Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.

Tag: Vacation

Willis Tower – A Visitor’s Guide

One of the iconic buildings of Chicago is the Willis Tower, formerly and more notably known as the Sears Tower. A trip to Chicago for any first time visitor is not complete without a visit to this architectural marvel. Like a visit to Rome is not complete until you have been to the Coliseum, the Willis Tower is one of the top tourist attractions in the city.willis tower

Facts: Located a block east of Union Station and along the river, stands the tallest building in the city and in the Western Hemisphere. The Willis Tower stands at 1,450 feet tall (1,730 feet if the twin antenna towers are included) and 110 stories tall. The tower goes 43 feet below street elevation and took three years to build. The tower features a revolutionary construction method at the time called the “bundled tube design.” It is essentially nine tubes, bound together. The docents told us to think of it like a pack of pencils with each tube rising higher than the rest. While the tower itself has more than a 100 different companies using it as an office building, visitors are only there for one maybe two reasons: mainly the Skydeck (observation deck) and possibly the restaurant.

The Skydeck is the highest public viewing area in the US and on a clear day (hope you are lucky), you can see four states (Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan). Back in 2009, the building added four observation pods which are affectionately known as “The Ledge.” They are these glass boxes that are made up of three layers of half-inch thick glass that has been laminated into one seamless unit.the ledge

 

Visiting: The Skydeck is open every day of the year to accommodate visitors. Always be sure to check the website for hours, but in general they are open from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM April through September, and 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM October through March. When planning your visit, the last entry is 30 minutes prior to close. The Skydeck does have several offerings prior to the “main event” of getting to the top. There are several different exhibits that talk about the tower and the city as well as a movie that tells the story of the building and surrounding architecture. All of this is well and good and gives you a greater appreciation for the building and all that went into making this massive structure and it will provide a fuller experience but is time consuming.
Continue reading

Chicago Itinerary: What to Do in Chicago With Two or More Days

Traveling to a new place can be daunting, let alone to a city that has so much to offer. How do you even try to figure out what attractions to see, where to go, and which are worth skipping? This is especially important when you are going for a short trip and you want to maximize your time. Wasting your time by going to an attraction that is not worth it or worth the wait is a point of frustration for me.

My goal today  is to provide a Chicago itinerary of what attractions to visit on a two or three day trip (or more). Every traveler will have different tastes/interest and likes/dislikes, so not all of these recommendations will be suited for everyone. Also, Chicago is a huge city and there is no way that every attraction, great restaurant, or event could be handled in this one post. This itinerary will focus mainly on the top attractions that we recommend visiting while in Chicago. In the future, we will revisit this great city to hopefully fill in the gaps by providing more information and reviews as far as attractions, events, restaurants, etc.

Whether you are a relaxed traveler or an active tourist, have young kids, teenagers or no kids, we all travel differently. Even at various stages in our own life, we may have times where we are not as quick as we once were. In the past, you may have been able to see six attractions in a day, now you are lucky to see four. The point is you know what will serve you best to make this or any trip the most memorable and enjoyable. We are here to help and give some recommendations from what we have found during our time in Chicago. Even if you are staying longer in Chicago, use this itinerary as a guide to know what to expect.

Continue reading

An Introduction to Rebekah

I talk with my hands.  I love to tell a story often by reenacting a scenario as if I am in a One Act Play.  I might even use props or the occasional sound effect.  So how does an animated and incredibly verbal person start to tell stories through written word?  Well, I am not sure, but I suppose we will learn together.

July 2009 002

The Guadalupe River

Looking at my life, some people may say I am a stereotypical Texan.  I was born here and am still growing up here.  I spent my childhood on the Gulf Coast, went to school in the Panhandle, lived 11 years in Central Texas, and now call North Texas home.  On our family pecan farm, at the age of 7, I learned to drive on a 1951 Ferguson tractor.  While the tractor is still running to this day, I graduated to a 1973 Chevy pick up at the age of 12.  I have been attacked by mockingbirds, chased armadillos at night, and been known to enjoy a hot summer day sitting in a lawn chair in the middle of the Guadalupe River.  I love traveling, but it is even sweeter to get to come home.  My Mom always says, “It’s a good thing you want to come back home; it means you like it here.”

