Travel

To the mom from my flight, I’m so sorry

| saraconsultant

Last year, at about 20 weeks pregnant and only a few days away from finding out the sex of my child, I was on a flight home from Denver.  During the boarding process, a mom and her family walked on the plane.  This woman had three sons, her husband, and either her mother or mother-in-law with her and just looked completely defeated.  She was dragging a Britax convertible car seat (those weigh 30lbs!!!) for her 3 year old son, all the while her husband managed the two other boys in the opposite row.  Her Mom/MIL got seated randomly somewhat near them but not close enough.  She and her son took their seats in front of me.

I think about this woman everyday.

At the time, being pregnant, my stance about children on flights had softened as I knew this was a reality I would be unable to avoid.  My whole, “no kids under 5” and “subsidize airfare for grandparents” schtick was long gone; I literally wanted both of these items to be federal law while I was in my late teens / early twenties.  I digress, back to this mom, who for the entire three hours of the flight used every trick in her arsenal, food, bribes, electronics, toys, etc., to keep her son engaged and pleasant.  Some worked better than others.

When we reached our destination, her toddler had an epic meltdown.  Just screamed at the top of his lungs with no end in sight.

As we were leaving the plane, and her son was still screaming, the young man next to me gave this woman a look and mumbled something under his breath.  Instead of offering her a supportive smile, words of encouragement, anything, I said, “that’s why I hope I don’t have a son”.

I have not yet been able to forgive myself.  As a new mom, I get it now, and yes I have a son.  I spend most of my day covered in puke, I have to think back 3+ days to determine when the last time I showered was, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t completely overwhelmed and exhausted, and I was vicious to this woman.  This woman was killing it, and I took a situation out of her control, made it about myself, and tore her down in the process.  To this woman, I want to sincerely apologize.  I get it.  I now understand that everyday is a struggle and you needed to catch a break.  I get that you were embarrassed and helpless and I cannot begin to put into words how I failed you.

The silver lining: I have learned from this. I am humbled by the experience of becoming a mom, and while I cannot take back those awful words in that moment, I will never again cut down any mom just trying to get through the day.

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The Travel Tree

| saraconsultant

I love souvenirs.  I very easily can get suckered into those “I ❤ NY” t-shirts on the street and tacky little things that cost a fortune but don’t mean much, so a few years ago I decided to narrow my focus when it came to travel souvenirs or “merch” as Scube jokingly calls it.  As a result, instead of bringing back a $10 two inch Statue of Liberty or Leaning Tower of Pisa, I look for Christmas tree ornaments.  It’s my thing, and it drives Scube nuts, especially if we’re traveling somewhere in say, April.  But thus far, my success rate is at 100%, not without some required creativity.  Tip: Buy a magnet if no Christmas ornaments are available, loop a ribbon and with a glue gun, adhere the ribbon to the back of the magnet. Insta-ornament.

So as Scube and I put our tree up a few weeks ago, I was all excited to deck the halls with some new ornaments that we collected this year, from St. John, Capri, Ogunquit, Maine and Portland, Oregon.  What I love so much about these keepsakes, as with each ornament I dig out of the box, I’m taken momentarily back to that trip, a memory and moment in time that I can revisit each year on our “travel tree”.  Be it biking across the Golden Gate Bridge (and being scared out of my mind! It’s so narrow, there are so many people!), to gorging at a buffet at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas with the senior citizen crowd (jet lag had us up soooooo early, and who can say no to ice cream for breakfast?? Not this girl!), or meeting Sylvia, the third generation ceramic shop owner in Capri who thought she would study languages and travel the world before taking over for her Mother, and who now hopes her daughter will take over for her.  It’s all there, wrapped in paper towels and unearthed each year.

While our tree also has the requisite snowmen, Santas, and glittery balls,  our memories littered throughout seem to matter so much more.  And what started out as an almost silly way to avoid useless crap, it’s turned into something that I look forward to sharing with my own children and grandchildren someday.  The ornaments are a gateway to my memories, and hopefully our future spawn will think we’re pretty cool someday, when they’re not too busy being embarrassed by us.

What is your souvenir of choice?

