Note: This blog entry was copied from last year with a few minor revisions since Pi Day falls on Friday this year rather than Thursday and one or two of the pie restaurants have made slight changes to their weekend marketing and or hours. But I enjoyed writing this blog last year and based on my readership, several of you enjoyed reading it. Hopefully, one or two even took my advice and took a little Pi Day road trip. If not, maybe you will this year using my guidance. Have a great weekend!
Well, it's Pi Day.... You know, like the number pi (3.14159265359), not the pastry pie. So in honor of 3/14 or Pi Day, I'm celebrating the pastry rather than the number. Because honestly, what kind of a geek would want to celebrate a number, for the love of Pete.....
So let's talk about the best places to go for a really great piece of pie. Now, if you're asking me, the best place to go for a perfect piece of chocolate or coconut meringue pie is my Mom's house and back in the day my Grandma's house was a close second. However, if you all show up at my Mom's house with forks in hand, she's probably going to get a little pissy and none of us wants to see that. So I found an article from Southern Living on line that ranked the top 10 pie places in Texas and since it is going to be a perfect spring weekend in Texas, I thought what better way could my lovely readers spend their time than driving around the state conducting your very own pie tasting comparison?
Now I have to be honest, although I have lived in Texas all my life and I have lived in several different parts of Texas, there are still parts of the state that I either don't even know exist or just prefer not to visit. So, although Southern Living ranked 10 in their article, I'm only going to give you information on the ones in locations that I think are worth your visit. I mean let's face it how many of you are really willing to drive out to Medina this weekend to visit an orchard during it's off season? None of you, right? So, I'm not going to tell you that the apple pies at the Love Creek Orchards in Medina were ranked #1 by Southern Living. What sense would that make. The fact that I had to Google Medina to even find it on a map is pretty telling, I think.
So moving along, you might be interested in visiting the Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls this weekend. After all, the bluebonnets may be starting to bloom and you probably haven't tossed your kids in a bunch of them on the side of the highway in the last year for a photo op. This weekend would be the perfect time to do it and there is no better place to do that than along Hwy 281 in Marble Falls. Monday through Friday the Blue Bonnet Cafe has a pie Happy Hour from 3 - 5 p.m. If you take off from work early today, you might be able to make that. If you need a place to spend the night in Marble Falls after OD'ing on pie, check out the Bella Vista Bed and Breakfast for a relaxing evening of digesting your pie.
But wait, it gets better, because you could really make a big weekend out of your Pi Day celebration if you drove over to Stephenville and took Hwy 281 south stopping at Hico first. You wouldn't be able to stop here and still get down to Marble Falls for pie Happy Hour, but you see, the #3 place in Texas for pie is the Koffee Kup Family Restaurant in Hico at the intersection of Hwy 281 and Hwy 6. They also have great chicken fried steak but how could you expect anything less? I mean, it is right smack dab in the middle of Texas. So, okay, here's the new plan, you leave work early today.... head to Hico. Get your pie on there. Then you head on down to Marble Falls.... If you happen to lapse into diabetic coma after the pie from Hico, you can always stop in Lampasas for the night. But I would recommend driving on to Marble Falls since you are going to have several more stops to make before the weekend is over.
I'm thinking now that you are going to have to eat your Marble Falls pie for breakfast or lunch because you've gotta get to Round Top before the Royers Round Top Cafe closes at 9:30 on Saturday night for your second dose of pie of the day. By the way, it is Antique Week in Round Top which is the smallest incorporated town in the state with a population of 77 people. So, the website recommends that you make reservations at the cafe. I'm just sayin'..... I'm thinking that finding a place to spend the night in Round Top is going to be pretty tough unless you are related to one of the 77 residents. So you might want to head down I-10 and look for a hotel room. But don't go too far because tomorrow we are hitting our next stop in Chappell Hill. Bad news this year about Royers Round Top Cafe, last year they had a Pi Day special in which they were offering 25% off pies ordered from their website all weekend long. I guess they're too big time for that this year. Maybe I sent so much business their way, they couldn't keep up with the demand but no such offer this year....
The next stop in our weekend of celebrating Pi Day is in Chappell Hill, Tx. at Bevers Kitchen. We're in luck too! Friday and Saturday are Mexican buffet days in the restaurant. Be sure to check out the website for this place because the photos of the pies and bread are amazing! After the Mexican buffet and a big old slice of pie you might want to walk it off at the Chappell Hill Lavender Farm which just opened a few weeks ago for the 2014 season. You can cut your own lavender for $5 a bundle.
As you leave Chappell Hill, you will make your final stop in Brenham. Now, I know what you're thinking..... Whoa there Susan!!!! It's Pi Day not Ice Cream Day! But Brenham also happens to be the home to Must Be Heaven and yes, to answer your question it is indeed also an ice cream parlor selling Blue Bell Ice Cream. The stop in Brenham will wrap our trip up. But after 3 days of pie, we will need to get back home and head to the gym anyway. So if you are still conscious after all of that pie, head on over to I-45 to drive back to the Dallas area and if you get hungry along the way, stop at Buck-ees for a little snack. Yeah, that's right, I said it.
Have a good weekend. I'll talk to you all on Monday. Happy Pi Day!
Margaritaville
Margaritaville - Cozumel, Mexico
Friday, March 14, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Upcoming Ship Inspections!
