Family Reunions are the Best Kinds of Vacation

Today I am returning home from a week long trip. I’ve filled you all in on some of the stuff I did last week. The trip was excellent. I’m very glad we did this. There’s always going to be stress when road tripping with two young-ish kids. All in all they were good, the ride was smooth and the company was nice.

The whole idea for this trip was a family reunion. My dad brought up the idea of a reunion about a year ago and he started planning as soon as we said we were all in. The family reunion was quiet and perfect. That’s exactly what I hoped for from this reunion. We did it at my aunt’s house as opposed to renting out a space or gazebo like structure. I feel that’s the best way to go when doing something like this. We all showed up when we could and hung out with each other, switching groups seamlessly. That’s the sign of close familial relationships to me. I could be talking to a cousin one second and easily switch to an aunt or uncle the next with no problem.

The food was also very good. We had lunch catered with some dynamite chicken. The aunt that hosted had one of the best charcuterie boards I’ve ever had the privilege to eat. It was really good. Seriously. The cheese and meat were out of this world. And the grapes were some of the juiciest I’ve ever had. The food was another feather in the cap of this gathering.

Even the rain didn’t stop the fun. It rained, rained hard for a good few hours. During it we spent some time under tents outside, and when it got to be a bit too much, we went inside and hung out. After the rain stopped, me, a cousin around my age and some of the younger kids played wiffle ball. It was dope.

The best thing about this reunion, what I will hold closest to me for the rest of my life, was seeing everyone again. I haven’t seen some of my cousins and aunts and uncles since my wedding. COVID also knocked any chance of us getting together for a few years as well. Being with everyone, conversing with everyone, meeting my cousin’s significant others, seeing how happy my folks were to be seeing everyone again, getting to introduce my wife properly to my family members, that’s what made this reunion so special. It was so easy to fall right into conversation and talk about what we did as kids. I spent a good chunk of the afternoon listening to one of my uncles tell me stories from his childhood. Those ruled by the way. I got one on one time with my aunt that I’m closest with and that made me so happy to converse with her as an adult. This is the way to do a family reunion. It was a pleasure to travel to see everyone. This was so very important and memorable. I’m beyond happy that it all came together and worked out so well. This was a wonderful reason to go on a trip.

Much love to the family members I saw. I cannot wait to see you all again soon.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The National Museum of the Air Force is a Must Visit

While in Dayton yesterday we visited the National Museum of the Air Force. My dad wanted to go there. He served in the Navy. I figured it would be a solid visit to see some decent planes. It was so much better than that.

This place was very, very cool. When you walk in there’s two big warehouses filled with planes and exhibits and a cafe and a gift shop. On one side they have the early days of planes. This was cool, but also kind of terrifying to see. I mean, the geniuses behind the invention were also a little crazy. I mean, they were trying to take these very archaic things into the air to see how far they could fly them. My dad showed me how they used to turn, with what were essentially foot pedals. That’s wild. Seeing the wheels being the only support for landing, that’s nuts. Looking at some of the models of old planes, my dad pointed out that some of them looked like old bathtubs. I wouldn’t put that past them. It looked like they used whatever they had on hand. Props to them for being that brave though.

The other end of the museum was dedicated to war planes and Air Force One. This spot was very immersive. You could walk on these planes. We got to see the inside of a good amount of them. We got a nice inside look at the difference soldiers and the government has on their planes. This was my dad’s forte too. He was explaining all this stuff to us she I loved it. I don’t know much about all this because I never really looked into it. He knows it all and was more than willing to fill us in. There was some neat Berlin Wall stuff we got to see. They had actual pieces of the wall there. There were some VR things my son jumped in on. He loved it. Even the gift shop was cool. The outside had some big planes we saw as we walked back to the car.

I didn’t know what to expect going to this museum. Coming out of it, I really enjoyed my time there. We spent close to three hours checking everything out. It was pretty cool to see and learn about this stuff. All this coming from a person who’s not that into planes. I recommend this spot for sure if you’re ever in Dayton. It’s free and incredible.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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On Ode to the Driving Part of a Road Trip

I’m currently on a road trip. Me, my wife and kids are headed to Lake Okoboji in Iowa. I‘be never been. Neither has my family. It should be fun. I’ve heard from others who say it’s like any other lake town. We are staying in some cool town, so I’m excited. Should be fun. What I want to talk about today is the road trip part.

I’ve always enjoyed a good road trip. It helps that my wife drives. That allows me to mellow out and enjoy the scenery. I’ve pretty much always been the passenger on trips too. My dad always drove and now my wife has taken on that job. She’s a much better driver than me too. Being the passenger lets me zone out. I like to check out the farmland. I enjoy seeing many types of animals. I watched a cow climb a hill this morning. I’ve seen many horses as well. I also enjoy passing other dads and seeing the other passengers. Most people are buried in their device, but sometimes you make eye contact. That’s weird and fun for me. I still try to get truck drivers to honk their horns. My kids are involved in that now too. It’s a thrill when they do honk. I usually control the music. I play stuff my wife likes, but sometimes I throw in music for me. We’ve heard from all kinds of artists today. I’ve listened to Kacey Musgraves, Kendrick Lamar, Doja Cat, Frank Ocean and Pink Floyd, among others. Podcasts play a big role too. As I write we are listening to “Normal Gossip”, one of my wife’s favorites. I’m sure I’ll sneak in a “CBB” or “Lowe Post” at some point. Even on a longer ride like this, a bit over eight hours, I find ways to pass the time. We play lots of car games. My wife and I named celebrities for over two hours this morning. My daughter draws pictures and I try to guess what she’s drawing. My son will pepper me with sports stuff. It’s a great way to pass the time.

