So when I had the opportunity this spring to visit Alabama’s shoreline instead of Florida’s, I jumped at the chance to see what life was like on the northern side of the Gulf of Mexico. Would the path slightly less beaten provide the same summery perks Florida is famous for? I packed my camera and favorite straw hat and went to find out.

‘Bama bound

Getting there was surprisingly easy.

My friend and I flew into Pensacola International Airport from O’Hare International Airport, which took just over two hours on a full flight. Pensacola is typically the airport of choice because it’s cheaper and offers plenty of flights.

We picked up our rental and began the leisurely hour journey, passing through small towns and crossing several bridges as we drove parallel to the water. We quickly waved goodbye to Florida, heading over Perdido Pass into Alabama’s Orange Beach.

Orange Beach and its neighbor, Gulf Shores, are two small beach towns on Perdido Key with combined populations of roughly 22,000 locals — which swells to millions with annual visitors. With a strictly tourism-driven economy, 85 percent of the area’s real estate is vacation rentals — or about 15,000 hotel and condo units, according to Kay Maghan, public relations manager for Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism.

We stayed at Turquoise Place, a luxury resort along Orange Beach with spacious condos in two buildings. Our unit had a fully equipped kitchen, a full-size laundry room and an ocean-view balcony with a hot tub and gas grill. Elsewhere on the property were pools, a water slide and a lazy river.

After settling down, we had dinner at The Gulf, an outdoor restaurant and bar with walk-up service made of cobalt blue shipping containers. Its patio shares a sea wall with the gulf and showcases plush couches and string lights that pair perfectly with my spicy blackberry jalapeño margarita, mahi-mahi tacos and a half pound of chilled peel-and-eat shrimp.

We watched as the sun went down as a watercolor masterpiece and stopped for a nightcap at 8 Reale OBAL, a speakeasy bar that will cost you a small pirate’s booty. With drinks averaging $25, the swanky spot is concealed behind a storefront posing as a jewelry store. We entered a code — provided daily on its Facebook page — and walked through a heavy vault door. The copper ceilings and navy velvet chairs showed off a secretly bougie side of Orange Beach — one that allegedly lured in Morgan Freeman the day after we left.

Up-close adventures

We began the next day on the beach, which stays cool courtesy of fluffy sugar-white sand washed down from the Appalachian Mountains, known as crushed quartz crystal.

The shoreline glittered with shells, partial sand dollars and colorful umbrellas as gentle waves rolled in the distance. Across the gulf were various water activities, including fishing, boating and parasailing. We watched cunning pelicans soar past, holding massive, doomed fish.

The mood was calm and friendly; even at the day’s peak, it never felt overcrowded, rowdy or messy.

Next was our hourlong lesson with Sandcastle University. Using buckets, measuring spoons, a cup, a plastic knife, and a straw, our instructor, Catie, astonished us with her simple techniques for building a turreted tower. The basics were a door and windows; the frills were staircases and cobblestone etching. For a 34-year-old, this was exceptionally fun.

We stopped for a quick lunch at longtime mainstay DeSoto’s Seafood Kitchen, known for its authentic Royal Reds — a premier variety of Alabama shrimp. Be prepared to twist a few heads off, but the buttery reward is worth it.

After some golden coconut shrimp and peppery au gratin potatoes, we began the 40-minute drive west to Fort Morgan, a seaside military fort built in the early 1800s and used during the Spanish-American War and both World Wars. A National Historic Landmark, it features spacious grounds with networks of connected rooms, tunnels and budding stalactites. The up-close access to history is amazing. In the distance, ships and oil rigs lay beyond the sea birds resting on cement blocks as waves splash against them.

We sought shade in the nearby Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge and took a relaxing 1-mile loop walk through the Jeff Friend Trail, which put us in the thick of a serene jungle. Surrounded by towering long-leaf pines, ferns and saw palmettos, we glimpsed only a tiny lizard, but heard a symphony of bird songs, squirrel chatter and plenty of mysterious fluttering from the bushes. Dirt trails led to a waterfront boardwalk before it curved into a lily-pad-filled bog.

The last stop for the evening was the lovely Jesse’s On The Bay. Upstairs, a fine-dining restaurant serves dry-aged steaks and fresh seafood. Downstairs, a bar called The Cold Hole serves cocktails.

Just steps from the bay, we watched the sun go down in a fiery blaze while sipping colorful drinks — the best way to end the day.

Cruising the coast

Saturday began with a free, heart-pumping 5-mile bike ride through Gulf State Park. Our tour guide, Corey, led us past grassy marshes, through ridges and across creeks. The oak canopies dripping with Spanish moss evoked the Southern gothic aesthetic you’d expect from Tennesee Williams.

In the evening, we sailed into the gulf on a yellow catamaran with Sail Wild Hearts. We enjoyed complimentary snacks and yacht rock as we savored our last magnificent sunset. A family of dolphins jumped beside us.

Before we left, we ate at Big Fish Restaurant and Bar — an unassuming fine dining gem on the end of a single-story strip mall — and CoastAL, a beachy brunch spot with fresh seafood, pastries and massive cinnamon rolls. I had been looking forward to Big Fish for its beloved sushi, which did not disappoint. Straightforward and simple, the cucumber salad, pork gyoza and classic tuna roll were everything I’d hoped for. Get there early or be ready to wait.

With phenomenal food, views, access to nature and soft beaches, plus all the Southern hospitality you’d expect, Alabama’s Gulf Coast was a lovely antidote for Chicago’s fickle spring. It was a well-balanced mix of commercial and local, hometown and upscale. I could have spent longer exploring the area and would happily return.