I'm so excited! The confirmations have been sent out for the March 23rd ship inspection on Navigator of the Seas and I am a part of it! I had initially tried to get in on the February 16th ship inspection. But it filled up before they got to me. I'm thrilled to be getting on board before too many of my clients sail dates come around. I hope to become a regular wealth of information once this is done. The day before the ship inspection, I'll be attending a luncheon in Houston with my Royal Caribbean Business Development Manager. This is also very exciting for me since I have never met her after a year and a half of working with her.
But mostly, I'm excited to see a virtual balcony in person. Recently, a friend and I discussed the concept of virtual balconies. She could see no point in them and thought getting a cabin with a virtual balcony would be a total waste of money. She always gets inside cabins because she prefers them. I talked her into getting a balcony cabin once and she really disliked it. Meanwhile, I've only ever been in one inside cabin and while it wasn't claustrophobic as I expected it to be, I still am a balcony girl and would never pay to be in an inside cabin if given any other option. So for me, I think with as much as I currently know about virtual balconies, it would just help me to keep from feeling closed in while not paying a full balcony price. But maybe I'll get on board and find out that my friend was totally correct.... Or perhaps I'll discover a huge advantage that I can pass on to clients. We'll see.
Regardless of what happens with the virtual balcony debate, I intend to take tons of pictures and explore every nook and cranny of Navigator while on board for 5 hours on a Sunday before she sets sail. So here's the question. What do you want to know about Navigator of the Seas before you book a cruise to sail the Western Caribbean out of Galveston this summer? I have two opportunities to find out from the experts during that weekend and 5 hours on board to see for myself and photograph for you everything you are interested in seeing. I currently have a number of people booked on board who haven't yet reached their sail date.... including me, my mom, 3 aunts and 2 cousins in June. So I'll be going to all the cabins I have booked to get pictures of their cabins to send to them. But again, I'll have access to a wealth of information. So what do you want to know?
Didn't book through me but still interested in finding out a thing or two? Well, I still care about you.... and maybe I can help you in ways that your current travel agent can't. Or God forbid, if you booked it yourself using no travel agent, I can certainly give you more information than you are going to get otherwise. All I would ask is that the next time you plan a vacation you remember who can get you answers.... even if you are located in a different city! This is the electronic age folks! You don't need to be within 20 miles of me to utilize my travel expertise and booking a cruise costs exactly the same no matter how it is booked. The cruise lines pay my fee. If you do all the work yourself and don't use a travel agent, it just means the cruise line makes more money. But the savings do not get passed on to you. So, book through a pro.
Now, here's more news regarding ship inspections. In April, I'll be visiting Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, Celebrity Constellation, Royal Princess and Holland America's Zuiderdam all in Miami and Port Everglades. So, if you want to know anything about any of those ships, this is your chance to get answers! I won't have quite as much time on each of these ships just because there are too many ships to visit in a short period of time. But if there is anything specific you want answers about or photos of, let me know.... I'm your answer girl! Additionally, for a solid week, I'll be in Ft. Lauderdale at a cruise convention meeting with countless cruise line representatives and attending classes, seminars and lectures. If there is something you want to know, I can get you an answer! That offer also goes out to all of my travel agent friends who can't attend. I'll get you any information you are interested in as long as you are willing to reciprocate when you visit a ship or a trade show that I'm not able to attend.
So send me your questions!!!! I'm here to help! That's right - I only think of you guys... You're my reason for being.... ahem... smeyers@placesuwillgo.com
But mostly, I'm excited to see a virtual balcony in person. Recently, a friend and I discussed the concept of virtual balconies. She could see no point in them and thought getting a cabin with a virtual balcony would be a total waste of money. She always gets inside cabins because she prefers them. I talked her into getting a balcony cabin once and she really disliked it. Meanwhile, I've only ever been in one inside cabin and while it wasn't claustrophobic as I expected it to be, I still am a balcony girl and would never pay to be in an inside cabin if given any other option. So for me, I think with as much as I currently know about virtual balconies, it would just help me to keep from feeling closed in while not paying a full balcony price. But maybe I'll get on board and find out that my friend was totally correct.... Or perhaps I'll discover a huge advantage that I can pass on to clients. We'll see.
Regardless of what happens with the virtual balcony debate, I intend to take tons of pictures and explore every nook and cranny of Navigator while on board for 5 hours on a Sunday before she sets sail. So here's the question. What do you want to know about Navigator of the Seas before you book a cruise to sail the Western Caribbean out of Galveston this summer? I have two opportunities to find out from the experts during that weekend and 5 hours on board to see for myself and photograph for you everything you are interested in seeing. I currently have a number of people booked on board who haven't yet reached their sail date.... including me, my mom, 3 aunts and 2 cousins in June. So I'll be going to all the cabins I have booked to get pictures of their cabins to send to them. But again, I'll have access to a wealth of information. So what do you want to know?
Didn't book through me but still interested in finding out a thing or two? Well, I still care about you.... and maybe I can help you in ways that your current travel agent can't. Or God forbid, if you booked it yourself using no travel agent, I can certainly give you more information than you are going to get otherwise. All I would ask is that the next time you plan a vacation you remember who can get you answers.... even if you are located in a different city! This is the electronic age folks! You don't need to be within 20 miles of me to utilize my travel expertise and booking a cruise costs exactly the same no matter how it is booked. The cruise lines pay my fee. If you do all the work yourself and don't use a travel agent, it just means the cruise line makes more money. But the savings do not get passed on to you. So, book through a pro.
