I'll Be Seeing Ya...

How time flies when you're having fun! With just a few weeks until the New Year things are wrapping up and starting anew. The month of December is packed full of friends, family and travel. My son is on his way home from college for his winter break, it will be wonderful to have him home for 1 month! This weekend Paul and I will enjoy a stay in Chicago and explore the holiday events in the City including the lights on Michigan Avenue, the Christkindlmarket, a play at Steppenwolf Theater and some Christmas shopping on State Street. Next week I will be joining my family at Disney World for Christmas and then it will be home to Chicago for a New Years Eve celebration with friends. 

2013 has been one of the busiest years in recent memory for me personally and professionally and it has been difficult to keep up with blogging on Lively Librarian. So for 2014 I am going to take a break. With the exception of the occasional update, this blog will be largely silent during the next year. I use other websites and apps to stay in touch with my family, friends, colleagues and readers so whichever sites you use, please connect with me at: 

• Personally on Facebook 
• Daily Updates on Twitter 
• For Book Reviews on Goodreads 
• Daily Photos on Instagram 
• Sharing Pins on Pinterest
• Professionally on LinkedIn  

It's been a wild ride readers and I've loved connecting with you online and in person, stay in touch and thanks for reading!

In the words of Neil Gaiman: "May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself."

Monday 5 List #33-Fall Favorites

The weather has changed in Chicago from dresses and sandals to boots and sweater season. We still have the occasional day of 80+ temperatures but the evenings are cool and the air smells like leaves. So for this week's Monday 5 List, here are my favorite things to do in the fall.

1. Football. For the Bears season opener Paul and I joined friends at one of our favorite bars in Chicago to enjoy watching the game, eating bar food and drinking beer. This will likely be our normal routine for the season.
2. Road trips. We just returned from a weekend road trip to Bloomington Indiana where we tailgated at the Indiana University v Bowling Green football game. Go Hoosiers! My son's best friend plays Offensive Tackle for IU and it's much more fun to watch college football on a college campus. Our next road trip might include apple picking, whiskey tasting, hot cider and antiquing in Michigan in October.
3. Fire. We had out first backyard bonfire last week and expect to spend many more evenings sitting around the firepit on cool nights. Pulling out cozy sweaters for enjoying the outdoors is also a favorite part of the season.
4. Chicago events. The first weekend in Chicago we went to the Guinness Oyster Fest a street festival in Roscoe Village. Great neighborhood, not overly crowded with 2 stages (mainly Irish style music), and lots of Guinness and oysters. This weekend we will be attending Chicago in White, a pop up dining experience where attendees dress all in white and do not know the location until right before the event begins. The last weekend in September we are playing tour guides to friends visiting from Ohio and expect to spend the weekend at a boutique hotel in Chicago, wandering the city, and visiting the Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity exhibit during it's final days at the Art Institute.
5. Friends. Fall seems to be the best season for catching up with friends. Maybe it's all the opportunities for watching sports together, maybe it's the fun of getting together before it's too cold to enjoy being outdoors. We seem to be busier than ever in the fall whether it's a party or just having pizza and jumping in the hot tub. Whatever you do this fall, I hope it's a great season for you.

If you are looking for more ideas of what to do in Chicago this fall, read this great article. 

Southwest Michigan-A World Away from Chicago

Before our upcoming vacation in Colorado, Paul and I enjoyed a short trip during the 4th of July holiday weekend. We spent a few days wandering "Harbor Country" and Southwest Michigan with a loose itinerary and a summer pace. Only an hour drive from Chicago, we started the trip with lunch at the legendary Redamak's in New Buffalo. We then drove up the coast another hour to Saugatuck for the day and wandered through the charming art community before doing some wine tasting from local vineyard Fenn Valley and then stopping by the local wateringhole Wally's.

