Taking off Travel blog

This is going to be a great year for travel for me. After visiting Mexico, Chicago, and Bahrain last year for business, and racking up additional travel miles on visits to Nottingham of London and Florida, I couldn’t wait to see what trips could be on the agenda for 2010. And boy am I happy. This year I will be travelling to Las Vegas, Chicago and on business. And I have no idea yet about holiday plans.

Will I see the Great Wall this year? I certainly hope so.

Of course, there’s always a fly in the ointment. All three trips between April and June, but I prefer to focus on the positive. That is, but I’m going to 3 great destinations, two of which have never seen before. Last year I had typical business trips were all I saw was the hotel. This year I will try to change that, by taking some of the guesswork out of trip planning and by doing lots of research to find out what’s close to where I’m going to be.

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I spent most of last week in Chicago attending a conference for one of my clients. That was partly the inspiration behind my post on O’Hare International. So did the airport and the trip in general live up to expectations?
Heading In

I found the airport pretty well organized and on my way in, it was easy to find my way to the luggage carousels, the exit and the airport parking lots, outside which my bus was waiting. From there it was a short ride to Hilton Indian Lakes in Bloomingdale. While not as fancy as the Cancun Hilton, this hotel was more than adequate, with good food, a nice pool and a great jacuzzi. The conference wasn’t half bad either.

At the end of it, I had one more day before it was time to fly home, so I headed downtown. Driven by a cabbie who, in his own words ‘used to have a problem with road rage’, we sat on the highway for more than two hours to make what should have been a half hour drive. Memorial Day weekend is a bad time to travel and although we thought we’d left early enough – we hadn’t. Read more »

About 17 million people pass through Chicago Midway Airport (MDW) each year. If you are on a layover, you won’t even have to worry about Midway Airport parking; just stash your bags somewhere and start seeing the sights. The airport is only ten miles from downtown Chicago. That means there’s plenty to see and do that’s not too far away. Here are some places where you can start your Chicago sightseeing tour.

Five Miles Or Less From MDW

If all you need to do is get some fresh air, then there are plenty of parks where you can sit outside while you wait for your connecting flight. Pasteur Park, Archer Park, Minuteman Park and West Lawn Park are all a mile or less away, so a brisk walk will take you away from airport congestion and into a pleasant green space.

Those with an interest in Eastern Europe will enjoy a visit to the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, less than two miles from the airport on South Pulaski Road. It’s got the largest collection of Lithuanian material outside that country and is open daily from 10 till 4. A few miles further, you can explore the history of a different group at the DuSable Museum of African American History, located less than 5 miles from the airport. It’s got several exhibits and is well worth a visit. Read more »