Atlanta, Georgia

May 16-18, 2008

Lodging: Marriott Airport ($110 per night)

Activities: the Real Chow Baby

 

 

Austin, Texas

May 18-20, 2008

Lodging: Town-lake Embassy Suites ($229 per night)

Activities: Zilker Park (Barton Springs Pool), Rudy’s Bar-B-Q on Hwy 360 – ‘The Worst Bar-B-Q in Texas’, Threadgill’s Home Cooking on Riverside

 

 

Bay Area, California

Trails

Hidden Villa: Bunny Loop

Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve

Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve

Points of interest

Lick Observatory on Mountain Hamilton

Activities

Cherry, peach, strawberry, apricot, nectarine picking in Brentwood (~May 14 – June 10) (visited ranches: Maggiore Cherry Ranch, Mike’s U-Pick)

 

 

Big Sur, California

Aug. 19-20, 2006

Lodging: Big Sur Campground & Cabins ($32 per night)

Activities: Big Sur river tubing, playground, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (McWay Waterfall into the Pacific ocean), Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park (Pfeiffer Falls)

 

 

Boston, Massachusetts

November 2001

Lodging: Hotel at MIT

Activities: MARCO FOCUS Center review

 

March 2004

Lodging: Sheraton Boston Hotel

Activities: Workshop on Compact Modeling

 

May 2006

Lodging: Sheraton Boston Hotel

Activities: Workshop on Compact Modeling

 

 

Black Sea, Russia/Ukraine/Georgia

Aug. 1991

Lodging: somewhere in Адлер, Sochi

Activities:

Novoafonskaya Cave, Abkhaziya, Georgia

 

Jul. 1994

Activities:

Odessa

Sevastopol’

Yalta (Livadia Palace)

Sudak (Tsar’s Beach, Genoese fortress)

 

Aug. 1997

Lodging: Санаторий "Светлана", Sochi

Activities:

Sochi (Экстремальный сплав на рафтах, Агурские водопады, Гора Ахун, Дендрарий, Краснодарчай, Орлиные скалы, Парк "Ривьера", Тисо-самшитовая роща)

 

 

Bryce Canyon National Park

Dec. 25-27, 2007

Lodging: Best Western East Zion Thunderbird Lodge, Mt. Carmel, UT (AAA rate: $63)

Activities: Sunset Point, Inspiration Point, Bryce Point, Natural Bridge, Fairview Point, Agua Canyon, Ponderosa Canyon Point, Navajo Trail (two bridges, Thor’s Hammer), movie

 

 

Clear Lake, California

June 29 – July 1, 2007

Lodging: camping in State Park ($15 per night)

Activities: hiking, swimming, badminton, Robert Mondavi vineyard

 

 

Disneyland California

May 2005

Lodging: Marriott, Anaheim ($130 per night); Fairfield Inn Anaheim Disneyland Resort ($120 per night)

Activities: Disneyland Park, California Adventure Park

 

 

Grand Canyon National Park

Dec. 24, 2007

Lodging: Holiday Inn Express at Grand Canyon (Tusayan), AZ (AAA rate $90, 12/24)

Activities: IMAX movie (http://www.explorethecanyon.com/), Mather Point, Bright Angel Point, Hopi Point, Pima Point, The Abyss, Grandview Point, Desert View (Outlook Tower), Trail Overlook

 

 

Hawaii

June, 2000

Lodging: Hilton Hawaiian Village

Activities: Hiking at Diamond Head, Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay Beach Park, Polynesian Culture Center (including dinner buffet & evening performance), Driving tour around Oahu, Chinatown (not recommending), Big Island (Volcano National Park, Black Sand Beaches)

 

 

Key West, Florida

Dec. 9-12, 2003

Lodging: Sheraton Suites Key West ($70 per night)

Activities: Sunset Cruise, Southernmost Point on Continental US, Mallory Square

 

 

Lake Baikal, Russia

Aug. 1990

Activities: Olkhon Island

 

 

Lake Tahoe, California

June 2004

Lodging: Hilton, Reno NV ($110 per night)

Activities: Emerald Bay

 

Oct. 2005

Lodging: Alpenrose Inn ($95 per night), South Lake Tahoe

Car rental: Dollar.com ($72 for 2 days)

Activities: Vikingsholm trail, Eagle Lake trail, Taylor Creek Stream Profile Chamber and Rainbow Trail

 

Nov. 24-26, 2005

Lodging: Hilton Reno ($50 per night Priceline.com)

Activities: Snow-tubing in Squaw (Olympic) Valley, Sightseeing on Hwy 267, North Lake Tahoe, Donner Lake Resort, Boreal ski ranch, Circus-Circus Reno, Peppermill, Boontown

 

Dec. 23-26, 2006

Lodging: Atlantis ($190 for 3 nights from priceline.com) – excellent hotel!