Road trips are fun. Sure, they can be boring, but you have to make that time less boring by doing things together. This is my first of 2 road trips this summer. So far we are off to a wonderful start.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Garage is Must Visit if You Find Yourself in Indianapolis

Last weekend my dad and I took my son to Indianapolis for the weekend. I’ll write about the Pacers game and stadium tomorrow. Today I want to talk about a spot we went to before the game on Saturday.

We left Terre Haute in the morning and made our way to Indy. It’s only about an hour drive so we took our time. We couldn’t check into the hotel until four so we figured we’d get lunch and hang out before then. I was on search duty since my dad was driving, but he had already done his research prior to the trip and had decided we were going to check out this spot called The Garage.

The Garage is not a restaurant, instead it is a collection of restaurants. I was already stoked on this spot from what I saw online. Seeing it in reality was even better. This place was pretty rad. Like I said, there was a wide variety of food to try. There was not one through line. There was not just one cuisine to pick from. When we walked in I saw a full service bar. There were drinks galore. Then I saw a juice bar with açaí bowls. I was then drawn to a slice of pizza I saw. It was enormous. I saw a bunch of other spots after that. There was a burger joint, a sushi place, a greek restaurant, a taco truck like storefront, a poke bar, all kinds of stuff. There was even a barbershop within the confines of this place.

If you’re trying to imagine the size, it was like the first floor of the shopping mall. I kind of took my time and checked some spots out. My dad and son did the same. They took even more time in fact. They settled on a Greek spot. My son had dolmades, pita, hummus and fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. My dad had a very tasty looking gyro. It was stuffed with meat and tzatziki and feta. He said it was great. I leaned into the poke bar. I had been eyeing it since I saw it online. And it totally delivered. I got brown rice, seaweed salad, nori strips, a citrus ponzu sauce and tuna. It was excellent. I have been telling everyone about how good it was. I find myself craving it almost a full week later. I told my wife that this was a meal I’ll think about for awhile. It was that good.

Outside the food this place was pretty cool. The bathrooms were very clean and spread out from the food spots. There were tv’s everywhere. The men’s tournament was on so it was great for me and my kid. I already mentioned the barbershop with people getting haircuts. They had security and people cleaning tables consistently. The space was heated which was nice since it was so cold last weekend. And the people watching was next level. I love people watching and this was one of the best experiences I’ve had while doing it.

If you ever go to Indianapolis and want to check out some cool food, a different spot and some of the best people watching there is on this planet, check out The Garage. It was dope.

Check out the Garage Food Hall

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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My Adventures in Disneyworld

Now that my basketball previews are all done I want to talk about anything else. Today I want to tell you all about my family trip to Disney World.

I had never been to Disneyworld before. My kids have never been and my wife has not been since she was a child. Her and her dad have been planning this trip since 2020. We were supposed to go in October of 2020, but COVID. And we kept pushing it back. We all felt safe enough this year, especially since my wife and I got our Omicron booster a week before. So we did it. I do also want to let everyone know that we did not pay for this trip. My wife's father has wanted to take us on a trip for a long time, my daughter's birthday was coming up and we pulled the trigger. I saw a ton of people with shirts that said stuff like "Most Expensive Day Ever", or, "Now, I'm Broke". We do not have to worry about this, but if we had to pay it would have been a totally different trip. Just wanted to get that out there. But we did it, we went. I flew on a plane, and it was surprisingly safe. About 1/3 of the passengers wore masks and we were able to stay in our own personal bubble.

What I really want to talk about is the parks we visited. The first full day we were there we went to Epcot. I was blown away. Epcot has that big golf ball looking sphere. It is amazing to see in real life. It was incredible. The park itself was awesome too. This is the spot we saw the most performers. We met a ton of dressed up actors. From Rafiki to the Penguin from "Mary Poppins", we saw a bunch. I also took lots of pictures of my kids posing with them. The rides I did were neat. They were VR, but damn did they feel real. My daughter and I did one where we went to Mars and I felt a bit nauseous at one point, in a good way. The food was on point. There was a Food and Wine festival so maybe that was why. But the pork lettuce wraps I had were dynamite. I also really enjoyed walking through all the countries. Every block you turned was somewhere new. From Mexico to Germany to France and beyond, it was all covered. It also smelled great. Even the iced coffee was solid. We even did a "Beauty and the Beast" singalong and it was wonderful.

The next day we went to Hollywood Studios. Walking into the park was like walking into old Hollywood. It was dope. As we got further into the park we ended up at Galaxy's Edge, which is Star Wars world. This was amazing. It was my favorite spot of the whole trip. The food was great. The features were amazing. The Millenium Falcon ride was rad. The performers were on point. My wife said she was starstruck when she saw the Kylo Ren actor. My son got a stormtrooper mask and was talking to the stormtrooper actors. He loved every second of it. I was totally blown away. We also did a "Frozen" sing along here and it was more fun than the day before. I truly loved Hollywood Studios, although RD was bummed I wouldn't buy him a lightsaber. They were very expensive.

On my daughter's birthday we went to Magic Kingdom. This was her choice. She wanted to see the castle they show before Disney movies, so we went there. It was wonderful. This park is definitely geared towards kids, and my kids had a blast. We rode Dumbo, The Great Goofini, my wife and kids did Space Mountain, we rode the teacups, we had lunch at a Space Mountain type of diner, we did all that we could. We had Dole whip, we watched a parade. My father in law got to see a barbershop quartet. We walked around the castle. It was an exhausting yet amazing day. My daughter couldn't have been happier.

