Chicago River @ Michigan Avenue BridgeYes, Virginia there is a Chicago River.  Perhaps Chicago is most known for its vast Lake Michigan or for its towering Sears (Willis) Tower or its old, ivy-covered Wrigley Field. But lest we forget this amazing thoroughfare that serpentines right through the heart of the city. It carries commuters on water taxis. It’s crossed by 38 bridges. For forty years, it has been dyed a bright green every St Patrick’s Day. And its direction was magically reversed away from Lake Michigan in an engineering feat back in 1900 to help improve sanitary conditions of Chicago’s drinking water.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging public interest in architecture and design. CAF gives hundreds of tours (by boat, bus, bike, Segway, or on foot) exhibitions, lectures, and special events all around this city very famous for its skyline and architecture. From Daniel Burnham to Frank Lloyd Wright to Frank Gehry, Chicago has been progressive and innovative since it was burned to the ground back in 1871, creating that blank slate and canvas for something well-planned and truly amazing.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to be invited by the CAF to take their wonderful and informative Chicago River Cruise aboard Chicago’s First Lady.   I had taken the river cruise years earlier and had frequently recommended it to others. It’s fun to be on the river and also cool to learn more about the buildings that surround us everyday.

Expert volunteer tour guides—called docents—interpret more than 50 buildings along the Chicago River, revealing how the city grew from a small back-country outpost into one of the world’s most important crossroads in less than 100 years.

For more info or to sign up for the CAF River Cruise, click here.



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Looking for an evening of sheer fun and non-stop smiles? This will do the trick: Dancing at dusk in Chicago with the beautiful Chicago skyline above. Good music. Good people. And great fun. Plus…it’s free.  Summer Dance is an annual Chicago program that takes place all summer, 4 days a week in Grant Park providing free dance lessons, live music, and good times.

One, Two, Three...

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A few weeks ago a friend called me from the Appalachian Trail.   I’d originally met Jeremy at my hostel in Rome and then coincidentally months later saw him again for a day in Jerusalem, and then we met up yet again in New Jersey as he was driving through on his way to his sister’s in NYC  (you’d be amazed how many new traveler friends I’ve seen–planned and unplanned–more than once in different corners of the globe).  And now  Jeremy was literally walking the Appalachian Trail.

Appalachian Trail Map The Appalachian Trail is a hiking trail that runs nearly the entire length of the United States on the east coast from Georgia to Maine. At approximately 2,179 miles (3,507 km) long, the trail passes through the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Growing up on the east coast, I’d learned about the trail early on in school and had crossed it or been near it several times, but of course never really walked any bit of it.  Later on I’d read Bill Bryson’s humorous and sarcastic account of his trail trials in his book, A Walk in the Woods.

It’s famous for its many hikers, some of whom, called thru-hikers, attempt to hike it in its entirety in a single season.  Jeremy had decided to take his summer to literally walk the trail from Georgia back to near his home in Maryland. Like long distance runners who hit that ‘wall’ around the 20-mile mark, Jeremy was hitting his own wall. On the morning of his 48th day of hiking, he called me at about 600 miles into his hike. That’s six hundred miles of walking; walking nearly every day sun-up to sundown.  He was having a tough time, was burning out, and was looking for help.  I heard his message and the sound of his voice and called him right back.

He said, “I was looking through my cell phone numbers at which friends to call and I saw your name and thought, she’s been ‘here,’ she can help me.”

Now, although I traveled around the world solo for a couple years and challenged myself in physical and mental ways, it was still vastly different from what Jeremy was attempting.  I couldn’t imagine doing what he was doing – besides carrying all his belongings on his back all day long in the summer heat, he was walking the same looking ‘scene’ alone for weeks on end, basically doing the same exact thing everyday, with very few variables.

Jeremy explained, “while hostel-jumping or WWOOFing [volunteering on organic farms around the world – a common activity of some long term world travelers] or whatever, an explorer has the right-of-way in their plans, and can alter a decision on a moment’s notice (time and money allowing), long-distance hiking (LDH) does not give that leeway.  Instead, there is a tunnel.  Speed is the most encompassing variable on the Trail: time spent at any one campsite, time in a town, miles per day, hours per day.  Besides that, everyone has the same goals: move north (or south, as the case may be), sleep well, eat comfortably, have intense emotions constantly.  Okay, the last one might not be at the forefront of every to-do list, but it certainly tags alongside the others.”

But why exactly was he doing this?  Like myself, many traveler-types that I met like a challenge and like to keep pushing themselves. I often questioned myself about this — at what point do I push myself so far outside my ‘comfort-zone’ that I am just too uncomfortable?  Toward the end of my trip, I realized I was ready for some more ‘normalcy’ and was ready to settle down a bit more, maybe not end my adventures entirely, but take a break. But I often still wonder ‘what’s next?’ Should I do something more challenging so I can grow even more? So after traveling around the world for several months, Jeremy felt the need to push himself even further with a new challenge.  Jeremy’s original intent was to just be alone and away from it all.

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So we all know I love to eat. And I love being in love. I guess you could say I don’t pray too much (okay, not at all) unless it’s for love…or some really tasty cheese.  Mmm…cheese.

The much-hyped movie Eat Pray Love starring Julia Roberts comes out this weekend.  Based on Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling book of the same name, it tells her story of chucking it all to travel around the world while doing some eating in Italy, loving in Bali, and praying in India. Sound familiar? Well, as I mentioned I didn’t do much praying unless you count praying for certain rickety buses to make it to their destinations safely.   You’ve probably already been bombarded with the marketing machine for the film, but just in case you have not… here’s some more for you.

