I arrived in beautiful Vancouver, BC yesterday, after 11 hours of travel that included layovers, delays and traffic jams. I finally arrived at my friend's penthouse (!) apartment in the Yaletown neighborhood. Although I am 2,100 miles away from Brew City, I find myself across the street from a place called "Cactus Club Cafe" which, of course, reminds me of Milwaukee's Cactus Club.

Isn't it always like this when we travel? A decade ago, while traveling through Prague, I ran into two different people I knew from Milwaukee. And when I was in Amsterdam, my husband and I stayed next to a bar called the "Y NOT." (Vancouver reminds me a lot of Amsterdam -- and I'm not only saying that because pot is decriminalized here and it's available in cafes -- but because of the lush flowers, plethora of shops and galleries, and rows of quaint eateries and pubs.)

After years of traveling, I have come to the conclusion I really can't escape Milwaukee, no matter how far I go. Luckily, I don't want to.