M2

Blogger | Kansas City, MO

Montana: Wide Open Spaces

Montana: Wide Open Spaces

Montana is called Big Sky Country for a reason. It’s expansive and sprawling—and the 4th largest state in the U.S. (Size-wise, it’s slightly bigger than Japan.) Despite being gigantic, only… Read more

Inescapable Serenity at 5:55 a.m. in Lakeside, Montana

Inescapable Serenity at 5:55 a.m. in Lakeside, Montana

I’m a morning person by nature—uh, as long as nature is somehow involved. This morning I got up at 4:44 a.m. mountain time, which is surprisingly early even for me…. Read more

Get the Funk Out! My Tips for Getting Out of Your Own Head

Get the Funk Out! My Tips for Getting Out of Your Own Head

Yesterday I was chatting up a friend who—out of nowhere—said, “You know, I don’t know how you stay perpetually perky all the time. Like, what’s your secret?” (Fun fact: I… Read more

15 Fun Facts About Door County, Wisconsin—the Nation’s Best Kept Secret

15 Fun Facts About Door County, Wisconsin—the Nation’s Best Kept Secret

Just when I thought I’d been everywhere and seen everything in the Midwest, I get an assignment to tour stunningly beautiful Door County, Wisconsin. This 70-mile peninsula—which juts off into… Read more

Shreveport: The Revisiting

Shreveport: The Revisiting

The first time I visited Shreveport, it rained for 72 hours straight. We’re talking torrential downpours. Meh. Meh. And meh. Repeat. The only time I ventured out of the hotel… Read more

Southern Brunch at Lula Is Decadent and Delicious

Southern Brunch at Lula Is Decadent and Delicious

Chef Bradley Gilmore strikes again. The North Carolina native who opened his pop-up Lula Southern Cookhouse in late 2021 just added Sunday brunch to the roster. It’s an amazing mix… Read more

Kind Food: New Space, New Menu Items, New Attitude

Kind Food: New Space, New Menu Items, New Attitude

For more than two years Kind Food was nestled in the cramped confines of a shipping container in the Iron District. When they opened in late 2019, owners Jonelle and… Read more

Barceló Puerto Vallarta: Lush, Luxurious Escapism

Barceló Puerto Vallarta: Lush, Luxurious Escapism

The litmus test for me at any all-inclusive resort is whether or not I feel the need/desire/overwhelming urge to escape after a few hours. That certainly wasn’t the case at… Read more

My Dream Gig

My Dream Gig

The nanosecond I turned 16, I went on the hunt for my first job. I marched my happy, unjaded ass into a nearby Pizza Hut and politely asked for an… Read more

Ring the Bell at Hotel Grinnell! A Former Junior High School Finds New Life as a Boutique Hotel Destination

Ring the Bell at Hotel Grinnell! A Former Junior High School Finds New Life as a Boutique Hotel Destination

Rising out of the Iowa cornfields (and a prestigious nearby Midwest college), you’ll find the Hotel Grinnell smack dab in the city’s picturesque center square. Amidst a quaint coffee shop,… Read more