World War II WAC Mollie Weinstein Schaffer takes readers from Michigan to California and on to England, France and Germany.
But the book is not a travelogue. Told through the letters she had written home and received from relatives and other correspondents, it is about the challenges of a young woman in medical intelligence who grapples with military restrictions, war conditions and what it is like to be one of a few females among, well, an army of men.
Mollie's War recounts life as a World War II WAC through the eyes and letters of Mollie Weinstein
In an effort not to give out information that might worry her parents or alert the enemy as to military positions and intentions or be stopped by military censors who read the mail, she dwells on romantic relationships, friendships, requests for sweets and toiletries and living conditions. But she also tries to be upbeat.
In a November 2, 1944 letter to her sister Rebecca “Beck” Winston from Paris, Mollie writes: “Regarding the weather here -it’s no military secret that it is very cold and rains quite a bit. Almost like the weather we have in Detroit. However, we don’t have any heat here which makes it rather uncomfortable. I believe I also told you that we have hot water only one day a week. But other than that Paris is grand.”
The picture that emerges is of a young, spirited, intelligent woman who has numerous choices to make that include abiding by her Jewish upbringing amidst the turmoil of a beleaguered England, France right after the Allied invasion and Germany after VE Day.
It is also a picture of WWII WACs. That these women were very important to the war effort though often ignored in tales of WWII, is well explained in an introduction by Leisa D. Meyer, associate history professor at William and Mary College.
Mollie Schaffer (nee Weinstein) now lives near daughter Cyndee Schaffer, a Northbrook writer who compiled the letters. Cyndee Schaffer added the text that introduces each chapter and some of the correspondence.
Mollie’s War, McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, North Carolina, 2010, $35 can also be purchased from Amazon.com
The flying portion of your holiday trip can be enjoyed instead of merely endured.
Yes, security lines will probably be long this holiday season and you will have to adjust your packing to what can be brought on board. But that doesn’t mean the flying portion of your holiday trip is something to be endured instead of enjoyed.
DFW Ambassador Volunteer Nancy Baltimore watches for people who need help or look lost
Airports have changed over the past decade as they have become more aware of travelers’ needs.
Taking advantage of the changes is easier today than even a few years ago thanks to electronic devices that tell you where the good stuff is.
With a click of an internet link you can find out about an airport’s amenities before you leave home or from touch screens and information specialists when you arrive.
Here are five suggestions that can up the level of your airport experience:
1. It’s child’s play. If traveling with children, go to the airport’s website to see if and where there is a play area.
The Children's Museum area of O'Hare's Terminal 2 has models of familiar airport items
In Chicago, O’Hare International Airport has an airplane and other airport related build-outs for let’s pretend and role-playing. They are in the Children’s Museum area of Terminal 2 across from the Travelers Aid Office. The area is accessible to Terminals 3 and 1 after going through security.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Airport has a McDonald’s Play Area in Terminal D near gate D33 and another children’s play area at D10. DFW also has a Pepsi Junior Flyer’s Club in Terminals B and C.
A touch screen directory at each end of The Mall at Minneapolis-St.Paul Airport helps travelers locate food, shops and services
2. Sometimes it’s about the food.
Although this traveler does not miss the often strange and limited plane food service that once was part of the ticket price, now that airlines charge extra a good option is to plan to eat or buy food to go at the airport.
The problem is if you don’t know what food kiosks or restaurants are in your terminal or near your gate you might merely snag something at hand and find out later there was a better choice.
Many airport websites list food kiosks and restaurants so you can think about options and know the locations ahead of time.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airportis so traveler friendly it has everything from food and shopping to parking options on its website and at vertical touch screens at the airport. It also has goHow, a free, downloadable application.
In addition, food coupons can be downloaded and printed for some choices. The touch screens are at either end of the shopping and food mall in Lindbergh, the airport’s main terminal.
Airport stores are loaded with good gift items for the traveler who has run out of shopping time or who wants to have fun shopping while waiting to board a plane
3. Speaking of shopping
It’s OK to leave some shopping to the last minute. After taking care of work deadlines you had to squeeze family and packing time into the few minutes left.
Fortunately, major airports and even mid-sized ones stock jewelry, clothes, books and sports items that make good gifts for others and yourself.