For those who can’t make it for a summer vacation, a trip in mid-April is also a good bet. The weather is perfect and there are fewer crowds.

Linze Rice is a freelancer.

Each and every one of them, though, is a very good dog.

Some 2,500 top-ranked dogs were in New York City to compete in this year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Breed judging, the marquee event, began May 13, while several hundred other dogs battled it out in events testing agility, obedience and the ability to dive the farthest off a dock. Sage, a miniature poodle, ended up being named best in show.

But even getting into the competition takes years of training and effort. And getting to the show requires extensive organizing by owners and handlers, who plan hours- or dayslong road or plane trips, pack thousands of dollars worth of gear — grooming tables, industrial-strength hair dryers, leashes, collars, toys, kibble and more — and pray that neither delays nor cancellations disrupt their itineraries. Treats are nonnegotiable.

“I try to stock up on healthy, single-ingredient treats such as freeze-dried duck or freeze-dried liver,” said Shell Lewis, 71, who came to New York with a Russell terrier and a cairn terrier. On show days, however, her dogs receive “something special and high value.”

“It involves a drive-thru McDonald’s to pick up two sausage biscuits — I eat the biscuits, they get the sausage,” she said.

Sage, an extravagantly coifed miniature poodle with a winsome mystery about her, was the winner of the 148th annual show.

But here’s how a few of the many show dogs, and their entourages, traveled to Westminster.

Taking to the Road

In the United States, accumulating titles at local, regional and national dog competitions requires constant driving, with long journeys the norm. Most dogs, their trainers say, are used to the road.

Lewis drove 14 hours from Geneva, Illinois, for Spangle, her 2-year-old Russell terrier, to compete in the agility event. (Alas, Spangle was knocked out in the preliminaries.) Lewis also brought along Nora, her 7-year-old cairn terrier.

“They haven’t learned to drive yet,” said Lewis, “but they are excellent travelers.”

Krysthel Moore and Quinnzel, her border collie, who with a 15-foot jump made it to the finals in dock diving, drove eight hours from their home in Quebec. Quinnzel snoozed through most of it, said Moore, 40.

Quinnzel barely notices a change in surroundings, Moore added. “She doesn’t care where we are; she just likes to be close with me.”

Some attendees carpooled to the show. Jenni Nieft and Kris Dunlap, who met at a dog show three years ago, drove from Wyoming for more than two days with Rowan, an 85-pound bracco Italiano, and 52-pound Keeva, a Weimaraner. Both dogs competed in breed judging.

“They start young, they’re crate-trained, they just get used to it,” said Nieft, 53, who added that on road trips, exercise and bathroom breaks are crucial. “We gear the trip around their comfort.”

Driving was their only transit option: Some dogs, like Rowan, are too big to fly, as commercial airlines have limits on weight and carrier size.

The dogs don’t travel light, as Jamie Goodrich, 41, elaborated. Traveling from Central Square, New York, north of Syracuse, she packed her 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan with two crates, two folding chairs, 3 gallons of water, emergency kits for both dogs and humans, two suitcases of human clothes, three leashes, days of kibble, grooming equipment — various brushes, clippers, a water mister, a table, scissors — and an electric fan.

“Oh, and the dog,” she said of Aero, her Akita who will competed in breed judging. (The fan keeps Aero from overheating backstage.)

Traveling by Plane

Other dogs flew to New York, which required compiling myriad documents, getting vaccination shots in order, and fielding a minefield of varying airline policies and restrictions on breed and weight.

Janice Hayes, a 42-year-old professional handler from Palm Springs, California, flies regularly to show dogs. Buddy Holly, a petit basset griffon Vendéen, won the top prize at last year’s Westminster. “He has more miles than all of us,” Hayes said.

Buddy Holly is now retired, but made the trip again this year to bask in his final moments as reigning champion and to accompany three other show dogs. Britney and Spotify, also petit basset griffon Vendéens, were being shown, as was Hayden, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Because of their sizes, the three petit basset griffon Vendéens fly in crates and in the luggage hold. Hayden flew in the cabin.

Getting to the airport hours in advance is one of Hayes’ travel strategies, as is booking a seat on the side of the plane overlooking the plane’s hold — watching the dogs being loaded offers welcome reassurance that the dogs too are en route.

Dozens of dogs traveled from abroad to compete in this year’s show. Anel Vazquez Franchini and her dog Khaleesi, a 5-year-old bearded collie, flew from Mexico City.

“We don’t have a lot of bearded collies here. It’s easy to win when you don’t have competition,” Vasquez Franchini said of Mexico’s dog shows. The Westminster show, she said, is a coveted chance for Khaleesi — or Kaly, for short — to really prove herself.

The requirements for animals to travel internationally differ by country and can change frequently. Beginning in August, dogs entering the United States must be microchipped and be vaccinated against rabies.

Dogs living within the European Union who wish to travel internationally — or whose humans make that decision for them — must have their own pet passport.

This document, issued by veterinarians, contains microchip registration, vaccine history and ownership information. It is mandatory for reentry into the EU.

Vitellozzo, a 2-year-old French bulldog living in Croatia with his handler, Valentina Zupan, has such a passport. He’s a seasoned international traveler — this was his second time in the United States. While flying, Vitellozzo doesn’t need tranquilizers or other medication, said Zupan, 32. His crate fits under the airplane seat and he slept for most of their journey, which included driving to Budapest, Hungary, flying to Warsaw, Poland, then to Chicago for another show, and then driving to New York.

Hosting the dogs and their humans overnight are the hotels closest to the show venue, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

“Big dogs, small dogs, fancy dogs, regular dogs, it’s a lot,” said Raquan Williams, a front-desk clerk at the sold-out Four Points by Sheraton in Flushing. “We love it.”

