Thanksgiving out of the kitchen in U.S. cities

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.

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Opentable.com has a directory of restaurants in 17 states that are offering special Thanksgiving menus. For some, Thanksgiving is about cooking; but for others, it’s about eating, and there’s no faster way to get around the hours of preparation than to simply eat out. This list is also useful for that contingent of folks who use the holiday as a mini-vacation with (or away from) family. There are restaurants with holiday menus in ski towns, Orlando, and Las Vegas, as well as in other major cities around the country, including Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco.

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