Notes from a flight attendant

As people are travelling again, it seems there a few hiccups as we transition back to ‘normal’. I’ve already noticed that flights are way more expensive than they have been over the past couple of years – even compared to pre-pandemic days. Everyone is ready to GO!

I came across this post on a Facebook travel group. I don’t know who the original author is, but it seems to be great advice from a flight attendant. Sharing the wisdom at this trying time!

Flying this summer is ROUGH!!! I feel like as a Flight Attendant I should attempt to share some tips to get you through airline travel for the foreseeable future. ✈️✈️

1. Things are not good….. if its less than 7 hours – DRIVE! I’m not kidding. There is nothing enjoyable about flying right now. On any airline. If you must fly, keep reading. 🚗

2. Download and use the app of the airline you are flying. You can do everything on it – get your boarding pass, track your bags, see your incoming plane, and change a flight. It sure beats waiting in the long line to talk to an agent! Trust me – Usually these apps will tell you a flight is cancelled before the crew even knows! 📲

3. Fly MUCH earlier than you need to – a whole day early if its important!! This week I saw many people miss important things like weddings, funerals, cruises, international connections, and graduations. The tears were very real, for very real reasons, and there was nothing I could do! If you have to be somewhere, spend the extra money, go a day early. Have a glass of wine and stay in a hotel, enjoy your night not being stressed while everyone else misses their events. 🍷

4. ALWAYS fly the first flight in the morning so you have all day to be rebooked if the shit hits the fan. Yes, that means it might be a 3:00 alarm, but morning flights don’t cancel nearly as often.⏰

5. This is not unique to this year, but keep in mind summer is thunderstorm season. A single storm can shut down a whole airport. We can’t fly through them. Storms usually build as the day gets later. Book early flights! ⛈

6. Schedule long layovers – Your 1 hour layover is NOT enough anymore. 30 minutes, not a chance. 3 hours minimum. 🏃‍♀️🏃🏃‍♂️

7. What you see on the news is an understatement. We are short staffed and overworked. Not just pilots and flight attendants, but also ground crews. Without ground crews there is no one to park the planes, drive jetways, get your bags on/off planes, or scan boarding passes. This causes many delays that snowball throughout the day. Sometimes HOURS.(Another reason morning flights are best!) 👀

8. When flight crews get delayed we time out. We can NOT fly longer than 16 hours. Its illegal. So it doesn’t matter if you have a wedding to get to, when we are done we are done. The way things are now, there are no back up crews, so when this happens your flight cancels. (Now you are starting to see why those morning flights are best!) 😴

9. Avoid connecting in Newark (Or any New York airport for that matter). It is literal hell. You have a 50/50 chance your flight will cancel or missing your connection. They have been cancelling flights at their starting points just to keep the planes out, because there just aren’t enough people to manage the planes, so the gates stay full. Also the restaurants are expensive, it is not a great place to be stuck. 💩

10. Be nice. As stated above, we are overworked and tired. We will not help you if you are mean. No one cares that you are going to miss your cruise if you are an asshole. So even if we can help, we will save our help for someone nice. Tensions are high. Our patience is gone. If you make us mad – you will not be flying on our planes. We will leave you behind without a second thought, and laugh about you later. 🥰

11. Being drunk on an airplane is a federal offense, so don’t overdo it. If you drink too much at the bar waiting for your delayed flight you risk not being allowed to fly at all. We are too tired to deal with your drunk ass when we have legitimate issues to deal with. 🍻

12. Get trip insurance if you have a lot of money invested. I hate the whole idea of this, but I also hate the idea of losing money. Example: I was working a flight yesterday that waited over an hour for a gate. A family of 8 missed their flight to Rome. The only flight of the day. They were going to a cruise which they would now miss. They were all crying, there was nothing I could do. (Also a reason to fly a day early!) 🛳

13. Flights are FULL. If you buy the cheap seats you will not be able to sit with your family. It says so when you purchase your ticket!! Flight Attendants aren’t there to rearrange the whole plane just so you can sit with your family because you tried to save $100 on a third party website. 💸

14. Speaking of third party websites and saving money….. Like I said flights are FULL. If a flight is oversold, and no one volunteers to give up their seats, who do you think is the first to be bumped? You guessed it, the family that saved a few $$ by using sites like Expedia, Kayak, Hotwire etc. 🤷‍♀️

