Philliver's Travels Archives - Page 2 of 3

America

What’s All The Illinoise About?

December 19, 2021 No Comments

I know I said I was going to write up 50 states in 50 days, but apparently fate doesn’t like when we make plans. I didn’t write yesterday because I was taking a short trip to visit some friends overnight. “No problem,” I figured, “I’ll just write about two states tomorrow.” Yesterday in Western New York, there was a tremendous windstorm. Certainly not of the magnitude of the tornadoes in other states, and my thoughts are with those impacted by that. In western New York the winds we got were enough to have widespread power outages and damages to trees and structures. I got home safely but had no power when I got there. I’m writing this on a word document with the last bit of charge my laptop has. Fingers crossed that I’ll get power back later today. So, let’s say I’ll get 50 states in 60 days written up.

Today I’m writing about the wonderful state of Illinois. My experience of Illinois is mainly with the Chicago area, but in my research, I’ll try to find highlights outside the Chicago metropolitan area.

Illinois state nickname: The Prairie State. Ironically the state best known for it’s one big city, is nicknamed after prairies. Apparently, the northern two thirds of Illinois is just prairies.

That’s not pollution. They dye the river green
for St. Patrick’s Day every year.

Illinois Fun Fact: Illinois is home to the only river that runs backwards. To combat the pollution of the Chicago River, around 1900 the Sanitary District of Chicago began implementing a system of locks and canals that reversed the flow of water from Lake Michigan, diverting the water to the newly constructed Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

Best Thing About Illinois: Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. You all know what a normal slice of pizza looks like. Chicago pizza is deep. It looks like a big, thick piece of pie filled with copious amounts of chunky sauce and cheese.

Worst Thing About Illinois: Although most Illinoians would tell you that the Chicago Bears are the worst thing about Illinois, I found many references online mentioning high taxes.

I did this when I went to the top of the Willis Tower

Best Movies Made in Illinois: The Blues Brothers (1980), The Breakfast Club (1985), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Field of Dreams, (1989), Home Alone (1990) and Home Sweet Home Alone (2021), Gone Girl (2014). Those are just a handful. Chicago is a popular setting for movies.

As I said, my experience with Illinois is solely based on Chicago, and it’s a city I heartily recommend visiting, in the summer. In the winter it’s going to be windy and bitter cold most of the time. In the summer it’s a beautiful place with beaches and walkways along the river and Lake Michigan.

One of the most iconic stadiums in all of sports

(via Getty Images) I sat in the bleachers above the famous ivy covered outfield wall for a game.

There are ball games to be watched at two of the most revered baseball stadiums in the country. During other parts of the year there is professional football, basketball, and hockey. Those sports are also available at the college level as well. Chicago is also home to the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower that was part of a memorable scene in Ferris Bueller. You can take a heck of a long elevator ride to the observation deck for a spectacular view.

Chicago also has an airport that wants your marijuana. I’m betting that container is empty.

I did not put anything in this…or did I?

Suffice it to say, I like Chicago, but I have no idea why they like that big, silver bean in the top picture. It’s now been made a formal law that you have to take your picture with it if you visit Chicago. If you’re going to Illinois, go to visit Chicago in the summer. It’s a great city with a lot to do. Have a great weekend!

Safe travels! ~Phil

America

50 States/50 Days: My Own Private Idaho

December 10, 2021 No Comments

Idaho State Nickname: “Idaho’s nickname is “The Gem State” for the abundance of natural resources and scenic areas that include snow-capped mountain ranges, rapids, vast lakes and steep canyons.” ~StateSymbolsUSA.org

Idaho Fun Fact: Idahoans drink more wine than any other state. ~Onlyinyourstate.com

Best Thing About Idaho: “You’ll “never” get mugged in Idaho” ~OldHarborins.com

Worst Thing About Idaho: Hobo spiders

Movies Filmed in Idaho: Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Dante’s Peak (1997), Heaven’s Gate (1980). There’s plenty of others, but none of them move the needle for me.

