History Hound Travels

Okay, I told you about the pictures, but I also need to write about stuff i wish I’d had. Number one on the list: really good walking shoes. Keds are fun and suit my personality, but they don’t have enough support to comfortably walk four or five miles per day. Likewise, clogs are great, but holding them on for that long of a distance also gets tiring.

I also wish I had been a bit more organized in making sure I saw everything I wanted to see. I did make a list of some things, but then I left it on my desk. I wish I had checked out the Las Vegas guide at United States Hotel Guides. They have listings for most of the hotels, but they also have a blog about the city, and info on local events. We were a little too busy to cram in more events, but it would have been nice to know what was unique about each hotel/resort.

So there you have my preliminary repost: wear good shoes, read up before you go. There will be more later. Lots more, LOL!

I’m home, and I took a boatload of pictures. I took so many that I decided to put them on flickrr, which I had previously used only for my Self Portrait Sunday shots. So many, in fact, that I had to buy a pro account to hold them all. I had a marvelous time, and you can expect some posts about the various attractions there. In the meantime, enjoy the photos.

Long ago and far away, when I was coming home from Germany, in fact, I got stranded in Chicago. The airline booked me into the marvelous Hotel Sofitel and it was so enjoyable that I have been trying to get stranded in Chicago again! I’ve only been back once since then, and I did not get to stay at the Sofitel. In fact, I didn’t even get to rent a car in Chicago. The first time I was just there overnight and used the airport shuttle, and the second time, we drove in our van.

One of the great attractions near Chicago is the Brookfield Zoo. It is absolutely a must-see. Seriously, it is 216 acres, and something amazing around every corner. The other attraction I enjoyed a great deal was the Woodfield Mall. At the time I was there, it was the second largest mall in the US.

Writing his post is making me want to go back again. And thee fact that I know Ang. would meet me there just makes that idea more enticing. This time, I would totally rent a car so I could leave the van with Dh and the kids, and still go where I wanted when I wanted, because no, I’m not planning on taking them with me. Why do you ask?

Not too long ago, I spent several posts talking about some of the sites in London and made a few quips about London accommodation. I said then not to let that London hotel go until I said, and then I forget to tell you to check out when we moved on. Oops. Sorry. We’re headed back to England today, but instead of finding accommodation in London, we’ll be booking ourselves into Manchester hotels.

So, what’s in Manchester? So glad you asked!! Manchester is about 160 miles from London, and was once the global center of the cotton trade, and the area suffered greatly during the American Civil War. Remember that the American South, where much cotton was grown, was not heavily industrialized, and the cotton mills in Manchester relied on a steady stream of cotton from that region to keep their spinning and weaving machines humming along productively. After the South was prevented from shipping it’s cotton out, textile mills all over Europe faced shortages. However, even those hardest hit by the cotton shortage would not aid the South because they did not want to be seen as supporting slavery. And this is why, in addition to all those lovely English statues and landmarks, you will also find an rather jarring exhibit in Manchester: a statue of Abraham Lincoln, given to the city by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Phelps Taft, residents of Ohio.

photo from the public domain

So, I’m going to Vegas. Did I mention I am going to Vegas? Well, I am. I’m going to Vegas next month, in fact. Me. In Vegas. So, I asked my uncle for recommendations of what was not to be missed, and he recommended a few Las Vegas Hotels to me.

I told him I was staying at the Imperial Palace, so I was already going to see that, and I’d be close to the monorail. Apparently most if the hotels in Vegas have built in attractions, because he said I should see Harrah’s, the Frontier Hotel (to eat at Hugo’s), the lobby of Caesar’s Palace (because it looks like it’s outside), the Bellagio (for the jet pond), and Circus,Circus. He also recommended the Space Needle.

I am really excited about this trip, because it’s been about 5 years since I have been more than an hour from home. And did I say Vegas?