We stayed in the small town of Holland, went hiking to the Lake from Felt Mansion and had a great dinner at Pereddie's before catching the tail end of the sunset at Boatwerks, a waterfront restaurant with an outside bar. We met locals Gan and her husband Peter who've been living in Holland since 2012 after years in Gan's native Thailand. After a drink on Lake Macatawa we headed down the street to New Holland Brewery to sample their beers and listen to live music.

On Wednesday and Saturday mornings, downtown Holland is the location of an outstanding farmer's market. Blueberries and cherries are in season in Michigan so we bought bags to bring home to Chicago. We stopped by Crane's Orchard in Fennville to buy fresh pie before a visit to the new brewery Virtue to taste their latest cider. We spent the afternoon in the beach community of South Haven before going to the small town of Three Oaks for the Corsets, Whips & Whiskey event at Journeyman Distillery. We ended our vacation back in Chicago with bottles of wine and whiskey to enjoy this summer.

If you are based in the Midwest or visiting I highly recommend Southwest Michigan, it's the perfect destination for a short vacation while feeling worlds away. To see pictures of the trip, follow me on Instagram, you can find me at http://instagram.com/livelylibrarian

Finding Your Eat, Pray and Love

I recently rewatched the charming Julia Roberts movie, Eat Pray Love based on the best selling novel Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert. When the movie came out in 2010 I was in the midst of a divorce and I deeply related to the story of a woman who leaves an unhappy marriage and travels for a year to find her passion and purpose. The book and movie were widely popular, both for the women who wish they could do what the author had done and by those who related to her wanderlust.

In the past 3 years I have experienced unforgettable travel experiences (France, Spain, NOLA) and met people who changed my life but as I rewatched the movie I realized my connection to the story has changed. I found my Eat (travel and indulge in the culture you are in) and my Love (my true love) but I haven't experienced nor am I looking for my Pray. Instead I am looking for my balance. Where Gilbert (and in the movie Roberts) went to India and found balance through prayer and meditation, I'm trying something else.

Due to repetitive movement (work, painting my house) and other factors I have cervical and lumbar sprains in my back and neck. I am receiving physical therapy twice a week and as part of the treatment I am doing yoga. Besides relieving the pain I'm finding it incredibly soothing to do directly after work to release the tension in my shoulders and increase my mood. When I leave for California in a week, I am hoping to find a place to do yoga each day, my version of finding a church to pray in.

Monday 5 List #27-Time

I've heard it said that time moves faster as you get older. I agree. At this stage in my life I'm the busiest I've ever been. Between work, professional commitments, my personal life, my Etsy business, and things I enjoy such as travel, reading, movies and gardening I feel like I have little time to catch my breath. In fact as I write this post I am simultaneously listening to a YouTube video, checking online auctions and cooking risotto. So for today's Monday post, here are the 5 things I try and catch up on when I have time.

1. YouTube. I am a YouTube junkie. I subscribe to 6 channels, mainly on fashion or travel and I try to stay current with the channel uploads. See video below. 
2. Travel Planning. Paul and I are leaving in a few weeks for an extended trip to California. We will be flying into San Francisco and then spending a few days exploring Napa and Sonoma before driving down the coast and spending a few days in LA. I've been to California many times but this will be my first trip to wine country and I am so excited. When I have a few moments I am trying to research vineyards and places to stop along the coast such as Hearst Castle. I really want to see the Library there. 
3. Once Upon a Time. Now that Downton Abbey is over for another season (can you BELIEVE the ending, poor Matthew!) I watch the ABC program Once Upon a Time. The series is in it's 2nd season and I love the way they mix up classic fairy tales with a modern and rather twisted spin. Thank goodness for my DVR, being able to record TV allows me to skip all the commercials. 
4. Sleep. Seriously I can sleep. I have new room darkening heavy drapes in my French style bedroom and if I have a morning off I can easily sleep 12 hours.
5. Google Reader. I, like millions of other people was caught off guard when Google announced last week that they are closing down Google Reader. I've been using Google Reader for years to organize the dozens of RSS feeds I subscribe to from my favorite websites and blogs. I have no idea what platform I am going to move to when it shuts down on July 1 but I'm trying to keep up with my feeds until then.

