This is an XML content feed of journal entries and reviews that have recently published by RealTravel members within Illinois. Use one of the buttons on the right to add this feed to your feed reader. tag:realtravel.com,2005:2151 RealTravel members http://realtravel.com/images/logo-for-feeds.jpg (c) 2006 RealTravel.com 2008-03-17T20:28:43Z 340125http://www.feedburner.comThis is an XML content feed of journal entries and reviews that have recently published by RealTravel members within Illinois. Use one of the buttons on the right to add this feed to your feed reader. tag:realtravel.com,2008-03-17:6718571 2008-03-17T20:27:30Z 2008-03-17T20:28:43Z Ela Library Staff http://realtravel.com/member-m5752156-ela_library_staff.html <p>a review of Barnes &amp; Noble, a thing to do in <a href="http://realtravel.com/deer_park-illinois-reviews-hotels-d6718439.html">Deer Park, Illinois</a>.</p> <p>I had an interesting experience with Barnes &amp; Noble over the past few days. I did some shopping for popular spring/summer sports books on Friday. After gathering my items, I went to the counter to pay for the books.</p><p>Purchasing from Barnes &amp; Noble has often been an adventure for the library. Unlike most retail customers, we don't pay taxes and we use an institutional credit line.The person at the register didn't know how to deal with our account, so I waited for a good 15 minutes while she tried to get help from the other staff members. Unfortunately, no one else knew how to work with ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/deer_park-reviews-a6718571.html">[Read full review]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_5K0ZtIJkuF8VE2MDxH4RgOXqcfA_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/5K0ZtIJkuF8VE2MDxH4RgOXqcfA_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_5K0ZtIJkuF8VE2MDxH4RgOXqcfA_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=5K0ZtIJkuF8VE2MDxH4RgOXqcfA_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fdeer_park-reviews-a6718571.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/deer_park-reviews-a6718571.html tag:realtravel.com,2007-09-14:5542228 2007-09-14T17:58:03Z 2008-02-15T15:45:46Z terry http://realtravel.com/member-m508638-terry.html <p><em>"Chicago is remarkable for its energy and its architecture"</em></p> <p>a entry by terry from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>Driving is a challenge, it's fun figuring out where to go next and what to see next and how to get there. But traffic on the four-lane highways of Ontario and the Interstates of America is verging on the unimaginable. Sometimes we will look at the road ahead and swear that what we see are not huge lines of tractor trailers but one long, never-ending railroad train. That's why a bus tour on the crowded roads in and around Chicago made a lot of sense.</p><p>Great Canadian Holidays, a charter line owned by Trailways, operates a number of tours every week to many destinations in both Canada ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j5542228.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_E916frluxaSW6pxLj9ttUFLPa3U_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/E916frluxaSW6pxLj9ttUFLPa3U_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_E916frluxaSW6pxLj9ttUFLPa3U_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=E916frluxaSW6pxLj9ttUFLPa3U_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j5542228.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j5542228.html tag:realtravel.com,2007-11-05:5932329 2007-11-05T06:29:38Z 2007-11-05T06:29:38Z L & B http://realtravel.com/member-m5670253-l__b.html <p>a entry by L &amp; B from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>First of all, for the family that have copies of the itinerary for our journey, we've put back our departure dates from Chicago and New Orleans by two days (and from Miami by one day) - we decided we would probably need more time in Chicago to do it justice. We're able to change the dates of any of the flights we've booked at no extra charge, as long as the routes are unchanged.</p><p>When we were planning our trip and deciding on the destinations in the US, Chicago was the one I mentioned without hesitation. I was really excited to come here. It's surprising how small downtown Chicago is, ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j5932329.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_cVIEva86sTUxPAkbfFXGwCYrfk4_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/cVIEva86sTUxPAkbfFXGwCYrfk4_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_cVIEva86sTUxPAkbfFXGwCYrfk4_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=cVIEva86sTUxPAkbfFXGwCYrfk4_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j5932329.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j5932329.html tag:realtravel.com,2007-09-17:5568739 2007-09-17T20:51:36Z 2007-09-17T20:55:48Z Prime Opportunist http://realtravel.com/member-m5526521-prime_opportunist.html <p>a review of Moody's Pub, a place to eat in <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois</a>.