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my volunteer & adventure trip to Costa Rica, day 2, Playa San Miguel
This is the second in a series of posts, one for each day, of an incredible 2-week volunteer & adventure trip to Costa Rica in December 2022. I wasn’t sure this trip would happen, but luckily it did. Here is my volunteer & adventure trip to Costa Rica, day 2, Playa San Miguel. We piled in the van, embarking on the next part of our adventure. It was approximately a 5-hour ride from San Jose to our next destination Playa San Miguel. We made a couple of stops to break it up. First, at a market to get some snacks, then at an outdoor buffet to have a traditional lunch.…
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my volunteer & adventure trip to Costa Rica, day 1, San Jose
The beautiful garden at Casa Alma in San Jose, Costa Rica
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celebrate the holidays Chicago-style 2022
Thanksgiving is over, and it’s getting dark at 4:30 pm. Ready or not, the holidays are fast approaching. To help you prepare & celebrate the holidays Chicago-style 2022, here are some suggestions from a lifelong native Chicagoan to brighten up your dark, cold days. holiday Chicago-style things to do There are many options for holiday Chicago-style things to do at Millennium Park. So bundle up and go have some seasonal, festive fun. You can join in Caroling at Cloud Gate. Click here for details. Like to ice skate? Go take a spin at the Tribune McCormick Ice rink or the Skating Ribbon at Maggie Daley Park. Click here for city-wide…
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goodbye summer, hello fall, Chicago 2022
As a lifelong Chicagoan, it is always sad to bid summer farewell, but growing up in the Midwest, I look forward to the change of seasons. Well, maybe not the end of winter so much, but I’m working on a plan to become a snowbird. Goodbye summer, hello fall, Chicago 2022. Soon it’ll be time to swap out my shorts & flip-flips for sweaters & boots. It’s already getting dark before 7 pm. Whatever happened to getting rid of daylight savings time? Even though temps are predicted to be pretty nice for the next week, I’m actually SUPing today, the trees have started changing colors, so cooler temps are inevitable.…
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top 10 obscure Chicago museums – part# 3
This content uses referral links and contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no cost to you. Are looking for things to do on your upcoming trip to Chicago? Or are you a local looking for a new & different museum experience? Here are my suggestions as a blogger & local tour guide for the past 15+ years of the top 10 obscure Chicago museums PART #3. If you are a museum-goer, you already know about the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium, which all reside in our Museum Campus on the beautiful Lake Michigan lakefront.…
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top 10 obscure Chicago museums – part# 2
This content uses referral links and contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no cost to you. Are looking for things to do on your upcoming trip to Chicago? Or are you a local looking for a new & different museum experience? Here are my suggestions as a blogger & local tour guide for the past 15+ years of the top 10 obscure Chicago museums – part#2. If you are a museum-goer, you already know about the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium which all reside in our Museum Campus on the beautiful Lake Michigan lakefront.…
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best views & uniquely Chicago things to do
This content uses referral links and contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no cost to you. Planning your trip to Chicago and trying to figure out where to see the best views? Or wondering what uniquely Chicago things there are to do here and nowhere else? Read on for suggestions from a native Chicagoan and tour guide for the last 15+years. Have fun exploring! where to go to get the best views & some uniquely Chicago things to do Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park The photo above was taken at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Millennium Park…
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THINK SPRING post-pandemic 2022
Wow, has it really been two years? Have we finally graduated from a pandemic to an endemic? I will remain cautiously optimistic. Slowly but surely, I think we are finally entering the new normal we’ve been hearing about for the last year. Though the mask mandate has been lifted at the end of February in Illinois, I will continue wearing a mask in large groups and continue getting updated vaccines as they become available. Spring seems especially welcome this year. Mother Nature is helping us emerge from a pandemic and the cold, dark winter and easing us into Spring with the inevitable promise of more sunshine & flowers. Did you…
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my adventure & volunteer trip to Tahiti – day 10, Papeete
This post is the last in a series of 10 (one for each day) of my adventure & volunteer trip to Tahiti, where I’m reliving this amazing adventure and sharing it with you. Ever since travel has come to a grinding halt (like everything else), I’m very grateful to have had this experience and look forward to future adventures. island adventure finale *sigh* Today is our last day in paradise. We arrived back in Papeete yesterday back at the Royal Tahitien Hotel where we started this amazing journey. We had one last final fancy dinner here at the hotel to say our goodbyes since Leni was leaving early the next…
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my adventure & volunteer trip to Tahiti – day 9, Teahupoo & Papeete
This post is the ninth in a series of 10 (one for each day) of my adventure & volunteer trip to Tahiti, where I’m reliving this amazing adventure and sharing it with you. Ever since travel has come to a grinding halt (like everything else), I’m very grateful to have had this experience and look forward to future adventures. nana Teahupoo – Ia orana Papeete Time to say goodbye to beautiful Teahupoo and head back to Papeete. What an amazing adventure it’s been. As we pack up and pile into the van, we will be taking with us many fond memories of all the adventures that we have experienced &…