15. Pack smart. Don’t be “That guy” Don’t hold up boarding because you have your extenders open till they are busting and you can’t figure out how to make it fit in the overhead. (Passengers are stressed too, they can be aggressive when boarding a delayed flight) 🛍

16. Take showers, brush your teeth, leave the perfume off, don’t eat stinky food (caesar salad and tuna fish I’m talking to you!), and bring headphones. Trust me. These things sound basic, but add to stress on crowded planes. If you are stuck on the tarmac for 3 hours after a 4 hour flight, you will thank me for this. 💜

17. Bring a sweater if you tend to be cold. So tired of half naked girls asking me to turn the heat up. NO. Wear clothes!! Side note: If you dress like this and ask for heat, there’s a chance I will turn the AC up. 🥶

18. Thats not water on the bathroom floor. For the love of God wear shoes to the bathroom!!! 🤮

19. Don’t tell a Flight Attendant they look tired. We are and we know. You may cause us to ugly cry right there in galley. 😭

20. Happy Travels!

Original author unknown

Advertisement

Leave a comment

Filed under Other, Travel

Chicago to San Francisco – the California Zephyr Amtrak

The California Zephyr had been on my list for a while. It’s a 50-hour train ride across the US, from Chicago to San Francisco. I heard it’s very beautiful and scenic with views of mountains, canyons, and rivers. I didn’t bother asking any of my friends if they wanted to join me, this was a trip I felt compelled to do on my own!

Having already visited Chicago before, I decided to fly into Chicago just to take the train, and spend the weekend in San Francisco at the end of the long train ride.

Google told me that it takes an hour to take public transport from Chicago ORD airport to Chicago Union Station, to take the Amtrak train at 2pm. So to be on the safe side, I booked a flight from Dallas to Chicago ORD that would arrive at 9.30am. Over four hours to get to the train, and plenty of time to visit some stores and grab snacks and drinks for the California Zephyr!

Security at Dallas was quick and we boarded the plane on time for a 7am departure. Then… there was a problem. That’s ok – problems happen and I had plenty of time, so I fell asleep, as I often do when I get on the plane. I woke up an hour later, and there was still a problem… something to do with not being able to remove fuel from the plane… but they were working on it.

We eventually took off at 10am – a full THREE HOURS later than planned. Leaving me with about an hour to make the hour-long journey from Chicago airport to Union Station. I had thought multiple times about speaking to someone about getting a different flight as I had a train to catch, but I kept thinking they’d fix it soon and I had enough time. No one expected it would take as long as it did. Now I know for next time there’s a problem!!

So I was kind of anxious on the flight. I still slept more – there wasn’t anything I could do to make the flight faster!! And I was ready for a speedy exit as soon as the plane landed at 12.30pm. Good thing I didn’t check any luggage (this is the power of packing light!).

The train station felt like miles away as I rushed through the airport. I did briefly toy with the idea of getting a $50 cab instead of the $5 train – the cab would potentially be 10 minutes faster depending on traffic. I decided to trust Google maps that said I would arrive at the train station at 1.30pm. I hate running, but I did a lot of running that day. Including up three flights of stairs to get out of Clinton Station before walking to Union Square. Man! I still hate running!

Google lied. I actually got to the Amtrak station at 1.45pm – just in time. I was really disappointed as there were no shops around for me to buy supplies… it was a big grand empty station. They were already boarding the train so I ran to join the very end of that line. Phew!! I made it!!!!!!

I was the penultimate person to board the train. However, I was very pleasantly surprised. It was clean and spacious. The conductor guy assigned me a seat (I got the one next to me too) and I settled in quite happily.

I knew there was a dining cart on the train, so it wasn’t the end of the world that I didn’t get to do my own food shopping first. Although I really wished I had some water with me…

So I was pretty annoyed and surprised when they announced the dining cart would only be available for travelers with their own cabin! What!? So no food or water for me on the whole journey…???

Fortunately, it turned out there is a snack area under the viewing deck, where they had all kinds of microwavable treats like burgers and hot dogs. The mac and cheese turned out to be pretty good. There were also hot and cold drinks available, and some kind of water fountain to refill your own bottles. Phew.