So whatever you do when you have free time. I hope you spend it doing something that makes you happy. If you have 10 minutes of time, here is a must see video, it will make you smile and maybe cry too.

A Young Lady's Life in 1764

Last week my parents visited me in Chicago and as we usually do, we spent a couple of days wandering the local antique stores. My Dad found a book for $5.00 that is a glimpse into the life of a privileged young woman in the 18th century. The Diary of a Young Lady of Fashion in the Year 1764-5 by Cleone Knox, edited by her kinsmen Alexander Blacker Kerr was published in London in 1925. The editor's forward reads, "Miss Cleone Elizabeth Knox the writer of this journal and an ancestress of my mother's, was born on May 12, 1744, at Castle Kearney, Co. Down, Ireland. Her diary, written in a fine Italian hand, in four leather-bound notebooks, was first shown to me by one of her direct descendants in the summer of 1904. I read it with interest, but it was only this year that I decided to edit it and offer it to the public." The editor goes on to explain the history of Cleone's family and describes her as such, "Miss Knox was not a stylist, and her grammar and spelling were poor, like those of many 18th century ladies. She had however, a strong sense of the dramatic and the picturesque, and her journal makes amusing reading, affording as it does a vivid picture of the gay society in which she moved". And so begins her diary, an intimate look into the life of a young woman as she falls in love, attends balls and parties, gossips about servants and friends and travels through Ireland, England, France and Italy with her brother Ned for a year nearly 250 years ago.

A few highlights:

• Ireland, March 15, 1764: "To my vast amazement I am still here unwedded and unseduced."
• March 22, 1764: "My father called me to his study this morning, and communicated to me a most amazing piece of intelligence. We are to set off next month for a Grand Tour of Europe, visiting my sister Foley and her husband in Derbyshire, proceeding from thence to London and the Continent. I realized that poor Mr. A. would most certainly not be permitted to accompany me on this journey, and my eyes filled with tears."
• London, May 22, 1764. "Carrots and Turnips Ho! This cry yelled in a hoarse voice wakes me every morning. My father complains of the noise in London and indeed 'tis something prodigious. The watchmen are calling out the time and weather all night long, and when they have stopped the vendors or oranges, brooms, matches, rat traps Lord knows what else begin. I am amazed at the vastness of this town and the bustle of coaches and chairs in the streets. Never have I seen so many pretty women in so short a time. Pray Heaven Ned will not lose his head."
• Paris, France, September 11, 1764. "The streets of this town are vile and dirty after London and monstrously narrow for the crowd of noblemens coaches and chairs that throng them. The Palais de Justice and Opera House fine, but most of the town stinks vilely, though to hear the french talk you would think t'was Paradise itself. The poor people here attire themselves in black and Lady H. says 'tis account of the mud splashed up by the coaches."
• September 14th, 1764. "Today was presented to their Majesties the King and Queen at Versaille. I attired myself in white satin and wore my diamonds, yet was not utterly satisfied with my looks, for I have grown thin of late. 

Seriously a fascinating and at times a hysterical read. Her brother attempts to run off with an Italian nun who is also an heiress but her inheritance will go to the convent, he ends up in jail briefly and the journal ends abruptly soon after. The best part, her ancestor, the editor ends the journal with an epilogue on what happens to Cleone, her mysterious Mr. A, her brother and others mentioned in her travels. Want to know what happens, I'll loan you this fragile, rare and wonderful little book.

