Well hellooooooo there! Welcome to another Travelin’ Thursday! Tonight inspiration came pretty easily, since just one week ago today I was storming around on vacation with a few of my best gals.

In fact, last Thursday evening I was just finishing up some chocolate chip and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies “heavy hors d’oeuvres and crudites” at our hotel club lounge and getting ready to head out for some dinner and some entertainment. Since we were in Chicago, our first thought for music was some Blues or Jazz.

After stumbling through a sort of tacky dueling pianos bar, and an even tackier college-y bar, we found this place: Andy’s Jazz…

And I have to say, I was quite impressed! I had forgotten how relaxing and enjoyable it is to sit and listen to some talented musicians do their thing, spontaneous and full of life. While we ate and listened, I also enjoyed a Chicago brew:

I’m not exceedingly discerning about beer (I’ll drink most any lager, pilsner, pale ale without complaining) but I was pleasantly surprised by this humble wheat beer. I say, when in Chicago, why not try a Chicago beer?

So, I guess my moral of the story is- Don’t go out for sushi in Germany. Don’t drink vodka in Italy. And don’t see flamenco music in Seattle or go to an Italian restaurant in North Dakota (I guess I’m just assuming here). The moral is; “when in Rome…” (insert Rod Burgundy joke here).

Theater in London, grunge music in Seattle, sushi in Japan, and pizza in Naples…

When you travel, how strictly do you adhere to the local culture when choosing food, drink, or entertainment? Do you try the local customs or stick to what you know?

Meri