US & Canada - ilivetotravel's travel log

For a Good Time, Head to Chicago

15 May 2012 by Raul 7 Comments

We can all talk about Chicago food, help write the next guidebook on what to see, its architecture, or just muse about the city’s history (be it the city’s founding, Ferris Bueller, the mafia wars, or the baseball wars). But Chicago is a great “canvas for curiosities” (fun little stories or curious sights); what with its size, multitude of places to go & hang out, and colorful locals/visitors alike there can be no shortage of curiosities or good times!

Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t that other places can’t provide perfect backdrops for good stories (New Orleans certainly is! I could tell you stories… if I remembered them), but Chicago offers such a variety of possibilities, that it is inevitable to leave the place with good stories or good pictures.

A group of folks passionate about the experience of travels (who also share an interest in meeting like-minded folks) got together in Chicago for the Windy City tweetup in May 2012. There will be/are blog entries here and in their blogs (check them out – links below!) written about the weekend but I thought I’d devote one to the curiosities and/or the good times of the weekend as captured with my camera…

Plenty of Odd Birds

People watching doesn’t get much better than in this city with the sheer number of people out and about (OK, it does in some places but not by much more). But this strange bird caught my eye as he was sitting perfectly still in-air 😉 Or was he just watching tourists play at The Bean?

We Didn’t Start the Fire (No, Not THAT Chicago Fire)

No matter what anyone claims, we did NOT cause this mishap in Michigan Ave. Some other group of marauders must have done it. (Notice that the city kindly placed an orange cone to protect pedestrians!)

We Think We Are Having a Good Time until We Look at the Photo Days Later…

Our group enjoyed standing in front of The Bean while we all shot pictures at ourselves – we thought that was a cool idea. But the real action was taking place right next to us. Now THEY were having a good time!

Warning – Don’t Make Me Smite You Guys (or Is It “Youse” Guys?)

Well, early on, a warning seemed to have been delivered to us to NOT have too much of a wild time while at The Pump Room on our first night enjoying drinks, dinner, and the ambience. I want to say we were not affected by it but some had an odd glow all weekend. Oh, wait that could have been the boa…

The Angels Are in Town – and not the Baseball Team

Friday night, as we walked the streets in the Water Tower district, a local realized that Charlie’s Angels were in town. I took a look around me, and, oh dear, I was Charlie. Better than Bosley for sure. So, we decided that the Angels needed to do their thing. And here it is:

Good times.

Spread ‘Em, Lady

Chicago,of course, can provide a rather large playground for bachelor and bachelorette parties – ALL sorts of good times. We believe that was what we ran into as we went to the Cloud Gate (or The Bean) at Millenium Park as a group of ladies kept hoisting one of their lot up in various poses… One of our guys was “had” as he heard the words of legs being spread…

And Just When You Think You Have Had a Good Time…

… the BOA enters the picture. Then all bets are off. What you thought had been fun so far, becomes childplay-fun only. We don’t know where the boa originally came from. I can’t tell you much else about it – the moment it enters the picture, the fun begins and the time for chit chat is not gonna happen… You see, the boa has a mind of its own, it wraps you within its feathers, and then… well, this is the point where I have to use that old and wise adage and give it a local twist: “What happens in Chicago, stays in Chicago… or else the ghost of Mr. Capone will make me regret it!”

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Check out these folks with a great point of view and travel stories to tell!

http://lolastravels.com

http://leahtravels.com

www.jettingaround.com

www.elatlboy.com

www.travelingted.tv

http://theworkingmomstravels.com/

Filed Under: Illinois, US & Canada Tagged With: Chicago, Cloud Gate, good times, Millennium Park, The Bean, The Pump Room

Discovering Chicago’s Architecture by Boat Tour

14 May 2012 by Raul 11 Comments

These well-traveled eyes have seen a lot of great cities and still have others left to discover. But they can say that they have seen truly one of the most interesting and enjoyable cities in the U.S. – as long as it is not winter, of course! (OK, it still can be fun in winter as my visits many moons ago can attest though my memory cannot fully recollect…)

Chicago is vibrant, day or night. It is not the 200+ yr old charm that Philly has (Chicago burnt deep and well in the famous fire). It is not the capital of everything that NY is. It is not the power center that DC is. But it is a city that has everything that an urban area should have: unique neighborhoods, a vibrant center, a body of water (or two) running through it, great food, great hotels, diversity of entertainment options (blues clubs, skyscraper-top bars, mafia lore, shopping, people watching, and on and on), and a strong business community. Of course, it also has that required element of large cities: corrupt (or dubious) power brokers – but I digress.

But one thing it that tood out to me as if I had never been here before was the architecture. Not sure if it was the scale (as in the Hancock and ex-Sears Towers or as in the Merchandise Mart), or the contrasts between “old” and new, or just the fact that I got see it on foot, on boat, and on a bus.

