Chicago is definitely an underrated tourist destination in the United States, at least for those who have not been.  But, you want to visit Chicago at the right time!  No question that the winters can be tough, yet this is a pretty good time to enjoy museums, sports and restaurants, however my recommended time is summer.  Many cities aren’t great to visit in the summer… hot weather in a city is never fun and many of the locals end up leaving the city for their own summer vacations.  Chicago is different.  Yes, it can be hot and humid but there are simply a lot of fun things to do in the city.  Almost any week you pick will have festivals, outdoor concerts and other events going on and there will be a lot of people there, both locals and tourists. 

Vail has become almost a default ski destination for me, I don’t go there every year but whenever I can’t get a good deal elsewhere or need a last minute destination it seems to be the place of choice. Given the variety of places to ski the reasons for this need to be good and I think they are.

Why North America?
I almost always choose North America over Europe for skiing and there are some key reasons; price, hospitality, and quality. Price may seem odd but to my mind getting there is only part of it. The cost of food and accommodation in Europe is so much higher than in North America especially with the strength of the pound over the dollar. I am strongly of the belief that when this is accounted for the price is actually very similar, and depending on ho

New York almost seems like my second home as I was born there and lived there for four years of my early life but I really started to enjoy it as I got older. The atmosphere and people in New York are absolutely amazing and they make you feel welcome like no other state.

New York is considered the city that never sleeps because there is so much to do 24 hours of the day. I flew out with Virgin Atlantic from London Gatwick to Newark airport, which I preferred as it is a slightly smaller airport than JFK and it is only five minutes longer in driving time than going to JFK. It costs approximately $45 plus toll to get to the massive 4* New York Helmsley hotel where I stayed.

After checking in and freshening up, the first thing I did was to have dinner at Houston’s Grill in M