Category: Destination

Chicago, free guided visit, USA

rose Leave a comment

You’re planning to visit the city of Chicago soon?
Here’s a great tip: A free service for local guides known as the ‘Chicago Greeter’ is offered to conduct customized tours of the city. These tours, lasting 2 to 4 hours, are performed by a trained volunteer who lives in the city!
Choose to explore the city from more than 40 special interest topics, including art, architecture, food, local history, family activities, ethnic Gay Chicago or Chicago and more …
Choose to visit one of the 25 different neighborhoods, each with its unique character and its own culture, history and flavor.
Choose even the language of your turn: the tours are offered in over a dozen languages.
Note that this organization is coordinating more than 200 enthusiastic volunteers to help you discover the city and share their expertise and their passion for their city. In addition, the Greeter Chicago adheres to a strict policy of refusing tips.

Tips

However you must register at least 10 days in advance in order to receive a free personalized tour according to your interests. Looking for more flexibility, or prefer to make plans to visit Chicago at the last minute? Use the Service ‘InstaGreeter’ to perform a FREE guided walk an hour to the city center (the LOOP). This service is offered on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and registration is not necessary.
For more information on this exceptional service check their website and sign up appointments.
All volunteers are happy to provide this service at no cost, to support tested and certified by a fan of  Tips and Travel.

Text & photos by Mario Bergeron

Invalid Displayed Gallery

Relaxed holidays: a cruise

rose Leave a comment

You need holidays but you don’t have many days to take?
You would like to travel to several countries or cities but you do n’t want to drive?
You won’t have time to take the train, bus or plane to get from one place to another?
You have no idea what it would be better to see in each place?
You don’t want to call here and there for reservations?
And in addition you want to have everything organized, with the luxury, fun, entertainment and knowledge of the pros? Without anything to organise, just enjoying life?
Your solution: take a cruise !!!!! Everything is thought for you ..
Tips
Check for the port where you would like to spend 2 or 3 days before or after the cruise: Rome, Fort Lauderdale, Buenos Aires, etc; the shipping company may give you these days at unbeatable prices just to have you with them or ask your travel agent what would be the special offer that can come with it.
If you care to get away from the port because you have found a better price with the airline by going to another city, do not worry, the shipping company will take you to the ship at friendly prices. Note that most companies offer you free transport from the airport if you arrive the same day the cruise start.
Consider that everything is included except alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and some specialties such as cappuccino, espresso, etc. If you want a good price, buy the beverage package (1st day on board) when the servers offer it to you, you will find that you will pay less that what you would really consume. By the way, ask in advance because several companies attract passengers with a package of all drinks included.

Invalid Displayed Gallery

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles’ Griffith Park, California, USA

rose Leave a comment

Griffith Observatory is in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park, California, sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood. It opened in 1935 with a free admission, according with Griffith’s will because he wanted to make astronomy accessible to the public and it included a planetarium under the large central dome. During World War II the planetarium was used to train pilots in celestial navigation and it was again used for this purpose in the 1960s to train Apollo program astronauts for the first lunar missions. They renovated it in 2002 and it was closes for 4 years. They built an underground expansion too with a café, a gift shop and a theater. One wall inside the building is covered with the largest astronomically accurate image ever constructed “The Big Picture” 150 feet (46 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) depicting the Virgo Cluster of galaxies; visitors can explore the highly detailed image from within arm’s reach or through telescopes 60 feet (18 m) away. The observatory has six sections: The Wilder Hall of the Eye, the Ahmanson Hall of the Sky, the W.M. Keck Foundation Central Rotunda, the Cosmic Connection, the Gunther Depths of Space Hall, and the Edge of Space Mezzanine and you can see different exhibitions in each part.

Tips

The observatory is closed on Mondays. The entrance is free but you must pay the shows in the planetarium.
There’s a small free parking next to the Observatory, but you can also leave your car along the steep road leading up to the observatory.
You also have a public bus leaving from the Vermont-Sunset Metro station at weekends.
It’s a very good spot to make photos of the Pacific Ocean, the Hollywood Sign and Downtown Los Angeles.

Invalid Displayed Gallery