Light

The Saturday after Thanksgiving Paul and I awoke as the sky was starting to fill with light and walked to the beach. In 42 years I had never seen the sunrise so we grabbed the camera and headed out to watch it rise over the Atlantic Ocean. I have of course been up before the sun and spent nights without ever going to bed, but I've never sat and watched the sun rise over the horizon. We arrived at the beach where families with children, seniors with dogs and couples were also waiting for the sun. It's nearly impossible to describe the exact moment when the sun first appears on the horizon...one minute the sky is soft shades of pink and blue and then you blink and the sliver appears, the most vibrant color, like fire. It grew brighter as it changed from a sliver to an orb and the brightness increased until you couldn't look directly at it. It is truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

Our trip to Florida was an experience of light. The evening before we woke to see the sunrise we attended an oyster roast at the home of a friend of Paul's family. The house was set on a point overlooking the water, the home itself was built in a southern low country style around large oak trees dripping with Spanish moss and lush palm trees. The party was outdoors and lit only by the lights in the pool and the light that spilled out of the open doors and window in the main house and the pool house. On the boat deck was a table where our hosts would spill the oysters they were roasting on the shore. Guests were free to shuck their own oysters, indulge and toss the shells back into the sea. As an oyster lover, these were obviously the freshest I've ever had.

If you haven't experienced watching the sun rise over the Ocean or eaten oysters in the dark, I highly recommend both.

5 Hotel Rooms in 1 Week

As much as I would like to say that I've been around the world and stayed in 5 hotels in exotic locations over the past week, alas the reality is much different. Last Monday I went to Peoria Illinois for the annual Illinois Library Association Conference, 3 days of programs, vendors and socializing for Illinois librarians. I have blogged about the ILA Conference before in 2008 and 2009.

Thoughts on ILA 2009-Peoria 
ILA Conference at Navy Pier 2008

Last year the conference was held in Rosemont Illinois and I presented a program on Screencasting for Librarians. This year I am serving on the Illinois Library Association Awards committee and the winners and sponsors were honored at a luncheon on the first day of the conference. I truly enjoy the conferences, the sessions are informative and inspiring and it is always good to socialize and network with librarians from around the State. However, the conference accomodations were not good, but it does make for a good story.

First night in Peoria. Arrived after a 3 hour drive with a colleague and located an Indian restaurant near Bradley University, the major college in Peoria. Sat down, ordered, watched a roach run across the table, left immediately and found a pizza restaurant favored by students. Finally found my hotel, a good 10 minute drive from the conference center and was given a room near the elevator and laundry units. I won't stay in hotel rooms near laundry or elevators. I learned this the hard way in Las Vegas. Got another room, went to bed.

2nd day in Peoria. Woke up, turned on the shower, the handle fell apart in my hands, streaming scalding hot water all over the bathroom with no way to turn it off. Called the front desk. Hotels are frequently staffed with students since Peoria is a college town. She had no idea what to do since maintenance was not at the hotel so I asked for another room immediately. She brings me to a room with a free standing jacuzzi tub right next to the bed. I looked at her and said, "Are you kidding me?" So we went to another room, a suite with a separate room with a kitchen and living room. About time.

Got home to Chicago on Thursday night after 4 days in Peoria, was home for 24 hours and left to tailgate at Indiana University on Saturday. My son's best friend Peyton (#59) is a starter on the IU football team so I went down with friends to tailgate, IU against Ohio State. Being an Ohio University alumnae, I like the opportunity to watch any team give OSU a run and IU had a great game against the Buckeyes.

Friends and I (4 women) stayed at the Motel 6 in Bloomington that is within walking distance to the IU Memorial Stadium. Being a motel this place is tailgate central for parents and friends visiting for games. Lots of pickup trucks pulled up directly to the rooms, doors open and tailgating in the parking lot. Who needs more than a bed and a sink when visiting a college? Well that's about all we got. The bed was so concave it was like sleeping in an egg. But hey tailgating was super fun and partying with the football players until 3 am reminded my why I'm glad my college years are over. Picture below is Peyton and I after the game.

So I am home. Finally. No more hotels for me for at least 2 weeks? :)

Poe-isms

I spent 2 days in Baltimore Maryland over the weekend and got a glimpse of this beautiful and historic city for the first time. We spent Saturday wandering through Ellicott City's antique stores, enjoying Maryland's local beers and taking photos of the buildings including America's oldest surviving railroad station. Ellicott has been named one of the most haunted cities on the East Coast, we explored an old private family cemetery but didn't run into any ghosts.

