Posts for Chicago

Casino Resorts: A Brief History

North America - Ross French - March 4, 2017

Casinos today are more than just games of chance. They’re the biggest hotels, concert venues, theaters and offer a multitude of experiences. A symbol of entertainment and indulgence, modern casino resorts, complete with over-the-top architecture and flamboyance, are on the bucket list of most travel junkies.

While no one is sure where it all started, there are references to games of chance all through history. It was in the early 17th century in Italy that a venue was created that could be remotely associated with the casino of today. Soon such venues appeared in several places in Europe, but it was America that gave the world its first casinos as we know them today, in the form of gambling saloons.

The first few casinos were found in Chicago, San Francisco and New Orleans during the early 20th century. However, it was only in 1931, when gambling was legalized, that everything changed forever. Casinos have evolved a lot since then and we now have casino holidays that are widely popular and there are entire cities that are totally devoted to it.

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Why Chicago Has Better Mexican Food Than Mexico in 2023

Destinations, North America, Travel Blog - Ross French - July 19, 2012

best mexican restaurants in chicago Taquitos Barbaditos from Nuevo Leon

Unknown to most, Chicago is home to the best Mexican food in the world – even better than Mexico. This may be a tough concept to swallow for many, but it is true. How does Chicago have the best Mexican food in the world? There are several reasons. The city of Chicago alone has over 3 million residents. Of those, 750,000 of them are of Mexican decent. That’s not even counting the additional 1 million Mexicans in the suburbs.

With such a high Mexican population, Chicago has no need for those all-inclusive shitty Tex-Mex restaurants claiming to be “authentic Mexican food” like all the other cities in the world. While there are still plenty of shitty Tex-Mex restaurants, most only concentrate on a specific region of Mexico while still having a few Americanized classics like nachos and burritos. Aside from regional concentration, Chicago also has the 2nd largest availability of fresh, high-quality ingredients from all over the world next to New York City. Fuck New York! Chicago’s Mexican food scene also reaches outside of the box with non-traditional food and other regional takes on their cuisine from other places in the US. Continue Reading

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