Folinazzo

It’s not news to anyone that I like to travel, that I plan trips months in advance.  It’s what keeps me going; I can’t help it.  Some folks think I have traveled extensively – and I have.  I’m not ungrateful for the trips I have taken; however, there is still so much of this world that I want to see!  When I think about certain trips or destinations, my thoughts are always followed up with, “Yeah, I’ll get there someday….”  But what if I don’t?  What if I run out of time?  What if life really gets in the way?  I was thinking about that the other day and it really depressed me.  It’s not the fact that I haven’t been to some places already, but that I may not get to experience them at all.  On a related note, I have been seeing a lot written lately about “bucket lists” as they pertain to travel – places that people must see before they die (or “kick the bucket”).  It got me to thinking about my own bucket list.  Do I dare compile such a list, put it in writing?  I’m afraid it’s going to be really long!  And what if I don’t make it to all these places?!  Nevertheless, here it goes:

1 – Spend at least one month in Calabria and at least one month in the area around Napoli to explore and learn about my family’s roots.

2 – Go to Bhutan.

3 – Go fly-fishing in Mongolia.

4 – Go to Argentina and visit vineyards, drink lots of malbec, listen to tango music, and just take it all in.  (Side note:  Argentina is my current travel obsession.)

5 – Return to Africa.  At the top of my list to visit in Africa are Mozambique, Ethiopia, and South Africa.

6 – See Dry Tortugas National Park

7 – Travel around Scandinavia.  I’ve been obsessed with the region, specifically Norway, since I was a young girl.

8 – Visit Isle Royale National Park.

9 – Go to Alaska, and not via cruise ship if I can help it.

10 – Western Canada, namely Banff and Vancouver.

11 – ICELAND

12 – Finally make it to Glacier National Park

I think that about covers it.  Of course, all of the above will be in addition to returning to Yellowstone with my daughter and then taking her to Disney World… Oh dear, I see another list in the making.

What’s on your bucket list?

Posted by Francesca

Every Thursday, I try to participate in Travelers’ Night In (TNI) on Twitter.  It’s in the middle of my workday so sometimes it’s difficult.  TNI basically is a global discussion about, well, travel (read more about it here), with different topics each week.  This week’s topic is “animal encounters” and that got me thinking…..

I’ve had a few animal encounters in my life, most of them occurring in or around Yellowstone.  But my most infamous animal encounter story goes a little something like this:  I was 10 and with my family on our annual Florida vacation.  The five of us were bike riding on then-undeveloped Sanibel Island.  We were biking for hours on narrow trails that bisected swamps and cut through heavily wooded areas.  Dad led the pack, followed by Mom, then me and Felicia, and Frankie was taking up the rear.  When it was time to start heading back to the bike rental place, we left the scary trails in the woods and rode out onto a residential street.  We were happily biking along, admiring the big, new houses on that particular street, when all five of us came to a screeching halt.  I swear, it was like something out of a cartoon.  A whole line of Folinazzos on bikes braking and skidding because of the massive, greenish/blackish reptilian figure that appeared a little ways down the road.  My breath was lost somewhere between my diaphragm and my mouth; all I could muster was a breathless, “Is that….. an alligator?!”  By golly, it sure was an alligator.  At the time, in my 10-year-old mind, that enormous alligator turned its head, looked at my family, and said to itself, “Oooh, lunch.”  At the same time, a disturbing thought penetrated my paralyzing fear:  a few days prior, in a one-day-when-you’re-on-Jeopardy!-moment, my father informed us that alligators are capable of running up to thirty-five miles per hour.  All I could think of was my then-four-year-old brother at the back of the line being unable to pedal his little legs fast enough to outride that alligator.  I was snapped to by my father’s voice instructing all of us to slowly and calmly turn our bikes around and begin pedaling in the opposite direction.  I thought I was going to pass out.  That alligator almost ate my whole family!

True story.  Well, almost.  The reality is that the alligator was crossing the street about thirty yards down.  Now, in my thirty-six-year-old mind, I’m pretty sure it didn’t even turn its head and see us.  But that doesn’t make for a very fun story now, does it?

Posted by Francesca

This weekend is Chicago’s 52^nd Annual Air & Water Show.  I look forward to this event every year, but not because I want to head down to the lakefront to jostle for position and sweat with thousands of suburbanites and tourists.  My reasons are far more sentimental.

