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The last time that I saw snow, it was a rather unimpressive flurry in northern Michigan. Because it happened during the springtime, it didn't leave much of a presence behind. Well, as I just mentioned on my American Nomad blog, I'll soon be headed to Yellowstone National Park – where I'm guaranteed to see some of the frozen white stuff – and with any luck, this New Orleans girl will survive the crazy temperatures. To my Northern friends I ask, is five layers overkill?
Over the past couple of weeks, it seems that I've been obsessed with haunted places. It all started two weekends ago, when Dan and I decided to visit our friends Warren and Missy near Flint, Michigan. While down there, the four of us dined at the supposedly haunted Historic Holly Hotel. Although we didn't experience any paranormal activity that night, it led me to think about all the other allegedly haunted locales in the United States, from San Diego's Whaley House to Miami's Biltmore Hotel.
Despite being a hopeful skeptic who's never witnessed any otherworldly entities, I was intrigued enough to write a travel blog series about the 10 most haunted cities in America, including such atmospheric places as Key West, Chicago, Savannah, and New Orleans. If you have a chance, take a look at my list – and let me know if I've missed a town or two. And, of course, feel free to share any spectral encounters of your own.
Unfortunately, given my lack of real-life ghost stories, I can only contribute to fictional ones, like the one we're currently unraveling at Come In Character. Of course, if you're interested, you're welcome to join in the spooky fun!
This week, Moon.com is running a contest in celebration of road trips. To enter, you simply have to share your favorite road trip song with the folks at Moon. The deadline is tomorrow evening at 5 p.m. PST, and the winner will receive a free 8GB iPod Nano and a Moon guidebook of his or her choice.
To help promote the giveaway, I've spent this entire week blogging about road trip-related things, including a long-ago RV adventure on Interstate 40, between Tennessee and Arizona. In addition, I've shared 10 of my favorite road trip routes in America as well as suggestions for road trip essentials – basically, everything from snacks to audiobooks to jumper cables. So, take a minute to check out the posts – and don't forget to enter the contest. Good luck, and happy travels!
A few days ago, I received an unsettling email from the nonprofit organization Friends of New Orleans. Apparently, Newsweek had published a list of America's top 10 dying cities in late January, and poor, beleaguered New Orleans was at the top of the list. Being a native of the Big Easy and a part-time resident of the French Quarter, I couldn't help but question the magazine's motive in publishing such a one-dimensional piece. So, although I'm a month behind the times, I felt a strong urge to discuss this misleading article on my American Nomad blog, which I did late last night. After all, though it's true that cities like Grand Rapids, Flint, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and New Orleans have suffered population declines over the past decade, demographic information isn't the only factor that determines a city's worth, especially from a traveler's perspective.
So, what do you think of the list?
While posting a love-related question on Come In Character and reflecting on the top romantic U.S. cities on my American Nomad blog, I couldn't help but think about the goodies to be had today. Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. After all, what else is there to eat on February 14th?
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
As you might already know, Dan and I spent the month of January in southern Florida, exploring the Everglades and the Florida Keys – in preparation for an upcoming travel guide of mine. Although we're in New Orleans at the moment, my head is still very much focused on the Sunshine State. In fact, I was just thinking about one of the last experiences we had on our trip: a Coopertown airboat ride through the East Everglades Expansion Area, a proposed addition to Everglades National Park.
Exploring the Everglades via airboat is a popular activity, especially among families – so popular, in fact, that I recently blogged about it on American Nomad. About a dozen different airboat operators offer narrated scenic tours in the Everglades; many of them are located in Everglades City or along Tamiami Trail, and all of them promise a glimpse at the native flora and fauna.
On our own 40-minute journey through the slow-moving “river of grass,” we saw yellow-bellied slider turtles, greenback herons, and various other birds amid the omnipresent water lilies, sawgrass, cattails, and hammocks (small, tree-filled islands). Naturally, Dan and I were hoping to see an alligator, and we weren't disappointed. We spotted at least four on the trip – one of which lay in all his eight-foot-long glory just inches from the shore. Remarkably calm, he even let us get close enough for a photo opportunity.
