Just moved to Chicago… Uncovering some Food Treasures: Italian Beef, Deep Dish Pizza, and Puerto Rican Flavors

After almost 3 years living in Dubai, and exploring some of the best cities in that part of the world, we have now the opportunity to live in the continental USA. It is in the top 3 cities to live and the name is CHICAGO aka – The Windy City. Chicago a city that host more than 2.7 million people, making it one of the biggest in the USA after New York and Los Angeles.

Chicago Skyline is Iconic…

It is the food, culture, sports, parks, and architecture offers that makes this place a great tourist attraction and more important a great place to live. Situated in the midwest in front of Lake Michigan on 1871 the city had the great fire a tragic event that left more than 100,000 residents homeless and 17,000 structure destroyed; but after the event Chicago literally rise from the ashes and from the ruins of the previous wooden structures arose more modern constructions of steel and stone including the world’s first skyscraper in 1885 using steel-skeleton.

Got transferred here in early June a good time to enjoy the Chicago summer at its fullest, the offer available is huge and you can do something different every day of the season. Landing in June presented the opportunity to explore the city and making it our new home, one key decision has been moving downtown to take advantage of living close to my work and to some of the best attractions the city has to offer.

In this post will share some of the best finds from a culinary offering the city has to offer, this places are must do in my opinion to get a local food experience. You will find many other places that offer similar food, for us this 3 have make a difference in get us to connect with the city quicker.

  • Portillo’s Italian Beef

This Roast Beef sandwich dipped in their gravy and served in a Turano French Bread is sooooo goood. When you order it, include the giardiniera peppers and dipped in the gravy while eating. There are many locations to go, but be prepared to make a big line to order since is always full. Maybe they were not the first, to do the Italian Beef but they sure have cracked the Italian Beef recipe.

  • Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Chicago Classic

The founder started working in 1940 at Pizzeria Uno, where story says he invented the original Deep Dish Recipe, in 1971 Lou opened his first store and now it has more than 60 stores across 4 states. They have many varieties of their deep dish but my recommendation is to go with the Malnati Chicago Classic, this pie has their own Sausage recipe covering the entirety of the pizza with a great sauce and cheese. When you order is important to tell them to make it just right, the additional time is worth it, the crust and the mix of ingredients where you will have a mix of all the ingredient is a superb experience.

After 10 years of living outside Puerto Rico finding a place to have home food was not easy; first finding your at home ingredients and second you don’t find big Puerto Rican population in Queretaro and Dubai. Settling in Chicago we are now living in one of the cities with the biggest communities of Puerto Ricans in the USA, currently Puerto Ricans is the second biggest latino group in Chicago after Mexicans. People have come from our beautiful island to Chicago since 1950 and the owner of this place landed here after the 2017 big hurricane that impacted the totality of the island generating a crisis that as of today we have not fully recovered.

Found the place while talking with someone in a store, this person was a Puerto Rican that move here more than 15 years ago and of course we started having the new kid on the block conversation, We started talking about our stories and how we both landed here in Chicago, then I asked him where he goes to eat and feel back home and luck struck with the answer being Janellie´s kitchen. The following day we went looking for a good lunch but our surprise wads that we were transported HOME; My wife ordered Serenata de Bacalao (Codfish with Root Vegetables) and I got Rice and Beans with beefsteak, as an appetizer we got alcapurrias (fritter with green plantain, pork) and it was AWESOME, my wife described the experience as going back to her grandma house for a friday early dinner with family!!!

(BYOB) I enjoyed a cold Medalla beer!!!

Don’t miss any of these places, they will be a great stop in your visit to Chicago and will add to the experience of this incredible city. We are shifting now to autumn, but there is still time to enjoy Chicago weather and will continue sharing some of the best things to do in Chicago. Thanks for reading the post, please share it with your friends and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, and Facebook search for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD. Until next time….