On Sunday we headed to Westminster Hall and Burying Ground to find the grave of Edgar Allan Poe. For years I have followed the stories of the "Poe Toaster", a mysterious man who appeared at Poe's original grave every year on Poe's birthday bringing 3 roses and a half full bottle of cognac. The man's identity has never been known and this year the 75 year tradition was declared over after a 3 year absence of the Poe Toaster. When entering the graveyard Poe's monument and new grave is immediately to the right of the gate. To locate Poe's original grave you must wind your way through the historic graves to the back of the graveyard.

When I was a little girl I first read Poe's tragic and haunting poem, Annabel Lee. Like so many of Poe's works, this poem explores the death of a young woman, often believed to be his own young bride, his first cousin Virginia whom he married when she was only 13 and who died when she was 24. Virginia and her mother are buried with Poe in the graveyard.

If you haven't read the works of Poe I suggest starting with his poems. The Raven being his most famous (another tale of a dead young woman with a frightening talking bird, "Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore" and madness thrown in) but his other works, often darkly romantic and of course macabre are also unforgettable. Favorites of mine include, "Fairy-land", "Spirits of the Dead" and "To One in Paradise".

I eagerly look forward to a return trip to Baltimore for more laughter and fun with our friends, exploration of the city, a drive up the coast and more time to immerse ourselves in the history of the area. Maybe even find time to climb aboard the ship USS Constellation in Baltimore's Inner Barbour where we enjoyed lunch before we headed home to Chicago.

Monday List #22

It's been a while since I've posted a Monday List. With Chicago in the full bloom of Spring I thought I would share some events and projects I am enjoying before summer.

1. The Antiques and Garden Fair will be held April 20-22 at Chicago's Botanic Garden. I am looking forward to attending on Friday April 20. I am unable to attend the lecture by David Howard, "My Gardening Life" on Saturday but imagine it will be a fascinating program. Mr. Howard is the former head gardener of H.R.H Prince Charles' estate Highgrove House and will discuss his 40 year gardening career in the UK.

2. Bookcases. I purchased 3 of the Ikea Hemnes bookcases over the weekend, once in place they will line an entire wall of my living room. I considered purchasing 1 of the glass door bookcases for my rare book collection but found the doors to be rather unstable. I instead went with 3 of the open bookcases which will allow me to rearrange the shelves and add photos, plants etc... Once the room is painted this month the bookcases can be installed and after 2 years of having my collection in storage I will finally have a home library again.

3. Travel. Did you think I was on a traveling hiatus? Never. I will be enjoying my first trip to Baltimore this weekend. For our 48 hour trip I have 3 things on my to do list:

• Enjoy seeing this historic city with Paul and our hosts
• Eating crabcakes and lobster rolls
• Visiting the grave of Edgar Allan Poe. I am re-reading some of my favorite works of this macabre writer, especially his poetry. Haunting.

In May, Paul and I will be returning to New Orleans for 4 days and then directly to Los Angeles for another 4 days. On the agenda, listening to jazz at Fritzel's, learning to cook NOLA specialties in a cooking class, spending time with friends in Santa Monica and enjoying the trip with great people.

4. Time. With my boy. There just aren't enough hours in the remaining weeks until May 31 when he leaves for NAVY training. I'm spending every minute I can with him at home cooking, watching movies, talking. He is a typical busy teenager who is right now planning his much anticipated upcoming trip to Indiana University for the Little 500.

5. Gardening and Vintage Shopping. Between getting my vegetable beds ready with seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and buying and listing vintage pieces for my new store, I'm busy. And happy.

Bookstores in New Orleans

Paul and I are back from 4 days in New Orleans and already missing the chicory coffee and beignets from Cafe Du Monde, the rooftop pool and views at the Omni Royal Orleans, the jazz at Fritzel's and playing pool at Molly's and Fahy's Pubs.