In addition to nightly rates over $200, hotels generally charge a one-time pet fee that can run more than $100. Most Westminster handlers and owners share rooms with their dogs.

And beds.

“My dogs take up a whole bed. I am lucky if I get to sleep at the top,” said Patty Berkovitz, 69, who with her partner Jack Florek, and two Irish wolfhounds, Rowan and Brody, is staying at Hilton Garden Inn in Long Island City.

Rowan and Brody will compete — against each other — in breed judging.

All four creatures are in one room, and each dog weighs more than 160 pounds.

With such large bedfellows, Florek, 71, joked that the key strategy was getting into bed before the dogs, something he neglected to do Friday night.

“I was the little spoon,” he said.

This can happen for several reasons – maybe the hotel overbooked, some guests stayed longer than expected, or somebody bought out the whole hotel for an event. Something has to give: A hotel can’t quickly build another room for you to occupy, and it can’t throw a current guest out. The “why” doesn’t matter; the hotel is simply unable to honor a reservation. What you need to know is how the hotel plans to fix the problem and what rights you have if it doesn’t find an acceptable fix.

As far as I can tell, at least in most of the country, you have no specific right, as you do with an overbooked airline flight. Normal industry practice is to try to fix the problem:

• If a hotel has rooms but in a different price or location category than specified in your reservation, normal practice is to upgrade you to a bigger/better room, where available or to book you in a lesser room for one night and adjust the price.
• If a hotel is totally full, normal practice is to “walk” you to another hotel of “equal or better” quality and pick up the cost of your first night there plus the cost of getting you there.

What to do? As with most such situations, if the hotel offers you an acceptable fix, take it if it’s at all reasonable. If the offer isn’t great, ask for some extra compensation. Even when a proposed fix is a disappointment, shrug it off, just say “kismet,” and go to dinner or bed rather than hassle into the wee hours.

If the offered fix is unacceptable, or there is no fix, your options are meager. You can’t even demand to be walked. Some folks – even supposedly experts – seem to believe that walking is an enforceable legal requirement. But I’ve never been able to locate any such specific laws or regulations, nor have I seen any hotel contracts that require it: Walking is just industry practice, honored sometimes but not always. And even when offered, “walking,” may not, in the words of tort law, “make you whole.” Every time I’ve been walked the substitute hotel was neither “equal” nor “better” than the original. And I’ve heard from readers of cases where a downtown hotel offered a substitute room in a remote suburban location.

Yes, your reservation is a contract, which the hotel is unable to fill. You could sue for damages, in small claims or regular court. But a lawsuit next month doesn’t solve the problem of a room tonight. My suggestions:

• Don’t accept a really inadequate fix. If the first offer is unacceptable, start by negotiating for something better. If the clerk or agent says, “take it or leave it,” ask for a manager.
• If you can, get on your phone, find your own alternative, then ask the hotel to arrange it.
• In the worst case, pay for your own alternative, figuring on filing a formal complaint – and maybe a small claims court suit – after you get home.

Car rental companies, too, often can’t honor a reservation. And, again, there is no legal recourse. Industry practice is supposedly (1) to upgrade you to a more expensive category of car, although you might not appreciate getting a gas guzzler instead of the economy model you want – or (2) to arrange a rental from another company and pay any rate difference. But in my experiences, rental companies often try to stall and ask you to wait around the office for a “short time” until customers return cars

With both hotels and car rentals, you’re fundamentally in the right, in contract law, and should prevail in a formal legal action. But you also need a room or car now, not a verdict in six months. You have to set the balance.

(Send e-mail to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net. Also, check out Ed’s new rail travel website at www.rail-guru.com.)

©2024 Ed Perkins. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

On June 6, 1944, the Allied powers invaded five Normandy beachheads: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword, in an operation code-named Overlord, eventually liberating France from Nazi control and changing the course of World War II.

Following a three-gun salute, the sonorous notes of a bugler playing taps rang out across an endless sea of crosses that mark the graves of more than 9,300 fallen soldiers.

Torrence, a Vietnam veteran from Atlanta, said it’s a moment he will never forget.

“As I turned back from helping to lay the wreath, I looked up and saw all the white crosses gleaming in the sun, and I got choked up,” Torrence said. “The price of freedom was paid with the blood of our fallen.”

Gathered around a towering bronze statue called “Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves,” a group of Americans observed a moment of silence, some tearfully remembering their own military family members who had served in WWII or one of the many conflicts since.

This wreath-laying ceremony was a somber moment in an otherwise festive eight-day Viking river cruise that sailed round trip from Paris along the Seine. The Paris & the Heart of Normandy itinerary takes passengers through the picturesque Norman countryside on the Viking Radgrid longship, stopping at La Roche-Guyon, Vernon and Rouen before arriving at the Normandy beaches. For many Americans, it would be unthinkable to visit this part of the world without paying their respects.

Retired Army Sgt. Maj. Dwayne Riden from Chattanooga, Tennessee, was among them.

“I was a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division,” Riden said, referring to his early days in the army in the 1980s. “As most people know, the 82nd Airborne Division participated in the Normandy invasion (at Utah Beach), so it was near and dear to me to be able to see the beaches where so many lost their lives for the freedom that we have and for the French.”

After a short bus ride past quaint half-timbered houses and verdant meadows, the group arrived at Omaha Beach. It’s hard to fathom that this tranquil site framed by majestic windswept bluffs was the bloodiest of the five landing sites on the Normandy coast.