Ogunquit, Sydney, AUS, and Rhode Island all in one little corner.
Getting saucy in Sausalito!
Vegas and London, baby!

Portland and the Great Outdoors

| saraconsultant

Renting a car and exploring outside of Portland is something I would recommend to anyone, in fact, I would encourage it. Oregon has so much to offer and there are many beautiful wonders within just a few hours of Portland that it’s a sin not to get outside and see it. Based on the time allowed and the weather constraints, we had one full day outside the city, and to be entirely cliché, it was magical.

We opted for the scenic drive to Mt. Hood from the city, clocking in at only 90 minutes each way, making this is a great day trip, weather permitting.   Getting out of the city was a breeze. We rented a car from Avis on 4th and NW Washington Street, and within 2 minutes of leaving the garage, we were on the highway headed to our destination.  Side note:  This was also the best non-airport Avis experience we have EVER had.

Start your scenic drive at Vista House, but mind the wind. This area of the Columbia River Gorge is a wind surfers paradise, and apparently the wind can be so strong that it takes the doors off of cars (?!?!). Upon hearing that bit of information and receiving the advice to park into the wind (whatever that meant) Scube and I were a wee bit concerned. Fortunately, the wind wasn’t nearly as strong as it apparently could be during our visit. Continue on route 30, which is Oregon’s Scenic Drive that runs parallel to the highway, until you hit the start of a corridor filled with waterfalls. From Latourell Falls, to Bridal Veil, to Multnomah and Horsetail Falls, you will not be disappointed. All of the falls were breathtaking, but Multnomah Falls is the most famous, with a restaurant, lodge, and visitor center. I highly recommend walking up to the bridge between the two falls, but I do not recommend the mile hike to the top of the entire falls system. The pay-off is not nearly as sweet as you’d like it to be. The tiny look out is off to the side of the falls and looking over the edge you really cannot see much. The hike took about 30 – 40 minutes to reach the top (layers upon layers of clothing was pulled off in the process) and as Scube said, “the view is better from below.” After trekking back down the mountain, we grabbed a quick snack and continued the beautiful tour of the area.

A really great stop along the way which I was not expecting is the Bonneville Dam and Lock System along the Columbia River. If you catch it when the time is right, you can watch the famous salmon runs as they return to spawn. The runs were just ending as we arrived, but we caught a rogue salmon or two making its way up stream. Additionally, on-site you get to see fish hatcheries, giving new meaning to the term raised vs. wild salmon.   It was a really cool experience.

After the DAM, our goal was to see Mt. Hood (a potentially active volcano!). Back east, while we do have mountains, none seem to closely resemble the mountains of the west. And I was so excited to see the snowcapped top against the back drop of fall colors, pines, and water. And it sure was snowcapped! Our drive turned from rainy fall colors to snow encrusted pines, with large snow plows with chains on their tires clearing the drive. While I’m not a nervous driver, it was unclear whether or not our Hyundai Sonata was up for the task of climbing this snowy mountain.

Based on the weather, we decided to visit Timberline Lodge, built during the Great Depression and appeared in the film The Shining as the outside of the hotel Jack Nicholson and his wife watch over during the winter months. The lodge was beautiful, with intricate woodwork and an atrium with fire places, sofas, and restaurants encircling the chimney. Our hot chocolates were 16 ounces of pure winter heaven, despite the early November date. It made me wish we were staying overnight, pretending to be snowed in and lounging by the fire with a good book. If only! Since the snow seemed pretty heavy we only stayed an hour as again, our car was not equipped for snowy mountain’s majesty, and headed back to Portland for some good food and a rainy drizzle.

