Cheap Travel to Miami

Great Tips For Visiting The City Of Miami !

Miami, Florida has been one of the more popular vacation destinations for decades, and with very good reason. The area is home to some of the nicest beaches, finest restaurants, hottest nightclubs, and best shopping available any where. It is no secret that celebrities and the rich and famous have used Miami as a playground for many years. Miami is not just for the elite though, a visit to the city of Miami is perfect for everyone. The city truly does offer something for everyone to enjoy.

Latin Influence

There is a huge Latin influence in Miami, this is mainly due to its close proximity to Cuba, Central American, as well as the rest of the Latin American world. What this influence has done is make for a very lively ethnic community featuring incredible food, exciting music and hot spots, as well as unique shopping areas in locations where the influence is felt the most.

Miami is a popular location for sports fans as well. There is a huge baseball emphasis in the area due to the city being located near some popular professional spring training sites, as well as being home to the major league Florida Marlins. Miami is more than baseball though with the city represented well in professional football by the Miami Dolphins, in professional hockey by the Florida Panthers, and in professional basketball by the Miami Heat. Other sports activities are popular in and around the city of Miami as well like beach volleyball, swimming, surfing and more.

Cruise Capital – Port of Miami

Miami is known as the “cruise capital of the world” because so many cruise ships start or end their journeys in the Port of Miami. The cruise industry has added to the atmosphere of the city by bringing that many more people into it. Many people spend a few days enjoying the city before or after their cruise starts or is finished. Miami is also one of the main jumping off points for flights to several Caribbean destinations like The Bahamas, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and more.

Gold Coast Railroad Museum

There are a number of great attractions in Miami that most travelers would love to spend some time at. It doesn’t matter what a vacationer is looking for, Miami has it covered. If someone is interested in wildlife, there is the Miami Metrozoo, Jungle Island, Gator Park, and the Miami Seaquarium. If another visitor to Miami is more interested in museums and cultural activities then they would love to visit the Gold Coast Railroad Museum, the Miami Children’s Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Dade Cultural Center, Wings Over Miami Museum, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Miccosukee Indian Village, Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium, or the Police Hall of Fame Museum. There are also visitors that would like to enjoy the outdoors more and thankfully Miami is home to some great parks too like Oleta River State Park, Lummus Park Beach, and A.D. Barnes Park.

A visit to Miami truly does offer something for everyone in a family group. Retired couples and young couples alike can find something to enjoy in this popular vacation destination. There is more than enough to do in Miami tp occupy even the most pickiest of travelers. A visit to Miami is well worth it and will create memories that will last a lifetime.

Chicago City

A beautiful Sunday, the 3^rd of November as I land at O’Hare International Airport after a seven hour flight from Dublin, Ireland, on Aer Lingus flight EI125.  It was a wonderful calm flight, I sat in my seat 21D and had lots of time to think of all the other wonderful trips I had around the world, but this was my first time in Chicago and I had a great feeling that I was going to enjoy it.

 

Besides visiting this wonderful city I was going to spend some time with my fiancée who was flying in from Texas and we had lots of plans for the week ahead, shopping, shows, dining and places of interest to visit and of course I was going to be around for the celebrations of our President Barack Obama in Grant Park, ( I will always remember where I was when this great historic event took place).

 

Taxi a good way to travel and cheap

 

We taxied in from O’Hare to our hotel which would be our base for the next four days, the hotel was the “Comfort Inn and Suites” on East Ohio Street a lovely little hotel right in the centre of Chicago, actually two blocks from Michigan Avenue also known as the Magnificent Mile and right next door to the second busiest restaurant in Chicago called the “Webber Grill”.

 

At the hotel the staff was very helpful and nothing was a bother, the concierge “Karl”

was eager to please getting taxis etc and although they make most of their money from tips, I certainly don’t mind tipping when some offers their services with a smile.

 

Restaurants in Chicago

 

As I say next door was the Webber Grill where we dined three times during our stay, and the New York Strip is one of the best I’ve had, a wonderful white wine from chile is the “Calinas Reserve 2002” a lovely meal for two will set you back about $140.00 and well worth it. Michael was our waiter on one occasion and he took pleasure in showing us his little baby daughter named “Heaven” he was truly so proud of her. Incidently the busiest restaurant in Chicago is the Cheese Factory on Michigan Avenue just across from Macys.

