I am on my annual pilgrimage to the Chicago area to visit family over the holidays. The day after I arrived, freezing rain coated everything with ice, creating dangerously slick driving conditions. The following day, more freezing rain was followed by eight inches of snow. Since then, it has snowed almost every day and the … Read more
Since starting Hole In The Donut in late 2006, I’ve received several awards and my site has risen significantly in the ranks of travel blogging. Well, now it’s time to take a crack at the grandaddy of them all, the 2010 Weblog Awards, more commonly known as the “Bloggies.” Each year, the Bloggies ask readers … Read more
Curacao island may be the Caribbean’s best kept secret. It is perhaps best known for the vividly painted waterfront buildings in the capital city of Willemstad. This neighborhood, known as Handelskade, was developed after the Dutch claimed the island in 1634. Buildings tended to be two and three-story shops and residences built on narrow, elongated … Read more
With its rusting chain and flat tires, some consider the dilapidated, whitewashed bicycle chained to a sign post on Chicago’s north side a piece of urban junk. Cyclists know better. Pedaling by, they pay silent homage at this memorial to George Chavez, a cyclist killed at this spot in a hit-and-run accident in June of … Read more
I am in the Chicagoland area, visiting my family as usual for the holidays. I love this city and would move back here in a heartbeat, but for its brutal winters (it has been hovering near zero for the last few nights, with daytime temps in the single digits). But the rest of the time, … Read more
