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 list of places we wanted to see, including Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, Four Corners, and Mesa…
Category: North America
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 around town like I love to do, but we were able to use Lyft to…
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 interesting, being of the same era but from very different years. 1989 produced tannic somewhat…
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 out of the park. Speaking of knocking it out of the park, not the Chicago Cubs…
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 downtown area is mostly high-rise businesses and is comprised of the one square mile of…
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. So much so, in fact, that I ordered four sets of the glasses and have…
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 the Art Institute of Chicago, which is HUGE. We even bought a season pass so…
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 a recap: We began with a dinner for two at Momofuku Ko, which I’d read…
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 I was able to get them prior to opening night. Sara tells the story of…
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 to be able to get in on a Thursday evening. The layout is a bit…
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 with the temp varying by 20 degrees all in the course of one meal! Our…
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 had been a few years, and since then we’ve enjoyed many meals at their related…
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. We were fairly early, and I expected to be almost alone, but there were already…
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 and Museum, where some of Alcorn McBride’s gear is used. After a nice lunch at…
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).
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 the world’s ugliest building. Roommate Era New Furniture Remodeling Hardwood Floors New Tile The…
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 of a car in Chicago for the summer, which would ease the move from Evanston….
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 at Disney World, we jumped at the chance, and pulled some fantastic old wines to…
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 attendance were Ron, Bev, Keith, Parlo, Linda, Andres, Paula, Carsten and Jill, the sommelier from the new…
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 both parks, including through some backstage areas, and lets you skip the line at ten…
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, the bay and the city. Things were running late, so it was a rush to…
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 done, just a somber pair of holes in the ground, with water flowing endlessly down…
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 one of the city’s nicest restaurants, l’Espalier. We had a delightful multi-course chef’s tasting menu…
St. John, New Brunswick (Bay of Fundy)
As we arrived in Saint John New Brunswick we were greeted by a tug spraying water jets and turning pirouettes, which produced a continually animated rainbow. Our ship looked pretty tiny as it nuzzled the rear end of a humongous Carnival cruise ship. It was easy to tell which passengers came from the…
Portland, Maine
The ship arrived fairly early in Portland Maine and we cleared immigration on board and went out for a morning walk. Not too many shops were open yet, but we made out way around most of the visitor’s section along the wharf and up a couple of streets. After lunch we met a guide for…
Halifax
After a week at sea it was nice to stretch our legs in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We were greeted by a bagpiper and drummer, who filled the space between the ship and the terminal building with a rather impressive amount of sound. Halifax is an attractive city. We walked along the waterfront for a mile…
Chicago Architecture Boat Tour
I really enjoyed this tour of Chicago’s architecture, as experienced from the river. The volunteer docent on the 90 minute trip was a professional architect who provided great insight into the history and design of the buildings. I had been expecting a recitation of architect’s names and dates, but this was much more, and much…
Bristol Renaissance Pleasure Faire
Having grown up in Southern California in the 1970s, I thought I knew what a Renaissance Faire was: a collection of tents and small booths set up temporarily on sprawling farmland. Bristol Renaissance Faire is something completely different, and closer to an entire theme park than a temporary attraction. Scattered beneath giant shade trees, and…
Next: Trio
Next is Chef Grant Achatz’ “next” restaurant. Achatz is the creator of Alinea, regarded by many as America’s greatest restaurant, and Chicago’s only 3-star Michelin restaurant. I approached Next with some trepidation because I’m not a fan of Alinea. I found the atmosphere and service there stiff, and grew tired of the dictatorial way we…
Three Dots and a Dash
I’ve always loved Tiki bars, since I grew up in Los Angeles, frequenting Trader Vic’s, Don the Beachcomber, the Islander, Beachbum Bert’s and many others. It’s sad that they’re all gone. But the good news is that Three Dots and a Dash tops them all. From the moment you venture down the stairway full of…