M Y  T R A V E L S |
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A D V E N T U R E S I N T R A V E L
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In June of 2002 I started working for United Airlines as a computer programmer. One of the benefits United offers is the ability to fly standby
either for free or a small fee on any United flight. So needless to say I've taken advantage of the benefit to fly often to places I would've never made any effort to go to before.
Here is my list of destinations and a brief description of each trip:
Denver, Colorado - 9/02
My first flight was probably the worst from a standby viewpoint. The plan was for all 4 of my family (my wife Julie and daughters Jamie & Sarah) to hop on an afternoon flight from Chicago to Denver. The flights looked to have plenty of room but due to some unforeseen change at the airport, the flight was well overbooked and so were all subsequent flights. I really wanted to make it work so I pulled out the schedule and we hopped on a flight to Dallas and connected to Denver from there. We landed in Denver about 3 hrs later than originally planned so I thought that was pretty good especially considering if we sat at O'Hare waiting for another flight we may have never made it. We stayed at an Embassy Suites near the airport and visited Colorado Springs and Rocky Mountain National Park. In Colorado Springs we went to the Olympic Training Center and the Garden of the Gods state park. The kids loved seeing the rock climbers at the Garden of the Gods. Rocky Mountain National Park was lost on the girls but I loved the peaceful beauty of the park. Hiking the trail around Bear Lake is a perfect family activity. We flew back on Monday morning and ended up going through Dallas again but got got first class and still got to work around 10:30 am.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Embassy Suites off 70 near the airport. Typical Embassy with breakfast and a suite. $99 a night. Relatively far from downtown and nowhere near the mountains, but minutes from the airport.
Orange County, California - 10/02
Because my parents also had rights to the flight benefit in addition to me and my dependents, my mother wanted to give this flight thing a try. So with my daughter Sarah and my mother, we went to O'Hare on a Friday with the plan of going to San Francisco. The flights to SF were full but backups were either Orange County, CA or Seattle. We decided on Orange County. We flew into John Wayne airport, rented a car and drove out to Anaheim near Disney. There we found a Holiday Inn Express right next to Disneyland but instead of going to Disney, we went to Knott's Berry Farm. Seeing that our last name is Knott, we just had to go. Sarah had such a fun time. Knott's was throwing their annual Halloween festival at the time so the park was decorated with spiders and witches with trick or treating in the kids section. Knott's is actually perfect for younger kids because they have many smaller rides geared for the small ones and they are all grouped together in the Camp Snoopy section. We later drove through Hollywood, stayed at a Holiday Inn near LAX and flew out on Sunday morning from LAX.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Holiday Inn Express near Disneyland and Holiday Inn near LAX. Very close to Disneyland, you could probably walk there there is a trolley/shuttle that runs around town. Continental breakfast downstairs was good and free. Pool was tiny and rooms were basic. They gave me a airline rate of $57.
Nashville, Tennessee - 11/02
Julie planned this trip for the four of us plus Nana for Nashville during Thanksgiving weekend. We flew on United Express which flies smaller 50-seat planes and stayed at the Gaylord Opryland. The Gaylord is an immensely huge hotel that I had never heard of, but was great. Because the Christmas season was starting, the Rockettes Christmas show was playing at the Opry. We bought tickets and Sarah and mom loved it. We went to the Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville for lunch and had fried pickles and BBQ. I would love to go there on a Saturday night and see the country dancing and music. Right next to the hotel is the Mills which is shopping mall of mostly outlet stores. You can walk there from the hotel. The flight back was not so fun. Our flight was delayed by snow in Chicago so we sat at the airport in Nashville for 4 hours not knowing if they were going going to fly that night or not. Luckily they did fly and we make it home late that evening.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. They gave us an airline rate of $99 which is much cheaper than any website will give you. Wonderful hotel where you can just check in and never leave. There is so much to do there, it's like an amusement park in there. There are numerous restaurants for dinner and breakfast and a bar.
Ft Myers, Florida 2/03
The family flew down to Southwest International Airport in Fort Myers Florida to visit my mother and father who were spending the winter in Cape Coral. I spent the first weekend there but had to fly back to Chicago on Monday because I had no vacation time from work. The following Saturday I flew back down to Ft Myers and met the girls at the beach. This was great because the temperature in Chicago was in the single digits and snowing. So I spent a few hours in the sun at the beach and then we all flew back to Chicago later that evening. It was definitely worth the 5 hours of plane trips!
Orange County, California - 7/03
The family flew out to California around the 4th of July for a week vacation. We stayed at the Wyndham in Costa Mesa. Went to Knott's Berry Farm again and then Legoland in Carlsbad, which is closer to San Diego than LA. Legoland was wonderful and the family would love to go back again. Perfect for kids under 10-11 but older kids will be bored. We went to the Santa Monica Beach and Hollywood and later came back to Costa Mesa and stayed at the Marriott Suites. Hollywood is a dive and could be skipped but everyone goes there at least once. Saw the sidewalk of fame and the Grauman's Chinese Theater. At some of the hot dogs at Pinks. Had a Ozzy Osbourne dog and Rosie O'Donnell. If I recall, Ozzie's had peppers and chili and Rosie's had guacamole. We drove up to the NBC studios in Burbank but because it was the 4th of July, they weren't filming anything. Normally they have Days of Our Lives and Jay Leno filming there. At the Marriott our room came with breakfast so we had breakfast in bed. The kids thought this was great and one of the highlights of the week. We flew back home out of John Wayne Intl Airport.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Orange County Wyndham and Marriott Suites Costa Mesa. Wyndham was a nice hotel with a good rate of $67. Pool was pretty basic (unheated) but they had free parking and free internet access if you joined their loyalty club (free). The Marriott next door was bigger and had more amenities. Rate there was $119 which was not an airline rate. Rooms were suites with a door to separate sleeping and sitting areas. Hotel parking costs $10 and internet access was another $15. Rhe rate was higher than Wyndham but included breakfast for two at restaurant or room service. The Marriott Pool was very nice. It was large and heated (I think - it was warm) with poolside drink and towel service. Also stayed at the Santa Monica Best Western which was a complete dump and I would not recommend to anyone. The rate wasn't even any good especially for the quality.
San Francisco, California - 10/03
This was a weekend trip with my two daughters and Nana. We flew out to San Jose because the early morning flights to SFO were full. The benefit of this was that we all got to sit in first class and relax. We rented a car and drove up to the wine valley but traffic was bad and made the trip regrettable. We took the Beringer wine tour in St Helena and then headed back to SF where we stayed at the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf. This hotel was very close to all the activity by the pier. My daughters had a blast riding the cable cars and we took a boat tour of the bay where we cruised past Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate Bridge. We flew back out of SFO while Nana flew to Las Vegas where Papa was meeting her.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf. Rate was $119. Great location just a block from the piers and a block from the cable car station. Standard room was clean and no problems. We had breakfast at a Dennys at the end of the block. Tourist style shopping was also a block away.
Denver, Colorado - 11/03
This was a trip I took with a workmate of mine, Ron, to Denver to see the Bears play the Broncos. We sat in business class as we flew out to Denver on the 8:00 am flight. Then we took a cab to the stadium and tailgated for several hours before going to the football game. Weather was 1 degree at gametime but we were well prepared from both our lifetime of Soldier Field adventures. We met many transplanted Bear fans and had a great time tailgating. There was a group of transplanted southside Bears fans with a camper that we hung out with for a while. So much fun. There was a guy there name James (can't recall if that was his first name or if it just fit) Kirk that has been at EVERY Bears game since the early 90's. Amazing. The Bears won the game which it made it even more fun taunting the Bronco fans. Afterwards we cabbed back to the airport for the 6:30 pm flight back to Chicago where we sat in business class again.
Singapore - 2/04
I took this trip by myself to visit a friend who was at his parents in Singapore. On all 4 flights I took, I was very lucky and sat in first class on 3 cabin planes. Which basically means that these were the huge 747 and 777 planes that have the beds and full meal service. The first flight was a 15 hours flight from Chicago to Hong Kong. The plane flew over the North Pole. As I looked out the window, it was just desolation as far as you could see. Kinda creepy. My seat was also in the first row and in those 747 planes, the pilots are actually sitting upstairs so I was right at the nose of the plane. I watched several movies and played some games on my laptop. In Hong Kong, it was nightime and raining so I couldn't really see much out the window. The Hong Kong airport was very nice and modern. I got a chance to walk around for an hour before my next flight. Fireworks were going off for the Chinese New Year but the clouds blocked my view as we took off for Singapore. The 4 hour flight on a 747 to Singapore was uneventful and I couldn't see anything outside because it was night. In Singapore, I spent several days with my friend Khai and his family. I got the "locals" tour of the city and had a great time. I flew from Singapore to Tokyo because Hong Kong was sold out. This was a 7 hour flight on a 777 that flew by pretty fast. While waiting to get on the flight to Tokyo, I met a fellow United employee who invited me to join her in the Red Carpet Club in Tokyo while on the 3 hour layover. She left early for her flight to New York and I took a shower and walked around the airport a bit checking out what I could of Japan. The flight from Narita to O'Hare was about 12 hours on a 747. The meal on this flight was a traditional Japanese plate with Sake. Interesting. It was 5 day trip where I spent 40 hours traveling by plane. I only slept a couple hours on the plane and maybe 10 hours sleeping in Singapore but I was running fine on adrenaline.
