We’re here to talk shop, and by that, I mean volleyball. Specifically, the kind played on the sand in the summertime, which is the best kind in my opinion, and the preferred version of the sport for Chicagoans when the warm weather washes up on the shores of Lake Michigan. Visit any of the beaches mentioned below for yourself during the summer and you'll likely come to the same conclusion.
Read MoreIt was only recently, as in within the last couple years, that I learned just how Irish I am. That sounds odd perhaps, but I’ve lived most of my life believing I was mostly Polish. That may still be true, but according to data from MyHeritage, my maternal grandmother was 94.1% Irish, Scottish, and Welsh, which no doubt means some of that Irish blood runs through me, as well. Armed with this information, I set out for my newly-realized ancestral homeland in late March 2024, looking to connect with my Irish heritage and maybe drink a Guinness or two.
Read MoreThe year 2023, with all of its ups and downs, peaks and valleys, and trials and tribulations, has come and gone — as has another 365 days here on All Things Wanderful. So now it’s time to take stock. What caught people’s attention? What fell flat on its face? Were you, the loyal readers of this increasingly-sporadic travel blog, entertained, or at least mildly amused? Did you find the content contained within this digital rambling wreck informational? Enlightening? Perhaps even erudite?
Read MoreLook, folks, here’s the deal: Lake Michigan doesn’t need your approval. It doesn’t need your accolades, or your superlatives, or your constant-but-warranted praise. It doesn’t need you to remind it that it is the greatest of all the Great Lakes, better than Lake Superior or Huron or Ontario... or that other one that we almost don’t even need to mention (because, come on, that’s just laughable).
Read MoreImmortalized by John Steinbeck’s 1939 book “The Grapes of Wrath”, as well as the 1946 song “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66”, the highway became one of the most recognized thoroughfares in North America, crisscrossing not just from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, and back again, but also across our hearts (*cue studio audience: “aww!”). And though the highway no longer exists in a technical sense — it was officially removed from the U.S. Highway System in 1985 — stretches of what has become known as “Historic Route 66” in some states are still out there waiting for you.
Read MoreThere are so many cliché ways that a year-in-review post like this could begin. But instead of saying “another year in the books” or “isn’t it funny how time flies” — or even “what do you know, here we are again” — let’s just steer clear of all that gobbledygook, am I right? After all, this is now the sixth year (!) I’m sitting down to write this annual postmortem, and it certainly doesn’t deserve to suffer an indignity like that.
Read MoreIf not for winter sports, the chilliest season of the year would be downright, nonstop depressing, but thanks to the ancient man or woman who decided to strap a couple slats of wood to their feet for a simple means of transportation thousands of years ago (allegedly), we have the option nowadays to ski (or snowboard) recreationally at resorts the world over. And thank eight-pound, six-ounce baby Jesus for that, am I right?
Read MoreStarting is always the hardest part, isn’t it? Taking that leap, acting on that big idea, staring at the blank page. But after you finally get the ball rolling, a new challenge materializes: keeping it rolling. It’s not enough to simply plant the seed; you’ve got to water it, make sure it has fertile soil to work with, give it a proper amount of sunlight. It can be a lot of work, but then again, nothing worth having comes easy, does it?
Read MoreIt was a joke. Kind of. But as my brother’s 21st got closer and closer, my resolve grew: we were going to do it. Well, we were going to do something, anyway. I told him we didn’t necessarily need to go to San Diego; we could take a trip wherever his little heart desired. Somehow, some way, we landed on Vegas. Yes, Sin City was going to be the one.
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