This year whether your Memorial Day plans take you to the beaches, parties or an all-you-can-eat cookout remember to thank the men and women that serve our country.  Thank you!

As part of the Memorial Day Celebration, enjoy these quotes. And other Random thoughts:

• I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.   -Lee Greenwood
• It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived. — General George Patton
• Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. – John F. Kennedy
• The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to their children. -William Havard
• For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity. -William Penn
• The patriot’s blood is the seed of Freedom’s tree. – Thomas Campbell           
• The costs this Memorial day; the price of hotdogs 2.30, the price of gas 4.00 /gal , the price of freedom…priceless.  Thank you to all that serve.
• Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. -Senator Barry Goldwater
• When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,  For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today - The Kohima Epitaph
• On thy grave the rain shall fall from the eyes of a mighty nation! -Thomas William Parsons
• The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men. -Minot J. Savage
• We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them. -Francis A. Walker
• The dead soldier’s silence sings our national anthem. -Rev. Aaron Kilbourn
• The cost of liberty is less than the cost of repression. -Web Dubois
•  With the tears a Land hath shed. Their graves should ever be green. – Thomas Bailey Aldrich
• They fell, but o’er their glorious grave , Floats free the banner of the cause they died to save. – Francis Marion Crawford
•  The purpose of all war is ultimately peace. -Saint Augustine
•  As I approach the gates of heaven; St. Peter I will tell; One more soldier reporting sir; I’ve served my time in hell. -Mark Anthony Gresswell
• Peace is more important than all justice; and peace was not made for the sake of justice, but justice for the sake of peace. -Martin Luther
• Memorial Day afternoon and the aroma from the barbeque smoke & freshly mowed lawn is stronger than all of nature’s air fresheners.  

What are some of your favorite Memorial Day memories?

Another Great Cartoon by Bill Lamere

What are some of your favorite Memorial Day Quotes?

Recently, I spent a few meals in New Orleans.  It is true, whenever I get an opportunity to go to New Orleans; I measure my travel there in “meals” versus “days”.  For over two decades, I have had the pleasure to travel to New Orleans for business.  I have been fortunate to have seen the city during Mardi Gras, post Mardi Gras (the colorful strands of beads speckled the streets and trees), before Katrina, post Katrina (by several days, when cars, boats, and furniture were washed up on the sidewalks) and even now after the gulf oil spill (the Gulf oysters are plumb and flavorable).  The food is amazing. While other cities I travel to grow increasingly dull with chain restaurants in strip shopping centers,  Nawlins continues to display its own culturally entertaining world where food is a religion.  

Where else can you go and eat unbelievable cuisine at a funky neighborhood bar or at the grandest haute restaurant? And where celebrities, locals, businessman, and Jeff & Jane from Nebraska wait in line wrapped around Canal Street for a table at a restaurant that doesn’t take reservation.  My dilemma has always been there’s a myriad of foods to choose from jam-packed in only a few days. 

Sea scallops swimming in mushroom risotto, sizzling oysters on have shell, blackened fish, deep fried beignets covered with powdered sugar, Seafood po’boys, muffuletta, Cajun gumbo (a catch-all stew filled with seafood & spices), crawfish etouffee, turtle soup, bread pudding with whiskey sauce and creole jambalaya; the attraction to New Orleans food is only surpassed once a year by the Mardi Gras Parade. 

I usually branch out and go beyond the bars/restaurants on Bourbon Street.  But you could easily spend weeks at the French Quarter and still never scratch the surface of all the great gastronomic and cultural experiences.

Tujaques (pronounced “Two-Jacks”) is one of the oldest restaurants in the United States.  My story with Tujaques started eight years earlier when a former boss on hearing I was going to New Orleans for a business meeting, told me he had gone to Tujaques with a local “regular” and in turn he was given the VIP treatment.  He said the key is to go in the restaurant and instead of ordering off-the-menu just tell the waiter these two words; “Feed Me”.  And they’ll know what you’re talking about.  “The food will keep coming all night”, he said.  “Whatever the chef feels like whipping up in the kitchen, they’ll bring it out to you.”  He told me he had 5 courses including a side of homemade brisket with horse radish, and the tenderest fried chicken with garlic potatoes.   It is true they do have a “prix fixe” or “feed me” menu, but they provide this to all diners.  I never did tell him, even to this day, that this is a price set menu, which is served each evening with several courses.  VIP or not, everyone gets brisket chunks in horse radish. I let him think he was like a food critic in disguise, where really his ruse was known.  However, an insider tip, the “chicken dish” is not available on the menu, so for a “feed me” experience, you should order it.