</p> <p>Moody's Pub says that the Burgers are the Best in the City, and i'll have to make a return trip to find out. If you can manage it, you need to sit outside even if the weather is chilly. Moody's "Beer Garden" is a calm, cool, and laid back night time treasure in Edgewater. For just 9 dollars you can get a tasty pitcher of Sangria which appears to be a considerable crowd pleaser and it can easily get you drunk. Everyone on the Northside knows Moodys to be a great hang out easy to get to (minutes from the Redline CTA Thorndale stop) and well worth the trip. Head out there at least while the ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-reviews-c5568739.html">[Read full review]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_a9uE93CT4.yu4dgb6J2gZprg.jw_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/a9uE93CT4.yu4dgb6J2gZprg.jw_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_a9uE93CT4.yu4dgb6J2gZprg.jw_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=a9uE93CT4.yu4dgb6J2gZprg.jw_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-reviews-c5568739.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-reviews-c5568739.html tag:realtravel.com,2007-09-17:5568639 2007-09-17T20:30:21Z 2007-09-17T20:34:14Z Prime Opportunist http://realtravel.com/member-m5526521-prime_opportunist.html <p><em>"How do you spell Sangria with a "7"?"</em></p> <p>a entry by Prime Opportunist from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>Moody's stands for Moody's Pub and Last call at Moody's Pub is a subjective thing, or so im told but thats not what I noticed first. There were two things wrong about my expectations:</p><p>1. Moody's is not right off of the Thorndale stop on the CTA Redline as I was told by a Chicago resident. It's actually about a minute and a half from the Thorndale stop if you are a quick walker and three minutes if you're not. Is it splitting hairs? Maybe. But from the looks of things there are places that literally are right off the ________ stop. I think that if I can't see it from the destination stop ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j5568639.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_9uxkpV8uUeuthZXMFHhh08.ceR4_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/9uxkpV8uUeuthZXMFHhh08.ceR4_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_9uxkpV8uUeuthZXMFHhh08.ceR4_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=9uxkpV8uUeuthZXMFHhh08.ceR4_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j5568639.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j5568639.html tag:realtravel.com,2007-09-14:5541430 2007-09-14T16:40:02Z 2007-09-14T17:31:48Z Prime Opportunist http://realtravel.com/member-m5526521-prime_opportunist.html <p><em>""Well im just as confused as you are," I say "I've just arrived here in Chicago...""</em></p> <p>a entry by Prime Opportunist from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>Picture From www.rtachicago.com</p><p>After freshly arriving to Chicago from a delayed Metra ride to a 15 minute walk through downtown to a delayed CTA ride I find myself on the far north side where my adventures begin. Chicago's locally recognized transit system seems to go by two nicknames depending on who you talk to. The first is the most common moniker for the elevated train which is the "L". The second is the "el" and neither of them make much sense to a native outsider such as myself. Some Chicago residents I talked too on my CTA ride were quick to point out that the nickname of "L" ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j5541430.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_Vy7d5X6UBFtMQPAF1nxjxaBRk8E_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/Vy7d5X6UBFtMQPAF1nxjxaBRk8E_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_Vy7d5X6UBFtMQPAF1nxjxaBRk8E_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=Vy7d5X6UBFtMQPAF1nxjxaBRk8E_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j5541430.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j5541430.html tag:realtravel.com,2007-08-06:5223248 2007-08-06T00:34:31Z 2007-08-15T22:00:30Z debg http://realtravel.com/member-m4890381-debg.html <p><em>"How do we get there from here?"</em></p> <p>a entry by debg from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>As we got closer to Chicago, I realised we had time to play and I had promised M on several occassions that we would go to Chicago.This seemed like a good time to honor my promise. Chicago would be the 2nd of the really large cities that M would see this year (see Washington DC travel journal). I decided, and M excitedly endorsed the decision, that we would visit Chicago.</p><p>Driving around Chicago and into Chicago was unusually and particularly scary for me. I had on Saturday, again, driven through massive rainstorms and thunderstorms on roads I did not know. I took turns that were not on ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j5223248.