A Visit To Labadee In HaitiWritten by Clint Leung
The first port for our Royal Caribbean cruise of western Caribbean was Labadee, Hispaniola which is actually a part of Haiti. This specific port is leased out to Royal Caribbean so only their cruiseships come here. Labadee is actually a peninsula with a few beaches. Getting to land from cruiseship is by tender.There is a small section for kids with floating fake icebergs to climb and water slides but they charge an admission fee. Flotation mattresses are also available for rent for those who just want to float in ocean. There are also locals who help with getting beach chairs for you but they expect tips. So things here are a money grabber. The cruiseship did have optional tours for snorkelling, parasailing, waverunner and kayaking tours but we thought that they were overpriced. Most passengers just spent day relaxing around beaches. The area around Labadee was pleasant enough but beaches and shores themselves were fairly rocky so wearing sandals in water would be advised. Royal Caribbean had organized a beach BBQ at an outdoor picnic facility which was okay but nothing special. There is a market there consisting of two buildings. One is a store where souveniers and items have marked prices and other building is like your typical market where locals try to hustle you for business. The locals inside market were aggressive but polite. If you don't mind haggling, you could get some pretty good deals but if you dislike this type of pushy atmosphere, then you best avoid market except for fixed price store.
| | Grant Park: Chicago's Front YardWritten by Theresa Carter
"Nor is it out of character that Chicago's grandest achievement- a largely manmade arc of lakefront parks and beaches - began as a mistake, from waste thrown into Lake Michigan - a 75-year-old dump." - - - Pat ColanderAs a Chicagoan (not by birth, but by choice), I choose to take above quote as a sign of a characteristic to make best out of a bad situation. (Consider beloved Cubs: hey, if they don't win, at least we'll make a party out of it.) Grant Park, Chicago's "front yard", owes its current glory to two very different reasons. The first is fact that it was a landfill. After Chicago Fire of 1871, ashes and rubble were pushed into park and expanded its boundaries into Lake Michigan. In years after its dedication as a public space Grant Park was quickly losing ground due to erosion. The erection of two breakwaters and "waste not, want not" use of city's rubble increased area to size it is now. The second is to Aaron Montgomery Ward's dedication to keeping lakefront "free and clear". In 1835 and 1836 area was deeded as a public square. When Daniel Burnham created his much-heralded Plan of Chicago he laid out drafts for a formal landscape with civic buildings. Mr. Ward took umbrage with that design. The original deed said that area was to "Remain Forever Open, Clear and Free of Any Buildings, or ther Obstructions Whatever," and he was determined to keep it that way. After almost 20 years in court he got his wish.
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