Melting Winter's blues

Here we are again...the January through March lull. Holiday decorations are long gone, and snow storms no longer seem so cozy and magical, they're more a nuisance. It's the time of year when you want to escape to sunshine, or antidepressants.

The season can be especially hard if you have kids. The little creatures love to be outside, and sure, you can let them out. But when it's single digits, there's only so much snow they can squish in their little hands. Plus if you live in the city of Chicago, you may not have a backyard to play in.



Sue is the T-Rex residing in the Great Hall of the Field Museum. Your kids will love her!



Well if you're a parent in this arctic-chilled city, you're in for a winter treat. There is a lot to do with kids this time of year.

Since tourists are in the form of Canadian geese this time of year, most museums offer free admission to get warm bodies through the doors. If your neighbors downstairs have been complaining about the pittar-patter of toddler feet running up and down your halls, release the kiddos down the great hall of the Field Museum. Sue won't mind.

And if you think sledding is impossible in the city, think again. Southeast of Soldier Field on the Museum Campus is a 220-foot slope, equipped with man-made snow, so it's always in good condition.

If ice skating is your thing, but rather do it when it's not 8 degrees, then you should check out the rink on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Tower. Pretty cool skating in the sky, right? When the weather is nice (meaning 30 degrees and above), Wrigley Field and Millennium Park are good options. Millennium Park's admission to the rink is free, just bring your own skates.


Here's a handy list you can refer to for free days this winter at some of Chicago's most popular museums. Happy Winter.

Adler Planetarium
January: 24-27

Art Institute of Chicago
Free Winter 2011: The Art Institute of Chicago is Free every weekday Jan 3 – Feb 4.

Chicago History Museum
The Chicago History Museum is free to the public every Monday, 9:30am-4:30pm.

Field Museum
January: 26th, 31st
February: 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 9th, 14th, 15th, 17th
March: 14th

Museum of Science and Industry
January: 25 26 27 28 31
February: 1, 8, 14, 15, 22

Shedd Aquarium
January: 25, 31
February: 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 20-24, 28

Modern day Titanic

The Titanic is setting sail!

Okay, it's not the Titanic, but it's close. It's also unlikely this ship will run into icebergs in the Caribbean, but I'm sure there will be some cheesy love stories on board.

Make way for (drumroll please) the Oasis of the Seas: The largest cruise ship EVER!!

Built by Royal Caribbean, this baby is five times the size of the Titanic, is four football fields long, and has 24 restaurants to accommodate the 6,300 passengers pigging out.


This floating city's week-long Caribbean cruise starts at $1,458 for the bottom of the boat (where Jack stayed), and $3,200 for the "loft suite" (where Rose got naked).

Carnival Cruise lines told the Wall Street Journal that it's like "the Mall of America." And Frommer's Travel Guides says it's a "dumbing down of the travel experience."

The cruise is too big to stop in popular ports like Bermuda, so really, the ship itself is the destination - just like the Titanic!

Except on this ship, the passengers wear Tommy Bahama not tuxedos.

Go to the web site for more details and read this article from the Wall Street Journal to find out its inner workings (it has robots cleaning the windows...seriously).

Falling in love with fall

Halloween is just days away, and this is by far, one of my favorite times of year to live in Chicago. I just love wearing my cozy scarf as I walk outside and admire the pumpkins and other decorations. But what I admire most are the fall colors.

Unfortunately after Halloween, things turn dreary in Chicago. The temperature falls along with all those beautiful leaves. But other parts of the country are just getting started with their autumn show.

I think Tennessee would make a fun fall destination in early November. The charming town of Gatlinburg is nestled in the Smoky Mountains, which is a beautiful fall color palette. Then you can take a drive to Nashville, stop on the way for barbecue, and take in the scenery.

If the South isn't your thing, almost every other region of the country has beautiful fall colors to see. From Yosemite Park in California, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The US Forest Reserve has on its web site recommended spots it deems the most beautiful and at what time of year.

And here's a fall foliage map so you can see how other parts of the country look right now.

For some reason, the fall season makes me very pensive. And I can't think of a better way to contemplate those thoughts than on a drive, bike ride or hike through beautiful fall leaves.

But come November, I'm miserable. Thank goodness for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Hurricane Honeymoon

My Floridian self was surprised recently when my newlywed friends told me they were going on a 2-week honeymoon to the Dominican Republic. It wasn’t the two weeks in the highly romantic D.R. that astonished me, it was the fact they were going to be there in September – right in the midst of Hurricane season.

But they got a sweet deal. You can pretty much get the whole Caribbean for cheap August through October if you’re willing to risk a hurricane, and that includes cruises. Let’s weigh the pros and cons.

Pro: Hotels on sale
Con: Getting the roof blown off of your hotel.