Public restrooms on trains have always made me feel anxious. I usually avoid them like the plague, but I knew I had to face the restroom on this very long trip. Much to my surprise, the bathroom was pretty spacious and clean. This is the great thing about low expectations – you are likely to be pleasantly surprised. I had plenty of space to get changed in there too.

I got settled in pretty quickly and was ready for great views and lots of relaxation. I found the seating very comfortable and relaxing. There were other people onboard but it was pretty peaceful. It was also really easy and comfortable to get up and move around. There was no pressure to stay confined to my seat.

The viewing deck was really great. The views were sprawling and beautiful.

The train made a number of stops – only for passengers to get on or get off, and for smokers to have a very quick cigarette break. There was one longer break which gave us time to get off and go to a shop on the platform, which meant I could buy a salad and eat something fresh! It was good to have a little wander around the platform as well.

Fortunately, I’m able to sleep pretty much anywhere, so the big seats felt almost luxurious compared to an economy class plane seat. The real stars of my trip were my travel pillow and travel blanket. This is what made me feel at home on the two-day journey. I felt really relaxed and just enjoyed some alone time surrounded by beautiful nature – without having to hike mountains or carry stuff through forests.

I should add that my seat cost less than $100 – compared to $1000 for a cabin. Considering the main difference for me would have been to sleep horizontally and have some more personal space – I was totally happy to not spend the extra $900 for a cabin. I enjoyed my spacious seat, which also had a tray and plug points.

So, would I do it again? I actually would. This time, I traveled to Chicago specifically to take this train. In future, I would take it if I actually needed to be on part of this route already, e.g. if I had a few days to go from Chicago to Denver, or Denver to San Francisco. It is time consuming and not especially exciting, but it was really exciting for me to try something new and different, and check another item off my to-do list.

For more information on the California Zephyr: https://www.amtrak.com/california-zephyr-train

1 Comment

Filed under Americas, Travel

When you can’t travel because of COVID… reminisce instead

Well, COVID sucks. I know many of us are eager to start traveling again. I’ve booked flights, then canceled them. I’ve talked about booking things, I’ve thought about booking flights for next year… it all just feels too soon.

One thing that this break from traveling has made me grateful for? The fact that I did so much traveling in the past. I’m glad I made the effort to make as many trips as I could, when I could. So many people talk about going away ‘one day’… when they have more time or money, or even when they retire!

There are so many places I want to see, and it takes so much time, I don’t think I could even fit it all in after retirement! The other realisations are that a) you never know how long you will actually live (I could get hit by a bus tomorrow) and b) many people don’t have the physical capacity to travel when they make it to retirement.

I think finally, a lot of the people who intended to travel ‘one day’ are now actually ready to do it. You just want it more when you can’t have it! I think being stuck indoors away from loved ones (and vacations) makes you realize that you just need to enjoy everything when you can, before the opportunity is unexpectedly taken away from you.

I’m grateful for all of the trips I have taken in the past. There has never been a time when I stretched my budget or travel ability and regretted it afterwards. It has been worth taking the time off from work, stretching my money as far as I could when I had less money (cheap bus rides, hostels, and instant noodles), and splashing out on amazing experiences like safari in Namibia and Botswana, when I had more money. I’m glad I decided to go on those solo trips, despite my reluctance to travel alone! Living abroad in NY, Morocco, and Costa Rica are experiences that have shaped the person I am today. It has helped me to keep an open mind to other people in the world, various cultures, and all the different ways of living life. I love the friends I have traveled with, the people I have met, and the new friends I have made on those journeys. Sharing a travel experience with friends or family is a wonderful memory.

Some of my favourite experiences include kayaking in Tortuguero Costa Rica with a random dog that kept following me, working on a wildlife sanctuary with cheetahs and baboons in Namibia, seeing wild lions and leopards on safari, staying on a sailing house boat and watching a ladyboy show in Thailand, seeing wild scarlet macaws in Quepos Costa Rica (that literally brought a tear to my eye), eating the spiciest and tastiest chorizo on a wine tour in Spain, staying on an Airbnb boat in Amsterdam, going to the wedding of one of my best friends in Hong Kong, standing in the middle of a herd of wild elephants in Zimbabwe, and making an awesome travel buddy for life while teaching English in Spain.

