In search of wonders
Sure, Illinois lacks the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Pyramids of Giza, or the Colossus of Rhodes.
But it does offer visitors the Garden of the Gods in southern Illinois, the prehistoric archeological remains of Cahokia Mounds, and a 170-foot-tall water tower shaped like a giant ketchup bottle in Collinsville.
Echoing the ancient seven wonders of the world, the Illinois Bureau of Tourism has launched a “Seven Wonders of Illinois” promotion.
Visitors to the www.enjoyillinois.com Web site will be able to make nominations through February, said Jan Kostner, the bureau’s deputy director.
Those nominations can be for anything residents and visitors consider wonderful about Illinois–parks and historic sites, statues and museums, cheesy roadside attractions and naturally beautiful scenic spots.
The nominees will be placed in categories for each of seven regions: Chicago, Chicagoland, northern, central, western, southwest and southern.
The public then will be able to participate in online voting for their favorites starting March 5, with the field being narrowed through the rest of the month.
The tourism bureau will announce one winner for each region on April 30, along with themed travel packages and downloadable videos, Kostner said.
Problems up, gripes down
The nation’s air travelers in 2006 faced more late arrivals and more lost luggage than the year before–yet they complained less often, federal statistics show.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics, a division of the Transportation Department, released data that showed 75 percent of flights last year arrived on time among the 20 airlines that filed performance reports with the government. That was a decline from an on-time rate of 77 percent in 2005.
Airline passengers also were more likely to go home without their bags, as airlines received more than 6.7 reports of lost, stolen or damaged baggage for every 1,000 passengers, up from about 6.6 per 1,000 in 2005. That statistic has risen steadily since 2002.
However, passengers filed fewer complaints. The government recorded more than 8,300 consumer complaints in 2006, down from more than 8,700 the year before.
Lake ferry reservations
The reservation line is now open for booking travel on the Lake Express boat that travels between Milwaukee and Muskegon, Mich.
The sailing season begins April 14 and continues through Oct. 31.
Two round trips daily will operate from April 14-26, and from Oct. 1-31, and three round trips daily the rest of the season.
For more details and pricing, call 866-914-1010, or see www.lake-express.com.