Now, here's more news regarding ship inspections. In April, I'll be visiting Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, Celebrity Constellation, Royal Princess and Holland America's Zuiderdam all in Miami and Port Everglades. So, if you want to know anything about any of those ships, this is your chance to get answers! I won't have quite as much time on each of these ships just because there are too many ships to visit in a short period of time. But if there is anything specific you want answers about or photos of, let me know.... I'm your answer girl! Additionally, for a solid week, I'll be in Ft. Lauderdale at a cruise convention meeting with countless cruise line representatives and attending classes, seminars and lectures. If there is something you want to know, I can get you an answer! That offer also goes out to all of my travel agent friends who can't attend. I'll get you any information you are interested in as long as you are willing to reciprocate when you visit a ship or a trade show that I'm not able to attend.
So send me your questions!!!! I'm here to help! That's right - I only think of you guys... You're my reason for being.... ahem... smeyers@placesuwillgo.com
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Spring Break in Plano?
Wow! Yesterday I decided that I needed to leave my home/office for a few hours to maintain my sanity in the middle of the day. When you live and work in the same 1,300 square feet with no other humans and 3 cats, you like I, might find that there are times when you either must leave for a few hours or you might begin to have in depth conversations with cats in which they seemingly talk back . This is never a good thing. So, I strongly recommend a lunch out at least once a week. So that's what I did yesterday.
When I left the house, I didn't really know where I was going other than to the bank. But knowing that I needed to be away from home for a few hours, I took the precaution of bringing a magazine along and decided that I would find a nice place where I could sit outside and have lunch since the weather was so amazing. While sitting in the bank drive thru I decided to hit the Katy Trail Ice House for lunch, because after all, it was nearly 2 in the afternoon, so there was no way even with the perfect weather there would be that many people having a late lunch or early happy hour..... WRONG! When I drove into the parking lot, there were no parking places within the first two parking areas. Now I have gone into the Katy Trail Ice House on one occasion when the parking lot was that full and I had to sit about 5 feet from the main bar inside. Well, the hole point in going yesterday was to enjoy the beautiful weather. So I wasn't going to go for a table inside. So, I left.
At that point it dawned on me that it was Spring Break in Plano and the Plano mom's that work take off work during spring break to stay home with the kids. I know this because in my previous life I employed several Plano mom's and you couldn't get any of them to work during Spring Break. The other factor coming into play was that most Plano mom's aren't really the types to sit at home with kids and cook meals, so they go out to lunch and probably dinner too while the kids are home for Spring Break. So I decided to head south back toward Dallas where the mom's aren't quite so involved and more willing to leave the kids at home alone during Spring Break, or at least if they stay home with the kids, they might keep them at home and not fill up all the restaurants.
Back in North Dallas, I decided to give Hook, Line and Sinker one more try. It's a casual restaurant that serves fish (mostly fried) and they too have good outdoor seating. I went a couple of times right after they opened last year. Each time the food was not seasoned at all. I mean, fried fish and fries with no salt is just insane! Who would ruin fried fish by not using any seasoning in the cooking whatsoever??? So, I thought surely they had fixed that issue in the last year. Not so much. Additionally, I got two pieces of catfish one of which was taken out of the fryer a few minutes too early and was raw in the middle. Add to that the "tarter sauce" was just a glob of mayo with no seasonings in it. What do these people have against seasoning? And the only thing even remotely good about my lunch is that 3 cats weren't walking across my plate poking their noses into my meal to see what was for lunch.
But while I poked through my catfish looking for bites that might be edible and burning time before I had to go back home and sit back down at my desk to finish up some cruise queries while trying to keep cats from trying to catch the cursor as it moves across my monitor, which by the way, happens to be a touch screen monitor (this is particularly fun for the cats), I started thinking about why those annoying Plano mom's didn't take their kids on a vacation for Spring Break. I mean seriously!!!! What is their problem? It could have been a win/win/win. I could have booked it for them earning a buck or two to put toward painting the interior of my house/office. They wouldn't be in Plano right now taking up all the outdoor dining space with their rowdy little monsters. Plus if they played their cards right and booked a cruise or a kid friendly all inclusive, they could put those little monsters in the kids programs while they experience a total state of relaxation. What's wrong with these people?
But here we are with all these kids out of school with no place to be because their parents didn't plan ahead and book a vacation last year when they could get an outstanding price. Don't let this happen to you next year. Plan ahead! Call your friendly self employed home based travel agent who could really use the business and just might be willing to meet you at your home, place of employment, any restaurant or Starbucks you choose, or any place else that doesn't allow cats and has free WiFi to work on planning your family trip of a lifetime. So keep that in mind next year. If we book your Spring Break trip just as soon as school calendars come out, you're certain to get a great price and you'll have it to look forward to through the entire VERY long winter.
Hope the rest of your Spring Break is great and you can get into the restaurant of your choice. But if that's your desire, stay out of Plano and probably Frisco and Allen too!
Friday, February 28, 2014
123 Gone!
The last several years.... You know, since just after Al Gore told us all that global warming was going to melt the polar ice caps and we would all be floating around in a water world the likes of which only Kevin Costner could imagine soon, the winters have seemed to last forever in North Texas. I've never been a fan of winter. I'm a life long Texan just like all of my family generations before me were and if Texans didn't deal well with warm to hot weather most of us would just pack up and move to Minneapolis... or if we just couldn't make ourselves leave the state, perhaps Amarillo, where the major part of the year is much colder than here. As a state, we are more warm weather people. So this isn't going too well for many of us. If you disagree, you are entitled to your opinion. Go ahead and get your own blog and express your opinion as much as you like.