 Unlike most of the places on your list to travel, which are tourist worthy for the sights, New Orleans combines two distinctive reasons to visit: the food and the culture.  Your taste buds will thank you. 

Autumn reminds me of Goldie Locks eating porridge at the Three Bears house.   Summer is too hot.  Winter is too cold and gray.  But autumn is just right; I could eat it all up! 

The long, lazy hazy days of summer draw to a close and make way for the cool, crisp autumn air and the sunshiny days.   And I love it!  The arrival of fall conjures up so many warm and cozy feelings for me.   What do you like most about the fall season?

I love the autumnal aromas of pumpkin, roasted chestnuts, baked apples, cinnamon and spice and at night hints of woodsy, smoky smells from bonfires floating in the open windows. 

I love how the landscape of green trees and countryside change to vibrant yellows, oranges and ambers.

I love how the early morning sounds of the high school marching band practicing and the train horn whistling travel for miles. 

I love The State Fair, corn dogs, Hay rides, pumpkin patches, Friday Night high school football, ice hockey and volleyball.

I love the tastes of autumn and eating ourselves silly; apple pies, turkey, squash with buttered brown sugar, chili and corn bread, caramel apples, hot cocoa with marshmallows, smores and monster themed cereals like booberry and count chocula. 

I love autumn and busting out my sweaters and boots. 

I love how by just stepping on one crunchy leaf this time of year can conjure up childhood memories of raking leaves into huge piles and jumping into them feeling the crisp maple and oak leaves bustling all around us. 

What do you like the most about the fall season?    What’s your favorite thing to do in autumn?

Here’s what I learned in Life and other random moments and thoughts:

• Every time I take a sip of my Starbucks pumpkin spiced latte, I am taken back to many years of autumns. Time machine-in-a-cup!
• A mom yelling, “Point! Point!” at the top her lungs at her son’s hockey game is trying to shout an offensive play for him to shoot the puck to the defenseman at the point.   A mom yelling, “Point! Point!” at the top of her lungs at her daughter’s volleyball game is trying to tell the girls keeping score that they missed a point on the scoreboard because they were chatting. 
• CPSC has recalled 10 million Fisher Price toy gym sets because of a choking hazard.  How big are these kids anyway?  
• The ONE thing I hate about Autumn. . . . . . Daddy Long Legs. Yuk.
• Skin crawling news, bedbugs attacking hotels and stinkbugs attacking the Midwest.  Double Yuk! 
• Bedbug registry?  Really?  You can call ahead to make sure your hotel doesn’t have any bedbugs registered.   
• That gives all new meaning to the bedtime rhyme, “Good night, sleep tight,
  Don’t let the bedbugs bite.  And if they do, Then take your shoe, and knock ‘em ‘til   They’re black and blue!” 
• This time of year my summer clothes are replaced in my overflowing closet with fall clothes.   Honey, don’t make me choose between you and my boots. 
• Other reasons to love autumn, men in flannel.
• Tough choices to make last week on the Fall lineup; Sheldon’s first date on Big Bang Theory or Betty White on Community.  Hmmmm.  
• S#*! My dad says, for heaven sakes, just shut up.  If you have nothing funny to say, what’s the point?
• I learned that the teenager new term for dating is, “We’re talking”.
• The economy is so bad Jimmy Choo is shopping at Payless.
• I learned it is not so comforting, when my seatmate, an elderly lady crosses herself when our plane takes a sudden drop.
• I learned I should look at the elevator floor buttons BEFORE the door shuts.  I got in an empty elevator to go downstairs from the 27^th floor and all the buttons were pushed going down.
• I learned the Ihop cheesecake pancake breakfast is a total calorie explosion.  Anytime you use the word “cake” twice in a breakfast food you know it cannot be good for you!
• Teen breaking up with your girlfriend the night before Homecoming dance by texting her is not cool, especially if the girlfriend doesn’t have a text messaging plan, paying .20 to get dumped.
• Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker. ~ Linus

What do you like the most about the fall season?    What’s your favorite thing to do in autumn?