F1 Saudi GP in Jeddah, shows how Saudi Arabia is delivering on their 2030 vision …

Jeddah has clearly learned how to do a big event and after coming back from the 2024 #SaudiGP and knowing is only their 4th edition this city knows how to make sure tourist come back for more. Not only the event was A++ but getting to know more about the city history and talking with the local people made it even better. Their Saudi 2030 vision is into full throttle, go to Visit Saudi and see more info on what they offer, plus requirements to enter the country.

Jeddah a port city in the Makkah province in Saudi Arabia was established in the 6th century BC along the Red Sea coast; there are some experts that say it was settled more than 2500 years. It is the 2nd biggest city in terms of population and serves as arrival point to millions of Muslims that visit Mecca, a place where they go for pilgrimage especially for Hajj a sacred Muslim pilgrimage that ever-able bodied Muslim who has financial means should do after Prophet Muhammad farewell pilgrimage.

Getting to Jeddah from Dubai by air is a quick 2:30 hours flight, landing at the King Abdulaziz International Airport. Immigration and Customs were a breeze and the people there were very welcoming. Airport is big with good signage in both Arabic and English; for transportation we arrange a paid transport that was waiting for us to take us to the hotel. The hotel offer is huge and you have many recognizable brands and also local hotels to choose, we stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel were the room and location was excellent.

If you are a fan to F1, you will know that each race is a fun filled weekend of activities leading to the big race that marks the end of that week Grand Prix; if you are not a fan of F1 but like entertainment the event is like a stop of a big festival where you get to spend a weekend doing outdoor activities like games, concerts, and in this case an auto race with some of the fastest car in the world with speeds of more than 250 km/hr and 4.5 G´s in the curves (crazy stuff when seen live)

The event is identified as the fastest street circuit in Formula One and is done at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit a 6.174 km motor racing street-circuit built in a beautiful setting by the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. The circuit staged the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on 5 December 2021, it looks that the race will be here until 2027 before moving to Qiddiya a planned entertainment and tourism megaproject in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia being built under the Saudi Vision 2030 program.

Don’t think of the F1 race as just the race; during the 3 day weekend you have multiple races of different categories like F1 Academy, F2, Porsche Carrera and of course F1, also many entertainment activities like F1 simulators, games, airplane shows plus live concerts in our case artists like Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, Martin Garrix were playing during the weekend. The weekend is filled with so many activities that time literally flies, important to download the even calendar so you don’t miss all the action. Expect to spend 10-12 hours doing GP related activities and also, I encourage you to add some sightseeing to explore the city and get to know the local vibe.

I do not consider myself a hardcore fan of F1, but having the opportunity to see some of the best drivers in some of the best cars in the world racing one of the toughest tracks of the calendar was exhilarating. You see on tv these cars and look fast, but when you see them live in the track at the end of a DRS zone it looks like they are flying, simply amazing. We bought Grandstand B tickets and found a nice place to see some of the best live action (end of a DRS straight) plus a big monitor in front to follow the race. In my view you need to find a place where you can see good live action but also access to monitors, so you can follow all of what happens in the race.

It was a hectic 3 days in Jeddah but had the opportunity to do some activities outside the GP and one of them was spending half a day in one of the local Beach Clubs (La Plage), arranged by one of my co-workers that lives in Jeddah. What a great place to relax, enjoy the Red Sea and chillax. If you are a Scuba diver, there is a station there where you can enjoy some diving and from what I read the Red Sea offers lots to see underwater. There are many great people in Saudi and my friend Farid clearly is an example of how welcoming people are and how they really want you to spend the best time in their country. Shukran my friend.

The other activity before flying back to Dubai was an Old Jeddah (Known as Al-Balad) walking tour. Here in Old Jeddah, you will find many traditional buildings that dates back to the era before oil was found, it has been granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2014 and the crown prince has issued a royal decree to restore many of the buildings. I know that this area will be an iconic place to visit soon with many restaurants, hotels, and museums based on all the refurbishing they are doing; here you will see some photos of the very nice architecture the city has to offer.

