A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to spend a little time in Seattle with some of my cousins. My youngest cousin, C.J., works for American Express Travel and was on an assignment in the Seattle area for a month, and my oldest cousin, Sean, lives just outside Seattle in Bellevue, so it was a great excuse for me to take to the skies.

Only those closest to me know that a few years ago I developed a fear of flying. It is not debilitating enough to keep me home, but it is just enough to elevate my blood pressure and interrupt my sleep before I go on an adventure. In an effort to face my fears head-on, I booked a sightseeing trip aboard a two-man helicopter on my first day in Seattle. READ MORE >

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