My paternal grandmother (Mimi, as we called her) loved the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, one of the highlights of the Air & Water Show.  Because we lived so close to the Lake Michigan, we got to witness essentially four days’ worth of mid-air maneuvers by these skilled pilots.  (Four days = two days of practice + two days of actual Air & Water Show.)  Without fail, Mimi pulled out her rickety, metal sunbathing chair and set up in our backyard to watch the Blue Angels fly, twist, dive, and roar overhead.  If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was the highlight of her summer.  And, our backyard – if you want to call it that – was no more than an 8×8 patch of grass behind our 6-flat apartment building on West Lexington Street.  But when I was sitting out there with Mimi watching those planes, and watching her face glow ever so slightly with delight, I could have been anywhere in the world and it would not have mattered.  My Mimi pretty much was my best friend until she passed away in 1988, when I was 14 years old.  I miss her like you can’t imagine, even more than twenty years later, but getting to see those Blue Angels every summer makes me remember those days in our little backyard, and a whole host of other happy memories from those brief fourteen years I had with her.  I hope the Blue Angels keep on flying forever.

Posted by Francesca

I knew this year’s Blackhawks Convention would be insanely crowded since they’re total studs now for winning the Stanley Cup.  I also knew that I probably shouldn’t even think about going because those insane crowds would just annoy me and be the source of severe anxiety for me.  But when a friend of mine said she’d scored some passes and a one-night stay at the Hilton (the site of the Convention), and the price was reasonable, I just couldn’t bring myself to say no.

I should have just said no.  Actually, I take that back.  If I hadn’t gone, I would not have met Denis Savard again, and he would not have signed my jersey for my daughter.  But I promise that I will not attend another Blackhawks Convention if I can help it.  Some issues I had that need to be rectified:

1 – Crowd management and control.  This is needed especially for people waiting outside the various ballrooms to gain entrance to the scheduled panels.  Once the doors to the ballroom open, people start pushing and shoving.  I’m surprised I saw no fights break out (Lord knows I wanted to knock out a few people….).

2 – Signage indicating entrance/exit into/out of the ballrooms.  This kind of goes along with #1.  People not knowing by which doors to stand and wait caused some of the pushing and shoving.  True story:  there was a panel in progress in one ballroom and we wanted to get into the next scheduled panel in the same ballroom, so we were waiting outside the doors.  We were toward the front of the line and a pretty good line of people had formed behind us.  A few minutes before the on-going panel was to be let out, a Hilton employee told us we had to move out of the way because the doors we were standing near were the exit doors for the people in the ballroom.  That meant we had to go and stand by the other doors where another long line had formed.  It was unfair that we’d been waiting there so long, unknowingly at the wrong doors, and then we had to go to the back of the other line, thereby putting in jeopardy our admission into the ballroom.

3 – Fan questions for the panels.  I’m all about fan/player interaction, but some of the questions during the panels were so irrelevant, some even inappropriate.  This was especially true during the 2010 Olympics:  A Golden Moment panel, which was made up of Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Patrick Kane – ya know, the young studs on the team.  It was mostly girlfans asking ridiculous questions, not even about the Olympics, one even asking to present Keith with a gift from her and her sister.  If fan questions can’t be omitted entirely, then at least have someone there to first screen the questions before the fans are allowed in front of the microphone.

4- Player inaccessibility.  One of the draws of the Convention is the opportunity to see the players up close, in regular clothes, and to interact with them.  The current Convention set-up allows for no interaction at all, outside of the autograph singings for which attendees must first obtain a wristband.  Before and after the panels and autograph sessions, the players are ushered in and out by a security entourage, as if they are dignitaries or major Hollywood celebrities.  That just made the players seem even more distant and inaccessible.

I still love my Blackhawks and always will.  Since it’s near impossible to get game tickets, too, I guess I’ll just have to settle for watching the games and seeing the players on television.

Posted by Francesca

Cherish forever, originally uploaded by Francesca….

The 3rd Annual Blackhawks Convention just wrapped up. I attended for the second, and probably my last, time – but more on that later. The highlight of the entire event, for me, was getting to once again meet my childhood hockey hero, Denis Savard.

I had to first wait in line to get a wristband for the scheduled Savard autograph signing, and then later on, I had to wait in line again for the actual autograph. Kind of annoying but it was better than having to deal with people pushing and fighting to get ahead of me in line (again, more on that later). Others in line had photos or hockey cards of Savard that they wanted him to sign; I had my very first Blackhawks jersey, which is a good 20-25 years old. My parents bought it for me when I was about 10 years old because Savard was my idol. I wore that jersey constantly; I probably would have slept in it if my parents had let me. I’ve long outgrown the jersey but held on to it for sentimental reasons. When Lucia was born, I decided I’d save it for her – it could be HER first Blackhawks jersey, too.

