Tag Archives: illinois
A Tale of Two Flights
It was the best of planes, it was the worst of planes, that was our feeling after spending nearly thirty hours on two non-stop flights.The first one, United flight 895, from Chicago to Hong Kong clocked in at sixteen hours. Back when… CONTINUE READING >>
A Winter Wonderland Aboard Amtrak’s Empire Builder
Join your GypsyNesters aboard Amtrak’s iconic Empire Builder as we head through a winter wonderland in luxury!See Glacier National Park out the huge windows of the Sightseer Lounge, celebrate Veronica’s visit to her 48th state over crab cakes (for breakfast!) in the dining car, share a fun-filled wine and cheese tasting, and enjoy tours of our sleeper car and all the fabulous amenities that you never knew Amtrak provided! … CONTINUE READING >>
12 Must-See Festivals in the US
We LOVE a festival! Tag the word “fest” on the end of anything and we’re there!Here are 12 of the wildest, wackiest, over-the-top or just plain fabulous celebrations that we’ve seen! CONTINUE READING >>
Swept off Our Feet at the Broom Corn Festival
Driving through the middle of America in early autumn meant we were bound to stumble upon some sort of fair or festival.But we never expected to find one dedicated to something that we had never heard of… CONTINUE READING >>
Meet The Lawn Rangers!
The Lawn Rangers are a “precision lawn mower drill team” with the motto: You’re only young once, but you can always be immature. We could hardly wait to see… CONTINUE READING >>
Chicago’s Cloud Gate aka “The Bean”
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Cloud Gate. This amazing piece of art is known as “The Bean” for its kidney like shape. But this is no ordinary legume. Over forty feet high and… CONTINUE READING >>
Windy City Whirlwind Tour
Join us on our whirlwind tour of Chicago, home of America’s Tallest Skyline. View the Windy City’s grandest buildings, catch a reflection in Cloud Gate and see the beautiful (and huge!) Buckingham Fountain at Grant Park lit up in red at night! Did you know that Chicago has a building so large it has its own zip code?… CONTINUE READING >>America’s Tallest Skyline – Chicago
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The Chicago skyline boasts four of the six tallest buildings in America. The Willis Tower, better known as The Sears Tower, is the nation’s… CONTINUE READING >>
Amtrak 15-Day Rail Pass Live-Blog – Week Two
Week Two of our crazy 15-day Amtrak Rail Pass. See the Rockies by train – the only way you can see these views unless you are whitewater rafting! Veronica washes her hair with oatmeal, we see a haunted train station, view of the Pacific and the mountains from the dome car! Tour of the bathroom anemities and meet the coolest Amtrak employee ever- Ellis the Cafe Guy! Tons of video and pics!… CONTINUE READING >>Interview: Why Do You Travel by Train?
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We’ve learned very quickly that train travel is a very social experience – trains have… CONTINUE READING >>
Amtrak 15-Day Rail Pass Live-Blog – Week One
Week one of our crazy 15-day Amtrak Rail Pass. Chicago to California via Santa Fe. Ride along with us as we show you the ins-and-outs of train travel, eat in Santa Fe, hang out with Michael Jackson in Hollywood, and get caught in a wicked storm that stopped the train! Loads of video and interviews, including David’s “tour” of couch seating… CONTINUE READING >>Do You Have to Sleep in the Train Station If You Miss Your Connection?
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We asked a wonderful lady – traveling with a group of Red Hatters – what happened when she was 5 hours late getting into… CONTINUE READING >>
The Effingham Cross
Driving down I-57 on a steel-grey Illinois afternoon, what to our wondering eyes should appear but the surreal sight of the biggest cross on the entire planet.
The 198 foot steel colossus stands ready to overwhelm truckers and tourists alike. With its 113 foot crossbar and 180 tons of steel, this modern day Tower of Babel offers a “Beacon of Hope… CONTINUE READING >>
Ginormous Abe Lincoln
On the outskirts of Kankakee, Illinois, visible from I-57 but not easily accessible, is the biggest Abe Lincoln we’ve ever seen. This guy looms over Kankakee, like a midwestern Rio de Janeiro Jesus, with a view from 40 feet high. He dwarfs the Lincoln of Lincoln Memorial fame, who is a paltry19 feet from top to bottom (though in D.C. Abe’s sitting down, so we’ll call it a tie).
After winding through a few side streets off the exit, we made our way to the home of the giant chief… CONTINUE READING >>