Of course, as much fun as we had on that gorgeous day, it's hard to escape the fact that airboats have been controversial for years – as evidenced by some of the comments left on my American Nomad post. Still, travel writing can't always be a smooth road – preserving the environment (and the inhabitants therein) is often at odds with enjoying it, even on an educational airboat ride. Although I believe that conservation and recreation don't have to be mutually exclusive goals, it's certainly not an easy balance – and having written my share of ecotourism articles, I well know it... which is why it's sometimes nice to focus on something a little more frivolous – like the top ten most romantic cities in America, a two-part travel post that I prepared just in time for Valentine's Day. Naturally, four of my old and current haunts – Chicago (where Dan and I met), Las Vegas (where we got married), Los Angeles (where we lived for several years), and New Orleans (where we currently spend a lot of time) – made the list, but it wasn't easy to choose only ten. In fact, I'm curious: Which U.S. city do you think is the most romantic, and what are your plans for the big day?
My to-do list is rather long at the moment, so I’m just going to post a quick little note. Earlier this evening, I found out that Avalon Travel is extending my “American Nomad” travel blog into the new year. I’m really excited – mostly because I still have lot of places to explore. I can’t wait!
P.S. Thanks, everyone, for your dieting advice earlier today. Dan and I both appreciate it, and we’ll let you know how the deprivation – I mean, healthy lifestyle change – goes.
Technically, today is Saturday, but this thought came to me, well, yesterday, so I think it counts as a “Friday fantasy.” And even if it doesn’t, so be it. At the moment, I’m too frazzled to think of another blog topic.
For my American Nomad travel blog, I spent the last couple of days working on a two-part article called “Historic Taverns Across America.” It was a lot of fun to remember some of my favorite watering holes, especially the ones that famous writers, musicians, and actors once frequented.
In the first part, I mentioned Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop (pictured above), a cozy, candlelit cavern of a place at the corner of Bourbon and St. Phillip Streets in the New Orleans French Quarter. One of the only original buildings still standing, Lafitte’s is popular among tourists as well as natives (like me!), not to mention celebrities. The dimly lit walls are, in fact, covered with photographs of famous folks visiting Lafitte’s. Of course, the patron that always gives me chills is Tennessee Williams, the playwright who made a habit of stopping by Lafitte’s during his brief stay in New Orleans. Apparently, he was also a patron of another old hangout still in operation: Captain Tony’s Saloon in Key West’s Old Town district, a saloon better known for being favored by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, and Jimmy Buffett.
In the second part of my article, I shared three more of my favorite American taverns, not the least of which is Boardner’s, a longtime Hollywood landmark. Although the beloved neighborhood dive has since undergone an art deco-style transformation, its historic atmosphere is still palpable. This was, after all, a favorite hangout for some of my favorite performers, from W.C. Fields to Robert Mitchum – and I can remember when it was dark and moody and filled with, as the saying goes, “the Who’s Who and Who Cares.”
So, do you have a favorite hangout with a storied past?
As I mentioned last month, Avalon Travel has hired me to write the first edition of a Moon travel guide to the Florida Keys, and I couldn’t be more excited. Just today, I signed the contract and trekked, through the rain, to my French Quarter mailing place, making the deal official. So, now begins the hard work of researching and writing the guide, gathering the photos, and creating the maps.
I’ve already shared my love for this unique region on my American Nomad blog – in the posts entitled “Across the Florida Keys” and “Good Eats in Key West” – but I have so much more to say about its oddities and delights. I’m thrilled that I’ll soon be down there, exploring my favorite haunts yet again – with my favorite traveling companion in tow.
Although I have a long way to go before becoming a published novelist, I’m grateful every day for the opportunities that Avalon has given me to be a published author.
Considering that literature and travel are two of my favorite things in all the world, it might come as no surprise that I love visiting places or witnessing sights mentioned in novels. For instance, every time I spy a Lucky Dog vendor in the French Quarter, I can’t help but think fondly of John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces (1980), a posthumously published Pulitzer-prize winner (say that five times fast!) that features the inimitable Ignatius J. Reilly, who, during the course of the novel, briefly sells these ubiquitous hot dogs in downtown New Orleans.
Of course, the Big Easy and its environs frequently appear in popular literature, from classic plays like Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) to horror novels like Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (1976). More than an atmospheric backdrop, New Orleans and the rest of southern Louisiana often become characters of sorts. How could they not – with such rich scenery, history, and personality? And I must admit that I do adore spying some of my favorite haunts within the pages of my favorite books. Cafe Du Monde, for instance – which I mentioned last Monday – shows up in many a James Lee Burke novel, from Burning Angel (1995) to The Tin Roof Blowdown (2007).
