Back to the crash pad @ 711 Dearborn. It’s been a blast having this place in Printers Row and really getting to know and love the city of Chicago. This was the week of Lalapalooza so our neighborhood was packed. Every night we walked around the park listening to some of the bands from the outside. We made the trek up to Six Flags one day, and had an absolute blast. We also journeyed out to see some theatre friends @NorthwesternU perform their last show of the summer program. Carly was brilliant in her performance, of course, and we got to hang out with Sam afterwards at Kafein. We also saw “Men Should Weep” @GriffinTheatreC. Read more
Our Travels
London
On a trip to India, Chris and I had about a 12-hour layover. Luckily, it was on the way, so we still had energy. Since we had such a narrow window of time, we decided to call in a pro–the lovely Victoria (Amanda’s cousin and ambassador to the world). She met us at the Westminster tube station, and was such a great hostess for the day. Read more
Fall Break 2013
Fall Break 2013 was a nerd extravaganza with Houston, Hannah, Dad, and Chris and Nate Harris. We spent the first day making new friends at The Farm in Summertown, TN. We’ve been buying products from their Healthy Eating Catalog for years, and decided to pay a visit to this commune-turned-land-trust of eco-friendly, sustainable living types. We spent a few hours touring around the property with our tour guide Lisa.
We were fortunate to be able to use a friend’s cabin on top of a mountain off of Wears Valley Rd between Townsend and Sevierville. The property backs up to the Smoky Mountains, and the park was closed this year due to the budget stand-off in Washington. We had a great time in the cabin–made a nice campfire one night, took in the amazing scenery, etc.
We spent Day 2 at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge learning about Tennessee’s involvement in nuclear technologies. We also visited y-12, which has a small visitor’s center that details more about uranium enrichment practices used in Oak Ridge. We blew off some steam afterwards playing goofy golf, where Chris and I absolutely blistered two of the courses, shooting 5/3 and 5/7 under par. Here’s a tip–on any golf course, including putt putt, if your score is more than three but less than five, DO NOT YELL YOUR SCORE.
Day 3 was just pure fun–Dollywood. Our favorite rides were the Mystery Mine and the Wild Eagle. Wild Eagle was closed most of the day because of…..bees. Yes, bees. They have a swarm of bees at the top of the hill, and frequently have to shut the ride down in warm weather. We really enjoyed people watching, a full day of rides, and we of course picked up some new airbrush….
Spring break in Atlanta
We had a blast in Atlanta. I’ve flown a million miles in my career, most of them through Atlanta. And how many meetings…can’t even count. But vacationing there? We decided to take in the city for Spring Break ’07. There is so much to do, from downtown museums, to a great zoo and park, and thrills at Six Flags.
Rome
Our European vacation commenced in Rome, where we enjoyed a couple of non-cruising days visiting Western Civ’s most cherished spots. Read more
Ibiza, Spain
Ibiza is a beautiful island off the coast of Spain. This is a serious contender for retirement–one of the most amazing places we’ve seen in the world. Unfortunately, our pictures do not portray the beauty and character of this place. I think this is because we made some friends that day, and our camera wasn’t as active as it had been in other ports.
Valencia, Spain
This was the first day on the cruise that we decided to go sans excursion. We looked at the map, saw how close the port was to everything in the city, and decided to give it a whirl. We walked around the city for a couple of hours, discovered the museum campus, shopped a little, and it turned out to be a phenomenal day. If you ever find yourself on a cruise that docks in Valencia, trust us on this one–walk to the museum campus and you will not be disappointed. Read more