Charlotte, North Carolina 5/04
The 4 of us took a weekend trip to NC. We stayed at the Westin hotel which was very nice. Charlotte has this new trolley that runs for a few blocks. Sometime soon it will be extended to the other end of the downtown but in the meantime there's not much to it. We ate dinner at a Cheesecake Factory in Pinesville which was a nice suburb with old grand Georgian homes lining the streets. We also visisted the Discovery Zone for Kids where they had the Sue Dinosaur exhibit in town. The flight home was exhausting as it was delayed by rain in Chicago and we got stuck in the last row, but we did make it home OK.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Charlotte Westin. Gave us an airline rate of $99. Upscale hotel on the southern edges of the downtown. Room was very nice. You can walk anywhere but the downtown is pretty slow on weekends including restaurants so there isn't any real benefit of being downtown. The trolley also has a stop on the second floor of the hotel. Right now the trolley just goes a few blocks to some antique shops and then comes back. Eventually it will go to the other side of downtown. Not many restaurants nearby so you may be stuck at the hotel unless you wanted to venture out further.
Fargo, North Dakota / Denver, Colorado 6/04
Julie and I planned this trip to see the Shania Twain concert in Fargo. I got great tickets off EBay so we flew out early on Saturday. We stayed at the Ramada and had great seats to see Shania at the FargoDome. Not much to say about Fargo. We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant that was good. The concert was lots of fun. The FargoDome looked like an oversized high school gym. Seats were only on the sides but they went the length of a football field (the college team plays inside) and went up a good 50+ rows. So needless to say it was larger than a typical arena. The next day we couldn't get on a plane to Chicago until late Sunday night so we got on the 7:00 am flight to Denver instead. In Denver, we rented a car and spent the day shopping at the REI Store and taking in a Colorado Rockies game. The Rockies were playing SF Giants and Barry Bonds. We sat up in the right field upper deck for $6. It was a very fun day. Denver is one of the few cities where I can fly into and out of on the same day for a fun daytrip.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Radison. Rate was $69. This was in the "downtown" but was not near the college or stadium. We were able to take a bus since cabs were very rare. In the center of "downtown" but don't expect much in the form of nightlife nearby.
Orlando, Florida 7/04
The four of us flew into Tampa and drove to Orlando for a 4 night Disney vacation. We stayed 2 nights at the Contemporary Resort and 2 nights at the Wilderness Lodge. The second day we went to Epcot where we went to the Princess character breakfast. Later in the day we hopped over to MGM. The next day we went to the Magic Kingdom. During the day we transferred from the Contemporary to the Wilderness and took the boat back to the park. On day 4 we hung out by the pool and played miniature golf. On day 5 we started the day by going to Animal Kingdom and then went back to MGM. When everything was done, we drove down to Cape Coral where I stayed a couple days and then flew home for work.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Disney Contemporary Resort and Wilderness Lodge. Both had airline rates of $99 which is quite a deal but hard to come by. I called 4 times before I got the rate. Contemporary was neat because it's on the monorail and is so close to the Magic Kingdom. There's lots going on inside with Chef Mickey and shopping. The girls liked the pool because it had fountains spraying water in the air and a water slide. There was also a beach where you could lay out I guess but not swim. Our room was spacious and the girls liked the colors. Bathroom could use a little service but that's the only complaint. The Wilderness lobby was really cool. 7 story tall lodge made out of logs. The pool was about the same as the Contemporary except instead of having a fountain it had a "river" flowing into it. There is a small creek that flows from the lobby of the hotel through the courtyard and ending in the pool. We had a room with a bunkbed which was fun but was like a standard Holiday Inn style room.
Orange County, California - 10/04
Jamie, Nana, Papa, and myself flew out to Orange County for a quick Columbus day weekend vacation. Jamie was dying to go to Knott's Berry Farm again so there we went again! The annual Halloween Knott's Scary Farm festival was going on. They closed the part at 5:30 and then reopened at 7:00. The night hours are when the Halloween activities happen. The place was packed so it must be a very popular event in Orange County. We drove down by Huntington Beach the next day and saw some of the surfers before heading to the airport. We flew in and out of John Wayne Intl Airport.
Hotel details: We stayed at the Quality Suites in Santa Ana. This was a decent family hotel with a cooked breakfast and reasonable rate of $70. Pool was OK for kids. This was in an area of many hotels but was not necessarily near the entertainment. Would recommend.
Maui, Hawaii - 12/04
This was a trip taken with my wife and two daughters right before Christmas 2004. We flew from Chicago direct to Maui Kahului airport and stayed at the Wailea Marriott resort. I think we were the last people to get tickets on the plane but we made it for the 8 hour direct flight to Maui. We rented a jeep from Thrifty for $27 which is at least half what the major travel sites wanted. The hotel we got thru Priceline was for $140 which I thought might be high but they wouldn't accept any lower offers for a 4 star resort. In the end it seems like it was a good deal. I later found out that 4 star rooms during peak season can go for $300-400. My daughters loved the slide in the kid's pool but the water in all the pools was freezing. The hotel had beautiful grounds and was right on the beach close to loads of activities. The Grand Wailea resort is next door and you can buy a day pass to go to their pool which is awesome. It's worth a walk over there to check out the place. One day we drove up to the top of the volcano Haleakeala, which is not active like the one over on the Big Island, but is amazing. The view from up high was beautiful overlooking the entire island. Many people rent bikes and coast down the peak but maybe next time for us. The Wailea side on the southeast side of the island was much drier than the east side near Hana and quieter than the Ka'anapali section. It was very quiet and relaxing here and by the end of my stay we were all much more relaxed though we knew we would be flying back to freezing Chicago. At the hotel they had lei making classes so the girls made leis to take back to Chicago and remember the trip just a bit longer. On Wednesday we flew back out of Maui connecting through Kona and then on back to Chicago.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Wailea Marriott. Priceline rate of $140 for 4 nights. Great location on the beach and lovely landscaping. Our standard room was clean but had poor soundproofing and not many free amenities. Had to pay for internet and pay for parking which I guess is typical for Marriott. Wailea mall is right across the street where you can do shopping and eating.
San Jose, California - 12/04
I attended the Silicon Valley Bowl game between Northern Illinois University and Troy University. My brother Brian flew as a companion with me to San Jose Airport early on December 30 and back to Chicago the next day. Flight load was very heavy due to the year end holiday, people vacationing and all the bowl games in California that weekend. The flight to San Jose was overbooked and we listed on flights to Sacramento, San Francisco and Las Vegas as alternates. Somehow we made it on the San Jose flight even though it was overbooked by 8 people. It was raining in the Bay area the whole week and this day was no different. Temperatures were in the 50s but by gametime at 8:00 pm, it was near 40. Luckily I had a poncho so sitting out in the rain wasn't too painful. During the afternoon we drank at the Gordon Biersch Microbrewery and then went over to the NIU Alumni tent for a tailgating party. NIU won the game 34-21 after falling behind 14-0 in the first 5 minutes so all worked out well. We were rewarded with first class for the return trip where I slept half the flight.
Hotel details: We stayed at the Wyndham in San Jose. This was a decent hotel with weekend rate of $59. Right on the lightrail train and a short taxi ride from the airport. Not bad but nothing fancy.
Winter Park, Colorado - 2/05
During the winter of ski season, I flew out to Denver with a co-worker named Vlad and met up with an old co-worker and friend Lloyd. Lloyd moved to Denver back in 1996 but beforehand we worket together at Discover Card and Allstate. Vlad and I hopped on the early 6:30 am flight and met up with Lloyd around 10:00 am. Lloyd picked us up and drove us up to the mountains. We stopped and picked up skiis in a small town and bought tickets at the base of the ski resort. Luckily Lloyd had a two for one ticket coupon for Winter Park Resort for Vlad and I. Skiing was fun. I had a bit of a rough time with flexibility since I had knee surgery back in November. But the knee held up good and I was able to have fun. I think I went down maybe 5 runs and was quite exhausted. Halfway up the mountain they had a restaurant where they served BBQ beef, hot dogs, soup, etc... All very good. Afterwards, we drove down and had dinner at a a restaurant in a small town off rt 70. Their specialty was buffalo meat. Vlad was excited to eat a buffalo brisket. From there we drove down to Denver and a had a beer nright across from Coor's Field. We had no problems getting on flights there and back and sat in coach both ways.