Today, fortunately, our temperatures here in Dallas will be in the 70's to almost 80 degrees. But then tomorrow we go back down to freezing with chances for sleet Sunday or Monday and a definite hard freeze on Monday weather we get the sleet or not! Yuck!!!!! Three or four years ago, it snowed here in Dallas on Good Friday and that year, if I'm not mistaken, Easter was in early April. That, my friends, is crazy weather even for Texas! I blame it all on Al Gore who apparently pissed off the warm weather gods when he started preaching his global warming agenda. I'm over this bizarro world "global warming". If this is global warming, I'm the Elaine of this bizarro world and I can't even find Jerry, George or Kramer. So, let's just leave bizarro world and go to a happy place.
***Please note*** This is NOT a paid political announcement, but just an embittered rant from someone who is sitting in front of a space heater in her office drinking massive amounts of coffee to try and stay warm until the temperature warms up into the 70's later today. Now back to the blog....
Celebrity's final day of their 123 Gone sale is today! In case you are not aware, the 123 Gone sale goes like this. You pay whatever the going rate is for the cruise you choose, but then you can choose from one of the following bargains to enjoy during your cruise.
1. Free drinks for you and your roomy during the cruise up to $88 a day. That's at least 4 drinks a day each if you drink the fancy ones and even more if you are a cheap drunk!
2. Free gratuities for your cabin. This is worth about $30 a day for the length of your cruise.
3. Onboard credit - $100 for 3 to 5 night sailings
$200 for 6 to 9 night sailings
$300 for 10 + nights
Obviously, if you drink, number one is going to be a better bargain for you. If you don't drink, you could probably go with either two or three and it would work out the same way. So anyway, yesterday Celebrity was kind enough to send me an email reminding me that today was the final day of the sale which prompted me to look at itineraries that they currently have available for 2015 to see if I saw anything interesting. And oops! I found something for January 16, 2015. I didn't want to find this but here it is....
Today, fortunately, our temperatures here in Dallas will be in the 70's to almost 80 degrees. But then tomorrow we go back down to freezing with chances for sleet Sunday or Monday and a definite hard freeze on Monday weather we get the sleet or not! Yuck!!!!! Three or four years ago, it snowed here in Dallas on Good Friday and that year, if I'm not mistaken, Easter was in early April. That, my friends, is crazy weather even for Texas! I blame it all on Al Gore who apparently pissed off the warm weather gods when he started preaching his global warming agenda. I'm over this bizarro world "global warming". If this is global warming, I'm the Elaine of this bizarro world and I can't even find Jerry, George or Kramer. So, let's just leave bizarro world and go to a happy place.
***Please note*** This is NOT a paid political announcement, but just an embittered rant from someone who is sitting in front of a space heater in her office drinking massive amounts of coffee to try and stay warm until the temperature warms up into the 70's later today. Now back to the blog....
Celebrity's final day of their 123 Gone sale is today! In case you are not aware, the 123 Gone sale goes like this. You pay whatever the going rate is for the cruise you choose, but then you can choose from one of the following bargains to enjoy during your cruise.
1. Free drinks for you and your roomy during the cruise up to $88 a day. That's at least 4 drinks a day each if you drink the fancy ones and even more if you are a cheap drunk!
2. Free gratuities for your cabin. This is worth about $30 a day for the length of your cruise.
3. Onboard credit - $100 for 3 to 5 night sailings
$200 for 6 to 9 night sailings
$300 for 10 + nights
Obviously, if you drink, number one is going to be a better bargain for you. If you don't drink, you could probably go with either two or three and it would work out the same way. So anyway, yesterday Celebrity was kind enough to send me an email reminding me that today was the final day of the sale which prompted me to look at itineraries that they currently have available for 2015 to see if I saw anything interesting. And oops! I found something for January 16, 2015. I didn't want to find this but here it is....
| Date | Port/City | Activity | ||
| Day 1 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | |||
| Day 2 | At Sea | |||
| Day 3 | At Sea | |||
| Day 4 | Gustavia, St. Barts | Tendered | ||
| Day 5 | St. Croix, U.S.V.I. | Docked | ||
| Day 6 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Docked | ||
| Day 7 | Labadee, Haiti | Docked | ||
| Day 8 | At Sea | |||
| Day 9 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
Yes, you did read that right! It's an 8 night cruise from Ft. Lauderdale that goes to St. Barts, St Croix, Puerto Rico and RCCL's private island Labadee, Haiti!!!! (Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity.) So as luck would have it, several years ago when my travel buddy, Jenny and I were on a Celebrity cruise, we went to the future cruises office during the last day at sea and paid a $150 deposit on a future open ended cruise. You see, while you are on a cruise, if you book your next one, the deposit is MUCH cheaper than normal. But cruise lines figured out several years ago that not all people can plan one vacation while still on their current vacation so they started doing these open ended reservations where you just pay your deposit on your shipboard spending account and they give you a confirmation number showing that you have already paid a deposit on a future cruise. Then you have 10 or so years to figure out when and where you want to go and book it.
So.... Jenny and I have to go on a Celebrity cruise and we only have 5 or 6 years left to get it done before we lose our $150 deposit. It's not that I want to go on this cruise..... I sort of have to go on this cruise. So I sent Jenny an email yesterday afternoon to see if she would be willing to make the sacrifice and book it with me and the only concern she expressed was that she didn't know what the water temperature in the Eastern Caribbean would be like in January. Understandable, I mean the last thing you want to do is leave this Siberian climate we are becoming accustomed to in Texas only to go to a place where it is too cold to get in the water. So, I looked up the average water temperatures in the Virgin Islands. Ummmm, it's a very chilly 79 degrees in January as opposed to 84 in the summer months. Yikes! We may get frost bite!!!! So, I haven't gotten final word from her yet, but I am very hopeful that I'll be booking us on an Eastern Caribbean cruise today. If you are interested in getting a quote on this terrific itinerary, let me know. If you want to get in on the 123 Gone Sale, you have to book today. So don't delay!!!!!