View from the Wrigley Building to the "south side" of the Chicago river

View from the Wrigley Building to the “south side” of the river

If you have any interest in learning about the city’s architecture (and you most definitely do not need to be an architect for that!), the boat tour is a great option. The boat tour we took was offered was by Wendella Boats (http://www.wendellaboats.com/ (right by the Wrigley Building on Michigan Ave.). They provide an excellent narration of the architecture of the city by cruising the river – and they help you learn why the river no longer flows into Lake Michigan… I won’t spoil it for you. They also offer you a free drink (and you can pay for more) – the Honker’s Ale was very nice. And I digress again.

Here are examples of the architecture of Chicago (more pictures on my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ILiveToTravel):

Buildings in Chicago that show it has great architecture

The building on the left was inspired by a champagne bottle

Chicago's high buildings reflected on the Cloud Gate, or The Bean

The real and reflected skyline (at The Bean in Millenium Park)

Getting to High Places in Chicago

13 May 2012 by Raul 10 Comments

In the first tweetup, the one in Austin, I found myself flight-delayed for the Friday night events AND also quite sick. While I greatly enjoyed the Saturday outings, I felt I had not gotten all that I had expected out of that tweetup. So the Windy City Tweetup was redemption for fate…

Getting There

The journey to Chicago started, as many journeys lately for me, with Atlanta’s Hartsfield airport. Having just flown in to Atlanta the night before, I was less than excited to be doing the routine in reverse within 24 hours of landing in Atlanta… But, and it is a big but, this was for much more fun than a work trip. It was time for the long-awaited Windy City Tweetup.

Delta nicely was able to complimentarily upgrade me (both ways!) days ahead of the flights so I would avoid wondering at the gate “Will I make it?”. Thanks!

Three of us flying in were planning to meet upon arrival at ORD so I was hoping we would all be on time. Being the one to land first (by schedule, anyway), I was to make my way to the last person’s baggage claim area (of course, we ALL were flying different airlines to make it more complicated…) and also call up the car we had booked for a nice ride into town. Miraculously – the Tweetup gods must have been smiling upon us – we all landed within minutes of each other.

Our destination, the Sofitel Water Tower Hotel in Chicago we had booked a few months in advance. Sofitels are clearly nice hotels and it had been a while since I had stayed in one so I was thrilled to experience their service after a few years of experiencing others’ service.

Home Base in Chicago’s Water Tower District: My High Place

Even before the tweetup, the Sofitel Water Tower engaged with us via Twitter (@SofitelChicago). Two things: one, if you are a business and you will have a Twitter presence, it can’t be a one-way push of information. That is so 1999 web. You HAVE to engage. The Sofitel clearly knew this. That was a good sign for us that we had made a great choice.

I found out I had been placed at the 30th floor which gave me a nice view of the Hancock Tower straight ahead and Lake Michigan behind it. The room was very comfortable and inviting. A very nice spot in a high place in Chicago indeed!

Hancock Tower in Chicago from the Sofitel Water Tower

The view from my high perch in Chicago – the Hancock Tower

Also, a nice treat awaited in the room: macarons! Check out the story about macaron envy…

Macarons served to me at the Sofitel Water Tower in Chicago

My macaron-based welcome made me feel like a high-flyer!

We also had made plans to gather at the hotel’s bar “Le Bar“, where the hotel, once again, offered us a sampling of their appetizers of which the mini-burgers and the artichoke croquettes were my favorite. I also got to be the first customer to try their new signature drink named “Wrigleyville” which had peanut butter fluff & vodka and was served with a side dish of Cracker Jacks. I was not sure about a peanut butter flavored drink but it was actually outstanding. Kudos to the bar for the clever design!

Signature drink at the Sofitel Water Tower in Chicago: the Wrigleyville

The Wrigleyville drink and Cracker Jacks

After meeting up at the Sofitel with one of our local tweeps, we headed for The Pump Room at the Public Hotel Chicago. Though ground-level cleary a high place in terms of history, ambience and scene. A famous locale throughout the decades, I admit to only having discovered it as the tweetup was being planned. We enjoyed drinks and dinner there enjoyed the well-designed space. The bar areas were hopping with a great crowd – clearly a place to come and meet with friends in the Windy City.

The Pump Room at Public Hotel Chicago

So ended our first few hours in the Windy City Tweetup. It was a great start to the weekend and many thanks to the Sofitel Water Tower and The Pump Room for setting the right tone!

Filed Under: Good Eats and Drinks, Illinois, US & Canada Tagged With: Chicago, hotel, Le Bar, Pump Room, Sofitel, Tweetup, windy city

Windy City Tweetup – Chicago Here We Come!

29 April 2012 by Raul 7 Comments

Tweetup, what is that?

Since it is the first time I write in my blog about a “tweetup“, I feel I should have an intro section here on what they are! Tweetups are gathering of tweeps (people who have connected via Twitter) who share a common interest, say travel, photography, etc. It does seem a little odd to go to one to meet people one has only met online. However, if the tweetup doesn’t happen, it stays only online, doesn’t it?