San Diego/Orange County, California - 3/05
The family planned on a weekend trip since they were on spring break. Originally we planned on Seattle but since it was rainy and cold there, and the flights were crowded, we changed our plans to SoCal. We sat at the airport for an Orange County flight but at the last minute we had to change plans due to a full flight. The San Diego flight was leaving 20 minutes later and it had room so we hopped and that flight. I got stuck in a middle seat but the girls got three flights together in the back. I had a room booked in Orange County at the Doubletree so we had to drive from San Diego up there after we landed. I booked the hotel thru Priceline for $43 a night. We finally got to our hotel by around midnight Cal time.
The next day we woke up and it was beautiful outside. I picked up a free wi-fi hotspot and was planning on booking a room for the next two nights. It sudddenly started raining and when the clouds came in, I lost the hotspot. We packed up and drove down to Carlsbad and went to Legoland. The weather cooperated but was still a chilly 60-65 degrees all day. Afterwards we drove back towards Orange County without a hotel room booked. It was too late for Priceline and the web sites but I was able to pickup a United Airlines travel rate at the Wyndham in Costa Mesa. Before getting our hotel, we stopped at Weinerschnitzel and got some hot dogs. Jamie loves them there. The last time we were in town, we at a Weinerschnitzel in Huntington Beach. The restaurant was a simple outdoor stand but it was fun especially out in the California sun, she still talks about it.
The next day we had lunch at Maggiano's and went to the movies to see "Robots". It was a nice day. The South Coast Mall is huge and very upscale. A good destination. We switched hotels to the Costa Mesa Hilton and got a $55 rate on Priceline. The girls dragged me swimming and luckily the water was semi-warm since it was heated. Later that night we had McDonalds and tacos for dinner while we watched American Idol. The next day we got up very early and tried to catch the 6:50 am flight. It was very full because there was a cancelled flight the day earlier but luckily we got on. The gate agent was very helpful and even got us 2 pairs of seats next to each other so we didn't have to ask anyone to switch seats on the plane. Another nice time in Orange County.
Hotel details: The first night was at the 3* Doubletree Costa Mesa. $43 off Priceline. $9 for parking. Located right near the airport exit. This was a nice hotel geared towards business travelers. The second night we stayed at the Wyndham in Costa Mesa for $69. This is a relaxing hotel close to the South Coast Mall. Plenty of good restaurants nearby and at the mall. Parking is $13. Join the Wyndham club to get free wi-fi access. The third night we stayed at the 4* Costa Mesa Hilton for $55 of Priceline. Parking was $13. A few more amenities at this hotel and slightly larger rooms. Also near South Coast Mall.
London, UK - 05/05
I flew to London with my father and mother for a weekend trip. We almost didn't get out as there were weather problems causing delays on connecting flights. Gate agent said my odds were bad and when I saw people getting bumped from business to coach, I figured I would be turning around and going home. At the last minute my name was called and the three of us all got first class seats. This was extra nice because since this was a 9:25 pm flight, we could sleep on the plane and then go out sightseeing right away when we landed the next day. We stayed at the Jolly St Ermins in Westminster which was located in a quiet neighborhood kitty corner to The New Scotland Yard. Buckingham Place was only a few blocks to the west and Westminster Abbey and Parliament only few blocks to the east. We bought tickets on the "Original" Bus tour which was perfect. I highly recommend taking this tour or the "Big Bus". For 16 pounds, we got a 24 hour pass to ride on their tour buses around town, with unlimited on/off stops. The buses had a narrator and passed by all the main attractions in town. At many points you could get off and then catch the next bus when it came by which was about every 10 minutes. A boat tour up the Thames was also included from "The Eye" to the Tower of London. At the Tower of London we bought the entry and went on a tour. You could see the Crown Jewels, which I believe are replicas, but still very cool. You can go inside the White Tower and hear the stories about beheadings and Kings. One thing about the Brits is that they love to tell the stories. The Beefeaters (Yeoman Wanderers) at the Tower were quite entertaining with the stories of drunkeness, infidelity, wars, and other royal history. We saw 4 different bus/boat tour narrators. One was comical like a Monty Python skit, another was very outgoing and comical like Hugh Grant, while another was dry like a British documentary host. We saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace but that was rather boring plus the Queen was out of town. There are so many interesting facts and events that I learned on the Bus Tour from where Sean Connery and Roger Moore live to where Paul McCartney met Linda to where Winston Churchill went to school. Quite entertaining and well worth the money. Temperatures weren't the best but on Sunday it was fairly sunny in the 60s. Train from Heathrow was pretty slow taking a little over an hour. We got off at the St James station and just walked around the corner to our hotel. Heathrow does not get any good votes from me. It is way too spread out with lots of walking. I had to walk for like an hour to get from the gate to the train station on arrival. Departure was a little better but still not great.
Hotel details: We stayed at the Jolly St Ermin in Westminster for 2 nights. This was a nice hotel run by an Italian chain. Most workers appeared to be from Italy but they were pretty helpful. At checkin we were told we only had one bed and the only way to sleep 3 was to upgrade for 40 pounds. Considering the room cost $85 a night (obtained via Priceline), this was doubling the price so we had them find a way to put in a cot or something. They found a hideway couch which worked fine. The hotel was very clean but had some quirks. The elevator has room for 3. I heard this before I got there but thought "whatever". Well it really is the width of a small door and about 6 feet long. The bathroom was tiny too. You have to climb around the toilet to comfortably close the door. But I really didn't have any complaints, it was all just unique and fun. Location was next to the St James Underground Tube station. Tube to and from Heathrow was an hour for about 3 Pound 20. Express train was about 15 Pounds and cab would be about 50 Pounds so if you want to spend the extra dough feel free but really the Tube was fine.
Munich & Frankfurt, Germany - 05/05
This was part two of my London/Europe trip. I had planned on flying home on Monday but my parents wanted to see more of Europe and I really did too. I felt that if I went home, my parents may fly home too so I decided to stay for another day. We flew from London to Munich on Lufthansa airlines. This ticket was obtained via an interline agreement and cost me only $40. Munich's airport is very comtemporary and laid out nicely except the rental car area is about a mile away and you have to walk the whole way. We stayed at the Munich Marriott North which is a few blocks off the subway which leads from the airport to the downtown. Instead we decided to rent a car and drive since we knew we wanted to do more than just Munich. The hotel was very nice and catered nicely to English speaking people.
After checkin at the hotel, we drove to downtown Munich. Streets there were quite confusing with name changes it seemed like every block. The hotel concierge told us about a bus tour so we pretty much just wanted to head there, unfortunately it took us an hour just to find the place. We also found that this Monday was a religious holiday and all stores were closed with only restaurants still open. The bus tour was similar to London with a double decker open roof bus, but the narration was awful. They played a recording over headphones by a monotone German guy with a terrible sense of humor. But we got time to see the city and some of the history like the Churches and Hitler's nazi party office and the Marienplatz. Afterwards we went downtown, got some pastries and waited for the Glockenspeil. This is a clock tower which has a "cuckoo clock" that goes off several times a day. In the current days of Disney, this is very uninspiring but it's the history of the city. We then went down to the Hofbrauhaus for a German Oktoberfest-style bar. There were long tables with benches on each side, an Oompah band, german food and pretzels, local Bavarian type people, and beer of course. Not typical bottles of beer but the large quartsize mugs of real german beer. We sat by a couple of American college kids, one whose parent was from Germany and the other who was there doing a European session of school. We had fun and I had a couple of beers but my mom rounded us out of there. Like a mom she didn't want me to drink too much;-)
The next day I was planning on heading home while my parents stayed another day or two. But when I went to the Munoch airport, there was no one from United at the ticket counter. After finally finding someone from Lufthansa to help me, we contacted the United people and they said they were down at the gate boarding people and I was too late. I was there almost an hour before the flight but I guess they have different rules there. So I had no way to get a ticket to get me thru security even though there was plenty of time. I left and joined my parents. We went to Salzburg which was cool. The area in the south of Germany was green and spacious, not at all what I thought it would be. There were fields of hops and saflowers(?) We drove the Autobahn, I kept it around 150-160 which is like 95-100 mph because our car was a fairly ordinary Opel hatchback. Too bad we didn't get a Mercedes which always seemed to be on my tail trying to get past. Next we stopped in Rothenburg which is a city surrounded by medieval walls. Very cool. It is known nowadays as Christmas village because of the toy shops in town. It is mostly a tourist spot and the shops were pretty much all the same, but I loved it nonetheless. That night we drove to Frankfurt, got lost, and eventually found our hotel at the downtown Marriott. Nice hotel but they did not have rooms with 2 double beds. Strange but again this is one of those European variances. The next day we headed to the Frankfurt airport and got seats in business class home. I slept more than half the flight and I needed it!