Wild elephants in Zimbabwe

Even the ‘bad’ experiences are great tales now, like staying at a hotel in Paris where the people in the next room could walk straight into our room! Even funnier was that the receptionist had to ask if we really wanted to move to a different room (yes!!!). Luckily we got a refund afterwards!

Not only has this break from travel made me feel grateful for my past travels, it has also consolidated my wish to continue traveling as much as I can in the future. I wholeheartedly encourage anyone who has been thinking about traveling to just take the leap… when it’s safe to travel again, of course.

On a final note, here are some of my favourite images that I’ve taken while traveling. Here’s to more travels in the future!

Peacock at Naankuse wildlife sanctuary, Namibia
Hummingbird in Quepos, Costa Rica
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Temple in Thailand
fish-eagle-botswana-safari-travel
Fish eagle in Botswana
Brooklyn-bridge-new-york
Brooklyn Bridge

Leave a comment

Filed under Other, Travel

A trip to Bentonville, Arkansas

A friend of mine recently moved to Arkansas, so I decided to visit her. I realise Bentonville is probably not on the top of most people’s travel destinations, but I believe that with good company you can have fun anywhere. And… it’s the home of Walmart!!

I grabbed another friend and we road tripped from Texas to Arkansas. On the way, we stopped at Buc-ees… I love Buc-ees! It’s basically a gas station tourist attraction with food and goods, ranging from their own brand chocolate through to T-shirts, portable chairs and coolers. Their brisket sandwich is worth going back for. It’s a growing chain across Texas and a few other states.

We also drove through Oklahoma with beautiful lake and forest views.

We checked into our hotel, and first stop was dinner at Table at the Station, a cute independent restaurant with great service. I really enjoyed my ribs, they were delicious.

After dinner, we went to the main square in Bentonville with the original Walmart store, which is now a museum. Unfortunately there wasn’t online availability for tickets that weekend, otherwise they could have been booked here. To compensate, we made an effort to visit some of the regular Walmart stores that were dotted around the city.

In the evening, my friend had booked us tickets for a Prince tribute concert being held at the Meteor Guitar Gallery. This is a guitar shop by day and a concert hall by night, in a renovated old theatre. It has a lot of character and a great vibe. The live music was great, and many of the crowd came in their purple and/or glitter outfits in their own personal tribute to Prince. It was a great night out to welcome back some ‘post-covid normalcy’ (I know we’re not quite back to normal yet, but getting there!)

The following day, we visited Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. They had a number of exhibitions and I really enjoyed wandering around and absorbing the art.

In the evening, we headed to another great restaurant called Local Lime. This is fusion Mexican – I don’t know what it’s fused with but it was a great combination. The queso flameado with chorizo was full of flavour, as was the green chile stew and tortilla soup.

After dinner, we headed back towards Crystal Bridges Museum to check out the Buckyball. We’d seen this unlit from the parking lot by day, but it was mesmerising at night, lit up with pretty colours and patterns. The three of us sat at the wooden loungers and enjoyed the evening show. Other small groups also came and went, some with blankets. It was a lovely evening and a great way to unwind for the end of the weekend.

So, I had a great time in Bentonville. There was a lot to see and do, and I liked that everything was so nearby. A lot of places were only an 8-minute drive away! My friend who now lives there also grew up there, so she was able to point out how the city has changed and how the Walton family (owners of Walmart) have invested in developing the area. I’d be happy to go back – I still want to check out the Walmart museum!

Leave a comment

Filed under Arkansas, Art, Restaurants, Travel

COVID travel blues? Be a local tourist!

I’m sure I’m not the only one who is dearly missing some trips away and going somewhere new. I cancelled a trip to Vegas in May, and more recently I also cancelled a long weekend away in Austin TX as COVID rates had been increasing.

However… I did decide to do something else! I had a look on Google maps and found a few things that are nearby to me and also outdoors that I could enjoy. It’s not quite Vegas, but the point of travelling is to experience something new and different – and there are plenty of things I hadn’t seen near me.

Here are a few of the ‘new’ things I checked out recently:

Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
https://fossilrim.org/

This is like safari in the middle of Texas. Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is an endangered species research and conservation center near Glen Rose, Texas. The facility has over 1,000 animals from 50 species.

