Travel tales: a restful stay in Chicago

As I write this, I'm on the plane en route to New Orleans. Shut up! Wifi on the plane is so Beyond 2000. Who would have thought?

My stay in Chicago was a restful one. I'm travelling for six weeks and cannot afford to push myself. And so I spent a lot of time in my hostel room writing and listening to podcasts. It was nice. And people in Chicago are friendly.

I booked into the Chicago Getaway Hostel in Lincoln Park. I saw on Trip Advisor it was voted the best hostel in Chicago, and I read they're also striving to be the best in America. I hadn't been to a hostel since the early 2000s when I went to Sydney on a trip with a uni friend. This hostel was affordable for me travelling alone, clean and warm. A little too warm at times, but Chicago has been cold. Most days were a maximum of 7-8 degres Celsius. People have told me this is a lot warmer than it's been. The showers at the hostel were clean, the bed was comfortable though probably too minimal for me (the bedding was a bit too small) and the free breakfast and cooking facilities was really great! Staff were friendly and knowledgable too. And the neighbourhood was safe. I highly recommend the Getaway.

I rested a lot on my first day - had food and a nap, and then met up with my friend Jenni Prokopy who runs Chronic Babe - the amazing resource and community for chronically ill women.

It was fantastic meeting her - we have known each other for three or so years now and we chatted like old friends over dinner. We have a lot of things in common - blogging, chronic illness and pushing ourselves to the limit. It was so good to chat face to face. We went to Big Jones which has a southern style menu. We had a pickle tasting plate and shrimp and grits. Grits is like a corn porridge. It was so good - very warming for a cold night. The staff were lovely, asking about Australia and giving me tips for my stay in America. Jenni took me to a bar after dinner - we went to a private party for a band she knows, and then saw the band. I was pretty tired from being awake for so long that day so I was home by 10.30 pm.

Sunday was spent looking at art. I went to the Art Institute of Chicago, which was highly recommended by a few people I've met. It was huge and I was in awe by some of the exhibits - I gasped and teared up when I saw Chagall's windows and Monet's Water Lilies. Such a privilege to see them up close.

I saw The Bean - which is a wonderful polished metal sculpture in Millenium Park. I love how it reflects the skyline. So many people milled around it, taking photos and gazing at its wonder. You can walk underneath it, its curves contorting bodies.

I also did some retail therapy in Anthropologie. Oh I love this store and want everything! This dress is so perfect - it's a lot brighter than the filter shows.

Monday was spent exploring the streets. I saw Lake Michigan from the very underwhelming Navy Pier (it's under construction).

The architecture is so intricate.

I went to the Field Museum too - after getting on a bus to anywhere. The taxidermy section was wonderful - as was the American Indian exhibit. I spent some time in a teepee where a historian told children stories of how the American Indians lived. We sat on buffalo skins around a pretend campfire and listened to her tell stories. It was so special.

I've met some wonderful friends in Chicago - including a family with three children who have Ichthyosis. I will share that story soon.

More from New Orleans in a few days :)

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Travel tales: Diving for pearls

I tend to get a little keepsake from each city I visit when I travel, it's usually a piece of jewellery. On my last day in San Francisco I realised all I'd done was eat, and other than sunglasses, a hat and scarf I'd bought to protect myself from the weather, I only had one keepsake that I'd posted back to Australia already to save space (a cookbook).

Carolyn, her mum and I went to Pier 39 on Fisherman's Wharf - it's an outdoor shopping and eating area, a lot like Santa Monica Pier. We ate and meandered through the windy open area looking at shops and laughing at sights. We came across a pearl store called Pearl Factory. At first I thought I couldn't afford to buy anything (because the necklace I initially picked out cost more than any piece of jewellery that I own) but then I saw the pearl diving ceremony and I wanted in.

That's right, a pearl diving ceremony! At $15 I couldn't go wrong!

First I had to pick out an oyster from a bowl with some wooden tongs. I placed it in a wooden bowl and the sales assistant began the ceremony.

The ceremony involved tapping the shell three times, the staff ringing a bell and encouraging everyone in the store to shout "Aloha"! I half expected some hula girls to come out from under the counter and dance.

Then the sales assistant opened the oyster shell really carefully. She showed me the oyster inside - it was smelly and I was told I couldn't eat it! She said the colour of the inside of the shell determines the pearl colour. Pearls come in many colours, and Pearl Factory has meanings for each colour.

And then she gently removed the oyster to reveal the pearl. What a beauty it was! She said it was a big pearl and it had been forming for two years.