After almost a year of participating in travel talks on Twitter, a few of us decided it was time to meet in person these other folks we so enjoyed exchanging travel ideas and experiences with in Twitter. We held our first tweetup in Austin, Texas.

Windy City

We realized this is something we needed to do again and, sort of on its own, one day, we were chatting in Twitter when someone just said we should all meet in Chicago. And, that was it. Chicago in May it was. Chicago had many pluses but definitely meeting local tweeps was a key driver.

So What Happens – Where Do We Stay?

Those of us traveling, while we don’t have big budgets, want a memorable experience all around. And that starts with our accommodations.

We found out that the Hotel Sofitel Chicago Water Tower not only had a great deal at hand but a great location, sleek designs for the rooms, and an incredible-looking lobby with tons of ambience. We look forward to the phenomenal service levels typical of the Sofitels! Check them out here -> http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-2993-sofitel-chicago-water-tower/index.shtml. We will let you know how it goes!

So What Happens – Where Do We Eat? Where Do We Have Cocktails?

Well, this is very much a problem in a town like Chicago since the options for good food are so many. Here is where our local tweeps and some research on the travelers’ part comes into play.

We certainly wish we were able to engage with some of the local establishments pre-tweetup so we could perhaps better understand what was possible to create the right environment for a groups of folks that want to get each other better while enjoying some food and/or some drinks.

Of course, being a travel tweetup, this group will be “broadcasting” in Twitter and via their blogs about the experience so we sure hope we have great things to say and great tips to provide fellow travelers so their future visit to the Windy City benefits from our insights!! That is what we travel bloggers love to do most – help point others to the best travel experiences!

So far, we have identified The Pump Room (http://www.pumproom.com/) at Public Chicago as a place we definitely will spend time at. The Pump Room evokes the vibe of the 1930s/40s yet caters to a modern-day crowd. It has been celebrated by Travel + Leisure, The Today Show, The New York Times, Chicago Live, etc. This place has catered to just about every big star over the decades. And now it will cater to this tweetup crew!

So What Happens – What Do We Do?

We have not planned out the day time hours but we have decided to do a river architecture boat tour with Wendella Boat Tours (http://www.wendellaboats.com/). We got a great deal via Groupon and we liked the fact they would serve us a drink during the tour – this crew enjoys nice beverages so we sure hope that is what will be served! We will tell you about the tour during our ride!

We are certainly open to ideas so feel free to share any you have. And if you are in the Chicago area and like travel, feel free to connect with us so you can meet us during the weekend events on May 11-12, 2012!!!

Chicago, here we come!

Filed Under: Illinois, US & Canada Tagged With: architecture, boat tour, Chicafo, hotel, Pump Room, Sofitel, Tweetup, Wendella Boat, windy city

An Austin Tweetup

21 January 2012 by Raul 2 Comments

I never thought I’d be part of something called a “tweetup” but last Friday I found myself traveling to Austin, TX to take part in one… How did I get there? Well, I often participate in Twitter on travel chats and through that eventually connected with three 3 people that I enjoyed “chatting” with via Twitter. The idea came up that maybe we should meet up at some point. Since the 3 of them had Texas connections and 2 of them lived there, we decided to plan a weekend in Austin, TX. Since I have good friends there, I figured I could see my new friends and my old friends in one weekend.

Getting There

Getting there was challenging as I wanted to stick to my main airline and there are no direct flights. Also, as I had been traveling a lot recently, I wanted to make sure I could make a stop at home before continuing to travel after the trip to Austin. No worries, a little fingerwork yielded a good itinerary at a reasonable price even if with a very tight connection in Memphis on my way to Austin (54mins). The connection was perfectly fine but then the flight to Austin got delayed 1.5 hrs which pretty much killed joining folks that night.

One Sick Puppy

Unfortunately, I was starting to get sick when I flew to Austin and that got worse over the weekend. I missed the evening tweetup events and that was a real bummer. But Saturday I did get to be with these new friends, now not just “online friends” and we got to explore a little bit of Austin.

Austin in One Day

The day started with breakfast at one of the food truck parking lots on 1st St. A taco place and a doughnut one were the choices on the one we settled on – and I was keen on getting a big ole loaded donut! The donut took a good bit to be prepared but it was loaded with fried bananas, cream and the donut itself. MAJOR sugar overload!

We decided to walk around that part of town and then proceeded to South Congress to walk around the shops. People were out and about that day! It felt like maybe this was the first spring day after a long winter but this was mid-January. Eventually we made it to Allen Boots. I wsan’t looking for a pair of boots but did see a belt I really liked and since most of my belts are run-of-the-mill boring, I went for it. What a great way to add Texas to my “wardrobe” without it having to be a t-shirt!