Ironically, the movie My Own Private Idaho (1991) was not filmed in Idaho. There’s also the B-52’s iconic 1980 song Private Idaho, which doesn’t really have anything to do with Idaho. “In this song, the fine state of Idaho is used to represent a case of paranoia – the lyrics “get out of that state” meaning to get out of that state of mind. Why Idaho? B-52’s singer Fred Schneider explained to the Idaho Statesman that it was the wacky reputation of the state, saying, “Idaho is pretty mysterious to all of us. I know it’s a beautiful state. The song’s about all different things. It’s not like a parody of Idaho or anything.” ~Songfacts.com

I feel like I gave way too many Idaho fun facts there. Anywho, I’ve never been to Idaho and in my extensive, methodical research, I didn’t find anything that makes me want to go there. That’s just me. If you’re an outdoorsy type, Idaho is a fantastic place. As you would guess, there’s plenty of mountains and rivers, for hiking, fishing and hunting. There’s also the annual Boise Balloon Classic for all you hot air ballooning aficionados.

If you’re a sports fan, you’ve got Boise State sports playing in NCAA Division 1. And their football team plays it’s game in the only blue turf stadium in the country. We get it Idaho, you’re quirky.

So, in summary, unless you balloon, hunt, or watch college sports, you should probably let Idaho stay private to the people, and hobo spiders, who live there.

Safe travels! ~Phil

America

50 States/50 Days: Is Hawaii Really That Great?

December 9, 2021 No Comments

Hawaii State Nickname: The Aloha State

Hawaii Fun Fact: A new Hawaiian island called Loihi is forming offshore of the big island.

Best thing about Hawaii: The average daily summer temp is 85 F (29.4 C) and the average daily winter time temp is 78 F (25.4 C).

Worst Thing About Hawaii: It’s so damn far away. If you live on the east coast of the United States you’re looking at 16 hours of travel to get there, and the same 16 on the way back. You basically lose two days just to the travel time. And when you’re there it’s so many time zones away that your sleep is really screwed up. Get used to waking up at 3:00 a.m.

I’m sorry that I missed getting a state review in yesterday. I was traveling for work.

I’ve been to Hawaii twice, but unfortunately it was to the same island, Maui, both times. I’ve been told that each Hawaiian island has it’s own unique flavor and style, so although I really enjoyed my stays on Maui, I feel like I missed out on really getting to know Hawaii.

Maui is as lush and beautiful as you see on TV and in movies. It is truly a paradise. One of my favorite Hawaii experiences is related to that sea turtle photo. One day I had rented a paddle board and as I was paddling along a sea turtle about that size came to the surface and swam alongside me for a bit.

The state of Hawaii is actually 137 islands of various sizes, but they are grouped into eight primary islands: Ohau, Big Island of Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Niihau, Molokai, Lanai, and Kahoolawe. Now that I know that, I’d like to go live on one of the lesser known islands. Preferably the one with the fewest tourists.

Volcanoes are a bit of a problem on some of the Hawaiian islands. Two of the worlds most active volcanoes are on the Big Island of Hawaii. That’s something I’d love to see. How many people ever get to see an active volcano? It’s an incredible, unstoppable force of nature that can’t just be duplicated any where else.

Picture from Northshore Zipline on https://www.virginexperiencegifts.com/

That is not me, but I did enjoy a fantastic ziplining experience on Maui. We ziplined down the side of an old volcano using about five different zip lines. It’s fun and safe.

Another unique Hawaii experience is the pig roast. They actually cook the pig in a hole in the ground for a day or more and then pull it out of that hole and serve it to you. And it is surprisingly fantastic.

There are so many more things to do in Hawaii such as hiking in the jungles and mountains, helicopter tours, surfing and just laying around at the beach. My personal advice after having been there twice is this: Everyone should try it once in your life. Then if you want a tropical vibe, go to the Caribbean and pick any island, Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya…. Puerto Rico, Guadalupe etc. They are all a much shorter flight and cost a whole lot less for the same 85 degrees and palm trees.

Here’s a tip for you if you are planning a Hawaii trip: Last year I was researching the possibility of another Hawaii trip and I discovered that there are a lot of AirBNB or VRBO houses and condos available right on beaches that are priced lower than staying at a hotel or resort.

Up next… my own private Idaho!

Safe travels! ~Phil

Airline flying

50 States/50 Days: Georgia Might Not Stink

December 7, 2021 No Comments

Georgia, the Peach State! Nicknamed after a perfectly delicious fruit. I have nothing sarcastic to say about that. My in person knowledge about Georgia is limited, but I like what I know.

My first impression of Georgia though was not good. When I was just an 11 year old lad my father decided to take the family to Disney World! The pilgrimage that all families on the East coast make at least once. But did we fly there? Of course not! My dad was frugal. Why fly somewhere that you can drive to? From our upstate New York town we drove south for three days. On the third day we passed through Georgia and as we did, we drove right by Savannah. I’ve heard good things about it since, but on that fateful day when we drove by Savannah, there’s was a horrible stench. It was an overwhelming sulfur/rotten eggs stench seeping into our car as we sped past on the highway.