After cleaning the pearl by gently rubbing it in some salt on a towel, it was placed in my hand. "Congratulations!", the sales assistant said, telling me that I'm the first person to touch it. She asked me to rub it in my hands for good luck. She then showed me a tiny hole which is known as a belly button. She said an innie is a boy and an outie is - well you know, a girl. She said "Congratulations" again, telling me I have a boy!

Such a fuss was made over me - it was like when I was five years old and 'gave birth' to a cabbage patch kid. Really kitsch but special too.

The pearls are cultivated in mollusc shells from the Mississippi River. They are left to grow and are then chosen by customers. That little belly button hole I mentioned is where the pearl is attached to the oyster, getting its nutrients I guess. Isn't that amazing? It's also used as a point for a fitting to be affixed to the pearl - a bigger tiny hole is drilled with a machine.

I was asked what I wanted to do with my pearl. I wanted an affordable necklace. I was shown some fittings including a little cage, and I picked a whale tale. The sales assistant glued the fitting in place and I was presented with a beautiful pendant. Mum suggested I wear it on my wedding day!

Diving for pearls was a lot of fun, and I'm glad I have something to wear to remember San Francisco by.

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Travel tales: my last day in San Francisco - Pier 39, [he]artwork in Union Square and Grand Cafe

My last day in San Francisco was spent as a true tourist. I spent an hour at the laundromat reading tour brochures, and was scared by gunshots and a growling chihuahua. TheTenderloin District was an eye opener. Ted was lying face down in the gutter outside my hotel. He's really gotta kerb his habits.

Carolyn picked me up from my hotel mid morning and asked what I wanted to do. "It's your day", she said. My choice was to go to Fisherman's Wharf. I loved the Ferry Building and wanted to see more. It started off as a clear day - but turned very cold and windy. Gosh San Francisco reminds me of Melbourne.

First stop was Pier 39 on Fisherman's Wharf. It's like Santa Monica Pier - with rides, performers, really touristy shops and restaurants. It was bitterly cold. Nice view though!

I stumbled across Passenger performing at the start of Pier 39.

I wish I had a better photo. The crowd circling around him was huge and he was brilliant. I have friends who see Passenger regularly in Australia and I have seen their pictures of his street performances. He said the performance that day was not a PR stunt, it's because he genuinely loves doing these shows, bringing music to the people.

Carolyn, her mum and I were hungry. I suggested Bubba Gump Shrimp Co - I knew it was kitsch and American. It had a strong Forrest Gump theme, which I delighted in! I posed for some cute photos on Forrest's bench.

His shoes make my legs look so thin!

There were cute trinkets as a nod to the film - these licence plates signalled waiters to stop at our table or keep moving. There was a menu sandwiched between table tennis bats too.

I had a shrimp mac and cheese - warming for the cold day. Relax - it was an appetiser size and I had a green smoothie that morning.

After lunch, we went to the dock to view the sea lions. So fun! They barked and sunned themselves and some just did their own thing - playing around on the rafts.

And then Carolyn drove to Union Square where I wanted to see these giant hearts. I'm a sucker for street art and these made me happy to see.

This one is called Bloodlines by Emma Webster.

The hearts were a project to raise money for the San Francisco General Hospital Medical Centre in 2004. There are 100 of them through the city.

This one above was painted by Tony Bennett, renowned for 'I left my heart in San Francisco'. Isn't it wonderful?!

I wish I'd seen more hearts - that scavenger hunt can be for next visit!

We also had dinner at the Grand Cafe in Geary Street - it was a stumble upon - and we were so glad we found it! It was an upmarket cafe in a downmarket area. I had trout and an interesting dessert of crispy custard and berries.

It was such a fun day, despite the cold. I really enjoyed my time in San Francisco and am so thankful for all the wonderful people I met and made the time to show me around.

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Travel tales: Haight, Dottie's, Stinson Beach and Boulevard.

A couple of months ago Darren Hayes and I were chatting on Twitter and I mentioned I was going to San Francisco. He lived in Sausalito for a number of years and so I knew he'd have a local's perspective of the city. I asked him for some tips, he asked me to email him, and when I did, he replied with an email full of places to visit. I planned to do the Darren Hayes Day Out during my time here, and it was only fitting that I did most of it with another fan of his.

Darren recommended breakfast at Dottie's, a trip to Stinson Beach, Haight and dinner at Boulevard.

On Wednesday afternoon I went to Haight - it's a hippy part of town, a lot like Brunswick Streer in Melbourne. There's an eclectic range of shops selling everything from lingerie to smoking pipes, and cafes dotted along the street. I loved the street art on Haight.

Here's Urge Burger, where I did stop to have a late lunch of clam chowder on Wednesday. (This pic was taken on Wednesday.)

