Category: Uncategorized

May 1, 2020

Yep.  We have visited many of them over the years along with castles, lodges and other pre-Airbnb independent accommodations and had a great time doing it.  Notice the word visited.  Past tense.  Rarely do we do it now.  And there are a couple of simple reasons why.  As we got older, we based the first factor in judging an accommodation on sleep quality.  Generally, the mattresses and linens are not quite as good as in the chains.  And all too often, the window coverings are not successful at “covering.” (Worst time and place to experience this is in late June in Alaska).  Then there is the issue of elevators, rarely on of the B & B amenities.  So, if your room is on an upper floor, you will quickly discover that being your own bellman is not fun.  And finally, the bathrooms do not seem to have the conveniences of a purpose built one.

Then there is the flip side.

Boy, do we miss them.  It used to be so much fun to arrive at 4:00 and visit with the owners in the kitchen, glass of cab in hand. You get to know them while they prepare dinner for the guests that evening.  So many have interesting and memorable backgrounds and almost all have a special passion to be an outstanding host and/or hostess.

And dining with the other guests from all over the country or the world, and exchanging stories and experiences is a real treat.  Often the visit extends will into the late night, same cab glass still in hand.

Our advice.  Experience the B & B’s while you are young because you eventually run out of the “stuff” to make the experience as enjoyable as it should be.

April 4, 2020

Pretty sure Frank Sinatra said that a time or two.  Fact is, I agree, sometimes.  For example, when temperatures are at minus 20 with northerly winds at 25 mph, it will never be my kind of town.  But that is another story.

Having been born there, five miles from the front gate of Wrigley Field, home of the 1908 and 2016 World Champion Cubs, I get excited every time I make a summer or fall trip.  You should too.

And speaking of the Cubs, I suggest you try to plan your trip to include a visit to Wrigley to both experience a game or two and also to tour the park including the “behind the scenes’” portion. There are few sport venues in the U.S. with such a rich heritage.

And even though summer and fall weather is pretty good, if you plan a multi-day trip, you will likely experience rain.  That is a great opportunity to rearrange your schedule and visit the Art Institute, an urban gem on South Michigan Avenue.

Further south along the lake, you will be amazed at the Museum of Science and Industry, a unique museum that includes WW II captured German submarine and a working coal mine.  From there visit the Field Museum of Natural History and if there is still time (or the next day) you can visit the Shedd Aquarium or the Planetarium…

Fish, stars, a coal mine and ancient animal skeletons are all within walking distance of each other in this fun filled city.

But, start your trip with the “standard” tour—Gray line, Hop-a-Bus or whatever.  Thera is a lot to see and absorb in a couple of entertaining hours.

If time permits, consider the Architectural Tour, by boat traveling the Chicago River and then out onto Lake Michigan for a skyline view of the Windy City.  It offers a much different perspective than the bus.

Of course, mealtime is always something special—all the way from deep-dish pizza to some of the best Italian food this side of Italy.  Other cuisines seem to be prepared with the same amount of TLC.

Whatever goes, you can be assured that you will never be bored, and chances are excellent that on the way home you will hear, “the next time we go to Chicago…” over and over again.

Old Blue Eyes was right.

March 16, 2020

We were regularly knocking off the number of states we had visited until we hit # 48. And it stopped at 48 for about ten years.

So after “standing still” for a decade, we decided to make the Dakotas disappear from our list.

The trip to Rapid City, SD is easy with good air service and a nice airport when you arrive. We opted to stay at the Hotel Alex Johnson in downtown. It’s a Hilton property and very comfortable with a lounge on the top floor where the visitors are friendly and the conversation lively. Most guests are tourist and all of them agree that South Dakota is indeed a beautiful and interesting state.

The unique feature of the hotel is that it is haunted. Many guests over the years have had encounters. So at check-in, the unusual question is asked, “Do you prefer haunted or non-haunted?” (Finally got rid of that stupid smoking question. Now this!) We opted for the latter and had great sleep every night we stayed there.

There is a lot to do in area. Go east about 40 miles and visit Wall Drugs. Who hasn’t seen a bumper sticker “We’ve been to Wall Drugs?” They are reported to have been seen in every state and supposedly, several countries in Europe. It is funky; a “must see” and after lunch we think it is also a “must eat” with good home cooking.