On our last day we went to Universal Studios. I was most pumped for this. And when we walked in we saw Simpsons Land. It was truly a sight, for me, to behold. I was in my happy place. I was snapping all kinds of pictures. I couldn’t believe my eyes. We went to Krusty Burger for lunch, and this is when it all went downhills. The line was a glacier. It took well over an hour to get a cheeseburger. The burger was fine, but not worth waiting over an hour for. After lunch my wife wanted to go to Harry Potter World. We made our way there, but it was so packed we could not even go into a shop. We all wanted ButterBeer, but the wait was longer than that at Krusty Burger. We could barely move because of all the people. My anxiety was through the roof. My wife was frustrated. My kids were spent by that time. We cut that visit short. We were only there for three or four hours. It was the only misstep of the whole trip in my opinion. I don't know if it was because we went on a Saturday, or because it was early October or what, but it was far, far too crowded. We just did not want to deal with it.

Now when people ask me how my trip to Disneyworld was I tell them, I am glad I went, it was amazing to see, my kids had a blast and I loved it all being outside, but I do not ever have to go again. I'm very happy I did, and I will always remember this trip. But I just do not see any reason, unless my kids want to, go back. I loved it, and if you can I definitely recommend going. It is worth at least one visit in your lifetime.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Biking and Running Mackinac Island

Today I want to talk about how I got around while on Mackinac Island. This will also wrap up my days of talking about my vacation. We did visit some friends in Chicago, but the last day on Mackinac was, technically, our last day of vacation. We drove home over the next two days with one stop in between. But being on Mackinac for a full day was cool.

As I said yesterday, there are no cars allowed on the island. There is no way to get them there, the streets are full of tourists walking, biking and running. It is kind of awesome to live like that for a day or two. The first day we were there we did some walking around. It was cool. You could go at a leisurely pace and stop wherever you wanted. The island was your oyster if you will. I also went on a run. I decided to do my own personal 5k. It ruled. The resort we stayed on had a big hill down to the mainland, and from there it was pretty flat. I was tired, but I was keeping a sub ten minute mile pace, which is good for me. It was also nice to see all the sights on my run. I got to see a myriad of horses. I dodged tourists left and right. The water was mesmerizing. You could see the bridge from where I went. The bridge is a big deal on Mackinac. It is a humongous structure. It is a sight to behold. I am scared of heights, so it was a struggle to look at. But when you see it from the island it is miraculous. Seeing it on my run was a nice break.

The weather was also perfect for my run. It was 70 degrees, sunny and there was a nice breeze coming off the lake. It ruled. I had planned on going trail running the second day we were there, but other stuff came up, more on that in a few. There were so many horses. I have never seen so many horses. They have carriage rides. The taxis are horse drawn. The delivery trucks and trash trucks are pulled by horses. It was neat. There was also so much horse droppings, but they had people cleaning it up everywhere. It was interesting.

The main mode of transportation on the island is by bike. Pretty much everyone brings a bike or rents one while on the island. It is the fastest and easiest way to get around. My brother and his wife brought their bikes. The rest of us rented. I loved every single second riding a bike. I am not much of a bike rider, but something about being on Mackinac, it just made sense. I said I had planned on going for a trail run on our full day there. And that was the plan. Then my son said he wanted to ride a tandem bike with me. I was all on board. It was his idea and I couldn't have been more eager to ride with him. We found a tandem bike with ease and started to ride. Miles helped a ton. He did so much peddling with me. I did not know what to expect, but he started to really get into it about three miles in. The island is an eight mile loop. I thought Miles was only going to want to go out and back about three miles. But the further we went the more he wanted to go. It was great. We ended up doing a full loop together. We stopped for pictures, to drink water and when we saw our family. We also ended up on the beach for a few minutes here and there. After our full loop Miles wanted some lunch and fudge, so I obliged him. He did so great on the bike that he earned it. So we did our thing. I figured he was going to be ready to return the bike, but he wanted to go out for more. Again, I obliged. We rode to Arch Rock, a great sightseeing spot. We saw the bridge. We hung out by the beach. We did another four miles. It ruled. I assumed I was done on the bike after three hours of riding with Miles. I was going to go on that trail run around two. But after meeting up with my mom, dad, wife, daughter and niece, my daughter said she wanted to go on a ride with me. I had to take her since I went all around the island with her brother. She is a bit too small for a tandem bike, so we rented a bigger bike for me with a wee ho attachment for her. The wee ho is a little seat that has a big buckle system. She had an absolute blast. We booked it around the island. We were cooking. I would look at my watch and would be astounded at how far we had gone in such a little amount of time. We made it around the full island in 45 minutes. I returned the bike. By that time I had gone 19 miles on bike around the island, 11 with Miles and 8 with Audrey. I was spent. Plus we walked over 12,000 steps on the island that day. The trail run got pushed because I was having too much fun with my kids on the bike. It is an experience I will never forget. I loved it so very much. I took so many pictures.

Biking is truly the best way to get around and sightsee on the island.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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My Adventure on Mackinac Island

The last part of our summer vacation found us in Mackinac Island. I want to spend the next two days talking about my time there. I had never been there before. I have been to the UP of Michigan a bunch, that was where we vacationed when I was a kid, but I had never been to the Mackinac side before. I was curious to see what it was like. In all seriousness, it looks like the rest of the UP. There are little shops, some motels, pasty shops and gas stations as far as the eye can see. But Mackinac is different. This is a fully different spot to visit.

To get to Mackinac you have to take a ferry to get there. I've only ever been on a ferry one other time in my life and it was to go to a restaurant in Illinois. It was a five minute ride across a tiny lake. Not much to write home about. This ferry ride though, this was where it was at. The ferry boat was humongous. It had two levels. There was an open spot on the top and an indoor area on the lower deck. It was rad. The day we got there it was raining and cold, so we sat in the lower deck. It was pretty cool. They kept a window open so you could feel the breeze from the lake. Also, the lake was enormous. The ferry ride was about 15-20 minutes long and it was very relaxing. I was sitting there looking out my window and just watched the ferry cruise along the lake. It was great. My daughter also had a very good time checking it out. She loved it more than any of us I think.