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As I’ve mentioned many times before…my travels were ultimately all about the people I have met. I’ve made some amazing friends and learned so much. But who says I loved everyone? When not ‘feeling it’ with my human counterparts, I always connected nicely with some international furry friends. I am not talking about Greek guys here (ouch!)…I am talking animals. I encountered many house pets and other creatures in the wild. I hung out with my share of cats, dogs, a guinea pig, a snake, a turtle, goats, kangaroos, camels, and other assorted friends.  In actuality, the reason I was originally able to go on my journey at all was because my 11-year-old cat, Sneakers, had to be euthanized due to an illness he was unable to overcome. Until recently, it was one of the saddest and most heartbreaking moments of my life. But because of it, I realized I was able to go on this journey, a journey that changed my life. So along the way, it was always comforting for me to hang with a furry friend from time to time and think about my little “Sneaky Beast.”



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Sunset @ EWR - Newark Airport

Whether you are a seasoned traveler or a once-a-year holiday goer or a business travel, you probably deal with airports, airplanes, and flying at some point.  Jetting across the country or around the world can be an exhilarating, technological feat, but dealing with the airlines can often be a frustrating act of futility.  Thanks to another technological marvel – the interwebs – there are some pretty great airline/flying/booking sites out there. Here are a few of my faves:

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Chicago - Michigan and Wacker

A River Runs Through it
Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive, Chicago, USA

This beautiful view comes to you from the 22nd floor of the Tribune Tower.  We are looking down on the Chicago River and the Michigan Avenue bridge. Notice there are no cars on the bridge? It had just been closed for a film shoot for scenes from the new Transformers movie.



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Last week I brought you a post about my biggest fan (after my mom, of course!), the always eloquent Kevin Fitzpatrick, whose witty quips or introspective takes on one of my tales from the road have come to be expected and very much enjoyed not only by myself, but a myriad of my readers. This week we are graced with this very special guest post from the man himself. The biggest question is: will he comment on his own post? You can bet on it.

I’ve been given the opportunity that mere mortals only dream about; to be a guest contributor on llworldtour.com. Lisa advises me that I’m only the second person to ever receive this privilege. I am one of those guys who doesn’t ask why the next ten best choices weren’t available. I’m more likely to say timing prevented me from being the first guest contributor. Having the opportunity to be beamed through websites all over the globe and trade on Lisa’s good name, good will, and remarkable spirit makes me not question anything. So here I am.

I’m told that any number of you wait with great anticipation to see my comments after Lisa’s posts. Okay, maybe that’s a bit too strong. When Cal Ripken retired from the Baltimore Orioles, the only team he ever played for in Major League Baseball, he was asked “How would you like to be remembered?” His response was “to be remembered at all would be special enough”. It was the single most gracious answer I’ve ever heard and appeared to be completely spontaneous. So the fact that anyone has taken time to notice and appreciate any post I’ve written is a flattering thing. So thank you to any of you who used up one of your smiles or chuckles on me. My Irish grandmother used to always say that every laugh spent earns you 3 more. She also told me freckles were kisses from God. I believe her. I have hickeys all over my body from God and laugh my ass off most of the day.

Fitzpatrick Family

The Fitzpatrick Clan

My travel has been limited to a fair amount of domestic travel for work and some sojourns into the Dominican Republic when I was in the cigar business for many years. My darling and patient wife of 27 years and I have three children. Our family vacations are fun, but generally chock full of stress moving 5 people through airports, rental cars, hotels and attractions that a significant minority of the family are interested in. We’ve only once traveled without the kids since they were born… (more…)



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THE Kevin FitzpatrickThe number one question I am asked regarding my travels is ‘what was your favorite place?’ The number two question? ‘Who is Kevin Fitzpatrick??’

Some of my more loyal readers may have noticed his name in the comments on my blog.  Kevin is, by far, my biggest fan or at least the most vocal fan.  Kevin has commented on my site 199 times (and counting – insert your comment here, Kevin). That is one quarter of all my comments! He has been so loyal and so consistent. In a way, he was like my virtual traveling partner, always there with a kind word and always there to keep me company and encourage me to keep striving for truth or at least some good food around the world.

Kevin and I had worked together several years back when I produced a TV segment on this amazing throw-back hat shop in Chicago (this is a new version of that story that I produced recently) and then again on a town which employed him to do the PR and marketing. We instantly hit it off and have been friends ever since. I appreciate his honesty and all around ‘goodness.’ He’s the real deal and one of the ‘good’ ones. He and his wife came to my going away party and I’ve since been to their lovely home out in the ‘burbs. Just good people.

Mr & Mrs FitzpatrickHis comments have been wonderfully witty, thoughtful, and often flat out hilarious.  He adds his own spin, knowledge and observations to my posts making them even better. I have often told him he should have his own blog.  I would surely be a fan, but not sure if I could compete with his dedication.   He has a fan in many of my readers and of course in me.

After reading through his thought provoking and/or amusing comments to almost every one of my posts, I found it extremely hard to just choose a few. Here is a roundup of some of my favorites. Stay tuned for a guest post from Kevin himself!

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Spain has won the FIFA World Cup title for the very first time in their history. Their extra-time goal claimed a dramatic 1-0 victory over orange-clad Netherlands in Johannesburg.

Congratulations & felicitaciones  to all my friends in Spain who are most likely still celebrating and knowing them, will be for a long time. Not sure if the hombre pictured here is still celebrating, but this modern-day ‘man of La Mancha’ looks like he certainly did some partying of his own back in the day…perhaps he was a drinking buddy of Cervantes.

Modern Day Don Quixote in Granada

Modern-Day Don Quixote
Granada, Spain



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