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_jtuDDdYe94qdTPDspEmBc6f-Wpk_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/jtuDDdYe94qdTPDspEmBc6f-Wpk_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_jtuDDdYe94qdTPDspEmBc6f-Wpk_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=jtuDDdYe94qdTPDspEmBc6f-Wpk_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j5223248.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j5223248.html tag:realtravel.com,2007-08-05:5222909 2007-08-05T23:54:09Z 2007-08-15T20:45:39Z debg http://realtravel.com/member-m4890381-debg.html <p><em>"Finding room at the Inn, but which Inn?"</em></p> <p>a entry by debg from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/danville-illinois-reviews-hotels-d24694.html">Danville, Illinois.</a></p> <p>One of the risks of road trips and not reserving hotels in advance is that you can drive in circles and from one exit to another looking for a place to spend the night. To avoid this, we stopped in the early afternoon at the Indianna border Welcome Station and made a reservation for the Sleep Inn in Bloomington/Indianapolis .</p><p>We arrived there around 9:00 a.m. but our reservation was refused by the manager who also refused to help find other accomodations. I drove next door to the Comfort Inn; they did not have room at their Inn either, but the desk attendant recommended and called the ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/danville-journals-j5222909.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_vUAlFdVifZ3k8jWEg6GCI2UxdmQ_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/vUAlFdVifZ3k8jWEg6GCI2UxdmQ_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_vUAlFdVifZ3k8jWEg6GCI2UxdmQ_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=vUAlFdVifZ3k8jWEg6GCI2UxdmQ_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fdanville-journals-j5222909.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/danville-journals-j5222909.html tag:realtravel.com,2007-07-25:5125883 2007-07-25T04:03:32Z 2007-07-26T07:35:29Z the Murray girls http://realtravel.com/member-m4845496-the_murray_girls.html <p>a entry by the Murray girls from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>Chicago meant a few things to us: visiting with family, seeing multiple baseball games, and getting some culture. We were pretty successful on all fronts.</p><p>Our uncle Lindsay and our cousins Melissa, Conor, and Casey live in Chicago, so we were able to spend time with them (except Conor, who was away). It's been many years since we were together, so it was great to catch up.</p><p>We also had two baseball games: one at Wrigley (Cubs) and one at US Cellular (White Sox). To be honest, Wrigley didn't quite live up to the hype. It is awesome...old and charming...but a lot of other parks ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j5125883.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_em48O-zXfiSpCfebP4KUkXtIebE_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/em48O-zXfiSpCfebP4KUkXtIebE_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_em48O-zXfiSpCfebP4KUkXtIebE_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=em48O-zXfiSpCfebP4KUkXtIebE_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j5125883.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j5125883.html tag:realtravel.com,2006-08-17:1991504 2006-08-17T20:46:09Z 2007-05-15T14:52:34Z NicolaF http://realtravel.com/member-m1991353-nicolaf.html <p>a entry by NicolaF from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>Chicago Noisy but lively. We were met with the traditional Chicago charm by our now mascot of the place, Jeanette. She worked in the only place to serve food in the airport - a disgusting greasy spoon, and everything we asked for appeared to be a hassle. At one point, there was a man ordering when he realised there was a woman in front of him, who had not been served, so he apologised and said "this woman was before me, I'm sorry" Jeanette replied with all the grace of someone who works in customer service "She was not!" we were afraid to say the very least!</p><p>We were all exhausted on the ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j1991504.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_izdItm4LWiLPYms62aMeu3Rl6HA_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/izdItm4LWiLPYms62aMeu3Rl6HA_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_izdItm4LWiLPYms62aMeu3Rl6HA_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=izdItm4LWiLPYms62aMeu3Rl6HA_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j1991504.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j1991504.html tag:realtravel.com,2006-04-08:1217537 2006-04-08T21:33:21Z 2007-03-23T17:15:32Z Ben Connor http://realtravel.com/member-m633451-ben_connor.html <p><em>"skyscrapers bending in on each other"</em></p> <p>a entry by Ben Connor from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>We were in Chicago for a grand total of 24 hours. This was long enough. Why on earth people would choose to live in such climates and how, under such circumstances, they managed to construct such a magnificently beautiful city is beyond me.