Meet Colleen Curtis. Colleen is a Michigan native who moved from Chicago to Brooklyn. Although she travels often for work, she tries to explore each city to find hidden gems. Read more to learn about her favorite trips and how she plans on visiting all 50 United States!
Name: Colleen Curtis
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am a nearly-29-year-old recent transplant (from Chicago) to Brooklyn, NY. I am the East Coast Marketing lead for Yelp.com, a website that connects people (and travelers!) with great local businesses. I travel a lot for my job where I get to collaborate locally with Yelp Community Managers in the Northeast, and they get to show off the awesome local gems in their cities! I have a 9 year old melancholic pitbull mix named Tillie who’s dream is to be featured on hipsterpuppies especially since we’ve relocated to BK. I’ve been to *almost every country in Europe (missed Greece!), Australia and have traveled extensively in Mexico and the United States (I will hit all 50 someday! This summer I crossed off Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode Island). I know that seems silly to say, but there are a lot of places right in our American backyard that can certainly scratch the travel itch, on multiple budgets.
Favorite city you’ve been to:
I know this may sound insane to the seasoned world travelers, but I really found Pittsburgh, PA extremely…attractive. Robust. Proud. Interesting. Diverse. The finest the Rustbelt has to offer, even. Off the beaten path, but better for it! The locals know what I am talking about! Perhaps my expectations were low (forgive me, Pixburgh!), but I found the city to be extremely charming with wonderful food options (highly recommend Square Cafe for breakfast), great local neighborhoods and I stayed at the unique boutique Priory Hotel, a converted church near the Warhol Museum. There’s depth and strong communities, a beautiful scenic overlook with a view of the entire downtown (Dahntahn?) and rivers at night, truly…remarkable. Plus, one can go to Primanti Bros and eat a sandwich with french fries and cole slaw IN IT. Totally healthy! I’m grateful for the opportunity to travel domestically with a local Yelp CM to guide me to the best spots. Speaking of the Rustbelt, I also think Cleveland and Detroit have some of the most passionate communities of people and local businesses I’ve ever witnessed, and I look forward to hiring and launching Yelp in Buffalo, NY later this year! Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it. There is beauty in all things.
Favorite restaurant:
Well…I checked, and I’ve written 648 restaurant reviews on Yelp to date (42 percent of my total, I promise I do other things too!)….so, this really is a tough one. I certainly am no expert, but I do go out to eat a lot! If I have to pick just one currently I will go with Davanti Enoteca (Little Italy, Chicago). A toasty/cozy Italian restaurant in a far-enough-away-from-downtown ‘hood that also serves as a wine shop…be still my heart. Excellent food, and popping over to Beviamo for a nightcap might just be the perfect date night ever. You heard it here, folks.
Best place to relax:
My hometown…Traverse City, Michigan. Cherry Capital of the World, rising food scene, local farms, wineries, breweries, film fests, etc. But really, you can’t beat the Bay or the Dunes (named by GMA as the most beautiful place in America!) on a summer day or the color season in the fall for kicking back. From the day I was born until my most recent trip in August, I haven’t found anything that quite comes close to Northern Michigan in the summer/fall. Someone told me the other day it is the “Hamptons of the Midwest,” which made me spit out my “pop” (soda). Let’s hope it keeps some of its…err…grounded charm with its rise to “fame!”
Best place to have fun:
Well, I live in New York City…if one cannot have fun here, there may be little hope. The city that never sleeps, truly never sleeps. Brooklyn might take a few naps once in a while, but the frenetic energy and sheer number of people/options/things/places to do/see/touch/eat/dance/create is somewhat incomprehensible. Second to that, Chicago. I’ve lived in both…and really, why wouldn’t one want to live in the cities they found to be the most fun!? If you aren’t, you should probably move.
Best trip you’ve ever taken:
Well, clearly my 6 month vacation from American life at 20 years old was by far the best…and the longest. Living in Rome, traveling every weekend to European destinations (favorites: Warsaw, Budapest, Ireland) by train and crazy low-budget airlines…and no work! Capped off with a 3 week stint in Australia (impulsive) because I “wasn’t ready to go home yet,” and yep, that likely sums up the best trip I’ve been on. Oh, the freedom…how its wasted on the young! I may have just paid off the credit cards from that trip recently. Eek. Worth it? Yes. If 9 years later its still the best…well, there you have it.
What one piece of advice do you have for travelers?
Fly consistently. Rest your head creatively.
I’m very budget conscious for both work and personal travel. Here’s what I’ve learned: for flying, figure out your home airport (base) and what airline has the most direct flights in/out of that airport. Then, fly it consistently for every trip. Get the rewards credit card for that airline (often comes with perks like free baggage, early check-in, bonus miles at sign-up, access to lounge, etc). To me, all airlines are pretty…errr….2 stars. However if you can pick and stick, the rewards run thick and you’ll be on your way somewhere fun (for free-ish!) before you know it.
Now, I do not hold the same philosophy for hotels. I MUCH prefer to find quirky/offbeat hotels. I don’t find the rewards ever add up to much (though if you travel to the same place over and over for work, definitely stick with it and rack it up!) at the big chains, and most destinations I am hitting might not have the same chains. I like variety. Truly, I search Yelp for cool local recommendations (boutique hotels, etc) and really dig airbnb.com to find unique lodging and people in various cities to stay with. I’ve stayed in a beautiful apartment in Chelsea, NYC while relocating and a classic sunken retreat near the White House in DC for a weekend. Planning a trip to Paris, and we’ll definitely be doing it airbnb style! Much better than hotel prices…and come with local guides! (sometimes)
Where else can we find you on the web?
http://twitter.com/YelpColleenC