Pro: Flights are open and cheap.
Con: You could get stuck at the airport waiting for days to fly out and escape the hurricane (I think I’d just stay put at the hotel).

Pro: Less crowds, cheap deals on excursions.
Con: You can cut the air with a knife this time of year in Florida and the Caribbean.

I don’t know about you, but money comes first with me. Plus, it really would be rare for you to encounter a hurricane during your stay. And every year is different with hurricane season. 2005 was probably a bad year to plan a Carribbean vacation in August. But this year the Atlantic has been silent. So bring on the cheap beach vacay. Here’s a deal from TravelMuse.com:



The Westin Resort, Aruba is offering a Hurricane Free escape, starting at $199 per ocean-view room, per night, with a $74 credit per room (74 being the minimum wind speed of a Category 1 hurricane) if it rains more than three hours on any one day of your trip. The package also includes daily poolside breakfast for two, and two welcome drinks per day at The Lobby Bar or Tambu Bar. The Hurricane Free package is valid through Nov. 30, 2009. For reservations call 877-782-0149 or visit www.westinaruba.com and use code WIND74.

Now if a hurricane does come knocking down your door, most hotels offer a“hurricane guarantee,” offering guests their money back. The popular Sandals and Beaches resorts offer this. If you book through Expedia or Travelocity, these sites will waive cancellation fees. And you can always buy travel insurance for extra peace of mind so you’re not watching the Weather Channel incessantly for months leading up to your vacation.

I for one am not afraid of these storms. I’m more afraid of overpaying for a hotel room in March.

I heart college football

For me, the passing of summer is easier to bare because of college football. I look forward to waking up on Saturday mornings to ESPN’s College Gameday, and I love venturing to a nearby bar, inhaling the crisp fall air, then watching my precious Gators.

Sadly, I rarely enjoy a game in person. But this article lists great road trips you can take in different regions to watch the best battles lined up this season. It’s a fun read. For my SEC, it recommends the UT vs Auburn game in Knoxville, then road-tripping down to Baton Rouge for when Florida kills LSU on Tiger turf.

Unrealistic for me since I don’t live in the South, and don’t have enough time, but I don’t have to travel far from Chicago to enjoy college football. I try to go as often as I can to the nearest REAL college football game: Notre Dame. Notice how I didn’t say Northwestern. I went to a couple of these games and lame is just too kind a word.

Notre Dame is what college football is all about: tradition. And you can look Jesus straight in the eye and pray Charlie Weis directs his team to a victory. It’s also beautiful to travel down in the fall when all you need is a thick sweatshirt to watch the game comfortably against the fall foliage setting. I have to admit, it’s better than sweating in the Swamp.

Though I would sweat a thousand buckets if it met traveling down to Florida for one Gator game this year.

'Counting on the Americans'

I have a short list of places I long to travel, and Paris is No. 2. The wine, the art, the music, it all seems so idyllic to me. Also I would love to encounter the stereotypical French rudeness American travelers have always talked about. Is it a myth? Maybe, maybe not.

But one thing is for sure, Parisians might be welcoming the loud, fat, crass American tourist with open arms these days (that’s how I imagine the French view Americans, not the way I do). According to this article, foreign travel has dropped more than 11 percent this year. And the article says the director of the Paris Tourism Office says the city is "counting on the Americans," its largest segment of travelers, to keep tourism revenues up and compensate for a plunge in visits by British, Japanese and Chinese tourists. The director feels the American economy is likely to rebound faster than these other countries.

I find it funny that IF in fact Parisians do not like Americans, they still want our money. They’re willing to deal with our tackiness if it means keeping their hotels and restaurants going.

I’m sure I’m not being fair. But whatever, there are great deals to be had in Paris right now. Flights this fall are about $590 on Kayak.com. Hotels are starting at around $120 in the heart of the city. Hmmmm…..Autumn in Paris? Sounds amazing. And maybe the cooler air will chill the feisty French.

And if you do go, it might calm the French tempers if you attempt a little French. But don't repeat the French the Flight of the Conchords sing. Enjoy!

World's 10 Most Amazing Hotel Pools

Growing up in Florida, pools are everywhere. Come home from school, you jump in a pool. You go to the beach, you jump in a pool. You turn 12, you jump in a pool.

So living in Chicago, I've learned that I took this one childhood pleasure for granted. When the city turns balmy, all I want to do is take a refreshing dip in chlorine. And I'm sorry, the lake is beautiful, but it's not for swimming.

Anyway, check out Budget Travel's 10 Most Amazing Hotel Pools. These are not your ordinary Holiday Inn pools. They are a destination all to themselves. It reminds me why people feel compelled to leave the city in August and head to a tropical destination.