</p><p>My girlfriend Amy and I stayed at a Hostel International north of the cities centre. Arriving in the early afternoon, we deposited our belongings then somehow managed to convince our frozen limbs to carry us to the train station, which took us to the loop (the elevated train tracks that form a circle around the cities centre). From here we walked down ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j1217537.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_84XLWSHX8OMydYuET0hE5-5cJ-8_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/84XLWSHX8OMydYuET0hE5-5cJ-8_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_84XLWSHX8OMydYuET0hE5-5cJ-8_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=84XLWSHX8OMydYuET0hE5-5cJ-8_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j1217537.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j1217537.html tag:realtravel.com,2007-02-19:3717681 2007-02-19T02:10:11Z 2007-02-19T02:11:49Z JerseyGirl http://realtravel.com/member-m3657034-jerseygirl.html <p>a review of Eduardos, a place to eat in <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois</a>.</p> <p>MMM I love chicago pizza. And my fave so far has definately been Eduardos. (Just to be fair, I always order Pepperoni Pizza -- except in Israel cuz of the whole kosher thing) so I do have a baseline for determining the best pizza ever. One of these days I will get around to writing my "Pepperoni Pizza of the USA" book.</p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-reviews-c3717681.html">[Read full review]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_bGruubuxH1KLslfLXzOb3eqbRGY_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/bGruubuxH1KLslfLXzOb3eqbRGY_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_bGruubuxH1KLslfLXzOb3eqbRGY_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=bGruubuxH1KLslfLXzOb3eqbRGY_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-reviews-c3717681.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-reviews-c3717681.html tag:realtravel.com,2007-02-19:3717547 2007-02-19T02:04:06Z 2007-02-19T02:09:43Z JerseyGirl http://realtravel.com/member-m3657034-jerseygirl.html <p>a review of Palmer House Hilton, a place to stay in <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois</a>.</p> <p>Don't you love when you get to a hotel with a bunch of bags, it's freezing cold, there's no bellman outside and the bellman inside watches as you carry your bags in (one at a time since only the revolving door is operating at this hour). Seriously ... the last thing I need after working an entire day, spending hours at an airport, getting dicked over and treated like crap by the airlines, waiting 2 hours for luggage and realizing I have about 5 hours until I need to be at work is not even being able to carry my bags into the hotel because all they have is a revolving door.</p><p>Aside from ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-reviews-b3717547.html">[Read full review]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_LUyY1vjzEaHMNfkUGPs1BVSuVsk_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/LUyY1vjzEaHMNfkUGPs1BVSuVsk_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_LUyY1vjzEaHMNfkUGPs1BVSuVsk_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=LUyY1vjzEaHMNfkUGPs1BVSuVsk_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-reviews-b3717547.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-reviews-b3717547.html tag:realtravel.com,2005-08-13:539012 2005-08-13T22:35:10Z 2007-02-01T21:14:45Z ddbartley http://realtravel.com/member-m535877-ddbartley.html <p>a entry by ddbartley from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/ottawa-illinois-reviews-hotels-d36054.html">Ottawa, Illinois.</a></p> <p>It's All About Three Seconds</p><p></p><p>"A three second accomplishment that takes a lifetime to achieve" is the way Roger Nelson so aptly describes a skydiving world record. Intertwined in these three little seconds are life long dreams, ambitions, hopes and desires. The personalities involved are extremely diverse ranging from a space shuttle astronaut to a State Senator to an eighteen-year-old kid with no job. For these three seconds in time all the skydivers are flying as one. It's a Zen-like hum of twenty-one tons of flying humanity rocketing toward earth at 122 miles per hour. Together ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/ottawa-journals-j539012.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_y-NGDl79s0mEKstQgF91QwIlNmI_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/y-NGDl79s0mEKstQgF91QwIlNmI_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_y-NGDl79s0mEKstQgF91QwIlNmI_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=y-NGDl79s0mEKstQgF91QwIlNmI_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fottawa-journals-j539012.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/ottawa-journals-j539012.html tag:realtravel.com,2007-01-09:3294670 2007-01-09T12:51:41Z 2007-01-26T15:12:49Z Ethereal Wanderer http://realtravel.com/member-m3142420-ethereal_wanderer.html <p>a entry by Ethereal Wanderer from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>The day started off well at midday with a 'kill me now' spin class at the local gym around the corner and then a healthy lunch followed by somehow managing to take 4 hours to find a US post office and send my package home....