Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With its population of 2.7 million residents, Chicago is the third most populated area in the United States. The things to do in Chicago are endless. Chicago is great for people of all ages and in all seasons.  The chilly climate isn’t that bad for most people who are used to cold weather.

For the football fans, Chicago can be one of the best places to visit. Soldier Field can be one of the greatest things for a bears fan to visit. Or maybe even watch the bears dominate in a game. Before you watch them play, you could even tour the field. For the baseball fans, the U.S. Cellular Field, which is home to the Chicago White Sox, is an awesome place for fans to see the Sox play and then tour.

Navy Pier, a waterfront amusement park, is great for families of all shapes and sizes. Navy pier features five rides, dining and shopping. Navy pier has fine dining and a food court to fit the needs and wants of its customers. It’s super fun to visit Chicago in the winter time around Christmas to be able to go to the Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier. Winter Wonder Fest features multiple rides and attractions to get you in the perfect holiday spirit.

Chicago is home to the largest aquarium in the world. Shedd Aquarium is the proud home of over 8,000 aquatic animals.  The numerous exhibits could amaze and amuse anyone. Lincoln Park Zoo is another place for animal- loving tourists to visit while in Chicago. The free admission makes the Zoo a perfect place to visit. 12 exhibits make the zoo an awesome Chicago hotspot.

For the little girls of your family, a whole building of nothing but dolls sounds like a fairytale. This fairytale comes true with the American Girl store. Girls can participate in shopping for their dolls and themselves, they can dine with the special doll, and they can have their picture taken with their doll and take a home an issue of American Girl magazine with her face on the cover, and her doll can be spoiled with a new hair style!

Chicago is an amazing place to be in any season. With its extreme population, you never know who you could meet. The diverse variety of things to do make Chicago the perfect place to be. 

Bangkok

The capital of Thailand, Bangkok, is known for being the largest, most friendly area of Thailand. Bangkok has a population of over 11 million. While the nightlife may seem rather wild, the daytime is the complete opposite. There are 50 districts and 154 sub districts. Each one brings multitudes of character into Bangkok. Bangkok is also known for being sunny and warm year-round. Bangkok is shown in the Hangover part two. Their cheerleading team competed at The Cheerleading Worlds in 2011 and tied for first with Gymtyme Allstars.

Bangkok has many historic places to visit such as; Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Arun, and many more. The majority of historical sites are Buddhist temples. While looking at historical sites you may also want to visit the Golden Buddha and the Erawan Shrine.

Visiting Bangkok isn’t just about the historical sites though. There are plenty of things to do. Siam Park City is an amusement and water park. The wave pool in the park even holds a world record for being the world’s largest wave pool. Safari World is two parks put together. There’s a Marine Park and a Safari Park. Safari World attracts people of all ages. If you don’t like that, you can go to the Thailand Zoo and enjoy their many attractions.

When you think of Bangkok you may think of the Hangover part 2 and think, “Goodness! That place is too crazy and inappropriate for me!” It’s just the opposite the historical sites and kid friendly attractions make Bangkok a place to visit year-round. 

Oahu, Hawaii

                 Hawaii is an island surrounded by a gorgeous blue sea. Hawaii is an amazing place to be no matter what age you are. Everywhere you look you’ll be amazed at how breath-taking it really is. There are eight main islands, they are: Hawai’i, Maui, O’ahu, Kaua’i, Moloka’i, Lānaʻi, Ni’ihau, Kaho’olawe. Now which one to visit? Oahu! Oahu brings the best out of Hawaii.

                 In Oahu you can visit the campus of Hawaii Pacific University! Hawaii Pacific has a variety of students from many different cultures. The most famous thing to do in Hawaii would probably attend a Luau!  Many different places offer Luau’s every night!

                Hawaii is an island, meaning it has many beaches. The best thing to do is to spend a day at one of the most gorgeous beaches. Oahu’s famous North Shore attracts surfers from all over the world. You can hike 2.5 miles to the Makapu’u Point and see the amazing views of whale watching.

Hawaii is very historic. Pearl Harbor? Yeah, you can visit that while you’re in Hawaii. The only place of royal significance in the United States is located on Oahu, Hawaii. Waikiki was once the hot spot for royalty now it’s the hot spot for numerous tourists every year.

Hawaii is a beautiful place to visit at any time of the year. You’ll never be disappointed in the gorgeous scenery of Oahu.  

Seattle, Washington

Way up north in the farthest corner of our country is the gorgeous, wet Washington is located. When you think of Seattle, you think yucky, rainy days. The gorgeous city of Seattle has many things to do.

With a 360 degree view of Seattle, the Space Needle is the perfect place to start out your visit to Seattle. Grab your cameras and take an elevator to the sky, or pretty dang close. Watch the sun set then sit down for a dinner overlooking the city. The Space Needle is one of the most famous landmarks in Seattle. Another cool place to go while in Seattle is the Woodland Park Zoo. You can hold all kinds of parties at the massive zoo. They just welcomed a baby giraffe and you can watch it online.