Beautiful Multnomah Falls
View from the tippy top of Multnomah
Peeking out at Multnomah
From fall foliage to snow lined
First snow and ill prepared!
Latourell Falls
Inside Timberline
Bridal Veil Falls
View from Vista House
Horsetail Falls
Posing with the falls
Outside the Dam visitor Center
View from the lodge
This way to see the hatcheries
16 ounces of heaven
Heading back out into the cold
Enormous Leaves! En Fish Enorme!
Bonneville Lock and Dam
Goofing off at the Columbia River
Timberline Lodge

 

Christmas in New York

| saraconsultant

Well it’s official!  The Rockefeller Christmas Tree has been lit, holiday tunes are playing on loop and the air is a little extra crisp.  Christmas in New York City is a magical time of year for me.  When I moved down to Philly I told Scube that every year he has to come up to NYC with me and be at my whim.  Fortunately, he’s been very obliging, but can you blame him?  Millions of people (over 5 million!) flock to the Big Apple this time of year and while there are the typical “must do’s”, I’d like to offer a list with some of the usual suspects and some not so usual.

The obvious (but no less lovely)

  1. The Tree!!  Millions of tourists swarm Rockefeller Plaza during the day time to catch a glimpse of this iconic tree, but I prefer stealing a glance at night.  With Saks Fifth Avenue across the way lit up as well, avoid the larger crowds with very little wiggle room, and take a stroll by the tree after dinner time, you won’t regret it.
  2. The windows!  Saks, Bloomingdales, Barneys, Lord and Taylor, Bergdorf Goodman and Macy’s all are known for their windows.  I personally, like to hit Saks, Bloomies, and Barneys, again in the night time.  Fifth Avenue is a disaster during the holidays and you’ll spend more time trying to dodge people or waiting in line than you will enjoying the view.
  3. Take in a show, be it the Rockette’s at Radio City Music Hall (who can resist those legs?), the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center, or one of Broadway or Off Broadway’s finest, you’ll shell out some cash but you will always leave with a smile on your face.
  4. Holiday Markets are all over the city, from Columbus Circle, to Bryant Park, to Union Square and Grand Central Station, you’re apt to stumble upon one of these while you roam through the city.  Every year I make Bryant Park a must, but that’s not to say the others aren’t great either.  Pick one, especially since they’re all in great areas for exploration.
  5. Go Ice Skating, but not in Rockefeller Center.  Skating on the iconic rink might be on your bucket list, but it’s expensive.  After you pay for a rental, the privilege to skate, and a lock for your stuff, you’re looking at almost a $50/pp investment.  Skip Rockefeller and either skate at Central Park’s Wollman Rink – the views are INCREDIBLE, or skate at Bryant Park where it’s free to skate with cheaper rentals and lock costs.

The Not So Obvious

To me, December and Christmas mean warm gooey cookies and hot chocolate.  If you’re looking to escape the cold, here are a few spots that will warm your hands, feet, and nose.

  1. City Bakery.  Holy hot cocoa.  It’s so rich and decadent, get a small, you won’t be able to finish a large (I can’t and I can down A LOT of chocolate with zero digestive consequences).  Once finished head over to the holiday markets in Union Square.
  2. Jaques Torres is a chocolate God amongst men.  And you can warm up in various locations around NYC with a rich hot chocolate and a warmed up chocolate chip cookie.
  3. Levain Bakery.  Nestled in a small shop on the Upper West Side is the bakery with the greatest cookies you will ever eat.  In fact, they won Throw Down with Bobby Flay and for damn good reason.  Afterwards stroll downtown to Columbus Circle for some holiday shopping.
  4. If you’re looking for something more sophisticated, try high tea at one of these spots.  You can usually pay a little extra if you’d like to add some champagne in the mix as well, and who doesn’t want a little champagne?

Now, if you’re feeling adventurous and want to escape Manhattan, I offer a few suggestions that will make you ooh and ahh.

  1. The New York Botanical Gardens (located in the Bronx, but easily accessible via public transportation) holiday train show is stuff of legend, but now they’ve added an adult (think 21+…there will be booze) with their Bar Car Nights.  Included in the price of admission ($35 for non-members), is a complimentary cocktail, a view of the train show, ice sculpting, live music, fire shows, etc.  So basically the kitchen sink of holiday awesome.
  2. Brooklyn’s Dyker Heights section goes all out for Christmas, and I mean all out.  While it’s an hour from the center of Manhattan via public transportation, free walking tours (or paid bus tours) are available to see this stunning display of all things Christmas lights.

What is your favorite thing to do in New York at Christmas?