Have a terrific weekend and stay warm out there fellow Texans!
Monday, February 24, 2014
What's YOUR Dream Island?
I keep doing those dumb quizzes on Facebook and I keep getting angry with the results. You know the ones I'm talking about where they ask you 20 random multiple choice questions and none of the multiple choice answers answer the question adequately so you just pick one. Then at the end of the quiz it announces to the entire Facebook world that your Disney personality is Cruella de Vil (which could not be further from the truth) or that you should move to freaking Tennessee because you aren't really a Texan based on the lame answers they listed.
So, after I was told by the last one that I'm not really a Texan I swore I'd stop doing those quizzes all together. Then last night I saw one that a person who I used to work with had taken proclaiming that her "dream island" was St. Barts. Now I thought to myself, this is a quiz with no downside (unless your dream island turns out to be somewhere in the Antarctic and what are the chances of that?)! So I took the quiz.
This quiz didn't ask stupid multiple choice questions like:
If you were a mammal other than human what would you be?
A. Squirrel
B. Lemur
C. Walrus
D. Impala
E. Wolf
For the record, my answer to this question would obviously be Walrus. I mean seriously, who wouldn't answer it that way??!!!!?!?!?! No sir, this quiz asked scientific questions related to the topic like,
Over your bathing suit at lunch, you wear....
A. A maxi dress and matching jewelry
B. Quick dry shorts and a sporty tank
C. A pretty sundress
D. A sarong or cover up
Well duh! Of course the correct answer is D. I don't even want to vacation in the same hemisphere with someone who goes to the trouble of picking out matching jewelry for something that they would use to cover their swimsuit. What kind of a sick-o does that? And I don't understand what the point would be of putting on a pretty sundress if you aren't going to shower first and put make up on. But here's the thing. I'm guessing that if a man took this quiz, they all end up with the same dream island since there aren't a lot of guy answers to these questions. In fact the questions themselves are really kind of girl questions. It's a very sexist quiz if the truth be known. Honestly a man doesn't wear anything over his bathing suit to lunch. He just throws a tee shirt on, if that! If a man answers anything other than B to this question, I'm thinking your room is going to need two queen beds rather than the one king. Know what I mean?
So this morning after giving this a little thought, I went back through all the questions and decided that there was really only one answer a man could give to most of these questions without totally losing his man card, so I re-took the quiz and gave the answers I thought a man would give and guess what..... I got the same result that I did last night when I took the quiz as myself. Apparently, my dream island whether I am a man or a woman is definitely Kauai! I've never been to Kauai but I've written several blogs about it. In fact, I get so many queries from clients who are interested in going to Kauai that I send the Kauai blog links to that they are among my most read blogs ever. Now, I know that's not saying much. But still, I thought it was interesting that the place I wrote about a mind trip to last year turned out to not only be my "dream island" but also would be my "dream island" even if I were a man.
My question now is, do all men get Kauai when they take this quiz? There is really only one question that I think they could answer differently than I did without having their masculinity questioned. I mean, we all have to agree that the answer to the following question if you are a man is a pretty easy one....
To show off your beach ready pedi at dinner, you where....
A. Sporty but cute sandals
B. A pair of stylish, open toed flats
C. This seasons hottest wedge sandals
D. Flip flops
If you are answering the way you think a man would and you answered anything other than D we really need to talk and you need a tune up on your gay-dar. Coincidentally, I answered this question the same way both times that I took it. After all, I'm very low maintenance on vacation. So, maybe that's why I got the standard "man dream island". Men are generally pretty low maintenance on vacation too. Hence, they can pack for two weeks in Hawaii using a backpack, while a woman needs a full set of luggage and ends up spending more on airline luggage fees than she did on her airline ticket. Or maybe it was the beverage question that got me the "man" answer.
Your ideal vacation libation is....
A. A local brew
B. A fresh and frosty margarita
C. A flute of something bubbly
D. A crisp glass of white wine
Now, as a woman I could have chosen any of those answers depending on the circumstances. But when I took the quiz, the image that popped into my mind on this question was of me laying on a hot and sandy beach and when I am hot and sweaty and have an option for a refreshing drink, I almost always want a Corona Light. It's my "sun" drink of choice. However, if it's dinner time depending on the atmosphere and my mood, I might choose a glass of white wine or champagne. You never really know what I might order. I'm unpredictable that way.
All in all, I think this tells us two things: One, a girl wrote this quiz. And two, a LOT of men should be calling me to book trips to Kauai and when you do, maybe I'll see you there! I'll be the girl in the flip flops sipping on a beer.
So, after I was told by the last one that I'm not really a Texan I swore I'd stop doing those quizzes all together. Then last night I saw one that a person who I used to work with had taken proclaiming that her "dream island" was St. Barts. Now I thought to myself, this is a quiz with no downside (unless your dream island turns out to be somewhere in the Antarctic and what are the chances of that?)! So I took the quiz.
This quiz didn't ask stupid multiple choice questions like:
If you were a mammal other than human what would you be?