</p><p>Keri took me down the Magnificent Mile, which, filled with huge stores, hotels and generally expensive things, is not suprisingly, quite magnificent. You'll see in a picture that I've taken a store called Banana Republic. The story with the picture goes like this: The first time I encountered the name I was walking through the busy main street of Seattle in the ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j3294670.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_OmD3iQYkzzk3dwboyqaXatubA.M_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/OmD3iQYkzzk3dwboyqaXatubA.M_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_OmD3iQYkzzk3dwboyqaXatubA.M_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=OmD3iQYkzzk3dwboyqaXatubA.M_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j3294670.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j3294670.html tag:realtravel.com,2006-12-28:3189694 2006-12-28T20:57:44Z 2006-12-28T21:21:16Z The Coolidges http://realtravel.com/member-m3189657-the_coolidges.html <p><em>"Christmas in Chicago"</em></p> <p>a entry by The Coolidges from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p></p><p>We decided this year to go on a trip for Christmas. Living in Florida we decided where can we go and see snow!!!??? Chicago of course!!!!! Well.......... NO SNOW!! But we still had a great time. We travelled with our 7 year old son.</p><p>1st day- We arrived from Chicago O'hare and decided to get the visitor pass for the CTA (Subway and buses) GREAT DEAL!! for $20 a piece you can ride the subway and buses for 7 days. Worth the money. We arrived about 1pm so we just decided to do some exploring- We stayed at the Seneca hotel on Chestnut Street and found this a very great location.</p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j3189694.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_-bbM9KF2QKdOYswAsofwFWiV5Ss_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/-bbM9KF2QKdOYswAsofwFWiV5Ss_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_-bbM9KF2QKdOYswAsofwFWiV5Ss_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=-bbM9KF2QKdOYswAsofwFWiV5Ss_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j3189694.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j3189694.html tag:realtravel.com,2006-12-28:3189704 2006-12-28T20:57:44Z 2006-12-28T21:01:41Z The Coolidges http://realtravel.com/member-m3189657-the_coolidges.html <p>a review of Seneca Hotel, a place to stay in <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois</a>.</p> <p></p><p>The Seneca Hotel was a perfect place for our family to spend Christmas 2006. The only downfall that we found was that the Hotel had a nice deli that we had heard alot about before coming to Chicago, but when we got there the deli was being refurbished. I am sure that the food was as good as we had heard, but we were disappointed not to get to try some of it. The only other concern, as this is an older building was that the hot water took a little while to get to our 6th floor room. But leaving the water on for 10 minutes or so before we took the shower and we had all the hot water ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-reviews-b3189704.html">[Read full review]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_B1u7Kp2MZyog7NA6HMg3R-TB4RE_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/B1u7Kp2MZyog7NA6HMg3R-TB4RE_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_B1u7Kp2MZyog7NA6HMg3R-TB4RE_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=B1u7Kp2MZyog7NA6HMg3R-TB4RE_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-reviews-b3189704.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-reviews-b3189704.html tag:realtravel.com,2006-12-15:3091660 2006-12-15T01:30:13Z 2006-12-20T10:31:02Z Nick Hurley http://realtravel.com/member-m2991888-nick_hurley.html <p>a entry by Nick Hurley from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>I flew into O’Hare (Chicago) over three hours late. O’Hare is one of the busiest airports in the world (due to its central location in North America) and when the weather is bad many flights including mine are delayed.</p><p>My friend Geroge met me at the airport. I met George at Monash when he did a semester there as part of the Study Abroad program. George went to De Paul University in Chicago and now lives in a studio apartment not far from there. George graduated last year and now works in a proteomics lab at the University of Chicago.</p><p>The weather whilst I was in Chicago was ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j3091660.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_HnsZ1decfgc7mLLi0PRtA3WN6m8_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/HnsZ1decfgc7mLLi0PRtA3WN6m8_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_HnsZ1decfgc7mLLi0PRtA3WN6m8_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=HnsZ1decfgc7mLLi0PRtA3WN6m8_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j3091660.