Happy Holidays Everyone...
 

And a happy Chanumanzaa to you and yours, Mr. Hand.

Happy Holidays Everyone...
 

Aloha, Mr. Hand.

Hope everyone has some tasty waves and a cool buzz for the holidays.

progress report on the Fort Dearborn Massacre National Park
 

With steadfast resolve and luck in the form of a brief respite from the pile of killer files unleashed unto the shoulders of your correspondent, I have managed to locate the first two monuments/memorials for the new national park by Soldier Field.

The first, pictured in this 1911 photograph from the old Chicago Daily News, is by one of the architects who designed the Electricity Building for the White City.

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/...sf=n057971:@@@

According to "Images of America, Chicago's Monuments, Markers and Memorials" by John Graf and Steve Skorpad, Copyright 2002, the monument, dubbed the "Massacre Monument", is currently in storage. I'd think it shouldn't be too much trouble nabbing it for a national park. It was originally located near the site of the massacre adjacent the Pullman mansion at 18th and Calumet.

The second is a bit more problematic. Has anyone ever studied the four corners of the Michigan Ave. bridge? On a recent wintery night, you faithful civic activist and a trusty companion did just that. Lo and behold, on the southwest corner of the bridge, facing Wacker Drive, is a frieze entitled "Defense". As a side note, there are 3 other friezes on the other corners. One for Louis Joliet etc., one for the industrial rebirth following the Chicago Fire, and one for the settlers of Chicago. Once noted, they are sorta interesting to observe, though the settler's one needs to be re-engraved.

An image of the Michigan Ave. bridge frieze is found here:

http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/ecuip/di...es-01(p1).html

Will there be a problem moving the Michigan Ave. bridge to the Soldier Field neighborhood?

Well, I figure that with just a little more effort, and perhaps a non-idiot mayor, Chicago's first national park is as good as done now.

That is all.

Happy new year.

Hello

Very Important Topic -- Please Read!!
 

Important for me, anyway...

I need a vacation soon, though realistically I won't get one until late April or May. Mrs. Hand and I are not sure where we want to go. We typically like someplace tropical (i.e., as different from Chicago as we can get). Looking to go just for about seven to nine days as Grandma Hand can only handle the little ones for so long.

Also not looking at this time to do anything transcontinental, though Australia/NZ and Europe (thinking about England/Ireland for a major anniversary not too far off) are on the To Do List.

What we've done together over the past five years or so --

Hawaii, Cruise (Eastern Caribbean), California (Bay Area/LA), Vegas, Disney/Orlando...

Any thoughts would be appreciated... Thinking of Arizona, Bermuda, Alaska (would need to go later in year for both), Bahamas (Atlantis?), Mexico.

Thanks.

Very Important Topic -- Please Read!!
 

Hi again Mr. Hand, in the past year I went to south FLA with the g-friend. Coral Gables was a bit businesslike (with nice restaurants), but South Beach is fairly family friendly now. Lotso people with kids out that way, lotso hotels, and lotso ways to make you wistfully remember your youth. I'm not sure I'd do it for 7 to 9 days, but for 3 or 4 it seemed like it would be nice.

So, maybe South Beach in February/March and then somewhere else in FLA for a few (whatever that place is where Jimmy Buffett reigns? Anyway, 7-9 days seems like a long place anywhere for an American vacation. Good luck.

Hello

Very Important Topic -- Please Read!!
 

Bermuda is not a good vacation spot. It is not that warm, compared to the Caribbean. Climate-wise, think the Carolina barrier islands. It is expensive as hell. The resorts are around $400/night if you get a good deal. Booze is outrageously expensive, as is food. There is very little in the way of night life unless you want to really slum it or go very high dollar.

It's the kind of place very wealthy people like Michael Douglas and Ross Perot buy homes so they can get away from people like you and me.

Very Important Topic -- Please Read!!
 

This post should rightfully be on the vacations board, but I will respond regarding a couple of Mexico options here anyway...

Cabo San Lucas -- wonderful spot on the Baja penninsula; some nice resorts between the airport and Cabo itself allow you to be away from the city, although Cabo itself is not too touristy (compared to Cancun or other vacation spots); think Key West of the Pacific; beautiful landscape (like southern California condensed) - beach (dark blue water and pretty big waves, at least compared to the Gulf side) to desert to mountains (hills?) within 10 miles or less of width...

Playa del Carmen -- flights into Cancun are usually pretty cheap and if you go 15 or 20 miles south of that hellhole, you end up in this little, more authentic Mexican resort town; several pretty cool (and relatively cheap) boutique hotels in Playa itself or bigger resorts outside the town; decent nightlife without crazy Cancun atmosphere; pretty big waves for Gulf side and beautiful aqua water and white sand...