A. Squirrel
B. Lemur
C. Walrus
D. Impala
E. Wolf
For the record, my answer to this question would obviously be Walrus. I mean seriously, who wouldn't answer it that way??!!!!?!?!?! No sir, this quiz asked scientific questions related to the topic like,
Over your bathing suit at lunch, you wear....
A. A maxi dress and matching jewelry
B. Quick dry shorts and a sporty tank
C. A pretty sundress
D. A sarong or cover up
Well duh! Of course the correct answer is D. I don't even want to vacation in the same hemisphere with someone who goes to the trouble of picking out matching jewelry for something that they would use to cover their swimsuit. What kind of a sick-o does that? And I don't understand what the point would be of putting on a pretty sundress if you aren't going to shower first and put make up on. But here's the thing. I'm guessing that if a man took this quiz, they all end up with the same dream island since there aren't a lot of guy answers to these questions. In fact the questions themselves are really kind of girl questions. It's a very sexist quiz if the truth be known. Honestly a man doesn't wear anything over his bathing suit to lunch. He just throws a tee shirt on, if that! If a man answers anything other than B to this question, I'm thinking your room is going to need two queen beds rather than the one king. Know what I mean?
So this morning after giving this a little thought, I went back through all the questions and decided that there was really only one answer a man could give to most of these questions without totally losing his man card, so I re-took the quiz and gave the answers I thought a man would give and guess what..... I got the same result that I did last night when I took the quiz as myself. Apparently, my dream island whether I am a man or a woman is definitely Kauai! I've never been to Kauai but I've written several blogs about it. In fact, I get so many queries from clients who are interested in going to Kauai that I send the Kauai blog links to that they are among my most read blogs ever. Now, I know that's not saying much. But still, I thought it was interesting that the place I wrote about a mind trip to last year turned out to not only be my "dream island" but also would be my "dream island" even if I were a man.
My question now is, do all men get Kauai when they take this quiz? There is really only one question that I think they could answer differently than I did without having their masculinity questioned. I mean, we all have to agree that the answer to the following question if you are a man is a pretty easy one....
To show off your beach ready pedi at dinner, you where....
A. Sporty but cute sandals
B. A pair of stylish, open toed flats
C. This seasons hottest wedge sandals
D. Flip flops
If you are answering the way you think a man would and you answered anything other than D we really need to talk and you need a tune up on your gay-dar. Coincidentally, I answered this question the same way both times that I took it. After all, I'm very low maintenance on vacation. So, maybe that's why I got the standard "man dream island". Men are generally pretty low maintenance on vacation too. Hence, they can pack for two weeks in Hawaii using a backpack, while a woman needs a full set of luggage and ends up spending more on airline luggage fees than she did on her airline ticket. Or maybe it was the beverage question that got me the "man" answer.
Your ideal vacation libation is....
A. A local brew
B. A fresh and frosty margarita
C. A flute of something bubbly
D. A crisp glass of white wine
Now, as a woman I could have chosen any of those answers depending on the circumstances. But when I took the quiz, the image that popped into my mind on this question was of me laying on a hot and sandy beach and when I am hot and sweaty and have an option for a refreshing drink, I almost always want a Corona Light. It's my "sun" drink of choice. However, if it's dinner time depending on the atmosphere and my mood, I might choose a glass of white wine or champagne. You never really know what I might order. I'm unpredictable that way.
All in all, I think this tells us two things: One, a girl wrote this quiz. And two, a LOT of men should be calling me to book trips to Kauai and when you do, maybe I'll see you there! I'll be the girl in the flip flops sipping on a beer.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Slow Down and Enjoy the Scenery!
Sorry I haven't written a blog post in so long! It's been a busy week here at Places You'll Go Travel. Everyone seems to be working hard on getting summer vacation plans squared away. If you haven't started planning yet, you might be behind the 8 ball. But we can still get you taken care of. I'm excited that so many people are planning on going to places that neither they nor I have ever been to before. It gives me the opportunity to do research on brand new locations! Doing all this research almost makes me feel like I'm going myself.... almost!
I have other clients who are planning trips to their old vacation stand by's. There's something nice about going to a place that you've been to before for vacation. If you visit the same all inclusive resort every year, I think after the 2nd or 3rd year you could begin to experience a state of relaxation so deep that people would have to come around with a mirror to stick under your nose every hour or so just to make sure you are still breathing. For me, when I am in a new location, I have a little trouble relaxing because I feel like I have to see and do everything since I have a limited amount of time to do so. I always think, what if this is the only time I'll ever be here??!?!?! Just in case, I better do everything!!!! So, I spend my vacation running from one sight to another in a tourist frenzy the likes of which you have probably never seen snapping pictures every 20 seconds along the way.
I know I've told the stories about the trip to Europe before, but that is exactly the state that my travel buddy, Jenny and I were in while we traveled in Europe several years ago. It was our first time to travel together and it turned out that we were sort of on the same page. We both had an overwhelming urge to rush to each sight, snap multiple pictures as quickly as possible and then move on to another sight. I think one of the few times we slowed down and really enjoyed a tourist attraction was at Park Guell in Barcelona. When we first arrived at Park Guell we were still in the tourism frenzy mode that we spent most of the trip in as you might be able to tell if you saw how many photos I took in the first hour. But then we came across this guy who was testing the boundaries of the acoustics in the pavilion and and things changed. Suddenly a state of peace came over me and I felt the need to slow down and just enjoy all there was to see and experience.