On D-Day the beach was a cacophony of machine gun fire and shouting soldiers as they attempted to breach Hitler’s Atlantic Wall, an extensive system of coastal defenses. Monstrous military landing craft jammed the shore, and the normally fresh sea air was thick with the acrid smell of explosives, participants were told during the tour.

The bodies of U.S. service members floated in the water, the result of 27 amphibious Sherman tanks sinking in the turbulent waves of the English Channel. Others lay on the beach, shot down by German gunners as they raced through a deadly obstacle course of barbed wire, concrete fortifications and mines trying to reach a modicum of protection at the base of the cliffs.

There were 2,400 American casualties on June 6, but by the end of the day, 34,000 reinforcements had landed. The Germans had taken a big hit and had no reserves arriving to help continue the fight. Despite a disastrous start, the Omaha operation was successful in the end, and historians often refer to D-Day as the beginning of the end of World War II. The Allied victory in Europe came less than a year later in May 1945.

Les Braves, a stainless steel sculpture, stands in the middle of Omaha Beach to honor the soldiers who endangered or sacrificed their lives to free the French from the tyranny of Nazi Germany.

On this spring day, a former soldier faced the crashing waves and gave a solemn salute.

The next stop in this pilgrimage through WWII history was the city of Caen, home to Le Memorial de Caen. This war museum built atop a German bunker chronicles history from 1918 to present day, with a special emphasis on World War II and D-Day.

Before the self-guided tour, guests view “The Battle of Normandy,” a 19-minute film that provides an unblinking account of the devastation of the region.

Multimedia presentations combine newsreel coverage of the era with military paraphernalia and disturbing civilian stories to add context to historic events.

On view is a uniform worn by a French female resistance fighter deported to Germany’s Ravensbrück concentration camp to build aircraft engines for the Third Reich.

Unlike the Allies, Germany didn’t have abundant manpower and resources, so it depended heavily on unpaid forced labor. The brutal exploitation of Jews helped fuel the wartime economy, but other groups, including hundreds of thousands of non-Jewish French civilians, were deported and compelled to work for Germany.

Another exhibit remembers the White Rose, a resistance movement founded by German siblings Sophie and Hans Scholl at the University of Munich. The student-led group distributed pamphlets denouncing the genocide of Jews and called for the sabotage of Hitler’s war machine.

Even after she was arrested by the Gestapo and sentenced to death for treason, Sophie Scholl remained courageous and defiant saying, “I am now, as before, of the opinion that I did the best I could do for my nation. I do not therefore regret my conduct and will bear the consequences of my conduct.”

In Germany today, many schools, streets and plazas are named after the Scholls, who were executed by guillotine.

A collection of British wartime posters encouraging unity and personal sacrifice captures the zeitgeist of the era. A recruitment poster for the Women’s Land Army, an organization that trained women to work on farms to boost food production, depicts a smiling young woman holding a pitchfork in the middle of a harvested field.

German Gen. Wilhelm Richter’s former command post, the bunker beneath the museum, was built to defend the Normandy coast from an Allied invasion. Refurbished to look much as it did during WWII, it has a radio transmission center with equipment from the period.

Back aboard the Viking Radgrid, the mood lightened. Everyone was ready to put the horrors of war aside and partake of the more pleasant aspects of Normandy, such as the regional cuisine.

The Taste of Normandy is a special dinner that starts with an aperitif of Calvados, an apple brandy produced exclusively in the region, and a selection of cheeses named after the Norman villages where they are produced. Creamy Camembert, known for its pungent aroma, is the most iconic.

Normandy’s cuisine is seafood-centric, so the bounty of offerings ranged from rustic fish stew to fresh oysters to sole meuniere.

The rest of the cruise was a whirlwind of art, architecture and history. In Auvers-sur-Oise, a small town where Van Gogh lived at the end of his life in 1890, passengers admired the subject of one of the Dutch post-impressionist painter’s most influential works, “The Church at Auvers,” before visiting his grave.

In Rouen, the Norman capital known as “the town of 100 spires,” the Rouen Cathedral reached heavenward in all its Gothic glory. The architectural masterpiece was painted by impressionist Claude Monet more than 30 times.

But for some Americans, Normandy’s numerous cultural offerings will always be secondary to its place in WWII history. The Normandy beaches are hallowed ground, and eight decades after the D-Day landings, they’re a reminder that threats to democracy around the world still loom large and that freedom can never be taken for granted.

Tracey Teo is a freelancer.

No one was injured after the incident on United Flight 2091, which happened around 2 p.m. The Airbus A320 was towed to the gate, and passengers deplaned, the FAA said.

The agency temporarily halted arrivals into O’Hare. Normal operations resumed around 2:45 p.m., according to the FAA.

There were 148 passengers and five crew members on board, according to a statement from United Airlines.

The airline is working with customers to make alternate arrangements, it said.

More than 2.9 million travelers were screened at U.S. airports on Friday, surpassing a previous record set last year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, according to the transportation security agency.

“Officers have set a new record for most travelers screened in a single day!” the TSA tweeted. “We recommend arriving early.”

The third busiest day on record was set on Thursday when just under 2.9 million travelers were screened at U.S. airports.

In Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport had its busiest day ever. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport broke a traffic record on Thursday when 111,000 passengers, airlines crew and airport employees were screened at security checkpoints. The second busiest day followed on Friday when 109,960 people were screened, according to the TSA.

With 104.6 million passengers, the Atlanta airport was the busiest in the world last year, according to Airports Council International.

U.S. airlines expect to carry a record number of passengers this summer. Their trade group estimates that 271 million travelers will fly between June 1 and August 31, breaking the record of 255 million set last summer.