We finish our tour eating fresh seafood from Jeddah at a local restaurant, it was a unique experience, the recommendation was done by our tour guide Muhammad that showed us the city in a very detailed way, truly recommend him for the tour. It was a great way to finish our 3 days in Jeddah before flying back.

Jeddah is transforming and becoming an even greater city; their history and architecture; their food, and more important the people will make Jeddah a great tourism destination in the years to come. Thanks for reading the post, please share it with your friends and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, and Facebook search for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD. Until next time….

Muscat in Oman: Mix of charm and classic taste; a weekend escape destination in the middle east

After exploring some very modern cities in UAE and Qatar, we wanted also to explore a more traditional city in the Middle East and when searching for destinations we found Muscat to be an excellent alternative due to distance from Dubai (500KM) and the history they have. Muscat is famous for its ancient and modern structures, such as Portuguese forts from 16th century and the modern Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque; one additional important highlight that we found was their incredible fresh seafood (Omani Lobster was awesome!!!)

Taking advantage of a long weekend and to celebrate our wedding anniversary we flew flydubai into Muscat for a 4d/3n stay, this amount of time allowed us for a couple of day tours and also some time to relax at the pool and beach of a great hotel where we found a great deal. I can tell you that our itinerary was enough time to get a good taste of Muscat and explore the highlights the city has to offer.

When doing research for the stay, I found that there is a hotel in Muscat that was originally built as an Omani Royal Palace to host the Gulf Cooperation Council in 1985 and to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the late Sultan Qaboos accession to power. For more than 10 years the palace has been operated by the Ritz Carlton under the name Al Bustan Palace a Ritz Carlton Hotel and while they have modernized and upgraded parts of the property, their mission is to maintain the Omani essence and protect the heritage of the hotel.

The stay at the hotel was perfect, not only the property is beautiful but the employees and quality of food is top notch. Before arriving at Muscat, I shared that we were celebrating our anniversary and the hotel had some nice details to make our stay more memorable. If you come to celebrate a special occasion in Muscat, this hotel is a great choice to stay in, here are some photos that try to capture the beauty of the location. One thing you need to try is the Omani Lobster, what a great dish they prepared us in their chinese restaurant called China Mood.

Muscat is an old city, that traces back to the 1st century AD as a important trading port between the east and west it was ruled by indigenous tribes and also the Persians, Portuguese and Ottoman empire. Reading about Muscat, one interesting piece of information was that it was a military power with influence extending as far as East Africa and Zanzibar. It was on the 1970´s that Muscat started rapid infrastructure development with the accession of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan leading to rapid economic growth; his reign was almost for 50 years making it the longest serving leader in the Middle East at the time of death.

If you fly into the city, you will arrive in Muscat International Airport a small airport when compared to Dubai International but one of the nicest airports I have seen with very elegant details across the terminal. The immigration process was a bit slow when compared to other airports in the zone but after that moving around the city is very efficient with their taxi system, another interesting fact about Oman is that taxi drivers must be Omani locals making the trip more like a cultural experience.

One thing you will see in Muscat is that there are no really tall buildings, and they are similar white to beige color. It is said that the previous Sultan wanted Oman to maintain the natural beauty of the country and not change it with tall skyscrapers like Dubai, also maintaining similar colors of the buildings to be consistent to the eyes. You can truly enjoy Muscat natural views and how the city blends perfectly through the landscape, it is something rarely seen in other cities and great to experience.

During the tour we got to see some great places and sights, there are other attractions a bit farther that you should explore like Wadi Shab & Bimmah sinkhole that we did not go but should be done if you have time. Here a list of some of the must do that we experienced:

  • Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque: Beautiful Mosque, with local people there to talk and learn about Muslim religion
  • Mutrah Souq: Fairly traditional Souq in front of the sea, can walk and have fun negotiating prices for souvenirs
  • Royal Opera House: Impressive building inside and out, if there is a show is a must do
  • Al Alam Palace: Very nice structure, with views to the sea and some forts
  • National Museum of Oman: Opportunity to learn more about the country and their history

Muscat charm and simple enchantment makes it a very nice city to explore in the Middle East and if you want a more traditional experience is a place to go. Thanks for reading the post, please share to your friends and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, and Facebook search for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD. Until next time….

Cappadocia: Go back more than 2,000 years and get transported in history, plus a one in a billion hot air balloon experience

This past August we had the opportunity to visit Turkey and explore Istanbul (City in 2 continents), plus a 2-day escape to Cappadocia where the famous hot air balloon ride is done above some amazing sights with more than 2,000 years history. You will see some of the impressive sights in Cappadocia, a place where not only the balloon ride is a must but also the food, museums, and the cool cave hotels are a must do. Let me tell you this now that I was there, stay 2 nights in Cappadocia is completely worth it.

To get there from Istanbul we took a fast 75-minute flight to Kayseri, after landing is a 50 min ride by car to the smaller cities of Goreme, Urgup, Ortahisar. These locations are the ones where all the action happens, if you book a balloon ride they will pick you up at your hotel. There are plenty of places to stay in Cappadocia, my recommendation is to try a cave hotel. We found one small one with a great view to a rock castle in Ortahisar; the hotel names is Doda Artisanal Cave hotel. Great experience with big rooms, nice outside sitting areas with awesome views but the most important part was the personalized service we received. Must do the Turkish breakfast in the terrace in the open air.

Because we went for only one night, our calendar was packed with activities but also squeezed time to relax and enjoy the small-town life. The first day we did a full day tour of Cappadocia, where they would take us to the main highlights and share some of the history of this place including the Goreme Open Air Museum, Fairy Chimneys and one of the many underground cities that were used from protection from the many incursions along hundreds of years. Getting a licensed tour is a must here, you get more details and some of the colorful stories that only a local guide can share; one last point is that you stimulate the local economy. Here some highlights from the daily tour:

GOREME OPEN AIR MUSEUM (UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE)

Imagine a place where thousands of years ago a volcano erupted. Ash and lava fell across the landscape and hardened to form rocks. After many years of erosion formed the fairy chimneys that we see today, plus locals realized that they could carve into rocks and turned them into houses and churches. In this museum you can see some Churches/Temples made inside the rock and the place was a monastery where people came and studied/learn Christianism then they could continue their journey and spread the word. The place is impressive if you understand the role of this place on the biggest religion of the world.

FAIRY CHIMNEYS @ ZELVE PASABAGLAR

One of the best places to admire the fairy chimneys is Pasabaglar also known as valley of the priest it contains some of the most striking fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. In ancient times, Christian clergymen lived and served as missionaries in Paşabaglar. The priests, who lived here, created living spaces and religious shrines in the valley throughout their lives (Some of them lived secluded at the top of one of the chimneys). Is incredible how by walking through the area you feel transported to those times.

We also went to other sights like one underground city and a cafe at the top of a mountain where you can see the Rock Castle and the many impressive cave structure around Cappadocia, our guide was great, very knowledgeable of the area and the history of Turkey it was a great first day. At night we went to Goreme one of the busiest places and had dinner in one of many rooftop restaurant called Haruna, it was a great choice made by our hotel and the best way to finish that day in preparation to our Hot Air Balloon Ride.

For sure the top activity in Cappadocia is the Hot Air Balloon ride, it is something spectacular and unique, the hour you spend flying is magical and more when you can truly admire all the beauty of the place, plus you get to see the sunrise from the air is something I will never forget. There was a good amount of research in order to select the company I would trust taking us a 1,000 feet in the air in a wooden basket and a hot air balloon and after analyzing I decided with Butterfly Balloons, what a great selection it was. They are true professionals with great logistics and communication, you feel comfortable in trusting your life in this adventure.

