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Course Charted: Your Guide to Slow, Sustainable, Savvy Travel

What began as a journey half-way around the world, into the courtroom, and behind a camera has brought me here - helping you chart a course for memorable, meaningful travel...

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mexico

9 Reasons Why You Should Stay at the Four Seasons Punta Mita in Mexico

Four Seasons Punta Mita

Come away with me and discover 9 reasons why the Four Seasons Punta Mita is the most idyllic Mexico getaway you’ll ever have!

Categories Central America, Destinations Tags hotels, mexico

Course Charted About Me

Hi! I’m Alana, a Chicago-based attorney turned travel writer, photographer, and travel content creator here to help you travel smarter to Chicago and beyond. Click below to learn how I escaped the 9-5 for the 24/7!

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alanainwanderland

alanainwanderland
CHICAGO FALL COLORS PREDICTION ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‚ thanks to CHICAGO FALL COLORS PREDICTION ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‚
thanks to the Smokey Mountains fall foliage predictor map i linked in Stories i can make the following predictions about ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—–๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ผ:
Sept 18-25: minimal to patchy colors
Sept 25-Oct 2: mostly patchy colors
Oct 2-9: patchy to partial colors
Oct 9-16: partial to near peak colors
Oct 16-23: near peak to peak colors
Oct 23-30: peak to past peak colors (*some leaves going brown)
Chicagoโ€™s best time window for peak colors seems to be Oct 18-27 which is a bit later than last year but these predictions are very weather dependentโ€ฆ 
if we get several days of cold weather itโ€™ll speed up the fall color change, but if it stays warm (as it looks like it will this week), thatโ€™ll delay the color change 
wind will also be a factor in how long we get to enjoy the peak fall colors โ€” if we peak during a windy week in Chicago the leaves may not hang around long (literally!)
whatโ€™s your best prediction for Chicagoโ€™s peak fall colors?? Letโ€™s see who ends up being right! ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ‚ SHARE this Reel with a Chicago fall lover and ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ผ๐˜„ โžก๏ธ @alanainwanderland ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ!
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#chicago #chicagolife #fallcolors๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‚ #fallfoliage #windycity #chicagoreels #autumnaesthetic #chicagoinfluencer
The Center of Order and Experimentation | @orderan The Center of Order and Experimentation | @orderandexperimentation in Chicagoโ€™s West Town is one of the most unique coffee shop / gift shop combos youโ€™ll ever visit โ˜•๏ธ+๐ŸŽ
this Chicago hidden gem describes itself as โ€œa retail experience purveying playful, quality goods for home and lifeโ€ with a coffee program provided by Monday Coffee | @drinkmondaycoffee 
๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒโ€™๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ธ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„:
๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: 1727 W Grand Ave, Chicago (easy parking off Grand)
๐—›๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐˜€: Tues-Sun 9am-3pm (*ironic that they serve Monday coffee, isnโ€™t it ๐Ÿ˜œ)
๐—•๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ณ: i got the smashing pumpkin coffee (so perfect for fall) and perused the many amazing candles, fragrances and stationary items โ€” everything in the store is carefully curated and so special! 
if you havenโ€™t been to The Center of Order and Experimentation yet, definitely make it a point to stop by and SHARE this spot with someone who loves unique Chicago coffee / gift shops and ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ผ๐˜„ โ†’ @alanainwanderland ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ!
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#chicago #thingstodoinchicago #chicagoshopping #westtown #westloop #chicagoinfluencer #chicagocoffee #chicagocoffeeshops
have you been to #Chicagoโ€™s PiniPico Brazilian c have you been to #Chicagoโ€™s PiniPico Brazilian cafe and coffee shop | @pinipicocoffee yet?? โ˜•๏ธ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท
PiniPico is a true Chicago hidden gem tucked away in the Gold Coast neighborhood, and itโ€™s serving up really unique coffee options + Brazilian treatsโ€ฆ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒโ€™๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ธ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„:
๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: 1538 N Clark St, Chicago (Gold Coast, close to the Chicago History Museum)
๐—›๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐˜€: Mon-Fri 7am-6pm; Sat-Sun 8am-6pm
๐— ๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜†: orange pistachio latte ๐ŸŠ
SHARE this Reel with someone who needs to take you on a coffee date ๐Ÿ˜‰ and ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ผ๐˜„ โ†’ @alanainwanderland ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ!
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#goldcoast #thingstodoinchicago #windycity #chicago #chicagocoffee #chicagoinfluencer #chicagofoodie #chicagocoffeeshops
Chicago in the fall is justโ€ฆ ๐Ÿ˜Œ๐Ÿ‚ if you wa Chicago in the fall is justโ€ฆ ๐Ÿ˜Œ๐Ÿ‚
if you want to chase this gorgeous fall foliage around the windy city SAVE this Reel and note the locations below:
๐Ÿ‚ The Bean at Millennium Park (*the plaza around the Bean is under construction until spring but the autumn colors will still pop here!)
๐Ÿ‚ Nichols Bridgeway connecting Millennium Park to the Chicago Art Institute 