AAA predicted this will be the busiest start-of-summer weekend in nearly 20 years, with 43.8 million people expected to roam at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday — 38 million of them taking vehicles.

The annual expression of wanderlust that accompanies the start of the summer travel season is happening at a time when Americans tell pollsters they are worried about the economy and the direction of the country.

In what had long been celebrated every May 30 to honor America’s fallen soldiers, Memorial Day officially became a federal holiday in 1971, observed on the last Monday in May.

Jason Redman, a retired Navy SEAL who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, told The Associated Press last year that he honors the friends he’s lost. Thirty names are tattooed on his arm “for every guy that I personally knew that died.”

More than 4,000 U.S. flights were delayed by midafternoon on the East Coast, continuing a trend that has tested the patience of travelers all week. Thankfully, relatively few flights were canceled — fewer than 100, according to tracking data from FlightAware.

There were delays on the highways, too.

Along Florida’s Turnpike, Wallis Tinnie said a traffic accident and road work slowed her drive to an African American history commemoration in the Florida Panhandle, the site in 1816 of the first battle of the Seminole Wars.

“But we’re comfortable with it,” the Miami woman said during a stop at Port Saint Lucie. “We left early, and our event is tomorrow. So hopefully — God willing, creek don’t rise — we’ll be there in plenty of time.”

The Transportation Security Administration predicted that Friday would be the busiest day of the holiday weekend for air travel, with nearly 3 million people expected to pass through airport checkpoints. TSA screened just under 2.9 million people Thursday, coming within about 11,000 of breaking the record set on the Sunday after Thanksgiving last year.

“Airports are going to be more packed than we have seen in 20 years,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said.

Highways also are likely to be jammed as motorists head out of town and then return home. AAA predicted this will be the busiest start-of-summer weekend in nearly 20 years, with 43.8 million people expected to roam at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday — 38 million of them taking vehicles.

The annual expression of wanderlust that accompanies the start of the summer travel season is happening at a time when Americans tell pollsters they are worried about the economy and the direction of the country.

“Memorial Day is a holiday weekend. I get to hang with family and friends, so I’d say that’s priceless, right?” Nene Efebo said during a two-hour wait for a delayed flight at Denver International Airport. “Anything to hang out with family and friends.”

Victoria Ramos Valdes of Miami was taking a driving vacation with her husband, Blake, and their children, ages 3 and 4 months old.

“We said, hey, we’re going to go for a $300 budget, and the hotel is around $150,” she said, but it has a water slide, providing plenty of entertainment. “We’re taking a nice family trip and doing our best to have the best Memorial Day weekend possible.”

Some travelers reported experiencing sticker shock when they booked their trips. Upon arriving at Philadelphia International Airport, Ciarra Marsh said the city “was not our original destination, but we chose here because it was cheaper.”

At Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, Larisa Latimer of New Lenox, Illinois, said her airfare was reasonable but other expenses for a getaway to New Orleans were not.

“I just have to make the accommodation,” she said. “The rental car is up … this year, the hotel accommodations were very unusually expensive.”

Kathy Larko of Fort Myers, Florida, used frequent-flyer miles — and some flexible scheduling — to pay for her trip to Chicago.

“I’m really conscious of looking at the cost of the entire trip. We’re staying a little farther out than we normally would” to get a lower hotel rate, she said. “We’re also flying back a day later, because we could get cheaper miles.”

The weekend’s highway traffic and crowded airports could be a sample of what is to come for several more weeks. U.S. airlines expect to carry a record number of passengers this summer. Their trade group estimates that 271 million travelers will fly between June 1 and August 31, breaking the record of 255 million set – you guessed it – last summer.

Cody Jackson in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, Melissa Perez Winder in Chicago and Shelley Adler in Washington contributed to this report.

Milwaukee, with a population of about 560,000, is a big enough city to have world-class attractions but small enough to make it easy to get around. It’s currently in the spotlight for a host of reasons.

The big news is the Republican National Convention, which will be held in Milwaukee July 15-18, bringing an estimated 50,000 visitors, including international journalists for the four-day event.

Shortly before the RNC, the city’s annual three-weekend music extravaganza, Summerfest, is likely to draw more than 600,000 to the Lake Michigan shore. And the week after the convention, 80,000 people are expected for Harley-Davidson’s annual Homecoming festival, July 25-28, with big-name entertainers.

And then there’s the television show. Bravo’s reality series “Top Chef” was filmed in Milwaukee and other Wisconsin spots last year and began airing its 14 weekly episodes on March 20. Viewers get a big dose of Wisconsin landscapes, history and culture along with the food porn.

Yes, this city on the shores of Lake Michigan is getting a lot of attention. Here are some of the reasons why, and ideas that might draw you to visit before, during or after these big events.

Beer

Long known as Brew City (that German influence), 27 breweries operate in Milwaukee. That compares with more than 40 breweries tapping kegs back in the 1860s. Of those 40, four are still around: Blatz, Pabst, Miller and Schlitz, once the largest beer producer in the U.S. and known as “the beer that made Milwaukee famous.”

Hanging out at Lakefront Brewery, especially after a stroll along the Milwaukee RiverWalk, is a great way to spend some time. Sample the gold-medal winning RiverWest Stein, an amber lager, alongside some tasty fried cheese curds.

Head to 3rd Street Market Hall to check out City Fountain, a self-serve indoor beer garden where you can sample as much or as little as you like of some of Wisconsin’s best beer. You’re charged by the ounce.

There are all kinds of beer tours available in Milwaukee and its surrounding areas. Find the one that’s right for you at visitmilwaukee.org.