This veteran flier and shopper recently found Native American items at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, electronic devices at DFW, CDs and Elvis memorabilia at the Sun Studio booth at the Memphis International Airport, jewelry and books at O’Hare and an extra travel bag at the tiny John Wayne Airport in Orange County, CA.
4. Relax
Go to your airport’s website to see if it has a shoe-shine or massage chair station.
Sometimes merely treating yourself to a service you don’t have time for at home is all it takes to make a trip’s airport portion feel like the first leg of the holiday getaway.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport has massage chairs near seven gates. It has shoe shine stations at The Mall and Concourses C and D.
A free down-loadable app by goHow makes finding restaurants and services easier at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. It also keeps track of flight arrivals and departures there and at several other airports
5. Bring your electronic devices and their chargers and down load a free application. Several airports now have apps that have all the information travels need.
Airports also now have WiFi. At many of them the WiFi connection is free. Wait time before boarding or between connections is also a chance to go online to learn more about where to visit and eat when you arrive.
It is also an easy opportunity to recharge your Blackberry or other devices so they will be ready to use at your destination. End tables in some of DFW’s seating areas have outlets.
Instead of living with headaches or muscle aches caused by travel stress, slot in some spa time
Whether it is for fun such as ski slopes or sunny sands or to visit family, your holiday trip will likely include stress hazards.
They may be airport hassles, crying toddlers a seat away, late trains, weather delays or road construction.
No matter what the cause, the result can be tight neck and forehead muscles, headaches or back pains.
Instead of living with it or taking two aspirins and not calling the doctor in the morning, slot in some spa time.
Family and friends may sympathize with the pain but you and they will have better togetherness time if you feel well. And that is the point of spa treatments today.
Time in a relaxation room at Peninsula Chicago's Spa by ESPA is part of the stress relieving experience
No longer considered an indulgence, spa experiences are typically categorized as wellness treatments.
Many resorts and vacation destinations feature spas. However here are a few I have personally experienced and recommend.
You don’t have to stay at a Peninsula Hotel to book a spa treatment there. ESPA combines Oriental, European and Ayurvedic approaches. Because I live near Chicago, I book treatments at the Peninsula Chicago. But the hotel and its Spa by ESPA are also in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beverly Hills, New York, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai and Manila.
If traveling to San Francisco, San Jose or to Los Angeles or Orange Counties, lucky you because there is probably a Burke Williams Spa near your destination.
Enter the Joya Spa on the grounds of the Intercontinental Hotel in Scottsdale and leave cares and stress behind
A spa experience at the Joya Spa at Intercontinental Montelucia Resort and Spa, Scottsdale, AZ is a vacation. You don’t have to stay at the resort to use the spa. However, you may have to book a session before leaving home because local spa enthusiasts have found Joya.
Maybe the idea that a popular woman’s apparel store also has a spa may dissuade some people from trying it. But I have repeatedly gone to the one in Southlake, Texas for a pedicure that is pure bliss. The problem is there are just not enough Coldwater Creek Spas. There are two in Texas and on each in California, Oregon, Illinois, Colorado and Florida.
Throwing everything from the closet into a mega suitcase is a hard habit to break but holiday travel nowadays calls for smarter packing
You may think you need six pairs of shoes when visiting family or heading to a holiday destination. Maybe you think people care if you wear the same sweater twice.
Think again if you would like to lighten the holiday travel hassle.
Before switching from general features to travel writing, I really did throw five pairs of shoes into my suitcase and wore my comfy gym shoes on the plane.
I used to stuff stuff into a check through bag and a carry-on
I also brought clothes changes for every day and every evening. Of course I had to bring a large suitcase that I checked through to my destination or wrestled with into the car trunk and up the stairs of B and B’s.
By the way, even if my room was on the first floor of a B and B, it typically had stairs up to the entrance. And even if my plane arrived on time, I had to wait way too long for the suitcase to appear on the baggage carousel.
What a difference the change of writing assignments made.
I didn’t realize I had changed so much until I packed for a recent Washington DC trip and threw, well folded, everything into a carry-on that could fit into the overhead compartment.
For me it was no longer a big deal because I hadn’t used a large suitcase in two years.
The realization that I changed came however, when my husband pulled out his mega-sized bag and I asked, “why?”
“Because I need two suits and a sports jacket,” he said. He was attending a four-day conference where he had to speak one day, while I was doing my travel thing around the capital.
