TravelStream™ news feed for member mmbcross on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/mmbcross en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:31:57 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/14/1258497862/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/14/1258497862/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/14/1258497862/tpod.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:31:57 -0500 The Golden Triangle - November 2009. Prague; Vienna; Bratislava; Budapest.

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Miami, Florida, United States

Scrutinizing, comparing, wiggling, tweaking and abusing the Internet, we realize we can probably accomplish the trip close to our budget of US$ 1,500 each, all inclusive. Our final total expense is, in fact, US$ 1,573.14, excluding theatre performances, adding US$ 131.37 to the total.Swiss International has good connections and price. The fare of US$ 675.00 is well within budget. We hum and ha, but lo and behold, when we finally decide to purchase this ticket, it's gone up US$ 50.00! Procrastinators loose! We will be accompanied by 8 more friends and family.    Our group:Martin and Miryam Crossland – MiamiCecilia Borgmeyer (sister-in-law) – MiamiJamie Marcisz (good friend) – MiamiElva Marro (aunt) – Fort LauderdaleMichael Lynch (nephew) – ChicagoCharlotte O’Leary (Michael’s spouse) – ChicagoPatricia, Luis and Maria Arevalo (Good friends) – Lima, PeruAn acquaintance recommends a Czech travel agency to help with accommodation. After some ups and downs, we settle on the Pushkin Apartments in Old Town Prague. Vienna is very expensive, but eventually the Pension Franz is located, a rather frumpy place, but within our budget and just two blocks from The Ring. Budapest is relatively easy and the Pilvax Hotel confirms our booking. Rick Steve’s Eastern Europe has been updated for 2009, so we are in good shape and I can go ahead creating a busy itinerary which will keep us occupied and out of trouble. I also do some prior research on restaurants, which is a great help keeping us away from tourist traps during our trip. Unlike previous visits, we need cultural activities included in our itinerary, so I suggest Black Light Theatre in Prague, a Strauss Concert in Vienna and Hungarian Folk Music in Budapest.   On Friday 30th. October we depart Miami on Swiss International flight 65 at 8:55 pm Eastern Daylight Time. We will arrive in Zurich the following morning at 11:05 am Central European Time. Luggage is checked all the way through to Prague. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255640960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255640960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255640960/tpod.html Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:41:52 -0400 Chicago, Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)

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Chicago, Illinois, United States

This evening we are invited by Michael for a drink atop the John Hancock Centre. Our reasoning is that the admission to the observation deck is $ 16.00 on the 94th. floor, and a cocktail at "The Signature Room on the 95th Floor" is $ 13.00. So it's a good deal, as we get the view from one floor higher and a drink for less than the admission to the observation deck. It is by far the most panoramic gin tonic I have ever tippled.Descending, I convince Michael we must eat famous Chicago Pizza. Last time in Chicago I remember the pizza was probably the best I had ever tasted. For the life of me I can't remember the name of the place, but as we pass by Giordano’s, I recognize it. Here again, there is a long queue to get it, and the maitre advises us that it will be at least an hour, plus a 30-minute wait for the pizza. As you know by now, I’m not one to wait in a line for my dinner, so Michael suggests an even better choice, Gino’s East, supposedly where Chicago Pizza originated. Just our luck, there is a queue at this place too. It’s hopeless! Even the Spanish tapas restaurant beside is packed. Turning a corner we espy a half-empty Armenian restaurant, the Sayat Nova East. Anything but queue, so in we go. It’s not bad at all, but I still need to enjoy my Chicago Pizza.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255725374/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255725374/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255725374/tpod.html Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:36:09 -0400 Chicago, Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)

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Chicago, Illinois, United States

Sunday 6th.  Today Margarita will be leaving us. We all accompany her to the airport, Midway, which is much closer than O'Hare. On the way back we pass through Chinatown, which is, well, Chinatown. This afternoon we feel Michael needs a rest, so we elect to visit a museum. We have so many choices, but in the end we choose The Field Museum of Natural History. We go online and find that admission is $ 23.00. A bit steep, but we hope the senior citizen rate will be less. On arrival, to our gratification, we find that the general admission for seniors is only $ 12.00. Worth every penny! The museum is huge and spectacular. We spend hours there, and finally have to leave because our feet just won’t take it any more. There is a pirate exhibition currently at the museum. The "pirates" are knocking off just as we are leaving. Outside is a merry wedding group, here for the photo ops. The “pirates” are invited to join the group. I would imagine that it is quite an accomplishment to have your wedding photos complete with pirates!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255551277/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255551277/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255551277/tpod.html Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:34:17 -0400 Chicago, Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)

