Category: Travel

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USA – A country in burgers

Over the last 2+ years I have been traveling a lot through the United States and Canada. During that time I tried a lot of burger places. It took me a while to go through my photos, to sort and annotate them. Here are my top three locations. A lot of pictures and impressions are featured in the gallery below. I will continuously update this post, add new pictures and maybe expand the list of top locations.

#3 Paradise Pup, Des Plaines, IL [Facebook | Yelp]

I am not the first reviewer to rate this as a top location for burgers. Every time we landed at O’Hare International Airport we made sure to have cash since there are no cards accepted here.

#2 Octave Grill, Chesterton, IN [ Website | Yelp]

This place features craft beers on tap and one of the best burgers I have ever had. Loved the goat cheese on it. I can’t wait until I can come back. The only downside is that this place is not open every day during lunch hours. However, their sweet potato tots with the honey mustard sauce are unmatched.

#1 The Thurman Cafe, Columbus OH [Website | Yelp ]

Seriously the best burgers in North America. I went there several times and every burger I tried was fantastic.

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Hiking & board games @Yosemite

Last weekend we visited Yosemite National Park. What a great place to hike. Of course we brought some board games. I just wanted to share some advice and impressions.
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  • If you drive to Yosemite from San Francisco International Airport, a great place to stay is Yosemite Gold Country Lodge in Coulterville. This place is run by Ken, a really nice guy who invited us to his farm. The rooms are spacious, feature a fireplace (gas) and a fridge. Outside there is a grill. So you can get some meat from the store and have a BBQ at night.
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  • From there it only takes about one hour to get to the entrance of Yosemite and about two hours to get to the trails. Probably longer due to taking pictures along the road.
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  • Hotels inside the park are expensive. But you can get a heated tent at a reasonable price at Camp Curry. But be prepared: It can be quite cold in November! But you wake up to an amazing view.
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  • Just right outside the park, at El Portal, there are a few Hotels where one can get a deal through Expedia. We stayed at the Cedar Lodge. But: No free Wifi, , no coffee, etc. But the rooms are ok. However, the food at this place is supposed to be pretty bad if you believe TripAdvisor ratings. It was supposed to be better at next to the hotel Yosemite View Lodge: The River Restaurant & Lounge. So this is where we went. The salad bar was great. Lynns Burger was burned (really totally black) at their first try, but she sent it back and got a good one quickly.
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  • Getting food (some cheese, bread, juice and milk) for the hike at a local grocery store is probably the best option.
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  • Some of the hiking trails are paved with asphalt to be accessible for everybody. Some are a bit more difficult and go into the wilderness. The best way to select one that suits your skills is the Chimani Yosemite App. It is available for Android and iOS. They also have an app that features all National Parks in the USA. I really recommend getting it! The links point to the Android version in the Google Play Store since I do not have any iOS devices.DSC_0251-001 DSC_0270-002
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  • Wildlife in Yosemite Valley is not so wild anymore.
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  • Bringing some games along is a must for every board game fanatic! It is just a lot of fun playing in such a great environment. This time we brought Tash Kalar: Arena of Legends by Vlaada Chvátil (Czech Games Edition), Tiny Epic Galaxies by Scott Almes (Gamelyn Games) and Star Realms by Robert Dougherty and Darwin Kastle (White Wizard Games). All of theses games are very portable. For Tash Kalar I just carry the game board, cards and chips. Tiny Epic is tiny anyway and Star Realms is just a deck of cards.
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  • On the way back to San Francisco we stayed at Ken’s Motel again. Tiny Epic in the hotel room…
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  • Enjoy!
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