Author: Laura Irwin

Rome 2019: Day 3

Laura Irwin

From the Colosseum to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill to ancient temples and churches only recently excavated, today was a day to imagine life in ancient Rome. My first stop of day was the Colosseum, where I had a guided tour of the Underground, Arena, and Third Ring. The tour started on the arena level where we could imagine thousands of people watching everything from gladiator contests to public executions. From there, we headed to the Underground to see the corridors, tunnels, and elevators used to transport animals up to the arena floor. Our final stop was the third ring (“mid-class seats”) to see the view spectators had of the entire Colosseum.

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Inside the Colosseum

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Rome 2019: Days 1 and 2

Laura Irwin

Bongiorno from the Eternal City! I feel like I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Rome, so I’ll reserve judgement about how much I like it until I have more to base it on. Suffice it to say, I’ve enjoyed my first day and a half, and I have a feeling it will only get better from here.

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St. Peter’s Basilica

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Key West 2019: Day 2

Laura Irwin

I bookended my day with sunrise this morning at Smathers Beach and sunset tonight at Mallory Square. Because sunrise is my favorite time of day, and I made it my goal to be up and watching the sun rise every day of vacation, I figured I’d start the week at Smathers Beach. I thought I might be alone, but there was plenty of company between walkers, photographers, and other sunrise enthusiasts. Sunrise tonight was equally beautiful, though I was certainly not alone for that one!

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Smathers Beach Sunrise

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Key West 2019: Day 1

Laura Irwin

First impressions: Key West is Charleston/Savannah meets the Caribbean. I’ve only been here for a few hours, but I can already tell that Key West has a personality all its own. It was 24 degrees when I left home at 3:30 this morning and a balmy 81 degrees when I landed in Key West a few hours later. Flying over the Caribbean blue-green waters and deplaning right onto the tarmac was reminiscent of my visits to Turks and Caicos, while the historic homes with rocking chairs on the front porch remind me of the deep south.

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Landing in Key West

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A Long Weekend in Philadelphia

Laura Irwin

I had wavered on spending a weekend in Philadelphia, but having not visited Philly since I was young, I figured there was enough to do to keep me occupied for three days. Of course, I planned the trip before the government shutdown closed the main attractions… c’est la vie.

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Philadelphia Skyline

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Chicago 2018: Day 2

Laura Irwin

The two highlights of the day: food and Hamilton. I got a good night’s sleep and started the day indulging in a “French toast flight” at Batter and Berries in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. I had been planning this breakfast for weeks, so it should come as no surprise that I didn’t even need to look at the menu. I ordered the “super flight”, which includes four of the regular French toast menu items (blueberry, strawberry, caramel, and lemon) along with this week’s special: Heath. I started by trying a couple of bites of each one and then decided to work my way up from my least favorite to my most favorite. I cleaned the plate.

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Fullerton Avenue, Lincoln Park

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Chicago 2018: Day 1

Laura Irwin

First things first: it’s COLD in Chicago. Not just “Oh, there’s a little chill in the air” cold, but 18 degrees and blustery wind cold. At least that’s what it was when I was walking to my hotel a little after midnight. Oh, you want to know why I was out so late? Let me tell you the story! As I was getting to my gate at Logan last night, they were making an appeal for 5 volunteers to give up their seats on the 5:30 flight. In exchange for a guaranteed seat on the 8:15 flight. And a $700 travel voucher. Gosh, I’ll have to give this some thought. Just kidding! I immediately jumped into line and the rest is history. The flight was delayed but I eventually got to my hotel a little after midnight and…. wait a minute. I canceled that reservation and rebooked at a lower rate. What’s that? I canceled the wrong reservation and kept the more expensive rate?! Well that puts a little dent in the $700 I just earned. 😦 

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Cloud Gate, Millennium Park

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Nova Scotia 2018: Day 3

Laura Irwin

Despite having a flight home at 12:30 this afternoon, I managed to pack some more sightseeing into the few morning hours before I had to head to the airport. I was up with the birds at 4:30, hit the hotel gym at 6, breakfast at 7, and out the door by 7:20. A quick stop at Tim Horton’s (how could I resist?) and I was on my way to Eastern Passage. Famed for its Fisherman’s Cove, Eastern Passage is a small town located to the southeast of Halifax at the entrance to Halifax Harbour. There is a small channel between Eastern Passage and McNabs Island, and along this channel lies Fisherman’s Cove. When I was there this morning, there were several brightly colored fishing vessels in the narrow cove lined with lobster traps and fishing nets. Picture perfect! Adjacent to Fisherman’s Cove is McCormacks Beach and boardwalk. The long boardwalk traverses the marshes and along the rocky beach’s edge and was perfect for a brisk morning walk (it was only in the low 40s this morning!).

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Fisherman’s Cove, Eastern Passage

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Nova Scotia 2018: Day 2

Laura Irwin

Irish music and dancing, a visit to the Halifax Public Gardens and Citadel, and some local Nova Scotia cider were the highlights of a rain-filled day in Halifax. I abandoned my morning plans to drive along the Eastern Shore and instead spent the whole day in the city. I started by walking around the Public Gardens, which surprisingly had a large number of flowers in bloom for this time of year. From there, I hiked up Citadel Hill in time to see the 11:00 changing of the guard at the Citadel before walking along the ramparts and through the fortress. By the time I left, the rain/drizzle had set in.

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Halifax Public Gardens

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