Until April, I have never been to Chicago, not even once. In my mind… Chicago was neon lights, theatres, and the University of Chicago (Economics). I don’t know why I had this picture in mind. Probably because of the movie Chicago, who knows :p On the last night of Montreal, we suddenly wasn’t too sure if we had reserved a place to stay in Chicago. It was quite scary, but it turned out alright in the end. The location was in the suburb - something different. Browsed through all the online comments and compared the prices, we picked a place in Schaumburg. It’s about 40 minutes away from Chicago (by train). We arrived at the O’Hare International Airport in the afternoon. Took the Airport Express shuttle to Schaumburg (2 two-way tickets was about $76, which was about the same as how much we paid for in other cities - Door-to-door, about 15-20 minutes drive. Not bad at all.) The front desk staff, a Filipino lady, was very friendly. In the lobby, there was also a computer with Internet and Wifi, which really came in handy later on. After checking in, we were desperately searching for food (or just me?!).

So we went to this Big Bowl “Fresh” Chinese and Thai Cuisine. By end of April, I was already quite sick of eating out and wanted something fresh. So here we were… It was around 5-6pm but the place was already quite busy. I was surprised - does people there tend to eat a bit earlier? One of the selling items was the Big Bowl of noodle+veggie that you can pick and choose for stir-fry. Well, I thought that was kinda a gimmick and I went for the Pad Thai. How was that? just so-so. But I loved their fresh-made ginger ale. VERY gingery. Gotta boost up my immune system.

After our early dinner, we walked to the Woodfield Mall nearby. Apparently, it’s a tourist attraction, and I ended up spending my remaining American dollars there.

The next day, we took the Metra (train) from Medinah (the closest station) to downtown Union Station. It seems that there’s one “Union Station” for every city. We have one in Toronto, there was one in SF, and here’s another one in Chicago. It was a quiet afternoon. Walking around the station, trying to make sure we were on the right track, literally. There was no train staff/manager at the station. After checking out the timetable and asking the only one other passenger, we were quite sure we’d be OK.

The first train didn’t stop. I think that was for products and stocks.

We arrived at the downtown Union Station. Not sure if it was because we came on the weekend, it was pretty quiet everywhere. Chicago is one of the most convenient U.S. cities to visit by train (according to wikitravel). I think so too. Looking at its Metra and CTA maps, I think it really has a pretty extensive train system, but at the same time, I also heard that Chicago’s transportation system is also one of its major problems over there - lots of traffic jam.

We got there around mid-day. Feeling thirty and got a cup of smoothie, plus vitamin boost. Holding a big cup of chilly smoothie, we started walking towards downtown. Thank to wikitravel’s itineraries, we had a good idea of where the buildings were, and what were worth seeing without having to buy a travel guide. I’d like to walk around the city w/o a plan, but it’s better to have some ideas and expectations in mind given the short stay.

The first stop was at the Art Institute of Chicago. Around 200m from the Institute, I saw a large poster of Edward Hopper’s Night Hawks. He’s one of the few artists that I like. But I never expected that I’d bump into his exhibition. Excited. Since it was our last stop, I could afford buying something larger - a large poster of his “Chop Suey”. His work is always calm, silent and stoic. I just like it. Don’t ask me why.

Walked out of the Art Institute… this is what you’d see on your right. Lots and lots of buildings. Walking in Chicago downtown - it’s like you’re on a architectural tour. Thought of a friend’s description of some buildings that he saw on his field trip (for architectural students) - I guess if we had a tour guide, we could have appreciated the designs even better.

We walked along Michigan Avenue towards the Millennium Park (following the Loop Art Tour wiki-guide). Saw these interesting faces (called “Crown Fountain”). What a cute idea! These are faces of real Chicagoans! One face you’re seeing here, and another face on the back of the block at the front.

Then… walked a bit more into the park, there’s a big “bean” that you just can’t miss. It’s called the “Cloud Gate”. We loved it and had a lot of fun looking at funny faces of ours and others on the bean. People were like big kids.

And then, we walked pass a large “ribbon” pavillion (Pritzker Pavilion)… and came to this artsy, long, winding BP Bridge. I never thought a walkbridge could be like this. Not very attractive from an economical standpoint, but it adds something different to the city. Really spiced things up a bit.