In a place like Park Guell your photos can go one of two ways. Either you will end up with photos of people you don't know from some other country posing for someone else in front of whatever land mark you are trying to photograph, or you can wait around indefinitely until all the other tourists clear out and try to get a picture of the actual landmark with nobody else in front of it. Partially due to my lack of patience, most of my photos usually have other tourists posing in them. In my opinion, life is too short to spend it waiting for all the other people in the world to finish taking photos in front of a giant mosaic lizard at Park Guell. The other reason is that I assume that someone besides me will someday look at my photos and I want them to get that same sense that I had when I was visiting the location that this is an important sight, hence all of these people are in the photos. I mean, seriously.... if you visit the Great Pyramids and take a bunch of photos of just the pyramids and no other humans are in he photos, in 500 years if someone comes across the photos are they going to think, Wow! Those people in the 21st century were so self involved they didn't even realize what a big deal those pyramids were!!!!! Let's face it, we are pretty self involved. It wouldn't be a big jump for someone from the 26th century to make that we were too self involved to recognize history when we walked right through it. So, this is what the entrance of Park Guell looks like on any given day with a ga-zillion tourists all stopping to take photos of one another in front of the different pieces of art.
But here's the really amazing thing. After we saw the guy in the pavilion playing his music and we relaxed and began to just walk around slowly, suddenly there were photo opportunities all around us with no other tourists squeezing between you and the landmark you were trying to photograph. And that was pretty nice too.
So I guess my point is, sometimes even if you think it might be your only visit to an area, it's best to just slow down, take it easy and enjoy the sights that you do have time to visit. Have a terrific Saturday!
I have other clients who are planning trips to their old vacation stand by's. There's something nice about going to a place that you've been to before for vacation. If you visit the same all inclusive resort every year, I think after the 2nd or 3rd year you could begin to experience a state of relaxation so deep that people would have to come around with a mirror to stick under your nose every hour or so just to make sure you are still breathing. For me, when I am in a new location, I have a little trouble relaxing because I feel like I have to see and do everything since I have a limited amount of time to do so. I always think, what if this is the only time I'll ever be here??!?!?! Just in case, I better do everything!!!! So, I spend my vacation running from one sight to another in a tourist frenzy the likes of which you have probably never seen snapping pictures every 20 seconds along the way.
I know I've told the stories about the trip to Europe before, but that is exactly the state that my travel buddy, Jenny and I were in while we traveled in Europe several years ago. It was our first time to travel together and it turned out that we were sort of on the same page. We both had an overwhelming urge to rush to each sight, snap multiple pictures as quickly as possible and then move on to another sight. I think one of the few times we slowed down and really enjoyed a tourist attraction was at Park Guell in Barcelona. When we first arrived at Park Guell we were still in the tourism frenzy mode that we spent most of the trip in as you might be able to tell if you saw how many photos I took in the first hour. But then we came across this guy who was testing the boundaries of the acoustics in the pavilion and and things changed. Suddenly a state of peace came over me and I felt the need to slow down and just enjoy all there was to see and experience.
In a place like Park Guell your photos can go one of two ways. Either you will end up with photos of people you don't know from some other country posing for someone else in front of whatever land mark you are trying to photograph, or you can wait around indefinitely until all the other tourists clear out and try to get a picture of the actual landmark with nobody else in front of it. Partially due to my lack of patience, most of my photos usually have other tourists posing in them. In my opinion, life is too short to spend it waiting for all the other people in the world to finish taking photos in front of a giant mosaic lizard at Park Guell. The other reason is that I assume that someone besides me will someday look at my photos and I want them to get that same sense that I had when I was visiting the location that this is an important sight, hence all of these people are in the photos. I mean, seriously.... if you visit the Great Pyramids and take a bunch of photos of just the pyramids and no other humans are in he photos, in 500 years if someone comes across the photos are they going to think, Wow! Those people in the 21st century were so self involved they didn't even realize what a big deal those pyramids were!!!!! Let's face it, we are pretty self involved. It wouldn't be a big jump for someone from the 26th century to make that we were too self involved to recognize history when we walked right through it. So, this is what the entrance of Park Guell looks like on any given day with a ga-zillion tourists all stopping to take photos of one another in front of the different pieces of art.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Day Two of Our Mind Trip to Key West
Yesterday was pretty busy and I didn't get a chance to write an installment on our mind trip to Key West that we began on Wednesday. But today, let's pick up where we left off. If you'll recall, it was cold and miserable in Dallas on Wednesday. So I booked us a last minute flight to Key West on Delta and we had to take one of the few hotel rooms available in Key West which just happened to be an oceanfront room at the lovely Westin in Key West. Hey, this is a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.... Now this is only a 3 day mind trip, so you've got to make the most of every imaginary minute you have in the Keys.
If you didn't read Wednesday's blog, you are welcome to go back and read it if for no other reason, just to look at the photos and links. But I'll go ahead and tell you that we didn't arrive until a little after 2:00 PM Then after checking into our hotel, we made stops at Margaritaville, the Earnest Hemingway Home and The Green Parrot before heading to Mallory Square for the daily Sunset Celebration and then dinner at Sunset Pier. It was a pretty full afternoon. Today will be no different.