When I was a child, every other summer my family piled into a van, ready to have an adventure for a couple of weeks.  We stopped at historical sites, museums, and parks.  I just though vacations were the greatest. I learned so much and then those experiences helped me at school, making connections to all sorts of subjects.  In college, I traveled to Bolivia for two months.  When I look back at key moments in my life that influenced and changed me, many of them resulted from my Bolivian experience. Traveling challenges me to think about the world differently.  There are countless people with beautiful stories, each pursuing a meaningful and purposeful life.

IMG_0494

Rebekah hiking the Barton Creek Greenbelt in Austin

Looking back, I have traveled to 30 states, 14 countries, 4 continents and always have a plan for another adventure.  Whether traveling to the town next door or across 10 time zones, meeting new people and learning about their culture, art, traditions, music, food, experiencing plants and nature, what brings pride to a community and their history is a joy to me.  I think it creates empathy and understanding that is powerful and life changing.

I hope you join us as we travel from Texas to beyond and I hope we can inspire you to travel and experience new things too.

An Introduction to David

Howdy!  My name is David, one of the four traveling Texans.

Ok, I have to admit, I do not normally use the word “Howdy,” but it somehow seems appropriate today.  Unfortunately, there is a certain university in Texas that has destroyed that word for lots of Texans, but that is a story for another time.

I graduated from The University of Texas with a degree in architectural engineering in 2007.  Hook ‘Em Horns!  Since then, I have worked for a Fort Worth-based civil engineering company as a construction manager and licensed engineer.

How does an engineer end up blogging?  I am not exactly sure, but let me try to explain.

As I mentioned in my first post, a passion for travel was awakened on a trip to Kenya in 2009.  However, I was exposed to the adventures of travel as a child.  At the age of 5, my dad accepted a short-term job transfer.  For seven months, my family lived in Stavanger, Norway.  During this time, we visited the Netherlands, Denmark and London, England.

Throughout my childhood, my parents did a wonderful job of providing me with new experiences across the United States.  Family summer vacations landed us in new places.  On these trips, we explored historical sights and museums, as well as more important places for a young boy like the beach, the mountains, and Disney World.

I grew up in Houston, Texas.  Houston is a giant city, the fourth largest in the United States.  Without knowing it, I was definitely a city boy in a state known for its country.  This abruptly changed during college.

David Grilling Over a Wood Fire

David Grilling Over a Wood Fire

For three summers during college, I worked at a horse ranch in Gainesville, the quarter horse capital of Texas.  Without knowing what I was getting myself into, I bought a cheap pair of cowboy boots, a straw hat, and a couple of Wal-Mart pearl snap shirts, and headed to the country.  I learned a lot about ropin’ and ridin’, shootin’ and grillin’ steaks over a wood fire.  I also became an expert in cleaning horse stalls and digging fence posts.  By the third summer, I was promoted, and even taught riding classes!  Overall, it was a great experience that has shaped my life in many ways, including my love of cowboy boots.

Since graduating college, I have traveled internationally to Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Israel, and Kenya (twice).  I have also continued exploring Texas and other domestic locations.

When traveling, I love soaking up the unique culture, natural beauty, history, art, architecture, food, beer, music, politics and language of each location.

My love of travel has led to my second passion, art.  I tried unsuccessfully during grade school to become world-renowned artist.  After realizing I was not the next Caravaggio, my favorite artist, I learned to appreciate the art already around me, put in place by other gifted artists and by God for the world’s enjoyment.

This appreciation for art led to a third passion, photography.  During a trip to Italy, Matt  introduced me to the world of photography.  Since that trip, he has helped me become a better photographer.  The photos posted on From Texas to Beyond have all been taken by Matt and myself.

Travel indirectly led to my fourth and most important passion, my beautiful wife.  Now that I am married, my favorite travel partner is my lovely wife, Rebekah.

I have been very fortunate in life to travel.  My goal for From Texas to Beyond is to capture the best experiences from each unique destination, so I will always remember the experiences that have shaped my life.  Along the way, we desire that our journeys will lead you to having great adventures of your own.  We hope you enjoy these stories as much as we enjoy sharing them!

David Hiking the Cedar Falls Trail in Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas

David Hiking the Cedar Falls Trail in Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas