Malia Yoshioka is a freelance Food & Travel Writer and ESL Tutor from Hawaii. She's slowly eating her way around the world, 43 countries and counting so far! Get behind the scenes news, travel tips and the best food stories from around the web in her weekly Savor the Journey newsletter.
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π A train trip that surprised me in all the best ways
Published 3 months agoΒ β’Β 4 min read
π Hello from the Midwest,
After the past few weeks traveling up and down the East Coast, I decided to head west to Chicago. In the past, I've taken Amtrak's Capitol Limited in the eastbound direction to get to DC, so for this trip I opted to try a new-to-me route, the Cardinal, which passes through the mountains of West Virginia along the way to Chicago. β Highlights for me included sitting next to a retired FBI evidence technician (!) for most of the trip, spotting a sign saying "Makawao Coffee" (!!) in the middle of nowhere, and getting to hear from a National Park Service ranger from the Trails & Rails program during our trip through New River Gorge.
I forgot my National Parks Passport, so the ranger was kind enough to stamp the back of the brochure for me instead. Loved her stories!
Have you heard of Trails & Rails? β It's such a fun bonus whenever a route that I'm on includes it. Volunteer guides from the NPS share personal anecdotes along with fun facts, alerting you to points of interests as you pass by. β Case in point from this trip: We passed by the prison where Martha Stewart served her time, under the New River Gorge Bridge (the longest single arch steel span in the Western Hemisphere) that towers 876 feet above the train tracks below, and the famous Greenbrier Resort, known as the birthplace of golf in America.
I'm working on a few blog posts and a piece for a national publication about my experience on Amtrak, so stay tuned!
π Do you have questions about riding Amtrak trains in the US? Want to share anything that's surprised you on an Amtrak trip (good or bad)? Hit reply and let me know!
Read it on Shoyu Sugar
Hawaii luckily escaped major damage after this week's 8.8 earthquake in Russia prompted tsunami warnings all around the Pacific and evacuations from coastlines across the Hawaiian islands. β It's a good reminder to consider simple emergency preparations before you travel:
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Destination Inspiration β
One of my favorite ways to beat the heat in the summer in Istanbul was by crossing the Bosphorus on the ferries. This photo essay about the ferries in all four seasons made me nostalgic.
Have you ever used ChatGPT to plan a trip? Seems like a bright idea, but here's a few examples that might make you think twice! Yikes. (Why not let me help you instead?π)
Itβs a new month, time for a new Turkish Wine horoscope from Andrea of The Quirky Cork. (Also, did you see sheβs released her new book, The Quick & Dirty Guide to Greek Wine?)
π§ Quick question - are you a podcast user? (If yes, please reply and tell me which platform is your favorite?)
Win a trip for 2 to the 15th annual Hawaii Food & Wine Festival this fall with priority access to the Hawaiian Airlines Presents Decanted event. You can enter here once per day until 8/4.
Nomadic Matt is giving away a free trip for 2 to Japan, including accommodation, tours and rail passes! The winner will be picked from his newsletter subscribers. Subscribe here by 8/14. Details here.
American Airlines is giving away a 2-night trip for 2 to attend the 2025 Miami Heat summer training camp, including hotel and airfare. Enter once per day through 8/24. Details here.
The Food Network & HGTV are giving away $5000 in the Get Out and Grill Sweepstakes. Enter twice per day until 9/16. Details here.
Looking for a recommendation for a cooking class, food tour, or other activities on your next trip? Check out some of my favorites from around the world via GetYourGuide.
I'm a freelance food and travel writer and online ESL tutor from Hawaii, slowly eating my way around the world and sharing the flavors with you in these weekly updates and on ShoyuSugar.com. Happy you're here! =)
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Malia Yoshioka is a freelance Food & Travel Writer and ESL Tutor from Hawaii. She's slowly eating her way around the world, 43 countries and counting so far! Get behind the scenes news, travel tips and the best food stories from around the web in her weekly Savor the Journey newsletter.
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