 

Put a bird on it

| saraconsultant

“The dream of the 90s is alive in Portland.” – Portlandia.

As Scube and I sat in a neighborhood bar in the Nob Hill section of Portland, an eccentric British woman named Jenny asked us what made us come to Portland, and more importantly, how did we end up here, at Nobby Nobby Nobby? The latter, we needed a bathroom, the former, well, we had never been. And after a work trip to San Francisco, Portland was just a quick flight away, so why not?

What I had known of Portlandia going in was great food, an excessive liberal population, plenty of rain, and a diverse landscape. I was pumped, despite the awful weather report.   On our itinerary, the beautiful Multnomah Falls and scenic drive, as well as Mount Hood and the Timberline Lodge (our first snow of the season!!), and finally two full days exploring the city. And Scube and I don’t just explore, we attack (metaphorically speaking).

Upon arrival, we were greeted with some of the best city public transportation I have ever seen. While the city is incredibly accessible on foot (we did that too), the public transportation was so smooth and easy to use. A day pass on the Max and Street Car will run you $5, whereas a one-way fare is $2.50, and good for 2.5 hours after purchasing. At all stops, we found that many of the tickets come out pre-validated, making it incredibly efficient to hop on and hop off. And I loooooove efficiency. I used to be a consultant after all.

In the city, here is a quick rundown of the must-see sites:

  • Powell’s Book Store. Where brick and mortar bookstores have suffered in the age of Amazon, Powell’s is large, thriving, and a wonderful place to get lost and escape the cold drizzle.
  • The Rose Garden. Even in November, there were still a few luscious looking roses to be found, as well as an incredible view of the city.
  • The Brew Scene. Both coffee and beer, the city is littered with breweries (Deschutes, Bridgeport, to name a few) and artisan coffee shops.
  • Food carts, food carts, food carts! Portland has a thriving food cart scene taking up parking lots and emanating the most enticing of food smells.
  • The Art Museum. An architectural wonder filled with a collection of modern art to die for.
  • Lady Portland. She is NOT Poseidon as I had actually thought.
  • Farmer’s Markets. Literally one for every day.
  • The forest. I love when you can escape a city in the city itself. Lush growth, mile high ferns, and dozens of trails await just a short walk from the street car.
  • The shopping. From high end name brand store so small boho boutiques littered with birds, I could have shopped for days…if Scube would let me!
  • The Salt & Straw. Incredible ice cream, though depending on timing you may have a long wait. What I loved, this organic, farm to table ice cream shop wasn’t too uppity for sprinkles (THANK GOD).
  • Neon signage. Neon signs are everywhere and I ate them up. Right over the Burnside Bridge is the beautiful Portland Oregon neon sign greeting visitors in Old Town Portland, a stone’s throw from Voodoo Donuts.
  • Voodoo vs. Blue Star Donuts. After sampling both, Voodoo Donuts was the ultimate winner for me and Scube. Bigger, badder, cheaper. We went twice, and both times, thanks to our east coast jetlag aka early wake-up time, we avoided the lines. Keep in mind Voodoo Donuts is open 24 hours, so whenever the mood for a light sugary treat hits, Voodoo will be waiting. But be careful, that area is not the most savory in the city.
  • Rent a car and get outside the city (separate post to come)!
  • Go see where Tonya Harding trained!  Well this one might be just me, but as a figure skater growing up in the 80s and 90s, Tonya Harding was the tits, until of course she hired her ex-husband to take Nancy Kerrigan out with a tire iron.  But, you can see where Tonay Harding trained, in the mall in Portland near the Convention Center.  The must under served tourist attraction EVER, and the cherry on top of my Oregon visit.
     

Portland is a beautiful city with literally the nicest people I have ever met. I have never felt so welcomed by a city’s people than I did in Portland. But like any city, Portland is not without its faults and seedy neighborhoods. Be smart, ask where to go and not to go, and overall enjoy what the city has to offer, because it’s a lot. And remember, put a bird on it.

 

SPG Keyless, my First Go ‘Round

| saraconsultant

I had missed an opportunity a few months ago to try out SPG’s new keyless feature, and was super excited when I realized I could try it out at the Aloft in Portland, OR.

