Illinois Archives - Golden Age Traveling

Shoreline Architecture River Cruise – Chicago, Illinois

On my first trip to Chicago by myself in September 2008 to see the Anaheim Angels play the White Sox and do a tour of Wrigley Field, I played around a little before and after work. One afternoon I was able to do the Shoreline Architecture River cruise in Downtown Chicago. Tours depart from two docks, one at Michigan Avenue and the other at Navy Pier. I was already down by the Navy Pier, so it was easy for me to jump on the tour from that location. Continue reading “Shoreline Architecture River Cruise – Chicago, Illinois”

Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois – Home of the Chicago Cubs

Visiting Wrigley Field is something that had been on my to-do list for a long time. I am an Anaheim Angels fan, but have been curious about the Cubs and Wrigley Field since they picked up Ron Cey from the Dodgers in 1982. Thus, I was excited to finally be able to tour the 2^nd oldest MLB ballpark while in Chicago in September of 2008. Continue reading “Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois – Home of the Chicago Cubs”

Beautiful Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois

On our first evening in Chicago in June of 2016, we decided to spend some time checking out the Buckingham Fountain and Grant Park area. It was very beautiful when it was all lit up at night. For those of you that don’t know, it is one of the largest fountains in the world. The fountain is built in a rococo wedding cake style and inspired by the Latona Fountain at the Palace of Versailles, it is meant to allegorically represent Lake Michigan. It operates from April to October, with regular water shows and evening color-light shows. During the winter, the fountain is decorated with festival lights. Continue reading “Beautiful Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois”

Art Institute Chicago, Illinois – Amazing Impressionist Art

As I have shared in a few posts, I really love impressionist art, and Monet is my favorite. I really enjoyed the Muse de Orsay in Paris. So while we were in Chicago in June of 2016, one of the top 5 things I had to do was to explore the Art Institute Chicago. I had been to Chicago a few years ago, but all the impressionist art was on loan to a museum in Texas. I was disappointed but knew I’d be back and be able to see their collection. Continue reading “Art Institute Chicago, Illinois – Amazing Impressionist Art”

Hawaii – Maryland – US States Number 11 Through 20

HAWAII – MARYLAND

We have traveled a lot throughout the US and have actually been to 41 of the 50 States. Thus I decided to share some information about each state as well as the state road sign. If we didn’t get to a state sign yet (or forgot to get one while we were there), I have posted another picture of a state sign and will replace it once we have pictures. In the meantime, please enjoy the information on the states from Hawaii-Maryland. FYI, these are in alphabetical order.

Continue reading “Hawaii – Maryland – US States Number 11 Through 20”

Chicago, Illinois – 7 Free Things to do in the Windy City

While planning a trip to Chicago in June of 2016, we were looking forward to seeing such things as the Willis Tower, the Art Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Navy Pier, as well as a few other museums and attractions. However, we also wanted to do a few free attractions or events while soaking up the Chicago vibe. With that in mind, I did some searching and found 7 free activities that sound fun and interesting to do while in Chicago. Continue reading “Chicago, Illinois – 7 Free Things to do in the Windy City”

Millennium Park and “The Bean” – Chicago, Illinois

While doing research for our trip to Chicago in I knew I wanted to see some of the main attractions, like the Willis (Sears) Tower, the Art Institute, Navy Pier, and a few others. One thing that really wasn’t on my list was Millennium Park. I am so glad I read about it and added it to our to-do list during our trip in June of 2016. It was amazing and we happened to visit on a perfect night. I will share more about that and our visit in a bit, but I wanted to share a little bit about the park first. Continue reading “Millennium Park and “The Bean” – Chicago, Illinois”

Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois – Over a 100 Years in the Making

We had a great time in Chicago and really enjoyed visiting some of the sights like Willis Tower, the Art Institute, the Museum of Science and Industry, and Millennium Park. However one of the more relaxing and enjoyable things we did in the windy city, was checking out the Navy Pier. It is quite a unique place and I am so glad we spent a few hours roaming around and seeing what there was to see. Continue reading “Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois – Over a 100 Years in the Making”

The Museum of Science and Industry – Chicago, Illinois

We had a fantastic time in Chicago and saw so many wonderful things, but one of the more unexpected places we visited was the Museum of Science and Industry. While it was on our list of things we would like to see, it wasn’t on our lists of things we HAD to see, like the Willis (Sears) Tower, the Navy Pier, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Millennium Park. However, after hearing other guests talking about how much they enjoyed their visits, we decided we would check it out one day during our trip in June of 2016. We were both so glad we were able to spend a few hours exploring this intriguing museum. Continue reading “The Museum of Science and Industry – Chicago, Illinois”

Willis Tower and Our Skydeck Experience – Chicago

During our travels, we have been to the top of a few tall buildings such as the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Space Needle, and the Vancouver Lookout Tower at Harbour Center in Vancouver. Thus when we were in Chicago in June of 2016, we had to go up to the top of Willis Tower. I will continue to call it by that name on this post, but not without saying first that it will always be the Sears Tower for me. All right, now that I got that off my chest, I wanted to say, we had a great time on our visit. Apparently we are not alone in wanting to see the phenomenal views, because it was stated that approximately 1.5 million tourists visit the Skydeck each year. On a side note, the Skydeck Experience opened on June 22, 1974. Continue reading “Willis Tower and Our Skydeck Experience – Chicago”