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j3091660.html tag:realtravel.com,2006-12-04:3006205 2006-12-04T22:58:39Z 2006-12-04T22:58:39Z MellyT http://realtravel.com/member-m2942113-mellyt.html <p>a entry by MellyT from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>So it was an incredibly tumultous time getting here.. So crazy. But by the time we finally arrive.. late.. we were ready to get down to business. We checking into our hotel and ofcourse had a few drinks down at the bar. It was so much fun the next day ( friday) we went and saw pat. He looked absolutely great except he had lost so much weight.. and he was thin to begin with! The ceremony was really nice, and after we went to bob chins seafood house which was awesome. Me and steve tried their world famous mai tai's which now we know why they are considered world famous! Even dad liked them! The ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j3006205.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_YkisKzHPtTyhMPZrLOXaaXvhvcQ_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/YkisKzHPtTyhMPZrLOXaaXvhvcQ_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_YkisKzHPtTyhMPZrLOXaaXvhvcQ_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=YkisKzHPtTyhMPZrLOXaaXvhvcQ_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j3006205.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j3006205.html tag:realtravel.com,2006-11-17:2851100 2006-11-17T23:01:23Z 2006-11-17T23:31:35Z Colleen in LA! http://realtravel.com/member-m1677249-colleen_in_la.html <p>a entry by Colleen in LA! from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/rock_island-illinois-reviews-hotels-d39532.html">Rock Island, Illinois.</a></p> <p>Hello Everyone!</p><p>I returned safe and sound a few days ago, so now I'll fill you in on the last leg of the trip...</p><p>Two of my close friends (Kiley Peters and Kyle Brill) and I went to visit an orphanage outside of Cuernavaca. The three of us bought bus tickets and stayed with two Augie grads (Jared List &amp; Brooke Allen) who are currently working at the orphanage as volunteers. The orphanage is called Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH - Our Small Brothers and Sisters). It is an NGO that was founded by Fr. Watson in 1954. Today it houses 500 plus children from the ages of 3 or 4 up to ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/rock_island-journals-j2851100.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_gbT62hiCT5S3SujuN7QCNwgm3Dg_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/gbT62hiCT5S3SujuN7QCNwgm3Dg_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_gbT62hiCT5S3SujuN7QCNwgm3Dg_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=gbT62hiCT5S3SujuN7QCNwgm3Dg_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Frock_island-journals-j2851100.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/rock_island-journals-j2851100.html tag:realtravel.com,2006-09-27:2386950 2006-09-27T05:42:28Z 2006-09-27T05:42:28Z ericstir http://realtravel.com/member-m2169839-ericstir.html <p><em>"Well, another adventure for me"</em></p> <p>a entry by ericstir from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>9.25.06 7:40am We have stopped in St. Paul, Minnesota. We are right on time. It was a fitful night of sleep. I couldn’t get comfortable in the seat. I only slept for about four hours, but I feel rested, though I always feel that way when I don’t get a whole lot of sleep. I slept off and on during the trip yesterday though, so no big deal. We stopped here for a decent amount of time to let a bunch of people on. Everyone around me that got off was replaced with someone new. The only bad part of the trip so far, is this girl that came on late in ND and sat with this guy across from me. She ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j2386950.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_rvQwoQYl1bwoCbmq5PPAFxGkOOo_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/rvQwoQYl1bwoCbmq5PPAFxGkOOo_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_rvQwoQYl1bwoCbmq5PPAFxGkOOo_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=rvQwoQYl1bwoCbmq5PPAFxGkOOo_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j2386950.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j2386950.html tag:realtravel.com,2006-08-30:2070347 2006-08-30T21:58:42Z 2006-08-30T21:58:42Z claire_warren http://realtravel.com/member-m699365-clairewarren.html <p><em>"Distance travelled today – 0 miles, but must have walked about 12 miles"</em></p> <p>a entry by claire_warren from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>The weather has improved – yay!! There was even some sun and blue sky today which was rather revolutionary! The windy city also lived up to its name today as well as it was rather blustery. Thankfully on my last day I wasn’t trudging around getting wet.</p><p>I was rather cultured today and visited the Chicago Art Institute for a couple of hours which was nice. Not much to report about it though unless you want a critique of some of the pieces, but they have a good collection of modern pieces and photographs, although some of the rooms were shut as they are building an extension to it at ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j2070347.