So this is a bi-weekly blog now?

  Maybe it is. These are busy times in my world, so your world gets less of me. Anyway, today is not so busy, so I've decided to hang out for a while.

Today's entry will be my long anticipated (at least by me) travel list. I've wanted to make this list for a while, and since no one actually reads this blog, I've decided to follow through! Without further ado, here is the official Traveling Attorney travel list! Remember, if your favorite destination isn't here, it's not because I hate it; I just haven't been there yet.

1. Czech Republic (Prague and Olomouc)
     -Prague is majestic, magnificent, and completely beautiful. I'd live there at the drop of a hat. Olomouc       is Prague's cute little sister. In Prague eat at Bohemia Bagel. In Olomouc visit Cafe Mahler on the Horni Namesti.

2. Berlin, Germany
    -This place caught me by surprise. Maybe the smallest big city in the world. In other words, she's livable. Comes in below Prague due to overall lack of beauty and age.  When there, please eat at Tattoia Gussippe di Pino on Waldstrasse.


3. Krakow, Poland










  -I've been here 5 or 6 times and always want more. A smaller version of Prague with vodka instead of beer. If you visit, GregTom Hostel is a must.

4. Amsterdam, Netherlands
    -You can do a lot of stuff here. If you visit, please don't do all of it.

5. Dublin, Ireland
    -kind of cold, kind of like a small town, but way cool. The people are nice, the beer is nicer, and the atmosphere is top notch. Don't miss the chance to visit the old Gaol and the Guinness brewery.

6. Tokyo, Japan
    -History and modernity converge to make beautiful babies. Go to Tokyo. And if you do, see a ball game at the Tokyo Dome, party in Rippongi, and stay in Jimbocho.


7. Honolulu, Hawaii
    -Beautiful, and have family there. Guess I'll have to return.

8. (TIE) London, England and New York, USA
    -Hard to choose between the two, so I didn't. Both are world class in every way-including prices. If you find yourself in either place try and stay with someone you know!

10. Copenhagen, Denmark
    -Beautiful small town with history, a cool vibe and a famous mermaid. Would be higher if a cheeseburger and beer didn't set you back $20. If in town, check out the pink and turquoise colored movie theatre. Good times!

11. Budapest, Hungary
     -Maybe should be higher, but somehow isn't. The place is beautiful but a little harsher than Prague and Krakow. Plus most of the city has been rebuilt. If there, check out some hungarian goulash and the Posta museum.

12. Hiroshima, Japan

    -Interesting place to go, as it has been rebuilt in a totally modern style. If you go, make sure to check out the mangled building that survived the a-bomb, the a-bomb museum, and catch the Hiroshima Carp baseball team!

13. Munich, Germany
     -Only spent a few days here while taking the LSAT test which may affect ranking. Beautiful rebuilt city with sweet beer halls and a Frankenmuth style ambiance (If you're from Michigan you know what I mean.)

14. Tallinn, Estonia
    -Mini Prague. Black Sea. Hell Hound Bar. Good times. If there, spend the day at Kik in Da Kok, and relax in the evening at Hell Hound.

15. Orlando, Florida
    -Tigers baseball and 70+ temps. in March. Can't beat that with a stick! If there, head to a ball game!

16. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
    -Cool downtown, sketchy outskirts, great all inclusive vacation options. Go to Tequila if you visit!

17. (TIE) Edinburgh & Glasgow, Scotland
   -Ranked them together because that is how they appear in my mind. Edinburgh has one nice castle.

19. Kyoto, Japan
   -Kyoto is the cradle of Japanese culture and history. Don't miss it, but don't spend 2 weeks there either. If there, go to the Ninja house.

20. Vienna, Austria
    -Beautiful, regal city. Hard to compare to Prague, Krakow, or Budapest.


21. Moscow, Russian Federation
    -I only spent 2 days here, so my ranking probably reflects that. Moscow is vibrant, intimidating and totally interesting. Please visit Lenin's tomb. Creepy.

22. St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
   -I spent 5 weeks here, so my ranking probably reflects that. Great downtown and the Hermitage is the worlds largest museum. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT head off the beaten path. I spent my 5 weeks in the suburbs and was glad to emerge in one piece.

23. Riga, Latvia

    -Nice town, but nothing you can't find in the higher ranked choices. Only go if you someday plan to compose a list like this one.

24. Bratislava, Slovak Republic
    -See above

25. Helsinki, Finland
     -The brochure said that the city has over 700,000 inhabitants. In my 2 days here, I probably saw 3 of them. Really, really sleepy place. If you go, check out the really white cathedral!

Others: I've visited and enjoyed other large American cities (Chicago, Boston), lived in a few medium sized American areas (Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, Grand Rapids), and traveled through numerous other small European towns and villages. Since the primary focus of this list is to flex my travel muscles and show superiority over all other travelers, these places were omitted. JUST KIDDING. You'll see these other cities in a completely different list sometime in the future!

Until Next Time,

TA ESQ.

The Day After Yesterday

For this, my second blog post, I have decided to share a few thoughts on life. I think maybe I'll make a list. 


