Author Archives: bippuz

Flying with discount airlines and on basic economy tickets

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One thing that I see over and over again in my travel groups is that people don’t quite understand how discount airlines and basic economy tickets work. I wanted to write a quick post explaining this to help people understand that with a little planning, these can be a great deal!

When frequent travelers talk about “discount carriers” versus “legacy carriers” we are distinguishing between two types of airlines. In the USA, the three main legacy carriers are American Airlines, United, and Delta. Southwest and JetBlue are somewhere in the middle between legacy and discount, but for purposes of this article I am going to focus on the “bare bones” of airline tickets, which in the USA are Frontier, Spirit, and Allegiant. Note that other countries and continents also have their legacy and discount carriers, with similar differences, but these are beyond the scope of the post.

The reason why Frontier, Spirit, and Allegiant offer such incredible deals on flights is because their business model is that you pay for a seat but anything else is extra. This includes your seat assignment (choosing where you will sit), a checked bag, and a carry-on bag. Spirit even charges you to print your boarding pass at the airport, however if you check in online it’s free. Also when you fly these planes, expect to have very thin seats with a tray table about the size of a paperback novel. Oh and if you want soda or snacks in the air you need to buy them, but water is free.

In the last few years, the legacy carriers have jumped on the bare bones flying bandwagon and now offer “basic economy fares” with most of the same limitations as the discount carriers. If you buy one of these tickets, you do not get to pick your seat in advance. You can bring a carry-on for free and get the same beverage and snack service in the air. You also do not get a free checked bag when traveling overseas and you forgo any ability to upgrade.

I am a big fan of both the basic economy tickets and the discount carriers, because frankly I don’t care that much about luggage or leg room. I much prefer to spend as little money as possible on a ticket.

When we fly on a discount airline where we have to pay for a carry-on, we try to pack everything into one carry-on for all of us, and then put a lot of our stuff in our personal items, which is usually a Jansport sized backpack. I have also on occasion just packed everything in my personal item. If you google “personal item luggage” you can find specially made luggage that fits the personal item dimension restrictions for most of these airlines, although I tend to just use a back-pack.

If you think there is no way you can do that, I assure you can! Packing cubes and rolling your clothes make a huge difference. Check out my page on packing for other ideas. It helps to think about what you really need and if and how you can do laundry at your destination.

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The magic of packing cubes. Three people in one carry-on for three days

The seat assignment is no big deal to me if I am traveling alone or even with other adults. It can become tricky when traveling with kids. What tends to happen is that parties who are booked together will be seated together, even though the airline can not guarantee this. I spent about 10 minutes on the phone with a Frontier representative recently because it was unclear whether their policy is to sit children with their parents regardless of a paid seat assignment. While it was clear he was not allowed to tell me over the phone that we would be seated together, he assured me I should not worry about it, and chances were extremely high we would be seated together. If we were talking in person I am sure he would have been winking at me. So that is something you may have to take your chances on, but some of the airlines do have policies stating that they will not separate parents and children, even on basic economy tickets.

If you do feel that you want to pay for a seat-assignment or luggage, you can use on of the credit cards, such as several from American Express, that will offer you a certain amount of “airline incidental fee” reimbursement to pay for these add-ons and you will get reimbursed as one of your perks (the Platinum, Gold, and Hilton Honors Aspire cards all have this, and it offsets the annual fee). The problem here is you have to pick a “preferred airline” each year and you can only use this reimbursement for that airline, so choose wisely.

I think if you know what you are getting into, and you know how to pack light, these fares can be an awesome way to get somewhere you want to go, cheaper.

North Carolina!

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Ah sweet Carolina. Some people may not realize this, but North Carolina is almost a second home to me since my Dad lived there from when I was about 10 until after I graduated from college. I would go there about 3-4 times a year. My brother also attended 3 universities there and eventually graduated from UNC Chapel Hill. Although I don’t currently have any family there, it has been about 15 years since I visited NC and I was longing to go back. If you’ve ever been to North Carolina you’ll understand why.

Unfortunately getting there from Syracuse was near impossible. It’s a 10+ hour drive, and there were no direct flights. Plus flying between two small airports often equates with exorbitant prices. So when Syracuse airport started offering direct flights to Raleigh-Durham on Frontier airlines last summer, I knew I had to catch one!

The planning

I looked ahead to when the kids had a three-day weekend from school, and found $80 round trip tickets on Frontier for Veterans Day weekend. I booked these and then looked at lodging. While I really like the Raleigh Durham area, I absolutely love the Blue Ridge Mountains, especially the town of Boone, where Appalachian State University is located. I decided we could drive straight out there when we landed that afternoon and have a few days in that area before heading back to Raleigh.

There was another reason we wanted to go this area, however. When my son was in kindergarten he was obsessed with a type of lemur called the “Aye-Aye.” Back then he told me about the Duke Lemur Center (I have no idea how he learned about it), and asked if we could go. Well it took 6 years but we could finally plan a visit.

I booked a La Quinta Inn in Boone for two nights for 17,319 Chase Ultimate Rewards points total. For our last night I decided to stay in Durham and found a Homewood Suites offering a 2 bedroom suite for the same price as all of their other rooms, $109 a night!

The trip

I picked the kids up from school early to make our 12:35pm flight to RDU. Luckily we got to the airport with enough time to make use of our Priority Pass lounge benefit at our airport’s only “lounge,” Johnny Rockets. We get a $28 credit per person which was enough to cover our food (minus the $5 tip). The flight took off on time and was great. Since Frontier is a discount airline you do have to pay for your bags, both checked and carry-on. This wasn’t my first time at this rodeo, so I paid for one carry-on bag, and paid for it using my American Express gold card, after setting my preferred airline to Frontier. I get a $100 credit per calendar year for airline incidental fees such as bag charges and seat assignments, and since I had just received the card I hadn’t used this year’s credit yet. For both ways the one bag cost $74 which was reimbursed through this card. I’ve written another post about how to fly these discount airlines without getting soaked in fees. If you really want to make sure you get a good deal you have to learn how to pack lightly and efficiently, including maybe taking one carry-on bag, plus “personal items,” for 3-4 people. Sometimes we even try to fit everything in our free personal items (which can be a small backpack). I also talked to a rep on the phone ahead of time about whether they had a policy about seating parents and children together and he assured me it would not be a problem. Sure enough, when I checked in, we were all seated together.