We spent our days wandering the French Quarter and Garden District and our evenings listening to music on Bourbon Street, enjoying cocktails in the Hotel Monteleone and the Ritz Carlton and indulging on Southern cooking at Stella and Muriel's.

During our ramblings we poked through dusty bookstores and an old carriage house behind a Garden District Library full of books and maps for a book sale. I bought 2 books, an 1897 edition of Amos Judd by J.A. Mitchell and a 1945 illustrated edition of The Sir Roger de Coverley Papers from The Spectator, London: 1711-1712.

If you are visiting New Orleans here is a list of bookstores to pay a visit too:

• Arcadian Books, 714 Orleans Street, The French Quarter
• Beckham's Book Store, 228 Decatur Street, The French Quarter
• Crescent City Books, 230 Chartres Street, The French Quarter
• Dauphine Street Books, 410 Dauphine Street, The French Quarter
• Garden District Book Shop, 2727 Prytania Street, Garden District
• Librairie Books, 823 Chartres Street, The French Quarter
• Maple Street Used & Rare Books, 7523 Maple Street, Garden District

And don't miss the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library book sale every Wednesday and Saturday in the Carriage House behind the Latter Library Branch on St. Charles Avenue.

Back in Chicago

I know, I know...it's been more than a month since I've posted. And what a month its been.

• Spain and N. Africa
  
• Amazing adventures
• Rode a camel named Sabrina on the beach in Africa
  
• Bargained in the cazbah
• Shopped in the spice markets
• Saw churches full of gold
  
• Spent a week in the mountains of Spain with no cell phones, limited wi-fi, just lots of laughs and nights drinking under the stars
• Acted in a Woody Allen play
• Spent magical nights wandering through small Spanish towns at 3 am
• Met amazing people and made new friends for life
  

I left to travel in summer and now it's fall in Chicago, my favorite season of the year. A time for apple picking, antiquing, working on my home remodeling projects, hosting friends for dinner parties, hot tubbing and snuggling in front of the fire watching football.
As the season slows life down, I will blog about my travels.

Enjoy the weekend readers!

Picture of my traveling partner Diana and I on our last night in Spain.

Off We Go to Spain and N. Africa

I leave tomorrow on another adventure. I will spend a week in a small village in the mountains of Spain assisting adults with their practice of the English language. Afterwards a friend and I are renting a car in Madrid and wandering through Southern Spain with a stop in North Africa. I will have access to the Internet and will be updating my Facebook page, Twitter account and my blog with photos and stories.

While the week I am spending teaching/tutoring English is largely planned by the group I am volunteering with, the 2nd portion of my trip is mostly unplanned. We have a map, a couple of nights booked at a hotel and the rest is where ever the road may take us. I do know we will be enjoying the following:

A private tour of Morocco. We are going with Said Tours, who also gave Sting and Bruce Springsteen a tour of N. Africa. Casbah, spice market and yes a camel ride.

The Rock of Gibraltar. Amazing history.

Seville. The Andalucian experience. Open air markets, nightlife and yes, learning to flamenco.

Stay in a Monastery. We have a book that lists Spanish monasteries that open their doors to visitors. Reaching them for pre-booking is nearly impossible so we are taking our chances to see if they will accomodate us.

Gotta run readers, need to activate my international phone. Yes, I am taking 2 smart phones to Spain. iPhone as camera and music, Blackberry for connecting.

On the Road in Spain

Due to my cookbook obsession, I've finished a new book. Interesting...but not too good. Spain... A Culinary Road Trip by Mario Batali with Gwyneth Paltrow is the book mate to the TV show Spain...On the Road Again. The short series followed Mario and Gwyneth plus various friends as they ate, drank and explored Spain. I watched a few episodes and genuinely enjoyed it, I like Mario's larger than life personality and the food and locations were spectacular. Spain is one of my favorite travel destinations and I will be returning in August and September.