After waiting for over two hours, it finally was my turn to go up on the little stage to the signing table. I unfurled the jersey and placed it on the table. Savard and his security buddy seated next to him had the same reaction when they saw it: “Wowwwwww!” I said to Savard, “This is my very first Blackhawks jersey. My parents got it for me when I was like 10. Now I want to pass it on to my daughter.” He asked me, “What’s your daughter’s name? I’ll sign it to her.” So I told him “Lucia”, and of course I had to spell it for him. He signed with a silver Sharpie on the 8 (of 18) on the back of the jersey, “To Lucia / Good luck / Denis Savard 18 / HOF 2000”. As he was signing he said, “Now when Lucia has kids, if I’m still alive, I’ll sign it for them over here [motioning to the 1 on the back of the jersey].” When he was all finished signing he said to me, “Good thinking to keep that jersey. Keep the tradition going. You’re a good mom.” I wanted to cry when he said that to me. That is the ultimate compliment for this new, hockey-crazed mom, even more so coming from my all-time favorite player and childhood idol! Savard stuck out his hand to shake mine and then I just about floated off that stage. Denis Savard still is my hockey hero.

I had to see what the fuss was all about. I joined Twitter for the first time about a year ago and just didn’t get it. So I deleted my account. I tried again a few months later; I still wasn’t getting it. But then I noticed that so many organizations and individuals I have an interest in were saying, “find more information on Twitter,” “get updates on Twitter….” I figured the third time would have to be the charm and, sure enough, it was. I finally “get” Twitter and I’ve become an active participant. I’ve realized, too, how useful it is in keeping up with the latest information from and about, say, my favorite sports teams and animal welfare organizations. But I’ve also realized that there are a whole lot of self-important people out there, seemingly self-proclaimed experts, compiling numbered lists of the “best of”, and dictating “the dos and don’ts” of this and that. But my favorite (sarcasm) tweets or tips of all are the ones that outline how to tweet and what exactly to tweet about. The explanation most provided is that your followers don’t care about petty details, or you shouldn’t clog your followers’ feeds with stuff that doesn’t matter. Well ya know what, followers? It matters to me, and if you don’t like what I’m tweeting or how often I tweet, then unfollow me. I don’t take myself that seriously. My bio lists that I’m a working mom, travel nut, animal advocate, and sports freak; I don’t keep any of that a secret, and that’s what I’ll be tweeting about most of the time. If that’s not what you’re into, then, again, unfollow me. It won’t hurt my feelings.

And, yes, I do follow Alyssa Milano on Twitter. #dontjudgeme

Posted by Francesca

During our brief visit to the Grand Canyon, we stayed overnight at the Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn, right outside of the Park. We definitely recommend it to everyone we know; it is the perfect place for families.

The location of the hotel is mere minutes from the South Entrance to Grand Canyon National Park. The hotel itself is huge and clean and every employee we dealt with was extremely helpful and friendly. We had a standard room with two queen beds. We originally reserved a room with one king bed but none were available when we checked in. We arrived prior to the 3:00pm check-in so we didn’t complain. The room was enormous! There was plenty of space for us two adults, our one-year-old daughter, her Pack-n-Play, and all of our luggage. The room also had a small refrigerator which really came in handy for us. We were able to refrigerate all of our daughter’s bottles and jars of food.

The hotel does cater to families with children and there is plenty there to keep the young ones busy. Of course there is a pool, but there also is an arcade and a bowling alley! I know I would have liked that as a youngster… When we checked in, we were given coupons for the continental breakfast the following morning. We were a bit reluctant to try it, expecting just pastries and coffee, but we did end up checking it out and were surprised to see that it’s a full-on hot breakfast buffet. We were quite impressed.

The price of our stay was $125 for one night (weeknight at the end of March). The cost was well worth it: we were close to the Park entrance; the hotel is clean, quiet, and safe; hotel personnel were wonderful; and breakfast was included. Lastly, guests do have the option of buying a Park entry pass at the hotel. It costs the same at the hotel as it does in the Park; it’s just more convenient to buy the pass ahead of time. Park entry passes are good for seven days from date of purchase.

The Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn was the perfect choice for our stay at the Grand Canyon. We would definitely stay there again.

We spent only a day and a half at the Grand Canyon but it probably is one of my favorite places on Earth now. We all have seen gorgeous photos of the Canyon, and everyone has heard how magnificent it is, but I still was not prepared for the grandeur and majesty of it upon catching my first glimpse in person.

At this time of year (the end of March), only the South Rim is open and accessible to visitors. Since we were visiting with our one-year-old daughter, I knew we wouldn’t be able to do any heavy duty hiking, that our time would be limited to the paved trails just off the parking areas (which were easily navigable for our umbrella stroller). The views from those trails proved to be sufficient. When we initially arrived at the Park, we walked from the parking lot, past the Visitor’s Center, and over to the viewing area. I was surprised to see so many people there at this time of year. My husband even commented, “I’d hate to see this place in the high season.” But I was more surprised by my reaction when I saw the Canyon for the first time. It was literally breathtaking. When I finally recovered and was able to breathe again, the only word (sound?) I could muster was, “Whoa.” My words here won’t do it any justice, and now I believe that many photographs don’t, either. In fact, I found it very difficult to capture, in photographs, the grandness of that canyon. I tried, though. My photos can be seen here (the set includes photos from our entire Arizona trip).