And if visiting breweries and taverns isn’t enough to get your beer fix, consider this: the Brewhouse Inn and Suites is a 90-room boutique hotel constructed on the site of the historic Pabst brewery. The rooms are arranged around a central courtyard housing huge copper brewing kettles.

History

Milwaukee’s history is alive and on full display in so many ways. When European immigrants began arriving in the United States in large numbers after 1850, Milwaukee was the destination for Germans. Today, the city’s brewing industry, its tradition of ethnic festivals and a few Gilded Age mansions are part of that German tradition that visitors can explore.

It was in the 1890s that teenager William Harley met Arthur Davidson in a Milwaukee neighborhood. Shortly after the turn of the century, they produced the first Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Today, that history is examined at one of the city’s biggest tourist destinations, the Harley-Davidson Museum. It’s a 20-acre complex with retail stores, restaurants and two floors of memorabilia.

A more traditional history tour is at the Pabst Mansion, where programs help tell the history of brewing, art and architecture of the time with the impressive Gilded Age mansion from which Frederick Pabst ran the brewery.

Food

For so long, Milwaukee has been famous for brats, cheese and frozen custard. That’s still true, and make sure to sample some of those stomach pleasers. (Leon’s is my favorite for custard.) But there’s much more to the Milwaukee food scene, which is getting lots of attention thanks in part to “Top Chef.”

Do your own research to find what tempts you most, but here are a few restaurants I recommend for can’t-miss dining experiences.

DanDan, described as American-Chinese cuisine, is helmed by “Top Chef” contestant Dan Jacobs. His Happy Chicken is a dish to remember, spicy, crispy and flavorful. I would go back just for that.

At Birch, the farm-to-table menu from chef Kyle Knall drew the attention of the New York Times, ranking it one of the Top 50 restaurants in the U.S. in 2023. The ember-roasted walleye, wood-roasted pork chop and ricotta-filled pasta are standouts.

The Diplomat, a cozy neighborhood spot where chef Dane Baldwin claimed a James Beard Award in 2022, offers approachable, shareable plates. Outstanding ingredients and interesting combinations elevate simple dishes. The Knife & Fork Chicken and the Diplomac prime beef burger are popular choices.

Art

Milwaukee is not shy in the outdoor mural category, but what might make it different from other cities is that many pieces focus on beer and sports.

For architecture fans, a visit to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Burnham Block is a must. It’s the renowned architect’s collection of affordable housing units and is open to the public on most Saturdays. Tours often sell out, so plan in advance.

But the indisputable star in this category is the Milwaukee Art Museum, known as much for its collections and exhibits as for its architecture. Designed by famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the main building perches next to Lake Michigan like a bird, or a boat, or a sail, and has become a city landmark.

Four floors with more than 40 galleries display a broad collection with pieces ranging from ancient decorative arts to Renaissance paintings and documentary photography. There’s also a large collection of works from German artists.

Outdoor recreation

Though Milwaukee has the amenities of a big city, outdoor recreation is also plentiful.

During summer, Bradford Beach is a popular destination. It’s a wide, sandy expanse along Lake Michigan where volleyball leagues share the sand with sunbathers. It’s just a short drive from downtown.

There’s 135 miles of paved trails looping around Milwaukee County. Check out the 2-mile Seven Bridges Trail in nearby South Milwaukee. It crosses bridges and stairways built by the Works Progress Administration almost 100 years ago through ravines along Lannon stone paths.

Veterans Park, also along the lakefront, is a destination for kite flyers, kayakers and standup paddle boarders. There’s a kite store on site and a company that rents kayaks and standup paddle boards. Those water activities are also available on the city’s rivers.

Sports and festivals

Milwaukee is a huge sports town and in summer a trip to American Family Field to watch the Brewers play baseball is a must. New this year at the field is an annex of the 3rd Street Market Hall. So along with your brats and beer, you can nosh on empanadas and crab Rangoon while watching the game and the sausage mascot races at the bottom of the sixth inning.

Milwaukee is known as the city of festivals with nearly 100 on the calendar for events in and around the city. Many celebrate the cultures of the immigrants who shaped the city. Others celebrate food and art. There’s even the Weird Fest, which seems to be mostly about beer, so that’s not really too weird for Milwaukee.

Terri Colby is a freelancer.

There is no denying that 2024 will be a huge year for travel in The Hexagon, with so much going on across the country. Plenty has been said and written about the Paris Summer Olympics (and will be in the coming months), but here we will set that massive event to the side and focus instead on other reasons to visit France this year.

Some of the events could be perfect bookends to a trip to see the Games or serve as inspiration for a completely different adventure.

Making an impression

After the Olympic Games, the second most talked about celebration in France will be the events surrounding the 150th anniversary of Impressionism, with Normandy being the best place outside of Paris to celebrate. The fifth edition of the Normandy Impressionist Festival (March 22- Sept. 22) will take place across the region, and some parts will have an unexpected American influence. In Rouen, look for an exhibit showcasing the works of renowned American artist Whistler, as well as the 12th edition of the sensational summer light and sound show at Rouen Cathedral.

In Paris, the Normandy region will sponsor a spectacular exhibit titled “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment” at the Musée d’Orsay (March 16 – July 14). The event will feature over 100 masterpieces, including paintings, sculptures, photographs and much more.

Saluting the heroes of summer ’44

The 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings and the ensuing Battle of Normandy will take place on June 6, and the military operation that forever changed history will be honored with pomp and circumstance all over the region. In addition to official observations that will require invitations, there will be fireworks displays over the five landing beaches on June 1, art installations and dozens more events (think parades, parachuting, historical re-enactments and concerts) during the D-Day Festival Normandy (June 1-16).