So I was rather disappointed in the book. Written more like a journal with personal reflections on people they met and random excerpts from conversations was odd. I really wasn't interested in seeing pictures of 2 of the travelers shopping for new clothes in Zara. Nor did I care that Gwyneth was making frequent trips back to England. Writing a cook/travel book...recipes, tips about the restaurants they dined in and the vineyards they drank in, information on Spanish chefs, local food specialties, pictures...that's it please. Overall, I do not recommend the book. I do however recommend the following favorites on Spanish cuisine.

• Made in Spain. The series from PBS was terrific, I can watch chef Jose Andres all day and his cookbooks are great too.
• La Cocina de Mama: The Great Home Cooking of Spain by Penelope Casas. This book is a feast.
• The New Spanish Table by Anya von Bremzen. Great variety with informative information on regional cuisine.
  

Monday 5 List #7

I am home from my Caribbean adventure. Due to a terrible day of travel on Saturday I thought today's Monday 5 List should be travel tip related. FYI, American Eagle/American Airlines service was terrible in St. Croix USVI, the worst I've ever encountered in my years of travel. If you are visiting a remote location or an island with a small airport or limited flights I suggest using a different airline or at least know what other airlines or ferry services are available in case flights are cancelled, overbooked or delayed.

1. Pack your phone, computer and any other small electronic chargers in your carry on luggage. I was stranded at the airport for 12 hours on Saturday and had a 22 hour travel day, thank goodness I had packed my Blackberry and iTouch chargers in my purse. 
2. Pack snacks in your carry on bag. Airline food is notoriously terrible and extremely unhealthy. Pack a few granola bars, bags of nuts etc for those unexpected delays while traveling. Also, don't contribute to the water bottle epidemic. Pack a reusable water bottle and fill it from a water fountain in the terminal once you pass through security.
3. Explore options to resort food. I stayed at a beautiful resort where the only options for dining was the resort restaurant or bar. Expensive option for 3 meals a day for 7 days. The nearest town was a cab ride away which also wasn't economical. Solution: we visited the local small grocery store and stocked up on essentials to keep in our room which came with a mini fridge. Soda, pretzels, bread, peanut butter and jelly, tuna, yogurt, Twizzlers, beer and fruit. Saved us the cost of lunch every day and some breakfasts and was convenient for late night munchies.
4. If you are checking a bag, save yourself the inflated cost of purchasing items such as bugspray and suntan lotion at your destination, pack small containers of each.
5. Toss a few ziploc bags and even a garbage bag into your suitcase. If you have wet or dirty items or are taking back fragile gifts the bags can be used for separating them or protecting them

Happy traveling!

Looking for Jack Sparrow and Rum Drinks

I am off to the Caribbean today. Going scuba diving for a week.
Will post when I return.
Have a great week readers.

Rick Steves in your Backpack? What Travel Books do You Travel With?

Last month on my travels in France I noticed something interesting. Rick Steves' books were everywhere. I spotted him in the arms of tourists on the trains, on tables in cafes, sticking out of bags in the airport...it was like a game of Where's Steve?

Now Rick Steves is a favorite of mine and I regularly check his travel videos out from the library before a trip. However his books tend to be on the big and bulky side and unless I'm making photocopies of a chapter or certain pages, I've never brought one of his books along on a trip. Apparently I am in the minority. He seems to be a travel security blanket for many. That got me to thinking...if you travel with travel books, which ones are good enough to pack with you in this age of carry-on and weight restricted travel?

I prefer travel books with features such as pull out street or region maps, laminated front and back covers, transit maps (Metro, Tube), color photos and a small size.  Fodor's travel books tend to be a good choice. I usually choose the region or city books such as Paris over France as the books are smaller, lighter and more relevant to my trip. Fodor's also has excellent mobile apps for larger cities such as London and Paris. Lonely Planet books are a good blend of information, practical tips, off the beaten track locations and compact size but usually lack good pictures and maps. My favorite travel books are the Eyewitness Travel Guides by DK. I love the mix of color photos and maps with tips on museums, food, currency, shopping, language and more. They also offer great mobile apps for your phone or iTouch.

