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Archives
Category Archives: Travel
Is Holland America the Worst-Run Cruise Line?
Over the past 30 years, I’ve been on more than 20 cruises. So many I’ve certainly lost count, but we’ve tried nearly all the lines, and they all have their pluses and minuses. In all those years, we’d never been … Continue reading
Posted in Mexico, Panama Canal, Travel
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Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
This was the best food tour I’ve ever been on, and we’ve been on quite a few. Our host Joanna was terrific, and the tour is quite diverse. It focuses on historic spots that you’d never find on your own, … Continue reading
Posted in Mexico
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Antigua, Guatemala
It’s a very long way from Puerto Quetzal to Antigua, particularly when there’s road construction, at least two hours in each direction. This was a very long day, but it was worth visiting Antigua at least once. Along the way, … Continue reading
Posted in Guatemala
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El Salvador
Today we visited the Finca Cuyancua cacao farm in Izalco, El Salvador. It was quite an interesting tour. We got to see the process where they graft good-tasting cacao onto more native roots. That is also cacao, similar to the … Continue reading
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Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Puntarenas was our gateway to the lush heart of Costa Rica. Our day began at the Sloth Sanctuary, where we saw a variety of animals, but the baby sloths were by far the star of the show. Private citizens are … Continue reading
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Panama City, Panama
A bit of a pointless tour to the Miraflores Lock since there were no ships going through. We saw a good IMAX movie, but I suppose we could have watched the equivalent on YouTube. Then we went back to the … Continue reading
Posted in Panama
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Caragena, Colombia
A lovely modern city, very different than what I was expecting. Linda was a bit dehydrated, so I had to take lots of pictures to show her what she missed. The small-group Cartagena Snapshot tour, led by our guide, Elkim, … Continue reading
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West Coast Cruise
In October 2025 we took a spur of the moment cruise from Vancouver down to San Diego and back. Since a lot of Canadians are not visiting the US these days it was a good deal. It was the first … Continue reading
Posted in California, Canada, Linda
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Victoria, B.C.
Have I mentioned we’re moving to Canada? The combination of our daughter and her wife living in Vancouver, the politics of the US, and the heat and humidity of Florida have all combined to prod us to make some big … Continue reading
Eclipse 2024
We planned a year in advance for the April 8, 2024 eclipse, with flight reservations and hotel bookings in Austin, Texas, since it was one of the longest duration points. We flew in from Orlando, and Dani and Trish flew … Continue reading
Posted in Arkansas, Dani, Linda, Technology, Travel
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New Zealand
After cancelling several trips to New Zealand over the past few years, Linda finally got her chance to visit on a cruise aboard the Regent Seven Seas Explorer. I had been to New Zealand on a Tauck tour about ten … Continue reading
Posted in New Zealand, Travel
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Roadtrip: Chicago to Orlando 2023
With Dani and Trish moving to Vancouver, we decided to sell our condo in Chicago. So Linda and I flew to Chicago to cat sit while the girls explored Vancouver for a week, then we loaded up a rental minivan … Continue reading
Europe 2023
For our first post-pandemic trip out of the country, we decided to book a Tauck river cruise on the Danube. It would allow us to visit several cities and countries we hadn’t been to before. To allow us time to … Continue reading
LA to Chicago Road Trip
In June 2022 Dani and I flew to LA and rented and SUV to bring some keepsakes from Grandma Marjorie’s house back to Chicago. We wanted to take our time and visit interesting attractions over a two-week drive. The original … Continue reading
Posted in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Los Angeles, New Mexico, Travel
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Road Trip: Pacific Northwest
