THIRTEEN-Purchasing a new car

I have always bought used vehicles. So this is a big deal that a new 2010 Jeep Wrangler was actually purchased. 2009 was not the best year for the car industry. So, as the old Jeep from 1994 was starting to cough and spit, we dutifully bought a Jeep at a pretty good price.
I live. I ride. I am. Jeep.

TWELVE-Night Skiing in Keystone, Colorado

Colorado has some of the best skiing in the world. Colorado also has some of the best night skiing in the world.

Cold, icey and difficult to see. But also fun.

ELEVEN-The Second City 50th Anniversary

SNL. SCTV. John Belushi. Dan Akyroyd. Gilda Radner. Eddie Murphy. Adam Sandler. Tina Fey. The list goes on and on. One thing they all had in common was The Second City. Born in Chicago December 1959, The Second City turns 50 in 2009!
Happy Birthday!!

TEN- Lou Malnati's First Pizza Establishment Lincolnwood, IL

Chicago means pizza. And when locals talk about pizza we talk about pan pizza. It is made like a pie, covered in cheese and smothered with tomatoe sauce; hence, the pizza pie. It is like something you have never seen before and certaintly like something you have never eaten before.
Copy cats sure but the original is Lou Malnati's.

NINE- Mader's German Restaurant

Milwaukee has a large German population. With immigration came beer and food. Famed Mader's Restaurant catered to the German palate for locals as well as dignitaries and musicians who passed through Milwaukee.

So, drink beer from a boot and eat chicken schnitzel.

EIGHT- Illinois Holocaust Museum

This museum opened in April 2009 focusing on Holocaust survivors who reside in the Chicagoland area. In addition to a wonderful exhibit on the entire history of the Holocaust the musuem showed films and exhibited photographic works on the genocide of other peoples. History repeats itself.

There was also a dedication to the many non-Jews who risked their lives to save as many Jews as they could.

NEVER AGAIN.

SEVEN - Alcatraz

Escape from Alcatraz. Well, at least try to.

SIX - Fishermans Wharf of San Francisco

A perfectly sunny day in San Francisco. Perfect for doing the touristy thing of Fisherman's Wharf. The Aquatic Park, Ghirardelli Square, Pier 39, The Boudin Bakery and a stroll down the Embarcadero. Views of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset. And you just can not beat that!

FIVE - The Shining Ball

Each Halloween The Stanley Hotel has a grand ball. In honor of "The Shining" the hotel puts on a huge costume ball aptly named, The Shining Ball. This year was extra special as 2009 is the 100th Anniversary of the hotel. So I decided to go as Edward Cullen from the Twilight movies. What fun this was!

FOUR - Eating The Best Hummus

A trip to Israel would not be complete without Hummus. And the best Hummus fresh from The Suk, the famous market in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem at Night.

Tea with a Bedouin Woman

Near the end of our hike, we saw a Bedouin rest stop. We all sat down for some hot tea. Hot or cold, it tasted very good. The Bedouin women had two daughters who helped their mother with the cooking and cleaning. The women apparently spoke a mix of Hebrew and Arabic which I partly understood.

THREE - Hiking in the Negev

I met up with my cousin, Sara, to go hiking in the Negev. We hiked for six hours and ended up at the oldest city in Israel that had left virtually intact when it was discovered. Unfortunately, it had been vandalized by a disgruntled employee a few weeks earlier.