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_sBHQQKmhN65Up-KguarbnTJfZLI_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/sBHQQKmhN65Up-KguarbnTJfZLI_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_sBHQQKmhN65Up-KguarbnTJfZLI_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=sBHQQKmhN65Up-KguarbnTJfZLI_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j2070347.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j2070347.html tag:realtravel.com,2006-08-29:2063026 2006-08-29T21:17:12Z 2006-08-30T21:50:44Z claire_warren http://realtravel.com/member-m699365-clairewarren.html <p><em>"Distance travelled today - 0 miles"</em></p> <p>a entry by claire_warren from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>The weather in Chicago has improved, but only marginally. It is still raining, but not as hard and is a bit on and off. However, it means that it is now really damp and humid which is a bit rubbish.</p><p>However, I ventured out of my hotel room for longer today which was better than yesterday! I hope the weather is better tomorrow because otherwise my stay in Chicago will have been a bit rubbish really.</p><p>I took a walk down to Grant Park today and saw the Frank Gehry ‘bean’ which was really cool. It reflects all the Chicago skyline in it, and was reminiscent of my Tiffany bean ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j2063026.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_FRojYrPTq0dBypUcmlh2FyXb5yI_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/FRojYrPTq0dBypUcmlh2FyXb5yI_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_FRojYrPTq0dBypUcmlh2FyXb5yI_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=FRojYrPTq0dBypUcmlh2FyXb5yI_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j2063026.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j2063026.html tag:realtravel.com,2006-08-28:2055632 2006-08-28T18:52:29Z 2006-08-28T18:52:29Z claire_warren http://realtravel.com/member-m699365-clairewarren.html <p><em>"Distance travelled today - 0 miles"</em></p> <p>a entry by claire_warren from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>Oh my god, I have re-entered civilisation!!! I had an emotional moment yesterday evening when I went out for a wander. I firstly passed a champagne store, which cheered me greatly and then the supermarket I went to to get some dinner not only sold 25 different types of houmous but also San Pellegrino. I feel like I have been reborn! You don’t realise how much you miss certain things until you see them again! However, I was brought back down to earth when I had to open the mozzarella I had bought with a paid of tweezers as I had no knife or scissors. Not quite normality yet then! But a ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j2055632.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_loPlZRTmYnGiYVX9la0jCYpaiiU_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/loPlZRTmYnGiYVX9la0jCYpaiiU_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_loPlZRTmYnGiYVX9la0jCYpaiiU_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=loPlZRTmYnGiYVX9la0jCYpaiiU_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j2055632.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j2055632.html tag:realtravel.com,2006-08-17:1988967 2006-08-17T08:48:48Z 2006-08-17T08:59:17Z miketong http://realtravel.com/member-m1924682-miketong.html <p><em>"Peter Sutcliffe at large"</em></p> <p>a entry by miketong from a trip to <a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-illinois-reviews-hotels-d17790.html">Chicago, Illinois.</a></p> <p>The flight to Chicago went pretty hassle free, despite the increased security at the airports. You now can't take any kind of liquid or gel in your carry on luggage - my solar powered backpack, which contains a large battery with numerous wires coming out of it didn't attract much attention thankfully. I was embarrassed enough explaining it's purpose on BrainTeaser.</p><p>On arrival at Chicago we went to try and get some food having missed breakfast in the rush to get to the airport early. The only place we could find was a small hotdog fast food place just inside the airport. It was there we ... </p> <p><a href="http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j1988967.html">[Read full entry]</a></p> <p><map name="google_ad_map_HNtitHM20B5kFjKl2DbledTl2lE_"><area shape="rect" href="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/imgclick/HNtitHM20B5kFjKl2DbledTl2lE_?pos=0" coords="1,2,367,28"/><area shape="rect" href="http://services.google.com/feedback/abg" coords="384,10,453,23"/></map><img usemap="#google_ad_map_HNtitHM20B5kFjKl2DbledTl2lE_" border="0" src="http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-1956712303939423&channel=3810559515&output=png&cuid=HNtitHM20B5kFjKl2DbledTl2lE_&url=http%3A%2F%2Frealtravel.com%2Fchicago-journals-j1988967.html"/></p> http://realtravel.com/chicago-journals-j1988967.html