In honor of spring break, The Torch staff shared some of their favorite places they’ve visited on vacation.
Los Angeles, CA
by Kristin McKee / Digital Content Editor
I know Los Angeles is probably one of the most basic vacation destinations, but for me, it’s the most nostalgic. Family trips were pretty rare when I was growing up, but when the time came, LA was the place to go. The main reason why I love LA so much is that it’s so different from Chicago. I’m up for traveling anywhere, but my favorite places are the ones that make me feel like I’ve actually stepped out of Chicago (sorry New York City). I love seeing palm trees at every corner, walking along real beaches, driving through the Hollywood Hills and viewing the whole city from the Griffith Observatory. LA is also filled with restaurants and cafés dedicated to the health freaks which is a guilty pleasure of mine. The city had me loving vegan food before I even became vegan (shoutout to Veggie Grill and Café Gratitude)! I’ve been begging my family to plan another LA trip for years, but it’s not as easy to go now because of my college expenses.
Wisconsin Dells
By Mohammad Samra / Staff Reporter
Last summer, I was fortunate enough to go on a road trip with three other friends to Wisconsin Dells for the weekend. It was one of the few times I was able to take a break from the usual grind of having to balance work, school and a social life. In Dells, there was no work or school, but just me, a couple of friends, and memories that’ll last a lifetime. I hope to return there sooner rather than later. It was one of the few times in my college career where I genuinely didn’t have a care in the world.
Clearwater, Florida
By Adnan Basic / Managing Editor
This past winter break, I was able to take my first trip away without my parents. They’re fine people, of course, but going on a vacation with them can sometimes be a headache. This time around I had much more freedom, and I was able to make the most of it. I refused to make plans for the days ahead, instead just going with the flow of things. It may have been December, but Florida doesn’t get cold, which allowed me to be outside whenever I wanted to. Being by the water was the icing on the cake, and I was able to go kayaking for the first time in my life, which isn’t an experience I’ll forget anytime soon.
Athens, Greece
By Evi Arthur / Editor-in-Chief
As the world’s biggest Percy Jackson fan, being able to vacation in Athens felt like a set tour. I can guarantee that, by the end of the week, my parents were sick of me talking about that one part in “The Blood of Olympus” that takes place at the Erechtheion — which we could see from our hotel window. Waking up every morning to the view of the acropolis out my window and then going to a different museum everyday and learning about ancient Greece was sort of like my dream vacation. I ate way too many gyros and now have loads of information about the parthenon (did you know that the Ottoman Turks conquered Greece a while back and stored all of their ammunition in the inside part of the parthenon, which inevitably led to it blowing up? Also, England has a ton of pieces they took off the parthenon when they conquered Greece that they refuse to give back to this day). At the tail end of the vacation, we spent two nights in Santorini — where all the Instagram models vacation — which was cool but — in my opinion — did not have enough museums.
Categories: Arts & Entertainment
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