Hotel details: We stayed the first night at the Munich Marriott. This was a very good hotel looked to cater to business. Worker were very friendly and spoke English no problem. Location was a outside town but fairly close to subway. Got the room for $65 on Priceline. The second night we stayed at the Frankfurt Marriott. $70 on Priceline. Right across from convention center in the middle of downtown Frankfurt. Had to get a foldaway bed since they didn't offer basic rooms with 2 double beds.
Cape Coral, Florida 7/05
The 4 of us took a week trip to my parent's house in Cape Coral, Florida. We did all the usual things like going swam in the pool, went to the Giant Flea Market, ate at Iguana Mia and played at the beach. We also went to the movies to see Herbie and the 4th of July festival at the Cape Coral pier. While in Florida we began tracking hurricane Dennis which appeared to heading into the gulf sometime at the end of the week. The odds were only around 15% that they would hit the gulf coast but event without a direct hit, we were sure that it would not be enjoyable sitting thru monsoons for a few days and then try to fly home. So we cut out trip short and left on Thursday. Still, we had an enjoyable and relaxing time.
Seattle, Washington 7/05
Instead of heading home from Cape Coral we drove up to Tampa and jumped on a Ted flight to Denver. My first flight on Ted! From Denver we had the option of going to Las Vegas or Seattle. We decided on Seattle. Julie and Sarah got first class on the flight to Seattle. I had my mom priceline a hotel in Seattle while we were driving up to Tampa. We got a 4* hotel named Hotel Vintage Park. I had no idea what that was but it was in the downtown which was all I wanted. Turned out to be wonderful hotel kitty corner to the Seattle Public Library. We visited the Experience Music Project. The girls loved the music intrument experiment room. Sarah boogied in the dance room under the strobe lights. We visited the aquarium the next day and the Pike Place Market. The aquarium was unique because it concentrated on Pacific Northwest sea creatures like Salmon, Orca Whales, and the invertebrates often found in the wave pools along the coast. I coffee from Seattle's best but not Starbuck's. Imagine that! We went shopping in Bellevue one day because we only had summer outfits geared for Florida. It rained the first day but the second day was beautiful. We took the ferry to Bainbridge Island. The Puget Sound was calm and the sun was out shining so it was a very relaxing trip.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Hotel Vintage Park. Booked thru Priceline at $100 a night which is very good for downtown Seattle. Room was upgraded to a King room because we wanted 2 beds and they didn't have any available. It was a corner room with loads of space and very rich red velvet curtains along two entire walls and windows that opened since it was an old building. The staff was very kind even brought up ice cream the first night because my daughter tripped in the lobby and was crying. They have a nightly wine tasting social hour in the lobby. Parking was expensive at $26/day but so was the public parking across the street. The hotel wasn't exactly close to anything but if you are a walker, shopping was about 4 blocks, the water was 5 blocks another, and Pike Place was about 10 blocks total. Not much in the way of restaurants nearby. Very recommended but is pricey.
St Louis, Missouri 7/05
Not sure if this counts because it was for business training. Flew into St Louis on Monday afternoon and toured a hosting company. That night went to the Cardinals game at Busch Stadium vs the Brewers. Hot and humid, I was sweating just sitting in my seat. I spent most time in training but there wasn't much else to do downtown. I was flying on a positive space ticket but my flight back to Chicago was canceled so instead of finding a hotel for the night, I hopped on a flight to Denver and then connected back to Chicago. Got home at 2:30 am. In that amount of time I could've flown to Hawaii or London instead of St Louis!
Hotel details: Stayed at the Drury Inn Convention Center. Rate averaged $120. Hotel literally backs up to Edward Jones Dome home of the St Louis Rams. Walk to Busch stadium was only about 8 blocks. There is also a Metro stop nearby so you can take the train to Busch or all the way to the airport. Hotel was nice with all the Drury amenities such as full breakfast and dinner drinks.
Dallas, Texas 12/05
Went with my wife and daughters to Dallas for a pre-Christmas weekend. We stayed at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine. We stayed a Gaylord in Nashville several years earlier and had a wonderful time so we decided to try them out again. The hotel did not disappoint as it was huge with extravagant Christmas decorations and plenty to do. We ate at the upscale southwestern restaurant in the hotel and had a fabulous meal with happy hour drinks. The next day we took a trip over to Fort Worth where we had a great time seeing the stockyards and where my daughters got a chance to ride horses. I got to sit on a steer after watching the daily cattle drive. Later we all went to Billy Bob's for lunch. The bar was open but no one was there during the middle of the day but Billy Bob's really is a huge bar and that is not an exaggeration.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine. Booked thru Priceline at $90 a night plus they charge a daily resort fee of $10. Room was nice but did not have a courtyard view which is highly recommended. They charge you to park but you can self park and save money. The hotel was near a mall so if you want to do some shopping or eat, it's not far away. Inside the hotel there are coffee shops, sundry stores, restaurants, bars, and more so you don't really have to leave if you don't want to.
Orlando/Cape Coral, Florida 6/06
Went with my wife and kids plus a friend's family to Cape Coral to stay at my parents house for a week. But before heading to Cape Coral just my family went to Orlando for two days and stayed at the Gaylord Palms resort. The hotel looked just like the Gaylord Texan but just had Florida themes. On the first day we just hung around the hotel, swam in the pool, and had a relaxing time. On the second day we went to the Magic Kingdom and had a nice time. In Cape Coral we went to the beach several times and swam in the pool.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee. Booked thru Priceline at $93 a night plus they charge a daily resort fee of $10. Started in a corner courtyard room but had to move due to a ceiling leak. Next room was in the Key West courtyard area. Live music plays until 10:00 pm but is nice.
Keystone, Colorado 8/06
My wife and I took a two night trip to this ski resort in the Rocky Mountains. Our room had a wonderful view of the mountains. We took the chair lift up to the top and hiked a 2 mile loop around the top of one of the peaks. The weather was beautiful in the 70s at the resort and 60s at the peak. In the evening we took a two-gondola trip to a Fondue Restaurant located on top of the mountain. This was a Swiss themed restaurant with live music and great food. Keystone is a relatively small resort town with a great ski village at the base of the ski runs. Dillon is nearby with all the restaurants and stores you need. Mountain Biking is huge in the summer. You can rent or take your own bike up on the ski lift and then ride down on one of the many bike trails that zigzag through the forest and ski runs.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Keystone Lodge. Booked thru Priceline at $110 a night which was more than what others were getting winning bids on but none of the nearby towns were winning for me either (Vail, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek all failed). All of Keystone seems to be linked/owned by a common group but this is the main hotel in the resort. But there are many condos which are probably available for rent as well. Staff was very responsive and helpful and hotel overall was a positive experience.
Cincinnati, Ohio 10/06
I took my 2 daughters to Cincinnati for a short weekend trip. We went to King's Island for their annual Halloween festival. My daughters liked the Italian Job ride and getting their picture taken with SpongeBob Squarepants. It was a nice time for just a short getaway.
Hotel details: Stayed at a LaQuinta which was minutes from the part. Booked thru Priceline at $38 a night. Hot breakfast was included. Hotel was OK but the heater/air was noisy. Also got a car from priceline for $9 a day.
Hershey, Pennsylvania 11/06
My wife, 2 daughters, and I flew to Harrisburg for a Thanksgiving weekend trip. We actually flew into Baltimore because the flights into Harrisburg were tight. We got first class seats both ways but also had 2 hour flight delays both times. Ugh! We stayed at a Crown Plaza hotel in downtown Harrisburg which was only a 15 minute drive from Hershey. Hershey was a fun town that is very entertaining and all about fun. The street lights are in the shape of Kisses and the street names all have something to do with chocolate. The factory is not open to tours but they have created a visitor center called Chocolate World. Here they have a simulated tour of the processing, a 3D movie, a trolley tour of the town, and loads of shopping for anything Hershey you could ever want. Next door there is an amusement park which was decorated for Christmas. There were Christmas shows, hot chocolate, and lots of lights. The price was reasonable at $9.95 an adult. In the summer there are roller coasters and water rides too. Hershey is a fun place to visit and bring the kids.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Harrisburg Crown Plaza located a block from the river in downtown Harrisburg. Booked thru Priceline at $60 a night. Hotel had a boutique feel to it and was nice. Also got a car from priceline for $20 a day which was upgraded for free to a Grand Marquis with navigation. Navigation was very welcome on this trip since the drive from Baltimore was not very straightforward.
