During my last visit to the Los Angeles area to attend a conference in Long Beach, I made a short visit to the University of California Los Angeles campus to get a feel of what a warm sunny ivy league
Illinois Old State Capitol : Springfield
To get away from my middle of nowhere Champaign over in the often (somewhat justly) overlooked mid-west, I made my way over to the Illinois capital city of Springfield, marketed as the ‘city of Lincoln’ and the capital city of
Alcatraz Prison Tour : San Francisco
San Francisco is a gorgeous city and there’s a lot to see and do, but of all the tourist attractions in the area I’d say the visit to the Alcatraz Prison was the most memorable. Not only is there a
Cosanti Foundation Artist Colony : Paradise Valley Arizona
Visiting Phoenix Arizona around Christmas time there options were rather limited. While driving around Scottsdale to see the small old town I looked up nearby attractions and the Cosanti Foundation Artist Colony came up and so I decided to stop
The Gateway Arch : Saint Louis Missouri
When people think of Saint Louis they usually picture the iconic Gateway Arch. The first and last time I saw the arch was during my time in the US as a kid during the late 1980s, and so I was
Missouri Botanical Garden : Saint Louis
Dating back to 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden in Saint Louis is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the US. There are quite a few things to see and do in Saint Louis, and together with the world famous
Ro Ho En – Japanese Friendship Garden : Phoenix
Part of the Phoenix charm is with its desert scenery. Not much green, very distinct vegetation, so when you tour around Phoenix you become used to the yellowish flavor of it all. Which is why the Ro Ho En –
Visions of Phoenix : Arizona
Looking to warm up in south-western US, I made a stop to visit Phoenix Arizona and experience some of the infamous desert scenery. Although I only made a stop for a couple of days, and those were around Christmas time
Visions of San Diego : California
To warm up from the freezing cold up in Illinois, I was looking for a warm Christmas destination to warm up. Finally, I was able to find an affordable holiday ticket to sunny San Diego with a stop-over in Phoenix
Illinois Amish Country : Arthur Arcola
Less than an hour away from Champaign Illinois is the little town of Arthur, with a vibrant community of Amish. Though the Amish are generally considered to be quite reluctant to connect with the modern world, the Arthur Amish are