Both destinations are basically perfect weather-wise year round (except hurricane season for Playa). Either would be relaxing and fun for a week.

Very Important Topic -- Please Read!!
 

I'd pick Mexico over Bahamas. I've been to Atlantis -- it was OK, lots of silly fun to be had, what with the casinos and the water slides, but it was packed with families. Since you're getting away from your own little ones, you might prefer a more romantic spot. It was great for us for a 4-day weekend last February, even thought the water was too cold for snorkeling or diving, because it only involved 2 hours of flying direct to Nassau from DCA. I don't think it's worth the trip from Chicago. Also, you'd get bored after 3 days.

Mexico has more variety, more bang for the buck (especially if you want to do spendy things, like scuba, jetski, etc.), and better food and service. Plus, the water will probably be warmer.

Very Important Topic -- Please Read!!
 

Thanks to all for the suggestions, I really appreciate it.



Probably, but it is "my" board and I'm entitled to get a little selfish once in a while... Legal news is slow and bonus news isn't coming in yet here for the most part.

Plus, the board needed the traffic. Thanks again, all.

Very Important Topic -- Please Read!!
 

dammit. and I'm the one who encouraged you to take this approach with other topics. foiled by my own helpfulness!

Constructive Criticism
 

everyone can still grow,
not case sensitive must work.
beautiful bird; Evolve!





CONFIDENTIAL TO NCS








NCS, you know I respect you. I would never criticize you on Fashion, or Politics. Since neither of us "lives" here, however, I just thought I'd pass on a comment on your writing style.

first, your use of the "--" or "-" as a sort of bastardized semicolon or comma, is I'm afraid a potentially unwise choice. Let's look at your uses in the first paragraph: "Lucas-- wonderful spot", and "landscape - beach."

I understand the appeal of this type useage; it gives one the gift of a breathy, conversational style. That gift is, however, ultimately a trojan horse.

Let's look at your third paragraph now. You use "perfect weather-wise year round." Normally, one would see the hyphen as tying the weather and wise; but here you leave the reader confused. Your prior "I want to seem too free and excited to use a comma" style has now raised a problem. Are you saying the weather is perfect year round, or that the city is smart year round? Does Hand wish a vacation to an educated town, or an assurance of good weather? One reading your well-intentioned note, is left with more questions than when they began reading.

I will not comment on your run-on sentences, apparently justified in your mind by as many as 3 semicolons. Simply i refer you to Strunk & White, and its listing of the very narrow times repeated semicolons are stylistically sound.
http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk.html

Finally, and this may seem harsh, given that your motives for posting appear to be sound (other than your bald-faced grab for all posts that mention leaving one's home-town), but you must remember to keep your audience in mind.

You compare Cabo to Cancun, then say "think Key West of the Pacific." Of course, i invented using "think" in this manner, but I am happy to allow you to share in the instrument's use. Unfortunately, "think" used in this manner is best used in a clearer fashion. Are you saying Cabo or Cancun is similar to Key West? I cannot, for the life of me, tell.

More importantly, Hand, the one to whom you attempt to convey information, is, I'm sure not helped by the reference, even if he could decipher it. He has already admitted lack of knowledge of Southern Fla. What good is your reference point to him? You might as well compare the town to Mars.

As I said, I hate to be a timmy, but some of your post here seemed hap-hazard, and I just wanted to give you the feedback.

Constructive Criticism
 

Hank -- thanks for the advice - I will take it in the spirit in which is was offered; not to say I'll be able to change overnight, but I am headed out this afternoon to find myself a style manual for bulletin board posts.

Peace-out.

Very Important Topic -- Please Read!!
 

I think we need more details on your likes or dislikes though -- for example, if you want a luxurious time wallowing in sun and sand while being blissfully catered to, my recommendation would be Nevis and the Four Seasons there. I've also heard good things about Cabo San Lucas.

If, on the other hand, you like some warmth but really would just as much like to be out doing things actively -- then try the parts of Mexico that had an existence before tourism (Guadalajara, Veracruz, or Mexico City, for example -- not Cancun, Acapulco or Puerto Vallarta) or go to Belize or Costa Rica (not been to either but gotten great reports).

Mexico is also very good if you like art -- good place to both see a lot of very good art and to buy.

Constructive Criticism
 

I hate to image how much time Hank spent proofing this, even if he did miss some capitalization. NCS, he's probably given you his whole weekend.

Very Important Topic -- Please Read!!
 

Kind of a combo of the two... For example on our trip to Hawaii we did our share of lounging around, but also snorkeled, hiked and biked down Mt. Haleakala (that was sweet).

After a little more investigation, I'm seriously thinking about the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao), Grand Cayman and maybe a side trip to Cozumel or someplace to see some Mayan ruins...