This was a delightful 12-day trip around Washington State and part of Oregon. Dani and I initially planned it, but I was able to talk Linda into going, too. It was so much fun to have the whole family traveling … Continue reading
Posted in Dani, Dining, Family, Linda, Oregon, Theme Parks, Travel, Washington State
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Road Trip: Orlando to Chicago
In June of 2021 I sold the Lexus Ls460L to Dani and we took a road trip to transfer the car from Orlando to Chicago. It was our first trip since the Pandemic began in March 2020, so we started … Continue reading
Western Roadtrip
Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico in 12 days and 2600 miles In July 2019 Dani and I set out on a 2600 mile, 12-day road trip of the western states. We had a bucket … Continue reading
Posted in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, The West, Travel, United States, Utah, Wyoming, Yellowstone
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Australia 2017
The flight from Hong Kong to Sydney is overnight, and takes about nine hours. Dani had a rough night in coach, with three infants nearby, but Linda and I were able to get some sleep in business (thank you frequent … Continue reading
Hong Kong’s Peak
Guest post by Dani. Hong Kong 2017 – Day 6 We had to check out of the hotel at 1pm, but our flight to Sydney wasn’t until almost 9pm, so we had a whole day to spend in the city. … Continue reading
Ngong Ping Cable Car
Guest post by Dani. Hong Kong 2017 – Day 5 Today we were tourists doing touristy things on Lantau Island. Many companies offer guided tours but we decided to roll our own adventure based on the sights/activities I read about … Continue reading
Hong Kong’s Cat Cafe and Amber
Guest post by Dani. Hong Kong 2017 – Day 4 We started our day with a leisurely breakfast upstairs and debated what we should do for the day. Yvonne warned us Sunday would be very crowded. Despite that, we briefly … Continue reading
Visiting Hong Kong – Tips for Travelers
Hong Kong is perhaps the easiest city in Asia for English visitors. Its more than 150-year history has left a legacy of English signage everywhere. Most people speak some English, and many speak it fluently (the exception seems to be … Continue reading
Posted in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong History Museum and Yum Cha
Guest post by Dani. Hong Kong 2017 – Day 3 This morning we had a leisurely breakfast upstairs. Dad had avocado toast with a poached egg, Mom had smoked salmon (as always), but I went rogue and tried all the … Continue reading
Hong Kong Central Tour
A guest post by Dani. Hong Kong 2017 – Day 2 A rather impressive thunderstorm woke me up early. The rain drops clattered against the window and there were several long rumbles of thunder. I’ve always thought thunder sounded different … Continue reading
Hong Kong Disneyland and Kowloon
Dani is our guest blogger. Hong Kong 2017 – Day 1 Our first morning in Hong Kong dawned sunnily but with some ominous dark clouds on the horizon. After a fairly restful night’s sleep I felt pretty much on schedule. … Continue reading
Posted in Dani, Hong Kong, Linda, Theme Parks
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Flying to Hong Kong
Dani is our guest blogger. Hong Kong 2017 – Day 0 Mom and Dad had access to a deluxe lounge in the airport before our flight to Hong Kong because of their business class tickets. They indulged in such wonders … Continue reading
Total Eclipse
Everyone has seen photos of partial solar and lunar eclipses, and they look surprisingly similar. In person, the experience is somewhat different, because one happens during the day, and the other at night, but it’s not that much unlike the … Continue reading
Posted in Dani, Family, Linda, Technology, Travel
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Paul McCartney
For the first time, Linda and I both were able to spend a month in Chicago together this summer. It was fun to kick back and chill in River North. A bum left calf and foot kept me from walking all … Continue reading
Comprehensive Bordeaux Tasting: 1989/1990
Every year, in preparation for their annual Bordeaux auction, Hart Davis Hart hosts a comprehensive Bordeaux tasting that offers an opportunity to taste two different vintages of nearly all the first and second growth Bordeaux, side by side. This year’s vintages were particularly … Continue reading
Oriole With Our Wine Group
We saved the best for last! After several days packed with wine events, great dinners, museums and sightseeing, we had our farewell dinner at Oriole. And what a dinner it was! Chef Noah Sandoval and Pastry Chef Genie Kwon knocked it … Continue reading