So, from the age of 11 until about the age of 31, my thoughts about Georgia were this: it stinks. Fortunately, my relationship with Georgia has improved since then. I’ve been in their Atlanta airport countless times and although it is one of the busiest airports in the country, it is still one of the nicest.

As a much more worldly adult, I still don’t have a lot of thoughts or experiences with Georgia. Here are my thoughts: 1) Atlanta is a real cool city. 2) Georgia has a buttload of coastline and beaches. 3) If I have to have a layover, the Atlanta airport has a lot of places to eat.

Aside from my world renown airport experiences, Atlanta is also known as a city with a thriving night life and as a mecca for musicians from hip-hop, R&B, gospel, country and maybe as the hometown of R.E.M (one of my favorite bands back in the day) even some alternative rock. Georgia is also one of the most avid sports states with a variety of professional and college sports year round.

Lastly, and most importantly, Georgia has that long coastline with beaches and resorts galore. If you’ve read a few of my state reviews, you’ve probably picked up on my love of the sun, sand and water. Georgia seems like a nice vacation spot to me. As I’ve made painfully obvious, I’m not a Georgia insider. If you are from Georgia or have more experience with Georgia than me, I’d love if you’d want contribute here with a guest post, or just answer five questions from me by email. You can get me at authorphiltaylor@gmail.com.

Safe travels! ~Phil

America

50 States/50 Days: Florida the Fire Swamp

December 4, 2021 4 Comments

I’d like to preface this by saying that I will write two posts on the state of Florida. To be honest, for this post, I’m going to use something that I wrote previously about Florida. Tomorrow , or maybe even later today, I’ll post my “serious” review of Florida. Enjoy!

Florida is The Fire Swamp: Remember in The Princess Bride when Westley and Princess Buttercup were trying to get away from Prince Humperdinck and they fled into The Fire Swamp? Florida is the living embodiment of The Fire Swamp. You can go to Florida and skip Disney. The state is it’s own theme park called Nature Is Trying To Kill Us. Don’t believe me? On a good day, everyone there still has to worry about sinkholes opening up and swallowing their house or car.

Occasionally when it gets cold down in Florida, there are literally frozen iguanas dropping out of the trees. Another time the problem was monkeys with herpes.

The Fire Swamp had the R.O.U.S.’s, aka the Rodents of Unusual Size. Florida has I.O.U.S. Insects of Unusual Size. In my research for this Phil Factor I came across two news articles. One referenced a Florida infestation of “giant mosquitoes” called gallinippers that are “20 times the size of normal mosquitoes.”

Their bite is described as “being stabbed or having a hot nail driven into your skin.” Delightful huh? But it doesn’t end with mosquitoes. There are also giant, “rat-sized, tire puncturing” African snails invading Florida. That’s got to be all kinds of fun when you step out in your bare feet to pick up the morning paper. And seriously remember the R.O.U.S.’s in the movie? Tell me those didn’t look and walk like alligators!

One last thing you have to worry about in Florida is the mythical “Florida Man”. Just for fun, go to Google and type in the phrase “Florida Man” and your birthday, just month and day. I think you’ll enjoy the results.

Alright, I guess I’ve had my fun with Florida. Despite it being a fire swamp, there’s a a lot to like about Florida and I’ll get to that in my next post. Have a great weekend and safe travels! ~Phil

America

My 50/50 Challenge: The Hobos of Delaware!

December 3, 2021 No Comments

The Wilmington, Delaware skyline. Picture credit: Site Selection Magazine

Delaware Fun Fact: NBA legend Charles Barkley named his daughter Christiana after the Christiana Mall in Newark, Delaware.

Before I sat down to write this, if you had asked me to name a city in Delaware, I couldn’t. And I’ve been to Delaware this year! That’s how memorable Delaware was. I’ve heard of Wilmington, Delaware before, but honestly how many of you could remember the only city in Delaware? Delaware is the second smallest state. Quick, name the smallest! I’ll give you the answer later.

In my “research”, I looked up a list of the “25 Best Things to Do in Delaware.” Ten of the best things to do is to go to museums. 40% of the best things do are museums? Fantastic. When I’m 80 remind me to visit Delaware again. Maybe I’m being a little hard on Delaware because many of the other choices were beaches!

