bellacielo7

We went this past May for our 6th wedding anniversary. We stayed in the suburbs for four days (Schaumburg, IL). Then, we moved downtown on the Magnificent Mile for the last four nights staying at the four-star Intercontinental Hotel which faces the Mile and is on the corner of Michigan and Illinois. What a fabulous hotel. We saw two broadway tour shows (“SPAMALOT” and “Wicked”) at the Ford Theater and Oriental Palace respectively. Both musicals and theaters I would recommend whole-heartedly. Besides visiting our fav restaurant, Geja’s, we also frequented the Grand Luxe Cafe which is great fare and ambience is spectacular if you can get seated in the round room with enormous collection of pendant lamps that create a marvelous chandelier. The cafe overlooks the Mile and Ohio Streets and is one of the few restaurants that is open late at night. Also, we found a hole-in-the-wall locals burger joint called Boston Blackies. It’s not extremely great for it’s service, but burgers are excellent and the prices are great for a budget. If you’re starving, tired of fast food, hard-pressed for time, and don’t care about being treated like royalty, Blackies is a great place.

I’ve been here more times than I want to admit. There is no worse place to be in August. Because of the pollution, the heat is hot and wet and sticky! One of my best friends lives there and says that it is scientifically proven that an hour of breathing the air is the same as smoking two unfiltered cigarettes. My question is why is she still there? It can’t be that it’s the restaurant capital of the nation. I’ve been to a lot of different restaurants there and I can tell you that I can’t find one better than the midnight picnic that my boyfriend and I had in Transco Park near the wall fountain. Must have worked because we have now been happily married for almost 6 years! There are many memories that I have of Houston, but none that couldn’t have been made somewhere else! I’ll have to go back, but it won’t be because I want to do so.

Nashville is a great city to visit, especially if big cities scare you. The people are friendly, “down-home” even, and it’s fairly clean and safe downtown.

I would recommend going to the Grand Ole Opry even if you don’t like country music, but like good entertainment. The musicianship is very good and you get a lot of bang for your buck!

Nearby Music Row is a great restaurant (The Sunset Grille) that stays open late and requires reservations. It’s worth the splurge!

My husband and I went for our 3-yr wedding anniversary. I STILL can’t wait to go back! First of all, we went by AmTrak (which in my opinion is a great way to go). But, while we were there, we had two incredible experiences:

1. The Green Mill – a jazz bar that is well worth the cab fare. It used to be an old speak easy frequented by Al Capone. The ambience is gritty and authentic and the music is great!

2. Geja’s (pronounced Gay-hah’s) – voted “The Most Romantic Restaurant in Chicago” several years in a row. They serve only fondue (3 or 4 courses with meat preferences). It certainly lived up to being romantic, complete with live spanish/classical guitar.

It’s because of a 10-day trip to Athens that I am a Classics major today. What an awe-inspiring view. I could just spend hours looking out of my hotel window from the 5th floor and look over the city down the hills below. The Acropolis is a must see, but more importantly experiencing the Plaka in the center of town. A piece of advice, pay attention to which way the taxis are traveling. If you are on the wrong side of the street or in the wrong area, you will NEVER get a cab.

I grew up in Louisiana so New Orleans was right around the corner. I’ve visited countless times: The French Quarters, Cafe du Monde, The Riverwalk, La Madeleine’s Bakery, Snug Harbor, etc. The food cannot be beaten. I haven’t been since Katrina had her way, but I can only hope that I will be able to experience the City’s finer points once again.

I lived here for 4 years. It’s not an awful place. There is a lot of culture, you just have to look for the best ways to experience it. All I can say is the Pistons are awesome in Auburn Hills, live and in color!