Navy Pier

Chicago, Illinois - USA

Five piers were meant to be built, but only one saw the light of day.

 

Chicago and Navy Pier

Chicago, Illinois - USA

Navy Pier was built in 1916, but was originally used as a cargo facility for lake freighters.  Over time use diminished and it became used more as a public gathering space.  In 1990 major renovation took place and today we can enjoy many food kiosks, restaurants, a Ferris wheel, an IMAX theatre, the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, the Chicago Children's Museum, to just name a few.

I highly suggest jumping on the ferry that goes back and forth between Navy Pier and the Shedd Aquarium to see the wonderful skyline views of Chicago.

Chicago's shoreline

Chicago, Illinois - USA

Here's another angle of Chicago and its shorline...

 

Chicago, Chicago!

Chicago, Illinois - USA

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, thanks to Montgomery Ward and a number of other people, ordinances were put in place restricting development of lakefront property.  Because of this, Chicago has a long stretch of parks and green spaces all along Lake Michigan, creating perfect areas for Chicagoans and visitors alike to enjoy the beauty of this great city!

architecture, design and art

Chicago, Illinois - USA

Millennium Park is the place to be if you are an admirer of architecture, landscape design, green spaces and art.  So many cultural activities are carried out here including concerts, exhibitions and more - all surrounded by the vast Lake Michigan shoreline and Chicago's amazing architecture!

Buckingham Fountain

Chicago, Illinois - USA

Buckingham Fountain, designed by Edgar H. Bennett, was inspired by a fountain at the Palace of Versailles and was meant to represent Lake Michigan with four sea horses surrounding it, each one symbolizing the four states that border Lake Michigan:  Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana.

Lands' End

San Francisco, California - USA

The Lands' End Trail is part of the California Coastal Trail.  I suggest doing this if you are ever in San Francisco.  You have some breathtaking views all along the way!

tallest building in SF

San Francisco, California - USA

The Transamerica Pyramid can be spotted from many angles of the city.  Here it can be seen from a street of Chinatown.

cables in the Castro

San Francisco, California - USA

The Castro, one of the first gay neighborhoods in the U.S., continues to be a prominent symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activism and events.

 

Alamo Square

San Francisco, California - USA

Alamo Square sits high on a hill overlooking downtown San Francisco and is a place where many people gather to enjoy a lazy afternoon.  Many Victorian houses line this park on all sides creating a beautiful backdrop.

 

yet another mural...

San Francisco, California - USA

Balmy Alley murals in the Mission District of San Francisco

more murals

San Francisco, California - USA

Balmy Alley murals in the Mission District of San Francisco

Mission District murals

San Francisco, California - USA

This mural honors the great painters, Friday Kahlo, and her husband, Diego Rivera, as well as other important figures from Latin America.

so many murals

San Francisco, California - USA

Murals on Balmy Alley in the Mission District of San Francisco

Balmy Alley

San Francisco, California - USA

Many murals can be seen throughout the Mission District of San Francisco.  Balmy Alley, in particular, contains the most concentrated collection of murals.  These murals initiated in the 1980s as an expression of artists' outrage over what was happening with human rights and political abuses in Central America.  Murals can be found on garage doors, walls, gates or whatever area is possible.  Today the murals are constantly changing and range from a variety of issues.  I highly recommend walking around this colorful and vibrant multi-cultural neighborhood.  It's definitely worth your time.

San Francisco Bay

San Francisco, California - USA

San Francisco Bay and its impressive skyline...  The brown dome-like structure that stands out is the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre.

iconic bridge

San Francisco, California - USA

Yep, it's the top of the Golden Gate Bridge!
 

California Coastal Trail

San Francisco, California - USA

The California Coastal Trail is a great way to spend your sunny day walking along the California coastline.  Here in the picture is Baker Beach.

Ocean Beach in SF

San Francisco, California - USA

Ocean Beach, forming part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is popular among serious surfers.

 

San Francisco skyline

San Francisco, California - USA

Views of Coit Tower and the San Francisco skyline taken from the rooftop of the California School of Fine Arts.

Coit Tower murals

San Francisco, California - USA

Here is one of the many murals to be seen while walking up to the top of Coit Tower.

view from 65 meters up

San Francisco, California - USA

Here is one of the angles to be seen from the top of Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill.

Coit Tower

San Francisco, California - USA

Coit Tower stands today thanks in part to Lillian Coit who donated a third of her estate money to the city of San Francisco when she died in 1929.  She requested it be used to add beauty to the city she loved.  As a result, this tower was built on Telegraph Hill offering beautiful 360º views of the bay area.  Faculty and students from the California School of Fine Arts were asked to paint murals inside focusing on scenes from San Francisco, racial equality and leftist political ideas.