Next time you travel, check out what your fellow wanderers are reading on the plane or train. I'm sure you'll spot lots of Rick Steves but hopefully a few other guides as well. Have any favorite travel books to share, leave a comment below.  I'd also like to know if you use your E-reader to take your travel books along with you. Rick Steve's on your Kindle or Nook?

Travel Soundtrack

I always travel with music. My iPod touch is the 2nd thing I pack (after my passport of course). Music saves my sanity during long air, train, car and bus trips and somehow manages to set a mood for where ever I am roaming.

During my trip to France I listened to a playlist titled "Rock, Paper, Paris" (after my favorite childhood game). As I was riding the train to Giverny and Reims the music provided the soundtrack as the French countryside passed by.

Here's a glimpse of my playlist: a mix of pop, jazz, French and folk.

Little Lion Man-Mumford and Sons
Perpetuum Mobile-Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amours-Charles Trenet
I'm Afraid of Americans-David Bowie
Cosmic Love-Florence and the Machine
La Vie En Rose-Louis Armstrong
Teenage Dream-Katy Perry
Un Jour Comme Un Autre-Brigitte Bardot
The Longer I Run-Peter Bradley Adams
Marilou Sous La Neige-Serge Gainsbourg
Listen-Amos Lee
Don't Give Up-Chicane
Bloodletting-Concrete Blonde
Feeling Good-Nina Simone
Cuts You Up-Peter Murphy
Take My Hand-Dido
Carpe Diem-Aldebert

(Photo is a pic of my travel essentials on the way back to Paris from Champagne...yeah lots of water after all the tastings)

What's on your travel soundtrack?

Back in Chicago...

Ughhhh jet lag is a sadistic mistress. Monday was a looonnnnngggg day, 18 hours of travel. Paris to New York City to Chicago. It's always wonderful to get home to the City by the Lake. Chicago in the fall is almost as fantastic as Chicago in the summer. As happy as I am to be home, I already miss Paris.

I have so much to blog about over the next week or so including tales of my dinner with Jim Haynes, traveling with girlfriends, making new friends, my favorite places in Paris and tips on travel books.

Once I catch up on my sleep, I'll begin...

(photo of me napping in the Paris flat)

First Night in Paris

It's 9:30 in the evening here in Paris. It's dark and the city is alive with the sounds of a Friday night. I can hear glasses clincking over dinner, a woman's high heels on the cobblestones as she walks by and a baby crying.

Friends and I have rented a 2 bedroom flat in the 2nd arrondissement where we are living in a very non touristy area of the capital. The flat is large and on the 3rd floor with high ceilings and windows over looking a courtyard with views of Paris rooftops. We have thrown the windows open and I can see the sky over the red geraniums in the window boxes. It's really the perfect little Paris home.

My companions have gone to bed and I am enjoying a glass of wine and the sounds of my neighbors. Across the courtyard I can see into a first floor flat where there is a group of people enjoying dinner. As I watch them interact a guest will occasionally stand up and walk around the table, gesturing wildly with his hands while standing over someones shoulder. There are many bottles of wine and empty plates on the table. It appears they are having a lively dinner party.

My neighbors to the left are also enjoying dinner. The men are wearing yarmulkes and there are children around the table in high chairs. They have the TV on and seem to be enjoying a quiet meal on Rosh Hashanah. Somewhere I can still hear a baby crying.

At the market down the street I bought a few bottles of wine including the delicious Cabernet I am drinking right now, the entire bottle was less than 2 euro. Tomorrow morning we will wake up and wander to the local coffee shop for a strong cup of coffee before stopping by the baker for bread and croissants. We will spend the day at the French markets before having a picnic lunch. In the afternoon we will be wandering Pere Lachaise cemetery to visit the final resting places of Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde and yes, Jim Morrison.

The baby has finally stopped crying so I am going to try and get some reading done. Bon Soir.