It felt like a thousand degrees outside.  Thank god, I was already 4.6 miles into my 5 mile run. I was almost at my goal.  My body glistened from head to toe in sweat, my side had a stitch, my left knee ached – but the focused person that I am, I kept going. 

Despite the pain, I couldn’t believe the incredible pace I was running.   I turned the corner knowing the finish line was near.  I picked up my pace.  This could be my PB (personal best). 

Springsteen’s “Born to Run” was blaring on my Nike connected iPod and was briefly interrupted by a voice that said in my ear, “… point four miles until your goal”.   I was on a runner’s high, pure euphoria and nothing could stop me.  I focused on my steps on the gray pavement. 

I clomped forward in the bright Texas morning.    I was nearing a turn off from the street and onto an alley lined parkway ahead.  Each alley was surrounded by eight foot wood fences that led to the backyards of my neighbor’s houses. I looked over now and then and saw the backs of my neighbor’s houses whizzing by.  But for one second I looked up and caught a glimpse of it,  almost too late; a silhouette of a five foot tree that was dangling out from the back of the boring alley.   

But wait.  Halt.  I put on the sneaker brakes.   “Was that a Gardenia tree?”  Could that lush waxy green pint size tree be sprinkled with fragrant white gardenia blossoms?  Without hesitation, and forgetting to pause my iPod, I backed up and approached the large bushy tree and stuck my nose right into the white fragrant flower and its magnificent aroma filled my nostrils.  “Ahhhh, yes, gardenias.” 

Over the years I had stumbled upon dead frogs, smashed snakes, the smell left behind from a wayward skunk, dozens of rabbits and once shared my path with a coyote.   It never fazed me.  I kept on running, like the energizer bunny. I kept right on going and going.   So why stop now?  For a flowery bush? 

“This smells so gooood!” I said out loud, still bent over sniffing the sweet flowers swallowing their smell and feeling much happier than I had been all morning and forgetting for the moment the pains afflicting my runner’s body.

I had always loved the smell of gardenias.  I had even tried growing a Gardenia bush or two over the years.   My black, clay soil and my black thumb prevented them from surviving.  I learned that not too many temperamental Gardenia bushes survived the hot Texas sun.  

I pondered for a few more moments and then returned to my run.  I wouldn’t make my PB that morning. I stopped just long enough to raise my overall time and since I did not pause my timer on my iPod, my overall pace was higher as well, but I’m glad I stopped to smell that Gardenia bush.  Finishing my run, I silently laughed to myself.   “Had I just acted out a real life cliché?” 

We all know the old cliché; “Take time to stop to smell the roses.”  It reminds us to take time to appreciate the situation you’re in or to slow down and pay attention to what’s going on around you.  Do you forget to, “stop and smell the gardenias”?  Are you too busy to enjoy life?

Have you ever had an experience in your life where you just took a few moments to truly appreciate what life is all about? 

Some unknown author once said, “If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over for dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. 

I would have eaten popcorn in the “good” living room and worried less about the dirt when you lit the fireplace. 

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have sat cross legged on the grass with my children and never worried about stains.

I would have cried and laugh less while watching TV… and more while watching life.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for a day.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show dirt, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

When my child kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, ‘Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.’

There would have been more I-love-you’s, more I’m listening’s.  But mostly, given another shot of life, I would seize every minute of it.  Look at it and really see it. Try it on, live it, exhaust it, and never give that minute back until there was nothing left of it. “

Frequently, I am now known to take a detour from my normal running route in order to run by a particular alley.  I always look forward to turning the corner and seeing the waxy green leaves sprinkled like snow with white blossoms spilling into the alley.

I stop to smell the sweet and refreshing gardenias.  And I hope others see this jogger pausing for a moment to enjoy what life has to offer.  You should too.  We’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to stop and smell the flowers along the way.

Have you ever had an experience in your life where you just took a few moments to truly appreciate what life is all about?  Let me hear from you.  