The door of a Tibetan gift shop :

A themed series on lower Haight:

On Thursday I transferred from Larisa's place to a hotel. Carolyn, who's a Darren Hayes fan and also happens to have Ichthyosis, had driven all the way from Southern California to meet me. She picked me up and after dropping my cases at the hotel (which is in the Tenderloin district - a rather disconcerting neighbourhood rife with homeless and drug addicts) we set off to continue Darren's recommendations.

First stop was Dottie's True Blue Cafe where there was a bit of a wait to get inside - it's very popular. The doorman was very good at crowd control, calling customers in when a table became available and shutting the door firmly in front of those left waiting! It's at 28 6th Street - again, a non fancy part of town. We were approached by a man who was selling line drawings - he said he gave them to school children to colour in. I couldn't decipher any sort of pictures in these drawings, but one was a playboy theme, which he gave to Carolyn after she gave him a few dollars. As we waited in the queue I asked Carolyn if she'd be in a photo, and then asked a man in front of us if he'd take our picture.

I ordered a delicious hot chocolate which came in a mason jar. It was thick and chocolatey - perfect for the cool weather here.

We both had the true blue plate - eggs cooked how we wanted (we both had scrambled), bacon, ham or sausage (we both had bacon), home style fries and a choice of pancakes or French toast (I had pancakes and Carolyn had French toast). The serving size was huge! I ate half my meal.

Those were cinnamon and ginger pancakes were the best I've ever tasted. And I did eat both!

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Next was driving across the Gollden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. The sky is so blue here. I love it.

We picked up Carolyn's mother and then took a scenic drive to Stinson Beach in Marin County. It was about a thirty minute windy drive through lush green mountains. Look at the view!

I'd never tire of looking at the sparkling water and clear skies. Beautiful!

Carolyn was such a patient driver, stopping at my request and laughing when we got lost. She stopped so I could take a photo of O'Farrell's Theatre - which I believe is a strip club - but I just liked the whales.

I had a rest back at my hotel (too scared to venture out!) and Carolyn and her mum went back to Sausilito, and then we went to dinner - on Darren's final recommendation for our day out.

We went to Boulevard Restaurant (1 Mission Street) to experience some fine dining. I highly recommend Boulevard - it's on the pricey side for American food, but is probably on par with a good meal (mains and entree/dessert plus drinks) in Melbourne. I had quail done two ways (crispy and rolled then baked), and buffalo milk deconstructed cheesecake with pear spheres. Yum!

Carolyn had lamb for her mains, and butterscotch pudding for dessert. She had wine, I had an elderflower soda.

It's such a small world - the waiter at Boulevard was the same man who took our photo in the queue at Dottie's True Blue Cafe earlier in the day! He was a great waiter (they all are here) and we got talking about what we did in the day.

Darren saw my tweets about Boulevard and told us that it's a special place for him. It was lovely to experience San Francisco through the recommendations of a man whose career we've followed for so long, and really special to dine at Boulevard because of what it means to him.

It was a lovely day out! Thanks for driving me Carolyn, and thanks for the guidance, Darren!

Not only did Carolyn and I talk so much about our shared experiences of life with Ichthyosis (our conditions and treatments vary but our attitudes towards it and peoples' reactions are very similar), we bonded over our fandom for Darren Hayes. His music, seeing him live, traveling to see him and connecting with him on Twitter has had a similar effect on us. We can both remember when his music entered his life - me in 1995 and Carolyn in 2005. She's made life-longfriends across the world through the Darren Hayes fan club. It's pretty special how an artist can create a community.

Travel tales: my introduction to San Francisco - the Golden Gate Bridge, The Ferry Building and Alcatraz.

I'm in San Francisco now! It's such a beautiful city, reminds me of Melbourne with its cool (very cold) weather, accessible public transport, friendly and eclectic mix of people and abundance of good food.

I'm staying with Larisa and her housemates for now, until tomorrow when I'll go to a hotel and then meet up with Carolyn. I love how blogging has enabled me to meet so many wonderful people! And it's nice having company in a new city.

When I arrived on Sunday, Larisa took me to some beautiful scenic spots with water views. It's so so beautiful here- endless blue skies (when it's not raining!), parks and beaches.

The Golden Gate Bridge:

San Francisco Bay:

The sun setting at Land's End:

Jumping on the Golden Gate Bridge:

Larisa and I with the Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop:

We made pizzas!:

I explored downtown San Francisco on my own on Monday - visiting a mall and also the Ferry Building - which I loved more than the mall.