Now don’t get me wrong – New Orleans isn’t the only literary locale that gives me a teeny thrill when I spot it in a novel. I remember feeling pretty tickled by the appearance of Chicago’s Field Museum – one of my all-time favorite museums – in Audrey Niffenegger’s debut The Time Traveler’s Wife (2003). And the same thing happened every time I encountered a familiar Roman sight in Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons (2000).
So, when one of my colleagues at Avalon Travel asked me to feature a Washington, D.C., itinerary based on Brown’s latest thriller, The Lost Symbol, on my American Nomad blog, I was more than willing. Admittedly, she made the suggestion over a month ago, when the novel was first released. But, since I don’t feel comfortable featuring books, movies, restaurants, and so forth that I’ve never experienced myself, I naturally had to read the book first. Well, I finally finished it yesterday – which means I was finally able to post a Langdon-tailored D.C. itinerary. Check it out if you have a chance!
In the meantime, I’m eager to know if you’ve ever felt a little thrill upon recognizing a locale in a novel. Or, better yet, have you ever planned a whole trip around your favorite book or series – as some die-hard Harry Potter fans have done in merry ol’ England?
The Florida Keys have long constituted one of my favorite regions in America. Always warm, often sunny, and virtually isolated, they comprise a world all their own. So, perhaps it’s no wonder that, as the days get colder and drearier in northern Michigan, I have Key West on the brain. Palm trees, banana leaves, Victorian inns, Caribbean bungalows, fresh seafood, French crepes, Hemingway haunts, lively annual events, and snorkeling opportunities galore – yeah, it’s safe to say that I adore that crazy little island.
In fact, I felt so inspired today that I even featured Key West cuisine on my American Nomad blog. Check it out if you have a chance.
And then riddle me this: Do you like islands? If so, do you have a favorite one?
For my American Nomad blog, I recently posted an article about train travel. Although Dan and I frequently travel by car, we’ve certainly been known to board a train or two over the years. Before I even met Dan, I had ridden my fair share of trains, even taking Amtrak’s City of New Orleans from the Big Easy (my hometown) to Chicago (where I was attending college at the time). And right after meeting Dan (but before we were an “item”), I took a trip to Italy, where I experienced a six-hour train ride from Venice to Rome – what an amazing journey that was!
When Dan and I lived in England, we often used trains to get from Henley-on-Thames, where we were living, to towns like Reading and London. It really was a more efficient and less harrowing way to travel than driving on Britain’s poorly marked roadways. And, of course, while residing in places like Chicago and Los Angeles, we used the public trains a lot – especially in the Windy City, which has a truly incredible system. Chicago’s trains almost always got us to our destination on time – whether it was an office building in the Loop or the Midway airport – and it was so much cheaper and faster than driving in the Chicagoland area.
Although I never collected trains as a child, I’ve always been fascinated with them. Despite the decline in U.S. train travel over the past century, America’s history will forever be intertwined with locomotives – and there’s nothing quite like riding the rails. If you don’t have time for a lengthy Amtrak journey, there are plenty of smaller lines throughout the country, offering short, nostalgic train rides for visitors. And, in lieu of that, you can always take the silly tourist train rides on offer in certain resort towns, such as Key West’s Conch Tour Train. Hey, don’t laugh – it’s fun!
While doing my research for the travel article, I discovered this interesting partnership between Amtrak and the National Park Service. Called Trails & Rails, the program “provides rail passengers with educational opportunities that foster an appreciation of a selected region’s natural and cultural heritage... promotes National Park Service areas...” and attempts “to encourage train ridership” – which I think is pretty awesome. Apparently, Amtrak and the National Park Service are also helping to celebrate the next National Train Day (yes, we have one of those), which is scheduled for next May. I’m personally heartened by all this attention to train travel, which is slowly becoming a thing of the past.
So, do any of you have fond memories of past train rides? Or is it time to take your first trip?
Normally, for “Tuesday Travels,” I would wax poetic about some aspect of traveling, share a few memories of past misadventures, or, in the case of last week, contradict a curmudgeon’s perspective of a place I love. But, alas, I must interrupt today’s regularly scheduled programming for a shameless plug.