As we descend from 30,000 feet early Sunday morning, I once again find myself upon the eve of one of my business travel pleasures…a side trip.  I am due in meetings in the San Francisco area first thing Monday but in order to get the best airfares, I chose to fly in Sunday.  

I had planned to spend the day in my Bay area hotel working onmy presentations, taking a bubble bath, ordering room service , and curling up in my king sized luxurious bed with a novel.   But after completing all my work on the three hour flight, I decided I should take a side trip to Napa before settling into my hotel for the evening.  I thought, what the heck, if Elizabeth Gilbert can travel to Italy, India and Indonesia in search for everything and document it in Eat, Pray, Love,I can plan a solo trip to Napa in one day in search of Food, Wine, Enjoy and document it in my blog. 

As we descend into San Francisco International Airport I daydream about driving through vineyards, stopping here and there for a wine tasting and picnicking in the beautiful countryside.   

Life is good.

Within thirty minutes of landing in SFO I am navigating my rental car toward the Bay Bridge.  I had been to both Napa and Sonoma on several occasions in the past.  Never in the summer.  Never on a weekend. Never solo.   I had no idea on what to expect.  I had little time to research the wineries, but I knew if I traveled North on Highway 29 I would end up in the heart of Napa Valley, and have my tantalizing pick of dozens of vineyards to wander and ponder.  Since I was solo and I was my designated driver, I planned to do more exploring than tasting and more spitting than sipping. 

As I crossed San Francisco bay the blue water stretched all around me, I inhaled the marine air.  The summer landscape in the bay area came as a pleasant surprise.  The ridges and hills were a golden maize dotted here and there with desolate green trees.   I have been to the area many times, but never in the heat of the summer when it hasn’t rained since April.   The highways were surrounded by rolling hills that no one had bothered to irrigate.  The terrain was parched, but the landscape was beautiful.  I had always been to the area when the hills were an emerald green and I loved it, but this drier, hay like landscape was delightful.  I already knew I had made the right decision to journey to the Valley.

Traffic was light since it was before ten am.  On most week days you could drive from historic downtown Napa, at the bottom of the valley, to Yountville (a culinary boomtown) in lower Napa, to St Helena the middle of Napa, ending in Calistoga, near the north border of Napa County, in an hour.   Depending on your stops at the over 200 wineries in the valley, this hour drive could stretch into a day or for some tourists several days.   

By the time I drove through Napa downtown the traffic was beginning to back up.  On the West side of 29 , I passed Moet et Domaine Chandon in Yountville.    I am not a fan of sparkling wines, so I did not stop.  I heard it is worth the stop for the views.   In fact, Highway 29 is picturesque with acres of vineyards sitting majestically up the hillside on either side.    I began seeing wineries and vineyards galore, about every hundred yards. 

My first stop was at the 130 year old Oakville Groceryat Highway 29 and Oakville Crossroads, about 15 miles northwest from Napa downtown.  Every time I travel to Napa I stop there.  The general store and deli carries a wide range of unusual groceries and picnic supplies.  I purchased a bottle of my favorite Napa Valley whole grain spicedmustard to bring home (great as a dip with pretzels) and a deli sandwich of turkey and brie.  I was starving and decided not to wait to eat at one of the many restaurants. Many Napa Valley wineries offer picnic facilities.  And nothing is better than tasting a couple of great vintages, and then buying the bottle of wine and parking your friends and family on a picnic bench to enjoy the wine and eat lunch in the charming countryside. 

As I ate my sandwich on the picnic table, the view of the neat rows of vines a few  feet away was spectacular.  It was nice to unwind. The valley air smelled of hay, sage and country living.  The birds were bustling and chirping and the sun was warm, but not hot. 

From Oakville Grocery, I could literally walk across the street to Napa Wine Company.  The little town of Oakville is at the rim of the Mondavi vineyards.   I did stop in the Spanish mission styled Robert Mondavi vineyard  just northwest of Oakville.  My stay involved a quick stroll through the grounds and gift shops.  I did not do a tasting.  Mondavi is perhaps the best known winery in Napa Valley. Since the tour is optional; take it if you have time.   I didn’t have time this trip.   

