Chicago tourist wins over $3.1 million after buying Illinois Lottery FastPlay ticket
A Chicago tourist has won over $3.1 million after buying a FastPlay lottery near O'Hare Airport.
The winner, nicknamed "Traveling Treasure," bought an Ultimate Diamond Jackpot FastPlay game at Komal Wine and Liquors at 4628 N. Cumberland Ave. and hit the jackpot worth $3,188,104.
He recalled the moment he froze after realizing that he won the prize.
"Before heading back to my hotel one evening, I stopped at a nearby convenience store," he said. "I noticed the Ultimate Diamond Jackpot game had a pretty high prize amount at the time, so I decided to try my luck and bought a ticket. When I got back to the hotel and checked it, I saw that I'd won the jackpot.
The winner says he plans on buying a house, and the prize "couldn't have come at a better time."
For selling the winning ticket, Komal Wine and Liquor will receive a one percent bonus of the prize amount, just over $31,000.
The Ultimate Diamond Jackpot is an Illinois Lottery FastPlay progressive jackpot game. It begins at $75,000 and grows with each ticket sold statewide, in-store and online, until there's a winner.
Participants must be 18 years of age or older to play.
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Travel + Leisure
6 days ago
- Travel + Leisure
I Am a Muslim Traveler—Here's What It's Like to See the World While Wearing a Hijab
For Travel + Leisure's column Traveling As, we're talking to travelers about what it's like to explore the world through their unique perspectives. We chatted with Nazma Begum, who documents her adventures traveling with her husband and toddler on YouTube as HanaExplores, about what it's like to see the world while wearing a hijab. Here's her story… For the last 10 years, I've been a hijabi, wearing what people call a scarf or hijab. I do it for religious reasons as I was born into Islamic faith as a Muslim. It has become part of my daily routine. Nobody forced me to do this—it's something I understood going in. Wearing a hijab is a big commitment, so you shouldn't look down on someone if they don't. Some of my family members do, some don't. I made the decision during the month of Ramadan, when we don't eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. It's a holy time that acts like a reset for Muslims around the world. That year, I thought, I cover up for prayers, so why can't I do it all the time? I'm quite comfortable wearing a hijab now. There are many different styles, even silk and other fancy materials. I enjoy styling it as well. Growing up, my parents didn't have the mentality of traveling much. I was born in Bangladesh, and my parents migrated to Singapore when I was about 6 years old. We'd take road trips to Malaysia and visit our hometown in Bangladesh. Whether it was cultural or them being protective, my family wasn't open to having a girl travel by herself or with her friends. But as soon as I graduated from university, I got married and my husband and I started traveling. Moraine Lake is known for its natural beauty. Our first big trip was to South Korea—we wanted to experience snow. Unfortunately, we didn't see any, but I fell in love with traveling. I also love outdoor activities, like hiking and camping. You're going to get sweaty when you're hiking in a hijab, but it's doable. Once you reach the top and the wind is blowing, it feels amazing. I have a 2-year-old daughter now and I took her on her first flight to Singapore from Vancouver, where my husband and I moved in 2019, when she was just 7 weeks old. We have one-year maternity leave here in Canada, so I used that to the fullest. She was surprisingly good on the flight and impressed me. I was breastfeeding and somehow just knew how to soothe her when she was crying. When she was about 4 months old, we went to Japan in the fall to see the colors. It was beautiful. We visited Kyoto, Osaka, and the Japanese Alps. My daughter is not going to remember a thing, but I'm going to remember all of this. Another of my favorite places is Hawaii. I try to go every year. I can't swim, but I love to hang out by the beach. I also like snorkeling, and in Hawaii, the fishes come right up to the beach, so you don't have to go deep. But I make sure I'm still covered while enjoying myself. I wear what's called a burkini—it's like leggings and a long suit made of swimsuit material, and it covers your hair. If I need to change and there's no washroom, I have this pop-up tent where I can go in and change. My family and I are used to these challenges. My husband and I try and pack in a lot when traveling. We go from sunrise to sunset, and we're adventurous. It's changed a bit with my daughter, but I enjoy traveling with her. Last year, we went to Oahu, and this year, we went to the Big Island, which is great for kids, especially toddlers. They love to play in the sand, then they get tired and it's nap time, so they sleep in the car. When they wake up, they're at another beach. We've had so many adventures. In the Italian Dolomites, my in-laws joined us and we rented a boat on a lake. The weather was so calm, but when we were in the middle of the lake, it changed and got so rocky—we had to be rescued. This was our second Island (Big Island), and Hawaii just hit differently. 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That said, there are more places recognizing the fact that we, Muslim people, need to eat halal food. I can also always choose vegetarian pasta or tofu bowls. There's always a way. Traveling doesn't need to stop. The idea of seeing so many different places makes me want to travel as much as I can. I want to show my daughter that traveling is easy and flexible, if you work your way around the challenges. She's already adapted so much in two years. I go camping, boating, and snorkeling with her. There are moments she's scared, but I tell her, 'I'm right beside you. There's nothing to be afraid of.' I'm not going to force her to wear a hijab. It will be good if she wears it. I'd like to show her it's not going to stop you from doing anything that's safe and good for you, like seeing the world.