Seattle is also classified by the phenomenal musical history. While in Seattle, you must visit the EMP (Environmental Music Program). The EMP museum is filled with exhibits containing old music figures and new musical figures. The museum also has a sound lab and an on stage feature so you can know what it feels like to preform or record, without being in front of a crowd.

Seattle is also home to the Seattle Mariners home field, Safeco Field. You can tour Safeco Field 7 days a week! The Paramount Theatre is the last amazing place to visit while in Seattle. The Paramount Theatre is home to many different works of preforming arts.

While Seattle is classified with the rainy stereotype, there is truly never a dull moment. The many things to do appeal to people of any ages! The phenomenal musical history and gorgeous skyline make Seattle the perfect place to be. 

Dallas

Dallas, Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas is the most well-known and most true statement anybody could ever make about the massive state. While the State Fair may be the only thing you think of when you think of Dallas, Dallas houses an endless supply of activities for the young and the old.  The state fair may be one of the largest events Dallas hosts yearly; it is not the only thing that goes on in Dallas.

                I’m almost positive that anyone that has ever been to Texas would agree that the best thing to do is eat, eat, and eat some more. Especially at the State Fair, everything is fried. Who doesn’t like fried everything? You can get fried oreos, Thanksgiving Dinner, Jambalya, bubblegum, bacon cinnamon roll, Beer, fried cookie dough, and pretty much every other silly thing you can think of. (State Fair of Texas)  

While in Texas, visit the Cowboys stadium! Or see them play at least! You can tour the field with either a Guided tour or a self-guided tour (AT&T stadium). You can visit the Dallas World Aquarium and see all of their exhibits. You can also go window shopping after you skate in the middle of the massive Galleria Dallas. If you like horse racing you can watch the races at Lone Star Park.

                Dallas is a place that a majority of people link to the State Fair or even the Cowboys however; Dallas is a place of endless opportunities. There is an abundance of things to do. Many of the things you can do can either be done at day or night. Leave the stereotypes at home and come on down to Dallas. 

The Big Apple

      New York City is home to numerous landmarks and a never-ending stack of fun facts. "The Big Apple" always has something interesting going on. In the massive city you will never run across a dull moment. Any tourist would be overwhelmed by the size and grandeur of New York City.

      When you go to New York the many things to do are:

• Visit the top of the top of the Empire State Building (102 stories high!) 
• Spend time in Times Square
• Visit SoHo and shop/window shop
• Take time to remember 9/11 at Ground Zero 
• See a Broadway show (Wicked is awesome!) 
• Get lost walking around
• Skate in The Rink at Rockefeller Center
• Be seen on Good Morning America
• Tour CNN
• Visit Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Ride the subway
• Hold on for dear life in a taxi

    The list could go on and on. New York is a crazy city and you could do anything at any hour of the day. A big thing to do just about anywhere is eat and most of the time you can eat at anytime. You'll hear about how dirty and unhealthy the street vendors are, but it's something you have to experience! Whether you visit in the winter or the summer Serendipity has something that will appeal to your senses. Also any New York pizza restaurant is amazing.

     New York is the perfect place to go for the people who love being on the go 24/7. Most people fall in love with the city at first sight. Ryan O'Connell believes that people fall in love with the city through the movies and television shows that are based around New York City. (O'Connell, Thought Catalog) Whether or not you like it because of the Hollywood version or you really enjoy it, New York is awesome!

Enjoy!

Why go out of the States?

With it’s gorgeous white sand beaches, Clearwater Beach, Florida is the perfect place to be year-round. Clearwater has been voted “Best Beach Town in Florida” by USA Today. Clearwater is located on the Gulf Coast side of Florida, meaning that the water is prettier than the other beaches in Florida that are located on the Atlantic side of Florida. Clearwater is an amazing place to visit if you’re someone that isn’t into the hustle and bustle of Orlando, Florida. 

The most amazing thing to do in Clearwater is pretty obvious, enjoy a day at the beach! After your day at the beach you can go to the Pier 60. Pier 60 is a daily celebration of the end of the day. If you visit Pier 60 on a Friday or a Saturday and you bring a blanket you can catch a movie at dusk. If you want to travel into Orlando, you can go to Disney World, Sea World, or my favorite, Universal! Sky Surfing Aviation offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to fly, in a Delta Wing Trike! A Delta Wing Trike is a hang glider with a seat that resembles a motorcycle. 

Enjoy! 

Introduction to this blog

With summer ending and school back in session vacations just get pushed on the back burner. While some may think it is better to travel in the summer than the winter, everyone loves vacationing. With about 196 countries and 7 continents the world is essentially one big ball of travel opportunities. There are so many places to travel how will anyone know where to go? This blog will tell you the hot spots, the not-so-hot spots and what to do while you are there.