As I drove through Rutherford(one mile northwest of Oakville), I passed Cakebread, Sawyer, Suprey, Opus One, to name a few. My next stop was Peju, a French provincial winery on the east side.  The driveway, pristine gardens and tower drew me in.   It was still too early for a wine tasting, so I lingered in the tranquil gardens.  The Tower is the tallest building in Napa. 

From there I meander past Caymus, Frogs Leap, Beaulieu, Mumm, Rutherford Hill; the wineries fly by every other driveway on this dusty two- lane road, intimidating but welcoming.  There’s also an Olive Oil store, but I can’t remember the name.  Yes, they grow olives too!          Does anyone know the name?

I stopped at Grigich Hills.   

I was met by a friendly dog, as I casually walked right up to the vines and photographed a bunch of green grapes with venous leaveson a post marked 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon.   

For all you wine connoisseurs, if you haven’t stopped reading this blog by now, I did actually taste this time.  I won’t bore you with all the details of my choices, but Grigich Hills has always been a favorite.    

I held up my glass.  I took a good look, I sniffed once or twice, I swirled (it’s called volatilizing the esters, but who am I trying to impress?), I sniffed again; at last, I took a sip!  I swirled the wine in my mouth, held it there for a few seconds, then I spit or swallow.  Again and again. Taste, sip, enjoy.  A vibrant and flavorful experience lingered in my mouth.  A nice first flight.    

As I continue northwest on Highway 29, I visited various tasting rooms.  I soon realize that the swallowers far outnumber the spitters. I was a spitter, and felt I had to explain I wanted to preserve my palate (and my sobriety). 

My last stop was at one of my favorite NAPA wineries, V Sattui in St Helena.  I hit the jackpot.  They were having a chocolate and wine tasting that day! Score!  A two for one tasting.   V Sattui  is a unique wine country experiencewhich includes picnicking  amongst the vineyards or beneath the centuries old oak trees.  V Sattui has an awesome Italian marketplace with delicacies prepared by chefs. 

Wine AND Chocolate Tasting TODAY!

By now the tasting bars were four deep.  My server was friendly and informative.  After my fill of award winning wines and mouthwatering chocolates, I decided to head back to my hotel.   Highway 29 was a single file lane headed northwest whenI left V Sattui, so I was thankful I decided to leave when I did.  I can only imagine the traffic in a few more hours as the wineries begin to close around 4-5 pm.

I stopped once more to photograph the summer vineyards heavy with bunches of grapes in marching row after row  of vines that have been methodically set ten meters apart, enough for a tractor to pass between them. 

I returned to my room before night fall, popped open a bottle of my private label reserve, and while soaking in my bubbling bath, I toasted myselffor my good sense in touring the Napa Valley.

Have you been to Napa?  What is your favorite winery?  I’ll have to plan my next trip there during the CRUSH season.

As a child, growing up in the Chicago suburbs, we would often sing a song while swinging on our swing set with these lyrics; “Mrs. O’Leary kept the lantern in the shed, and when her cow kicked it over, she winked her eye and said, ‘there’ll be a hot time, in old town tonight.’ ”

The song referred to the great Chicago fire that occurred 100 years earlier from my childhood years.   Even though the cow legend was made-up by a Chicago reporter who thought it would make for a colorful story, it always stuck with me.  Just like the city of Chicago, it sticks to you. 

Frank Sinatra sang it well, “Chicago is; My kind of town”.   Chicago is; a world-class city, a melting pot for all types of people, art, business, recreation and culture. 

Once you have visited Chicago you will understand how the city has a little of everything. 

If you set aside the traffic jams on the Chicago expressways, Chicago will suck you in.  Whether it’s the culture, its down-to-earth people, its great restaurants, its lakefront and its river, it always makes my jaw drop when I step into the city.  And yours will too.   

I am easily awed by the energy of the throngs of people as they shuffle through the heart of steel and glass skyscrapers pulsating on every city block.  I am just as easily awed by Mother Nature as I jog along the shores of the magical, massive Lake Michigan.

I love this town.  I visit the city two or three times a year.  I love it more in the spring and summer months. The winters can get bitterly cold with the biting winds, but winter visitors can still explore the indoor museums, art institutes and great restaurants. 