If you’re there in the winter visit all the museums. If you’re there in the summer, visit their beaches. To be fair, they also have a zoo in Brandywine, and an amusement park in Rehoboth beach. How great of a place can that be if it’s got the word ‘hobo’ right in the name? I apologize to any of the hobo’s I may have offended by associating them with Delaware. Rhode Island is the smallest state.

Safe travels! ~Phil

America

50 States in 50 Days: Connecticut!

December 2, 2021 No Comments

If you’re new here, no I’m not visiting 50 states in 50 days. I’m reviewing 50 states in 50 days in alphabetical order. Today’s subject is Connecticut, the Nutmeg State. The Nutmeg State? “According to CTstatelibrary.org “the Nutmeg State, is applied to Connecticut because its early inhabitants had the reputation of being so ingenious and shrewd that they were able to make and sell wooden nutmegs.” Really?They’re shrewd because they made fake nuts out of wood? C’mon Connecticut, I’m doing a review here. You’ve got to give me something better than that to work with.

Connecticut is a state I know well from many work visits. It’s capitol is the city of Hartford, like the insurance. Hartford, Connecticut is a nice medium sized city that doesn’t give you a big city feel. It’s an easy city to get around and find parking. Hartford, can easily be mispronounced as Fart-herd, after a couple drinks, although I have no experience with that. The city of Hartford is the United States epicenter of insurance. There’s about ten big, big buildings in the city of Hartford and they are homes to different insurance companies, which is why you’ll only want to visit there instead of living there. Who wants to be surrounded by insurance salesmen and women constantly? Remember Ned Ryerson from Groundhog Day? That’s about 50% of the Hartford population. The other 50% are the best insured people in all the world!

Ok, enough of my wisecracks. Let’s really look at Connecticut. Outside of Hartford (you just thought Fart-herd didn’t you?) are a million quaint little New England towns. In the fall when you want to see leaves change, skip Vermont and go to Connecticut and stay in a bed and breakfast in one of these quaint towns. But make sure you get the heck out of there before fall is over because a brutal northeastern winter is coming.

In the summer you’ll want to visit for all the seaside towns with beautiful beaches. Mystic, Connecticut of the famous Mystic Pizza movie has a great beach and at the end of the day you can get pizza served to you by Julia Roberts at the real Mystic Pizza.

The beach near Mystic has a world of entertainment for the kids so you can just relax on the beach while they run off to entertain themselves.

All in all, Connecticut isn’t a bad place to visit in the summer and fall. Hartford also has a nice, relatively small airport that is easy to get in and out of. If you want that New England type of vacation without paying Cape Cod money, Connecticut isn’t a bad way to go. Enjoy your Nutmegs! (but don’t eat them because they’re made of wood)

Safe travels! ~Phil

America

50/50: Colorado is Full of Surprises!

December 1, 2021 No Comments

The snow covered Rocky Mountains stand tall in the background with green trees and the Downtown Denver skyscrapers filling the skyline.

Colorado, the Centennial State! What does that even mean? Does it mean that it’s been a state for 100 years? What do they call it next year? The Centennial Plus One State? That’s going to get tedious pretty fast. In my mind Colorado is the other side of the Arizona coin. The way I think Arizona is just a dry desert everywhere all year, I assume that Colorado is just snowy all the time and everyone there gets about by skiing. As with most things, I’m wrong about that.

There’s sand dunes in Colorado! And you can surf them! That is definitely now on my list of things to do when I get to Colorado. One thing that’s not on my list when I go to Colorado is skiing. I know they have the best skiing in the world, but I want no part of it. When I was young I skied, and it was fun. Even the falling down. But I’m at a point in my life where I don’t want pay $100 to fall down ten times in a day doing something that’s supposed to be fun. If I’m going to fall into water, I want it to be in a warm ocean with a beach.

There’s the gratuitous skiing picture you must have for Colorado. Colorado is a sportsmen’s (and women’s) paradise. Mountains to climb, trails to hike and glorious scenery in every direction. If you’re not into all that nature Colorado boasts the big, beautiful city of Denver offers sports where you can buy a beer and a burger and watch the game featuring the Denver Broncos, the Colorado Rockies, and the Colorado Avalanche. Not together all at once though. Being a legit big city, Denver has a thriving nightlife as well.

If you’re a music fan you can see a concert at the world renowned Red Rocks Amphitheatre where so many famous live videos have been filmed.