For the past week, I’ve featured the glorious city of Chicago in a six-part series on my American Nomad travel blog, and if you have absolutely nothing better to do today – and have never been to the Windy City before – I encourage you to check it out. I fell in love with Chicago in the summer of 1993, when I went for a five-week Radio/TV/Film course on the campus of Northwestern University – and I’ve been in love ever since. Although I moved from Chicago in the fall of 2000 to kick-start this nomadic existence that my husband and I currently embrace, I have never forgotten the wonder of living in the Windy City – and Dan and I have returned whenever we can.
In the first post – “A Windy City Weekend: Getting Started” – I offer a few basic tips for traversing the vast tapestry of neighborhoods and suburbs known as Chicagoland.
In the second post – “A Windy City Weekend: Strolling Amid Masters” – I explore the eclectic art scene, from the masterful paintings at The Art Institute of Chicago to the contemporary sculpture of Millennium Park.
In the third post – “A Windy City Weekend: Stepping Back in Time” – I venture inside the tremendous Field Museum, one of my favorite natural history museums in the whole wide world.
In the fourth post – “A Windy City Weekend: Stuffing Face Chicago-style” – I describe my favorite Chicago treat: a stuffed spinach pizza from Giordano’s.
In the fifth post – “A Windy City Weekend: Catching a Ballgame” – I share my fond memories of watching Cubs baseball games at legendary Wrigley Field.
In the sixth post – “A Windy City Weekend: Exploring the Nightlife” – I encourage folks to experience the theater scene, listen to live music, and visit one of my favorite haunts, the romantic restaurant where Dan gave me a plush Eeyore on my twenty-third birthday and asked me to be his bride.
Well, I hope you haven’t minded this shameless plug. I promise to return next week with more poetic, revealing, or embarrassing notions about my myriad travels. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this comprehensive tour through Chicago, which is second only to New Orleans as my favorite city in America.
Over the past couple of weeks, it seems that I've been obsessed with haunted places. It all started two weekends ago, when Dan and I decided to visit our friends Warren and Missy near Flint, Michigan. While down there, the four of us dined at the supposedly haunted Historic Holly Hotel. Although we didn't experience any paranormal activity that night, it led me to think about all the other allegedly haunted locales in the United States, from San Diego's Whaley House to Miami's Biltmore Hotel.
Despite being a hopeful skeptic who's never witnessed any otherworldly entities, I was intrigued enough to write a travel blog series about the 10 most haunted cities in America, including such atmospheric places as Key West, Chicago, Savannah, and New Orleans. If you have a chance, take a look at my list – and let me know if I've missed a town or two. And, of course, feel free to share any spectral encounters of your own.
Unfortunately, given my lack of real-life ghost stories, I can only contribute to fictional ones, like the one we're currently unraveling at Come In Character. Of course, if you're interested, you're welcome to join in the spooky fun!
This week, Moon.com is running a contest in celebration of road trips. To enter, you simply have to share your favorite road trip song with the folks at Moon. The deadline is tomorrow evening at 5 p.m. PST, and the winner will receive a free 8GB iPod Nano and a Moon guidebook of his or her choice.
A few days ago, I received an unsettling email from the nonprofit organization Friends of New Orleans. Apparently, Newsweek had published a list of America's top 10 dying cities in late January, and poor, beleaguered New Orleans was at the top of the list. Being a native of the Big Easy and a part-time resident of the French Quarter, I couldn't help but question the magazine's motive in publishing such a one-dimensional piece. So, although I'm a month behind the times, I felt a strong urge to discuss this misleading article on my American Nomad blog, which I did late last night. After all, though it's true that cities like Grand Rapids, Flint, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and New Orleans have suffered population declines over the past decade, demographic information isn't the only factor that determines a city's worth, especially from a traveler's perspective.
While posting a love-related question on Come In Character and reflecting on the top romantic U.S. cities on my American Nomad blog, I couldn't help but think about the goodies to be had today. Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. After all, what else is there to eat on February 14th?
As you might already know, Dan and I spent the month of January in southern Florida, exploring the Everglades and the Florida Keys – in preparation for an upcoming travel guide of mine. Although we're in New Orleans at the moment, my head is still very much focused on the Sunshine State. In fact, I was just thinking about one of the last experiences we had on our trip: a Coopertown airboat ride through the East Everglades Expansion Area, a proposed addition to Everglades National Park.