When you get to Mackinac it could be a total mess of people. But they know how to handle crowds and people getting on and off ferry boats left and right. I was impressed by how they managed the crowd. We were told where to go, where our resort was and how to get there, either by foot or by carriage. That is another thing about Mackinac, there are no cars on the island. They are not allowed. To get around you have to walk, take a carriage, run or ride bikes. Bikes seem to be the most popular mode of transportation on the island. More on that tomorrow.

When you finally settle and get out, Mackinac is like a tourist dream. There are kitchy shops as far as the eye can see. There are way, way too many fudge shops, but that is just maybe in my head since I don't like fudge. Also, Mackinac is kind of known for their fudge. I will say that my wife and kids have loved every bit of fudge they have had since we got home. There are also Adirondack chairs everywhere on the island. Each morning we would have breakfast sitting on an Adirondack chair and looking at the lake. Again, it was relaxing. I loved having my iced coffee and sitting on the lake with my fam. It was exactly what I like to do when I am on vacation. The restaurants were solid, and you could sit outside at any of the spots. It was also perfect weather every single day. The temperature never got above 75, there was hardly any humidity, and when the sun went down it was cool enough to wear sleeves. It was the best. The resorts were also very cool and comfortable. I have zero complaints about where we stayed other than everything is made for people under six feet tall, but that is just fine. I just had to duck down, which I do a lot already.

Mackinac Island is a very cool, very touristy and very fun place to visit. I'm so glad that I finally went. I will definitely go into more detail about the stuff I did tomorrow, but I just wanted to lay a baseline for how cool Mackinac is when you arrive. It was a blast. I cannot wait to go back.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Adventures in Ann Arbor

After leaving Indianapolis we made our way to Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is no secret that I am a big time Wolverines fan. That is my squad. That is the only non-family thing that I actually love. So going to Ann Arbor is a pilgrimage for me if you will. I went a few years back, pre COVID, for a football game. That ruled. We also took my son there in 2019 during his Spring Break for a day trip while in Holland, Michigan. Ann Arbor is a great place to visit. It is a cool college town with like minded people. We all cheer for the Wolverines. The mood is more liberal there too, which is perfect for me.

One of the best things to do while in Ann Arbor is going to Zingermann's Deli. It is my favorite sandwich shop in the country. There is no better spot for a sandwich that I have found, anywhere in the country. The sandwiches are big, they are flavorful, they are worth the cost and they are simply perfect. I had their traditional Rueben. It comes with pastrami, cole slaw, swiss cheese and is on rye bread. It is as straightforward as they come and it is so, so delicious. I inhaled my lunch that day. I couldn't get enough of it. My wife had a Georgia Rueben, which had the same ingredients but they substitute the pastrami with turkey. She let me try some and it was very, very good. I enjoyed it quite a bit. My son had a sandwich that had roasted chicken and bbq sauce on it and that was great. Hell, my daughter's grilled cheese on rye was tasty. The whole place is simply the best. My wife and I each got a pickle, one that stated it had "extra garlic" in it. It was phenomenal. I couldn't get enough of it. I loved each bite. My daughter had real applesauce that even had a light red hue to it. It was fresh and delicious. I liked it quite a bit. Zingermann's Deli is a must stop when going to Ann Arbor.

After lunch we did some sightseeing. I took my son to the M Den to do some shopping. He was amazed at the amount of basketball jerseys they had. He was in heaven. He searched and searched and finally settled on an old school Juwan Howard jersey. It was dope. My daughter got some pom poms. My dad got a sticker and I settled on a lanyard. It is so awesome to walk into a store that is filled with the gear of your favorite team. It makes shopping fun. We had a good time at the M Den.

We walked downtown for a bit, but my wife, son, daughter and mom were getting tired so they headed back to the hotel. My dad and I had other intentions. We made our trip to the football stadium. I cannot go to Ann Arbor without going to Michigan Stadium, or The Big House. It is my church, if I believed in that stuff. It is my main reason, and thing I want to do when visiting Ann Arbor. My dad and I drove around the whole stadium and snapped a ton of pictures, or as my wife and mom said, too many. I love seeing the humongous block M everywhere. There is awesome Michigan artwork everywhere outside the stadium. The Crisler Center, where the Wolverines play basketball, is attached to Michigan Stadium. The player development center is right there too. But there is nothing like going to the very front of the stadium. You get to see the biggest block M. The entrance to the stadium is immaculate. The big screen in front has flashing images of all the different sports. You can read the fight song on one of the pillars inside the stadium. It is the absolute best. This was where I felt the most like a tourist and it was incredible. I simply cannot recommend The Big House enough.

Ann Arbor is pretty cool town. It is a must visit spot. It is one of the greatest places in the country without a doubt.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is a Must Visit

Hello all. I'm back from my vacation. It was great. It was relaxing and fun and I saw a ton of cool stuff and I'm going to spend the next four days going over some of the cool stuff I saw while I was gone.

I want to start with the first stop of the trip, Indianapolis. We spent a day and a half there. I had never spent any extended time in Indy. I always drove through or stopped for one night in a hotel. I never did any sightseeing or touristy stuff. This time we did. The Indianapolis Children's Museum was recommended to us by many people, including RD himself. I knew nothing of this spot. I did some research the night before we went and everything online made it sound like a perfect spot, especially for my kids. My son is ten, obsessed with sports and is very, very smart. My daughter is six, just as smart and loves pretty much any kind of toy that she can get her hands on. The Indianapolis Children's Museum was a perfect fit.

