Skip to main content

Chicago


The Windy City may be just the place for you to visit. Have you been to the Second City yet? This is a guide for women to travel independently. So you can get going, give it a listen. Build your confidence. You are ready to begin. Also, hear my mistakes and some tips for independent travelers.

Check out this travel for women episode!


In this episode: Favorite information experts, destination Chicago, my mistake jetlag, my advice is to make your luggage sing to you, with a ribbon.

·         FAQ: What are your favorite types of people to ask local information from (like front desk clerks, Uber driver, Park Rangers, etc.)?

My favorite are uber and lyft drivers. They are usually from another country and just traveling with them makes me feel like my trip has begun, even if it’s to the airport.
Park Rangers. Love them, too. The National Parks, State Parks, they are docents, love being outdoors. Really love being with people. They are so smart, too. They seem to have all the answers. Ranger Rick, right?
Front desk clerks these days ….not as friendly as they used to be. They have a lot of other responsibilities, it seems. They are useful for hotel info, but not more than that, most of the time.
Concierge- well, it’s their job. I have had help from them in France, for example, when I could not find help, I got it from a concierge and was not even staying at that hotel.

Today’s Independent Destination- Chicago

If I had a weekend in Chicago, I would be downtown on Michigan Avenue, walking along the Lakefront, exploring the zoo, and the 95th floor of the John Hancock building at sunset on a clear day. Willis Sky deck used to be called “The Sears Tower” for as long as I had lived there and longer. That ledge looks pretty great. I’ve got to go back.

The Art Institute or the Architecture River Cruise. You have to do at least one!
Navy Pier is so fun to walk around for free. There’s also a lot of museums, Science & Industry, Field, and don’t forget the Planetarium and the Aquarium, especially if you’re really cold or really hot, and Chicago has a lot of these. Springs and fall should be experienced outdoors, walking/shopping the Miracle Mile or nearby Rush Street. Most people fly into Chicago or Midway airports and easily get downtown on public transportation.

Some of my favorites include: Half Shell for Crab, Lincoln Avenue for music
concerts at Ravinia Music Festival, going to a play or musical.
Anytime at Grant Park and a favorite holiday, the St Patrick’s Day Parade


Today’s Mistake
Getting out of the subway and being lost in a foreign country. For example, in Spain, I thought that it was daytime, even though the sky was getting darker. For some strange reason, my mind told me that it was morning. So your body clock does not always match the real time of day.


Today’s Travel Advice
Tie a colored ribbon on your suitcase handle. Not a big deal, until you get to the luggage carousel at your destination and see every bag looks like yours. That saves time and stress. Plus, it’s happy to see you, so it’s like a present to you.


Today I want to bring meaning to your travel

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

RIP Dean Alphonso Buell

Celebrating the life of Dean Alphonso Buell in April, 2012 with his mom and two friends. Dr. Travelbest is priviledged to know Raquel Giraldez, mother of the deceased, as she was the designer and illustrator and most travelled friend of Dr. Travelbest in 1993 as the book was being written and published. Dean was involved with the editorial, even though he was a youngster at the time. Thanks, Dean, for sharing your mom so that Dr. Travelbest could teach others about Independent Travel. Speaking of travel, this is the view from the front yard of Raquel's home in Buellton, CA. The mountains in the distant background are picture postcard on this memorable day, right near the 101. (Photos: top: view from Raquels, bottom: center, Raquel and right, Rosanna Figuerola (sp?) at the Celebration of Dean's 24 years on the earth.) There were so many stars that night, we knew that Dean was watching us from above with his new friends.

Milan Italy

In this episode, the FAQ is: How do I manage increasing technology and security for travel?   Today’s Destination is: Milan, Italy   Today’s Misstep- I almost took a train to Switzerland at the Milan station   Travel Advice: Bring a handheld portable fan for the heat. It can be oppressive.   FAQ: The level of technology and security has stepped up for travel and entertainment. How do I manage it as a senior citizen in a very busy world?   Answer:    There is a growing level of distrust in today’s environment. For some venues, you can no longer use a screenshot of a QR code to access a ticket, so it must be a live link if you don’t have the paper ticket. If you are not on Wi-Fi, you may have trouble accessing the venue, like I did in July at the Symphony, where we used handwritten paper tickets.  The Crowdstrike tech shutdown of computers in July 2024, with thousands of airline flights canceled, was a peek into what could be an even lo...

Best of Hawaii's Big Island

  Today’s Destination is: Best of Hawaii's Big Island     Connect with Dr Travelbest Drmarytravelbest.com Dr. Mary Travelbest Twitter Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Page Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Group Dr. Mary Travelbest Instagram email: info@drmarytravelbest.com Dr. Mary Travelbest Podcast Dr. Travelbest on TikTok Dr.Travelbest onYouTube Check out this episode!