 

Another little restaurant I would like to mention is “Pippin’s Tavern” 806^th North Rush Street, established in 1974 and an excellent choice for light refreshments and a mid-day snack with wonderful service. Gino’s East right next door to the Affina Hotel is a must for the Italian food lover and very reasonable for great food and service.

 

Affinia Hotel Chicago

 

We stayed on our final few nights in Chicago in the Affinia Hotel just off Michigan Avenue a little expensive at $350.00 per night and breakfeast for two an extra $40.00.

But again because of its strategic location worth it for a few nights, as you don’t need to take a taxi anywhere and if you are a shopaholic you will be in seventh heaven as some of the worlds most exclusive stores are right there on Michigan Avenue. Macy’s have more than you could wish for and there seems to be a sale of some sort going on all the time, don’t forget to register for your discount card and save yourself about eleven percent on top of everything else.

 

We went to a show “The Blue Man Group”, wasn’t normally what I would go and see but it was fun and not stuffy and formal so don’t feel bad when you show up in jeans,

Broadway has everything to offer in the way of shows and you can book your ticket just across from Macys at the visitor centre and right their on the corner you can get your ticket for the Chicago tour bus.

I travel quiet a lot around the world and I recommend to everyone when they visit a new city to spend a little money in these tours as they put a city into perspective with regards to size and the information you can obtain from the guides is much better than in some travel guides, and of course don’t be embarrassed to ask a question as they love to interact and impart their knowledge as again they depend on tips to supplement their income. Marvin was our tour guide and he was splendid.

 

Shopping in Chicago

 

Now every woman needs a little therapy, I mean shopping, and you are just about to go to another little paradise call “Gurnee Mills” about thirty miles north of Chicago just head north on I94 and within an hour you will come to this mecca for shopping.

One of the surprising facts about this place is that its one of the fastest growing communities in Illinois it still is proud to retain its small town atmosphere, despite the huge relocating of families here for a better quality of life and its proximity to Lake Michigan.

I think we must have walked about five miles and I wish I could just run tours from Ireland to this place as you would just save a fortune. My heavens we are paying far too much for our clothes and other products in Ireland but I guess that’s our price for being a little Island run by gobs—-, I don’t want to be vulgar.

 

Just over the border in Wisconsin we had another little shopping trip which was quiet nice and had something to eat in a little town called “Kenosha” again I shall return their to buy my Harley Davidson to take that trip across the great United States.

 

For another great shopping experience visit www.societygifts.com 

  

Michigan Avenue

Chicago Skyline

Cheap Air Travel-Emigration

St Frances Xavier Cabrini the Patron Saint of Immigrants.

 

By Tony Gilligan an Irish Immigrant in the United States.

   

St Frances Cabrini was the first American citizen to be elevated to sainthood. In 1850 she was born in the North of Italy to parents of thirteen children. At the young age of eighteen, she longed to become a nun but because of ill health she was unable to do so, so she worked on a farm with family members until she was asked to teach in a girls school which she did for about six years. A request from her bishop to establish a religious community led her to found the Missionary of the Sacred Heart to care for poor children in schools and hospitals.

St Frances Xavier Cabrini

Sisters

 

Her dream of course to become a missionary in China was thwarted slightly by Pope Leo the XIII who had other plans for her. He wanted her to travel to the United States and minister to the Italian immigrant community, a journey she made in 1889 with six members of her own community to carry out this task. Sister Frances Cabrini was said to be a formidable organiser  and  she actually was responsible for nearly seventy orphanages, hospital and schools spread over eight countries an Europe, North America and in parts of Latin America.

 

Her great ability

 

Because of her attention to detail and her ability to keep records there is a lot of material the can be redeemed from the archives chronicling her life time. She spent a lot of time praying and probably because of this she accomplished lots of things that others could never have done. She looked after the poor, the down and outs, the sick and the immigrants who were mostly without jobs.

 

The legacy of St Frances Cabrini continues today through the community of the Missionary Sisters, their lay collaborators and in many of the institutions the bear her name, and her charm and charisma helps inspire those who look after the sick and lonely in hospitals and schools throughout the world.

 

Born in 1850 she died in Chicago on December the 23^rd at the young age of sixty seven and was proclaimed a Saint in 1946 by Pope Pius XII. 

She is the patron “Saint of Immigrants” and her feast is celebrated on

November the 13^th.