This place is four stories high full of all kinds of different activities that we all could partake in. Along with me, my wife and kids, my mom and dad came with us. We split up into two groups, boys and girls. Miles wanted to go with me and his papa, and Audrey wanted to have, in her words, "a ladies day". It was perfect. Miles, myself and my dad instantly made our way to the outside sports area. This was dope as hell. When you walk outside there are about a dozen different basketball hoops, ranging from five feet to ten feet. It was awesome. You could shoot, dunk and they even had shot clocks so you could get a quick one on one game in no time. Miles and I spent a good amount of time here. My dad also got some shots up. It was great. Right next to the hoops they had a football area. You could throw passes, kick field goals and run a "gauntlet". It was excellent. Not to be outdone there was a soccer field, a baseball diamond, a mini hockey rink, the biggest treehouse I have ever seen, a go kart racetrack and two mini golf courses. It was amazing. We were at the museum for about five hours and my three man crew spent about three and a half hours outside. It was truly wonderful.

My wife, daughter and mom all had a blast really checking out the exhibits at the museum. They went to an area that had a whole entire Greece exhibit. They made olive oil, rode a fake plane and saw some snacks. They went to the American Pop and Barbie exhibit. They were filled with so many toys I think my daughter's head was spinning. She got to make her own Barbie too. They saw a ton of artwork. They got to do some math and science experiments.

We all went to the dinosaur exhibit and that was truly amazing. I am a dinosaur fan so this was a big deal for me. They had some of the coolest rebuilt dinos. They had them in real life situations. They had a fossil digging spot. They had real fossils mixed in with the fake ones. They had dinos all the way from the floor to the wall. It was so dope. I didn't want to leave this spot, but my son kept begging to go outside and my daughter wanted to spend more time with her mimi.

We went back to go to the outdoor sports area, but we stopped to check out the stuff inside before going back out. There were a ton of cool paintings of athletes in motion. They had a pitching machine where you could pitch virtually. They had Lego Nascar's. They even had a TV where you could make your own sports segment on the news. Both my kids loved this. It was also hilarious. My son had a green t-shirt on, and since there was a green screen behind him, all you could see was his head and arms. It ruled.

Hell, even the food court had solid food. This place was so worth the price. I simply cannot recommend it enough. We had some rain during the day, but that did not stop us at all. We went and hooped in the rain. I raced my son on the go-kart in the rain. We mini golfed in the rain. And it didn't slow us down one bit. The Indianapolis Children's Museum is a must stop for anyone going to Indy. It was wonderful.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Let's Talk About the Great Entertainment on My Vacation

I wanted to talk about my vacation for the entire week when I got back on my blog, but other stuff kept popping up that I needed to write about. I did write about three things I really loved on my trip, and today, I am going to talk about the fourth, and final, thing I wanted to write about. I have mentioned the food, the resort and my wonderful dolphin swimming adventure, and today, I want to talk about the entertainment that Secrets Capri offered its guests every night, and during the afternoon.

So, in the afternoon, usually after lunch time, they had some kind of live music. One day they had a band that sang pop hits ranging from the 90's to now. When this band played, my wife told me that it was the best live show she had ever been to. They were playing music she loved, she was in a pool and she was getting served free drinks. This comment made sense to me. And while I have seen much, much better live shows, this was definitely fun. After that band played, a guy drummed along to EDM music for about an hour, and he was pretty good. We also saw other live music during the afternoon. One day there was a couple of dudes, with long hair, that played what one might consider beach songs acoustically. They were relaxing and enjoyable. Another day there was a gentleman playing solo guitar to modern songs. He was tremendous.

There was also some kind of activity in, or around the pool and beach everyday. I did water aerobics one day, we had a staying on a surfboard contest, there was pickleball everyday, soccer matches, dance contests, all kinds of cool stuff to check out while hanging at the pool. They also offered stuff like snorkeling, parasailing, kayaking and jet skis. But, I preferred the live entertainment, and the pool games. The staff that ran the pool activities was phenomenal as well. They were fun, but also gave us a solid workout. It was a nice way to get some exercise, but also have a ton of fun.

At night, the entertainment got even better. Again, they had a special thing for every night that we were there. One night they had a showing of "Bohemian Rhapsody" on a big inflatable screen. While I didn't think the movie was that good, I did love the music I have to say, it was cool to watch it on a big screen right by the beach at night time. They also gave us free movie snacks. Another night they had a magician. We didn't go to this show, but talked to other people, and they said it was a good show. The last night we were there they had an entire show dedicated to the history of Mexico, mainly talking about the Aztecs. This was awesome. They did live music, they told a story and they had people interpreting their words through movement. It was really neat while also being informative. The actors they had were really good too. The costumes were top notch as well.

But, the best thing I saw while we were there was the Beatles cover band they had. The band was great. I have seen more than enough Beatles cover bands, I play Beatles music myself, but this band was really solid. They sounded great, and the guitar player was excellent. They did, at times, sound like the Beatles, especially when they played stuff off "Sargent Peppers". They also had a Cirque de Soleil show going on while the band played, and that was a delight. To see the things these performers could do with rings and bars and their body movement, I was amazed. It was one of the coolest, and most unique things I have ever seen in a Beatles cover show. It was so good.

This whole trip was amazing, and I wanted to let you all in as much as I could with my recollection of everything. Again, I highly recommend checking out Secrets Capri if you can. It has everything you could want, and it is all top of the line.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Right now for his summer vacation Ty is soaking up the history and culture of west St. Louis County. Most of those shows take place at the little league ball fields.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

Let's Talk About Swimming With Dolphins on My Vacation

hey buddy

Continuing my week of vacation memories today I want to talk about one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life.

So, in lieu of gifts for each other, my wife and I decided that the trip was going to be each others gift. But, when we got to the resort, we kept checking the pamphlets that were handed to us, and we both kept reading about one excursion that involved swimming with dolphins. I was intrigued. I love dolphins. They are so smart and cute and just an overall cool animal. My wife likes dolphins as well. She has always had an affinity for them. She just likes them. That is all. So we decided that we would do this dolphin swimming excursion on our actual anniversary, as kind of a second gift to each other.

We booked it, and the day came. Again, the service to getting there, the shuttle and what not, was second to none. Just wonderful. When we got to where we needed to be, it only got better from there. The workers at the dolphin swim spot were awesome. They put on a little show for all of us prior to the experience. We got to see the dolphins do tricks and see how fast they swim and see how they interacted with the trainers. It was so cool. I always have conflicted feelings about stuff like this, keeping wild animals locked up basically, but this was such a cool day, I kind of let that slide.

After the show we got split up into to groups, and each group went their separate ways. My wife and I signed up for an experience that, not only included the dolphin swim, but also let us pet and feed manatees. We went to the manatees first, and that was great. We got to pet them first, and it was wild. They are so slimy on top. The trainers told us it was from the algae in the water, and you could not only feel it, but also see it. They were go gentle, the manatees that is. The trainers then had them flip on their backs and we got to pet their stomachs. The stomach was so much smoother and it was almost like petting a dog. It was awesome. We then got to feed them. We each held up a piece of lettuce to our sides, and then the manatees kind of hugged us to get the lettuce. It was so odd and so cool. We then were handed some kind of veggie and we got to feed them directly in their mouths. Their mouths were so prickly yet gentle. It was neat. This was a great way to kick off the day.

After the manatees, it was the main event. We went to the dolphin area and started our lifelong memory experience. At first, we did this thing where we swam out to the middle of the water and water with our bodies in a T shape. The trainers made sure to tell us to keep our knees locked and feet straight when the dolphins approached. As they approached us, they started to push their noses into our feet, and we started to move. Then, as we got going faster, the trainer told us to stand up and arch our back. This is where the dolphins pushed us up in the air. It was exhilarating. I was so hyped while in the air. I absolutely loved this. They called it the foot push. It was incredible. Then, while we were waiting, we got to have a little one on one time with a single dolphin. Here we got to kiss the dolphin, have the dolphin kiss us, we got to dance with them and have them give us a high five. We also got to hold them like babies and feel their heart beat. It was glorious. While doing this we were also showed how to get the dolphins make noises. Stuff like rev a car or clapping sounds, it was amazing. After we all had the one on one time, my wife and I got to do a dual dorsal swim. In this part we swam out to the center of the pool again, and here we waited with our arms and palms facing backwards, and when the dolphins got to us, we grabbed onto their dorsal fins and they took us for a ride around the water. This was so neat. To feel the fin, and the dolphins strength, I was floored. This was so cool. The last thing we got to do was go out on a single person kayak, kayak around the water and get to an open spot. Here the trainers got the dolphins to come over to us on the kayak, told us to do so me random things and the dolphins clapped and pushed and rolled around us on the kayak. It was tremendous. It was second only, for me, to the foot push.

This whole dolphin swimming excursion was well worth the time and money. Hell, they even provided a free lunch buffet, where there was ceviche, along with everything else. I will always remember this as long as I live. We have no photographic evidence because pictures were far too expensive. But for me, I like that this was only for my wife and I, and the other people that were there that day. This is a thing I highly recommend everyone doing once in your life if you have the chance. It was so well run, safe and fun as can be. I loved it, and I will always have it in my memory. What a great day. Swimming with dolphins rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. At least the dolphins did not get sexually attracted to Ty like they did to Hank Hill. Yes, all of our life experiences have a connection to a cartoon.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

SeedSing Classic: Let Ty tell you about a Perfect Spot in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Top of the bluff. Photo by Ty with an Iphone 5

We have been posting classic articles all week because Ty and I have been on vacation. We happen to be in the same place. Here is a classic article from Ty talking about our hidden gem of a vacation destination. We will be back on July 30th with new, and soon to be classic, content.

RD Kulik

SeedSing classic is a look back at our most influential articles. These pieces have been presented in their original form. No Star Warsesque special editions. Enjoy

I have spent the last five days in what I believe may be a piece of heaven on Earth.

I don't believe in any kind of faith, so by calling this place heaven, I mean to say, this place is perfect. I used to travel to this town a lot as a child, pre teen and teenager. I've even gone as an adult. I guess it took me being a father myself to truly appreciate the quiet solitude that is Bessemer, Michigan.

Like I said, I've vacationed there a lot. My folks grew up there.(technically my dad grew up in Bessemer. My mom grew up in a town called Ramsey that's three miles away, essentially the same place). It was always fun to go as a kid because I got to see my cousins that lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota and Michigan. Both my parents folks lived there too, so I got to see my grandparents as well. We usually went during Spring Break. It was the only time that me and my three brothers had a full week off.

So, I bet you're thinking, Spring Break, that's great, good weather, not too hot, not too cold. That's not the case in Bessemer. Bessemer is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so it's winter about eight to nine months of the year. So, in mid March, when we'd normally visit, there'd still be three to five feet of snow on the ground. My grandparents would be relieved by this. This meant winter was coming to  an end, maybe by May, the snow would be gone. I loved the fact that they still had all this snow on the ground. I thought, awesome I can go sledding in the middle of March! No way that was happening in St. Louis, my hometown.

As I got older, and cousins grew up and moved and grandparents were passing away, our annual trips dwindled. At first it was every year, then every other year, until it was good if we got up there once every four to five years. It also seemed like we only were going up for funerals. A place I once loved was becoming a place I associated with death. I was in my early twenties when my last grandparent passed away and that trip to Bessemer was pretty upsetting for me. I was very close to my grandpa. My dad and I talked to him on the phone every Sunday after my grandma passed away. My dad and I made trips up there to visit him also. Grandpa Louis was very important to me and I loved him almost as much as my parents. We were extremely close. So, after he passed away, I genuinely thought his funeral would be my last trip to the UP. What was the point if grandpa wasn't going to be there? I constantly asked myself that question.

A few years after his death, my mom and dad planned a trip to Bessemer. I was hesitant at first, but they explained to me, that if I thought it was going to be hard, think of how they felt. That's where they grew up and their parents were gone. I knew exactly what they meant and I was on board for the trip. The only difference, besides my extended family not being there was, my parents planned the trip for the summer. We did go there in summer,  but sparingly. As I said earlier, we usually went on Spring Break. We didn't have a place to stay, so my parents rented a luxury cabin. Tons of beds and bathrooms and pool tables. It was great. But what made it even better was the fact that I was able to remember good times I had there as a kid. Instead of dwelling on what I didn't have, I made the concerted effort to make new, grown up memories. Sure, sledding was fun, but now I could go hiking with my brothers and climb the bluffs with them. Swimming in Lake Superior is exhilarating. You can go to Little Girls Point and skip rocks while lounging on their rock beach. If you'd prefer a sand beach, head to Black River Harbor. These were all things I couldn't do with a ton of snow on the ground. This was a whole new world to me. I'm glad I have brothers who like doing these things too. I wouldn't do this stuff on my own.

On this most recent trip, I climbed the bluffs for the first time in a long time. I couldn't do it before because I was overweight and out of shape. In the past two years I've shed about a hundred pounds and decided I would challenge myself, and with a little encouragement from my brother, I did it and got some great pictures of the town. It was phenomenal. I also went tubing for the first time in my life. I laid on an inner tube on my stomach and a boat pulled me from side to side and I did jumps in the water. It was great. My wife and three year old son were with my family and I and it was great to share this beautiful place that I love with them. We'd drive by streets and I'd tell them memories I had. I also was able to show them where my grandparents lived. My parents drove us around and told us stories that I'd never even heard. My wife has been there before, but it was my sons first trip. He loved it, his favorite thing to do was skip rocks on Lake Superior. I also got to see a lot of my cousins this time around. We are all adults with kids now, but we were able to make time to see each other. It was great. The weather was as good as it gets. This was another thing that made this trip so perfect. This was the first week of August and the temperature never got any higher than 76 degrees. Did I mention the fact that there's no humidity. It was a great relief from St. Louis summers.

Another reason I'm so happy that we travel to the UP in the summers now. I know they do most of their business during the winter with all the ski hills. But, I'm here to tell you that summer time is the time to make a trip to the UP. It's so great. The sky at night time is so clear you can see the stars perfectly. I'm so grateful that my parents talked me into going back to the UP and the fact that we go in the summer now. Bessemer, Michigan in the summer is the best place in the world to visit. Do yourselves a favor and book a week long stay up there. You will love it.

I know I certainly just did.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the co-host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was paid no money to write this rave review of Bessemer Michigan, he would like some money. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

The Government is Keeping Us off of Mars

This is the only rocket NASA can afford.

Do you know who Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornieko are?

Do you know who Alan Shepard and Yuri Gagarin are? (I really hope you do.)

What about Neil Armstrong, does his name ring a bell?

How about Mark Watney, I am going to assume you have heard of him?

According to my basic internet / personal polling research most people know that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, Yuri Gagarin was the first person in space, Alan Shepard was the first American in space, and Mark Watney is a fictional character who is stranded on Mars. Most people have no idea who Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornieko are, and that is a huge shame. 

Astronaut Kelly and Cosmonaut Kornieko are just past the half way point of a year long mission on board the International Space Station. One of the goals of this mission is to determine what prolonged time in space does to the human body. Kelly and Kornieko volunteered to be human guinea pigs in our quest to travel farther into space, first stop Mars. Read all about their amazing mission here.

Andy Weir's sci-fi novel The Martian (and the recent Ridley Scott Film based on the book) tell the story of Mark Watney and how he survives on Mars when he is accidentally left behind (read this book, it is outstanding). The story is filled with real scientific scenarios based on the ideas we have about the hospitality of Mars.  The realism of the book help make it, and the movie, a huge hit. It is not out of the realm of possibility to think that we could make a manned mission to Mars in the near future. There are still some very large issues to figure out, like how are we going to stop our Mars explorers from being cooked alive by radiation. We are working to figure out these problems, and the first human steps on a different planet are forthcoming. Humanity is on the verge if interplanetary travel.

The biggest leap of faith in Weir's book is the idea that NASA is well funded enough to support the cost of manned Mars missions. Americans always seem excited about the possibility of space travel, yet our government never has the will to commit money to the endeavor. The budget to run all of NASA in 2015 was approximately $885 million. The US congress has spent $5 million (and counting) on their admitted politically motivated Benghazi committee.  The US house has spent northwards of $75 million trying to repeal Obamacare. The pointless never ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost at least $4 trillion, and that does not account for the medical care returning veterans will require. There have been billions of unaccounted for money the US has distributed all over Iraq and Afghanistan. A manned mission to Mars is estimated to cost around $100 billion. The point is that our government balks at the price tag for manned space exploration, yet they have no problem wasting money on politically motivated pet issues and other forms of fraud. The latest tea party hero, Jim Jordan of Ohio, costs the taxpayers around $120 million every year so his district can continue to manufacture tanks that the Army does not want. The fiscal conservatives halt NASA and our future, yet waste untold amounts of money on things that do not advance humanity.

Our government's lack of investment in space exploration contributes to the public's dismissive attitude about current space explorers. What Gagarin and Shepard did was dangerous and unknown. What Armstrong did was dangerous and inspiring. What Kelly, Kornieko, and all current space travelers do is dangerous and vital to our future. Mark Watney is more well known because The Martian is a great book, and the hero represents our hopes for what a future of interplanetary travel will look like. Weir's hero is dependent on what NASA has done, and will do. Our future on Mars has its genesis in what Kelly and Kornieko are doing on the International Space Station. We will get excited about Mars when we have heroes to root for. Our current astronauts are these heroes. They should be celebrated at least as much as a fictional character.