There will also be events surrounding the 80th anniversary of Operation Dragoon, which was a significant French-American landing that took place in Southern France on Aug. 15, 1944. Expect commemorative events to take place in the region.

The Tour cycles south

No discussion of sports in France would be complete without a mention of the Tour De France (June 29 – July 21), the most iconic bicycle race on the planet. This year, the race will traverse a 2,000-mile-plus loop through some of the most breathtaking landscapes in France. The route changes for each edition of the race, but the mountain stages in the Pyrenees and Alps are a constant, and these regions make for exciting fan experiences. The 2024 race will start in Florence, Italy, before finishing somewhere other than Paris for the first time in a century. Due to the Olympics, the Tour will finish up in the jewel of the Riviera: Nice.

Setting sail

The Vendée Globe, which is another one of the biggest French sporting events this year, will actually start in New York City. On May 24, sailors will gather at the Statue of Liberty for a host of pre-race celebrations before embarking on a grueling 3,200-mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean to France. Then, on Nov. 10, the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe will set sail from the coastal town of Sables d’Olonne in the Vendée region of France. Known as the Everest of Seas, this nonstop solo race will see about 40 skippers navigating the globe, and while you’re not allowed to tag along with them, it will be the perfect excuse to discover the beautiful coastal region of Vendée, which is home to long sweeps of beach and a breathtaking bay.

Flower power

Also in the Vendée region, the Les Floralies de Nantes — one of Europe’s most prestigious international horticultural shows — will take place at the impressive Domaine de La Chabotterie (May 17-26). This 18th century estate sits within 100 acres of meadows and forest, and the festival will showcase the imaginative creations of 200 participants hailing from France and beyond. As a nod to the Summer Olympics, the 2024 edition has been dubbed “Flower Games” and will feature five themed areas: water, childhood, intellectual, physical and garden.

Summer festivals galore

Bordeaux has been bubbling up on travel lists for a while now, and the 2024 edition of the famed Bordeaux Fête le Vin (June 27-30), the premier wine tourism festival in the city, will be the perfect excuse to get to know it better. Set against the backdrop of the Garonne River, the event will offer a delightful experience for wine lovers and curious travelers alike. The party will start early, as from June 20, a host of events will take place in the lead-up to the festival at the city’s renowned wine cellars, restaurants and cultural venues.

You’ll be surrounded by tunes all over the country on June 21 as the Fête de la Musique will see musicians of all levels (both amateur and professional) take to the streets across France to show off their skills. You’ll be able to experience a wide range of musical genres (and talent) as everything from rock groups to choirs and orchestras strut their stuff.

Every other year, the coastal town of Dieppe hosts one of the most colorful kite festivals in the world, and in 2024, the Dieppe International Kite Festival is back and better than ever. More than just a gathering of kite lovers, this festival celebrates global unity, highlighting the rich diversity of people and cultures on the planet. Expect the sky above the beach in Dieppe to be splashed with a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes and for you to leave feeling a little better about the state of the world.

Ending the year in style

The end of the year will see numerous reasons to visit France.

Montmartre — arguably the most atmospheric neighborhood in Paris — will bubble over with fun once again during the annual Montmartre Wine Festival (Oct. 9-13). This event celebrates the neighborhood and its winemaking tradition.

In Lyon, the Festival of Light (Dec. 5-8) will adorn the city with a dazzling display of bulbs that help illuminate the dark early winter nights and launch thousands of social media stories. From the special “light tunnels” to the experience of seeing the city’s fine architecture bathed in light, it’s an event you won’t soon forget.

While holiday festivities take place all over the nation, the Alsace region is arguably the capital of Christmas Markets as charming small towns like Riquewihr and Eguisheim shine bright in addition to the larger cities in the region: Colmar and Strasbourg. Expect timber-framed facades, warm baked goods and plenty of vin chaud, the local take on mulled wine.

Last but certainly not least, Notre Dame Cathedral is scheduled to officially reopen on December 8, over four and a half years after the devastating fire. This will be a special time to be in Paris, no doubt.

Something important was happening on the city’s East Side at a time when most of the world’s attention was focused on armed conflict that had engulfed the globe.

The secret turned out to be a gift for the president being put together in a workshop at 12th Street and McKinley Avenue, where the Weber Costello Company long had manufactured school supplies such as blackboards, erasers, maps and globes.

The firm’s top mapmakers, including chief cartographer B.E. Brown, of Steger, and Chicago Heights resident Arthur Wallmeyer, head of lithography, were recruited for the effort. They oversaw “nine months of secret and sometimes feverish activity,” according to an account published a few years later, on display at Bloom Township High School library in Chicago Heights.

“The War Department placed the full resources of the government at their disposal,” including supplying “secret geographical information” from the Office of Strategic Services. “Scarce materials needed in the plate making department were rushed by plane from all parts of the country,” the account states.

By the time it was finished, they had assembled a 50-inch globe that was “unique in mapmaking history.” Weber Costello described it as “the largest ever manufactured,” with a caveat.

“Actually, larger spheres have been made, but since they were planned for display rather than the shaping of world decisions, their maps have been drawn on the surface of the finished ball and they do not present the hairline accuracy of the 50-inch map,” the company stated in a promotional booklet.

The item originally planned as a Christmas present for President Franklin Roosevelt became part of the war effort. Identical copies were made for British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the U.S. War Department and other agencies. Midcentury newspaper accounts indicate Roosevelt’s model accompanied the president to a summit in Casablanca, Morocco, where world leaders plotted to drive their German and Italian enemies from North Africa.