Free burgers!
Pack light!
After landing at RDU we headed over to the rental car company. After I checked in and went to the aisle to pick up the car we got a nice surprise. The worker asked how many bags we had and I told him, just the one small suitcase and our small backpacks. There were two Mustang convertibles nearby, and he said, “you want a Mustang?” Well the kids started jumping for joy right there in the spot. I think this was because it was a holiday weekend and they were running low on cars, and there’s not as much of a demand for convertibles on a “chilly” weekend in Raleigh, so I’m sure he wanted to give that to us and save a sedan for someone else. But we were so excited to cruise around in it! It was yet another time when packing light pays off!

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Woo hoo!!!!

We drove about 3 hours out to Boone and checked into our hotel. On recommendation from the hotel clerk we went to dinner at a restaurant called the Pedalin’ Pig for some authentic Carolina BBQ. My older son and I shared a platter with pulled pork, ribs, and smoked brisket and several southern sides and it was absolutely delicious.

before…
…after
The next morning, after our complimentary breakfast, we bought some discount tickets for nearby Grandfather Mountain from the front desk (saving about $10) and headed over to the park. It was good we got there early because the lines into the park later in the day after we were leaving were super long.

Grandfather mountain has a nice nature center with a small little zoo housing local animals such as bears, elk, otters, and eagles. After seeing these exhibits we took a short hike up to the top with the swinging bridge for some amazing 360 degree views.

Nature center
Bears!
Elk!
It had been a chilly morning but when the sun came out it warmed up. We were so excited to put the top down and cruise along the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping at some of the viewpoints. We drove up to Blowing Rock, a quaint little tourist town with shops and restaurants, already decorated for the holidays. We ate a delicious British-inspired lunch at Six-Pence Pub,and then headed back to Boone, cruising the parkway a little more on the way back.

Cruisin the parkway!
lunch!
Blowing Rock
After a swim in the pool we headed out to downtown Boone to walk around and get dinner. It was great to revisit the town, and we had fun exploring all the vintage toys, candy, and other unique items at Mast General Store. We found an inexpensive Pho restaurant for dinner and then headed home.

pool time!
Mast general store
Pho sure
The next morning we decided to check out the North Carolina Zoo, as it was on the way back to the Raleigh Durham area. Because we have membership at our local zoo that is a member of the reciprocity program with the AZA, we were able to pay only 50% admission for $33 total. The North Carolina zoo is huge! It bills itself as being the largest natural habitat zoo in the world. The animals are kept in very large spaces which makes walking between them quite a trek! Fortunately once you get from one side to the other they have a tram to take you back.

We left the zoo around 2 and got to our hotel in Durham around 3:30. The suite we booked was enormous! It had a kitchen, living room, bedroom with two full beds and bedroom with a king bed, plus two bathrooms.

After enjoying the space to spread out for a while, we eventually headed out for dinner. We went to a small Mexican, “hole in the wall” taco stand called “Tacos Nacos” which had received great reviews online. It certainly lived up to the hype! We had some of the best tacos we’ve had outside of Mexico. Plus it was super inexpensive at $2-3 per taco.

For dessert, we drove to Raleigh to visit one of my favorite all time ice cream shops (well, really it’s frozen custard), Goodberry’s. My dad used to take us there when he was lived in NC and I was happy that it hasn’t changed it’s delicious custard recipe and excited to share it with the kids. They offer chocolate, vanilla, and a flavor of the day, was well as shakes, sundaes, and “Carolina Concretes” where they mix in various toppings. It was just as good as I remembered. Next we drove a couple miles over to my friends’ house so I could visit with her while the kids played video games with their son.

For our last morning, we ate the free breakfast at the hotel and got ready to check out. Our appointment at the Duke Lemur Center was at 11am and the kids could hardly contain their excitement. We still had a few hours to wait however, so we went over to the beautiful Duke Gardens to walk around and take pictures.

Finally it was time to head over to the Lemur Center. We got there right on time to start our tour. We were all giddy with excitement that we were finally here! The tour was about an hour and twenty minutes and the guide taught us all about lemurs and the great work they do helping and studying the various species of lemurs, several of which are critically endangered in Madagascar. They also have a center there where they work with the locals on helping to save the lemurs’ habitats while also respecting their culture and economic reasons for using the natural resources that impact the ecosystem. We were able to see several species of lemur outside in the cages, including ring-tailed and ruffed lemurs. They were lively and fun to watch. The real highlight however was the end of the tour when we went into the Nocturnal building. We were able to finally see the Aye-Aye!!! Bucket list item, check!

After we the tour we picked up some souvenirs from the lemur center and then had about an hour before we needed to be at the airport to catch our flight. We decided to go back to Tacos Nacos for lunch because it was just that good. We then drove back to the airport and turned in the rental car, forgetting to put gas in the car before we dropped it off so we got over-charged for gas. Doh! No biggie though, because everything else on the trip went about as perfectly as it could have, including a great flight home where we arrived early. We also made sure to buy some snacks on the plane to get the rest of my Amex gold reimbursement credit. In fact, the only hard part of the trip was landing into the snow, ice, and cold in Syracuse, as it had been 68 degrees and sunny in North Carolina. Oh well, at least we got to have some fun in the sun with our top down for a few days!

Overall it was a fantastic trip! We had great luck with the free car upgrade, had sunny weather, had excellent, inexpensive food, and got to see the mountains, the zoo, and lemurs! What could be better??