It was located an hour and a half’s drive from me and I went with a friend who also loves animals. We bought tickets in advance at $25 each and drove through the park to see many deer, zebra, mountain goats, and giraffes. It was a great photography opportunity too.

Interlochen Christmas lights
http://lakeinterlochentx.com/christmas-lights/

Interlochen is a local area to me in Arlington Texas famous for its Christmas lights. It’s a 40 year tradition and only open for about a week in December. There was a lot of traffic to drive in and through the neighborhood, but it was a nice and ‘safe’ evening trip from the comfort of the car. We saw a lot of different lights and it was great to enjoy other people’s serious efforts to decorate for the most wonderful time of the year!

Parr Park Painted Rock Trail
https://familyeguide.com/parr-park-rock-art-trail/

This find was definitely thanks to browsing on Google maps. It’s a section of a large forested park that displays hundreds of painted rocks. I was really pleasantly surprised by this – I expected to find a small patch of badly painted rocks, when in fact there were literally hundreds of painted rocks in many different styles. I went with an arty friend who actually enjoys painting rocks, and it was a good outing in fresh air and walking through the forest.

I had read through the reviews on Google and took the tip of parking close to the church with a parking lot, rather than the Google location that took us to someone’s house!

Lolo Falls

So, I’m not sure why this has four 5* reviews on Google, because I was completely underwhelmed when I found this! I followed the directions into a very residential area, parked the car, and wondered if I was at the right place. My friend stepped towards the little river and said she’d found it!

We spent about a minute laughing about this waterfall, then walked the path and bridge nearby. It was a nice day and a lovely neighborhood, and a good excuse for some exercise.

So there you have it! I am glad I took the opportunity to enjoy some of the attractions at my doorstep – they are easy to overlook. It’s not quite the travels I had in mind for this year, but at the end of the day, I was able to enjoy some new experiences and when I have good company, I always have a great time!

I wholeheartedly encourage you to explore what’s outdoors and close to you – whether it’s a local forest, lake, or tourist attraction. As tempting as it is to stay cooped up indoors, you’ll have more fun going outdoors, getting some exercise, and seeing something new, whether it’s by yourself or with some low-risk friends, family, or people in your household.

Leave a comment

Filed under Art, Safari, Texas, Travel, Wildlife

52 Places to go in 2020

If you’re in need for some inspiration on where to travel to this year, have a look at this colorful list of destinations put together by the New York Times:

52 Places to go in 2020

Destinations are broad and cover the globe, from Bolivia to Greenland, and beyond.  Each destination has a description and shows the location on a world map.  Enjoy!

travel-destinations-bolivia

travel-destinations-greenland

Leave a comment

Filed under Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Travel, Wildlife

There is one major difference between people who move abroad and those who don’t, according to a recent study

  • A recent study found that people who relocate to new country tend to have a better sense of self than those who don’t.
  • Living in another country allows people to experience new cultures and beliefs; consequently, they tend to reflect on their own values and cultural background.
  • The research also found that moving abroad can lead to increased satisfaction in life and reduced stress.

Living abroad has plenty of incredible benefits, including getting to travel to new places, meet new people, and try new things. But perhaps the greatest benefit of all is the brand-new sense of self you’ll discover along the way.

And this isn’t us just waxing poetic about living overseas. There’s research to back it up.

According to a new study by Rice University in conjunction with Columbia University and the University of North Carolina, living abroad increases “self-concept clarity,” meaning those who choose to live in a new country tend to have a better sense of self than those who don’t.

The scientists came to this conclusion after conducting a total of six separate studies that surveyed 1,874 participants in the US and in international MBA programs. The surveys included participants who lived abroad and those who did not.

The team found that living aboard triggered “self-discerning reflections in which people grapple with the different cultural values and norms of their home and host cultures.” By reflecting on themselves and their new cultures they were about to discover which values and norms define who people are.

“In a world where living-abroad experiences are increasingly common and technological advances make cross-cultural travel and communication ever easier, it is critical that research keeps pace with these developments and seeks to understand how they affect people,” the authors wrote. “Our studies demonstrate that living abroad affects the fundamental structure of the self-concept by enhancing its clarity.”

