Category Archives: North America

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Alcorn Tours Guide to Chicago

Refer to this map: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OuwGVQUX3rFKMRJi_Vx3DWp_OKE&usp=sharing Geography Chicago is on the west shore of Lake Michigan. Much of the area along the lake is various parks, from Lincoln Park on the North to Millennium and Grant Parks on the south. The … Continue reading

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Riedel Stemware Seminar

A few years ago Linda and I attended a Riedel stemware seminar while on a Celebrity cruise. The premise of the seminar was that different shaped glasses make wines taste different. We went in very skeptical but came out completely believers. … Continue reading

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Chicago Museums

We picked the right weekends to visit Chicago. The weather was perfect. We originally scheduled this trip for our Next season tickets. The Alps-themed meal turned out to be lackluster, but we had a lot of fun anyway. We visited … Continue reading

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New York Dining

We’ve had a fabulous long weekend in New York, and although the purpose of the trip was to see the new musical, Waitress, we also had a chance to visit some favorite restaurants, and try a few new ones. Here’s … Continue reading

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Waitress

This anniversary trip to New York City features a lot of fine dining, but it started because of Waitress, a new musical based on the movie, and with a score by Sara Bareilles. Dani asked for tickets for Christmas, and … Continue reading

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Momofuku Ko

I’ve wanted to visit Momofuku Ko ever since I read about it in the excellent book, The Rosie Project, which you should definitely read. It’s very hard to get a reservation, but thanks to split-second timing last week I was surprised … Continue reading

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Chicago, New Orleans, Orlando – Linda’s Road Trip Blog

I flew up to Chicago on Friday to spend some time with Steve and Dani. The weather is very strange this time of year – we had lunch outside yesterday and it went from very sunny to threatening to rain … Continue reading

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Alinea – a Return Visit

Alinea is widely regarded as the top restaurant in the United States, but when we visited five years ago we weren’t impressed. The service seemed stiff, and there were too many directions involved in how to eat each course. But it … Continue reading

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Corn Maze and Apple Picking

We took advantage of cool weather and beautiful blue skies to drive 60 miles west of Chicago to All Season Apple Orchard in Woodstock, Illinois. From Late August until early November they have a corn maze, apple orchard, and many other attractions. … Continue reading

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From Lincoln to Twain

At the start of the Labor Day weekend Dani and I made a quick overnight road trip to Hannibal Missouri to see Mark Twain’s birthplace. Along the way we stopped in Springfield, Illinois to checkout The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library … Continue reading

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Michigan Wineries

Dani and I made a day trip around the lake to visit some Michigan wineries. It was an easy drive, and there were some nice wineries (although not really world-class wines).  

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Farewell to Evanston

It always seems a shame to sell a place, just when you get it perfect. The Evanston condo served Dani well for six years, beginning with her Sophomore year at Northwestern. Here is a look back. Before OK, it is … Continue reading

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Road Trip: Orlando to Chicago

After purchasing the new condo in downtown Chicago we wanted to transport some big, heavy stuff like art work and dishes, so Dani and I decided to road trip via Atlanta, Nashville and Louisville. This would have the added advantage … Continue reading

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Burgundy and Bordeaux at Capa

Our friends Ron and Bev are the only couple we know where no matter what old wine I pull from my cellar, they can match it. So when they invited us to try Capa at the new Four Seasons Hotel … Continue reading

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Dock Party at Hillstone’s

Every year Ron hosts a dock party at Hillstone’s. It’s a great venue if the weather cooperates. Last year we froze our tushes off, but this year it was perfect: mid 80s with a constant breeze off the lake. In … Continue reading

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Universal

For Christmas I gave Dani a VIP tour of Universal Orlando. She was sick after Christmas, so she flew back to town President’s Day weekend to do it. These tours are limited to twelve people. A guide takes you around … Continue reading

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San Francisco and Central Coast 2014

Prior to spending Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, we met Dani in San Francisco for a few days of sightseeing, and then drove down the coast. Our flight in gave us a spectacular view of the coast, the Golden Gate Bridge, … Continue reading

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New York

Following our cruise we spent a busy four days in New York. Upon arrival we checked our bags at the Waldorf Astoria Towers and headed south to the World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial. The memorial is very well … Continue reading

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Boston

Linda got to celebrate her birthday in Boston, our last stop before New York City. We were last here (on separate trips) when Dani was looking at colleges, so it had been a while. For lunch, we decided to check out … Continue reading

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