 

Jack Kerouac

San Francisco, California - USA

Jack Kerouac is a novelist and poet and, alongside Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs, is considered a pioneer of the Beat Generation.  Many references are made to him in San Francisco, such as this street which became a pedestrian street and was painted with several murals and references from his work.

North Beach neighborhood

San Francisco, California - USA

North Beach is considered the Little Italy of San Francisco and is also where the Beat Generation came to be known in the 1950s.  Many Beatnik writers such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso, just to name a few, lived in this neighborhood.

Columbus and Transamerica

San Francisco, California - USA

The Columbus tower (also known as the flatiron building) on the right and the Transamerica Pyramid on the left are two emblematic buildings of San Francisco.  The flatiron building, located in the North Beach neighborhood, was taken over in the 1970s by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas creating the American Zoetrope Studio, an early adopter of digital filmmaking.

Old St. Mary's

San Francisco, California - USA

Here's the first building to be erected in the state of California and considered cathedral.  St. Mary's, standing in the heart of Chinatown, was started in 1853 and was one of few buildings to remain standing after the San Francisco earthquake in 1906.  Much of the stone for this cathedral was quarried and cut in China.

transportation

San Francisco, California - USA

Here you have one of many means of public transportation offered in San Francisco.

 

downtown Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - USA

The Milwaukee River flows through downtown Milwaukee and empties into Lake Michigan.
 

Quadracci Pavilion

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - USA

This wing-like structure, known as the Burke Brise Soleil from the Milwaukee Art Museum, opens and closes at different times of the day acting somewhat as a sunscreen.  It was designed by Santiago Calatrava, a Spanish architect.

Windhover Hall

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - USA

Windhover Hall, overlooking Lake Michigan, is the grand entrance to the Milwaukee Art Museum.
 

Calatrava in Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee Art Museum on Lake Michigan designed by Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava.
 

Lake Michigan

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

on the shores of Lake Superior

Cornucopia, Wisconsin

I love this little town on the shores of Lake Superior!  It's considered the northernmost village of Wisconsin.

Chequamegon

Drummond, Wisconsin

Covering more than 1.5 million acres of northern Wisconsin, this forest offers nature lovers endless possibilities!

Kasbah Ellouze

Tamdaght (Ouarzazate), Morocco

Kasbah Ellouze is one of the most amazing places I have ever stayed!  Colette and Michel Guillen are a charming French couple who welcome you to this wonderful paradise.

 

a pick up game of soccer

Tamdaght (Ouarzazate), Morocco

daily life in Tamdaght - a pick up game of soccer at sunset...

 

P-1506

Tamdaght (Ouarzazate), Morocco

Road P-1506 takes you to rural Morocco.  On this road you see things you've never seen before!  Tamdaght is just the beginning!

Ait Benhaddou

Ait Benhaddou (Ouarzazate), Morocco

This spectacular fortified city (ksar) full of kasbahs has been used numerous times to shoot films and TV series such as Lawrence of Arabia, The Jewel of the Nile, Gladiator, Babel, and The Game of Thrones, just to name a few.  The ksar was founded in 757 with one family and over time more families joined in.  It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

It really is something you think only exists in the movies!  Amazing!

Berber blue

Ouarzazate, Morocco

driving through the palm groves

Skoura (Ouarzazate), Morocco

heavy loads

before Skoura (Ouarzazate), Morocco

along the Dades River...

spices by weight

Boumalne Dades (Ouarzazate), Morocco

Local markets in Morocco wouldn't be complete without these emblematic bags of spices.

 

local markets

Boumalne Dades (Ouarzazate), Morocco

Dades River Valley, Morocco

Dades River Valley, Morocco

The Dades River Valley and Gorge area is unbelievable!  The distinctive patterns in the rock formed from water and wind erosion are curiously called "monkey fingers".  The rocks and red earth are beautiful themselves, but the deep green of the Dades River Valley makes this a very special place to visit, one I will never forget!  

This is the area of a 1000 kasbahs.  One can be seen in the distance to your left.  Click here for a closer look!

life

Ziz River Valley, Morocco

The river of green gives life to this area...

Ziz River Valley

Ziz River Valley (Errachidia), Morocco

a river of palm trees

Ziz River Valley (Errachidia), Morocco

The Ziz River valley, tucked away between the Atlas mountains, is a river of green going for miles that will make you say "wow" more than once!

when the sun goes down

Merzouga (Erg Chebbi), Morocco

golden

Merzouga (Erg Chebbi), Morocco

that magical time of the day when the sand turns into many different hues of orange, red... a color difficult to describe...