After lunch it is off the Black Hills–heading south from I-90. They are not rolling hills covered with green grass or wildflowers but instead a variety of rugged geological formations of various shapes and sizes (PGG 6269 & 6270) that when combined, result in a range of mini-mountains. They are stark, rugged but as a total experience there is a real beauty to them. The further you drive the more variety you experience and the more you appreciate the beauty of this geological wonder that stretches westerly into Wyoming.

Back in Rapid City the town has a unique feature. Each downtown block is enhanced with a life size bronze statue of a past President. Imagine the thrill of having your photo taken with Millard Filllmore! They are one-of-a-kind, very well done and a pleasant surprise for a downtown.

Next day we took a short drive to Mount Rushmore to see the faces of four Presidents carved (with dynamite) on the side of a mountain. Very impressive. Well organized. Convenient. Something to check off the bucket list. We were somewhat surprised to learn that Teddy Roosevelt has a chip on his shoulder.

Then it was off to a work in progress, Crazy Horse Memorial (PGG 6263 & 6264), 17 miles from Mount Rush more. “Carving” started in 1948, so chances are that none of us will see the finished product but you can see how far they have gotten in 72 years. When you are attempting to create the second largest sculpture in the world, you can’t expect it to be done overnight even with overtime.

So the next stop was Custer State Park, about 30 miles from Rapid City. It is home to a huge herd of bison (PGG 6265) and other native animals including deer, goats, elk and many others. But bison dominate. The lodge is comfortable and the restaurant quite good. It’s an unusual, great side trip.

Then we moved toward our next destination, Deadwood. It is about 40 miles from Rapid City and absolutely breathtaking on the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway (US 4A). Deadwood, is a town marketed as “full of dead trees and a creek full gold.” It is a fun place for a night or two especially if you like to gamble.

Finally, on to Sturgis, home of the annual Harley Festival, this year in its 80th year. From Sturgis, it’s back to the airport for a flight to visit our 50th state. But as we sat back and thought about the South Dakota experience, we both asked, “What took us so long? That place was really fun. An exceptional experience.”

Fargo, the movie was released in 1998. Fargo, the town still bears the image. (How much wood would a wood chop chop, if a wood chop would chop wood instead of….)

It is a nice, clean city on the eastern border of North Dakota with a population of 125,000–17% of the state population. Rush hour has little road rage.

Best part of the stay was staying at the Hotel Donaldson or as the locals say, “The HoDo.” Story is that a downtown real estate developer gave a vacant building to his wife to develop as a hotel. She built out and painted each of the 17 rooms in a flat white paint, then offered the rooms to local artists as a blank canvas to finish as they saw fit. The result is an array of eclectic rooms, each more unique than the last. If some of the rooms are still not occupied when you check in you can view them-sorta like a trip to a contemporary art museum. The restaurant is equally creative and offers a great menu fulfilled with outstanding dishes. End the day or evening in the rooftop “sky” lounge on the fourth floor. While the elevation won’t likely give you starburn, the folks who frequent it are friendly and fun and you can almost guarantee a great experience. As mentioned on the home page, I have thousands of room nights in hundreds of different hotels and the HoDo is one of the most memorable. You’ll be sorry if you stay anywhere else in Fargo.

Or eat anywhere besides Toscana, a block from the HoDo. It is one of the few places I have ever enjoyed two meals in the same place on the same day on my own. Sure, there are those “captive” dining experiences where you have no choice, but I’ll bet that you too will multi-visit Toscana. It’s that good.

So now we’re members of the 50 State Club, referenced on the home page, after a delightful trip to the Dakotas. Don’t wait as long as we did to make the visit.

March 1, 2020

As you can see from the wide selection of Venice photos that we offer, it is a favorite destination of ours.  Though fragile from flooding, most recently in the fall of 2019, it is still one of the worlds’ most beautiful, unique and photogenic cities and brings lasting memories to anyone who goes there.

The Venice airport (VCE) is convenient with frequent water buses for people and their luggage going to San Marco, “downtown” of the main island, or connecting point to other islands.  If your budget allows, comfortable water taxis rush you to the dock of your hotel.

The islands offer many luxury hotels.  Our favorite, the Hotel Metropole (www.hotelmetropole.com) isn’t the most expensive, by far, but it is so unique that we and friends who we have recommended it to have come back again and again.  Rooms in the front face the lagoon, on the side a canal and in the back, a delightful garden.  Décor includes several eclectic antique collections consisting of corkscrews, nutcrackers, pouch bags, crucifixes and card cases.  It is like staying in a museum that offers wonderful meals and comfortable accommodations.

