we can relate. We helped ourselves by staying overnight and made the most of our time. Here are suggestions for things to do on a layover in Los Angeles.

Runyon Canyon hike view
View from our Runyon Canyon hike

We recently took a break from the boat, left Go docked in Australia and flew back to North America. This is one in a series of posts about our trip to the U.S. and Canada. We’ll be back to Australia content in no time.

Pick a Neighborhood

L.A. is huge, sprawling, and has terrible traffic. If you have only a night or two, you’ll want to stay close to where you’ll be spending the majority of your time. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in traffic.

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Top Things to Do In Charleston

For several years, my mom has lived near the lovely South Carolina city of Charleston. With a slow Southern pace, access to beaches and historic sites, and a world-class food scene, visiting Charleston is a pleasure. If you’ll be spending a day or two or three, read my tips on the top things to do in Charleston.

We recently took a break from the boat and Australia and flew back to North America to visit family and friends. Here’s one of the places we loved visiting!

About Charleston, SC

tree, Charleston SC
A moss covered tree in a Charleston park

Charleston is notable for many reasons, including as one of the oldest cities in the USA, founded in the 1600s. This port city played a role in many of the country’s wars, and battleground sites and forts still surround the city, providing history lessons to many visitors. The most populous city in South Carolina, with just over 155,000 residents, it is filled with notable colonial buildings and pretty parks and gardens.

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Top Sights in Villa De Leyva Colombia

An absolutely beautiful town, Villa de Leyva is just a couple hours from Bogota. After enjoying the best of Bogota, make the drive north and spend a few days enjoying the top sights in Villa de Leyva.

Villa de LLeyva region views
Villa de Lleyva region views

About Villa de Leyva

Villa de Leyva is a heritage town in Colombia with cobblestone streets leading to its massive square. With churches and government buildings dating back to the 17th century, the town is a National Monument of Colombia.

A popular weekend destination from Bogota, the top sights in Villa de Leyva draw tourists from outside the country too.

TIP: A top weekend getaway from Bogota, arrive in Villa de Leyva on Sunday or a weekday. You will have the place almost to yourself!

The Plaza Mayor

One of the most majestic town squares we’ve seen is in Villa de Leyva. It’s huge, especially for a small town. The buildings surrounding the square are impressive colonial style buildings dating back a few centuries. The square is a place where locals gather, children play, and everyone relaxes.

The square is home to numerous restaurants, bars, and a couple of breweries. Sometimes musicians play to the patrons of a cafe while everyone nearby can enjoy.

A local musician playing a popular Colombian song which we didn’t know but everyone else did!

We returned a few times to one local brewery where they shared samples and let us wander the square with our craft beers.

Villa de Leyva plaza mayor at dusk
The plaza mayor at dusk
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