KeepCalmAndWander, Author at KEEP CALM and WANDER

Martha Reeves and the Crowd at the TD Toronto Jazz Fest

June 23, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 1 Comments

Martha Reeves and the Vandellas at the TD Toronto Jazz Fest 2013 Martha Reeves is one funny Queen of Motown songs. Her natural ability to make her audience laugh without even trying hard endears her to the heart of music lovers. Her unique vocal range can raise the roof like

Gay Travel

Gay Bars in Chicago

June 18, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 1 Comments

Chicago’s Boystown is to Toronto’s Gay Village or to San Francisco’s Castro, or to Seoul’s Homo Hill, the epicenter of 10.0 magnitude of queerosity! Just like any other gay areas, Boystown is no different: rainbows everywhere. Bars, restaurants, cafes, boutiques and other shops abound the area between Belmont and Addison/Waveland on

Canada

Hockey Hall of Fame

June 13, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 0 Comments

I’ve been living in Toronto for three years now but I never had a chance to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame. Well, I’m not a hockey fan, that’s why. But every late Spring, my facebook status is filled with hockey updates from friends and conversations with my Irish roommate

Canada

Beaches in Toronto – Bask in the sun and sand and get a tan!

June 3, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 1 Comments

It’s officially not summer in Toronto yet, but the rising temperature is already upon us. Sweaty foreheads and body parts/pits are starting to smell. It’s my pet peeve I can’t hide my disgust on my face. Yuck! There’s only one thing you should do to cool yourself down before exploding

USA

Chicago Skyline at Night

May 26, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 1 Comments

The wind from Michigan Lake started becoming chilly as I claimed a spot on a concrete bleacher by the lake. Some runners came past me and a few gingerly walked with their furry best friends who seemed to enjoy it. In twenty minutes, tourists started coming and took their places

USA

Public Arts in Chicago

May 25, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 4 Comments

The streets are abounding with public arts in Chicago. They’re installed by really famous artists—from Picasso to Chagall to Miro to Kapoor. And if you are an able traveller, you can actually walk to all of these public arts from one street to another. Somehow, these arts blend with their

, USA

Chicago Skyline from Porter Airlines

May 24, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 0 Comments

Porter Airlines didn’t fail to impress me on my first ride. It was good. For a budget airline, I didn’t expect much but they left me a good impression. I don’t want to talk about the details–you might think I got a free round-trip ticket for saying too much. Although I could

USA

Money Museum – This Is What One Million Dollars Looks Like

May 23, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 0 Comments

Visiting the Money Museum in Chicago gives you a look at what one million dollars looks like—in $20 and $1 bills. It’s pretty amazing to look at it and for a moment or moments, I was dreaming of… you know. LOL… It’s free. Yes, it’s free going inside. Like, nada

USA

Chicago Film Tour – Hundreds of Films Come Alive

May 21, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 0 Comments

What do Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, Channing Tattum, Heath Ledger, and Charlie Chaplin have in common? They all have movies shot in one location: Chicago. Chicago is a film paradise. As a city of neighborhoods, it is a film director’s haven to create his tour de force either worthy of

USA

Field Museum – A Time Capsule

May 19, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 0 Comments

Visiting the Field Museum in Chicago can be both boring and enlightening. In that order. That’s how I felt while roaming from one exhibit to another. Boring. The facts and information you absorb by reading hundreds of descriptions on each display is just overwhelming. It’s not even interactive. The preserved

USA

Shedd Aquarium – Where A School of Fish Swims in a Tiny Water Tank

May 19, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 2 Comments

I’m not a fan of aquariums. Small or big aquariums. But, that doesn’t mean I don’t find anything valuable in having aquariums, like Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. When a friend of mine left for his backpacking adventure in South America, he asked me if I’d be interested to take his

USA

Chicago Arts Institute – 12 Arts To See

May 16, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 3 Comments

Though not as huge as New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) or Philadelphia’s Museum of Arts, Arts Institute Chicago has its own charming treasures worth a peek. I literally skipped most European arts as I have seen a lot of them—mostly with religious theme but with shirtless or naked

USA

My Reflections on Chicago’s THE BEAN

May 15, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 3 Comments

Acclaimed Indian-born British sculptor-artist, Anish Kapoor called his masterpiece as Cloud Gate. Chicagoans called it as, The Bean. Well, simply because it resembles like a bean. Obviously, you can’t see why it’s a Cloud Gate, but you can easily guess The Bean, right? This smooth, metallic sculpture is actually inspired by

USA

Gangster Tour – A Bang Up Time in Chicago

May 11, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 2 Comments

Chicago used to be a gangsters’ haven. They used to be synonymous. Inseparable. They defined each other. But, gone were the days of gang violence and mobster mentality. Chicago cleaned up its act and whoever messes with it now will answer to the law–and not to some sketchy humanoid who

, USA

Chicago – Pilsen Graffiti

May 11, 2013 KeepCalmAndWander 2 Comments

I was told not to go there—in Chicago’s Pilsen Area–to check out the graffiti. I always have this fascination about graffiti. “It’s a dangerous area,” said the receptionist at my hostel. “Even during the day?”, I asked. She shrugged off her shoulder, tilted her head and eyes opened wide, “Yeah.”