Hey there, there was an error when you submitted your essay for the travel channel academy contest! Could you submit it again? (sorry for the trouble...) Thanks! Anne

Hey! Thanks so much for the message. The idea behind the blogs, photos, and videos was to bring my experiences to you and hopefully inspire you to travel...so I'm very glad that my work inspired you to explore places you wouldn't have considered otherwise :) Hope all is well with you.

I got ya covered girl! The best place for you to stay then would be the Two Ducks Hostel! It is a five minute from Termini and is perfect for meeting other travelers or just puttin your bags down and getting out to see the sights! They have a 24-hour reception, hot showers and linens are provided. The kicker - free breakfast! It is only $35/night and you will get a free drink with your ISIC card. Let me know when you will be there and I can book it for you. 212-865-2700. From there you can go anywhere, so it will still be a good place to stay the whole time you are there. I stayed right near there for the first two weeks I lived in Rome and am glad I did! As for fun non-touristy things to do - my favorite is grabing a bottle of wine or some Peroni tall boys and chilling outside the Coliseum, the Forum, the Spanish Steps, or Campo dei Fiori. It is best to hit these places up at night and people watch the night away. Also, be sure to explore the streets of Trestevera. There are tons of great restaurants there lining the thin, windy, stone roads. It is a great place to pick up gifts made by local artisits as well. Visit as many fountains as you can! They are amazing and are usually in cool parts of town. Jumping from one fountain to the next is a good way to see all the sites. Even though it is kind of typical, I would still highly recommend going to see the Pope speak a mass on Wednesday. It is an amazing gathering of people from all over the world! I have a pic of me with a group of Buddhist monks from Tibet who were attending the mass. Awesome! Take your time there and enjoy every meal! Ask waiters and restaurant owners what they recommend and try it! They know what is best and everything there is amazing! Let me know if you have any other questions and when you are ready to book that hotel.