The marketplace inside was amazing, reminding me of the Chelsea Market in New York. It is filled with gourmet food shops and restaurants. I ate some oysters and some cheese. I really wanted this plate from Cowgirl Creamery but it's too heavy and expensive to send home.

On Tuesday I went to Alcatraz Island. It was so cold (maybe 10 degrees celsius) and wet, and on my way to the ferry there was a massive downpour, so I didn't feel my enthusiastic best. I was cold and wet and really struggling to be there.

It was worth going to Alcatraz through - I did a very informative audio tour which came highly recommended by my friends.former prisoners, guards and family members of guards narrated the tour. My ticket was $30 and the ferry ride was included. There's no food or drink allowed on the island, other than bottled water, and the island staff ship in this water because there's no clean water source there.

The sign on the dock of Alcatraz. The federal prison operated on Alcatraz Island from 1934-1963. The island originally served to protect the American goldfields and then as a military prison. Now it is a national park, open to visitors.

Alcatraz federal prison was known as 'the prison within a prison' - prisoners were transferred there from other prisons. Its aim was to punish not rehabilitate.

Inside a prison cell at Alcatraz. Prisoners received a cell, food, water and medical treatment. Anything on top of that was a privilege.

Looking up at the three storeys of cells in Alcatraz prison. Prisoners were segregated based on their race and severity of crime.

One of the arrival cells at Alcatraz. Each cell was 5×9 feet and had a bed, a small table and chair affixed to the wall, a sink and toilet.

Looking into the recreation yard at Alcatraz. Prisoners were allowed into the yard for a maximum of five hours on Saturday and Sunday, and their yard access stripped if they were badly behaved. Theh played baseball and softball, socialised and played horse shoes and bridge. Sometimes they spent hours focusing on these games to take their minds off the prison life.

The maximum security cell at Alcatraz. These were, surprisingly bigger than the standard cells.

Inside a maximum security cell in Alcatraz prison. It was cold, dark, bare and eerie.

In the library at Alcatraz prison. Prisoners read to escape. Some prisoners also studied for degrees.

Some of the better behaved prisoners were placed in the sunnier cells in Alcatraz There was recreation other than sports - art, music and sing alongs at night.

Through the prison window looking across to San Francisco. Sometimes prisoners could hear the fireworks and celebrations happening in San Francisco on new years eve.

Inside the kitchen at Alcatraz. Prisoners had the best food in the federal prison system at the time. They never rioted in the dining hall because they were so satisfied with the food.

While Alcatraz was not intended for rehabilitation, prisoners were expected to show some reform before being moved to another prison. Yesterday Bill Baker, a former prisoner, was there signing a book.

Some of the staff living quarters. The prison staff and their families lived on Alcatraz Island. Though they heard the prisoners at times, they never locked their doors as they felt safe.

A few thoughts:

Why wasn't I smiling in that picture of me inside the cell?

It was cold and bare and eerie. People had died inside prison cells. Prisoners would have felt great loneliness and isolation there. I don't believe a place like Alcatraz or the September 11 memorial is a place for smiling photos.

Alcatraz reminded me of Port Arthur - lonely, isolated, haunted. There's a sense of heaviness knowing people died from violence there - and it's obvious too - the bullet sprays in the floor - the evidence of a siege made me step back, and the prison cell dedicated to a guard who was killed showed just how dangerous some of the prisoners were. There was a sign in the museum featuring a picture of the guards and a quote "hours of boredom...seconds of terror".

Bill Baker, the former prisoner who was signing books, was incarcerated in Alcatraz aged 24 for three years. His crime was cashing fraudulent cheques, but he was transferred to Alcatraz for his ability to escape prison.

He was so well regarded by the tour staff who greeted us from the boat. She described him as "a loveable teddy bear who we just want to hug". He is 80 years old and only been released from prison recently, still serving parole. Perhaps the level of dignity and respect shown to him now is to make up for the time spent in Alcatraz.

Bill decided to do a residency at Alcatraz after spending a night in his old cell and seeing another former inmate there telling his story.He was open to any question and visitors were genuinely thankful to him for his time. You can listen to an interview with Bill on NPR.

There was a room dedicated to art inspired by modern day prison life. Much of the art was political, commenting on the isolation of prison and the way mental illness is as much a prison state as a prison cell. It was a salute to the need for rehabilitation and mental support that Alcatraz did not provide.

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This is only the start of my holiday and I'm wanting to take it slower than last time. I'm hanging around at Larisa's this morning before heading out to explore further, and meet another friend I've met through blogging. I'm really missing Adam and feeling the cold. I'm trying not to take a million photos and stop and live in the present. I won't be blogging every day like last trip. You can see my photos on Instagram.