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amsterdam, Ghent, and Paris!

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Flights to Europe have been incredibly inexpensive this past year. Now, much of that is for off-peak travel (i.e., non-summer). However if you use google flights explore you can probably find round trip flights to many destinations for under $500.

My husband and I really wanted to get back to Europe and we were pretty open to the destination as long as we could find flights under that $500 range. Since we would be going over the summer break, it was a little trickier, but I managed to find round-trip flights direct from JFK to Amsterdam for $500 on Delta basic economy.

Just a heads up about Basic Economy or Economy Light. These are the tickets that the legacy carriers like Delta, AA, and United sell for less than a regular economy ticket. They are meant to be similar to budget airlines like Spirit or Ryanair. It is carry-on only, no seat assignment, and no upgrades. I love to book these flights, especially when I travel solo because I never check a bag anyway, I never have status for upgrades, and I don’t usually care where I sit since I’m short (i.e., leg room is not an issue for me). So for me it’s a no-brainer.

When I first booked the tickets I asked the kids if they would be ok sitting next to a stranger if it meant we could go to Europe and they both gave a resounding “yes!” However, as the day came closer they started to get cold feet. Since we were actually flying on a KLM plane and they have a policy of seating parents and children together, even on basic economy seats, I was pretty sure we would be seated together. However they cannot guarantee this if the flight is full. Delta did just start a policy allowing people to play for seat assignments on Basic economy up to 7 days before their flight, so I ended up doing that for $28 a person to ensure we sat together.

For our lodging we decided to go with Airbnb again. The hotels are pretty pricey this time of year and we just love Airbnb. It’s so nice to see what it’s like to live in an actual neighborhood and to spread out in a multi-room apartment.

The trip

The kids had a half day for their last day of school, so as soon as my youngest was dismissed at 11:30 we picked him up and headed down to JFK airport. The drive was actually totally fine and we ate sandwiches in the car. Good thing we saved money that way because what happened next at the airport ended up costing us.

Our flights didn’t leave until 10pm but we wanted to get to the airport 4-5 hours early in case we hit any problems driving down or driving through the city. We got to the park and fly lot around 5:30 and to the airport around 6pm.

I had really wanted to see the new TWA hotel at JFK. It’s meant to be an homage to 60’s era air travel, and so it’s all designed in a mid-century modern style (even the workers are dressed up in vintage TWA outfits). I made us reservations in advance for the pool bar and the sunken lounge, but when we got up to the pool bar we were told we would have to leave our bags at the front desk  It was really hot out and the kids didn’t have bathing suits so they didn’t want to hang out there, but I did manage to snap a few pictures.

 

 

We then thought about hanging out in the sunken lounge but we were all hungry so we thought we could go instead to one of the Priority Pass lounges or the restaurant that gives you a credit with your PP card, Bobby Vans in Terminal 8. However when we got to the air-train the kids and my husband were nervous about going all the way to T8 when our gate was at T4, so we decided to stay at T4 and just pay to guest the kids into Delta sky lounge. My husband and I each have Amex Platinum cards that get us into Delta sky lounge as long as we are flying Delta, and the kids would be $29 each. However I knew that if we paid for food for all of us at airport prices it would be way more than $58, so this sounded like a good deal to me.

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans…

We went through security at the TSA precheck line and it moved fairly quickly except they flagged my 8 year olds backpack. No big deal, we’ve been flagged before randomly for a quick hand search. Well apparently his bottle of powdered miralax set off the “liquids” alarm in the x-ray (he has been needing to take it every night and we didn’t want to worry about finding the same thing in Europe). Next they swabbed the bottle and it set off the explosives alarm!?!

The TSA agent asked whose bag it was and my husband said it was my son’s. He said someone needed to get patted down, it didn’t matter who, so my husband volunteered. They swabbed his hands, and the explosives “alarm” went off again. I seriously think their equipment was malfunctioning.

At this point we had been standing there for 15 minutes at least. I know TSA agents have a crappy job, and they’re not all bad. In fact the ones if our home airport at SYR are always awesome, but these workers…well, let’s say efficiency and timeliness were not their priorities. Thank goodness we had given ourselves plenty of time, if we had gotten to the airport in the normal amount of time we may have missed our flight!

They patted down my husband, went through my son’s bag, took my husband to a private room to pat him down again, and then had to call the explosives expert to check out the miralax. When he finally got there he ran it through the x-ray again, checked everything else out, and finally let us go on our way.

The priority pass lounge, Wingtips, was right near where we were at security but I had heard from friends it was sub-par so we decided to stick with our original plan of the Delta sky lounge. We walked all the way down the terminal to get to it. When I went to check in, the agent told us that unfortunately we could not get in because we were flying KLM, even though it was a Delta ticket! I was so annoyed. My husband really wanted a lounge for he WiFi because he had papers to grade for his online class, so we hoofed it all the way back to the Wingtips lounge over by security. When we got there there was a sign out front that said “Priority Pass not accepted tonight.” Strike 2!

We were so hangry at that point we just bit the bullet and went to the first airport restaurant we could find. My husband and I needed a stiff drink fast, and we were all starving. Of course, they were out of 60% of the items on the menu. And…our bill was $180 (with tip). I’m not kidding. For two chicken sandwiches, a salad, a chicken tenders appetizer, fries, and some drinks. Ughhhh!!!! Well, I guess that’s the karma I get for bragging to everyone that I haven’t paid for airport food in three years due to lounge access.

The plane was a 747 and kind of old. It had in flight entertainment but my headphone jack was semi-functioning. We didn’t take off until 10 and I really wanted to get some sleep so I took some meds and it was lights out. Luckily everyone slept but it’s a relatively short flight to AMS so before you know it they were waking us up and serving breakfast.