We decided it was a good enough time to head out to Driftwood, TX to eat some BBQ at Salt Lick (www.saltlickbbq.com). (After returning home from the trip, I saw the place featured in a Top Chef Texas episode.) The place is massive and even has a winery. While we waited 45 mins for our table, we sampled wines which were pretty good. I especially liked their Brut. The place is chop-chop, meaning, all business. They serve you very fast and they don’t seem to want people lingering at the table (based on a posted sign). But they were very friendly so no complaints here. Based on the amount of people wanting to eat there, I am glad people didn’t linger before WE were seated! The foot was great – I had the brisket and sausage and I can say, hands down, the sausage were far better. They had a slight sweet taste that I enjoyed.

After Salt Lick (and a group picture in the parking lot), we drove back into town to walk around the Capitol grounds and take various pictures. At that point, I started feeling the cold getting worse so I was not able to linger much and continue on for drinks and dinner which means I missed out on more fun with the group and on checking out the Four Seasons where 2 of them were staying. I got some meds at the hotel store and basically slept through the evening, night and a good bit of the morning before my local friends picked me up around 11.

Tweetup: Thumbs Up or Down?

Not sure how other “tweetups” go but this group was a phenomenal group of folks! The folks were in real life as I had thought they were from our Twitter chats. I hope their blogs about the tweetup do the weekend better justice (especially since they can talk about the happy hours and dinners that I missed) and I can’t wait to read them!

I am very glad I went for it and I look forward to another one of these with these folks and perhaps other Twitter friends we have met over the last year through our travel chats.

Filed Under: US & Canada Tagged With: Allen Boots, Austin, boots, Driftwood, food truck, Salt Lick, South Congress, Texas, Tweetup

Pictures of the Week – Alta: Ski Heaven

4 November 2011 by Raul Leave a Comment

Many moons ago I resumed skiing after a long hiatus. Friends’ parents decided to invite me to their annual family ski trip AS A SURPRISE to my friends. I arrived first in Salt Lake City and made my way to the awesome house at the foot of the Alta ski resort. Their surprise was a great moment and I thank their parents for creating the opportunity.

But I loved re-kindling my enjoyment of skiing and no better resort than Alta since snowboarding was a no-no! My friend’s brother worked at the resort and got us to go on one of the monster machines they use to groom the slopes at night for a beautiful sunset ride. We brought wine and cheese as he drove us up – a thrill ride for sure given the size of the machine and the slopes. But we were rewarded with the view below which I have played with a lot. Check out the view and some of the results of my playing. I would love to hear what you think!

The Magnificent View

Playing with B&W

My Favorite

Filed Under: Special Photos, US & Canada, Utah Tagged With: Alta, photo, ski, Utah

Right in My Hometown… Atlanta – What to See

3 August 2011 by Raul 7 Comments

Someone suggested on a blog I read that reading a blog about a place written by a local can be better for a visitor than a blog about the place written by a visitor. I agree that a local can give a unique perspective though I still like hearing a visitor’s perspective about a place. Regardless, I thought I’d give my hometown, Atlanta, a crack in my blog though these entries will not be about a trip for me. Well, it was the first time I got here as a teen in the 80s…

Atlanta Skyline 1984

Getting Around

Back then, Atlanta felt sleepy. Everything closed at 10PM including McDonalds. One or two shopping malls within my reach. Taking the subway (MARTA) to the Arts Center station and from there connect to a bus to get to Lenox Mall or Perimeter Mall. Boy, how things change: the subway now goes to those places and beyond. MARTA does not have a great metro network unfortunately due to small-mindedness and the high cost of digging into solid rock. But at least it does cover a good distance in the lines it does have. The best part was when they finally extended MARTA to the airport. Brilliant. But stay tuned, there is a project called the Beltine (www.beltline.org) which promises to add a circular route, intown, connecting at 5 places with the various MARTA lines. That long-term project will begin to impact how we rely on public transport, at least for those of us who live intown for whom the Beltline may be just a walk away.

Or that’s the hope in this car-loving city. Because if you come, I’d strongly recommend right now to rent a car. Else, you are stuck to downtown and the MARTA line or hard-to-hail taxis.

Downtown Points of Interest

Atlanta is a wonderful place to live but I would not place it in a top 5, perhaps even top 10, places to visit in the U.S. if you come from abroad (my fellow locals may kill me for saying that… or do I just want a good secret kept secret??). However, there is a lot of charm and things to discover in and around the city for those who can forgive it for not having the scale and worldliness of NYC or the beautiful natural setting of San Fran… Nightlife is pretty limited in downtown proper unless there are a few conventions concurrently taking place. But I define downtown as a very small part of the city. A few blocks away begin neat parts of the city!

Despite all that, it has some cools to see and do.

In this part of town, you must definitely see the Aquarium – an impressive colossus best seend during a weekday (www.georgiaaquarium.org). Right next to it is the new Coca-Cola Museum (www.worldofcoca-cola.com) (true Atlantans know to put the dash between Coca and Cola!). I haven’t seen the new one but the old one was on the fascinating side so this must be too. CNN is located on the opposite end of Centennial Olympic Park and its tour can be interesting. Finally, the MLK Memorial is on the opposite end of downtown and an important historical site (http://www.nps.gov/malu/index.htm). Underground Atlanta unfortunately became a massive souvenir shop SLASH smaller crime center so it is hard to recommend except you can see what are old buildings for Atlanta and imagine how it used to be end of 19th century which is of some value.