After rethinking what he had to pack (the two suits) and wear (the sports jacket) he saw he could fit everything into his carryon as long as he also took a small travel bag for books and the 3-1-1 bag.
Travel lighter for less holiday hassle
Packing habits can be hard to change but after packing lighter once, you may also change. When changing planes, it is also nice to know you have what you need instead of worrying if you and your bags will ever meet again.
Here are some tips to lighten the load and stop worrying where you suitcase is.
1. Coordinate your outfits so you don’t have to pack more than two pairs of shoes. Wear the bulkiest third pair on the plane or in the car.
2. Limit slacks, shorts or skirts to two to pack and one to wear
3. Women can use tops for costume changes with different teddy’s and tees but should look for ones that are wrinkle free or hang out well. Jewelry also changes a look but don’t travel with favorite or most expensive jewelry.
4. Men also use different colored dress shirts and ties or casual shirts for different looks.
5. Instead of a purse, women can bring a Sac or other sling-over-the-shoulder bag to carry items that don’t fit into the small suitcase. Pills and make-up should go into this bag. Pack a dressy purse or neutral one.
6. Men will find that a small sports bag will carry items not packed into the small suitcase.
7. If presents are an issue remember that TSA does not want them wrapped so best is to mail ahead instead of packing them unless traveling by car. If returning with presents, mail the bulkier ones back home.
Finally, a new online travel magazine is running a holiday list of items that make travel easier. See the items at Striped Pot.
Start a family holiday tree choosing tradition and find out how to care for your tree
Probably you are not looking for a tree quite as large as the 70 foot blue spruce that was donated by a McHenry County, Illinois family to Chicago as the city’s tree in Daley Plaza.
A 70 foot blue spruce from McHenry County now stands tall in Chicago's Daley Plaza
However, if you live in the Chicago area chances are there is a tree with your family’s name on it out in McHenry County. That is where corn and farm stands bump up against orchards and plant nurseries and a USDA report listed the county’s growers as harvesting more trees than elsewhere in the state.
At McHenry’s Richardson Farm in Spring Grove you can do more than merely search for the perfect tree. You can turn it into an experience.
Ride out to the trees and have fun finding just the right one. Cut yours down and hitch a ride back to have it shaken, baled and receive twine to tie it to your car. Oh, and be sure to have a donut and cup of hot chocolate or coffee before you leave.
Start a family tradition of finding and cutting the perferct tree
“Coming here is a family tradition,” says Carol Richardson who explained that families return there every year for their tree. “It’s the entire experience: going out in the wagon, choosing a tree, looking around for a wreath and sipping hot cocoa.”
However, before choosing be sure the tree will be happy in your household and look its best when most important.
Here are a few guidelines from Carol Richardson and from the farm’s website:
Before you head out, take a look at the photos and tree descriptions
Some trees have a longer life after cut than others. If set on getting a tree with a short cut life such as a Balsam fir or Norway spruce wait until a couple of weeks before Christmas to cut it. Also, ask or look for signs that recommend trees that last from Thanksgiving through Christmas.
After bringing your tree home make a fresh straight-across cut (not diagonal) about ½ inches from the original cut and immediately put the tree into water (warm is better the first time than cold.)
A water reservoir stand is best for the tree’s life but it still should be periodically checked so you keep the water level up. Some houses are drier than others which changes water evaporation time. Also trees drink water at different speeds. You can slow evaporation by placing the tree away from direct sunlight or a heating vent.
Richardson Farm, 9407 Richardson Road, Spring Grove, IL 60081 815-675-9729 For more tree farm locations see McHenry Countyor call McHenry County Convention & Visitors Bureau toll-free at 888-363-6177.
(Chicago tree photo courtesty of City of Chicago and trees at Richardson Farm courtesy of Richardson Farm)
Whether in or out of town, the next family Thanksgiving or winter holiday get together is also a chance to record old traditions and start some new ones.
Best, is to ink in some of the suggestions on the calendar so the holiday does not jump up before you are ready. Early November is not too early to start your planning.
Wreathing the Lions at the Art Institute of Chicago is a day after Thanksgiving tradition that includes several family activities
1. Cell phone cameras are OK but if you want a high quality photo to save don’t forget to pack or have on hand a decent point and shoot camera. Some of them, such as Casio and Canon have movie capability. Digging into the turkey or ham, curling up on sofa or floor to play a board game or gazing at a tree or menorah lighting are memorable moments when someone says oops, who has a camera?
