Rollin' Down The River(s)

Miss Iggy cruised down the Three Rivers (Kankakee, Des Plaines & Illinois) in Illinois last September 2009.

It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. 

Miss Iggy wished the speedboat ride didn't end so soon.

Dashing Through Detroit*

In a one-tram open trail....

O'er the gates we go...

Laughing all the way!

*A stopover song inspired by the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW).

Windy City's Willis Tower

Chicago's skyscraper star (that tall, dark one in the middle) used to be called Sears Tower. When Miss Iggy came to visit last September 2009, it bore a new name: Willis Tower. It stands 1,450 feet and 110 stories high and claims to be the "tallest building in the western hemisphere."

Tourists can conquer the Willis Tower by climbing its Skydeck, where you get an aerial view of Chicago (and see how straight and flat its landscape is), plus get to know its history and all that jazz!

Wrigley Field: Home of the Chicago Cubs

Do you think of chewing gum when you hear the word "Wrigley?" So does Miss Iggy! But "C" does not stand for chewing gum at Chicago's Wrigley Field, instead, it's the crimson and blue logo for the Windy City's Major League Baseball team, the Chicago Cubs.

Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium which used to be called "Weeghman Park." It was built in 1914 in what used to be the grounds of a seminary. Wrigley Field is actually the "second-oldest ballpark in the majors behind Boston's Fenway Park."

The name became "Wrigley Field" in 1926 in honor of the Cubs' owner, William Wrigley, Jr.

For more Wrigley Field facts to chew on, click here!

Miss Iggy's Big Fat Greek Dinner

Miss Iggy's been to Greece before, and last September 2009, she went to Chicago's Greektown.

She found herself in Artopolis Bakery and Cafe, located on 306 South Halsted St. "Artos" is Greek for bread and "polis" means town, but they offer so much more than just bread!

Exhibit A: Artopolis' Frutti Di Mare, or the salad which transformed Fortuitous Faery into the "Face That Lunched A Thousand Shrimps." For $11.75, you get this oceanic delight of "Rock Shrimp, Octopus and Calamari, marinated in olive oil-lemon and minced garlic, on a Mediterranean salad."

Apropos for Lent, don't you think? But a bit luxurious, so it defeats the sacrifice.

National Shrine of St. Therese

A Rose by another name would have to be St. Therese of Lisieux, also known as the "Little Flower," because that is the flower associated with this young Carmelite saint. Miss Iggy went on a pilgrimage to her National Shrine in Darien, Illinois last September 2009.


Inside the shrine is the "largest wood carving in the United States" depicting the life of St. Therese. Visitors can take home a miniature version of this beautiful wooden art from the shrine's gift shop.

While there, you can admire the "most wonderful collection of relics, personal effects and memorabilia of Therese outside of France."

St. Therese's other National Shrine on the northern side of the border is in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Khmer Iggy and Zaida and Isi

Khmer Iggy recently met an amazing and inspiring couple -- Zaida and Isi -- who are both from Barcelona, Spain. They are touring cyclists and are 18months into a world tour. We met them through a website called WarmShowers.org, which my husband joined after finishing his own cycling tour of Western Europe.

Zaida and Isi stayed with us for 5days. As hosts, we provided them a place to sleep, warm meals, and the most elusive luxury, a warm shower! In return, we get to hear of their travels and see photos of them, the places they've been to and people they've met along the way. We ooh-ed and aah-ed at their African adventures, dealing with corrupt policemen and surviving the wide expanse of Namibian desert to cross the border to Zambia. They have a site for their journey called Africa y Asia...en Bicicleta. You can also find the translated page here.

Khmer Iggy and I were awed at the thought of traveling all over the world by bicycle, and meeting face to face this couple who are doing something remarkable is HUGE. When they left, we were all feeling a bit jealous. Someone once said, "its not the things in life you do that you come to regret but the things you don't do". We want to do something like this. We are hoping that an opportunity to see the world by bicycle will come soon.

Miss Iggy Is Having A Ball

Jersey Iggy was mesmerized by the chameleonic colors of the mini-version of Times Square's famous New Year's Eve Ball inside the Times Square Visitors Center. The real ball is made of Waterford Crystal, and its glorious moment begins at 11:59PM on December 31st every year. Ringing in the New Year at Times Square is a New York tradition attended by a multitude of people and witnessed the world over as everyone toasts to a better year ahead.