Amsterdam

We landed at Schiphol airport around 11:15am and customs was a breeze. We followed our Airbnb host’s instructions to get to our apartment in the de Pijp neighborhood near the Albert Cuypmarket and we arrived there around 1pm. She was very gracious and had us put our bags in her flat on the first floor while she finished getting ours ready. While we waited we walked around the Albert Cuypmarket and got some street food, including huge stroopwaffels for the kids.

I discovered this market on my first trip to Amsterdam and loved it! Not only can you get local and other ethnic foods but there are several great fabric and sewing stores, plus other random items you might need. I also really loved the de Pijp neighborhood which is out of the very touristy parts of Amsterdam but still walking distance. It’s a pretty lively place with lots of young people and outdoor cafes.

 

 

Albert Cuypmarket
Stoffen!!! (fabric)
stroopwaffel!
fish market

Our Airbnb was on the 4th floor up extremely narrow and steep stairs, which are pretty common for Amsterdam. The apartment itself was adorable, with a little balcony and a loft sleeping area for the kids.

 

 

Adorable!
Nice view of the courtyard
Whoah…

After we settled in and rested for a bit we walked over to the Van Gogh museum for which I had bought tickets ahead of time. Since I had been there before I walked through it quickly with my 8 year old who was a little bored so my husband and older son could spend more time. It’s a nice museum in that it organizes much of his work chronologically so you can see how he developed as an artist as well as how his struggles with mental illness affected his work and his relationships (they have many of his letters to friends and family on display).

 

Afterwards we walked over to a Dutch restaurant I had booked online with the Fork, an app similar to Open Table that seems to be used more widely in Europe. Because I booked with them we received 50% off the meal! We were eager to try some Dutch food (which actually isn’t super common in Amsterdam), so we got bitterballen, herring, and stampots, which were meat over mashed potatoes and vegetables- Dutch comfort food!

 

bitterballen
herring
stampot

After we walked around a bit we headed back to our apartment. Our host left us wine, beer, coffee, eggs, stroopwaffels, and crackers. This is  not unusual and another reason I love Airbnb’s. The good hosts often go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. Unfortunately between the jet lag and the fact that the sun doesn’t set until almost 11pm, we had a hard time getting to sleep.

The next morning we had tickets for the Anne Frank House at 11:15 so we walked around for a bit and took pictures of the canals. My son read her diary a few months ago so he was excited but also nervous that he would be sad. When my husband asked me to look on my phone to see where it was, my son remembered from the book and said, “it’s 263 Prinsengracht!”

 

Flower market
Very emotional
263 Prinsengracht!

Sure enough, he was right, and we made our way through the museum and annex with the audio tour, which was very well done. I had been here before, however it was just as moving as the first time. It is also very well done, if a little crowded.

Afterwards we headed over to the cafe, Winkel 43 for some sandwiches and their famous apple pie, which was out of this world! Next we walked toward the center of the city to see the main square and palace. We decided to pop into the Museum of Amsterdam which gives an overview of the history of the city.

 

OMG! The best apple pie!
City hall
Amsterdam museum
yay! Legos!
gotta love the leaning buildings
Febo!

We then walked back to our Airbnb and had some snacks and drinks on the terrace while the kids rested. Our Airbnb host graciously offered to babysit for us so we could go out alone. So we took the kids over to Febo, a Dutch fast food place where you can actually get some things out of the vending machine.

With the kids safely in the house with our host, my husband and I went over to one of the local cafes in de Pijp for a beer. We then had a fancy steak dinner with wine, because you know, no kids. After this we walked up to the red light district since my husband had never seen it. There was also a small red Light District district at the end of our street (Govert Flinckstraat if you are interested). The red light district is definitely something to see if you are in Amsterdam but the neighborhood gets really loud and annoying at night. We didn’t stay very long.

The next day we got up early to do an early morning canal boat tour that I booked through Airbnb experiences. The boat had about 15 people plus the captain and was very comfortable. He also served us coffee, tea, juice, pastries, and stroopwaffels as he gave us a tour of the city while talking about it’s history and how the city had changed since he was a kid growing up there in the 80s. He said they have really cut down on the drugs and prostitution since then. He also showed us how they integrate public housing into the nicer neighborhoods, which also cuts down on crime.

 

After our boat tour we walked over to a pancake restaurant, Moak, and then went to Rembrandt’s house, which was very nicely preserved as he would have lived there.

 

Rembrandt house
Rembrandt’s bed. How cute!
His studio
The room where he kept things for drawing

Later we went back to our apartment to rest for a bit and got some street food at the Albert Cuypmarket for lunch. My husband and older son both had herring broodjes (sandwiches), but my younger son and I opted for frites (fries). We then walked over to the Rijksmuseum, the large museum which houses many of the Dutch masters paintings, including “the Milk maid” by Vermeer and “Night Watch” by Rembrandt. We saw a good portion of the museum and then my husband and older son wanted to go to the MOCO modern art museum that has some pieces from Banksy and Warhol. My younger son was pretty museum-ed out, so we hung out on the grass in front of the Van Gogh museum and played games until they were done.

 

That night for dinner we got some Surinamese takeout near our Airbnb at a place that our host recommended. It was ok but we were not huge fans.

Ghent

The next morning we went to the train station and took the Thalys train to Antwerp, which was about an hour, and then we boarded a local train to Ghent, about 30 minutes. It was very hot that day. We had dodged the bad heatwave that hit Western Europe a few days prior, as it never made it to Amsterdam, but this was the tail end of it.We checked into our Airbnb, which was a gorgeous, large, brand new two bedroom apartment. It had a washer and dryer, a huge bathroom, large beds, Netflix, and a balcony. It was pretty awesome to be able to spread out. And it was the cheapest Airbnb of the trip!