๐Ÿ‚ Lincoln Square neighborhood especially Welles Park
๐Ÿ‚ Lakeshore Path just south of Randolph Street and heading toward Adler planetarium
๐Ÿ‚ 311 South Wacker Park (a true hidden gem little park across from Willis Tower!)
Are excited to see Chicago covered in autumn colors?! ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ™๏ธ๐Ÿ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ผ๐˜„ โžก๏ธ @alanainwanderland ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ fun things to see and do in Chicago this fall and SHARE this Reel with a fall lover!
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#chicago #millenniumpark #thingstodoinchicago #thebean #chicagofall #fallaesthetic #lincolnsquare #chicagoinfluencer
my beige flag ๐Ÿณ๏ธ is that i have to stop at ev my beige flag ๐Ÿณ๏ธ is that i have to stop at every Chicago mural ๐ŸŽจ
hereโ€™s a list of murals by photo (in case you want to find them!):
Photo 1: 412 N Clark (alley in River North)
Photo 2: 1419 W 18th St (Pilsen)
Photo 3: 1482 W Gregory (side of Understudy coffeeshop | @theunderstudychi in Andersonville)
Photo 4: 2058 W Roscoe St (front of Ali House | @ki.house in Roscoe Village)
Photo 5: Concord Pl & Milwaukee Ave (Wicker Park)
Photo 6: 99 S Green (West Loop)
Photo 7: 401 N Racine Ave (West Loop)
Whereโ€™s your fav neighborhood for Chicago street art?? SAVE this list for more inspo to go out and explore chicago โ™ฅ๏ธ// #AlanaInChicago 
โ€ช__________โ€ฌ
โ€ช๐Ÿ“Chicago, USA ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธโ€ฌ
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#chicagophotographer #chicagophotography #chicagostreetart #windycity #chicagoloop #ThingsToDoInChicago #chicagoart #chicagoexplore #westloop #travelinfluencer #chicagohome #chicagoevents #chicagolife #chicagofun #chicagoillinois #chicagothingstodo #chicagoinfluencer #visitchicago #chicagotravel #pilsen #rivernorth #chicagomurals #pilsenchicago โ€ฌ#chicagocoffeeshops #ChicagoLifestyle #ChicagoFun #ChicagoBlogger #andersonville
what better way to put your building on the map th what better way to put your building on the map than by putting a massive map on your building (shoutout to Chicago Tribune for this clever bit!)
in 2013, the new owners of ๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ ๐—ฆ ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ wanted to turn their nondescript skyscraper into a noteworthy Chicago building so they took a chance on ESI Designโ€˜s idea for a massive map depicting the river and city streets 
and they went BIGโ€ฆ 400 feet to be exact ๐Ÿคฏ
the best way to view Chicagoโ€™s most impressive map is either from the river itself (on a boat or a kayak tour, like i did in this Reel) OR from Jackson bridge
donโ€™t miss the bright red โ€œyou are hereโ€ rectangle that represents 300 S Wacker on the map (it lights up with LED lights at night!)
have you seen this massive Chicago map?? SHARE this Reel with someone who loves Chicago hidden gems and ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ผ๐˜„ โžก๏ธ @alanainwanderland ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ! 
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#chicago #chicagohistory #chicagoriver #chicagoloop #windycity #chicagoinfluencer #chicagoarchitecture #chicagolife
whoโ€™s loving Chicagoโ€™s false fall and whoโ€™s whoโ€™s loving Chicagoโ€™s false fall and whoโ€™s wishing weโ€™d go back to summer?? ๐ŸŒฌ๏ธ๐Ÿ™๏ธ๐Ÿ‚
i know 70โ€™s will be here again, but i have to admit, i liked putting on a cozy sweater yesterday, going for a bike ride in the crisp air, and savoring a hot latte as it warmed my hands ๐Ÿ˜Œ
SHARE this Reel with a fall lover and ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ผ๐˜„ โžก๏ธ @alanainwanderland ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ!
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#chicago #chicagofall #thingstodoinchicago #westloop #windycity #chicagolife #chicagocreatives #chicagoinfluencer
every time i pass over Chicagoโ€™s Kinzie Bridge i every time i pass over Chicagoโ€™s Kinzie Bridge i obsess over these nautical townhomes stacked along the Chicago River ๐Ÿ˜๏ธ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ
after some digging around, i found this ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ about them:
โ€ข these townhomes were designed by architect Harry Weese and there are only 4 of them in Chicago
โ€ข the townhomes were originally built and sold in the 1980โ€™s (priced between $350,000 and $600,000)
โ€ข only one has come on the market since then; it was listed and sold in 2015 for nearly 2.3 million!
โ€ข the angle of the townhomesโ€™ roofs mirrors the angle of the old lift bridge across the way (the angles are also meant to make you think of sailboats! โ›ต๏ธ)
โ€ข porthole windows dot the facades making you feel like youโ€™re on a boat 
โ€ข each townhome has an enclosed 3-seasons deck so you can enjoy boats passing by and skyscraper views with your morning coffee
โ€ข each home also has 45 feet of private riverfront outdoor space 
โ€ข in addition to the spiral fire escapes outside, the homes have spiral staircases inside connecting 5 levels of living space
โ€ข Weese envisioned beautiful developments along the river here, but sadly he died before they were completed
โ€ข now this area is an absolute Chicago treasure with River Bend, Kingsbury Plaza, Park Place, River Place, and Wolf Point (plus a gorgeous walking path along the riverfront)
would you live in these nautical townhomes?? SHARE this Reel with someone who loves Chicago architecture + incredible homes and ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ผ๐˜„ โžก๏ธ @alanainwanderland ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ! 
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#chicagohomes #chicagohistory #chicago #chicagoriver #windycity #chicagoreels #chicagoarchitecture #chicagolife
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