2. Add a new place to check out or a new activity to try. Sure it is tough to squeeze in research time before everyone comes or before you leave for the visit, but just adding a new adventure each year adds an element of excited anticipation. Chances are there are new exhibits at a museum you haven’t visited for ages, a nearby town that celebrates the holidays Dickens style, a forest preserve to hike or a family show, musical or ballet to see.
Trains, lights and miniature landmarks are an annual holiday tradition at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe
3. Seek an agency that is collecting gifts or food and where to bring the items. Family members can add the items to their shopping lists and increase the season’s joy by sharing.
4. Start a new tradition of trading reading material or recommendations during the visit. It will give people something new to read on the way home or even during down time while visiting. Donate finished reading material to libraries and senior centers.
5. No question holiday time is also eating time which makes it a good excuse to try a new restaurant. The place may even become a new family tradition. Consider ethnic eateries, breakfast places and some that are outside the neighborhood or town. Definitely make a reservation.
Even though the 2010 World Series is entering its final phase now that the playoffs are over, baseball fans don’t have to wait until spring training to get their “fix.”
“Roadside Baseball” (2003, Sporting News division of Vulcan Sports Media, Inc, St. Louis, MO, $16.95) by Chris Epting, maps out places where fans can find historic traces of a stadium, a home plate, a players’ home and a museum that recounts memorable moments.
An ardent researcher and appreciator of baseball and interesting culture landmarks, Epting divides up the places he has uncovered by geographic locations across the United States and into Canada.
All a baseball fan has to do when traveling to Florida or Arizona to escape winter weather or to any US destination to see friends or family is leaf through a state’s chapter to see what historic baseball location is nearby.
Even an armchair traveler who reads through the chapters will be saying, “I didn’t know that.”
In a foreword by Emmy award winning announcer Joe Buck, the sportscaster says: “Even if you consider yourself the foremost authority on the history of the game, this book can’t help but put a smile on your face. It put one on mine because its pages are filled with information that I thought I knew but really didn’t; stories of which I was totally unaware and now am glad I know.”
Imagine going into a hotel room and liking it a lot – not just for the décor and view but also for the air. That’s room air, not the breeze blowing outside.
By the end of 2010, all the Hyatt Hotels in the US will have some rooms that have under gone a treatment to make them hypo-allergenic. As of mid-October, 65 of the chain’s hotels have some guest rooms that have undergone a hypo-allergenic treatment.
The Hyatt Regency downtown Chicago has some hypoallergenic rooms where the air is pure and bacteria are not allowed
It’s great news for people with asthma or who are allergic to dust and fragrances. It’s also good news for travelers who simply appreciate breathing in pure air.
The treatment includes a special attachment on the room’s heating-air conditioning system and a separate purifying filter in the room.
It also has undergone a special cleaning of all surfaces which are then sprayed with an anti-bacterial “screen” so that bacteria cannot adhere to them.
The room is zapped to kill any other organisms still lurking. A special protective casing is put on the pillows and mattresses.
A card left on the room’s desk says it is Pure Room certified and explains what that means.
The decor of the Chicago Hyatt Regency's hypoallergenic room is the same as its other rooms. But it is what is below the surface and unseen on the surface that is different
Hypo-allergenic treatment is performed by PureRoom, a Buffalo, NY based company that has partnered with Hyatt. Rooms are checked and re-certified every six months.
News such as this is really welcome to someone who is allergic but has to travel for work.
I start sneezing when any dust is around though I don’t have asthma. My nose clogs and my eyes water when sitting in a theater next to someone wearing perfume or in a hotel room where someone used a hairspray or cream that was not odor free.
All a guest will notice in a Hyatt hypoallergenic room is a room purifier in a corner and that the air seems particularly fresh
I was told that even if someone did use something with a fragrance the purifier in a PureRoom would have gotten rid of its scent.
The air quality was excellent.
As someone who is often checking into a place eager to relax but finds the room has stale air, I love that a hotel chain understands about people with allergy problems to help them breathe easier.
The Hyatt charges an extra $20 to $30 for these rooms but this traveler thinks the benefits are worth the price.