Weber Costello made several of the 50-inch globes during the war and a few more by commission into the 1950s, marketed as The President Globe. In an advertising pamphlet from the ‘40s, the company printed an endorsement from Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, who had received the third one.

“The globe and its companion will serve a high purpose in our war effort, and I thank you again on behalf of the War Department as well as personally for your tireless work and splendid cooperation in the face of many difficulties,” Marshall wrote.

Marshall’s globe is on display at the American Geographical Society Library at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Roosevelt’s globe, which he initially situated prominently behind his Oval Office desk, is at his presidential library and museum in New York. Churchill’s globe is at his Chartwell estate museum in Kent, England.

Another of the 50-inch globes that had such a prominent role in World War II history was proudly housed at the Weber Costello headquarters.

Decades passed. Gradually the new-globe sheen faded and its WWII provenance became old hat. By 1964, Weber Costello’s globe had been loaned to Kline’s Department Store in Chicago Heights, which used it to promote its annual August sale of sheets, according to a Star Newspapers story from that year.

Not long after that, Weber Costello went out of business and the globe was donated to Bloom High School. By then, it had seen better days. In the early 1970s, the school threw it out, according to a 1990s newspaper story, but a social studies teacher retrieved it and placed it in his classroom. When that teacher retired, someone proposed splitting the cherry wood globe at the equator and turning it into two large planters.

Instead, a group of teachers undertook a public fundraising effort to restore the globe. Donations poured in from alumni, history buffs and community members. The School Board chipped in the remainder, and when word got out, the Chicago History Museum requested the artifact on temporary loan for a Chicago in Wartime exhibit marking the 50th anniversary of World War II in 1992. By the time it returned to Bloom, a special niche had been carved for the historic globe in the school’s library.

Tim Jacko, the school’s librarian, said it’s a great addition to the first high school in Illinois to be added to the National Register of Historic Places. Built in Art Deco style amid the Great Depression, the school also is filled with art from famous creators, some dating to the institution’s old building in the 1910s.

For many students, though, it’s just part of the backdrop of regular high school life.

“It’s kind of just there, and students are like, yeah, it’s the globe,” Jacko said.

Others, who might be more enthusiastic about its history and role in worldwide events, don’t get much of a chance to see this artifact.

“It’s a rarity that we have visitors come in and look at the globe, because we are a school,” Jacko said. “It’s not like people can come in off the street and take a look at it.”

But one of those opportunities is coming up June 22, thanks to a group of car enthusiasts who will once again drive the nearby Dixie Highway.

The Crete-based A’s R Us Model A Car Club revived the annual June event formerly known as Drivin’ the Dixie last year, though it was a last-minute effort.

Started as the Dixie Dash in 2002 as a 200-mile timed distance event from Blue Island to Danville along the historic named road, the car caravan transitioned the following year into a more relaxed touring format taking motorists from Blue Island to Momence with stops highlighting the rich history of the south suburbs.

It also became a fundraiser for efforts to promote the Dixie Highway as a destination in its own right, much like a similar national project along Lincoln Highway.

“We made it to the 100th anniversary of Dixie Highway in 2015, and that’s when we put up the story boards and signage that runs from Blue Island All the way down to Danville,” said Phillip Serviss, of Beecher, who’s coordinating the event. “By 2018, time moved on for a lot of people. People were tired and we turned it over to the Blue Island Historical Society as a keeper of the drive kind of thing.”

Drivin’ the Dixie returned for 2019 going from Momence to Blue Island, and then “the pandemic hit and destroyed lots of things,” Serviss said.

The break reenergized interest among the classic car crowd, “so we revived it last year and had about 60-65 cars,” he said. It was sort of a last-minute effort, without much publicity, but now “we have another year under our belt and we’ve refined the whole thing.”

Drivers, who can be in any sort of vehicle, will start in Markham, which “has really stepped up,” Serviss said, with breakfast at the Markham Roller Rink. And the route will extend south past Momence “along the original Dixie Highway” — now farm roads — to St. Anne, where a reception event is planned with food and live music. Details about participating are at as-r-us.com/.

Just as in previous incarnations, Day Along the Dixie will feature stops highlighting points of interest, including a free ice cream cone in Homewood at one of the original Dairy Queen shops, and a history presentation by South Cook Explore map compiler and local history author Kevin Barron at Thornton Distillery, the oldest standing brewery in Illinois.

In Crete, a display will highlight the village’s plethora of Sears kit homes, including one street with a concentration of “six or seven of them.”

“If you didn’t know Sears had kit homes, you will after June 22,” Serviss said.

A presentation in the village of Grant Park will showcase how the grain elevator there works, and “the complexity of maintaining grain so that it doesn’t rot.”

Along with Bloom, historic buildings such as the Farm Museum in Momence, the Thornton Historical Society and the old Depot in Beecher will be open.

As in the past, the event is a fundraiser for maintenance and new signs along the Dixie Highway, a cause dear to Serviss.

“I was born in Harvey, raised in Homewood, when I got married I ended up in Glenwood and I’m back in Beecher now, so I’ve never left Dixie Highway,” he said. “It was the first north-south highway in the country, but it’s kind of a forgotten highway. We’re trying to not forget it.”

And it offers a chance to ensure other highlights of suburban history aren’t overlooked either, such as the Weber Costello globe tucked away in a corner of Bloom’s library.

“To see something like this, something that Churchill and Roosevelt used to plan the war, it’s kind of cool,” Jacko said. “Not to mention it has this link to Chicago Heights history. You get to see how this town contributed to the war. It’s a good experience.”

Landmarks is a weekly column by Paul Eisenberg exploring the people, places and things that have left an indelible mark on the Southland. He can be reached at peisenberg@tribpub.com.