Do you know what one million dollar bills look like? Or which four rivers in the world are the most polluted with plastic? Thanks to visiting two new-to-me Chicago museums today, I can now answer “yes” to both of those questions.
Chicago 2025: Day 4
Author: Laura Irwin
Chicago 2025: Day 3
Welcome to Chicago! As I returned my rental car at the airport this morning, I was thinking that I would just like to jump on a plane and go home. By the end of the day, I remembered why I love Chicago and am happy to be here again. I blame my desire to go home on not having had a good night’s sleep in over a week and just wanting to sleep in my own bed. Anyway, a few sprinkles didn’t keep me from wandering around Chicago, having some cider, and enjoying a delicious pizza dinner.
Chicago 2025: Days 1 and 2
After spending almost a week in Florida with my family to celebrate my niece’s second birthday (and attend a financial literacy workshop in Orlando), I’m back in one of my all-time favorite cities: Chicago. Well, technically, I’m in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, but close enough. I’m here to attend the U.S. Classic (gymnastics) for two days before I head into Chicago proper.
Boston (Summer 2025): Day 3
Day 3 of going into Boston and today I tossed tea into Boston Harbor. Well, not real tea. And not actually into the water. But I reenacted the Boston Tea Party at the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. I also had a yummy breakfast and drank a flight of cider, all while attempting to survive the high heat and humidity in the city.
Boston (Summer 2025): Day 2
Did you know that there’s not one, not two, but three lighthouses in Boston Harbor? The Boston Harbor Islands National Park hosts a weekly tour of the Boston Harbor lighthouses and today I learned about all three of them on my two-hour boat tour.
Boston (Summer 2025): Day 1
Happy 4th of July! I’ve spent Independence Day everywhere from Yosemite National Park to Dublin, Ireland to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland to Munich, Germany to Denali National Park, but this year I’ll be spending it in one of the most historic cities in the U.S.: Boston, Massachusetts. I’ve done the concert and fireworks on the Esplanade in the past so today will be more of a low-key celebration.
A Day in Portland, Maine
Since I don’t have any major trips planned for this summer, I’ve decided this will be the summer of day trips and local adventures. And my first stop is none other than one of my favorite New England cities, Portland, Maine. Since I’ve been to Portland many times before I wanted to do a couple of things I hadn’t done before.
Amsterdam 2025: Day 7
Another cloudy morning, but that didn’t stop me from going out for one last walk around the Amsterdam canals before heading to the airport.
Amsterdam 2025: Day 6
Well, today turned out to be kind of a bust. Not entirely, it just wasn’t the day I had been hoping for. It was another gray day but I wasn’t going to let that derail my plans. I ended up spending a little time in the village of Broek in Waterland, visiting a hidden church, and eating my way through Amsterdam.
Amsterdam 2025: Day 5
I thought yesterday was going to be the best day of this vacation. I mean how can you top seeing millions of flowers all in bloom in beautifully manicured gardens? Well, you can take a day trip to explore three (or more) scenic villages that make up the area known as Waterland, just north of Amsterdam in North Holland. I don’t mind cities, but I hate crowds. And the two usually go hand in hand. And even though I loved the gardens yesterday, they were crowded. So today’s adventure felt like it was worlds away from the crowds I’ve encountered in the past few days. I began my day in Edam (pronounced “Ay-dahm”), walked to Volendam, took a ferry to Marken, and then headed back to Amsterdam.
Traveling with Laura 