Inspired 

Travels for Creative Students

Written by Isabella E. Marler

Dear Reader,

Whether you are a poet, photographer, musician, painter, author, dancer, songwriter, actor, or content creator,

whether you thrive in electric cities or seek solace in wide open spaces, chart a course to foreign continents or voyage to your local library, 

…you are a traveler.

As the worlds of your creation merge and blend with new and diverse places, concrete and fictional, you live the sunset-splashed inner life of a Creative. 

The following are three destinations on planet earth that have a piece of my heart.

I hope they make you feel

inspired.

Yellowstone National Park, WY

Picture sweeping, golden prairies. Lush fir trees marching up and down slopes. Lakes nestled in the foreground and snow-capped mountain ranges for a paradoxical backdrop. Bison dot the plains, wolves trot along the tree line, and grizzly bears lumber at the mountain’s foot. 

You’re in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

From the entrance, it takes about forty-five minutes to an hour to drive into the heart of the park, but the views along the way are breathtaking. You’ll peer out your windshield and come face-to-face with a bison or elk that towers over the hood. Once you enter the walkable section of the park, you’ll lose yourself in wanderlust. Behold star blue pools, bubbling mud pots, and geysers that shoot into the clouds.

Some points of interest are Old Faithful (which “faithfully” erupts every hour and a half to two hours), Artist Point (for stunning views), The Artist’s Paint Pots, and Mammoth Hot Springs.

For the best sight of all, I have three words for you. Grand Prismatic Springs——a pool, deep ocean blue and caustic in the center, ringed with sea green, then a ribbon of gold, then dusty red, like baking desert sand. As you stand on a bridge over the springs, steam rises and fills the air like dense fog. Sometimes you can see the springs clearly, but other times you’ll have to glimpse the vivid colors through the curtain of steam. When I visited, the spring was foggy, but it was still very colorful and vibrant.

Travel tips:

• Don’t expect to see all the wildlife that’s advertised. Animals have their own agendas, and you should never approach them or interact with them.
• Bring layers. The temperature can go from 40 to almost 70 degrees Fahrenheit in a matter of hours. One time (in September) we hit a blizzard while exiting the park on the East Entrance road.

New York City, NY

It’s two a.m. and the bustling city is aglow. From your hotel window, you have a front-row seat to the opening night of a sold-out show. Neon lights. Blinking beacons. Studded bridges. Billboards flash, cabs honk, and overlapping pop songs vie for real estate on the buzzing streets below.

You’re in “the city that never sleeps”. 

New York has basically been the backdrop to my entire life. Every so often, I could always glimpse the familiar skyline, whether it was from the George Washington bridge or from the window of a plane. I recommend that you see it as well.

Wander through a forest of skyscrapers. Strike a pose on the street in a break in the traffic, with The Great White Way as a backdrop. Cruise by bike through Central Park on a pleasant summer day or glide on ice at Rockefeller Plaza in the winter. Score a bagel with lox (that’s New Yorker for “smoked salmon”). Gaze at candy-colored ads in Time Square, and just generally live out your best life.

Some noteworthy sights include The Met Museum, Broadway (I recommend the Gershwin Theater), The New York Public Library, and Greenwich Village. 

For a nice meal, I would suggest the whimsical Lillie’s Victorian Restaurant off  Time Square. The stained glass windows, vintage portraits, and floral ceiling will transport you straight back in time to the 1800’s. 

And for those of us who grew up with Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York” as the soundtrack to our childhood, be sure to take a leisurely stroll down the lovely Cornelia Street. (WARNING: the author is not responsible for broken hearts or for any such persons being unable to find themselves on this street again).

Travel tips:

• If you need to get around, try an uber. I know New York City drivers. Trust me, they’re a different breed.
• After a Broadway Show, swing around to the stage door. Oftentimes, the actors are happy to come out to meet you and even sign your Playbill. 

Nashville, TN

Budding songwriters pour out their hearts in a cramped room packed with strangers. Audience respect is cardinal. They close in, sensing the passion of the performer like sharks smell blood in the water.

This is a scene you’ll likely encounter in the renowned Bluebird Cafe. It’s a sacred place, a haven for emotive singer/songwriters. Artists play for you, explain how and why they wrote their songs, and share their well-traveled experiences touring and being on the road.

         Grab a bite of southern spice at Miranda Lambert’s Cafe (almost everything inside is pink), sip a Lennon Tea at Fido, and take a drive down Music Row, a collection of labels including RCA, Sony, BMI, and Capitol Records. For the true blue(grass) country lovers, the Country Music Hall of Fame is calling your name. The engaging exhibits feature over a hundred artists, such as Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. 

Nashville is twangy but glitzy, like a rhinestone bedazzled pair of cutoff jean shorts. It’s not as bright and busy as NYC, but it has its own people-going-places-doing -things charm.

Travel Tip:

• The Bluebird has a strict SHHH! policy (meaning that absolutely no talking is permitted during a performance). Tickets vanish in minutes, so snag whichever seat you can, should one materialize.

 Credit for all images goes to “Pexels”.