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Archives
Category Archives: Travel
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
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
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
Posted in Art & Sculpture, Chicago, Dani, Linda, Technology
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Posted in Midwest
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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).
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
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
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
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
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
Posted in Dani, Linda, Orlando, Theme Parks
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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
Posted in Central Coast, Dani, Dining, Linda, San Francisco, Wine
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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
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
Posted in Linda, New England
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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 … Continue reading
Posted in Canada
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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 … Continue reading
Posted in New England
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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 … Continue reading
Posted in Canada
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Sea Daze
Repositioning cruises are semi-annual events for many cruise ships, as they move from their summer European itineraries to their winter Caribbean ones. Unlike most schedules, they feature a fair number of consecutive sea days, when the ship is simply trying … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
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Dublin
I’ve never developed much of an affinity for Dublin. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with it, it’s just that there’s nothing to draw me here. It’s a city of writers: Joyce, Wilde, Shaw, and so on. But frankly they’re … Continue reading
Titanic Belfast
Titanic Belfast is a visitor center opened in 2012 adjacent to the Belfast docks where Titanic was constructed. It is, without doubt, the best visitor center I’ve been to. Our day began with a short tour of downtown Belfast, a … Continue reading
London
After Linda’s push to get “Tree” (AKA “A Bug’s Life”) open at Animal Kingdom, we were able to slip away for a transatlantic cruise. On Friday we picked up a rental car at Disney and on Saturday we packed it and … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading