19. Hollywood, CA

I was fortunate to spend a couple of days in Hollywood with my daughters before heading off to Palm Desert for a company meeting. We did the typical tourist stuff including buying a map of the stars homes and driving around trying to find them all. It was great fun and we saw some amazing homes including Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, and Dr. Phil (his was actually my favorite).  We also did a little shopping […]

18. The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island – New York, NY

Who couldn’t go to New York and not visit the famous Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  It was probably my favorite part of the whole trip and just seeing her standing there from the ferry gave me goosebumps. We were not able to go to the top of her crown as it was closed but it was still very memorable.  Ellis Island was also very memorable and informative and really gave you an insight […]

17. Times Square – New York City

Although I’m from Chicago, a big bustling city of about the same size, I was a bit surprised at how different New York City was from Chicago.  The pace much faster, the people much less friendly and the cost of everything about doubled. While I had a great time while I was there and saw all the major attractions, I don’t really feel the need to return any time soon.  

16. Niagara Falls – Buffalo, NY

Most people seem to prefer the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls, I actually preferred the US side. The Canadian side was a bit too commercial with a carnival feel while the US side seemed more focused on the nature and parklike atmosphere.  While there, I stayed at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino with a corner room and would highly recommend it. The room was extremely spacious, floor to ceiling windows which provided a great view and probably the biggest hotel bathroom […]

15. Mackinac Island – Michigan

I was so excited to go to Mackinac Island and it had been on my list for quite some time. After visiting however, I have mixed emotions. There are parts of it that I absolutely loved—the ferry ride over to the island, the 8 mile bike ride around the island, the horse drawn carriages, no motorized vehicles, the fact that there are no fast food chains, and, of course, the fudge. What I didn’t like […]

14. Traverse City & Old Mission Peninsula – Grand Traverse County, MI

The entire reason for this road trip was a conference I was attending in Traverse City. I had never been, nor had I done any research before we went, so I had little to no expectations except to hopefully see some fall color. Well the fall color was nothing short of amazing and each vista truly looked like a photoshopped postcard. But what we weren’t counting on was how much we would love Traverse City […]

13. Leland, Michigan

We drove through and stopped in Leland for dinner after spending some time at Sleeping Bear Dunes. I had seen pictures in Midwest Living Magazine but it was so much cuter than we expected and I was disappointed that I hadn’t allotted more time to spend there! Leland itself is a picturesque little village located on a sliver of land between Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau, on the beautiful Leelanau Peninsula, a 25 minute drive north […]

12. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – Empire, MI

Bring your sense of adventure and plenty of energy if you plan to hike the dunes here. The tallest at 450 feet offers the best views from the top and is certainly more fun to run down than to climb up. We spent the entire day driving the parks 37 miles getting out of the car frequently to hike some of the smaller dunes and take in all that spectacular Lake Michigan shoreline. It’s certainly […]