Oh, one more thing. If you like a good view, go up to the rooftop bar at the Westin Peachtree for a phenomenal set of views of the city. But no need to walk around, just plop down, have a drink and the place will rotate for you. ‘Cause that’s how we roll.

Just Outside Downtown and Beyond but Still in the City

Just outside of downtown, a few gems to check out.

First, the Fox Theater dating from the 1920s has really interesting architecture (this is not where “Gone with the Wind” had its premiere; that theater is now the site of the Georgia-Pacific skyscraper in downtown right across from where Margaret Mitchell, the author, was struck by a bus leading to her eventual death…).
Second, the Oakland Cemetery (http://www.oaklandcemetery.com/). One of the oldest places in town and with some famous people buried there (e.g., Bobby Jones). The Jewish sector of the cemetery speaks to the long-standing presence in the city of the Jewish community and has some of the most interesting tombstones. Go and walk about. And bring your camera for some photo opps within the cemetery and of the downtown skyline, one of my favorite places to photograph it! Also, it seems to put on a good tour during Halloween but I haven’t been to it…
Third: Piedmont Park, our Central Park (or is Central Park NYC’s Piedmont Park?). Expansive, with great views of the Midtown skyline, and plenty of people watching to do as you relax in this urban oasis.
Fourth: the Inman Park neighborhood. What used to be the suburbs in the 1910s, where the original owners of Coca-Cola (after the druggist who developed the formula) lived, and site of some beautiful turn of the century homes (19th to 20th turn of the century!). As old as Atlanta gets for the most part and especially fun in April when a tour of homes is held.
Fifth: The Fernbank Museum of Natural History (www.fernbankmuseum.org) in the beautiful neighborhood around Ponce de Leon Ave. with its exhibits and IMAX museum. Granted, just about every city has one but it can be a nice break plus if you drive around the neighborhood you will see something a lot prettier than downtown!
Sixth: Get lost in the neighborhoods just east and west of I-75, inside the perimeter (I-285, the ring road around the city) and north of the Chattahooche River. You WILL get lost without a GPS or map. But the houses go from impressive to almost Versailles itself. Not a piece of Atlanta people get to see or understand when just coming for a convention and a MANDATORY part of the tour I give friends and family when they come. These neighborhoods are part of Buckhead and Vinings but very different than Buckhead as you may know it by Peachtree Street.
Seventh: Shoot the Hootch! Or, get on a raft and go down river down the Chattahoochee River. A typical summer outing for me when I was in college and right after but fun for families. The river is pretty mild – but wear a lot of sunscreen!

Fox Theater

If you have children and all this sounds too adult, the Children’s Museum (www.childrensmuseum.org) right near the Aquarium could give the kiddos a good target place. So mix the Aquarium and this museum (which is very much about hands-on activities and perfect for kids up to 7 years old) in on your schedule for the kids’ sake!

What Else Can You Tell Us, You Ask, about Things not in but Near Atlanta?

Stone Mountain Park (about 20-25 mins away) has what is supposed to be the single largest mountain of granite. This mountain is walkable up the side or one can go up using a cable car. Back in the 1930s a giant, football field-sized carving of Confederate heroes was made on the flatter side of the mountain and, whether you like the people depicted or not, it is something to see. In summertime, a laser show takes places at night against it that is worth watching. Stone Mountain, among many other attractions, features a model of a real life Southern plantation. They moved structures from several plantations around the state to depict life on a plantation. It is very much worth seeing.
For fun in the park, Six Flags over Georgia west of the city is ideal. I am not much for this type of parks but it is good if you like ’em!
Callaway Gardens south of the city offers very nice, obvious, gardens but also things like butterfly exhibits and golf. It is a family resort for those seeking that type of environment. (www.callawaygardens.com)
North of the city, you can head up the North Georgia mountains where towns like Dahlonega & Blairsville offer a great view into the south and mountain living (a lot of retirees from other states landing up there! it is a choice spot for retirement in the corner of North Carolina, Tennesee and Georgia, 2 hrs away from Atlanta’s airport and less from Chattanooga). Helen, GA is a pseudo-German town with fun Oktoberfest though a little cheesy overall for me.
Though I haven’t been to it, I have heard good things about Sweetwater Creek Park (http://gastateparks.org/info/sweetwater/) which sounds like nature’s oasis within a stone’s throw of the city. Just like that you will find fascinating gems of nature and history (another example, the town of Madison about an hour plus east of Atlanta).
About an hour north on I-75, there is a true jewel of a museum. It was quite unexpected when I heard about it and I was very impressed with its modernity, and the quality and contents of this museum given the setting in Cartersville, GA: The Booth Western Art Museum (http://www.boothmuseum.org/)
Further north and getting close to the Tennessee state line are Rock City and Ruby Falls. Pretty neat places to explore and fun for the kids.