Sports: Michigan State University is my favorite college sports program. Don't ask me why though, because I certainly did not attend school there. Last night MSU was involved in a basketball contest that was so bad it made me want to rip my hair out and feed it to my cat! I'll just say this about the current MSU basketball season: Star point guard Kalin Lucas must be healthy for the Spartans to have any postseason hope. In order for Lucas to regain his health, coach Tom Izzo MUST sit him down for a few more games. Over the next two weeks or so, the more we see of Kalin Lucas, the less of a chance MSU has to make any postseason noise. You heard it here first.

Music: Pretty bad day today on the music front. While I was hurrying last evening, to edit a group assignment for my Innovation course, I completely forgot that I was up against the deadline for requesting Dave Matthews Band summer tour tickets. This must be the first time in the last 8 or 9 years that I haven't executed this task properly. And while I really have only myself to blame, I can't help but be a little annoyed at one of my group members whose spelling, citation, and grammar issues led to this late night editing marathon. I'll plan better next time! As for Dave, the public on-sale date in Feb. 26th. I'll be ready!

Books: I'm currently about half way through a novel by Elizabeth Kostova called "The Swan Thieves".  Liz, as I affectionately refer to her, rose to fame in 2006 with "The Historian", which is best described as a  suspense novel involving Dracula. Sounds kind of silly right? Well it isn't. It was actually quite good. Her new novel, the aforementioned "Swan Thieves" has many of the same features as "The Historian", but seems to be both a denser, and much more intricate novel. For example, after pushing through roughly 200 out of the 565 pages, I still don't quite know what the story is actually about! I'm hoping that by page 400 I'll be able to offer some type of plot summary.

One wonders, when an author chooses to write in this manner, whether she simply went a little haywire trying to set an elaborate scene for her story, or whether she is doing something a little more self serving? As I read this novel (and don't get me wrong, it is entertaining) I am left to wonder whether Liz's writing was dictated by those little teenie-weenie inner voices  (don't worry, I know you've got 'em too) inside of her head that demand perfection. It is likely that these vicious little guys wouldn't allow her stop adding to this book until they were satisfied that it somehow eclipsed "The Historian". Unfortunately for Liz, "The Historian" was a near masterpiece of historical suspense fiction and is unlikely to be eclipsed. In my mind, this type of hubris is a writer's biggest sin. In the spirit of saving trees, here are a few of my recent reads that I found to be succinct yet completely satisfying. The list is in no particular order, but attention should be paid, as I will surely refer to these fine works in subsequent posts!

1. "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" by John LeCarre
2. "City of Thieves" by David Benioff
3. "Summer Meditations" by Vaclav Havel



Fulbright Fact of the Day: Each year over 6000 (mostly) young people apply for 1400 Fulbright grants. At this point, over 3000 of those applicants have been eliminated. The remaining 2800 or so face 50/50 odds (or better) of receiving a grant. As an applicant to Poland, I am competing with between 14-19 other people for one of 10 grants. Right now, this is where I stand. I think about it every day. April can't come soon enough.

Until Tomorrow

TA Esq.

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

As the title suggests, this is "The First Day of the Rest of My Life." The day I begin to blog. To set the record straight, this blog was not commissioned out of boredom, averice, or for any other egotistical reason. Instead, I have been compelled to open up to you by a Boston University ecommerce course that I will soon be enrolled in. Being the private person that I am, this new endeavor is justifiably unsettling to me. Letting everyone (or maybe just my professor) delve in to my life will take some getting used to. No matter, I must press on. This first posting is meant to give you a little information about myself, and to "set the stage" for all my future posts. Here goes!

My name is Dan, and as the above title suggests, I am a lawyer. This may be a bit misleading however, as I am currently only engaged in the practice of law on a minimal basis. Let me explain. After graduating from Hope College in 2005, I immediately enrolled in law school. In May, 2009, after three grueling years of law school and one fabulous year living in Prague, I graduated from the Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Three months later I sat for, and passed the Illinois Bar exam, thereby allowing me to utilize the shiny new title of attorney! The thing is, there were a couple of other adventures I wanted to complete before I surrendered my life to the practice of law. With that in mind, and with law school in the rearview mirror, I enrolled in an M.S.M. (Management) program at Boston University, where I am specializing in international marketing management. More important, and certainly much more interesting, I also began the process of filling out and submitting an application to be a Fulbright Scholar in Poland during the 2010-2011 academic year. I found out that I had been named a finalist for the Fulbright grant about two weeks ago.

Since the possibility of the Fulbright grant is basically dominating my thoughts these days, it is likely that this blog will see its fair share of Fulbright related information. Please bear with me. Beyond Fulbright talk and academic rumblings, I also plan to touch on subjects like travel (I've spent time living in the Czech Republic, Japan, Russia, and Germany), sports (especially Detroit and Cleveland teams), books (I try to read a novel a week), wedding planning (Mine is June 19th), and life in general.

Until Tomorrow

TA Esq. (pictured with fiancee)