The team said the German philosopher Hermann von Keyserling, who wrote in the epigraph to his 1919 book “The Travel Diary of a Philosopher” that “the shortest path to oneself leads around the world.”

According to the research team, living abroad not only provides people with a new sense of self but can bring greater life satisfaction and decreased stress, improved job performance, and even “enhanced clarity about the types of careers that best match an individual’s strengths and values.”

So what are you waiting for? Make the leap and move somewhere new.

The content of this article is from Business Insider and is available here:
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-one-difference-between-people-who-move-abroad-and-those-who-dont-2018-3?r=UK&IR=T&utm_content=bufferb7f11&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer-lifestyle

Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure Apr. 1, 2018

Leave a comment

Filed under Other, Travel

One week in New York!

Ah New York.  So many things to do!

I really love New York and have spent a lot of time there, including one year as an intern.  I enjoy going back and discovering new things and re-visiting old favourites.  This time, I went for a week with a good friend of mine.  We managed to cover a lot of new and old ground, including Manhattan, Astoria (Queens) and Brooklyn.  Here’s the lowdown of some of the things we got up to!

Times-square-new-york

Times Square

Things to do in Manhattan:

Drag-brunch-lips-nyc

Drag brunch at Lips
I’d had dinner with a show here before.  This time I went to the Sunday drag brunch show that includes a meal and unlimited mimosas for an additional $6.  Great funny show and great entertaining drag queens.  Definitely something different to do!  Definitely book in advance.
Check it out here: http://www.nycdragshow.com/drag-brunch

Comedy Improv UCB theatre
My friend booked tickets for a Sunday evening comedy improv session.  I’d been to prepared comedy shows, this was the first time I’d seen live improvisation in action, like on the show ‘Who’s line is it anyway?’.  It was pretty random, with subjects from peanuts through to Disney!  Very enjoyable.
Check it out here: https://hellskitchen.ucbtheatre.com/

Drinks at Off the wagon
I used to love finding ladies’ nights and happy hour drink offers as an intern in NY.  It seemed a little harder to find happy hours that ended after 7pm this time around, but there were a few.  One of them was at Off the Wagon, an old favourite, with half price drinks until 8pm.  A low key dive bar, just the way I like them!
Check it out here: http://www.nycbestbar.com/off/

Groove-bar-nyc

Live music at Groove Bar

Live music at Groove bar
For a $5 entry charge on a Wednesday evening, we went to the Groove bar, which was one of my favourite live music places.  We listened to a live group in a packed out bar and were lucky to get seats.  Great atmosphere and always great music.
Check it out here: https://clubgroovenyc.com/index.cfm

Staten Island ferry
Did you know the Staten Island ferry is free??  I didn’t!  Luckily my friend did!  We’d both visited the Statue of Liberty before and weren’t too bothered about seeing her up close and personal again, so the free ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island was a great compromise.  We got to take the ferry from the Whitehall ferry terminal for a great view of the Statue of Liberty.  Ferries run 24/7 and regularly.  Just so you know, there wasn’t much to do at the Staten Island end, we got a coffee and waited for the return ferry.  A friend tells me that there are some shops being built near the terminal so there should be some shopping fun available soon.
Check the schedule here: https://www.siferry.com/schedules.html 

Statue-of-liberty-new-york

Statue of Liberty

Roosevelt Island cable car
So while wandering around, we came across a cable car that goes to Roosevelt Island.  A little investigation showed that it’s run by the MTA so you can use your standard subway pass to take it for the same cost as any other journey.  We went along for the views and to try something new, and I’m glad we did.  Have a look at this cool time lapse video of the view across the city…

Shopping
Of course, you have to go shopping in New York!  There are countless places to shop, but I have two favourites.  One is shopping around Union Square (14th Street) where there is a big DSW (shoes!) and a Burlington’s Coat Factory.  There’s also Barnes & Noble (books), TJ Maxx (discount everything), Old Navy and other places nearby.

