Caribe Hilton: Historical…and Home of the Piña Colada UPDATE: 3/26/19 Following the disaster of Hurricane Maria, one of my favorite hotels has been closed for 18 months. Great news! Starting May 15, 2019, Caribe Hilton is open again! It...
Chicago Cultural Center: Visit the”Palace of the People”…FREE!
It’s scary to think that the Chicago Cultural Center was almost demolished so that a dull mid-century office tower could have a spot on Michigan Avenue. What–or rather, who–saved it? The petite wife of Mayor Richard J. Daley, the...
Etiquette for Visiting Religious Sites…NO Exceptions!
Please don’t be THAT traveler. Please. Learn the etiquette for visiting religious sites and use it every time you enter a sacred place. There are plenty of reasons to include religious sites in your travels. They’re where you find...
Chocolate Cake and the Development of the Atomic Bomb
When you think of the origins of the atomic bomb, chocolate cake as an important contribution to its success probably doesn’t come to mind. Think again. If Edith Warner’s famous dessert hadn’t fed the isolated scientists working on the...
Petroglyph National Monument: Messages From the Past
Petroglyph National Monument protects more than 24,000 petroglyphs carved into the volcanic rock in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The drawings and symbols were created 400 to 700 years ago, mostly by ancestors of today’s Pueblo people, with some later additional...
Beecher’s Mac & Cheese: Recipe for Seattle’s Ultimate Comfort Food
How good is Beecher’s Mac & Cheese? Ask Oprah. It made her “favorite things” list. Now you can make it at home…the recipe is below! Kurt Beecher Dammeier didn’t intentionally set out to create the best Mac & Cheese...
Jack London: He Wrote So He Could Be a Farmer
“I write a book for no other reason than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me…” What happens when you learn Jack London wrote his astounding novels to support sustainable agriculture on his farm? Well, you...
Chicago Architecture Center: More Than the River Cruise
Visiting the Windy City? Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) should be high on your list. You probably know its famous Architecture River Cruise, considered one of the top tours in the United States–and the most popular in Chicago. Founded in 1966,...
Where to Go in 2019: Practical–and Dream–Destinations
“Where to go in 2019” articles started cropping up about the time we were setting the table for Thanksgiving. They’re always a mad array of destinations; every travel magazine, guide book, and newspaper puts out a list. The lists...
Travel & Adventure Show: Who Should Go? YOU!
Holiday decorations are put away and the new year has started. That means it’s time to plan a trip! Fortunately, the annual Travel & Adventure Show can help you find the perfect destination. Hundreds of exhibitors are waiting to...