Activities: Skiing, Ice Skating, Cable car ride at High Camp, Squaw Valley; Trampoline

 

July 3-6, 2008

Lodging: Camping at Granite Flat ($21 per night), Truckee River

Activities: hiking to Granite Lake  & partial hiking to Cascade Creek Falls  (trailhead in Bayview Campground), partial hiking to Eagle Lake, rafting on Truckee River

 

 

Las Vegas, Nevada

Nov. 6-10, 2005

Lodging: Excalibur ($650 total Air + Hotel, great deal from Americawest)

Car rental: Carrentals.com (Dollar.com ~$100 for 5 days)

Activities: Hoover Dam, Stratosphere, Venetian, Aladdin, Treasure Island, Mirage, New York-New York, Circus-Circus, Monte Carlo, Bellagio, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Tropicana, MGM, Wynn

 

Dec. 22-23 & 28, 2007

Lodging: Circus Circus ($85 for Saturday, $70 for other days)

 

 

Monterey, California

Jan. 7-8, 2005

Lodging: Hyatt Regency Monterey ($70 per night)

Activities: 17-mile Drive

 

 

New Orleans, Louisiana

Aug. 24, 2003

Lodging: Omni Royal Orleans ($110 per night)

Activities:

 

 

Point Reyes, California

Sep. 23-24, 2006

Lodging: Camping at Olema Ranch Campground ($32 for 4 people)

Activities: Drakes Beach, The Lighthouse, South Beach

 

 

San Diego, California

Jan. 18-21, 2007

Lodging: San Diego Town and Country Resort ($155 per night), Holiday Inn – Rancho Bernardo ($70 per night through Hotwire.com)

Car rental: Fox Rent A Car ($15 per day)

Activities: San Diego Zoo ($25/15 per person), LegoLand ($38 per person 2-day pass), Balboa Park, Coronado Island (Imperial Beach, Hotel Coronado), Visiting friends

 

 

San Francisco, California

49-mile Scenic Drive – a must-see!

Points of interests:

·      Aquarium of the Bay

·      Chinatown

·      Exploratorium

·      Fisherman’s Wharf

·      Golden Gate Bridge

·      Legion of Honor (member museum of Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco)

·      The Presidio of San Francisco (presidio – military outpost in Spanish)

·      The Russian Center of San Francisco

 

Dec. 31, 2007 – Jan. 1, 2008

Lodging: Hilton San Francisco (American Airlines 12K miles + $80)

Activities: Cable Car riding, Bay Cruise by Blue & Gold Fleet, Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, Union Square, Yerba Buena gardens (Mascone Center), New Year’s Eve dinner at Santorini Mediterranean Cuisine

 

 

Southern California (Christmas – New Year trip)

Palm Springs

Dec. 24-28, 2008

Lodging: Quality Inn ($63 per night)

Activities: Joshua Tree National Park, Indian Canyons (Palm Spring Canyon & Andreas Canyon), Aerial Tramway, Snowshoeing on Long Trail, Moorten Botanical Gardens, Downtown

Dining: Ichiban, Shanghai Inn

 

Hollywood

Dec. 29, 2008

Lodging: Lambert Inn in Whittier ($60 per night)

Activities: Chinese Theatre, Kodak Theatre tour, Beverly Hills

 

Pasadena

Dec. 30, 2008

Lodging: Lambert Inn in Whittier ($60 per night)

Activities: Cal Tech campus, Rose Parade float decoration tours (at Rose Palace & Rose Bowl), Pasadena Civic Auditorium (Chinese New Year Spectacular)

 

Santa Barbara

Dec. 31, 2008 – Jan. 1, 2009

Lodging: Sandpiper Lodge ($73 per night, recommending!)

Activities: Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Stearns Wharf, Downtown sightseeing, Solvang

Dining: Madam Lu (recommending!), Santa Barbara Shellfish Company

 

 

Tokyo, Japan

Mar. 17-24, 2007

Lodging: Hotel Juraku at Ochanomizu(ホテル聚楽), 東京・御茶ノ水 ($65 per night including continental breakfast; great deal!)

Points of interest:

·      Ueno Park上野公园

·      Tokyo National Museum東京国立博物館

·      the National Science Museum(Ueno) 国立科学博物館 (上野本館)

·      Sensoji Temple (Asakusa) 浅草寺

·      the University of Tokyo

·      Akihabara Electric Market Town秋葉原電気街

·      Meiji Temple明治神宮

·      Sumida River Cruise隅田川

·      Ikebukuro池袋

·      Imperial Palace area (East Garden, Nijubashi 二重桥)

·      Ginza銀座

·      Shinjuku新宿

·      Tokyo Tower

·      Kabuki-Za歌舞伎座

·      Yushima Seidō 湯島聖堂

·      Yokohama 横滨

·      Chinzan-so椿山荘

·      Tokyo Central Railway Station 東京駅

 

 

Yosemite National Park

Oct. 1-2, 2005

Lodging:           Cedar Lodge at El Portal ($130 per night)

Activities:          Glacier Point, Mirror Lake, Vernal Fall bridge, Bridalveil Fall

 

July 1-4, 2006

Lodging:           Camping at Bass Lake ($25 per site per night + $5 extra car)

Activities:          Boating, hiking, Bridalveil Fall, Vernal Fall, Glacier Point

 

May 25-28, 2007

Lodging:           Apple Tree Inn in Fish Camp ($220 per night for 1 king/1 queen beds shared by two families)

Activities:          Biking, hiking, Mist trail, Glacier Point, Yosemite Falls, Olmsted Point, Tenaya Lake, Tuolumne Meadows, Soda Springs, Mariposa Grove

 

 

Zion National Park

Dec. 27-28, 2007

Lodging: Quality Inn at Zion Park, Springdale, UT (12/27, AAA rate $54)

Activities: Checkerboard Mesa, Weeping Rock, Temple Sinawava (Riverside walk), Lower Emerald Pools trail

 

 

Interesting Sites:

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