The Onion
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Whole Flight Spent Reading ‘War And Peace' Over Shoulder Of Passenger Ahead
CHICAGO—After forgetting to bring sufficient entertainment for the two-hour flight from Atlanta to O'Hare Airport, area man Kenneth Vargas reportedly spent his entire time aboard a plane Thursday reading War And Peace over the shoulder of the passenger seated in the row ahead of him. 'I felt like an idiot for not downloading any books on my Kindle, but when I noticed the guy in front of me was reading something, I figured I could just look off of his,' Vargas said of the man's print copy of Leo Tolstoy's roughly 1,300-page seminal Russian epic. 'While I really didn't know who all the characters were, I think I mostly got the gist of it. At first I was just casually reading to amuse myself, but now I'm honestly kind of invested. During drink service I missed a couple pages, so I'm not exactly sure what happened with Natasha Rostova. I think I can pretty much fill in the blanks, though.' As he exited the aircraft, Vargas confirmed he was disappointed the flight had ended before he had time to finish the novel.
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Forbes
Tips To Overcoming Language Barriers When Traveling
getty Let's face it, traveling comes with plenty of opportunities to embark on adventure, see new places, meet new people and of course try a plethora of new experiences. Tips to overcoming language barriers when traveling Of course, there are apps, like Google translate, to help; but you may not always have your phone with you or have an internet connection. Lindsay Dow, a Language Consultant at Lindsay Does Languages, shares tips on how to be understood no matter where you go. You may not have all the right words, but that doesn't matter if you've got the right attitude and aren't showing visible frustration every time that you're misunderstood. Adding a smile and friendliness to any request will typically get people on your side, which means they're willing to hear you out in any language. . Smiling is just one way to communicate beyond words. You can also use your body language and gestures to help get your point across. And to be prepared for the moments that you're really stuck, be sure to keep a small notebook and pen on hand. Being able to draw out what you're trying to describe can be helpful when the impromptu Charades fails! getty There's no need for a language barrier to cause a frantic rush to cram in the language a week before your trip. You don't need to remember complex sentence structures and an expansive vocab to overcome language barriers when travelling. But if you can master the bare minimum, that will help hugely. That includes: 'hello', 'thank you', 'yes', 'no', 'have a good day'. 'On a recent trip to Egypt, the constant presence of eager hustlers could have easily been a source of annoyance. But being able to say 'no thank you, have a good day' rather than just a flat 'no' made for much more pleasant interactions,' says Dow. Languages don't just live within the confines of country borders. You may think your trip to Portugal will be difficult since you don't know Portuguese, but if you know a little of another language (say Spanish), then you can use your English and Spanish together. Often people in Europe (and other continents) speak multiple languages, so you might be using your second language knowledge in unexpected places. getty Chances are you're no longer carrying a paperback phrasebook. That doesn't matter too much because your phone can do plenty of heavy lifting to overcome language barriers. You can of course arrange a local SIM for internet data access in most places, but it's still useful to be offline ready. Be sure to have the languages you need downloaded for offline use on Google Translate. The same goes for having maps downloaded for offline use so you can easily point to where you're going when getting help with public transport. Another tip is to save photos or graphics of key things you might want to ask about: think a photo of any medication you need, must-see highlights to visit, and meals you want to try.
