A busy week playing catch up means that I didn’t get as much reading done as I would like.  Here are a few of the great topics and conversations that caught my eye:
The Rio Guide – If you’re trying to beat the high cost of accommodations in Brazil, renting an apartment (often times a luxury one at that), may be an affordable option.
Wanderlust and Lipstick – Seattle pal, Beth Whitman, explains how she arranged for dental work to be done in Bangkok.  A good experience with an economical price tag.
Travellious – Kelly’s on a road trip with a bunch …read more

The American Institute of Architects announced the results of its annual poll and named the top 150 favorite structures across the United States. 
Here are the Top Ten on the list:

Empire State Building
The White House
Washington National Cathedral
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Golden Gate Bridge
U.S. Capitol
Lincoln Memorial
Biltmore Estates
Chrysler Building
Vietnam Veterans Memorial

As I browsed through the list, I noticed that although I have visited 59 of the buildings on the list, I have only written about a handful.  Those that I have written about include:  Empire State Building  (1), Lincoln Memorial (7), Washington Monument (12), Supreme Court (15), Rockefeller Center (56), TransAmerica Pyramid (61), Corning Museum …read more

Japanese artist Takashi Murakami currently has a wallpaper exhibit in the MCA Café at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art.
So what’s significant about Murakami?  He is one of the most significant artists of the under-40 age group to emerge from Japan, with art choices heavily influenced by pop culture and traditional Japanese art forms ““ a blending of east and west. 
His style is called “Superflat,” and is a post-modern style with flat plains of color and graphic images.  His art evokes comments on consumerism, sexual fetishism, and pop culture, and is frequently referred to as a current day Andy Warhol.
Unlike Warhol, …read more

When you think of the day after Thanksgiving, what comes to mind? 
Relaxing around the house and eating leftovers?  Watching football?  Listening to holiday music and putting up the holiday decorations?  Or are you one of the many, many people who will be heading out to the stores for the kick off of the holiday shopping season?
No matter how we may rebel, there’s no getting around the fact that the upcoming holiday season means shopping.  I hope to make that process a little easier for you, by showcasing a variety of products and services that would make great gifts for travelers …read more

Location:  A statue of “Death” in a Chicago Cemetery.
 
Photo credit:  Jon Rochetti, c. 2006
 
 
 
 

When you think about Halloween events, you can’t help but think of spooky happenings in the cemetery.
If you’ll be in Chicago during Halloween time, you can join the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s tours of Graceland Cemetery.  There are two tours, offered on a variety of dates during October.
The tours are two hour walking tours, with guides providing lots of little tidbits of information about the eternal residents of the cemetery.  The tour stops at the plots of many famous Chicago figures, including many from the novel, Devil in the White City.  A bit morbid, perhaps, but the cemetery tour is also …read more

After writing a couple of great articles about the Art Institute of Chicago and Second City, I talked pal Jon Rochetti into another article, complete with some of his photos, from his recent trips to Chicago.
Enjoy!
 
Even before the Chicago Fire of 1871, civic leaders realized that the city’s lakefront was something that should be protected to be enjoyed by all Chicagoans. 
Chicago’s Grant Park (map) lies between the downtown business “loop” and The Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave.) and Lake Michigan.  It covers 319 acres and hosts three exceptional museums: the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute, and the Field Museum of Natural History, along with …read more

Here’s another guest post from my friend, Jon Rochetti.  If you didn’t read his post about the Art Institute of Chicago, be sure to read it after you finish here.  The great photos are his as well.
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If you are a fan of Saturday Night Live, Second City TV or comedy in general, The Second City is Chicago’s comedy and improv treasure. Its alumni list boasts a virtual who’s-who of comedy – John and Jim Belushi, Mike Myers, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Alan Arkin, Joan Rivers, Robert Klein, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Chris Farley, plus many more. 
If that’s not enough, …read more

Today I have a guest post from a very dear friend, Jon Rochetti.  You may have seen his photos accompanying many of my posts, and if you haven’t, take a look here or here or here.  Today, I’m very excited to share with you some of his great writing, along with his photos.
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The Windy City”¦The Second City”¦City of Broad Shoulders”¦The City of My Youth – Chicago.
I visited Chicago last weekend in a role I haven’t been in years – a tourist.  Usually I visit old friends or travel for business; but this trip was a brother/sister trip to celebrate my sister’s 50th birthday and …read more

A recent MSN article listed 15 tourist traps that the writer recommended avoiding, claiming they weren’t worth the time and/or money.
I disagree with most of them, believing that they are things you need to do at least once in your life.
Read my reasoning here, compare with MSN writer Jon Douglas here, and then weigh in with your own opinion.

San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf:  C’mon, it’s free.  And on a sunny day, it’s a nice walk with a view of San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Chicago’s Sears Tower:  OK, sure, you could go to the Hancock Tower instead, but you’ve …read more