Earlier today, we announced the first round winner of out September Takeover Sweepstakes, Kimberly! She won a $50 Groupon gift card. The second round of the contest started today and will extend through Sunday, September 25, 2011. The second round winner will receive a $100 Groupon gift card. The third round and grand prize winner will receive two free roundtrip flights ($500 value). Don’t procrastinate, get those entries in now!
Don’t forget these important rules :
1. You must sign up for gtrot!
2. There are two ways to enter: Like us on Facebook OR Tweet “I want @gtrot to send me to (insert city here) this fall! #gtrottravel”. You are allowed one Twitter entry a day.
3. Have fun!
Happy travels!
Are you headed to Chicago soon? Do you live in Chicago? If so, you’re in for a treat! A while back we shared a post with Tripping covering our favorite eats, shops and sights in the Windy City. Check out the places where you might catch the gtrot crew hanging out!
Eats:
Chicago Q – This is one of our gtrotter’s favorite restaurants in Chicago. It’s located in the heart of downtown and serves up tasty gourmet barbecue.
DMK Burger Bar- Looking for a burger? This is you place! They have great burgers and specialty fries! We recommend the Truffle Parmesan!
Purple Pig- Known for it’s ‘Wine, Swine and Cheese’ this tapas bar has a great outdoor patio and a long wine list. Great tapas that change with the season are great for sharing!
Yolk- Breakfast anyone? Red velvet French toast or Nutella crepes? Have your choice at this local favorite.
Terzo Piano- This Italian restaurant has a great view of the city (Millennium Park) and amazing cuisine, which is all local and organic.
Shops:
Akira- The boutique chain is affordable, trendy and there are numerous locations throughout the city.
Block 37- Located in the downtown area, this new shopping center is on State Street with stores like Zara, Puma, Sephora and more!
Michigan Avenue – Welcome to the Magnificent Mile. If you don’t mind shopping with a lot of people and love the rush, this is your spot. So many flagship stores and restaurants for you to visit.
Nightlife:
Barleycorn – Located in Wrigleyville, walk past the Wrigley stadium straight into a lower level restaurant and bar and upper level dance party. Fridays are pretty cray cray!
Big Star- Whew, the margaritas are very strong!
Kingston Mines- At this famous blues bar you can enjoy live music every night.
For more Chicago attractions, check out the full list on the Tripping Blog.
gtrot was recently featured in The New York Times Travel section in an article titled, “Crowd-Sourcing for Travel Advice” along with two other travel websites. The article is available online and was printed in the August 21, 2011 issue of The New York Times. If you have a minute, check it out!
Travel blogger and wine enthusiast Keith Jenkins is the founder of Velvet Escape, a popular travel blog. The investment banker-turned-traveler is based in Amsterdam and has traveled all over the world. Keith takes us on a journey through his favorite places in our latest Featured Traveler profile.
Name: Keith Jenkins
Tell us a little about yourself: I’m Keith Jenkins, the founder and publisher of the Velvet Escape travel blog and The Happy Explorer photo blog. Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, I’ve visited more than 60 countries across six continents… and counting. I worked as an investment banker for ten years before turning to my true passions: travelling and writing. The Velvet Escape travel blog reflects the way I like to travel: exploring off-the-beaten-path spots, discovering exclusive accommodations and indulging in local cuisines and wines. In addition to blogging about my travels, I also provide blogging and social media consulting services and speak regularly at tourism/blogger conferences. I’m also the co-founder of the Global Bloggers Network a community of travel bloggers.
Favorite city you’ve been to:
Gosh, that’s a tough one. I have many ‘favorite cities’ around the world such as Vancouver, New York, Tokyo, Paris, Madrid, Kuala Lumpur, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, New Orleans…and the list goes on! If I had to choose one, I would choose the city I live in: Amsterdam. It’s beautiful, packed with things to see and do, very cosmopolitan (almost 200 different nationalities live here!) and all within a small, village-like setting. I love this city!
Favorite restaurant:
My favorite restaurant in Amsterdam is Saturnino. It’s a quirky little Italian ristorante with tiled tables, friendly staff and superb food of course! My all-time favourites are the carpaccio, linguini vongole, spaghetti alio olio peperoncino, sirloin steak with black truffle sauce and porcini mushrooms, and the home-made tiramisu. The food is seriously good and never fails to cheer me up!
Best place to relax:
On a beach, preferably one with swaying palms; white, powdery sand; and crystal-clear water. I love Whitehaven Beach (on Australia’s Whitsunday Islands), Bora Bora (I could stare at the colors of that lagoon for days!), Zanzibar, and any of the islands in Sabah, Malaysia. Looking at the colors of the water, feeling the sea wash up around my ankles and enjoying the breeze in my face - beaches never fail to relax me.
Best place to have fun:
Amsterdam of course!
Best trip you’ve ever taken:
I’ve been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be on many amazing trips. One trip that I’ll never forget though is my five-month round-the-world trip in 2008. Countries I covered included Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Australia, French Polynesia, Chile and Argentina. Not only did I get to experience some of the most stunning places on this planet, it was in many ways a life-changing trip. I published an e-book about this trip and its repercussions called Travelations.
What one piece of advice do you have for travelers?
Travel schedules and checklists often lead us from one destination to another and one attraction to the next, and we return home feeling exhausted. My advice is to allow yourself more time and to limit the number of things to see and do on your list. Go slow! Stroll aimlessly without a map, take your time while you explore a market or simply sit at a café, strike up a conversation with the locals and watch the world go by. This is a great way to truly experience a place.
Where else can we find you on the web?
Follow Velvet Escape on Twitter and Facebook for a daily dose of travel inspiration. I can also be found on StumbleUpon and Google+.