Rock city (photo from http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/rockcity)

Within the metro area, going to towns like Decatur with its diverse scene and great places to eat and Marietta with its old style town square and shops are great places to discover on your own.

Packaging It All Up

It is all fine and good to list all the things that can be done but how to package it and get it organized for execution? Well, I can provide a strawman of how I would package up all the things to see and do. Maybe a topic for a future blog if that is of interest!

What About Food?

In a later installment, I will discuss food and try to identify places near the stuff I have mentioned here so you can plan. This will be my favorite section for sure! But I must do LOTS OF research so it may be awhile 🙂

Other thoughts on things to do in Atlanta? There is plenty more especially right outside the city. Pipe in and help inform others on your recommendations!

Filed Under: Georgia, Good Eats and Drinks, US & Canada Tagged With: Atlanta, downtown, Georgia, photo

Running to Explore Washington, D.C.

30 March 2011 by Raul Leave a Comment

I write this post in March 2011 when I started a project in D.C. We are near the end of 2012 and I am still on the project in D.C. It is neat to re-read what I wrote about when I first “landed” in D.C.!

I am lucky to find myself working in another great location. This is one much closer to home the last: Santiago, Chile. By about 8 hrs by plane. I am now in Washington, D.C., the U.S. capital and one of the most important cities in the world. The simplified and shortened commute is making for a happier me and a less tired body. Arriving at work after flying in is different than after the 9.5 hr red eye to Santiago!

I love D.C. because I feel the cosmopolitan nature of the city with embassies and international organizations everywhere. I feel the energy of probably many events happening here – without being aware of them – that can impact more than a few. Of course, one can also take the view that perhaps a lot of nothing happens here but I will leave that for other blogs and keep my opinions to myself though I will say there is truth to both views 🙂 Again, I love this city.

Lots to Explore in Washington, D.C.

I am very fortunate that my work location is just 2 blocks from the White House and I get to stay generally within a 2 mile radius of that location which makes for nice walks to and from work and exploring different side streets and some of what I considerable highly desirable residential areas of DC. Longer walks can take me to Chinatown with the many good eateries and more touristy sites like the Spy Museum and others. A cab or rail ride away are other neighborhoods with very distinct personalities. one that I have recently been introduced to is Capitol Hills. Many eateries and a charming area with my favorite eatery being Belga Cafe where the mussels dishes are phenomenal.

Since I am here during the week for the most part, I have not explored the tourist sites. Having been here many times before, I probably have covered a good number of them. However, some I last saw in 1983 and others more recently but still a decade ago. So I will spend a few weekends here this year catching up on known ones and exploring the new ones. Of the places I have seen, the Holocaust Museum ranks up there as do the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and the other memorials that have sprung in that area like the Vietnam Memorial. Of the places I haven’t seen, I hope to finally do a tour of the White House, perhaps see a session of Congress and maybe even a Supreme Court session. Of the museums, I would like to re visit the Smithsonian ones for sure. But I know there are smaller ones that are worth exploring.

This week I am staying in Rosslyn for a change. Normally I like to stay in downtown D.C. proper, like at the Mayflower Hotel. Tonight I wanted to go for a run and thought I’d run by the river, something I’ve wanted to do since I arrived here. I ran a couple of weeks ago from the hotel past the White House to the Washington Monument down The Mall to the Capitol. What a neat run! On the return leg, as we passed the White House, the Presidential motorcade was making its way back to the White House. That was a real treat. No matter what stripes you wear, the office of the President of the U.S. is awe-inspiring in spite of the occupants. Seeing the motorcade made me proud.

My Running Route

So today I ran across the Key Bridge down past the “new” waterfront in Georgetown towards Watergate and the Kennedy Center and across the Memorial Bridge to the trail on the Virginia side of the Potomac. I decided to bring my small digital camera with me and think I got some neat shots as the sun was lower in the sky and provided nice light. Some of the sights during my run:

Looking towards Watergate from the Key Bridge

View of the Georgetown Canal

Rowers in the Potomac

Lincoln and Washington Memorials

It was cold and especially when crossing the Memorial Bridge as it was windier. But the run was excellent and I even got to go by the famous cherry trees currently blossoming. Normally, I get bored running on my own but I have a feeling that will not be the case in this city! I am beginning to think running tourism should be a new travel category – I am looking forward to looking for new routes and exploring the area via my running, killing two birds with a stone.

What other unique ways can you think to explore new places?

Filed Under: US & Canada, Washington, D.C. Tagged With: jogging route, Kennedy Center, Key Bridge, Mayflower Hotel, monument, Potomac, Rosslyn, running, trails, travel, Washington DC

A Wonderful Spot in New Hampshire

21 August 2009 by Raul 9 Comments

What did I know about New Hampshire before I went there? Well, an uncle was born there. A high school friend (and NH resident) boasted about the natural beauty. A place where folks have an independent spirit. Somewhere crunched in New England. No, I had never heard of the old man rock (sorry) nor of its recent demise (double sorry). I also did not know how sensitive a topic this was! After hanging on to an invitation from my friend for a few years, the opportunity materialized to actually go for more than a 3 day weekend so I went for it.

