I did something I never do yesterday. I took the day off and stayed in Baltimore (my general rule of thumb is that if I use a vacation day, I’m sure as hell going somewhere with it). But it was totally fun staying put and playing tour guide and sharing the charm of Charm City for the lovely Grace who was in town for Biz Ladies (which was a great event!). I never really realized what a different vibe a city can take on while people are away at work.

And while I’ve had a great summer in Baltimore, I am excited for a couple long weekends away to look forward to in August. Up first is NYC. And I definitely want to add Idlewild to my to-do list. Kelly at Lost In Place gave me the heads up about this new travel bookstore near Union Square and it sounds like it’s right up my alley. You can read about it on her blog, or a Q&A she did for World Hum. In this day and age where independent bookstores seem to go more often than come, I’m really excited about this new place.

I love the portion of the interview where owner David Del Vecchio describes the name of the store: “Idle is just sort of about being lazy, travel with no particular destination or agenda in mind; while wild relates to the adventurous aspects. And of course, there are travelers and trips which fall into each category.” {images courtesy of Kelley, thanks!}