Colorado is very much an outdoor state. Colorado fun fact: Colorado has the 6th highest number of certified scuba divers. Yes, scuba divers are all over this landlocked state diving in lakes and reservoirs and the climate is temperate enough that in the southern part of Colorado people dive year round. Also, if you get tired of the cold in winter, there are several hot springs that you can soak in.

I’m sold on Colorado and hope to make it there one day. I hope you do too.

Safe travels! ~Phil

America

50/50: California!

November 30, 2021 No Comments

If there’s one state that offers the best and the worst the United States has to offer, it’s California. There’s the beaches and mountains and awesome cities. As a vacation destination California has more to offer than any other state. It’s a great place to visit but due to cost of living, I’m up in the air about whether I’d want to live there, and I might some day. I’ve been to California seven times and haven’t come close to seeing everything. I will tell you what I know.

San Diego is a great place to visit. If you like sunny days and warm temps then San Diego is for you. It’s only about a 2 1/2 drive from L.A. and about a 15 minute drive from Tijuana, Mexico.

It’s known for it’s beaches, parks and temperate climate. You don’t have to stay by the shore though. The city of San Diego has many walkable areas with a great nightlife and music community. I’d recommend getting a hotel in the Gaslight District where you can walk to dozens of shops, restaurants and bars, as well as the beach. The last time I was there I enjoyed the Hard Rock Hotel that has a great rock and roll vibe.

Then, there’s Los Angeles. I’ve never really been to Los Angeles. I’ve driven by it, I’ve sat in L.A. traffic on the expressway, I’ve been to the Hollywood Home Depot, and I’ve spent a ton of time in Burbank, which is about ten miles north of L.A. and is the home of Walt Disney productions, Warner Bros. Studios, Cartoon Network home office, a Universal Studios theme park, and is where a lot of show biz folks call home.

One thing about California and the L.A. area is that if you want a theme park, they’ve got them! There’s Disneyland, Universal Studios, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Disney California Adventure Park, Legoland California, and many more. I could go on, but I really didn’t want to do all that linking. Here’s a great article on The 15 Best Theme Parks and Amusement Parks in California.

If you’re not into theme parks and are more of a watersport/outdoorsy person California is for you. Hundreds of beaches all up the coast have enough room for everyone to go to the beach.

To the north of course is San Francisco and wine country as well as mountains for climbing in the summer and skiing in the winter.

Obviously, I’m a big fan of the state of California. One caveat/word of advice is don’t go in August-September which is wildfire season.Other than that, it’s well worth the trip regardless of where you go. I could probably schedule four or five vacations just to see all the different parts of the state.

Safe travels! ~Phil

America

50/50: Arkansas! (The Scavenger State)

November 30, 2021 No Comments

The Arkansas Board of Tourism would like you to know that the wildly popular Netflix series Ozark is not an entirely factual portrayal of the “The Natural State.” Partly factual, but not entirely. Jason Bateman doesn’t actually live there.

The Natural State?!!? Is that the best you can do for a state nickname? You’ve been a state since 1836 and that’s all you could come up with? You know that there’s no law saying you can’t change it, right? For cripes sake, have a statewide contest with elementary school kids to come up with a better nickname. Imagine the cute little ceremony at the capitol where you give the kid a golden pitchfork or something.

This second picture is how Arkansas would like you to remember them. Arkansas is an outdoorsman’s delight with mountains and rivers. They even have a gorge that they named Arkansas’ Grand Canyon. How sad is that?

Hey, if that’s how we’re going to do things, then there’s a creek in my backyard I just named Phil’s Amazon River.

Fear not Arkansas; if you’re not remembered for having the biggest wannabe canyon, at least you still have the hometown of Walmart.

In my research on Arkansas, which you can tell was extensive, I found a list of things to do in Arkansas. 6 of the top 10 were scavenger hunts! There you go Arkansas, your new state name! The Scavenger State! Where’s my golden pitchfork? Below is a picture of people allegedly enjoying one of those scavenger hunts.

I’ve no idea what they’re doing, but by golly that looks like a waste of time!

Arkansas, which Wikipedia reminds me is “not to be confused with Arkansaw.” There’s an Arkansaw somewhere that was actually spelled the way it sounds? Now I’m intrigued. Is it like a parallel universe, Black Mirror kind of Arkansaw where everything is interesting and worth visiting? Hey Arkansas, sorry for the rough review, but you really didn’t give me much to work with. You’ve got to get some SEO guys in there to work on getting your good stuff higher up in Google searches so that I don’t have to keep referencing Netflix shows to make it interesting.

Safe travels! ~Phil