Waikoloa, Hawaii 12/06
Flew to Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii for 3 days. The flight out was 9 hours and we sat in middle row aisle seats in the last two rows of the plane. Time passed smoothly and I barely missed winning the "Guess the midpoint" contest. I guessed 10:47 Hawaii time and the actual time was 10:48 and some seconds. There were 3 people that were ahead of me I guess. I booked the hotel early that morning and were we very happy with the accomodations. The big island can be very barren in places with only lava rock while in some areas there is rain forest or mountains. The first day we spent driving around the island. We left just before 6:00 am and headed north. We stopped to see the cliffs near Honuka and the Acadia falls near Hilo. Near the southern end of the island was the Volcanoes National Park. We got there after 2:00 pm and didn't leave until around 7:00 pm. There are two visitors centers which are very informative about the volcano process that created the Hawaiian islands. There are 6 stops on a tour of the Kihulua crater and you can walk right up to the edge. It's not active near the crater. But you can drive down near the ocean where there is a lava flow. During the say it is not visible except for the steam cloud as it enters the ocean. If you visit at night, you can see the orange lava coming down the mountain and again near the water. If you want to get a good view, you need to plan ahead. Bring a flashlight and good hiking boots. The parking lot and ranger station are nearly 4 miles from the flow. The first 3/4 mile is a paved street but after that you will be hiking through heavy lava/boulder formations. It is very slow walking and when the sun goes down, it is pitch black outside combining with black lava rock. Plan on 2 hours each way. But this is all worth it. Where else can you see Earth building in process? On the drive out we stopped at one of the overlooks. Looking up at the sky you can see an unimaginable amount of stars overhead. I cannot describe how many stars that are visible. It is unlike any place I have ever seen. On top of Mauna Kea, there are currently 9 observatories. The reason for this is that the combined height, lack of air polution, and lack of light polution, make this place one of the best places on the planet to stargaze.
The next day we relaxed and did shopping at the Kings Shops and swimming at the hotel pool. In the evening we went to the Luau and had a nice time. The next day I went solo on a snorkeling tour. I went on with Captain Zodiac's Snorkeling Tours to Kealakekua Bay. This was a protected marine sanctuary located where Capt Cook was killed and eaten by the natives. The reef was nice and I saw Moorish Idols, Triggerfish, many varieties of Tangs, dogfaced pufferfish, parrotfish, and many more varieties of fish. The tour goes out on a Navy Seal-style raft. It's very fast and beats all the regular tour boats to the dive site by like a half hour. On the way back we tracked a Humpback whale mother and calf. We didn't get too close but could see it coming up every few minutes. The harbor also is home to many large sea turtles. Along the way we saw Paul Allen's private estate in Kona where the locals say he never is at. He owns like acres of land on the tip of the peninsula of the harbor near Kona. Flying back we got first class seats for the 7 1/2 hour flight to Chicago.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa located 17 miles from the Kona airport on the Big Island of Hawaii. Booked thru Priceline at $135 a night. Orbitz and others had the cheapest rooms at $295. Hotel was very disneyesque with a monorail connecting the 3 towers. It also hosted DolphinQuest where you swim with dolphins in a private pool. There are 4 pools, some with water slides and jacuzzis, and a private lagoon with beach. There are 4-5 restaurants plus some coffee shops. The Kings Shops are within a very short walk or shuttle ride. Car was booked thru Thrifty for $35/nt. Good place to stay especially if you want to just hang out at your hotel.
Kansas City, Missouri 12/06
The family flew out to KC so my youngest daughter could visit a friend who had recently moved. We stayed out a hotel for 2 nights and at the friend's house one night on New Year's Eve.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Overland Park Sheraton. Booked directly from the Sheraton site for I think about $85 a night. They had a nice pool. Hotel was nice but nothing fancy. Parking was free but internet was not. Booked a car through Thrifty for $11 a day.
Minneapolis, MN 02/07
Went with my 2 daughters and wife to Minneapolis for a one day trip to Mall of America. Mall was big and crowded. Parking was a joke. My daughters and I bought wristbands so we could go on rides in the Camp Snoopy area all day.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Sheraton in Bloomington. Hotel says "at Mall of America" but it's really 7 miles away. There are many closer. It also says there are shuttles to the mall and the airport. The shuttles are there but they only run every couple of hours. So that was a waste too. Booked thru Priceline at $45 a night but spent much more on cabs and rental car.
New Mexico 4/07
For spring break we hopped on a plane to Colorado Springs. Almost all United flights were booked and the ones that weren't booked were to cold weather or boring cities. We luckily found an interesting route in Colorado and New Mexico. First, we spent several days in Colorado Springs where we took the Cog Railroad to the top of Pike's Peak and walked in Garden of the Gods. We then drove to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The drive took about 4 hours but was beautiful. There is very little development south of Pueblo and there are rolling hills and mountains all the way down. Santa Fe is a historic town with a very artistic feel. We stayed in a adobe style hotel with a fireplace in the room. Very nice. We ate dinner at Maria's which is an oldtime authentic New Mex restaurant. The square in town was very interesting but unfortunately the weather was very cold so we didn't stick around for long. Days later we drove down to Albuquerque and spent the night there. It was a clean town and not very large. We spent an afternoon up in the mountains on national forest land horseback riding. Very nice indeed.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Colorado Springs Drury Inn, the Inn at Hotel Santa Fe, and the Courtyard Marriott in Albuquerque. The Hotel Santa Fe was very cool with it's authentic feel. I booked that one on Priceline for $140. Hotel included concierge with breakfast.
Vancouver, BC 7/07
Over the 4th of July week, we took a trip north of the border to Vancouver. This was the first international trip for my two children. My wife has only been to Mexico but it was her first trip with a passport. The passports by the way, were purchased early in the winter so my daughters were excited to use them. Everything was smooth with the flights and other than the very long customs lines, the airport wasn't too bad. It seems like they think everyone is there for cruises. We rented a car, and after dealing with the high pressure from the rental place, we were off to our hotel. This was easily the worst car rental place as far as pressuring for the sale. They were convinced that I didn't have CDW insurance for the car, but I was sure of the opposite. Our hotel was right in the middle of downtown just a block from Robson street. Because it was midweek, it was business as usual for most residents. However we did arrive on July 1 which is Canada Day. So we were able to see a few of the festivities at Canada Place which is a pier for cruise ships.
We spent time in Stanley Park. This is a must for visitors. It's basically a forest preserve in the middle of downtown. There are plenty of old growth trees, authentic totem poles, and breath taking views of the water. We also drove up the coastline towards Whistler. We didn't make it all the way there, turning around after an hour and a half. The road up there is very rugged as it hugs the water with towering mountains on the other side. But it's well worth it because you can pull off the side of the road at various places and enjoy the natural beauty. The food/restaurants in Vancouver is not so great, at least not in downtown. I thought there would be more seafood, kind of like Seattle, but it was rather plain.
On our last day, we took a ferry ride out to Victoria Island. I debated about bringing the car, because it is a car ferry, but decided on using public transportation. The guidebooks all rave about taking buses and such but they were wrong. The ferry itself is an amazing trip. 7 stories tall with semis, buses, cars, and hundreds or thousands of people on each trip. There are restaurants, game rooms, or plain sitting areas. Once we reached the island, we waited for the bus. 20 minutes later an express bus came. We took to downtown without any idea where to go. After a while of walking and getting our bearings, we found the harbor. We took a double deck open top tour bus around the city of Victoria. The girls were excited about this and my wife and I were too since we could sit and enjoy for a while. When it was time to go back to the ferry, we ended up waiting for a bus for half an hour. Finally when we got on the bus, it was a local bus to the ferry. Took over an hour!
Hotel details: Stayed at the Hyatt Vancouver booked using Priceline. 4 nights for $100/night. This did not include parking or internet. You can self park in the garage for $16 but the hotel charges $24 for the same thing so don't tell them you are parking with them. It is not necessary because it is a public garage.
Munich, Germany 10/07
My wife and I took a long weekend trip together to Germany. On this trip we visited Neuschwanstein, Salzburg, and Munich. We also spent a day at the famous Munich Oktoberfest. AFter landing in Munich, we picked up our BMW rental. The car was great and had gps which was unbelievably helpful - a must. We drove down to Fussen and checked in our hotel. We pre-booked our tickets for the Neuschwanstein and Hohenshwangau castle tours for the afternoon. The walk to Hohenshwangau was short but to get to Neuschwanstein, you should take either the bus or the horse wagon up the mountain. Unless you like mountain hiking, you won't want to walk straight uphill. The castles are beautiful and worth the trip.
The next day we drove to Salzburg. It was about a 3 hour drive and we just took the main autobahn instead of the scenic routes. We had to arrive in Salzburg for a 2:00 pm Sound of Music tour and we made it with maybe 2 minutes to spare. The tour was fun and a tacky tourist experience for sure, but worth it. You get a bus tour of the city and drive out into the countryside too. We stayed at the historic Hotel Bristol. It is worth it to stay in the city since parking isn't easy and you want to be able to walk around the city.
