I could see a scene far away. It was so far off I couldn't make it out clearly, yet something was there, and I knew that someday I would travel to that place

from 250 Conversation Starters

161 What is the worst fast food restaurant?  Arby's

162 What is the best restaurant in your area?  there's a hotel up the River that I quite like, with different restaurants on different floors, depending on the mood of the meal 

163 What is the fanciest restaurant you have eaten at?  The Earle in A2. I even had a glass of wildly expensive wine!

164 What kind of interior do you like a restaurant to have?  even before the virus, I was a fan of some space between tables so you don't feel like your conversation is fair game for other diners. Background music should be audible but not distractingly loud. I prefer even "fancy" restaurants to have a sense of whimsy and not to take themselves too seriously—acres of white linens and a dozen glasses are not about dining but about pomposity and bill-padding. 

165 What is the worst restaurant you have ever eaten at?  I'll just say that Chinese in Tupelo, Mississippi is to be avoided

167 What is the strangest themed restaurant you have heard of?  there is a place in or near Chicago where the waitstaff throws food and insults customers. It is supposedly hilarious "performance art." This is precisely the sort of thing that makes people think I have no sense of humor, because I think it's so dumb and pointless. (That probably means I just don't get it.)

171 Where would you like to travel next?  a Caribbean island - though it's likely to be a more drivable destination this time around

172 What is the longest plane trip you have taken?  ORD to LAX

174 Where is the most relaxing place you have been?  the house in the bay city, or prehaps the bakery in Bethesda

175 Do you prefer traveling alone or with a group?  alone or with one or two others - no big groups

178 What was the most overhyped place you've traveled to?  Houston didn't wow me. I thought it was a little dirty and the people I encountered were not overly friendly.

180 Where is the most awe-inspiring place you have been?  there are two. For reasons that had little to do with the location: Norman, Oklahoma. Because it felt like home the first time I was there: Miami.

181 What is the best thing about traveling? How about the worst?  best: being outside of your own life for a while, to whatever degree you choose to be.   worst: trying to find the things you need to find when you need them without having to pay an exorbitant fee

182 What is the best hotel you have stayed at?  La Fonda in Santa Fe was the most "homey." The finest was a 28th floor suite at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. The elevators are glass, of course, and I was fucking petrified each time I was in them. The view from the room was phenomenal but just thinking about it makes me gag.

187 What is your favorite piece of technology that you own?  my iPod. To have my entire, massive music collection on one device the size of a deck of cards, accessible in seconds—it's awesome.

188 What piece of technology is really frustrating to use?  the scanning function on my (home) printer is the devil in disguise. When I can force the computer and scanner to interact, the results are wonderful; anything short of that point is like braiding jello.

189 What was the best invention of the last 50 years?  Pop-Tarts

190 Does technology simplify life or make it more complicated?  technology makes life better and easier but not "simpler."  

[from here; the title quotation is by Haruki Murakami, from South of the Border, West of the Sun]