Local bites from Seattle to Key West

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

Email Christine Sarkis at editor@smartertravel.com.

See recent posts by Christine Sarkis

I’m a firm believer that local food should be part of every travel experience. So it makes sense that I’m recommending this Concierge.com article on local food specialties around the U.S. With suggestions such as lobster roll in Maine, banana pudding in Nashville, and green chile cheeseburgers in Santa Fe, it’s a delicious 21-destination list that might inspire you (it certainly did me) to try the local bests wherever you travel this summer.

Also included on the list are:

Italian beef in Chicago
Salmon burgers in Seattle
Fish tacos in San Diego
Lemon icebox pie in Atlanta
Frozen custard in Milwaukee
White clam pizza in New Haven
Chili in El Paso

And, there are restaurant suggestions, so you’ll know where to go for, say, a Cuban sandwich in Key West.

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