Since this is a short little vacation, I've decided to sleep in a little and so I don't wake up until around 9:00 AM and then decide to spend the first couple of hours of the day relaxing around the hotels magnificent pool with a Bloody Mary to accompany me. Perhaps you're a Mimosa person. That's fine, you can order whatever you want as the waiter walks by. But for me, it'll be a Bloody Mary - after all, that tomato juice contains a full days supply of 8 vitamins and minerals. (I'm such a health freak, right?) Around 11 we decide to get dressed and head out for some fun around Key West. We've got a lot of stuff to pack in to a very short amount of time today. Tonight we have reservations at La Te Da where we'll have dinner and then enjoy the Caberet. I can't wait! Ever since I saw The Birdcage years ago, I've wanted to see a drag show. This is my chance and the shows at Cabaret at La Te Da get rave reviews as does the restaurant.
But before all that, I've never had a chance to visit Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. It's the US's southernmost state park, (like everything else in Key West) and in addition to a historical sight, there's a beach. What more could you ask for? We arrive at the park just in time for the daily tour which begins at noon and find out all there is to know about Ft. Zach before heading to the beach to lay around for a little while. The beach at Ft. Zach is a good one by Key West standards. If you are looking for surf, you are in the wrong place. The Keys are protected by a barrier reef which means no surf. Walking into the water is like walking into a kiddie pool. Because of the lack of surf, there is also a lack of sand which means a lack of natural beaches. So, most of the beaches here are man made and small. The beach at Ft. Zach is a little rocky, but since it's part of a state park, it has bathroom facilities, and watersport rentals and there is a neat little cafe, Cayo Hueso on the beach where we get a cuban sandwich and a large bottled water for lunch for under $10 per person.
After spending a few hours on the beach at Ft. Zach, we head back over toward Duval St. to listen to a little live music this afternoon while enjoying an adult beverage or two before going back to the hotel to dress for dinner and our very exciting show! One of my favorite things about Key West is how casual everything is. Just throw a swimsuit cover up and flip flops on and you are welcome in any bar coming straight from the beach or a snorkeling trip in the Dry Tortugas. Today we've decided to stop off at Sloppy Joe's and listen to some live music while perusing the specialty drink menu. After much consideration I decide on a Sloppy Mojito and I am not disappointed. A couple of mojitos later, we make our way back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
After dinner and a truly wonderful show at La Te Da we spend the rest of the evening and an hour or two of the morning doing the Duval Crawl hitting as many of the hot spots as possible along Duval St. Tomorrow is our last full day in Key West then we'll fly home on Sunday so we still have a lot of stuff to cram into a short amount of time. So let's stay hydrated folks and keep your game faces on! We have work to do.
Tomorrow will be our funnest day yet! Have a great weekend!
If you didn't read Wednesday's blog, you are welcome to go back and read it if for no other reason, just to look at the photos and links. But I'll go ahead and tell you that we didn't arrive until a little after 2:00 PM Then after checking into our hotel, we made stops at Margaritaville, the Earnest Hemingway Home and The Green Parrot before heading to Mallory Square for the daily Sunset Celebration and then dinner at Sunset Pier. It was a pretty full afternoon. Today will be no different.
Since this is a short little vacation, I've decided to sleep in a little and so I don't wake up until around 9:00 AM and then decide to spend the first couple of hours of the day relaxing around the hotels magnificent pool with a Bloody Mary to accompany me. Perhaps you're a Mimosa person. That's fine, you can order whatever you want as the waiter walks by. But for me, it'll be a Bloody Mary - after all, that tomato juice contains a full days supply of 8 vitamins and minerals. (I'm such a health freak, right?) Around 11 we decide to get dressed and head out for some fun around Key West. We've got a lot of stuff to pack in to a very short amount of time today. Tonight we have reservations at La Te Da where we'll have dinner and then enjoy the Caberet. I can't wait! Ever since I saw The Birdcage years ago, I've wanted to see a drag show. This is my chance and the shows at Cabaret at La Te Da get rave reviews as does the restaurant.
But before all that, I've never had a chance to visit Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. It's the US's southernmost state park, (like everything else in Key West) and in addition to a historical sight, there's a beach. What more could you ask for? We arrive at the park just in time for the daily tour which begins at noon and find out all there is to know about Ft. Zach before heading to the beach to lay around for a little while. The beach at Ft. Zach is a good one by Key West standards. If you are looking for surf, you are in the wrong place. The Keys are protected by a barrier reef which means no surf. Walking into the water is like walking into a kiddie pool. Because of the lack of surf, there is also a lack of sand which means a lack of natural beaches. So, most of the beaches here are man made and small. The beach at Ft. Zach is a little rocky, but since it's part of a state park, it has bathroom facilities, and watersport rentals and there is a neat little cafe, Cayo Hueso on the beach where we get a cuban sandwich and a large bottled water for lunch for under $10 per person. After spending a few hours on the beach at Ft. Zach, we head back over toward Duval St. to listen to a little live music this afternoon while enjoying an adult beverage or two before going back to the hotel to dress for dinner and our very exciting show! One of my favorite things about Key West is how casual everything is. Just throw a swimsuit cover up and flip flops on and you are welcome in any bar coming straight from the beach or a snorkeling trip in the Dry Tortugas. Today we've decided to stop off at Sloppy Joe's and listen to some live music while perusing the specialty drink menu. After much consideration I decide on a Sloppy Mojito and I am not disappointed. A couple of mojitos later, we make our way back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.After dinner and a truly wonderful show at La Te Da we spend the rest of the evening and an hour or two of the morning doing the Duval Crawl hitting as many of the hot spots as possible along Duval St. Tomorrow is our last full day in Key West then we'll fly home on Sunday so we still have a lot of stuff to cram into a short amount of time. So let's stay hydrated folks and keep your game faces on! We have work to do.
Tomorrow will be our funnest day yet! Have a great weekend!
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