Experience the city and enjoy the best it has to offer.  A few of my favorite places and Hot Times in Old Town include:  eating a deep dish pizza, but saving room for a bag of Chicago’s famous gourmet popcorn, shopping on Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave), a trip to the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), studying the skyline and the building architect, Navy Pier, Lincoln Park Zoo, catching a game at Wrigley Field or depending on the time of year, watch the Stanley Cup Champions, a Blackhawks hockey game, Millennium Park, listening to jazz, Double Decker bus tours, Hancock observatory, Buckingham Fountain, Chicago River,  and  antique shopping on Armitage Avenue.

There is so much to see and do in Chi-town, that I always have plenty left over for my next visit. 

Chicago, until next time! 

Let me know if you have ever visited the Windy City?  Where’s your favorite city to visit?  What are your favorite things to do while visiting a new place? 

To all my Chicago high school friends and FB friends, I love ya and love your city! 

Things I have learned in LIFE and other Random thoughts: 

• I learned that valet parking for the day in Chicago costs more than my daily car rental. 
• I learned that Lake Michigan is like the ocean, without the salt.
• On my next visit to Lake Michigan I’m going to bury metal objects in the sand that say “get a life” on them.
• I learned that Chicago hotel rooms can be on the small side.  Room service? Send up a larger room.
• Why it is my hotel room is always chilled to an icy fifty degrees, when outside it’s a pleasant seventy degrees?
• To really appreciate the multifaceted group of Chicagoans, ride the El. 
• The El (Elevated Train) is more than the Chicago transportation system, it’s an elevated ride in Twilight Zone; especially if you have a transfer pass…you may never get off.   
• I found out the hard way why they call it “The Loop”. 
• Lake Michigan’s beach sand is hot, but the water is frigid even in the middle of the summer.
• The giant faces on the video screens in Grant Park, are called ART, but are a little creepy. 
• Chicago is; an occasional snooty bartender. 
• Millennium Park features a giant mirrored egg-shaped cloud that resembles a women’s compact reflecting the city’s skyline and the distorted people walking around it. 
• I learned that the McDonald’s inside the Chicago loop looks like something out of The Jetsons. 
• I realized as I sank my teeth into my favorite deep dish pizza, I was at the wrong favorite pizzeria.  Pizzeria Due, Pizzeria Uno, both with green awnings, both with basement level seating, identical menus and sidewalk patios and within a mere 100 yards apart, who knew? 
• While driving in downtown Chicago, it’s a good idea to slow it down so you don’t flatten unsuspecting tourists.   Pedestrians in masses, definitely have the right-of-way.   
• I learned whenever I need a full urban experience I visit Chicago. 
• Be careful in some sectors of Chicago.  The most common 911 call in some areas is “Shots fired.”
• I learned the tollway pass in rental cars do NOT always work, and when they don’t you can tie up traffic for miles.
• Gourmet “chocolate” Carmel popcorn makes my chocolate level on my food pyramid.
• Chocolate covered popcorn should not be eaten in bed …as if my hotel carpet wasn’t already sticky enough.  Ew. 
• I learned that the State of Illinois does highway construction during rush hour…which is mostly all day.
• The traffic was moving smoothly a few days later.  I learned that the construction workers were on strike that day. 
• I learned that the it costs 3 dollars to sit for an hour on the Skyway Toll Bridge, but it’s free to get lost in Gary, Indiana’s downtown (Chicago’s East side). 
• Stay away from the hotels that advertise, “a short run to the EL.” 
• If you really want to talk about da Bears or da Cubs, then sit at da bar of any pizza shop.

What is your favorite city to visit?  What are your favorite things to do while visiting a new place? 

Trump Tower from my cab.

Chicago Transit started putting advertisements on the ceilings of buses and el trains. This is an ad in the el Train for US Cellular, although, I’m not sure how the question is connected to phone service, but I’ll take the Chocolate LIPS !    

Chi COW go

Home of the Chicago Cow Parade, some of the bovines are still grazing around town. 

Ice on the beach makes wading slippery

Lake Michigan beaches are magical even in the Winter.  But summer is much more fun!  Enjoy!