Getting to Intervale, New Hampshire

Getting to my friend’s place in Intervale would require a bit of coordination and a few different means of transportation. However, it was easy and quite comfortable. (Perhaps my recent trip down under from Atlanta would make any other trip seem easy…) At Logan airport in Boston, I was able to catch a very comfortable coach that would take me north to Portsmouth, NH where my friend would pick me up and then drive close to another 2 hrs to get to their place. (If you do take the coach, buy the ticket online as you cannot buy it from the driver and will have to stand in line when you get to the destination as they take your driver’s license away to ensure you pay! Now this could be dated info but check before you go.)

Portsmouth

While the plan was not to go sightseeing in Portsmouth, it was after lunch and neither of us had had lunch. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we walked around the downtown area of Portsmouth. It was a charming town and perhaps because of the beautiful day the town was teeming with people walking about and soaking up the sun.

A Mountain Biking Marathon? That Is Nuts! But Fun

My friend’s husband and oldest son were to participate in what I consider a mountain biking marathon called the 24 Hours of Great Glen (right by Mt. Washington) where individuals and teams bike -in theory- for 24 hours solid with the individual and team making the most laps winning. The other son served as the videographer and my friend and I acted as groupies, I suppose. It was definitely something I had not seen before and I greatly enjoyed the atmosphere at the event and seeing folks come down the intimidating “Chute” where I think I would even worry if I had to WALK it down! My friend’s son and his team did awesome and won their category – way to go Slow and Steady Gets Eaten by a Bear! (I think the team name itself guaranteed their success.)

Nature: Rivers, Waterfalls, and Mountains

So, for all these years, my friend kept telling me to go around July or August so I could get in the river. Well, it was not just one river nor were they just rivers. The rivers had all sorts of rock formations and waterfalls which means you not only got in and got wet but you got to climb around rocks and even throw yourself down “natural water slides” letting the current take you down whether with an inner tube or without one. I tried the latter though I admit it took me a little bit to summon of the courage. But before any of that were possible I had to accept and tolerate the FRIGID waters! Wow, the water was so cold my feet hurt! But, of course, nature takes its course so as soon as my feet were sufficiently cold, I no longer felt anything which facilitated continuing my entry into the waters. My friend managed to take some rather unflattering pix of me in the process of getting in and jumping in which I will most certainly not be loading here 🙂

We also drove to the Mt. Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods (famous for being where the IMF was created) – a very impressive structure in an even more impressive natural setting! The drive there though was just as impressive and we even saw a moose roadside minding its business, whatever moose business is about.

In all, I have to admit being very impressed at the natural beauty and the amount of places to see and explore in New Hampshire. Places to hike, places to get wet, places to swim, places to sit and soak nature in. How did I never hear about this (friend aside)?? Is someone trying to keep this a secret? I think there is likely a conspiracy here somewhere…

Old Friends, New Friends and a Discovery

Topping the weekend off was meeting some of my friends’ friends and going to one of their places to eat a wonderful lobster paella. Good food, good setting (a house by a river), and great folks. I also discovered a place of wonder called Patch’s. A gas station-cum-small-diner-cum-post-office – a veritable all in one.

Getting to hang out with old friends, getting to know their kids much older than last time I saw them (2000!), and enjoying the natural beauty of NH made for a perfect 5 day trip and great memories. I wonder what the rest of NH is like – perhaps I will get to find out in a future trip to the granite state!

New Hampshire waterfall - nature outdoors

A happy ilivetotravel!

Filed Under: New Hampshire, US & Canada Tagged With: mountain-biking, mountaitn, mt. washington, New Hampshire, photos, portsmouth, river, tourism, travel

Who Says Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire? The Smokey Mountains

19 July 2009 by Raul 12 Comments

I went to Gatlinburg to spend a week with family touring the area. By far, it is the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP) that has been my favorite part of the trip. The towns around here are geared to tourists, which makes sense, but they seem to cater more to the tourist shoppers or folks attracted to wax museums, believe it or not museums, etc. Not necessarily bad things but, having seen some of those in the past, that is no longer what I seek to experience when seeing a new area. I could come to this part simply to enjoy nature and skip the towns happily.

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park – Human Stories

The GSMNP, however, is exactly what I seek to experience. As in my trip to Tasmania, discovering “new” types of nature is something I enjoy, even if on this trip I am not able to go on longer hikes than 30 minutes would fit. As my parents are with us, they can only do fairly flat hikes and nothing that takes more than 45 mins round trip (or so). Fortunately, the GSMNP can be enjoyed by everyone as there are many types of stops, short hikes, scenery along the road, and even great history.

As a lover of history, getting exposed to that along with great scenery is a fantastic combination and use of my time (if I focus on efficiency for a sec!). The Cades Cove area and the Roaring Forks area show great examples (real, not built for the purpose) of how people lived 80-150 yrs ago in this wilderness.

