You know traveling can wreck your diet. If you are like me, you might wonder how you will find great seafood when you’re traveling three back-to-back mini-trips with an itinerary packed as tight as a can of sardines.

Well, here’s where I went last month and what kind of seafood I found.

First up, Pittsburgh, my hometown.

My teenage nieces, Rachel and Lauren, called to invite me to the Taylor Swift concert. Hello, was I giving up that opportunity? I don’t think so.

As it turns out, my nephew Erik, was having his HS graduation party the same weekend. A trip to the famous Strip District in downtown Pgh., a Pirates baseball game and a visit to the cemetery for Father’s Day completed my non-stop weekend activities.

Now when does the fish part come in, you might be wondering?

Well for sure there was no chance for seafood at the pop-teen star, Taylor Swift’s concert. It was more like burgers, cotton candy, pizza and soda. At the HS graduation party? Nachos, chicken, pasta, 7 layer salad and beer.

The next day we went to The Strip District. Before I left Orlando, I sent a tweet to @chefbillfuller, Chef for the Big Burrito Restaurant Group, for his take on the hottest seafood restaurant in The Strip. His advice and our desire for fresh food in a fun, casual setting took us to KAYA, a Caribbean themed restaurant on 21st street.

It’s worth mentioning the fresh fish tacos. Three flour tortillas were generously filled with tilapia, lightly dusted with cornmeal, big chunks of fresh avocado and homemade sweet slaw that had a tangy Asian-style flavor. I was not disappointed and now my family has another “go-to” restaurant in the Strip. Thanks Chef Bill.

The Pirates game offered more beer and nachos. I thought I scored a home run with a Primanti Brother’s sandwich, but their version of a Phillyburger was a compressed meat-like substance that was far, far away from any type of food-stuff I’ve had in the recent past. Under the seat it went, and I opted for another BlueMoon draft beer with a fresh orange slice and a few french fries with melted orange cheese. At this point I had enough carbs for the entire trip, but I was far from finished with carb-loading.

After a visit to The Calvary cemetery to visit my dad’s grave on Father’s Day, I went to McCormick & Schmicks for lunch. Hooray! Alaskan Halibut was on the menu and then in my belly. I split the entrée with my sister for a lighter lunch (all those beers) and a lower price point on the check.

Next up. NYC.

This part of the trip gave me enough time to see a Broadway show, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, spend an afternoon at MOMA and enjoy a prix fix lunch at Marea, the hottest Italian-Seafood restaurant in the city, according to the concierge at the Park Central Hotel, which is where we stay in NYC.

Enter seafood that I normally dream about.

Fresh oysters that make me feel like I was swimming in a cool, fresh, salty, somehow creamy ocean.

Cuttlefish, or Sepia, with bottarga was a silky, soft texture, paired with a sweet, crunchy carrot-cucumber shavings for a mouthful of magnificent mellowness. Geoduck (pronounced goo-ey duck) clam slices were crunchy and spicy and reminded me of a sea cucumber I once ate while kayaking in the Florida Keys. I love how food can evoke memories once forgotten. Bigeye tuna chunks were meaty, fatty, and had a fresh ocean finish.

The halibut arrived in an oversized bowl resting in a shallow pool of roasted red pepper-oyster sauce. The fish had perfect sear marks, (light that is) and large soft flakes that fell gently into the sauce as a slide my fork through its flesh. The halibut was surrounded by pearl onions, roasted artichokes and two baby arugula leaves.

I was awakened from my dream-like foodie reverie occasionally but not so distractedly by my server, Robert. That, the bone white linen, Italian flatware, one lone chartreuse green mum on the table in a squat silver vase and Corrine Bailey Rae on the surround sound were the only gentle reminders that I was on Central Park South, not in a bubble, floating in the ocean.

As a side note, I opted for no other seafood in this city to keep the flavors and memories sharp from Marea.

Last stop, Chesterfield, Michigan, a suburb north of Detroit, for a reunion on Elvis’s side of the family.

Out to dinner to a place called BoneFish, not any relationship to the Orlando Talk of The Town group, but rather a large, loud warehouse-style restaurant which offered catfish, flounder and sushi. I opted for a spicy tuna roll and steamed edamame. Not bad, but not worth writing any more about.

The next several days were filled with good-old mid-Western meals: pulled pork, baked beans, pasta and fruit salad, bacon, homemade banana ice cream, muffins, beer and margaritas. I loved every bite of it.

But I still wanted freshwater whitefish (which is a member of the salmon family) because it’s rarely found on any Central Florida restaurant menu or available in the local retail stores.

I got what I wanted, sort of. We drove to north to Lake Huron for a late lunch at The Thomas Edison Inn. I ordered whitefish, but they were OUT! So I grudgingly ordered pickerel, (which I knew nothing about at the time). I was pleasantly surprised. Pickerel is a lean, white flakey fish that has a mild, clean freshwater flavor (and is a member of the pike family).

We arrived back in Central Florida to the not guilty verdict of Casey Anthony (another story), three pieces of luggage filled with dirty clothes and a huge desire for some hot, comfort food. Our pick? A grilled mahi-mahi sammie with Asian slaw and garlic aioli from our neighborhood BBQ joint, WildSide.

It’s good to be home.