Downtown Chicago

After landing at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport, we took a train to get to the city center.


Chicago Board of Trade


Beautiful street name sign craved out on a building wall.


By chance, we walked into State Street and found people waiting for the Memorial Day parade.






The Statue of Liberty was originally bronze, but over many years, it oxidized into green.


Marshall's Field Great Clock on the side of the building of Macy's at State Street.




Most of the subway tracks in Chicago city are running above ground.


Millennium Monument in Millennium Park.


Crown Fountain in Millennium Park.


Cloud Gate in Millennium Park.


After dinner, we waited outside Navy Pier for the Saturday night fireworks.

911 Ground Zero

The original site of the former World Trade Center had been fenced off for construction. Beside it, is a memorial corridor.

Now, eight years since the attacks, people are still coming here to present flowers.



St. Paul's Chapel is across the street from Ground Zero. In there, a memorial altar had been setup.


The Bell of Hope was installed outside the church one year after the 911 attack.


Left photo: A booth with many badges from the police, paramedic and fire departments from all over the country.
Right photo: The memorial altar filled with photographs of the victims.

Ben & Jerry's Factory

The Ben & Jerry's factory is located in Vermont.


These are patented ice-cream scoops!



Some of the many flavours of Ben & Jerry's ice-cream.


Ben & Jerry's milestone chart.



Photo-taking is not allowed in the actual manufacturing area. Ice-cream samples were given at the end of the tour.

Lake Champlain Chocolates

Here's some chocolate bars from Lake Champlain Chocolates. They also sell chocolate truffle of many different flavours.


A chart on the wall to illustrate the process of making chocolate.


Visitors were seated by the large glass window to view the factory process, while the guide shares about the different kinds of chocolates. Chocolate samples were passed around for tasting.


Cannot really see very much from here, but this is the closest we can get.

Montreal Notre-Dame Basilica

A choir was practicing in Notre-Dame Basilica (in Montreal) and the visitors sat in the pew to listen quietly.


Walking closer to the altar.


Right photo: The pulpit at the side of the hall.


Lighted candles in the hall.


One of the stained glass windows on the sides of the hall.


The pipe organ at the back of the hall.

Niagara Falls Canada

This is my second trip to Niagara Falls. Although it's already April, the weather is still in winter temperatures. My first trip here was during summer last year and it's definitely a better time to visit in a hot and sunny weather.


Canada city on the right and Horseshoe Falls in the far end.


Above American Falls, all the tree branches are bare during winter, giving a gloomy feel.


However, nearer the Horseshoe Falls, bunches of little yellow flowers are growing on the ground.



Close-up on a bunch of the yellow flowers.


After walking through an underground tunnel, the Journey Behind the Falls offers a view of Horseshoe Falls while standing almost right next to it.


Looking to the left of the tunnel opening, the American Falls and the Rainbow Bridge can be seen.

SnowBoarding at Gore Mountain

The couple rented an SUV and 5 gooseberries tagged along for a trip to Gore Mountain. One of my friends sprained her ankle some days ago. It's a pity she couldn't join us for the snowboarding lesson, but she still kept herself entertained... we handed all our cameras to her and she went trigger happy.

Who abandoned their skis here?

To end of the trip, we took the gondola to the highest point, where it's really windy and cold! While the experts would ski or snowboard down back to the base, we obviously took the gondola back down, else we will all have broken bones.

The gondola cabins