The last day in Germany, we drove to Munich and went to the Oktoberfest. Our hotel was right near the entrance so once we parked and checked in, we were ready to go. The first tent we went in was the Hofbrauhaus. It was crowded, load, and wild. We walked from the front door around the walkway and eventually found a table near the back door. We spent a few hours there talked with some of the locals who barely knew English and some US Army guys stationed nearby. Next we went to the Schottenhammel tent. It was getting more crowded this time of day (5:00) so when we found a table here, we stayed the rest of the night. After 4 Mass of beer, I stumbled back to the hotel with my wife, very thankful I didn't have to take a train or bus. The fest is a blast with the constant singing. People are standing on the benches pretty much the whole time singing, dancing, and just having fun!
Hotel details: Stayed at the Munich Four Points, Salzburg Bristol, and the Kurcafe hotel in Fussen. The Four Points hotel was an amazing find because it was located right next to the entrance to the fest. There was no car, subway, or buses for us after spending a day drinking! I found a great price using hotels.com. The Bristol was a classic old hotel right in the heart of Salzburg. It was located next to the Mirabelli gardens. Reaching the old town center was a 10 minute walk crossing one street and then the bridge over the river. The Kurcafe hotel was nice too with the only exception being that there was no AC. Across the street is the shopping section of town.
Anaheim, CA 12/07
Went with my 2 daughters and mother to Anaheim a weekend trip to Disneyland. The weather in Anaheim was nice but still chilly. The park was decorated for the holidays and had plenty of Christmas themes. Cinderella's castle was decked out in lights and It's a Small World was singing Christmas carols in all languages.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Anaheim. The hotel is in a group of Disneyland hotels nearby. Booked two nights thru Priceline at $45 a night and grabbed a car using the Wild Card rate with Thrifty. They gave me a convertible but it wasn't warm enough to take the top down. Hotel was fine but was nothing special. Good for the rate.
Frankfurt, Germany 01/08
The plan was for me to go to Kolkata India for a week trip but things went awry in Germany. The flight out on United went nicely. I sat in First Class and watched movies and ate good meals but once I went to check-in at Lufthansa, things went downhill quickly. Seems my flight plans on Lufthansa were not for a confirmed seat. I had tried all week to get this straightened out but to be honest, when it comes time to spend money on a flight, United wanted me to go cheapo. Can you believe it? Well I spent hours in lines trying to get it straight. After finally missing all chances to get to India, I wanted to get back to Chicago but I couldn't do that either. Again I spent hours in lines but Frankfurt flights on standby are not easy. Again, I work for an airline and I'm flying on business and I can't get a seat? I felt like Tom Hanks in "The Terminal". I went through customs at least 3 times or was it 4? I don't know exactly, but my passport is covered in Frankfurt stamps.
After missing the last two flights out to Washington DC and San Francisco, I had to figure out what I was going to do for the night. I found a Red Carpet Club where I had time to make some phone calls, grab a drink, and look for a hotel room. For a brief moment I though about sleeping in the airport but it was only 5-6:00 pm and all the recliners were already taken for the night. I found a room at the Marriott in downtown so I got on the subway and found my way to the hotel. The city was quite quiet but was very relaxing and peaceful. This was the same hotel I stayed at a few years earlier and recalled that the bistro in the lobby served good mozarella and tomato sandwiches. The bistro was still there and they still served the same sandwiches. I brought it up to my room and called my wife. I made a 11 minute phone call to my wife which I later found out cost me $65. At this point I hadn't slept in about 24 hours so I hit the bed.
The next morning I got up early to get to the airport. I went outside and just my luck, it was pouring down rain. At the counter, everything seemed fine but at the last minute the gate agent told my I wasn't allowed to get on the flight using positive space. I asked my boss if she could confirm me on the flight but I still wasn't. I got on the flight anyways and ended up in First Class. The two days were a disaster and I never got any apologies at work but at least I cut my losses before they got worse.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Frankfurt Marriott downtown. Booked thru Priceline at $90 a night. You can walk to the hotel from the subway. Cab to the airport was about 30 Euro.
Waikoloa, Hawaii 02/08
Went with my wife and two daughters on a trip out of town in the middle of a Chicago winter. The only goal was to go somewhere warm but flights to most destinations were full. After missing flights to LA, SD, and Orange Country, we heard the call for the flight to Maui. We had no hotel or car at this point so once in Maui, I tried to book a hotel room but had no luck. There were no hotels and no cars to be found. This route connects to Kona from Kahului so we got back on the plane. I knew that there were hotels available over there but there were still no cars, so we took a cab for about $50. We didn't leave for the next 3 days.
We got a room at the Hilton Waikola which I was familiar with since I had stayed there 2 years earlier. The kids loved it and it was large enough that we didn't need to leave for any reason. The only bad thing is that I couldn't get a decent rate on the room at that late of a date and at high season. So we overpaid for the first two nights but I got a much better rate for the last night. The regular restaurants were not that great especially for snack and lunch food. The elegent restaurants might've been better but we did not go to those. We did spend plenty of time by the pool and watching the dolphins at the DolphinQuest attraction. By the end of the trip we were all much more relaxed and cured of winter cabin fever.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa located 17 miles from the Kona airport on the Big Island of Hawaii. Booked online for $270/ a night and later at on Priceline for $170 a night. Hotel was very disneyesque with a monorail connecting the 3 towers. It also hosted DolphinQuest where you swim with dolphins in a private pool. There are 4 pools, some with water slides and jacuzzis, and a private lagoon with beach. There are 4-5 restaurants plus some coffee shops. The Kings Shops are within a very short walk or shuttle ride. Good place to stay especially if you want to just hang out at your hotel.
Washington DC, 04/08
Spent a day in the nation's Capitol with my work teammates David and Subhadeep. The three of us hopped on a 7:00 am flight to Reagan National airport in DC. The airport has a subway connection that takes you right to the National Mall. The Yellow line is shorter than the Blue line. The morning springtime air was crisp with cool breeze but as the day progressed, the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful afternoon. We started out in the middle of the Mall near the Washington Monument and headed towards the Jefferson Memorial. The Cherry Blossom festival was also going on and the trees were in full bloom. It was a pretty long walk to the Jefferson Memorial and then on the the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Next was the Korean War Memorial and then came the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial has to be the grandest of all but the Vietnam Memorial has to be the most emotional. I can't explain what it is about this Memorial, but you can't help but feel the sadness.
After going through all of the memorials, we went by the White house and then over to lunch in the basement of the Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Surprisingly, there are not a lot of restaurants or shops right off the Mall, or at least we didn't see them. After replenishing our energy, we walked down to the Capitol Building. There wasn't much in the way of protests going on but there was protesting cruelty of circumcisions. It had to be a joke. The last thing we did was visit the National Space and Aeronautical Museum. It was a great experience and someday I would like to also see the facility out by Dulles airport. From here we hopped back on the train and were at the airport in time to get on the 6:45 flight home. We actually planned on catching the 7:45 flight and were disappointed they didn't have later flights, but in the end we did all we wanted to do. It was a great daytrip and great way to spend time with my friends from work.
Yosemite and California, 06/08
Once summer vacation started for my daughter's schools, we packed up and headed to California for a week-long trip. The main destination was Yosemite while renting an RV. We flew out on a Thursday so as to avoid the crowds. It was a good thing because not only were the weekend flight loads high but we almost didn't even get out Thursday. We were able to get on a flight to Orange County with the intention of spending 2 nights there and then flying up to Oakland or San Francisco to pick up the RV. In Orange County we stayed in Newport Beach and went to Knott's Soak City for a day. On Saturday when it was time to fly up north, I decided it would be easier to drive up the coast than fly. Flights were quite full and we would already be driving up to LAX anyway. The decision was half good, half bad. It was a longer drive than expected (7 hours) but it was questionable if we would've got on the flights. Plus, I didn't know how we were going to get to the RV place from the airport with all our gear.
The Cruise America RV rental place was right down the block from the Oakland Colliseum and near the Oakland airport. We rented a 30 foot class C motorhome. They were running a special for half off 6 night rentals. They must be having a rough time since the price of gas has doubled this year. This was my first time every driving such a thing so I didn't know what to expect. But it was pretty easy as long as you didn't try anything adventurous. The first two nights camping were in the wine country of Napa. We stayed at a KOA in Petaluma on the west side of the valley. We learned that having only the RV to get around in is not easy. We went to a winery on the second day which meant we had to pack up the whole RV and drive the big thing up and down the mountain roads and then back again later.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Newport Beach Hyatt. Booked using Priceline for $65 a night. I think we were put in the "Priceline" section because it was very dated and didn't look like the website photos at all. But it was still fine. Location was nothing great. Probably should've gotten a hotel near the airport.