A manned mission to Mars is inspiring and necessary. People are flocking to read, and see, The Martian because it inspires hope and pride in humanity. The scientific discoveries made through the space programming are staggering. When President Kennedy told us we had ten years to land on the moon, the technology did not exist. Nine years later we landed on the moon and started a new computer revolution. We do not have the technology to walk on Mars, yet. When a strong leader emerges in our government, and we are challenged as a nation to rise up, we will see humans walk on Mars within our lifetimes. What great technical revolution will follow? Astronaut Mike Kelly and Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornieko are getting us ready to travel beyond the moon. Their work is paving the way for a future Mark Watney. We deserve to experience the awe and pride of interplanetary travel. We deserve a government that believes in the future.

Thanks to NASA.gov and Space.com for their help in my research. Seriously go read The Martian.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He is wondering if Valentine Micheal Smith is waiting for us on Mars. Join the conversation by writing for SeedSing.

Let Ty tell you about a perfect spot in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Top of the bluff. Photo by Ty with an Iphone 5

I have spent the last five days in what I believe may be a piece of heaven on Earth.

I don't believe in any kind of faith, so by calling this place heaven, I mean to say, this place is perfect. I used to travel to this town a lot as a child, pre teen and teenager. I've even gone as an adult. I guess it took me being a father myself to truly appreciate the quiet solitude that is Bessemer, Michigan.

Like I said, I've vacationed there a lot. My folks grew up there.(technically my dad grew up in Bessemer. My mom grew up in a town called Ramsey that's three miles away, essentially the same place). It was always fun to go as a kid because I got to see my cousins that lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota and Michigan. Both my parents folks lived there too, so I got to see my grandparents as well. We usually went during Spring Break. It was the only time that me and my three brothers had a full week off.

So, I bet you're thinking, Spring Break, that's great, good weather, not too hot, not too cold. That's not the case in Bessemer. Bessemer is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so it's winter about eight to nine months of the year. So, in mid March, when we'd normally visit, there'd still be three to five feet of snow on the ground. My grandparents would be relieved by this. This meant winter was coming to  an end, maybe by May, the snow would be gone. I loved the fact that they still had all this snow on the ground. I thought, awesome I can go sledding in the middle of March! No way that was happening in St. Louis, my hometown.

As I got older, and cousins grew up and moved and grandparents were passing away, our annual trips dwindled. At first it was every year, then every other year, until it was good if we got up there once every four to five years. It also seemed like we only were going up for funerals. A place I once loved was becoming a place I associated with death. I was in my early twenties when my last grandparent passed away and that trip to Bessemer was pretty upsetting for me. I was very close to my grandpa. My dad and I talked to him on the phone every Sunday after my grandma passed away. My dad and I made trips up there to visit him also. Grandpa Louis was very important to me and I loved him almost as much as my parents. We were extremely close. So, after he passed away, I genuinely thought his funeral would be my last trip to the UP. What was the point if grandpa wasn't going to be there? I constantly asked myself that question.

A few years after his death, my mom and dad planned a trip to Bessemer. I was hesitant at first, but they explained to me, that if I thought it was going to be hard, think of how they felt. That's where they grew up and their parents were gone. I knew exactly what they meant and I was on board for the trip. The only difference, besides my extended family not being there was, my parents planned the trip for the summer. We did go there in summer,  but sparingly. As I said earlier, we usually went on Spring Break. We didn't have a place to stay, so my parents rented a luxury cabin. Tons of beds and bathrooms and pool tables. It was great. But what made it even better was the fact that I was able to remember good times I had there as a kid. Instead of dwelling on what I didn't have, I made the concerted effort to make new, grown up memories. Sure, sledding was fun, but now I could go hiking with my brothers and climb the bluffs with them. Swimming in Lake Superior is exhilarating. You can go to Little Girls Point and skip rocks while lounging on their rock beach. If you'd prefer a sand beach, head to Black River Harbor. These were all things I couldn't do with a ton of snow on the ground. This was a whole new world to me. I'm glad I have brothers who like doing these things too. I wouldn't do this stuff on my own.

On this most recent trip, I climbed the bluffs for the first time in a long time. I couldn't do it before because I was overweight and out of shape. In the past two years I've shed about a hundred pounds and decided I would challenge myself, and with a little encouragement from my brother, I did it and got some great pictures of the town. It was phenomenal. I also went tubing for the first time in my life. I laid on an inner tube on my stomach and a boat pulled me from side to side and I did jumps in the water. It was great. My wife and three year old son were with my family and I and it was great to share this beautiful place that I love with them. We'd drive by streets and I'd tell them memories I had. I also was able to show them where my grandparents lived. My parents drove us around and told us stories that I'd never even heard. My wife has been there before, but it was my sons first trip. He loved it, his favorite thing to do was skip rocks on Lake Superior. I also got to see a lot of my cousins this time around. We are all adults with kids now, but we were able to make time to see each other. It was great. The weather was as good as it gets. This was another thing that made this trip so perfect. This was the first week of August and the temperature never got any higher than 76 degrees. Did I mention the fact that there's no humidity. It was a great relief from St. Louis summers.

Another reason I'm so happy that we travel to the UP in the summers now. I know they do most of their business during the winter with all the ski hills. But, I'm here to tell you that summer time is the time to make a trip to the UP. It's so great. The sky at night time is so clear you can see the stars perfectly. I'm so grateful that my parents talked me into going back to the UP and the fact that we go in the summer now. Bessemer, Michigan in the summer is the best place in the world to visit. Do yourselves a favor and book a week long stay up there. You will love it.

I know I certainly just did.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the co-host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was paid no money to write this rave review of Bessemer Michigan, he would like some money. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.