Hollywood Stories by Stephen Schochet makes is a fun traveling companion
Book Review
Consider this a warning. Don’t read Hollywood Stories, a practically bottomless well of rich anecdotes collected by Stephen Schochet, if alone.
Even if you think you know about Hollywood personalities and clashes you are sure to find out something new in Hollywood Stories by Stephen Schochet
You will come upon a funny bit about two comedians such as the anecdote where George Burns is playing golf with Harpo Marx that is so good you will want to share it. No, I won’t tell you what happens .
Then, you will find yourself saying “I didn’t know that” when you read how a now famous actor got his start. And you will want to tell someone.
Luckily, I started reading the book evenings after other writing assignments were done.
The fortuitous timing meant that my husband who enjoys old movies and an occasional current flick, was nearby so I was able to say, “Listen to this” or “Did you know…?”
When I read during lunch and breaks. I had to find out what tidbits Schochet had found on Star Trek, Walt Disney and Disney characters and John Wayne plus stories about where stars lived and played.
However, no one was around to hear my latest find -make that Schochet’s find.
The author, a Hollywood tour guide, has been collecting stories for about 20 years. He tells many of them to his tour customers and on his syndicated Hollywood Stories radio feature.
Arguably, the next best thing to hearing him tell the stories is to read them. They are a welcome time off from work and hard news.
After finishing the book’s nearly 300 pages, each containing about three verbal snapshots of movie icons, I started making a holiday gift list of people who might appreciate the book. They should find it a fun read unless they would rather not explain to strangers why they are laughing aloud or saying, “oh!”
The caveat on Hollywood Stories is to not look for chapters on stars either alphabetically or by decade. An Index does list people, shows and places alphabetically but the chapters are divided into such segments as “Great Hollywood Comedians” and “Television Tales.”
Yes, the book has Hollywood in the title but the TV stories here seemed to fit well because the stars often lived in California or interacted with movie people.
Readers who want more info on a particular star need only look in the Bibliography. Schochet lists his sources.
To see how the author looks and sounds go to a TV interview available on UTube.
Asking questions before booking accommodations does not make you a prima donna. It makes you a smart traveler.
You are tech savvy so you already know to check if a place is WiFi or if there is a fee to hook up your lap top. But there are a lot more things that can make the difference between an OK and really good trip whether for work or play.
Odd as this may sound, think about what you like or wish you could change at home.
Bathroom – Think about the times you checked in to find a bathroom that was just redone and a dream compared to what you had at home. Or maybe, the opposite happened.
Do you have a shower but wish you had a soaking tub or a Jacuzzi?
Do you have a tub but wish you had a really good rain shower with space to sit?
Are you used to enough space to spread out shaving or makeup stuff at home so hate when you can’t do that when traveling?
Imagine checking in and finding your room has a shower but you want a tub or it has a pedestal sink with no place to put anything except on top of the toilet seat which you usually leave up.
By not taking settling for just anything, you are not a prima donna, you are a smart traveler.
Our room at the InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa had an amazing bathroom, fine view and comfortable seating
Do: Send an email or call to find out exactly what the bathrooms have before booking a room.
Bedroom – What kind of bedding do you have, does the view matter and do you want a comfortable chair and a king size bed? For example: B&B’s are charming but some have a comfortable reading chair and others have just a place to sit to put on shoes. Many B&B’s only have space for queen or regular size beds.
It’s OK to ask for two beds if traveling with a partner who cocoons so you end up with no blanket or who kicks and turns throughout the night.
If you need a hard mattress then ask if any of the rooms have that.
If you hate the little pillows so many hotels think are a cute décor statement, ask if the hotel has regular or large size pillows. Some hotels even have a pillow concierge.
Unless you have a suite the bedroom is your base of operations so ask about the view. A room listed as partial view probably means you can see the water between the trees in winter when the leaves are gone or you have to step out onto a balcony and almost fall off to see it.
Rooms usually say if they have a chair but check if it is for the desk or a comfortable, upholstered chair.
Do: Look at the rooms on line. Most places show rooms in different price categories.
Be sure you know what comes with the accommodations
If a deal sounds too good to be true –
Check for add-ons such as a resort fee which you would have to pay just to use the pool or workout room
Check if the deal is per person or per room
Ask how old the place is and when it was last renovated or updated. Historic is charming but mildew and mold aren’t.
Checking before booking may sound like a lot of work but it is worth avoiding the hassles later.