 

Bye Amsterdam!
Hello Belgium!
Huge airbnb!
Wine and chocolate waiting for us!
gorgeous
nice balcony

After we checked in we walked into the historic city center and got our bearings. After we explored a bit we had a very nice dinner on the patio of a great Belgian restaurant. We got to try some unique Flemish dishes such as chicken in pastry and fish stew, and of course we had some beer and waffles for dessert! It was nice to let the kids run around the square while we enjoyed our beers. The town square has a little amphitheater and there was a folk singing duo singing American songs, such as “Sound of Silence” and “Rawhide.” There was a large audience singing along with songbooks. It was pretty funny to watch Europeans sing this American folk music!

 

The next day we grabbed a quick breakfast and met up with our free walking tour. That lasted about 2 hours and took us to all of the historical sites.

 

After our lunch of Flemish beef stew and McDonald’s chicken nuggets (two stops), I really wanted to check out the Dr. Guislain museum which is housed in the first asylum in Belgium, so we walked over there after lunch. The main exhibit was on the history of psychiatry and then they had some really cool outsider art exhibits. The kids were a little freaked out so we took the tram back to town and then took the boat tour that was included in our Ghent city card. This is a really great deal, and if you go to Ghent it is definitely worth buying. We bought two 48-hour passes for my husband and myself, because kids get in most museums for free. It includes admission to all of the museums and historic sites, one boat ride, and free tram and public transportation. It easily paid for itself with two museums.

 

The asylum
It was really quite beautiful
highlights from the boat tour…

After the boat tour we got some more Belgian waffles and eventually made our way back to our apartment to chill out for the night.

 

These were little candies typical of Ghent. They were extremely sweet!
When in Belgium!
Had to make our own little flight.
View from the balcony of our Airbnb

The next morning my son and I purchased food from the grocery store for a few breakfasts, saving some money on eating out. After we ate we walked over to St. Baavo’s Cathedral to view the famous Ghent altarpiece by the Van Eyck brothers in the 15th century. It was stolen by the Nazis and eventually returned to Belgium, dramatized in the movie, “Monument Men” with George Clooney. We also went up to the top of the Belfry and got some amazing views of the city.

 

Next we did the tour of Gravensteen castle, a 12th century castle built by Philip of Alsace. They have an audio tour that takes you through the various rooms done by a comedian who cracks some jokes throughout. It was pretty cool to be in a real castle that old, and we again got some great views of the city.

 

Reminds me of the Princess Bride

Our lunch was fries with gourmet toppings and of course more beer. We took a museum break for a little shopping. The kids found a cool toy store and I found a great fabric store with lots of amazing European apparel fabric, most on sale for 30% off!

 

When in Belgium!
FABRIC!!!

Afterwards we visited the Ghent Museum of Design which had an interesting exhibit with various artists’ interpretations about what will happen with the meat industry over the next several decades as well as traditional design exhibits such as furniture.

 

Finally we landed at the House of Alijn museum. The building used to be a children’s hospital but is now a museum showing every day life in Belgium, which was pretty interesting. It is also geared towards children so has lots of interactive exhibits.

 

For dinner we went to an all-you-can-eat ribs restaurant called Amadeus. It was an interesting concept. They just keep bringing you racks of ribs and baked potatoes. Luckily they let us pay the child price for the kids but still brought them extra food.

Paris

The next morning we packed up and caught the local train to Brussels where we were going to catch our Thalys train to Paris. We accidentally sat in 1st class but the conductor was super nice and let us stay there as long as the kids were quiet (which, thankfully, they were).

When we got into the station at Paris we decided to take a taxi to our Airbnb in Le Quartier Latin (the Latin Quarter). We had some trouble retrieving the key and getting the door open but fortunately some really nice Parisiennes helped us. In fact, I found everyone we came across in Paris to be super nice and helpful! It definitely bucked up agains the stereotype of Parisiennes being rude.

This was my least favorite Airbnb as far as the space, mainly because it was on the first floor so did not have a balcony. But it did have a washer and dryer and air conditioner, and the location was unbeatable. It was steps away from Rue Mouffetard, which is a mainly pedestrian street with lots of bistros and shops. Right outside our door there was a fromagerie (cheese shop), amazing bakery, wine stores, a great little bistro, and more. You could not beat the location.

 

Our airbnb…
see-through floor!
right outside our door. So Parisienne.

We were pretty close to the Pantheon so after we settled in we walked over there and checked it out. It was cool to see the tombs of Rosseau, Hugo, and Curie. Next we walked over to Jardin de Luxembourg. The kids loved watching the little sailboats in the fountain. Afterwards we walked over to a children’s playground. You did have to pay a small entrance fee but the kids had fun running around while we rested.

 

The Pantheon
Foucault’s pendulum
Sailboats at the Jardin de Luxembourg
Playground fun

We had crepes for dinner and delicious gelato for dessert along the Rue Mouffetard.

The next morning we took the metro to the Louvre where we met our guide who I had hired through Airbnb experiences. She set up a family scavenger hunt, and had little notebooks for the kids where they had to complete some tasks such as finding certain things, and they received points for the task. She also taught us about the artwork as we went, and she was amazing at zooming us through this monstrous museum to all the highlights, such as the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, Psyche Revived, the Raft of the Medusa, and Liberty Leading the People, among others. She also took us on a brief tour of the old castle section, as well as the section housing the apartments of Napoleon III. There is no way we would have been able to find all of these famous works without her, so for that alone she was absolutely worth it. She also kept our 8 year-old engaged for the whole three hours though the activities she offered. I highly recommend hiring a guide if you are going to attempt the Louvre. It is so huge and hard to navigate, as we learned after the tour when we tried to view some of the exhibits on ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

Right outside our door.
Pain de chocolate…tous les jours!
the Louvre!
Learning stuff
there she is!
Well that’s a head scratcher
More learning
searching for ancient symbols
Napoleon III’s apartments

We spent about 5 hours total at the Louvre and were pretty exhausted, but we decided to walk home along the Seine and try to see some of Notre Dame, which unfortunately had been damaged by a fire several months ago. The kids were excited to see the Font des Artes bridge, where people used to put locks on the railing to symbolize their love, however they were disappointed to find most of the locks gone and replaced with plexiglass. When one of the railings started to fall down the city took all the locks off work lock cutters and put up the plexiglass to discourage the practice. You could still see locks on the lampposts and at other spots alone the Seine, however.