So what is SPG Keyless? Glad you asked!

In certain SPG properties, the Aloft, Element, and W hotels, you can check-in via your smartphone using the SPG app as long as you have a valid credit card on file. When your room is ready, the app will send you a push notification (around the same time I received a bank push notification that my card had been charged). Once received, using the app again, you walk with all of your luggage straight to your room, hold your phone up to the keypad and voila, like magic the door opens.

I loved this feature. Not having to wait in-line to check-in, especially after a long day of travel was fantastic. It was also great knowing that my phone was the key. How many times have you misplaced a room key, or worse, had it next to your cellphone or credit card to get up to your room to find your key no longer works? This removes those inconveniences, especially in today’s world where my phone is literally an extension of my body.

There are however some cons.  When setting up keyless entry for a particular stay, you need to enter your presumed arrival time (fairly standard), but as a result, the app and hotel stick to that time.  There is no wiggle room.  Often times plan change, and I do love the flexibility and that little bit of luck that is involved in showing up to a hotel early to find that they do have a room available well before check-in time. In this instance, I lost the flexibility to do so. And while that wasn’t a deal breaker, I can imagine taking a red eye to an overseas destination, desperate for a hot shower and having to wait.

One of the things I did not try out with this keyless entry is the use of the gym. After checking with SPG, the keyless entry seems to only work for your hotel room at the moment, not the fitness facilities, so you will need to swing by the front desk for a key if you want to use those amenities.

With that being said, the pros outweigh the cons (and are those really cons?) and I would gladly use this feature going forward.

spg keyless_USE

Vacation Blooper – Blue Grotto Snuggles

| saraconsultant

Being American, I love to hug, snuggle, cuddle, whatever.  But as one of my favorite movies so aptly puts it, “No hugging, dear. I’m British. We only show affection to dogs and horses”*, not all cultures are as huggy as well, me.  So why is this important?  Well, entering the Blue Grotto in Capri involves very close quarters potentially with strangers.

When the seas are gentle and the Blue Grotto is open, about 20 – 25 row boats are ready outside the grotto waiting to accept passengers from other boats or from those taking the stairs (like moi).  Since the physical entry to the grotto itself is fairly small, everyone, including the boatmen have to lay completely flat upon entry and then can pop back up once inside the glittering blue expanse.  Fast forward to me and Scube getting in a boat with an Austrian couple in their late 40s.

Knowing we had to lay down I said to the woman, “It’s okay, don’t worry about it, we’ll all be friends here after this experience!” with a huge grin on my face.  Her face however was ashen and horrified.  She flat out refused to lay on me.  She cowered in a small nook on the boat inches from my spread legs and cuddle ready arms and at the last moment tipped her head back to avoid injury.  Once inside the grotto, her no touching policy continued.  And I get it, not everyone wants to lay on a young, chesty American woman who’s bosom is ready to welcome anyone with open arms in these circumstances, but in the spirit of new experiences, would my breasts have killed her?  Or maybe they would have?  We will never know.

The madness of the Blue Grotto
Come to the stairs and pick us up por favore!

blue grotto

 

*The cult classic Amanda Bynes film What a Girl Wants featuring Colin Firth…swoon.

Rental Car Nightmare

| saraconsultant

It’s rare that Steve and I just take a week off of work for vacation.  Our normal time off spans between 10 – 14 days, and as a result, we usually try to see more than just one place.  On our European vacation in September 2014, we were gone for just over two weeks, spending a week in Portugal and a week exploring the French Riviera with a small slice of Provence thrown in.  We were planning to and did rent a car in both countries and as a result, we will rarely rent cars on vacation ever again (at least in Europe anyway).

For starters, Scube and I cannot drive a manual transmission. Our friend, bless him, tried to teach me in a very hilly section of Philadelphia and the poor guy probably needs a new starter (separate incident) and a new clutch.  If I was guaranteed that Europe would be as flat as Kansas then sure, I’d rent a stick car there, but it’s not, so we knew we were paying a premium for our automatic transmission shortcomings.  If that was the worst of it, our experience would not have been marred by this vacation against rental car agencies, but alas, the story continues.