Union-square-new-york

Union Square

My other favourite is Century 21.  There are a few of these around, but the one I always go to is the Downtown Manhattan store (Cortlandt Street).  The store is pretty mahoosive and good for a wander around.
You can check locations here: https://www.c21stores.com/stores

Things to eat in Manhattan:

Ippudo
Ippudo is a nice Japanese restaurant with great ramen.  There is a very friendly, lively and buzzy atmosphere here and the food was very tasty.  There a few different locations, you can check them here: https://ippudony.com/

Gyukaku
I LOVED this place.  It’s a Japanese grill place where you order various meat dishes and grill them straight on the table in front of you.  We went to the Times Square restaurant at lunch time on a weekday.  The lunch offers were awesome, including $6 cocktails.  We both ate well and the food was so tasty!  I would have happily eaten here again.  Multiple times…
Here is the website: https://www.gyu-kaku.com/

Have a look at this delicious video…

Xian famous foods
This chain is a low key restaurant serving tasty, and often spicy, Chinese food.  It’s reasonably priced and very unassuming.  More cafe style dining.  I enjoyed my spicy lamb noodles and the iced tea was lovely.
You can see their menu here: https://www.xianfoods.com/menu

Sagaponack
I met an ex-colleague for lunch and she recommended this seafood restaurant close to Union Square.  It’s a very cute and cosy place with great service and a nice atmosphere.  I ordered the seafood paella, which was very tasty.
Here is their website: https://www.sagaponacknyc.com/ 

Sagaponack-ny-seafood-restaurant

Seafood paella at Sagaponack

Things to eat in Astoria:

Astoria in Queens has become cooler and trendier over the years.  There are a lot of new shops and restaurants opening up regularly.

Chip
Don’t come here if you’re looking for a light snack.  Do come here if you’re looking for a hefty fresh gooey cookie.  Chocolate peanut butter cookies were goooood.

Chip-nyc-cookies

Cookies at Chip NYC

Pink Nori
I know this place has been here (survived) for at least a few years as I came here before.  The photos of the sushi don’t do it justice!  It was very tasty, and we celebrated with happy hour lychee mimosas.

New York City Bagel & Coffee House
New York and Bagels are a winning combination.  I enjoyed my ‘everything bagel’ with cream cheese, and a good chai latte.  We even had breakfast here twice.  My friend enjoyed waffles on one of those mornings.
Here’s the website for the chain: http://nycbch.com/

New-York-bagel-coffee-house-astoria

Waffles for breakfast

Brooklyn:

We spent one evening in Brooklyn, which started with us walking across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan – a nice 25 minute stroll.  We then took the train to Jefferson Street and walked through part of the Bushwick Collective and saw some of the street art.

Brooklyn-bridge-new-york

Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn-bunny-street-art

Brooklyn bunny

We met up with some friends at Archie’s for pizza and drinks.  It’s a really nice little unassuming restaurant with great food.  We were lucky to get seats!  Also pretty chilled out and it was nice not to be rushed at all.  We enjoyed a good chat over our food and drinks.
Here is their website: https://www.archiesbrooklyn.com/

 

 

Trip summary

So that’s not even everything that we did or ate, but it is a good selection!  The trip was really jam-packed with a lot of walking and a lot of eating.  New York is a great place for walking around and transport is really convenient.  It was easy to find anything we needed.  As ever, I’m always happy to go back to discover even more about this great place.

Leave a comment

Filed under Americas, Art, New York, Restaurants, Travel

This travel hacker paid $400 for a $52,000 round-the-world trip — here’s how he did it

Daniel Gillaspia is an attorney based in Houston, but in his spare time he’s a travel hacker. He has seen the globe and experienced some of the world’s best first-class cabins and five-star hotels.

His most recent vacation was a $52,294 round-the-world trip that took him to Tokyo; Cape Town, South Africa; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and other far-off destinations.

It was the trip of a lifetime, but Gillaspia isn’t a big spender.

So when it came to planning his trip, he employed every trick and some serious travel hacking to whittle his bill down to as little as possible.

In the end, he paid just $408.

After months of meticulous planning, he and his partner, Bradley Darnell, gamed the system and accrued 1 million air miles through various credit-card programs and deals.

We asked Daniel, who runs the travel blog UponArriving, to let us know more about how he managed to pull it off.

Read the full article here.

