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
A steady stream of pedestrians crossing the Queen Emma Bridge in Willemstad, capital of the tiny Caribbean island of Curaçao, seemed unfazed by the shrill bell signaling that the floating pontoon bridge was about to open. “Why aren’t they hurrying?” I asked my tour guide, Howard. “The orange flag hoisted over the harbor master’s shack … Read more
