Posts in Travel
A Tour of the Off-the-Beaten-Path Culinary Gems of North Carolina
A Tour of the Off-the-Beaten-Path Culinary Gems of North Carolina

As published by Tasting Table

By now, it's no secret North Carolina is a culinary destination to be reckoned with. Cities like Charlotte, Asheville, Raleigh and Durham have all come into their own over the last decade, offering some of the best and most innovative food and drink to be found in the South. But I've been hearing murmurs of a scene beyond the scene: a growing number of restaurants, breweries, bakeries and farms cropping up miles outside city limits in previously uncharted pockets throughout the state. So my wife, Debbie, and I decided it was time to head down to NC to explore the spots most tourists don't know about. And through some intensive research—i.e., irresponsibly devouring everything in our way—I've determined the best off-the-beaten-path food-and-drink destinations in North Carolina.

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TravelEthan FixellTasting Table, North Carolina, Dining
How To Have A Perfect Couples’ Ski Trip In Stratton, Vermont
How To Have A Perfect Couples’ Ski Trip In Stratton, Vermont

As published by Food Republic

When my wife expressed interest in embarking on a ski weekend trip to Stratton Resort in Vermont with her best friend her husband, I wasted no time researching all of the restaurants, activities and shops that the resort and its surrounding areas had to offer. Fortunately, my planning paid off, and I even had the foresight to document the entire successful adventure. Allow me to share the details so that you might create your own similarly awesome Dream Couples’ Ski Trip Extravaganza with your friends of choice.

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TravelEthan FixellFood Republic, Vermont, Skiing
How To Spend A Delicious Afternoon In Juneau, Alaska
How To Spend A Delicious Afternoon In Juneau, Alaska

AS PUBLISHED BY FOOD REPUBLIC

Having performed at hundreds of colleges across the country, my comedy partner Dave and I are experienced travelers. Like a Lewis and Clark armed with penis jokes instead of rifles, we’ve explored 48 states within the continental U.S., but had yet to set foot in Alaska. So when we were at last offered a show at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, naturally, we jumped at the opportunity.

Here’s an hour-by-hour breakdown of how to occupy your time when you make it up north to Juneau, Alaska.

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TravelEthan FixellAlaska
Seattle: The Four-Day Weekend
Seattle: The Four-Day Weekend

As published by Men's Journal

Seattle’s come a long way since its 1962 World’s Fair. If the 10 million visitors who flocked to the Space Needle that year had any foresight, they’d have never left, as Seattle now offers every type of food, drink, and activity an inhabitant could possibly ask of an urban center. But if you’re not yet ready to commit to a permanent move, here’s how to spend four days in a town one could easily devote a lifetime to exploring.

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TravelEthan FixellSeattle, Men's Journal
An International Guide to Humor
An International Guide to Humor

As featured in Travel + Leisure

As a touring comedian, I travel more than a fugitive flight attendant. And if you get around even a fraction of as much as I do, you know that when arriving in a new country, few things are as jarring as that first encounter with local television programming. Flip on the TV in your hotel room, and bam!: you're barraged with an overwhelming stream of incomprehensible foreign inflections and vocalizations. Americans aren't the only funny ones out there (remember Gérard Depardieu in Green Card?), but without the context of a nation's unique culture, a Yank will have difficulty understanding the comedic references in any sitcom, stand-up show, or casual conversation while abroad. Thankfully, at long last, one need not speak a foreign language to bust a gut while traipsing across the globe. That's because I've taken the time to compile a comedic road map of the brands of wit and clowning that Americans can expect to encounter when visiting various different travel destinations. Prime yourself with the International Guide to Humor below, and you'll be laughing along like a local on every voyage to come:

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Travel, ComedyEthan FixellHumor, Satire, International
Happiness is Eating Foie Gras From a Styrofoam Container
Happiness is Eating Foie Gras From a Styrofoam Container

As published by Travel + Leisure

As a touring comedian, I ate terribly on the road for years. Pre-show dinners at university mess halls regularly consisted of frozen veggie burgers, pizza, veggie burgers, and veggie burgers. But following one especially disruptive on-stage emergency ("Let's all take a bathroom break, folks!"), my comedy partner Dave and Ifinally decided that we needed to take better care of ourselves: as a single concession of comfort from the grueling traveling that was slowly taking its toll on our ragged bodies, we made it a policy to enjoy a nice, quality meal before every show whenever possible* (*in some far-flung American food deserts, it just ain't getting much fancier than Applebee's). Since making this decision, we've enjoyed some of the finest meats, vegetables, and shellfish (don't tell Dave's rabbi) nearly every continental U.S. state has to offer....

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TravelEthan FixellDining, Travel + Leisure, Touring