 

This article is from Business Insider and is available at the following link:

https://www.businessinsider.com/this-man-paid-400-for-a-52000-round-the-world-trip-heres-how-he-did-it-2016-11

Leave a comment

Filed under Travel

Awesome trip to Austin, Texas

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Austin so I was really pleased when a friend organised a trip there for three of us. We rented out an apartment on www.vrbo.com close to 10th street for three nights.

I was able to book return bus tickets from Dallas to Austin on www.megabus.com for a mere $4.50.

Before we got there, we had recommendations coming out of our ears for all the great places to eat and drink at. It was pretty easy to find places near the apartment and also by going to the popular areas like 6th Street and Rainey Street.

So here are some highlights…

Friday night drinks at 6th street

This street is lined with bars and some restaurants. We started the evening at Coyote Ugly, a classic dive bar with the addition of ladies dancing on the bar who were mildly abusing men, who volunteered to be abused. It was amusing to watch. Good bar with a good feel.

After a few drinks here, we headed down the street and found Pete’s Dueling Piano bar. This was loads of fun with a playoff between various musicians. Music included Backstreet Boys and some good old rap on piano. The atmosphere in here was great.

We drank a lot here… and the rest of the night is lacking a bit of details! However, when we headed out the street was alive, there were lots of food stands and plenty of bars to visit.

food-truck-bbq-austin-texas

 

Saturday visit to Rainey Street

We took Uber to Rainey Street and ended up in a fun bar called Unbarlievable. There was a big slide in the back as well people practicing with hula hoops. Food was also pretty tasty and they had cool live music.

unbarlievable-austin-texas

There are more bars and restaurants along this street, we did pop into some. I love that day drinking was completely normal and expected. It has a more mature vibe than 6th street. Both were awesome and they’re both worth a visit.

Tipster free walking tour

I always love a good free walking tour and my friend found this Tipster tour that started at the Capitol. No need to sign up in advance and you can leave a tip of your choice. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. She covered a lot of the Austin history. I was surprised that the tour didn’t include any fun stuff like the nightlife, but fortunately my friends and I already had that covered. The tour was a good little walk in the centre of Austin and it was nice to see something other than bars!

matthew-mcconaughey-austin-street-art

We did see some cool street art, including this lovely picture of Matthew McConaughey!

Food recommendations

We ate very well throughout the trip. Plenty of bbq meat from food trucks and restaurants.

Here are some highlights:

  • Stubb’s BBQ

I was happy to check out the restaurant connected to one of my favourite meat marinade brands. Stubb’s BBQ was nice and busy. The food was good and meaty. The service was a little slow, but the food was tasty so they are forgiven.

 

  • Gloria’s Latin Cuisine

We found this using Google maps as it was close to where the walking tour ended. Gloria’s Latin Cuisine turned out to be a lovely little find. A classy restaurant with really great drink prices, including $2 mimosas! My friend even asked the waitress if it was a typo. It wasn’t… so we had a few. The margaritas were also tasty, as well as the food.

Glorias-latin-cuisine-austin

 

  • Walton’s Fancy and Staple

We were inspired to have breakfast here after hearing that it’s owned by actress Sandra Bullock. Walton’s Fancy and Staple is a really lovely quaint cafe-style restaurant, that also sells plants and flowers. I had the breakfast dish with eggs, toast and bacon that was tasty and filling. The mocha latter was pretty good too. We were all satisfied.

 

  • Voodoo Doughnuts

This was recommended to us and seems to be an iconic place. The line was huge when we got there on Sunday afternoon. We got a few different doughnuts between us, and I have to be honest, we were pretty underwhelmed. The doughnuts were very dry, bready and stodgy, there wasn’t really anything special about them. Fortunately they weren’t stupidly expensive, so we survived the disappointment. I’d say Voodoo doughnuts is pretty overhyped, but if you just want a doughnut with no expectations, then go ahead and join the line!

voodoo-doughnuts-austinvoodoo-doughnuts-austinvoodoo-doughnuts-austin

 

Conclusion

We all had a great time in Austin and I’d be happy to go back in a heartbeat. Getting around was really quick and easy (and cheap) by Uber, or if you felt like it there were plenty of electric scooters everywhere you looked. People were friendly and there was a really good vibe there.  Food and drink was easy to find and there are plenty of places to explore.  A great place to visit and hang out with friends!

 

1 Comment

Filed under Restaurants, Texas, Tours, Travel