How could we miss the Chicago theatre district. We walked by a theatre and it seemed that the crowd just finished watched “Wicked”… Here’s a McDonald’s nearby - logo surrounded by light bulbs.

So many buildings and scruptures along the Loop… this is one that caught my eyes. It looks like this is the building that appeared in the movie “Wanted“. Do you think so? It’s called the Chicago Temple building.

And here’s the Chicago Post Office.

A typical view of Chicago…

We spent quite some time at the Woodfield Mall near our hotel. Haven’t seen a Lego store for a long long time. I never owned any Lego when I was a kid, but I liked to play it w/ cousins.

Of course… I’ve been looking forward to my Chicago deep dish pizza. It was raining quite badly the last 2 days. So, instead of going to the restaurant, we ordered delivery from Lou Malnati. It wasn’t as THICK as I thought it would be. It was delicious though! Good to have pizza and pop while watching NBA.

Other thoughts/memories of Chicago…
- Very windy - but that’s not how it got its name the “Windy City”. Wanna know more? click here.
- There were many museums in Chicago and I think some of them should be worth-seeing. Maybe next time.
- Would like to go to the 94th floor of the Hancock Center - heard about the great view from there.
- Also missed the Buckingham Fountain - it’s not on every evening though.

Overall, our trip to Chicago was really worth it. Too short though. Next time, I’d definitely check out its concerts… All That Jazz.

Good times… was a bit tired after a whole month, but still restless. (Thatz why I got sick for like 3 weeks in late-May to early-June) -_-

Tags: Travel

Late April, we were at our second last stop - Montreal. Back to the East coast - We felt the difference right away. It was COLD. The wind was chilling at night. We arrived at the Montreal airport in the evening - couldn’t find a shuttle bus. So we took a cab to our hotel (fixed price $35 + tips). It was a pretty cozy hotel located in a good location - not too far from old Montreal, and not too far from the Rue Sainte-Catherine shopping area. Since I’ve been there several times before, I had a vague sense of where things were… Didn’t do much planning - just grabbed some free maps at the airport. The first night, we asked the concierge where we could grab some food. He recommended walking towards Rue Saint-Denis. First dinner: burgers and poutine ordered from a French menu.

The next day, we walked around the city - first stop Old Montreal. Had lunch @ Place Jacques-Cartier. It’s definitely a popular gathering place. I’ve never been there in the summer but I could imagine how relaxing it would be to walk around in the summer - not too humid… summer breeze. Last time I was here - it was around Christmas time. Since it’s a tourist spot - you still hear a lot of English.

Then, we walked passed a lot of banks and old buildings. I guess that was the financial center of the city. I went into a CIBC - old-fashion but grand. The service was good - teller was speaking with French accent. At that time, I felt that I hadn’t been to a Canadian bank for so long… been living on US cash for over half a month already.

Then we walked along Rue Saint-Catherine. A lot of people on the street. Of course, it’s the shopping core of Montreal. Walked by this flower stall. I thought… I have never bought a bouquet just because I feel like it. (But I’ve bought some likely bamboos out of the blue.) Ｉ will do that next time - one day before I go to office or head home, I’ll buy myself one - coz I don’t expect that I’d get any. :p A romantic Pisces. After wandering around the area, we saw some artists on the street. I got myself a souvenir from one of them - a burned copper ring. Forgot to take a picture of it. Because it’s burned copper - every piece is different. The color is similar to this. Wasn’t expensive - just $20. I love it.

That evening, we met up with Uncle T again since they were having a “fam trip” at Montreal and Quebec city - for an upcoming Catholic event in early June. We had dinner @ a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown! OMG. The taste of Chinese soup came back after almost a month. It was good :p Before the dinner, we walked around the small Chinatown and took some snapshots.

After dinner, we went to Casino de Montreal and played “horse-racing” a bit! Lots of fun w/o paying a lot. I wish we had that in Las Vegas - just for fun. But other than that, of course the casinos in Vegas were much more attractive.

Uncle T invited us to go to Quebec city with them. We looked at each other… why not? The only thing was that we’d have to wake up early like 8-9am. But… we’ve had 4am morning call. 8-9am wouldn’t be a problem.