Exploring the Everglades via airboat is a popular activity, especially among families – so popular, in fact, that I recently blogged about it on American Nomad. About a dozen different airboat operators offer narrated scenic tours in the Everglades; many of them are located in Everglades City or along Tamiami Trail, and all of them promise a glimpse at the native flora and fauna.
On our own 40-minute journey through the slow-moving “river of grass,” we saw yellow-bellied slider turtles, greenback herons, and various other birds amid the omnipresent water lilies, sawgrass, cattails, and hammocks (small, tree-filled islands). Naturally, Dan and I were hoping to see an alligator, and we weren't disappointed. We spotted at least four on the trip – one of which lay in all his eight-foot-long glory just inches from the shore. Remarkably calm, he even let us get close enough for a photo opportunity.
Of course, as much fun as we had on that gorgeous day, it's hard to escape the fact that airboats have been controversial for years – as evidenced by some of the comments left on my American Nomad post. Still, travel writing can't always be a smooth road – preserving the environment (and the inhabitants therein) is often at odds with enjoying it, even on an educational airboat ride. Although I believe that conservation and recreation don't have to be mutually exclusive goals, it's certainly not an easy balance – and having written my share of ecotourism articles, I well know it... which is why it's sometimes nice to focus on something a little more frivolous – like the top ten most romantic cities in America, a two-part travel post that I prepared just in time for Valentine's Day. Naturally, four of my old and current haunts – Chicago (where Dan and I met), Las Vegas (where we got married), Los Angeles (where we lived for several years), and New Orleans (where we currently spend a lot of time) – made the list, but it wasn't easy to choose only ten. In fact, I'm curious: Which U.S. city do you think is the most romantic, and what are your plans for the big day?
My to-do list is rather long at the moment, so I’m just going to post a quick little note. Earlier this evening, I found out that Avalon Travel is extending my “American Nomad” travel blog into the new year. I’m really excited – mostly because I still have lot of places to explore. I can’t wait!
Technically, today is Saturday, but this thought came to me, well, yesterday, so I think it counts as a “Friday fantasy.” And even if it doesn’t, so be it. At the moment, I’m too frazzled to think of another blog topic.
In the first part, I mentioned Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop (pictured above), a cozy, candlelit cavern of a place at the corner of Bourbon and St. Phillip Streets in the New Orleans French Quarter. One of the only original buildings still standing, Lafitte’s is popular among tourists as well as natives (like me!), not to mention celebrities. The dimly lit walls are, in fact, covered with photographs of famous folks visiting Lafitte’s. Of course, the patron that always gives me chills is Tennessee Williams, the playwright who made a habit of stopping by Lafitte’s during his brief stay in New Orleans. Apparently, he was also a patron of another old hangout still in operation: Captain Tony’s Saloon in Key West’s Old Town district, a saloon better known for being favored by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, and Jimmy Buffett. 
As I mentioned last month, Avalon Travel has hired me to write the first edition of a Moon travel guide to the Florida Keys, and I couldn’t be more excited. Just today, I signed the contract and trekked, through the rain, to my French Quarter mailing place, making the deal official. So, now begins the hard work of researching and writing the guide, gathering the photos, and creating the maps.
I’ve already shared my love for this unique region on my American Nomad blog – in the posts entitled “Across the Florida Keys” and “Good Eats in Key West” – but I have so much more to say about its oddities and delights. I’m thrilled that I’ll soon be down there, exploring my favorite haunts yet again – with my favorite traveling companion in tow.
Considering that literature and travel are two of my favorite things in all the world, it might come as no surprise that I love visiting places or witnessing sights mentioned in novels. For instance, every time I spy a Lucky Dog vendor in the French Quarter, I can’t help but think fondly of John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces (1980), a posthumously published Pulitzer-prize winner (say that five times fast!) that features the inimitable Ignatius J. Reilly, who, during the course of the novel, briefly sells these ubiquitous hot dogs in downtown New Orleans.