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Chicago, Illinois, United States

Friday 4th. AMCharlotte has already left when we awaken for breakfast. I have prepared a list of sights to see in Chicago. We note that if you take the 8:00 am Chicago River cruise, it is half price. The four of us arrive at the office to find that the offer ended on the 31st. August. Michael suggests we take the water taxi instead, same route, no commentary. We continue to the lakeshore at Ohio Beach. The mist is so dense we can hardly see the water and the tall buildings behind the beach are totally obscured. We continue walking past the Navy Pier towards the ferry station. An empty water taxi is just leaving, but we wave frantically and it returns to pick us up. Four paying passengers are certainly better than none. US$ 2.00 each is handed over for the ride to the Willis (Sears) Tower. Emerging from the mist, we enter the river mouth. It's an incredibly spectacular sight with huge skyscrapers on either side of the canal. Being right down on the water makes the buildings seem even taller. Especially impressive is the just completed Trump Tower. We pass by well known buildings that we have seen on film, the Chicago Tribune Tower, the Wrigley Building, Marina City and finally after a worthy twenty-minute cruise, arrive at the pier on South Wacker Drive and alight in the shadow of the Willis (Sears) Tower. Sears' naming rights expired in 2003, the building continued to be called Sears Tower for several years. However, in March 2009 London-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings, Ltd., agreed to lease a portion of the building and as part of the agreement obtained the building's naming rights. It’s not a particularly popular change for Chicagoans.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255727174/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255727174/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255727174/tpod.html Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:41:49 -0400 Chicago, Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)

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Chicago, Illinois, United States

Monday 7th. Boo Hoo! We leave today. We spend our morning strolling Magnificent Mile, admiring the Chicago Water Tower and the Chicago Avenue Pumping Station opposite, just about the only historical constructions left in this area. This strange 1869 building sticks up like a sand castle in the middle of urbanity. Just behind the tower is Hershey's Chicago. For a chocolate lover, this must be heaven. For cholesterol loaded persons like us, its hell. Anyway, we buy some choco-souvenirs for friends and family back home before proceeding along the shopping street. The street is made really attractive by the garden planters brimming with colourful flowers and art work that line each sidewalk and median. We escape into the quiet cloister of the Fourth Presbyterian Church opposite the John Hancock Centre. Please don’t ask me what happened to the other three churches, but this one is really delightful and peaceful.Regrettably it is now time to leave and Michael kindly offers to take us to O’ Hare. Charlotte has finally got some free time, and comes with us. Afterwards they will continue on to visit Charlotte’s brother. Our flight is on time, and I finally get the chance to eat some Chicago Pizza, albeit at an airport fast food court. It isn’t Giordano’s, but it isn’t all that bad either.     
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255726348/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255726348/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255726348/tpod.html Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:05:42 -0400 Chicago, Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)

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Chicago, Illinois, United States

Although we had arrived at the museum by subway, we decide to walk slowly back through the park. We pass a sports field full of tame Canadian geese. There is lots of controversy over these geese, but blissfully unaware of this, we just walk right through the middle of them. Beyond this is the landmark Buckingham Fountain. Built in 1927 and modeled after the Latona Fountain at Versailles, it is really the showpiece of Grant Park. Here we see more wedding groups taking advantage of the lovely weather and beautiful background for more photos, <i style="">sans pirates. Lovely sounds are drifting across the park. Entering the Petrillo Music Shell, we find we have lucked out with the Chicago Jazz Festival, held every Labour Day weekend. We settle down to listen to the cool music of the Archie Shepp Quartet and "A Tribute to Art Tatum" featuring Buddy DeFranco and Johnny O'Neal. A great end to a great afternoon. Dinner tonight, and another battle to find a restaurant that will accept our reservation. The Coco Pazzo Café will accept us and we enjoy a wonderful meal with wine, just a couple of blocks from the apartment. &nbsp;
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255638258/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255638258/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255638258/tpod.html Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:08:59 -0400 Chicago, Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)

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Chicago, Illinois, United States