After over an hour drive and stopping at another hotel - coz they need to check out the venues for the upcoming tours… we finally arrived at Quebec City. This is the landmark - if you’ve been to Quebec City you would recognize this hotel right away. 2008 is Quebec City’s 400 years anniversary.

Walked around… This area was much busier when I was there last few visits. Maybe April was really a low season for tourism. I remember the first time I was there, over 10 years ago, there were the sound of harp music, a lot of artists painting, and a lot of kids - they had face painting and hair braiding.

The dog was so relaxed. (Thought of G all of a sudden.)

We had lunch at this restaurant right across from the hotel. The red roof made it very stand-out. The food was good overall. Not sure if it was because the crew knows the managers there and they bring this restaurant a lot of business every year. They have a selection of 3-course set lunch - A lot of people went for the fillet mignon. Looked really good. I liked the dessert as well. But my poor friend had an allergic reaction unfortunately -.-

Took some pictures from another angle…

400th anniversary - I wonder if that was why they are renovating the floor and everything. I heard it’s been like this for a year. Hope it’s already finished by now.

The last spot in Quebec city was the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-Du-Cap. It was a very beautiful church. Too bad I don’t know much about Catholic or else I could have appreciated it more. Heard that the event was going to take place at this church. And here’s a snapshot of the shadow of my own underneath a tree.

The Montreal/Quebec city trip was relatively relaxing. Of course… I’ve also went to Simon’s and bought some stuffs from there. On our 2nd last day, we had lunch @ our hotel - again, thank to Uncle T, we had really good stuffs - HEAVY but tasty Italian food - Tiramisu and Expresso as finale. They said there were some really good breweries nearby. But we didn’t have a chance to check those out.

Cheers.

Tags: Travel

Sunny day. Driving on the highway, listening to the remix version of Alicia Key’s “Like You’ll Never See Me Again”. One time I said, “I think my eyes are very greedy.” They want to see everything, everything on the road, everything on the side, even everything in the sky. We tuned into one of the radio stations and I heard this song. I insisted that I gotta listen to it even though I knew my buddy doesn’t really like Alicia Keys. It was one of those moments. I just needed the song for that moment (although it’s been played over and over and over again on the stations already and I also had that song on my iPod). From my experience during the stay, LA’s radio stations weren’t better than the ones we have in Toronto - at least from my point of view, my taste and that point in time.

The first day in LA - since we woke up damn early (4am) and rushed through our huge breakfast (in 5 minutes) @ IHOP in Las Vegas (btw, I love the pancakes there!), we were all exhausted when we got there. Our hotel was near USC - which wasn’t a very safe area from what my friend had told me. Anyhow, the place wasn’t hard to find at all. It took us about, I guess, 15 minutes driving from the airport to the hotel. After checking in, we went to the Panda Express nearby to kill the hunger. Then, we drove around downtown and the Chinatown (yes, Chinatown again). It’s interesting to see the Chinatowns in different cities. The one in SF was really crowded and “Chinese” - a bit similar to the Toronto Chinatown. However, LA’s Chinatown was quite empty. (I felt like we’ve gone to a ghost town for some reasons). It was a weekend. There were quite a lot of non-Chinese in the Chinatown. Overall, the restaurants and stores were quiet.

Despite what I’ve just said, I kinda like LA’s Chinatown. We walked around quietly, without having to squeeze through streets. Another interesting things that I’ve noticed: Many Chinese stores were renovated and becoming art galleries or professional offices. Like the stores on the two sides of this alley - they were all kinda artsy. Many galleries weren’t opened, but we could see the work inside.

Another day, we went to the Hollywood area and did everything that tourists would do. I remember I’ve been there before, and I remember the name - Sunset Blvd. and Hollywood Blvd. I still remember I bought a lot of keychains and magnets the first time I went there. This time I just brought my camera and walked around the area.

We walked to an area where there’s a theatre for independent (or alternative) movies. Also saw this Kitchen Academy. Couldn’t help taking a picture of it.

Keep walking… we came to Amoeba Music. Walked into this… heaven. It’s really a heaven (to me at least). You can hear the music, you can see mountains of CDs and DVDs, and you can also hear the “chik-chak” sound from people going though the cases of CDs and DVDs. They have a wide collection of music and media. I guess… you can probably find whatever you want in here. There’re also second hand stuffs. Good stuffs. I wish we had a Amoeba Music in Toronto and I could work there part-time. Argh.

