Peter Santenenllo: America's Underdog City

 

[VIDEO] Good afternoon and happy Veteran's Day.

I'm semi familiar with Milwaukee, Wisconsin having visited relatives up there over the years. Can't say that we've had the opportunity to really look around that great city. I almost consider that city Chicago's cousin. Both cities lie on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Milwaukee is a large city that has issues like many others. They have issues of crime and of course economic development. There are issues that involve race and one word that comes from that is "redlining" where you will have difficulty getting loans not exactly based on race, but where you reside.

We see Peter Santenello go around Milwaukee and meet some of its people with Fred who runs 414Milwaukee.com which is a merch site. We see the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly the same thing most cities have. It's great to see them make plans for an outdoor soccer stadium within the city.

Just a fascinating look about a city I've visited a number of times in the past.

BTW, who knows about the St. Joan of Arc Chapel located on the campus of Milwaukee's Marquette University which was dismantled in France and brought to Milwaukee to be rebuilt there.

Classy Whale: Who Are New Orleans' Streetcars For?

 

[VIDEO] I'm adding NOLA as one of those places that I will visit in the near future. And perhaps ride on these famed streetcars. After all it provides a source for that play or classic movie A Streetcar Named Desire although the story itself doesn't involve any streetcars at all. There was a Desire streetcar line though.

That's the focus of this video by Classy Whale who looks at transit issues. The story of NOLA's streetcar lines and the history of NOLA. And I'll give you one answer for who New Orleans' streetcars are for.

The tourist as NOLA's brand is designed to make the city more attractive for tourists. That city is known for its history and architecture. Of course we hear so much about Mardi Gras. Also be aware that New Orleans was French Territory before the Lousiana Purchase during the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson.

Anyway how soon can I get down there to spend at least a day?

J.J. McCullough: Reviewing tourism ads from all 50 states

 

[VIDEO] In the embed above JJ McCullough who is Canadian reviews the tourism campaign for Illinois. While he might criticize the campaign of visiting Chicago, I do like the fact that he reviewed an ad that shows a bit more of what the Land of Lincon has to offer beyond the Windy City.

Illinois is portrayed as a place where you can buy locally owned products such as art, furniture or food. And certainly you can do that in the city or even in the surrounding suburbs. However, what if you can do this in other parts of this state. Springfield, Rockford, Champaign-Urbana, Peoria, Rock Island, and I could go on with the various large cities in this state.

Of course click the video links in to see all tourism videos for all 50 states for good or bad. If I could find that one tourism video for Illinois to upload and share with you, I will. Meanwhile Enjoy Illinois does have a website.

Four Corners Monument another site on the bucket list

 

[VIDEO] YouTuber Hoosier Boo paid a visit to the Four Corners monument which marks the borders between the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. It's located on the tribal land of the Navajo Nation and is the only part of America where you can legit stand in four states. So on my next visit to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon this ought to be on the list of must visits. To share on my YouTube channel in the future...

Canadian visits Washington, D.C.

 

[VIDEO] This video dropped over the past weekend. J.J. McCullough pays a visit to our nation's capital Washington, District of Columbia. And this sparks another thing to share on this blog. There are a lot of places to see there or at least in the whole D.C. area outside of Washington.

McCullough is a Canadian so perhaps you might see a foreign perspective here.

It's interesting that he also visited the D.C. home of former slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass which is now a nat'l historic site. Add that to the list of places to visit in our nation's capital.

YouTuuba visits the Everglades Nat'l Park

 I've only recently visited Florida - Jacksonville more specifically - and perhaps I can find other places in the sunshine state. Perhaps see a taping of NXT in Orlando. Perhaps check out Miami or even Key West. And then there's yet another National Park to visit - the Everglades. Another national treasure to record on my YouTube channel.

This time around however, YouTuuba beats me to it sharing online three videos of his trip there. Yesterday I shared his visit to Ft. Zachary Taylor when he was in the Florida Keys.

This first video he takes an airboat ride, think a floating raft with a huge fan propelling it through the swamplands - because I think the Everglades is mostly swamps, however, it's just so much more. And these airboat rides aren't exactly in the national park itself however [VIDEO]

YouTuuba visits the former Sears Tower before taking an Amtrak

 

[VIDEO] I wanted to share this with you because before YouTuuba leaves for his recent "Train Odyssey" he leaves his baggage at the Metropolitan Lounge at Union Station to go to the former Sears Tower 21 minutes into this almost two hour video and check out the Skydeck and the Ledge. To see Chicago from up there makes the city look like one massive modeling project.

Sadly I'm not very keen on going all the way to the top of a tall building. Just not big on heights although I have been to the top of the Washington Monument in D.C. for example or another time I went to the top of the Soldiers and Sailors monument in downtown Indianapolis. I feel as if going over 1000 feet over the ground is a bit too far.

Though I'd do it if this was an experience that you never had and hoping someone like me would share that with you. Just have to get over my phobia of heights and now I know to get "expedited" tickets to go up to the Skydeck. I don't know about the Ledge....

Meanwhile for the rest of this video you will see him pull off late from Union Station on board Amtrak's Capitol Limited and show us the south side from along the Chicago Skyway.

When I visit Springfield, Illinois

410 E Jackson Street Springfield, IL

Another stop when I finally pay a visit to Springfield, the governor's mansion which just last year was finally reopened after a period of rehabilitation.

Here's some recent news about the mansion courtesy of Capitol Fax. More renovations are coming so if you plan to visit soon be advised that the mansion is closed

Mansion to close for more renovations https://t.co/kHpQBgCZ2i

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 3, 2019

From the state's Governor's Mansion page you can learn most about visiting our state's equivalent of the White House.

Want to do a Pullman strike tour?

Credit: The Chicago Neighborhoods

I was awfully slow in sharing this. On July 13, 2019 there was a tour in Pullman related to the 125th anniversary of the Great Strike of 1894 and there are more scheduled through October. I believe this strike caused the President of the time a man by the name of Grover Cleveland to sent federal forces to end it.

I found out about this event through Curbed Chicago earlier this month, however, all I did was retweet this information. It would've been cool for me to take part in this as I know more about Pullman's story and architecture, but very little of some of the labor drama that took place there.

Tour the site of the Great Pullman Strike on its 125th anniversary https://t.co/IxFHGZDoQo pic.twitter.com/NkOtsl9jWh

— Curbed Chicago (@curbedchicago) July 5, 2019

According to the above link:

Labor history tends to get short shrift in history books.

The Pullman National Monument Preservation Society, created by Barack Obama’s presidential proclamation in 2015, is trying to change that. During the Great Pullman Strike’s 125th anniversary, the group is giving guided tours each month through October.
...
The next tour is scheduled for July 13 at noon. Admission is $25, and each ticket includes post-tour reception and dessert.

WTTW has more on the history of this strike in 1894 with regards to the perfect company town that was Pullman.