Hong Kong, China 08/08
I decided that I was going out of town for a daytrip since my daughters and wife were going to girl scout camp. I planned on going to Tokyo but at the last minute I changed my plans because the flights home on Sunday were not looking that great. I figured Hong Kong would be better since the flights home were pretty open. As I walked up to the counter, they said the gate was closed. I asked anyways if there was a chance for me to get on and she said there was a seat in first available as long as I wasn't checking any bags. I wasn't so I grabbed the ticket and got on. It was a very spur of the moment thing but I was going to Hong Kong without any plans at all. The flight was great with food and wine. I had my computer and airplane power plug so I did some work. In all I think it was a very productive 15 hours. I relaxed, I worked, I slept, and watched a movie.
I talked to the flight attendant about Hong Kong and asked him if he could give me a few tips on what to do and how to get around. He told me that I could ride on the flight crew bus from the airport to downtown Hong Kong. I took him up on the offer since I didn't really know what I was doing. The bus dropped me off at the Crown Plaza near the Convention center. I walked around some of the malls and shops for a while and then jumped on a ferry from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon. From there I took another ferry to Macau.
Macau is China's version of Las Vegas. There are huge casino hotels and bright lights all over this city. Everyone here plays Baccarat which I don't know how to play. I spent the night doing a little gambling and a little walking around town. This is really a small town which wouldn't be much if the casinos weren't there. In the morning I grabbed the first ferry back to Kowloon. I was trying to get up to the peak overlooking the city but the timing wasn't working. I decided it was safer to just go to the airport and make my flight. This turned out to be a waste of time because I didn't get on the United flight. There were empty seats but they didn't let us board due to weight restrictions. I spent several hours in the airport tyring to line up another flight. I ended up getting a ticket on Cathay Pacific to San Francisco. I was happy make it halfway home but when I got into SF, I found that the flights in the US were a mess due to weather. SF to Chicago wasn't looking good so I went to Denver. There was a midnight flight to Chicago that looked good but there over 70 people on standby. I didn't want to sleep in airport so I found another way home via Orlando. I slept the whole route from Denver to Orlando and again back to Chicago. The trip to HK was fun and I had a good time but I got really screwed by the flight home. I spent about 30 hours getting home when it should've taken me half that. As it turns out, the Tokyo flight might have turned out better. Still, I had a good time and would try a similar trip again.
Washington DC, 08/08
Our family went on a vacation with another family. We flew out on a Wednesday night and stayed until Sunday. We had no problem flying into Reagan National Airport despite having 7 of us on standby. From the airport we took the Metro to Union Station. Our first night hotel was at the Hyatt Regency Capitol. The lobby for this hotel was under construction but that wasn't a big deal. The rooms were ordinary. Our friend's husband John was already in DC on a convention, so he came by the hotel and we went for dinner at Capitol City Brewing. This was a microbrew restaurant right down the street from the Capitol building. It was just OK.
The next day we transferred to the Embassy Suites near the convention center, where we had a room for 3 nights. We bought tickets for the DC Tours hop-on hop-off double-decker bus tour. This takes you from Union Station past the white house, then up to the national cathedral/zoo, back down through Georgetown towards the Lincoln Memorial, then out Arlington National Cemetary, before turning around and coming straight down through the mall area and Capitol building. Though this tour hits all the sites, the problem is that it's one-way and it takes 2 1/2 hours to do the whole roundtrip. So you have to plan your trip going one-way since it's virtually impossible to backtrack unless you want to sit on the bus for several hours. I don't think the other tours are necessarily better but there is a trolley and a tram tour. Those seem to be only around the mall.
So we hopped off at the zoo stop, which is really 3 blocks away. I'm not sure why they can't route the bus closer to the zoo. It rained for about 20 minutes but cleared right up. Sarah was very excited because they had a Panda exhibit with 3 pandas on display. After the zoo we got on the bus and went to the National Cathedral. This was a lot fun which I think surprised everyone because no one seemed excited to go there when I suggested it the night before. This is truly a grand cathedral in the style of the great European historic cathedrals. There is the main cathedral area but there are also 3 chapels in the basement plus you can take the elevator up to the 7th floor observation area. We then took the bus all the way around town and ended back at Union Station. Where we had to take the Metro back to our hotel.
The next day we went to the Capitol building for a tour. We wrote to our local Congressman Judy Biggert and received tickets for a personalized tour through the Capitol building. You have to call or write at least a month in advance since it gets very crowded and there is limited space availability, plus they do background checks on everyone. The tour was for just the 8 of us so there was no big crowd tailing around. Our friendly host was from Homewood. Judy Biggert's office is in a building across the street but there are underground tunnels which connect all the buildings so they don't have to go outside in the winter or rain. There are security check points like at the airport, to get into all of these buldings. The line to get into the Capitol was pretty long but he said it can get way longer during busy periods. All tours from other states are done the same way. Once inside the Capitol, there are statues and busts of presidents and historically important American figures. The highlight of the tour was when we had the opportunity to sit on the floor (not in the visitors gallery) of House chamber and listen to politicians speaks. We came at a time when the House was out of session and some Republicans were trying to convince Democrats to call a special session to discuss the oil crisis. We also got to visit the amazing Rotunda and the National Statuary Hall Collection. After the tour, we went to the National Air and Space Museum. The girls were wiped out after this so we cut short the trip to the Natural History Museum. Unfortunately, the American History museum was closed for renovations. The girls all went back to the hotel to swim and rest. John and I hopped on the bus and went out to Arlington National Cemetary. The cemetary is a beautiful monument to the armed forces. The rows and rows of crosses stretch forever and you really understand how many men and women have lost their lives fighting in wars for the US. We saw the Tomb of the Unknown soldier and the eternal flame at JFK's tomb before taking the Metro back to our hotel. We had dinner that night at an Italian restaurant named Luigino. Food here was OK but service was bad. I wouldn't recommend.
The next morning Jamie went with our friends to the Spy Museum while Julie, Sarah and I went on our own. Sarah wanted to go the White House so we walked around there. We were lucky on this day because they had the White House lawn opened for visitors since the President was out of town. So we got to walk around the south lawn all the way up to the door of the White House. Most of the trees along the walk were planted in recent years by the Bush's (Sr and Jr) and the Clintons. We then had gelato from the food court in the Reagan building and went back to the hotel. That night we did the National Monument Bike Tour. Sarah rode with me on a tandem bike and Jamie had her own. The tour started near the White House and lasted about 3 hours as we rode past the Smithsonian and down the Mall to the Lincoln Memoral. There were stops at the WW II and Korean memorials and then later we went over to the Roosevelt and Jefferson Memorials. It was was pitch black out by the time we were done but everyone had a great time. I would recommend this tour to anyone who can ride a bike. It was an easy way to get around the Mall. It would be a good idea to just rent a bike if you are visiting and want to see the Mall in one day. It is probably around 4-5 miles of walking if you want to want to walk to all the exhibits but with a bike, you can get around quickly and easily.
The trip home the next day was pretty easy. We decided to fly out of Dulles since Reagan was looking pretty crowded. We ended up on a 747 in business class for the flight home so everyone was pretty happy.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Hyatt Capitol Hill. Booked using Priceline for $90 a night. OK hotel close to Union Station, the Capitol building, and the northern Smithsonian buildings. We booked directly with the Embassy Suites Convention Center in the mid $150 range. This hotel was about 3 or 4 blocks north of the White House and near the Metro Center. The hotel did really screw up our room though and we spent an hour trying to figure out a fix. The desk manager was not very helpful and we later found out that he flat out lied to us about what was wrong and why they couldn't give us our room. It turns out that they had a computer problem but instead of him calling tech support, he chose to tell us that our room was damaged and he could not give it to us. That's bad customer service.
New Jersey/New York 9/08
2008 marks the final year of Yankee Stadium so I paid my first visit to the capital of baseball for a game against my White Sox. This was a 1 day trip where I flew by myself from Chicago and met up with a good friend in New York. My friend Vlad lives in New Jersey and was interested in joining me for this game. I went into work for a morning of wrapping up loose ends and then headed off to the airport. I, of course, was running behind schedule so I had to rush off to the airport without catching the shuttle bus. The airport was quick and I got on the flight I wanted but there were engine problems. We sat at the gate for an hour and I was beginning to get very antsy. I thought about getting off and trying for a different flight but just at that moment they announced we were ready to go. Since I was running behind, the schedule was all off for NY. I flew into Newark since Laguardia was busy, and from there I took the train to NY. First there was a short ride on the AirTrain traing which took me to the NJ Transit train which I rode to Penn Station. Then I took the PATH train to the Journal Square Station where I transferred to the 33rd st station (I think). The whole train process took at least an hour and I'm surprised I was able to make it through all of the transfers without a mistake but I made it. Here I met Vlad for all of two minutes at the corner of 6th and Avenue of the Americas. I saw downtown Manhattan and then we went back into the the subway for a ride up to Yankee Stadium.
