Category: About
Author: Michael DeFranceschi • Published October 17, 2022 • Updated

About 'Michael Visits All'

Meet the mind behind this city-focused (and mural obsessed) travel blog!
US travel blogger Michael DeFranceschi behind a colorful mural in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina.

About

Well, first off-- welcome to my travel blog!!

As you may have gathered from the title of the website-- Michael Visits All-- my name is George. Ah, kidding! It's Michael!

Since summer 2021, my wanderlust has guided me to 30 of the 50 US states and I have visited over 50 American cities! Currently, I reside in metro Detroit.

Times Square in Manhattan, New York, New York.
My favorite U.S city thus far is New York. This is the famous Times Square.

I do not hike much and I don't go to beaches often. Therefore, my focus is on city travel. I write content (no AI because real writers don't use AI) and share lots of vivid and colorful imagery in my articles, as I enjoy photography and writing equally.

My favorite articles to write are where I share my expert opinion as to whether certain cities are worth visiting... or not!

In those same articles, I also have a section entitled Michael's Metro Metrics where I provide helpful information regarding a city's public transportation, safety, and best times of year to visit!

Dodge Fountain in downtown Detroit.
Detroit is the US city I visit the most!

I don't cover everything to do in a city. It'd be impossible for me to have in-depth knowledge on every city I visit. I write with tourists in mind and I tend to focus on the things I enjoy most in the cities, which are museums, landmarks, and art-based attractions.

As I am single and have no children, my to-do lists for cities are written with adult travelers with similar circumstances in mind. The suggestions I provide can usually be done year round.

Something you'll discover quickly reading my blog is my fascination with colorful murals, public art, and graffiti.

Standing in front of a colorful mural in Richmond, VA.
A splashy mural in downtown Richmond, Virginia.

What is it about cities I find so captivating?

I am spellbound by the towering skyscrapers, the hustle-and-bustle of the locals and tourists around me, the wide variety of dining & entertainment options, and... as stated earlier-- the street art!

Once I explore all the cities I'd like to visit in the US, I will advance onto cities in Canada and then select cities in Europe and Asia.

In front of a mural in Pittsburgh, PA.
A mural in the Millvale district of Pittsburgh.

I pride myself on being authentic. Whenever I recommend anything to do in a city, it's because I've actually done it. Unless I don't like a photo I took or was physically unable to take one, I use all my own images, which I take only using an iPhone.

Last, there are two other topics I cover related to US travel. First, is Amtrak, which is the only passenger rail service in the country. And second, are trusted traveler programs related to flying within the US (e.g. TSA PreCheck® and CLEAR).

Now, let me briefly introduce you to the pillar pages in the navigation bar!



Articles

The Articles page is a collection of every article I've kept since the blog's inception of October 2022.

The articles are organized by the article's original publication date, dating from most recent to oldest. As some city attractions may shut down, move locations, or my opinion may change due to current events, I do my best to update my articles when need be.

On occassion, I will delete poor performing articles that do not show up much in search engines.



Cities

The Cities page contains all my articles regarding specific cities.

This page is divided alphabetically by city. Below each city will be the articles I've written about topics concerning that city.

Some cities, like Detroit, will have more content than others, on account that I either live there or have visited several times.



Amtrak

The Amtrak page features only articles pertaining to topics on Amtrak travel.

For instance, I compare Amtrak to other modes of transportation such as flying-- which I also love-- and rental cars.

Since my Amtrak articles garner much of my traffic, I deemed it necessary to give these articles their own pillar page.

Air Travel

The Air Travel page groups together my pages on flying within the United States.

I cover topics such as the perks of individual airlines' frequent flier programs, travel credit cards, and CLEAR.

Last, I have written repeatedly on TSA PreCheck® and how it partners with CLEAR.

SOME COMMON QUESTIONS I GET ASKED...

Which cities have you been to?

I have been to over 50 cities in the US. Not every city I've been to has an article covering it. Regardless, here is the full list, in alphabetical order, of every city I've been to:

  • Ann Arbor, MI
  • Atlanta, GA
  • Baltimore, MD
  • Birmingham, AL
  • Boston, MA
  • Charleston, WV
  • Charleston, SC
  • Charlotte, NC
  • Chicago, IL
  • Clearwater, FL
  • Cleveland, OH
  • Des Moines, IA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Dover, DE
  • Eugene, OR
  • Grand Rapids, MI
  • Greenwich, CT
  • Harpers Ferry, WV
  • Indianapolis, IN
  • Jersey City, NJ
  • Louisville, KY
  • Madison, WI
  • Manchester, NH
  • Miami, FL
  • Miami Beach, FL
  • Milwaukee, WI
  • Minneapolis, MN
  • Moab, UT
  • Nashville, TN
  • New Orleans, LA
  • New York, New York
  • Orlando, FL
  • Oxford, MS
  • Phoenix, AZ
  • Pittsburgh, PA
  • Portland, OR
  • Rehoboth Beach, DE
  • Richmond, VA
  • Sandusky, OH
  • Salt Lake City, UT
  • Savannah, GA
  • Seattle, WA
  • Sedona, AZ
  • St Louis, MO
  • Stamford, CT
  • Washington DC




What have been some of your favorite cities so far?

So far, my top five favorite cities have been: New York, Detroit, Charlotte, Pittsburgh, and New Orleans.

Are you on social media?

Yes-- follow me on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

Where have you been featured?

This is not an exhaustive list. Highlights include...

Most recently, in November 2024, the Detroit Free Press linked to my blog when talking about Michigan residents' reactions to a sign built on a highway for the city of Detroit.

In July 2024, MLive-- a Michigan newspaper-- cited one of my op-ed pieces when they reported on Ann Arbor's Graffiti Alley.

In June 2024, I was featured in a Redfin article. Check it out here: Cruising the Motor City: Essential Detroit, Michigan Bucket List.

In May 2024, I had the privilege of collaborating with the Museum of Illusions-- the world's largest independently owned museum chain-- and was invited to attend the grand opening of their new location in Cleveland.

In April 2024, in my hometown of Canton, MI, I was invited to dine at a new Japanese restaurant for free. This was my first "taste" (pun totally intended, come on) working as an influencer!

Do you accept guest/sponsored posts?

At the current time, all the articles on my blog are authored by me. That being said, I am open to the idea of guest/sponsored posting.

If you are interested in writing a guest post for me, there are some guidelines you'll have to follow.

First, you must have your own active travel blog. Second, tell me which keyword(s) you want to target, their estimated monthly traffic, and SEO ranking difficulty. Third, images must be fairly good quality, in landscape, and in .webp format.

One last thing I do want to mention: I do not accept any payment for DoFollow links.

Welcome... to Michael Visits All!

I've enjoyed introducing myself to you!

Travel brings me fulfillment. It's one of my favorite topics to talk about with others. I hope my passion shines through in my writing and that you learn of new fun things to do wherever you travel!

A mural outside the Blind Pig in downtown Ann Arbor, MI
A mural outside the Blind Pig in downtown Ann Arbor, MI.

If you think there is something really fun I may have missed in my explorations, please feel free to reach out and let me know! I love hearing from my readers!

One favor to ask before we depart here: please subscribe to the email list so you can be alerted immediately when new articles come out!