Of course, the Big Easy and its environs frequently appear in popular literature, from classic plays like Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) to horror novels like Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (1976). More than an atmospheric backdrop, New Orleans and the rest of southern Louisiana often become characters of sorts. How could they not – with such rich scenery, history, and personality? And I must admit that I do adore spying some of my favorite haunts within the pages of my favorite books. Cafe Du Monde, for instance – which I mentioned last Monday – shows up in many a James Lee Burke novel, from Burning Angel (1995) to The Tin Roof Blowdown (2007).
Now don’t get me wrong – New Orleans isn’t the only literary locale that gives me a teeny thrill when I spot it in a novel. I remember feeling pretty tickled by the appearance of Chicago’s Field Museum – one of my all-time favorite museums – in Audrey Niffenegger’s debut The Time Traveler’s Wife (2003). And the same thing happened every time I encountered a familiar Roman sight in Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons (2000).
The Florida Keys have long constituted one of my favorite regions in America. Always warm, often sunny, and virtually isolated, they comprise a world all their own. So, perhaps it’s no wonder that, as the days get colder and drearier in northern Michigan, I have Key West on the brain. Palm trees, banana leaves, Victorian inns, Caribbean bungalows, fresh seafood, French crepes, Hemingway haunts, lively annual events, and snorkeling opportunities galore – yeah, it’s safe to say that I adore that crazy little island. 
For my American Nomad blog, I recently posted an article about train travel. Although Dan and I frequently travel by car, we’ve certainly been known to board a train or two over the years. Before I even met Dan, I had ridden my fair share of trains, even taking Amtrak’s City of New Orleans from the Big Easy (my hometown) to Chicago (where I was attending college at the time). And right after meeting Dan (but before we were an “item”), I took a trip to Italy, where I experienced a six-hour train ride from Venice to Rome – what an amazing journey that was!
When Dan and I lived in England, we often used trains to get from Henley-on-Thames, where we were living, to towns like Reading and London. It really was a more efficient and less harrowing way to travel than driving on Britain’s poorly marked roadways. And, of course, while residing in places like Chicago and Los Angeles, we used the public trains a lot – especially in the Windy City, which has a truly incredible system. Chicago’s trains almost always got us to our destination on time – whether it was an office building in the Loop or the Midway airport – and it was so much cheaper and faster than driving in the Chicagoland area.
Although I never collected trains as a child, I’ve always been fascinated with them. Despite the decline in U.S. train travel over the past century, America’s history will forever be intertwined with locomotives – and there’s nothing quite like riding the rails. If you don’t have time for a lengthy Amtrak journey, there are plenty of smaller lines throughout the country, offering short, nostalgic train rides for visitors. And, in lieu of that, you can always take the silly tourist train rides on offer in certain resort towns, such as Key West’s Conch Tour Train. Hey, don’t laugh – it’s fun!
While doing my research for the travel article, I discovered this interesting partnership between Amtrak and the National Park Service. Called Trails & Rails, the program “provides rail passengers with educational opportunities that foster an appreciation of a selected region’s natural and cultural heritage... promotes National Park Service areas...” and attempts “to encourage train ridership” – which I think is pretty awesome. Apparently, Amtrak and the National Park Service are also helping to celebrate the next National Train Day (yes, we have one of those), which is scheduled for next May. I’m personally heartened by all this attention to train travel, which is slowly becoming a thing of the past.
In the first post – “A Windy City Weekend: Getting Started” – I offer a few basic tips for traversing the vast tapestry of neighborhoods and suburbs known as Chicagoland.
In the second post – “A Windy City Weekend: Strolling Amid Masters” – I explore the eclectic art scene, from the masterful paintings at The Art Institute of Chicago to the contemporary sculpture of Millennium Park.
In the third post – “A Windy City Weekend: Stepping Back in Time” – I venture inside the tremendous Field Museum, one of my favorite natural history museums in the whole wide world.
In the fourth post – “A Windy City Weekend: Stuffing Face Chicago-style” – I describe my favorite Chicago treat: a stuffed spinach pizza from Giordano’s.
In the fifth post – “A Windy City Weekend: Catching a Ballgame” – I share my fond memories of watching Cubs baseball games at legendary Wrigley Field.
In the sixth post – “A Windy City Weekend: Exploring the Nightlife” – I encourage folks to experience the theater scene, listen to live music, and visit one of my favorite haunts, the romantic restaurant where Dan gave me a plush Eeyore on my twenty-third birthday and asked me to be his bride.