You start early in the day, pick up time was 4:25 am, at this time you go to their home base while they finish preparation and take you to the takeoff zone with the rest of the people. Is impressive the number of vans moving across the city in the morning getting the people to their respective places, I learn that only 100 balloons fly at the beginning of the day and then other 50 balloons it looks very well managed. You get to your takeoff zone early in the morning and see the preparation on the balloons, adrenaline starts pumping. Once they get the balloons ready, is go time. You receive one last security brief and up we go!!! Our balloon had a capacity of 20 people, but they kept it at 16 to have a bit more space, it did not feel crowded.

Pictures don’t make justice to the flight but give perspective to the grandeur of the place; it feels so calm when you are up there, it is time for you to connect you with the world. The captain showed great dexterity taking us up and down across the mountains; during the whole flight there was communication from the balloon to the people in the ground, making feel you secure. After the landing you get your certificate for flying (still not a pilot :-)) and the traditional champagne celebration that dates to 1783 when in one of the first balloon flights the captain used a bottle of champagne in goodwill to the farmers where he landed. From the landing site they take you back to the hotel, still early in the morning around 9AM to have another great Turkish breakfast before doing a bit of horseback and back to Istanbul.

Our whole Turkey trip was awesome and our 36 hours in Cappadocia were just spectacular, great experience and one we will always cherish. Thanks for reading the post, please share it and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD. Until next time….

Johannesburg known as The City of Gold… Is the people that makes it shine…

During the last week of march I had the opportunity to go work for a couple of days with our team in South Africa, this time I was able to squeeze an extra day to take a tour around some landmarks of the city and talk with locals about the history of South Africa and Johannesburg. This was my second time going there, so you now start to get a better sense of the place and what to see if you only have 24 additional hours.

The city was founded in 1886 following discovery of gold and quickly received a great number of outsiders to establish for work and have living from the new found riches. Thousands of people arrive to work on the mines and used local for the manual labors, this created lots of issues moving forward with many instabilities. There are no working mines today in the urban part but you can see machinery used many years ago.

South Africa is a country that suffered a lot on racial discrimination, what I saw during my visit is that the people are embracing the story to make a stronger place to live for everyone with equal rights for every citizen. Their is along journey ahead but you find great things are happening when talking with the people and also how proud they are on what they have achieved with hope for a better tomorrow.

One of the places I visited was Constitution hill, in this place there was first a fort that was made in 1899 to protect the South African Republic from British invasion. Along the fort a prison was built, known as number four and during the apartheid era was used to put people that opposed the system it was active until 1983. Both Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi were prisoners at some moment in the prison, along with thousands of prisoners that were held for things like not having their pass to be walking outside. Conditions were not great and there are may stories of abuse in the prison. They have maintain the place opened for people to go and learn what happened there, so it will never happen again.

As part of their new constitution and focused to bring justice to the people, a new constitutional court was established in 1993 and now has a permanent place in the Constitution Hill, along the old prison. They used the prison blocks in the construction of the court in a strong message of change, at the entrance you see the words constitutional court in their 11 official languages and a enormous wooden door with the carving of the 27 rights of the bill of rights in their official languages and also sign language.

Constitution hill is a place that show some of the most dark moments in Johannesburg but also show how the city and the country are moving forward with clear equality principles, the people know they have a long journey but are proud of their advances.

Another important place to visit is the Apartheid museum, where you can see the story from the establishment of the system, the process to take it down and the establishment of the new government system with a new constitution that brought new rights to the people of South Africa with universal suffrage and the elections of 1994 were citizen of all races voted. The place contains lots of details using photos, videos, and audios of those times. You can spend easy a full day exploring the museum and get a good idea of the events that marked the apartheid era.

From the museums we move to SOWETO (South Western Township), a township created during the 1930’s to move blacks and separate from whites during the apartheid area. As you enter this township you know that the place is special and that has is own personality. It was a place that saw many riots as parts of the protests against the apartheid regime. SOWETO is huge with many places to explore, more than 1 million people live there. One of the highlights is that in one of the streets of SOWETO to Nobel prize winners lived (Guinness Record), Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. There is actually an attraction in the house that Mandela lived.