In Portugal we were given an almost brand new Volvo.  From Lisbon we had about a 3 hour drive, maybe more to the Algarve region of Portugal.  With our printed maps we did our best and finally (after quite a few u-turns and attempts to ask for directions in Spanish – I know they speak Portugese but we do not) we found our way to the hotel.  And while our hotel was beautiful with an incredible cliff side beach, we had plans to explore many of the coastal towns and beaches in the Algarve region.  After our second day we noticed a small scratch on the side of the car.  A scratch in the US that would not have rendered second looks or additional charges.  I’m sure you can see where this is going.

We returned the car to the airport in Lisbon and were charged (we attempted to dispute the amount) an additional sum on top of our rental.  We noticed that the agent also checked under our car to see if we had bottomed out.  I have never seen such a thorough review of a vehicle, especially since I rented a car each week for almost two years for my past job.  When all was said and done, our rental car for 5 days in Portugal cost us close to $900.  There may have been tears.  There were tears.  Many, many, tears.

After our experience at Avis in Portugal, we were really nervous for our rental car experience in France.  And of course, after arriving in Nice we were given an Audi convertible.  It barely fit our luggage but was apparently the only automatic transmission they had on the lot.  Also brand new.  We were petrified.  We didn’t want to bottom out, scratch, dent or damage this car in anyway.  While we always set out with those goals when it comes to rentals, we and our wallets, were acutely aware of the consequences.  Sidenote: Even with the heightened rental fear, I will never, ever rent a car in the Riviera again.  The roads are narrow, incredibly winding and all around not worth it.  Taking public transportation either a train or a bus would have gotten us to our destination with half as much stress.

Now that we had this Audi convertible, our first stop was to drive from the airport in Nice a few hours to Avignon.  I don’t know how else to describe Avignon but it is not a place for cars of any kind.  As a medieval city, it is completely narrow with alleyways posing as two-way streets.  Driving through Avignon, knowing that any minor scrape would result in hundreds of extra dollars was so stressful.  The car was filled with anger, yelling, and tears.  After driving around in circles praying that the streets were wide enough for our vehicle, our hotel manager informed us that there is parking outside the city with shuttle service.  If you do decide to rent a car and drive to Avignon, park there.  You will not regret it.

After a few days in Avignon we were off to Eze, a town that sits upon a hill just outside of Nice.  While the area was beautiful, the roads were incredibly winding with countless switchbacks.  Our adorable B&B owner suggested a more scenic route to Monaco while there.  Princess Grace died on that route. I spent the entire drive with white knuckles on the steering wheel honking my horn at every turn in the hopes to avoid a head on collision.  Reason number 8974523948 why you should never EVER rent a car in the Riviera.  Welp.

Needless to say, returning our car in France was a much less painful experience in Portugal without additional charges.  There were battle scars, gray hairs, and unnecessary stress to say the least, but ultimately, the key takeaway is to avoid renting a car in Europe at all costs.  With transportation so easy in most places (the Algarve not being one of them), in most major European outposts renting a car is like owning a car in Manhattan.  We will be much more discerning in the future and I hope this is a cautionary tale for everyone out there.  Unless of course you drive stick, because you are one of the lucky ones.

I may be smiling on the outside, but I am weeping on the inside
I may be smiling on the outside, but I am weeping on the inside

Pics of the Week – Blue Grotto Edition

| saraconsultant

Two years ago I had never heard of the blue grotto.  The human fish, aka Scuba Steve, saw some sort of look of the world’s most amazing swimming holes, with the Blue Grotto atop the list.  Seeing pictures did not nearly prepare me for the incredible beauty inside.  In fact, if you are able to swim in the blue grotto, it is imperative to bring a snorkel mask with you to see where the grotto gets its magnificent blue color from, an archway actually under the entrance!  Additionally, I have a post coming later on the ultimate insanity on getting inside during normal operating hours so stay tuned for my turn “snuggling” with an Austrian woman.  Until then, enjoy this iPhone 6 pic inside the Grotto Azura, a little blurry but you get the idea.

blue grotto
Up to 15 boats can fit into the Blue Grotto at one time, it is SO big!