Robert Payne

Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Award for “Top City in the U.S.” recently went to my hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. Stephen Colbert accepted the award on behalf of THE City.

Just back from Boston. Charming city with much more to do than I had time for, unfortunately. But I did manage to trek the Freedom Trail, which is a must for any first-time visitor. The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile red-brick walking trail that leads you to 16 nationally significant historic sites, every one [...]

Pawleys Island is such a charming place. Toys like stand up paddle boards, surfboards, kayaks, sailboats, and even a slack line only enhance the experience. Want your own slack line? Check out Gibbons. Easy to set up, not so easy to style the traverse. Check out the whole picture set.

Visited some friends in Atlanta and hit up a Braves game at Turner field. Loved the energy of the hardcore fans. They swung their hatchets and cheered like there was no tomorrow. Not sure exactly what these guys were up to though?

Was recently in Phoenix, Arizona for the Suburban Newspapers of America Fall 2011 Conference. It was nice to catch up with clients and visit with a few new prospects. Newspapers are exploring Groupon-esque and Daily Deal strategies to further monetize their existing web presence and corresponding connection to their local communities. There were some interesting [...]

My own little motivational poster to remind me of what I saw at first light yesterday morning. Good times!

Click here to view the larger image. Places Visited: Paris Aix-en-Provence Pourrières  Lacoste Bonnieux Vauvenargues Maximin Baume Paris This was not my first time to Paris, so I had no interest in battling it out for a hunchback’s view of Notre Dame, or elbowing my way towards the gaze of Momma Lisa. Instead, I did [...]

Tampa. 4:45 AM. Alarm. Surfboard. Car. I-4 East. Thick Fog. 7:00 AM. Cocoa Beach. Thick Fog. Wetsuit. Surfboard. Wax. Sand. Water. Paddle. Waves. Duck Dive. Breathe. Outside. Thick Fog. Quiet. No Landmarks. Drifting? Waves. Overhead. Offshore. Glassy. Paddle. Riding. Smiling. Repeat. 2:00 PM. Surfing. Sunny. Tired. Car. I-4 West. 4:00 PM. Tampa. Days Later. Thinking. [...]

View Larger Image I happened to be in Washington, D.C. for the Online News Association 2010 conference when the Rally to Restore Sanity took place. Needless to say, I took a little walk down to the National Mall to see what all the fuss was about. There wasn’t much fuss, just a few hundred thousand [...]

Because Scandinavians do not have alligators in their neck of the woods, it is important to get them nice and close when canoeing.