From the Editor

Photo by Steve Roberts

Since this column is being written before Christmas, my mind keeps wandering to the preparations I must do, like packing my suitcase and wrapping presents, before heading out of town on my three and a half-hour drive home. Somehow, I’ll find the time to squeeze in laundry here and there, an oil change, a visit to my dog groomer, last-minute online shopping (for great deals!), baking my requested flourless chocolate cake with dark chocolate glaze and so on, but what I always forget to include are entertainment options for the drive, which might be as boring as watching paint dry.

This lack of enthusiasm makes me wonder if I should approach the drive as a road trip because those are always anticipated adventures. Can’t you recall a time when you were heading to an exciting destination, such as the beach, a ski resort or maybe New Orleans, and how you approached loading up the car for those destinations with joy? You might have even made a list beforehand and gone to the lengths of including snacks, games and movies, as well as making a guide for cool rest stops along the way…anything to divert sitting in a stuffy car for hours on end. The point is that you came prepared because you just couldn’t wait to get wherever you were going!

What really constitutes a road trip anyway? Do you have to be driving a distance greater than 300 miles or be spending the night in a roadside hotel? The answer probably varies depending on whom you ask, but most would probably say that as long as you’re excited about where it leads, then you’re on a road trip.     

Though she’s flying by plane, Alex Eilers, featured in a StreetSeen on page 22, will be taking the longest trip I know of in January as she heads to Antarctica to study Weddell seals. Having never been before, Eilers, who is the manager of education at the Pink Palace Museum, has gone through training for her mission organized through PolarTREC and can hardly wait to share her experience with Memphians through her blog [see article for more info]. Antarctica definitely qualifies as an adventure in my book, so bring along this issue or visit her blog during your own road trip and soak in her amazing story.    

This issue also comes filled with plenty of inspiration to plan your next getaway. For me, Sip Around the World (page 30) makes me want to visit Napa, and the Orpheum Auction Gala (page 12) always increases my longing to see a Broadway show in New York. Wherever 2012 leads you, may you have a blessed journey.