On our way out of Grand Canyon National Park, we drove east on Highway 64 towards Cameron. We stopped at most of the scenic viewpoints along the way, my favorite being Navajo Point. There, we were offered a view of the Canyon from a different angle, and at a different time of day, and the results were quite stunning. Furthermore, a park ranger happened to be there on duty and was happy to take some time to talk to us about the geology, the Colorado River, and other interesting facts about the Park. We also stopped at Tusayan Ruin and Museum, a spot within Park boundaries that offers visitors a glimpse of what Pueblo Indian life was like 800 years ago. The museum itself is quite small in size but largely interesting, and we thoroughly enjoyed walking around and observing the ruin. Admission to the museum and ruin is free.

Soon thereafter we were on our way out of the Park, but not before we were already planning a return trip. Next time, we want to actually get into the Canyon. Lucia will be older, too, and we’ll be able to do more active stuff with her. That’s what I look forward to the most.

Lucia was not exactly 100% perfect on all three of our flights out to Arizona. On the first leg, which was Chicago to Minneapolis, she got a little cranky. She cried a bit but nothing too crazy. There was a man sitting directly in front of me; he looked to be a few years younger than Mark and I. He kept turning around and looking at Lucia. I thought he was giving one of those can-you-please-shut-your-kid-up looks, and that was making me anxious.

We landed in Minneapolis and as we were taxiing to the gate, the guy in front of me turned around and said to Mark, “How old is your little girl?” Mark told him that she just turned one, and he said, “My daughter is 16 months old. I enjoyed listening to your daughter, talking and stuff. It reminded me of my little girl.” That’s when I started feeling really awful for thinking he was upset about Lucia crying. Then he said, “My wife refuses to travel with our daughter. She thinks she’s too young. Now I’ve seen firsthand that it is possible to travel with a baby.” I wanted to hug him.

A short time later, Mark and I were in the terminal trying to figure out to which gate we needed to go for our next flight. The same guy from our flight came up to us and said, “Hey guys, I have one more question. Did you need to buy a special car seat for her for the airplane or anything?” Mark and I explained to him that we used Lucia’s regular, everyday car seat on the plane; no special seat is needed. Judging by the look on his face, I’d say that bit of info made his day. He thanked us profusely and said he couldn’t wait to tell his wife that it really is okay to travel with a baby. That made MY day.

When United Airlines announced an awards travel sale last summer, and we realized it would cost us only 60,000 frequent flier miles for three round-trip tickets, we thought it a really good idea to book flights to Arizona for Mark, Lucia, and me.  The regular “price” of one round-trip ticket from O’Hare to Phoenix usually is 50,000 miles.  So 60,000 miles for three tickets?  We couldn’t pass it up.

There is always a catch, though.  Neither leg of the journey would be non-stop.  We learned we’d have to stop twice on the way to Phoenix, and then once on the way back home to Chicago.  Still not bad, though – right?  It’s free, after all.  Not costing us a dime.

Did I mention that Lucia (our daughter) would be one year old at the time of travel?  Honestly, what were we thinking?  We would have to strap in and then undo her car seat three times.  Three flights, two layovers = a long day of travel.  We would have to pack a small feast to make sure she was properly fed throughout the day.

Still, last July when we booked the flights, it all didn’t seem so bad.  But as our departure date grew nearer, I became more and more anxious.  Again, what were we thinking?

Turns out, Mark and I are awesome planners and Lucia is an exceptional traveler.  Our extended day of travel could not have run more smoothly.  Even the weather cooperated.

My greatest concern was that we would not be allowed to carry on a sufficient amount of food and milk for Lucia to last throughout the day.  I checked the TSA’s website and found nothing helpful at first.  Then I looked a bit more closely and found exactly what I needed to know; this link was extremely helpful.  We breezed through security at O’Hare.  The TSA did test the milk in the bottles we had prepared ahead of time, but that was the only “delay” we experienced.

Lucia was comfortable and relaxed throughout the day.  We had enough food and bottles for her, and, equally important, enough snacks (especially her favorite, HappyMelts [highly recommended by this mom]).  Of course, we had toys and books for her – enough to keep her occupied for hours.  The flight times also worked well with Lucia’s nap times, so that was an added bonus.

Despite the long hours, it was a perfect day of traveling, and I am elated that my daughter is such a good little traveler.  Actually, she’s a veteran now; this was her third airplane trip since she was born a year ago!  She is – we are – on our way to what we hope is a long history of happy travel tales for this family.