11 articles tagged with illinois
When colleagues mentioned Joliet, Illinois, I'll admit my first thought was industrial heritage—not exactly the biodiversity hotspot I usually chase. But after spending a weekend exploring the Des Plaines River corridor and surrounding preserves, I discovered something remarkable: a resilient...
As a wildlife biologist who's tracked condors through Patagonian valleys and studied alpine ecosystems in the Dolomites, I've learned that the most authentic understanding of any place comes through its food. Last autumn, while conducting research at Chicago's Field Museum,...
The western Chicago suburb of Aurora isn't typically the first destination that springs to mind when planning a nightlife-focused weekend, but that's precisely what makes it such an intriguing proposition. Having spent countless evenings exploring urban nightlife across Europe, I've...
When my best friend invited me to visit her family in Naperville last summer, I expected a typical Chicago suburb. What I discovered instead was a family travel gem hiding in plain sight! Just 30 miles west of Chicago, Naperville...
As someone who's explored wildlife sanctuaries across three continents, I never expected to find such a delightful family destination tucked away in Illinois. Elgin might not have South Africa's dramatic safaris or New Zealand's whale watching opportunities, but this charming...
There's something beautifully calibrated about Naperville's shopping scene—a precision-engineered balance between mainstream retail, artisanal craftsmanship, and riverside charm that feels both meticulously designed and organically evolved. As someone who's spent 15 years calibrating components to the thousandth of an inch,...
Who knew that just an hour's drive from Chicago lies a veritable open-air museum of American architectural history? Elgin, Illinois might not feature on most traveler's must-visit lists, but trust me, this riverside city packs a serious punch when it...
¡Hola viajeros! Ever found yourself with a free weekend and a hunger for some meaningful American history? That was me last fall when a last-minute schedule change left me with three days off and a craving for something beyond my...
There's something undeniably poetic about the way Route 66 cuts through the American landscape—a concrete artery that once pulsed with the heartbeat of a nation on the move. As someone who spends her days weighing evidence and precedent in a...
There's something magical about small-town America that keeps pulling me back from my adopted New Zealand home. This time, my motorcycle and I found ourselves cruising through the autumn-painted streets of Naperville, Illinois – a place where retail therapy gets...
The Illinois River cuts through Peoria like an ancient lifeline, reminding me of the waterways that have connected indigenous communities for millennia. When my PhD research brought me stateside for a conference in Chicago, I decided to extend my stay...
