According to a notice from WordPress last week, we’ve hit a milestone: 10 years of blogging, 736 posts! And what a great decade it has been! What started as a lark has turned in to a commitment to keep the content and photos coming — about travel, about photography, about whatever strikes our fancy.
Without commitment, you’ll never start, but more importantly without consistency, you’ll never finish.
The LOUNGE13
We’ve enjoyed hearing from our followers as much as we’ve enjoyed putting posts together. Thank you so much for your interest in us and for your comments that connect — even though we live miles apart. Following you has brought us closer to people and places around the world, and for that, we are grateful.
In 2019, we hired Michael Wender, a web designer, to upgrade the appearance and format of Oh, the Places We See. Our fresher look (using the Christopher theme) coupled with a commitment to continue blogging even during a pandemic have netted us more followers and more satisfaction with what we want our blog to portray: the joy of travel — near AND far.
So which posts have been our most popular? According to WordPress stats, here are the most visited, most read (we assume) posts from each of the last five years. We’re a bit surprised at the topics, but we’re maybe readers search for big cities and famous names. And why not?
Most Visited — Last 5 Years
2017: Seven swanky lobbies to see: Vegas Hotels
Oh, those lobbies in Vegas — playgrounds of the rich and famous, or so we thought. But they’re open for all to see and enjoy, just for a walk down the strip.
Part One: Seven swanky lobbies to see: Vegas Hotels
Part Two: Seven swanky lobbies to see: Vegas Hotels
2018: Five things to do in a day: St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg’s got a lot going for it — shopping, beach, and friendly residents. But what we loved most was The Dali, a fascinating repository of art by Salvador Dali, complete with docents willing to share “their stuff” with the masses. A great place to visit!
2019: Whitney to High Line to Chelsea Market: A newer New York
Give us an opportunity to select one city to see, and we’d probably choose the Big Apple. Vibrant, exciting, and massive — we loved seeing department stores at Christmas, riding public transportation just so we could listen to people’s accents, and touring museums like the Whitney. The High Line brought innovation to light, and we could see this whole area unfolding in a positive way.
2020: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #113: A Labor of Love
In the last year or so, we’ve participated in the Lens-Artists Photo Challenges almost every week. What fun it is to see how other photographers interpret the challenge words of the week with posts of their own! In #113, we were asked to serve as guest hosts, and we chose the theme “A Labor of Love” to show how people around the world do their work with commitment, diligence, skill, and yes, happiness.
2021: Life is short, take the curves: Needles Highway, SD
A trip to South Dakota netted us scenery like no other, but Needles Highway took our breath away. No wonder so many bikers flock to the area for glimpses of monolithic rock, natural tunnels, and curves that only a stalwart rider could handle. Could we go back to SD? In a heartbeat!
For us, there’s more that we’ve loved on our travels, and so our top five may differ from what the stats show. We’ve loved (and now miss!) traveling — sometimes to work with Habitat for Humanity, sometimes for the pure pleasure of sitting on a Viking long boat. Our travel agent, Lauren Gunnels of Ortelius Travel Advisors, is ready to plan a new trip for us when the time is right.
But following the onset of COVID-19, we’re grateful we can still travel by car and see sites and sights in the good ol’ U.S. of A. Click on any of these posts, and you’ll see why and how we’re discovering new ways to get around and enjoy life together. And yes, we recommend getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and practicing social distancing.
Some of our favorite posts:
Five places to see: Monhegan Island
Our last dreamy town: Onancock, VA — Road Trip 2020
Hoodoo you love? Bryce Canyons National Park
Elkmont: Once upon a time in the Great Smokies
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #157: Getting Away
Although numerous bloggers, photographers, and followers on WordPress have influenced us, we dare not try to thank them all. We would, inadvertently, omit someone. So, thanks to all of you for sharing your lives with us and helping us dream of more places to visit.
We appreciate your comments, new ideas, and virtual friendships.
Let’s keep finding new ways to see this glorious world of ours and enjoy each other’s company.
Travel wide-eyed,
Rusha & Bert