Apart from being known for our brutal winters, Chicago is probably most famous for its food. Ask almost anyone what dishes hail from the Windy City and most could probably at least reply with deep dish pizza. I mean, even all the way on the other side of the world in Hong Kong I was able to […]
I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but I am not a light packer. Although I’ve certainly improved my packing skills over the past 3 years of traveling, I’ve still got a long way to go. It doesn’t help that there’s this on going debate between what’s better to travel with, a suitcase or a backpack. I personally think […]
For the past three years, whenever I’d meet people on the road, I’d tell them I was from Chicago. In reality, I was actually from a small suburb almost an hour away, but I never really felt like explaining that to people when only a handful even knew where Chicago itself was. It was just easier that way. […]
Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge is the icon of the city and no trip is complete without seeing it. That being said, we almost didn’t get to see it because it was so […]
Spanning over 3,000 years, the Mayan civilization is amongst one of the original cultures of the world. As one of the most sophisticated ancient civilizations, I would argue them to even be one of the most important. I remember learning bits and pieces about the Mayans throughout grade school, but some education that was because I didn’t even know […]
Every Friday I’ll be sharing a photo from someplace in my travels. This week’s photo is of the busy Yamanote Line in Tokyo, Japan. People often joke about the crowdedness of Tokyo trains. There are all these visions of people being pushed on by conductors and the so-called “train pushers”. While that does still happen on […]
Kyoto Prefecture (京都府; Kyoto-fu) is part of the Kansai Region (関西地方; Kansai-chiho) on Honshu, the main island of Japan. For most of history, Kyoto played an important role as Japan’s capital. As you can imagine, being the capital for over a thousand years means Kyoto is filled with ancient artifacts and cultural treasures. Once the government head moved to Tokyo, Kyoto’s economy became […]
Christmas may not be a national holiday in Japan, but that doesn’t mean people won’t be celebrating! Only around 1% of Japanese people consider themselves Christian, so to most Japanese, Christmas is celebrated more like a Valentine’s Day of sorts, with young couples or groups of friends going on strolls through fancy displays of holiday decorations and […]
I can’t believe it’s about to be Christmas already! Maybe it’s because despite being home in Chicago for the holidays for the first time in three years, there’s still a lack of snow. I know, no snow in Chicago yet? Trust me, I’m just as surprised. We might as well be back in Hong Kong– it’s even […]
Chicago is known for having one of the best art museums in the country, complete with a large Asian art wing. However, from now until January 4th, 2015 guests can enjoy the exhibition Ghosts and Demons in Japanese Prints, which features some of the celebrated collection of Clarence Buckingham. This special exhibition showcases prints depicting the supernatural, a popular motif in […]