Of course, how could we miss the Hollywood Walk of Fame…

and the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. I gotta “attacked” by a pirate there and had to pay him tips for a picture. lol. Not sure why it’s related to “Chinese” - check out the wiki page should help

Wanted to satisfy my sweet tooth… but by the time we got there, Boule was already closed for the day. Too bad. Maybe next time

LA - I guess one of the beauty of it is the different kinds of activities you can do - one side you can have the upbeat lifestyle… the other side, you can go the the beaches and be a lazy bum. We went to Santa Monica one evening, but it was still kinda cold at that time of the year (unlike Miami). Camera was finally out of battery - so used my cell phone instead.

The Warner Brothers Studio is another worth-seeing tourist attraction - also highly recommended on the guide book. Last time, I visited the Universal Studio and I didn’t think I’d go there again. This WB Studio VIP tour is definitely more “personal” - there is a tour guide for approx. every 12 visitors. The tour guide will drive you around and tell you stories about how they shoot the TV series.

Although I’ve seen many of these studio tricks, this studio tour was still very eye-opening - because of its scale and its sophistications. The WB studio is definitely one of the largest studio in the world. They have departments for everything you can think of - from small stuffs like props to huge tasks like building a house. Within the house building, they even have departments responsible for e.g. plumbing.

This house… from one side it’s like this…

But when you walked around the the other side… it’s a totally different type of house. Very interesting.

The tour guide was very professional. He talked about the different TV dramas and showed us around the places where some well-known scenes were shot at. There are also implications from the prevalence of the high definition media - they gotta make everything in more detail coz ppl can zoom in and see everything more clearly now.

The part that I found the most interesting was that they actually invite people to come to the studio to view the episode in real time. The reaction of these viewers is like the barometer - that tell them whether the public would actually get the jokes or react the way as anticipated. The other thing is… we all know they always change the scripts. How they keep track of the scripts and make sure ppl are reading the most up-to-date version is that: every time they have an updated version, they would use a different color paper. That way… they can easily tell which one is which. Not sure if it’s like that @ other studios. Probably.

Batman’s drive~

Another day, I finally met up with my jr. high school friend @ UCLA. She gave us a tour there… then had dinner @ the Cheesecake Factory. It’s nice seeing old friends again, after all these years. The LA trip was short but we made good use of time. I know I’ll be back again - although not sure when.

(Ok, enough of the second hand smoke in this local internet cafe. Will continue to the next destination - Montreal - later.)

Tags: Travel

If I was travelling alone, I guess I wouldn’t have gone to Vegas since I’m not into gambling. Vegas seems to be the best place for those who gamble (of course), who love buffets, and night life. With the exception of gambling, Vegas wouldn’t be much fun if you’re there by yourself. Just like… good food tastes better when shared. My last visit to Vegas was over 10 years ago. Vaguely, I remember the hotel was new and very spacious, and food was good. I remember Circus Circus, a Pirate ship and some shows. I remember the indoor “sky”. It’s been a long time.

Since Vegas is one of my travel buddy’s favourite destinations, we were there for almost a week. What to do in a week? Well… There were many sightseeing, shopping, eating and a bit of gambling. I think we have checked out every single casino on the Strip, from Mandalay Bay in the South to Wynn in the North. One day we also checked out the downtown Vegas… which was a bit of a surprise to me. The downtown was quite run-down - an old town… especially when compared to the elaborated Strip a mile south. The only tourist attraction there was the “Fremont Street Experience“.

Once we have decided the destinations, one of the challenging part was to choose a hotel that’s affordable, of good location and good condition. Shopped around on the Internet, we saw the promotion on Travelzoo for Monte Carlo, on the Strip (good location). The price ranged from $79 to $149 per night. Overall, the price worked out to be about just over $100/night. Not bad. Consider they also have a $25 meal credit and $20 gamble credit (per person - I thought it would be $10 per stay, but somehow they gave us $20/person :p). The hotel was pretty nice… Compared to the high-end Wynn/Venetian ones, I think this one is more like a place to stay since you won’t see a lot of tourists wandering around the lobby, checking out your hotel and shops.