It was cool to see Notre Dame even though much of it was blocked off. We stopped at a cafe for some ice cream and eventually made it back to our Airbnb. We had a great little dinner at the bistro around the corner, including duck, French Onion soup (gratinee), and creme brûlée for dessert.

Notre Dame
People watching from a cafe…what could be more Paris?
Le Bistro

The next morning we took it easy and had some leisurely coffee and pastries by the Airbnb. We were so fortunate that apparently the best bakery on Rue Mouffetard was right around the corner, so we got breakfast from there every morning.

Next we took the metro over to the Eiffel Tower and took some pictures outside. We had heard that going up in it isn’t really worth it, so we skipped that and walked over to the Arc d’Triomphe and the Champs Elysee. From there we took the metro to the Jewish quarter. My great grandparents were Polish Jews living in Paris in the late 19th century. I am not sure where they lived but we assumed it was somewhere in this neighborhood. We saw some cool Jewish butchers and bakeries and had lunch at a deli.

Look ma!
The Jewish Quarter

After this we walked over to the Bastille monument and along the way we stumbled into Place des Vosges, the first public square in Paris, which is now a very relaxing city park. The older architecture was incredible.

We then walked up to the 11th arrondisement, to Atelier des Lumineres, a large gallery space which features immersive digital art and sound installations. Basically you walk into a large warehouse room where they are projecting moving images along the walls and floor. The current exhibit featured the work of Van Gogh, and had two smaller shows, one of Japanese art and one about the universe. It was pretty incredible and so nice to get out of the heat and rest a bit. If you want to get a better sense of what it was like you can visit their website here: https://www.atelier-lumieres.com/fr

I would absolutely recommend this if you are visiting Paris. It was also pretty nice that they happened to be featuring Van Gogh after we had just been to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, so the kids could identify his works as they appeared.

We were pretty tired by this point so we took the metro back to our Airbnb. We let the kids have some iPad time while we went over to the bistro next door for some beer and people watching. Later we walked up the street to have crepes for dinner and walked around the Latin Quarter a bit. Finally we hit the sack at our Airbnb.

Outside our airbnb
the marks of a good crepe

Back to Amsterdam

The next morning we of course hit up our local patisserie for some last minute pastries, and then we took a cab to the Gare du Nord train station. That was pretty easy but unfortunately our train back to Amsterdam was delayed about 45 minutes. We got off near our airport hotel to drop our bags, and then took the train back to the city center.

Getting into the French lifestyle with cafe au lait…

We had wanted to visit the maritime museum because we heard it was great, but by the time we got to Central Amsterdam it was already 4:20 and the museum closed at 5pm. Instead, we walked over to the rooftop terrace at the science museum, NEMO, to get a bite to eat and chill out for a bit.

This is a very cool kind of slanted roof on the waterfront with a decent view of the city. They have a restaurant with fresh, tasty, and inexpensive food, as well as a bar. Plus there’s a few science-y fountain type things for the kids to play with. It’s also free to the public. This is a great place to go and chill out a bit and have a drink while the kids play.

After we relaxed there for a bit, we walked over to the Artis zoo which has a museum all about microbes. It was open late and also appealed to my science loving son. It was a little pricey but pretty cool. You can look through various microscopes to see bacteria and other microbes as well as other exhibits.

Giant water pig!
Goodbye Amsterdam!

We strolled back to central station and took our train back to our hotel. The next morning we got up early and had breakfast there as they had a great spread and we headed over to the airport. We ended up checking some bags since I had bought fabric and wine, and I was able to get four free checked bags with my Delta credit card. And the best part…on our full flight, the seat next to me was empty! So for the price of a basic economy ticket I got the whole row to myself to stretch out. Great way to end the trip.

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Yaaasss!!!

Impressions

It was a fabulous but exhausting trip. All that city walking and sightseeing can really wear you out! I was happy to be able to get back to Amsterdam since my first trip in 2016. It is definitely one of my favorite cities of all time. It’s beautiful, the vibe is chill, the people are nice, it’s got great food and lots to do.

We liked Ghent but it would have been cool to take a day trip to Brugge as well. We could have done this easily on the train however it was just too much moving around for the kids so we decided to stay in one spot. You could definitely see most of the highlights in a day, and the Ghent city pass is absolutely worth it to get into the museums. I loved the Belgian food and beer and this was also our best Airbnb – it was huge!

In two and half days we only got a small taste of Paris. I would love to come back and spend a week. I have heard people get disappointed by Paris because it’s so dirty and crowded, but to me it was just a large city, like New York, just…French. Having grown up right outside of NYC, the big city vibe doesn’t bother me, in fact it feels pretty comfortable. We found the metro easy to use. I also found that everyone I met in Paris was super nice and helpful. I definitely didn’t come across any of the rudeness that they are known for.

I also loved the location of our Airbnb in Paris, right off Rue Mouffetard in the Quartier Latin. Every morning we could grab fresh pastries and in the evening my husband and I could relax with a a drink at the cafe while the kids stayed in the apt because it was only about 200 feet away. I was also happy to see my French came back pretty well (I took 5 years in high school and college). I could pretty much understand everything written and about 50% of what was spoken. If I see a cheap flight to Paris in the future my husband may have to hold me back from booking it…

The kids did ok but definitely got some museum fatigue. I loved having the Airbnbs to be able to go back and rest in our own spaces. Overall, another fabulous trip!