I ordered the tickets using Stubhub for a surprisingly low price. The ticket pickup booth was right outside the stadium but the lines were very low. Seems there was some delivery problem with FedEx or the USPS but we lucked out because we didn't have to wait too long for ours. Vlad brought his computer bag which is not allowed in the stadium, so we had to check his bag. There's a bowling alley right across the street where you can check your stuff, grab a beer, and had bag to the stadium. Unfortunately, we arrived at Yankee Stadium too late to see the Legends area in left field but oh well, I know who those guys are :-) The stadium was looking it's age. It reminded me a lot of the old Comiskey Park with crumbling concrete, dirty floors, small aisles, and such, but it was fun. Our seats were in the left field corner in the upper deck. The game didn't go good as the Sox got killed. Afterwards, we took the trains back to Jersey and crashed at Vlad's for the night. It was hard to tell because it was the middle of the night but Vlad's house seemed to be in a small town in the country which seemed weird as we were just in downtown NY. The next morning I had to get out at dawn for my flight back to Chicago. It was a fun whirlwind trip that took less than 24 hours.
New Orleans, LA 11/08
Spent 2 nights in the Big Easy attending a technology conference for the Apache Software Foundation. Of course, I spent most of my time in meetings and training but there was time for excursions. First things first, I didn't hit Bourbon Street. Instead of attending a lunchtime keynote speaker on the second day, I took a walk down to the famous Cafe Dumond to try Beignets. There is a outdoor seating area with street musicians playing Dixie Jazz and blues. I spent about an hour there working on my laptop.
Later that evening, there was a conference "outing". Apache is an open source software foundation. Keeping with the theme, the group had a traditional New Orleans style funeral for "closed source" propietary software. In New Orleans, funerals are more like parties. We walked maybe 10 or more blocks down the middle of the street with a Dixie band blaring tubas and horns. We ended the night at a bar where the band played up on stage.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Sheraton Hotel on Canal Street. The rate I received was discounted using a travel industry code. Hotel was several blocks from the Mississippi. Also nearby was Harrah's, the Cafe Dumond and the French Quarter. I would recommend this hotel.
Paris, France 11/08
I went with my daughter Jamie and my parents for a pre-Thanksgiving 2 night trip to Paris France. Paris is the type of destination that evokes oohs and aahs when you say you are going there. No one seems to get excited when you go to most American cities and having now gone to France, I can say the excitement is justified. One of the reasons why I choose Paris now was because it is off season and the flights aren't as crowded. On this trip, we sat in business class both ways. On top of that, the planes were just reconfigured with new entertainment centers and lie-flat seats so my daughter was in heaven. Time flies when you are playing video games and watching movies for the 7+ hour flight there and 9 hours back. While this excites my daughter, the meals and the extra legroom excite me.
We were in our hotel room on Monday morning by 11:30 am and were back out on our way to a double deck bus tour on L' Open Tours. This tour line sounds great with 4 different bus tours, but what we found is that it didn't run often enough in the winter. Everytime a customer boards and wants to buy a ticket, the driver spends time processing transactions. Plus, they stop running after 5:00 pm despite what they say about running until 6:30. We were stranded halfway thru the line at 5:30, because the driver wanted to head back to the office. The alternate is taking the subway. It really does go everywhere and if you can understand the route map, you will be fine. After one or two rides, you start to get the hang of it.
On day one we rode the bus from the Arc de Triomphe to the Eiffel Tower and then to the Louvre. Jamie and I got off the bus and walked from the Obelisk at Place de la Concorde through the gardens to the Louvre. The Louvre you ask? Everything you've heard about it, it's true. It's huge, it's historic, and it's amazing. We only visited the Denon (Roman and Greek) section where the Mona Lisa was housed. Other highlights were the Victory of Samothrace statue and the Venus De Milus. Everyone heads straight to the Mona Lisa and crowds around. The picture is encased in glass and there is a barrier about 15 feet all around the picture keeping people back. Outside the Louvre is the Pyramid that everyone associates with the Da Vinci Code. We stayed late enough that we saw the lights turn on in the evening. This really highlights the Pyramids.
Jamie and I then took the subway over to the Eiffel Tower. But when we got there, it was raining and windy. We decided that going up top was not a good idea. What was a good idea though was to eat crepes. There are two right across the street from the Eiffel Tower. There are far more cafes but you don't have to go far to find a creperie or bakery. Jamie had the strawberry and I had the chocolate crepe. Both were layered with whipped cream and are quite messy and delicious. It was very windy and raining so we huddled up next to the crepe building. Interestingly, standing in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower at night in the rain, just made it more memorable.
The next day we took a cab over to Notre Dame Cathederal. Notre Dame is a grand gothic cathederal that has been made famours by movies and books. Afterwards we went over the Orsay museum. The Orsay picks up timewise where the Louvre lets off. It's highlight is Impressionism with faves such as Monet, Renior, and Van Gogh. The museum here is on the left back of the Sienne river. AFter this, Jamie and I went over to the Eiffel Tower again to try the trek to the top. It was very cold and the line was very long so we decided to climb to the 2 level using stairs instead of using the elevator. It's about 700 stairs with a stop in the middle. I can't imagine how slow it must be in the summertime with the large crowds because it took about an hour to get down from the top. But the views from the top are unbeatable.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Concorde La Fayette near the Champs Elysees. Booked two nights thru Priceline at $120 a night. From the airport we took the Air France "Le Cars" coach bus directly to our hotel. The RER train is another option but we opted for the luxury. 4* hotels in Paris are not cheap so this was a real bargain. It is about 6 full blocks west of the Arc de Triomphe. Thought the rooms were nothing spectacular, they were clean and comfortable. Many cafes and boulangeries nearby!
Del Mar, CA 01/09
Went with my daughter Sarah to Southern California for a weekend trip. As usual the weather was great but we hit at a mid-January 70 degree stretch. We stayed at a hotel in Del Mar so we would be within driving distance of Legoland in Carlsbad. After a late flight and drive to the hoetl, we hit the bed at past midnight local time. This was a very late night for Sarah but she was able to sleep some on the plane and in the car. The next morning I had room service deliver breakfast to the room. This is something I rarely ever do since it's expensive, but a combination of the long trip plus the fun of having waffles and breakfast delivered to the room, was appealing to me. We actually did it again later that night when we got back from Legoland.
Legoland is a park we've gone to several times in the past but it really never gets old. The girls are getting to an age where some of the rides are too kiddie but there are still plenty of fun things to do. We visited shortly after the Obama presidential inauguration and conjunction with the inauguration, Legoland created a mini-DC complete with the White House setup for the ceremony. The mini-land is still one of the most amazing things about Legoland. The next morning we woke up and headed to the beach near Torrey Pines start park. It was a very active scene along the beach between Oceanside and Torrey Pines and why not? The weather is perfect and the beach is awesome. After a few hours there, we headed back to the airport and back to Chicago, but was refreshed by the winter break.
Hotel details: Stayed at the Hilton Del Mar. Booked two nights thru Priceline at $55 a night and grabbed a car using the Wild Card rate with Thrifty. They wanted to give me a minivan but I opted for a Jeep Patriot. Hotel was good but was nothing special.
Some traveling websites/tips:
www.biddingfortravel.com - Use the hotel lists on this site to learn which hotels are available in which zone/rating on Priceline. Posters also post what rate they just got so you know how much to bid. You will not overpay if you use this tool. Also lists car rental and airfare deals on Priceline. Find the area you are looking for and click on the listing of hotels by zones. The key is to figure out the star rating in a zone and then look for previous winning bids posted on the forum. With that info, go to http://www.amazing-bargains.com and click on the priceline link. This will give the website a referral. If Priceline does not accept your bid, go back to the hotel listing from the BFT site and find another zone which does NOT have a hotel in the class you want. Add that zone to your request at Priceline and try again. You can do this until you run out of new zones.
www.betterbidding.com - This site lists which hotels are available in which zone/rating on Priceline. Posters also post what rate they just got so you know how much to bid. Another good tool to use to not overpay if you use this tool. If you want to use Hotwire, this site provides a key so you know which hotel is the hotel Hotwire is offering you. It takes the guesswork out and you get the same hotel you would've gotten on Orbitz but for half the price.
www.thrifty.com - Thrifty offers free membership in their Blue Chip club. This allows you to cut to the front of line at the rental counter. You also have all your info preset so you just sign the form and grab the keys. Their prices are always among the best and you get a free day for every 5 days rented.