The first night, by the time we arrived in Vegas, it was quite late at night. We were both hungry and tired. (Well… we were almost always hungry and tired on this trip -_-”) So, after checking in @ Monte Carlo, we quickly checked out the *cute* Excalibur nearby. I think children would love this place because of its cartoon theme. Also because of the arcade downstairs. I was very tired and started complaining…(always tried not to, but my legs just weren’t listening to me anymore.)

Oh, I also remember MGM from my experience 10+years ago. This time I went there again and I found… it’s probably not the prettiest one, but it’s very grand and classic - with all the gold and bronze. Vegas, the Sin City, is like a miniature of the world’s attraction/fantasy. You get to see the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramid, Caesar’s Palace… Everything is very elaborated, shiny, flashy, eye-catching. After a while, you might really feel like you’re the king/queen of the table, throwing the chips around. Yah, of course. If you have the money, you can do whatever you want here.

Paris in Vegas - Daytime.

There were many casinos and hotels on the strip. Bellagio was one of my favourites. The decor was very colorful, flowery, and happy! I loved that. There were an indoor garden and it was a sunny day. You can feel the warmth from the pictures.

Walking around and taking pictures… Large butterflies, ladybugs, water pots. Walking through the curved water streams, feeling like you were in wonderland. Vegas is definitely a wonderland for both adults and children.

There was also the Jean Philippe Chocolate Fountain! OMG, it was huge! Now I think about it… We should have gotten something from there @_@

The entrance… where you check-in. Isn’t that pretty?!

We also watched the “O” Cirque du Soleil show @ Bellagio. There were many shows to choose from, but based on the reviews, we’ve chosen this one. Booked the tickets like a month in advance. Cost us about $360 for 2 tickets. But I think it was worth-watching. Watch shows is definitely one of the things that everyone should do when you’re in the city. I’ve always wanted to watch this show… and finally I’ve watched it in Vegas. A lot of things are unexpected in life - like… I never thought I’d go on this trip. If I didn’t go onto the RedFlagDeal forum and didn’t know about the Air Canada promotion, I wouldn’t have chosen North America. Maybe I would have gone to Europe - that’s what I thought I’d do. And I never thought I’d have a travel buddy to go with me. Crazy ppl. Btw, we also had a lunch buffet at Bellagio - excellent value and very good food!

Vegas is heaven if you’re into shopping and if you have the dough (of course). There are several malls - like this Forum Shops @ Caesars Palace. I think this is the one I’ve been to like 10 years ago. Not 100% sure but I remember the setting, the style and the “sky”.

Flamingo is one of the older Casinos. Here’s one of its attractions.

M&M’s World Las Vegas Store! I love its cute keychains, earrings, T-shirts and accessories.

The Venetian is another one that I love. Of course… those in HK must know about this Casino. I heard another Venetian opened up in Macau, but I haven’t been there. Gotta check it out next time, and see which one I like better.

For one moment, I don’t even know where I was… Venice. Maybe?

Of course, New York is here! I guess they GOTTA have New York in there. Or else it wouldn’t be complete - New York-New York Las Vegas - Daytime (below).

Finally… Last but not least, another favourite of mine - Wynn. I think one day I’d live there. I know I will. On the left, it’s the Fashion Show Mall.

Other attractions:
- Treasure Island free show (outdoor) - but the time we went, they cancelled it!
- Las Vegas Premium Outlet - couldn’t help buying something. It’s within walking distance from downtown. So we took the Deuce from the Strip to Downtown, then walked to this mall. Going back to the Strip from this mall, you’d have to take 2 buses - One from the outlet mall to near the Stratosphere, the other one (Deuce) from Stratosphere to the Strip.
- Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat @ Mirage - entrance fee required. We skipped that part but I think kids would like it.
- Miracle Mile Shops @ Planet Hollywood
- Adult Superstore (3850 W Tropicana Ave) - take 201 bus, go West.

To eat/drink: (affordable and pretty good)
- Buffet @ Bellagio
- Ginseng II (3765 S. Las Vegas Blvd.) - we ate there twice. Open late and taste good.
- Todai (@ Planet Hollywood) - good price seafood buffet to satisfy seafood/Asian food cravings.
- Huge cup of drinks that you see everyone holding - approximately = 4 cups. Price range from $15-20.

Tags: Travel