Retro post: Road Trip Through the Yucatán

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In January 2016 we took a 12 day road trip through the Yucatán peninsula with our then 5 and 7 year olds. We had been to the island of Isla Mujeres (off the coast of Cancun) with them twice as toddlers and were ready to venture out further into the Yucatán for some more adventures.

We left a few days after Christmas and since we were visiting family in NJ we flew out of Newark. We made sure to pack light with one carry-on each (and during the trip I still felt we still had too much stuff!)

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Our flight connected in Charlotte and was delayed, so that we missed the connection. Luckily they were able to rebook us for about an hour and a half later, and we arrived in Cancun in the late afternoon. We headed over to the easyway car rental company. I had done a lot of research about renting cars in Cancun, as the internet was full of horror stories. Much of what I read suggested to stay away from the companies that sound like typical US companies, such as Alamo, and that they lure you in with the promise of a cheap daily rate and then pile on the extra insurance. I read that easyway was a local company that was more trustworthy. I also read that the rental cars have special license plates that make them easier to spot for shakedowns, whereas easyway doesn’t use those plates.

We finally got our very, very basic car. There was not even a cigarette lighter to charge our devices, and headed out on the toll road to Merida, a 3 hour drive. The road is pretty well maintained but flat and boring. We were exhausted so the kids fell asleep and we finally got to Merida around 7pm. We checked into our cute little hotel, in the traditional Spanish style with an open courtyard in the center, and then walked over to a nearby plaza that had several restaurants. The plaza was lively with lots of outdoor seating, and we ate at a burger place before finally crashing back at our hotel.

The next morning we walked around the city and the kids took pictures with the go-pro cameras they had gotten as gifts for the holidays. They ended up taking some really amazing photos! It’s cool to see the little details they focused on, whereas the adults are used to taking pictures of the large things, like historic buildings. I felt that their photos give an even more authentic view of Merida.

Hotel
Courtyard of our hotel
Merida!
Love the colors of Merida – una ciudad de muchos colores!
some of the kids pics…

The architecture and colors are gorgeous in Merida, but it got hot quickly so we went back to the hotel for a dip in the pool. That afternoon we took a cab to El Gran Museo de el Mundo Maya, which had some excellent exhibits on the ancient Mayans. That night we ate dinner at a great traditional restaurant, which in was the house where Andres Quintana Roo once lived.

Pool time!
Main square at night

The next day we headed out of the city a little bit to take a tour of an old sisal plantation. Sisal is a fiber used for ropes made by a plant similar to agave, and the region was once booming with this industry. The tour was well done, and after the tour they showed you around the plantation and took you via a small train thing our to the cenote on their property! This cenote was underground in a cave, and it was so much fun to splash around! After that they offered us a Yucatecan lunch which was delicious, and we headed back to the hotel.

Learning about how sisal is made
The road to the cenote
Swimming in a cave is awesome!

That night was New Year’s Eve and we learned that it’s actually a fairly quiet holiday in Mexico as most people celebrate at home with their families. We decided to take a horse-drawn carriage ride through the city and we got to see some gorgeous mansions all lit up. Afterwards we headed over to the famous restaurant, La Chaya Maya, which has traditional Mayan food. The food was delicious but the service was awful. There were two ladies right next to us making homemade tortillas, yet our server never brought us any! Talk about a tease! The kids were exhausted and my oldest literally fell asleep at the table, so we had a quiet New Year’s drinking wine in the hotel courtyard after the restaurant.

great night for a carriage ride!
Merida at night
someone’s beat!

The next morning we checked out of the hotel and took the slow road to Valladolid, through little Mayan villages. We drove through Valladolid and up to the ruins at Ek Balam. These ended up being my favorite ruins of the trip. They had a large temple you could climb, and the site was not very crowded at all. They also had their own cenote you could bike to but it was getting closer to evening so we headed back to our hotel.

We got to our lodge, Mayaland, in the early evening. This is a large property that abuts Chichen Itza, so they have their own back entrance to the ruins! You can even see the observatory right from the hotel lobby. We ate at the hotel’s buffet dinner which was fun because they had traditional dancers for entertainment. After dinner we went for a night swim in one of the hotel’s pools and then to bed.

The next morning we woke up early and had breakfast before getting into Chichen Itza right when it opened. It was so nice to be there before the big crowds came in the tour buses. As we headed over to the big temple, Kulkulcan, the crowds grew larger and the heat got more intense, but it was truly breathtaking to see the temple in person, as well as many of the other ancient structures. By mid-day the heat and crowds started to get pretty bad, so we drove a few miles into the town of Piste. There is a cenote there run by a collective of Mayan women, cenote Yodkoznot. It was an open sinkhole-style cenote and they had steps going down into it and also offered life vests. It was not very crowded, in fact we even had it to ourselves at one point!

The lobby of the lodge
Cenote Yodzkonot
time for lunch!

We also ate lunch at their little restaurant and the food was absolutely delicious. After we rested that afternoon we drove back into town to have dinner at one of the little restaurants and we let the kids run around the town plaza for a bit.

a Mexican Christmas tree!
the town of Piste

The next morning we drove back to the town of Valladolid and had breakfast and walked around the town square. It was a very cute little town and I would have liked to stay longer but my youngest was having a meltdown after he dropped the onyx jaguar he got at Chichen Itza and it broke.

Valladolid zocalo

We drove about another hour south to the ruins at Coba and everyone seemed to be in a better mood by then. These were the oldest ruins we saw on the trip and definitely impressive. There are two main areas separated by about a mile, which you can walk or hire a bicycle taxi to pedal you over. We chose the latter, which was a good choice because the bike driver also functioned as a tour guide and he taught us some Mayan words. You can also climb the main pyramid at Coba but the kids were too scared to, so I stayed with them while my husband climbed to the top. He said it was exhilarating.