The architecture of the buildings lining the western side of South Michigan Avenue is most impressive. We enter the famous Chicago Hilton. Built in 1927, it was at that time the largest hotel in the world, beating the nearby Palmer House that we visited yesterday. It was an engineering marvel measuring 28 stories, boasting 3,000 luxurious rooms, 5 sub-basements, an 18 hole roof-top golf course with real grass, a three-story laundry, its own hospital and a 1,200 seat theatre with "talking motion picture" equipment.The recently restored lobby and ballroom are extravagantly decorated in belle époque style resembling Versailles. It is now approaching lunch time, and we plan to return by way of The Loop elevated railway, then descend to the subway, which will bring us out near the flat. Charlotte has prepared a light lunch of bits and pieces, then we take to the car and drive through some Chicago suburbs. Margarita wants to find the Polish section which she had visited many years ago with her ex. husband Erich. We pass through what we think is the centre, but find it now mostly habited by Mexicans. We return by way of the classy Lake Shore Drive, colloquially referred to as LSD. It is also US 41, the selfsame Tamiami Trail back home. Goodness, it's come a long way to keep us company.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255637342/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255637342/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255637342/tpod.html Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:24:08 -0400 Chicago, Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)

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Chicago, Illinois, United States

Strolling down Michigan Avenue beside the park, the next point of interest is the Art Institute of Chicago. Yesterday we were at the modern annex, but now we pass the original 1893 building, which was constructed for the Great Columbian Exposition. Guarding the entrance are two massive lions. When a Chicago sports team makes the playoffs, the lions are dressed in that team's uniform. Outside the museum some young people are collecting signatures. They look like Democrats, so of course I stop to help. I fill out the form and sign my name for some obscure petition. I am then advised that only Chicago residents can sign. I’m not sure if I am annoyed in having wasted my time filling out the form, or flattered to be mistaken for a Chicagoan.Past Millennium Park, the green area continues as Grant Park, beautifully landscaped with colourful flowerbeds and water gardens. This was the location of Barak Obama’s election victory speech in November of 2008. The entrance to the Van Buren subway station is pure art nouveau, and was a gift to the city from Paris in 2001.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255633994/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255633994/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255633994/tpod.html Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:53:58 -0400 Chicago, Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)

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Chicago, Illinois, United States

Saturday 5th. We get up early today to take a walk to the lakeshore. Are we kidding! After the miles of walking yesterday and projected further miles of walking today, we want more? Anyway, we stop off at the Argo Tea Cafe for a light breakfast. Then we find that Michael has also prepared breakfast for us. It would have been impolite to refuse, so we start our day with really full stomachs. Today we will return to Millennium Park and continue visiting this remarkable area. We walk in the general direction and find we are more underground than above ground. This part of Chicago is a strange place, with up to three levels of streets and parking lots. Next thing we know we are crossing the river on the lower level of a double-decker bridge and thereafter immediately go underground again. We reappear into the sunlight at the eastern side of Millennium Park on Columbus Drive, right by the curious snakelike BP Pedestrian Bridge, which leads to the Jay Pritzker Amphitheatre where we were yesterday. Both were designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. &nbsp;Between the amphitheatre and Michigan Drive is a sculpture park and the celebrated monument called "Cloud Gate", or as Chicagoans call it, “The Bean”, due to its shape. It is highly reflective and a very popular site for photography, both for the distorted Chicago skyline and the people reflected in its brilliant surface.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255629195/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255629195/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mmbcross/13/1255629195/tpod.html Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:12:25 -0400 Chicago, Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)

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Chicago, Illinois, United States

Friday night is fireworks night at the Navy Pier. It's a short walk to this, the most popular tourist attraction of Chicago. It certainly seems that way as the place is packed. The pier sticks 3,300-foot (1,010 m) out into Lake Michigan, with innumerable fast-food kiosks, tacky souvenir shops, a Ferris Wheel, an IMAX theatre, Amazing Chicago's Funhouse Maze and no end of other attractions guaranteed to entertain the plebs. We had imagined we might eat there after the fireworks, but it’s just a little too common for our refined tastes (Oh, just listen to me!). In the end we return to the Magnificent Mile and search for an empty table, not an easy task as Chicagoans do not seem to have heard that the United States is in a recession. After a 45-minute wait we bag some space at Quartino’s, an excellent choice.
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