We also pass thru the FNB stadium home to the 2010 world cup final where Spain beat Netherlands 1-0, Is the largest stadium in Africa with 94,000+ capacity (currently bigger than Estadio Azteca). Talking with locals the world cup was one of great significance to the country, a moment where the whole country united and had a lot of investments in infrastructure, an example is the Gautrain a mass transportation system that is still in use. For my trip back to Dubai I used the train and let me tell you is spectacular, the cleanliness, timely and good value makes it an option if you are staying in the Sandton area.

Also during my visit, had chance to eat in a local restaurant called Chez Alina. In the place had local made food that was excellent and also one of the local beers called Soweto Gold, it was a great lunch where I met local people that knew my guide Thando. The food was tasty and flavorful, the most interesting thing was a steam bread that was great to accompany the stewed beef.

To end the tour Thando showed me where he was born and the current community he is helping, suburb is named Kliptown a very humble place with tons of great people that want to contribute to society, the work being done is spectacular currently they are helping more than 100 kids get ahead in life providing school program, food and the necessary support to move ahead in life. If you want to find some information you can find them on Facebook under Kliptown Youth Program (KYP). The way that Thando hosted me was spectacular and added to my visit making the day perfect; but to be honest all the people that I met in South Africa were spectacular there easy to get along, happy to help you and more important real.

I am thankful of my job and the opportunity of getting to different places in the world working with great people and also knowing about the culture of the place I visit. Johannesburg has left me with a great impression and would definitely would recommend for a visit, the tour was an excellent find in trip advisor (Thanks to Stephenson Adventures – Ultimate Johannesburg tour). I hope to be back in the near future and explore more of the country.

Now back to Dubai where hot temperatures are close. If you just read the post please forward to a friend and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD. Until next time….

The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, great place to connect with nature…

Just 3 1/2 hours from Queretaro you can go and explore a great natural reserve with beautiful mountains, rivers with cristaline water and small towns were you will feel welcome as soon as you step in. We have been a couple of times to the Sierra and I can tell you that we finish the weekend with the desire to come back again.

You will need at least 3 nights to enjoy a visit to the Sierra, there are great outdoors activities during the day or night, a good combination of OFF Road rides with ATV rides or RZR and remarkable sightseeing of forests, rivers, and waterfalls. A good day trip is at least 6-8 hours with a couple of stops to relax and enjoys the gorgeous views the Sierra Madre has to offer.

These last trip we had the opportunity to enjoy the trip with 3 additional families, it added to the experience since there was a good mix of experience people and others that the sights were all new to them. It is important that you have a good portion of the schedule planned before you go, it will facilitate mobilizing the group and prepare a budget for the trip. You will find good 3 stars hotels at great prizes with good location and good laid back service, similar to the island living time pass at different speed here in the mountain also …. relax and enjoy.

There are many tour operators that will offer you different alternative to explore the Sierra, some of the highlights are: Cascada Chuveje, Puente de Dios, Puerta al Cielo, Franciscan Missions from the 18th century or the Edward James gardens just to mention some of the best places. We used the Aventurate MX tour operators, their service and knowledge of the are were incredible. I would like to share a special thanks to Osiris and Marcelo they really make a difference in our weekend trip, you can find them in facebook by Aventurate Sierra Gorda.

Words cannot describe the views of the Sierra, I hope that the pictures shared help better explain why you need to go there and explore. One last important thing that you need for the trip is to share it with great friends, I would like to thank Juan Manuel Coronel and the great Gaby Coronel for the invitation, we have been blessed to found friends in Mexico that have become family.

Great group, people that make you feel like family!!!!

If you just read this, forward to your friends and sign in to receive our updates about how you can enjoy Mexico as much as we have done. Follow us on instagram, or facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD . Until next time….