The Bales farm, the John Oliver cabin, the Cable Mill, the various churches in Cades Cove, etc. are all great examples of the type of life that took place here in times long gone. Life here was hard though one can over-romanticize it in these times of concrete cities, 100mph lifestyles, etc. Everything seems very peaceful – yet these folks had to work day and night to survive. I especially enjoyed looking at how the structures were constructed following methods no longer in use, even in wooden frame houses. These structures still stand today as witnesses to a not-too-distant past that seems ages ago…

The Carter Shields Home at Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Cades Cove – The Carter Shields Cabin

Detail of the construction

Bales farm

Missionary Baptist Church in Cades Cover in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Cades Cove – Missionary Baptist Church

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park – Nature

Besides seeing these testaments to a life long gone by, the area is loaded with trails, picnic areas, streams, and places in nature to explore. A good map from the National Park staff will do you a lot of good, trust me!

Woods around Ogle farm

Bear crossing road in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Yes, we even saw a bear along our route in the park!

Trail in the Ogle farm

From the house we rented on a mountaintop overlooking Gatlinburg, we can see the GSMNP and it is amazing how at every time of the day, we get a different view as the sun moves across the sky and hits the mountains at different angles. It is simply breathtaking.

Morning view of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Morning view from our cabin

Afternoon view near sunset at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Afternoon view from our cabin

And if you look carefully around the deck of the house, you may even get to see a rabbit… or a black bear.

Filed Under: Tennessee, US & Canada Tagged With: bear, cabin, Gatlinburg, god, GSMNP, nature, photo, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, trails, vistas, wilderness

What Happens in Vegas…

26 April 2009 by Raul Leave a Comment

I have returned from my 2nd trip ever to Las Vegas, 15 years in between these 2 trips. Needless to say, I barely recognized the city but my first visit had only been an overnight stay. Excalibur, Treasure Island, MGM, Caesars and Luxor I definitely remember. The rest all new to me. Of course, all cannot be shared here but I will share that which is shareable 🙂

I went to LV this week for a wedding. The wedding was held at the Wynn – a fantastic setting! The wedding related events took me to the Hofbrauhaus, the 64th floor bar at THE Hotel (incredible view of the Strip from up there), the Gold Coast 70-lane (!) bowling alley and Maggiano‘s. We all had a great time carrying on celebrating our friends’ marriage each of the 4 days we were there. Even for my return flight (a “red eye” to Atlanta that lasted 3.5 hrs; shouldn’t red eyes be for a minimum of 5 hrs or something??) we had a portion of the wedding attendants flying together.

Wedding aside, I discovered why it is that people always go to Vegas. To me it had seemed casinos were the main draw, perhaps the shows too. But I had missed that many of the hotels are more set up as resorts and, in that way, Vegas is no different than many other places that offer resorts. Now to me these resorts are different (the lack of a beach perhaps being the main reason why I think that). However, I actually found Vegas a good destination to just lounge around, people-watch,dine, and play.

I stayed at Treasure Island. Before the trip I wasn’t sure if that was a good selection but it was across the wedding hotel (and a few $100 cheaper!) and next to the wedding reception location (key in our planning as we knew what to expect of the party!) so we went for it. After spending 4 nights there, I thought we got great value for the money. The rooms’ decor was pleasant, the pool area quite well laid out, and good choices for food and snacks within its walls (Starbucks, Ben and Jerry’s, Pho Cafe, Coffee Shop, etc.).

Among the non-wedding-related highlights of the trip was going to see Cirque du Soleil’s O at the Bellagio. It was my second Cirque show and I was expecting a lot of the types of acrobatics I had seen in my first one. Those acrobatics were more of the kind of “how did they pull that off?!” in that first show. O had that but more during the high dive which happened towards the end of the show so I had been waiting for most of the show for the impressive acrobatics. I did find this show more artistic and the use of water as part of the show more original. Regardless, it was money well spent (we found a 25% off offer on the website so we sat in row K). By the way the fountain show at the Bellagio is certainly one of the key things to not miss. At night, there is a different show every 10 or 15 minutes and they were all fascinating to watch. My favorite: the Pink Panther themed one.

Outside of wedding related events, we spent a lot of time walking around, seeing other hotels. Paris, The Venetian – Palazzo, New York New York, Wynn – Encore, etc. I think if money were no object, the Wynn may be it for me but The Venetian could be it too… I saw neither’s rooms so I base that opinion on just walking around the public areas. At the Wynn, I enjoyed drinks at the Parasol Bar and dinner at the Daniel Boulud Brasserie. At the former, I enjoyed some Lillet and, at the latter, a fantastic Caesar’s salad (had avocado) and a great NY DB burger stuffed with spare ribs!

So after the red eye back, I napped some more at home and now sit here typing still longing for a little more sleep. Perhaps in a couple of hours another nap to recover from my fun 4 days in Vegas!