The Silent "I"

Carnival of Cities Blog Carnival: November 4, 2009 Edition

We have great group of travel bloggers providing their expert tips and advice on traveling in this week's Carnival of Cities! Join our intrepid travelers as they scour the globe for interesting, fun, and just plain cool places to go and things to see.  I'll be your tour guide this week.

USA

Starting out on the East Coast, for all you baseball fans, Christian Carollo presents Back to Back: Philadelphia Phillies posted at Christian Carollo Photography. Christian documents last year's World Series winners and hopes for a repeat performance.  Will they or won't they? Yankee fans might beg to diffah (as we used to say when I lived in the Bronx), but the Phillies fans in Christian's photos look like they are ready to bring it home again.

Moving down to Maryland, Jennifer takes us down on the farm with Homestead Farm – Poolesville, MD – You Capture Autumn posted at Two Kids and a Map. You can feel the fall nip in the air with her photos of a lovely pumpkin patch and cute kids.

Traveling on south to Florida, Amy at The Q Family takes us on a tour of one of her family's favorite destinations with Disney's Animal Kingdom: The Condense Version posted at The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog. Amy also has some great tips for families traveling to Disney parks at the end of her post that you won't want to miss.

Moving on to the midwest, and my former home in Chicago, Illinois, Dominique King takes us Inside the Chicago Cultural Center at Midwest Guest. I never got to see this when I lived in Chicago in the 1980's, and it's definitely a must-see next time I visit.

Jack Norell reminded me of one of my favorite Chicago haunts in his post, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago over at Eyeflare Travel Articles and Tips. He has a gorgeous shot of kids meeting a polar bear that you just have to see to believe.  I'd love to take my son there.

Great Northern Adventure: Angle Inlet, Minnesota

Back in November, 2002, before I had a blog or even knew what a blog was, Frank, Alex and I ventured north to Minnesota, North Dakota, and Canada.  This is the beginning of a series of stories from that trip, a little walk through the snow down memory lane.

❄ November 3-5, 2002 ❄

Frank, Alexander and I started our Great Northern Adventure by flying from San Jose, California, U.S.A. to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on Sunday, November 3, 2002.  Alex was 2 1/2, a talkative, bright toddler with a will of titanium.  Our journey took us from Winnipeg to such glamor spots as Angle Inlet, Minnesota; Pembina, North Dakota; and Steinbach, Manitoba, all the way north to our final destination in Churchill, Manitoba to witness the annual polar bear migration.  We could have dubbed this the “Bears or Bust Tour.” 

Our trip started out auspiciously enough.  The California weather was cool and clear, and perfect for flying.  At the San Jose Airport, Alexander got to burn off a little of his excess toddler-energy at the play scape in Terminal C, then we boarded a United flight to Denver.  We changed planes in Denver to a small regional jet, where Alexander tortured the man in front of him for two solid hours by alternately screeching maniacally and kicking his seat. We arrived in Winnipeg later that night. 

We spent the first night in the 4 Points Hotel, a comfortable and convenient place that was literally across the street from the airport.  The next morning, Frank picked up a rented Volvo station wagon, and we were off.  Our first mission was to find some extra snow gear before heading to the wilds of Canada and the Northern United States.  The friendly hotel staff directed us to a nearby mall, but recommended the local Wal-Mart as the place to shop for snow gear.  We found the mall, and promptly bought snow boots for Alexander at Sears.  We didn’t find much for ourselves, and everyone we asked recommended that we go to—you guessed it—Wal-Mart.  After the fifth person recommended Wal-Mart, I gritted my teeth to overcome my deep-seated anti-Wal-Mart bias (I am a loyal Target shopper), and reluctantly agreed to go there.

Wal-Mart was all the locals said it would be and more, and did not disappoint. Evidently, not all Wal-Marts are created equal. This one was spacious, clean, with clearly marked aisles.  The one we have near our home has the perpetual look of a store that has just been looted, so this was surprising to me. After arming ourselves with cheaper-than-cheap boots, scarves, film, and miscellaneous other winter-vacation related items, we headed blindly into the snow country.