Part I: How to travel America in 7 days by car

Hello, my sweet readers! You know I have been traveling like crazy and for the first time, I decided to write about my road trip adventure and give you tips on how you can travel across America in 7 days by car. This trip was our 7th road trip. Some people think that we must love each other a lot if we can travel so much in the car for many hours. I truly believe that you need to do a road trip with a man you are in love with. It will help you out to understand if you are really a great match. Our first road trip was actually in Europe and we were using printed maps. No Google Maps or any GPS devices. We had so much fun! Haha. Maybe it is why my husband proposed to me after a few months.

Okay, enough of that. Let's take a look at what cities/ states we have visited. We started our trip from Richmond, Virginia, and our final destination was Monterey, California. There are a few ways to get from the East Coast to the West Coast. You can generally take routes that go north, south, or through the middle of the USA. I actually liked our trip that wandered along a more southerly route. We got to see some beautiful cities like:

1. Bristol, Tennessee / Bristol, Virginia 

Our first stop was Bristol. Bristol is located between two states: Virginia and Tennessee, which can be super confusing if you are not from there. My husband told me that we have to stop there because of the cute advertising by Geico. After we arrived to Bristol, we walked to the historic downtown and ended up having a dinner at Whiskey Rebellion. It was quite a delightful break. After a dinner, we listened to some street music and drove to the Bristol, Virginia-Tennessee slogan sign, which originally was donated by the Gas & Electric company to advertise the city. And you know, it still worked on us! I hope that if you go there, you will find it cool too. Btw, you can get free wifi downtown!









2. Memphis, Tennessee

Our second day we spent in Memphis. Memphis is famous for blues and rock'n roll music. I would never have thought that this city would be so vibrant and fun! The first thing that we planned to see was the Beale Street historic district. You may ask, why there? Well as soon you will see my photos, you will understand. After walking around, it actually reminded me of our trip to New Orleans. For dinner, we decided to stop at B.B. King's Blues Club. Luckily, we got our seats there and while enjoying southern food, we watched some local blues group create the perfect atmosphere for Memphis. After dinner, we decided to walk to the Peabody Hotel. I heard that they have good music and a rooftop bar. Before we got to go inside the hotel, we decided to take a horse carriage tour ($55 for 30 minute ride) around town and even watched the sunset. Later, we got inside the Peabody Hotel, and it is surprisingly beautiful inside. To get to the roof, you have to pay for ticket. I believe it was $10 per person. It's good all night when the place turns into a dance club. I got quite exhausted at this point, but I truly wanted to see Beale Street at night. And you know what, you really have to see it at night, because it looks so different. The next morning we actually drove to Sun Studio, and the Pyramid. To get to the observatory, you have to pay $10 per person or you can have a lunch/dinner reservation at Big Cypress lodge. It was also one of my favorite things to do in Memphis.

Beale Street 












Dinner at B.B. King Blue's Club


Take a horse ride like Cinderella 






The Peabody Hotel




Beale Street at Night






Sun Studio



The Lookout at The Pyramid






3. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

After we left Memphis in the morning, we got to driving and stopped in Oklahoma City for a night. That day was miserably cold and windy. Due to the horrible weather, we barely could walk around and see anything. But we did visit the National Memorial that was dedicated in honor of victims, survivors and rescuers from the horrible tragedy of the Oklahoma City terrorist bombing that happened in 1995. I felt very sad to be even inside the memorial. After paying our respects, we drove to downtown and got dinner at Toby Keith's I Love this Bar and Grill. This place was the big reason why we came there, because a lady that worked at the parking lot told us that we eat there and save the receipt, we don't need to pay for parking. Also, if you are a soldier and coming for the first time, they give you a free burger. The restaurant is located in a part of the city known as Brick Town. It's an area packed with clubs, bars, restaurants, and a walking district along a beautiful urban canal. Too bad it was so chilly!

Oklahoma City National Memorial








Toby Keith





4. Santa Fe, New Mexico

On our fourth day, we drove to Santa Fe. Since I planned what we were going to see there, we decided to get there as early as possible. It took us about 9 hours to reach Sante Fe. Yeah, it was quite a boring drive, at least until we pulled into a random gas station somewhere in New Mexico. We stopped to take a break and I saw a sign for a free car museum at Russel's Travel Center. It made me wonder. As it turns out, the museum was totally FREE and completely amazing. It featured a big collection of retro cars and a bunch of American games.  It had funky relics like vintage Coca Cola vending machines, comics, journals, signs, statues, posters, etc. It had fun exhibits of everything that was quite popular from the 40-90s. The cars were truly impressive. If you plan to drive through historic Route 66, make sure to stop there too. Later on, we got finally to Santa Fe. We were amazed by the beauty of Santa Fe. All of the stunning pueblo architecture just mesmerized us. You have to see the Downtown Plaza, because of its wonderful buildings, stores, cafes, art galleries, museums and chapels. After walking downtown, we decided to get a dinner at Tomasita's near the old train station. This place is quite popular. You should get a reservation or come early. We waited about 30 minutes to get our table. After a big dinner, we went to Meow Wolf art exhibition. OMG, this art project is just mind blowing! We visited the house of eternal return. It basically feels like you are in someone house, but as soon as you open closet, fridge or washing machine, you physically pass get into a magical new world. I have seen so many art projects in my last three years in the United States, but Meow Wolf is something extraordinary! I didn't take enough of photos because my camera & phone died. I think you have to see it yourself! 

Russel's Travel Center







On the way to Santa Fe















 Dinner at Tomasita's









Meow Wolf











Guys, I didn't realize how long did this post turned out, so I decided that I should split this post into two parts. Read second part here.

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