It’s location is only two bridges—1150 feet from San Marco Square proving the truth to the saying “location, location, location” especially when the area becomes crowded from cruise ships late in the morning and you can easily return to your hotel for a wonderful lunch and some relaxation before returning to San Marco to watch the cruise ships leave.

And evenings in San Marco are delightful.  Several restaurants in the courtyard hire full orchestras to play your favorite song.  It is almost a musical competition for your listening pleasure.

And speaking of competition, the restaurants try to outdo each other but in a very subtle way.  They are all different and wonderful in their own way.  You will not have a bad meal in Venice.  Ditto on service.  These people take pride in the Venice tradition.

During your stay, plan a trip to Murano which is famous for several glass factories.  Here, the artisans blow the glass into beautiful vases, dishes, chandeliers or other elegant art and décor.  Our favorite is BISANZIO Gallery (www.bisanzioglass.com) and your hotel can arrange for them to pick you up at your hotel, take you to Murano to tour their glass blowing shop and watch the artisans at work, then tour their showroom and others on the island.  If you make a purchase, they will pack it and ship it to you and all the charges go to your credit card. Very old-world treasures with the convenience of a modern world business.  When you have finished, they will return you to your hotel—no charge for the transportation and tour, If you ever want to see this tremendous skill, do it now because the young people are not taking up the trade as the old artisans retire.  It is hard, hot work.

If time allows, take a vaporetto (Water bus) to Burano, a totally different kinds of island about 4 miles (40 minutes) from Murano.  In Burano, the homes are painted in a variety of vivid colors and funky patterns, like nowhere else in the world.  It is a fun place.

Whether you are in Venice for a few or several days, you will not be bored, and you will say it was one of your most memorable trips.  And we almost guarantee, it will not be long before you return. 

February 24, 2020
No matter how well you plan a trip there is always a surprise that you did not know about or had not planned to see. That’s why we take a Grayline, Hop-a-Bus or other comprehensive tour first thing, when we visit a new destination. And if we haven’t been to a certain place for a while we do a repeat tour. Things change that quickly There are also new tours, such as the Chicago Architectural boat tour or the Chip and Joanna tour in Waco.

If you have the resources or if your arrival airport is a long way from your destination (big cab fare) we have often arranged with our hotel for a private driver to pick us up at the airport and take us on a private tour on our way to our destination. This is really handy if you arrive early in the day and your room won’t be ready until mid-afternoon and/or you are on a tight schedule with little time to explore. Often the driver will work a good deal with you to take you back to the airport for your departure at a special rate.

This method also beats sitting on a hot tour bus 45 minutes while one of the tourist buys a post card.

February 2, 2020

Okay.  You’re right.  The internet is filled with soooo many travel websites.  But this one is a little different.

You see, when I started in the oil and gas business 44 years ago, I didn’t have any true passions.  And things were different then.  As I was sent overseas for two weeks at a time and allowed to “call home” from the local Post office on Saturday morning for one weekly family call at a very high price, I needed something to do the rest of the weekend.  The solution was to hop a bus or train and explore.  And take photos.

Eventually, this led to two of three current passions.  Photography.  Travel. Puppies.  This blog will only focus on the first two.

In all of the time since, I have had the opportunity to explore many places.  The gentleman who hired me said, “You’ll have the opportunity to travel to many interesting places with your job.  Do so and enjoy it and always tack on a place you likely would never visit—put it at the end of your trip.”

So as the years passed, there was an accumulation of photographs, travel experiences and visits to some pretty nice places.  Definitely upper middle class please—no hostels or budget hotels  but also no weekends on private islands, though we once experienced that on Georgian Bay, Ontario and it was special.  So, what I hope to do for you is to interest you in more travel and staying at some of the better but affordable places.  And satisfy your interest in the wonderful things this world offers.  The beauty, the mystique and the feeling that what we have available is truly a special gift.

At the end, you’ll make your own decisions but if our short visits can improve your experience even by a percent or two, we’ll feel we did our part.

So please sit back, enjoy and visit often.  No high pressure—just subtle tips on what has kept us so interested and intrigued.