After a quick lunch at a restaurant near the ruins we drove out to the beach town of Tulum where we had rented a beach bungalow for the next 6 days. Our bungalow was in a little cluster of about 5 other bungalows on the property and was on the beach, about 40 feet from the ocean! We also found out via Facebook that friends of ours were in town so they met us on the beach and the kids made a beeline for the water.

Our bungalow – 20 steps to the ocean!
The view from the front porch
double rainbow!
Yay, friends!
the good life
our beach
The view from our bedroom
upstairs in the bungalow
looking towards the bungalows from the beach

We loved our little bungalow however we were a little annoyed but how Tulum was laid out. There was the main little Pueblo about 5 miles from the beach, and then a small road along the beach with jungle restaurants and boutique hotels on either side of the road. The road was jam packed with cars, taxis, and bicycles, so it took forever to get anywhere.

We spent the next several days enjoying the beach and exploring the town a little. The ruins at Tulum were nearby so we headed over there one morning. This was my least favorite site as it was very small and very crowded. Although the scenery was gorgeous as they are perched on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. If you plan to check these out I would recommend going first thing in the morning before it gets too crowded.

One of our favorite experiences at Tulum was going to Zine, a dinner and a movie restaurant in the jungle. They had a receiving area where you choose your movie and dinner, and then they take you to a private screening room with a large movie screen and comfy chairs and cushions. They brought you popcorn and drinks while you waited for food and when that was ready they quietly brought it in while the movie played. One side of the room was a screen door so you could see and hear the jungle while you watched your movie. We had a great night and never would have expected this type of place in the jungle! Sadly, I don’t think this place exists anymore.

On one of our last days we drove over to Xel-Ha, a large “eco-park” where you can go snorkeling, tubing, zip-lining, and cliff jumping. We took tubes through a mangrove forest into the main lagoon, and then the kids practiced snorkeling. We also bought the “all inclusive” package where you can eat at the breakfast and lunch buffets and drink at the bars. Unfortunately later that evening my kids both felt sick and started vomiting. We finally got them to sleep and then I spent a miserable night with my head over the toilet as well. It seemed that we had gotten food poisoning. Well at least the kids and I, my husband was spared.

The kids felt better the next day but I was wiped out and just laid on a lounge chair on the beach. The day after that we finally started making our way back to Cancun for an early evening flight home. On the way we stopped at a little zoo called, Crococun, which was fun for the kids as they got to pick up and pet some of the animals.

After that we dropped off the rental car and boarded our flight back to the US!

The verdict

Overall it was a fabulous trip. We love the people and culture of the Yucatán and it was great to see some cities such as Merida and Valladolid, as well as have some time at the beach. As I mentioned, my favorite ruins were Ek Balam and I would have liked to have spent more time in Valladolid and some of the other small towns.

We were not big fans of Tulum. The beach was beautiful but the restaurants along the beach road were very over-priced and seemed to cater to the boho-chic set. The prices for food in the Pueblo were a little better (still expensive for Mexico), but you had to drive into town, and as I mentioned, the one road in and out was always clogged with cars and bicycles, making the ride into town super annoying. So while I would return to Merida and Valladolid, and I would like to explore some more of the Yucatán, I probably wouldn’t do a return trip to Tulum.

We also thought it was a great trip for kids! They loved the ruins, the beach, and Xel-ha (despite the food poisoning), were all fun for them. Mexico is known for being very child and family friendly and we definitely found that to be the case on this trip.

New Orleans!

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The Planning

I have been to 44 of 50 states and the only state I haven’t been to east of the Mississippi is Louisiana. I have wanted to go to New Orleans for so long but the opportunity never presented itself. This year the school district decided to give a full 4 day weekend for Memorial Day sand New Orleans was definitely on the short list for a trip we could do quickly.

For the flights I booked one ticket using some delta gift cards I had bought for my Amex Platinum airline reimbursement, my Delta companion pass benefit (with the delta platinum Amex card), and some Delta sky miles. For the hotel, after searching lots of reviews I chose the Drury Inn because it had a pool, seemed family friendly, had suites, and offered free breakfast and a managers reception (more complimentary food and drinks). I booked this hotel using Chase Ultimate Reward points.

The Trip

Our flights out of Syracuse left at 6pm, so we got the kids out of school right at dismissal on Wednesday and drove straight to the airport to make use of our Priority Pass restaurant credit. Priority Pass contracts with some airport restaurants so that you get a certain amount of $ credited per person to your bill (usually $28). This is particularly useful when you are at an airport with no lounges (like our home airport), or if you are in a terminal with no lounge nearby. They add restaurants frequently so always make sure to check your PP app to see what lounges and restaurants are available where you are.

Unfortunately, the only place with the credit at our little home airport is Johnny Rockets. Fortunately they recently added a bar. So we were able to order $112 worth of food and drinks for free (before you think this is a ridiculous amount for Johnny Rockets, remember this is an airport restaurant so the prices are incredibly marked up). We came pretty close to the $112 mark but didn’t quite reach it.

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After we felt thoroughly disgusting from all that grease, we went to our gate and boarded our flight to Atlanta. At ATL we had a two and a half hour layover so we headed over to the PP lounge, The Club. With it being a holiday weekend, the place was pretty busy but we were able to get in. We were still pretty full from Johnny Rockets but the kids ate some snacks and my husband and I ordered some drinks.

We didn’t leave ATL for New Orleans until 11pm, so when we landed we were exhausted. We took a Lyft straight to our hotel and checked into our suite. It was pretty nice with a sofa bed for the kids and a separate bedroom with a king size bed.

The next morning we slept in a little and then headed downstairs for the free hot breakfast. This was one of the reasons I booked this hotel. They had a huge hot buffet with sausage, biscuits, and gravy, eggs, and waffles, as well as pastries and fruit. After eating we walked over to the French Quarter. It was about 10:30am and already so hot. We found our free walking tour guide and then did an hour and a half walking tour through the French Quarter and St. Louis cemetery. I’m a big fan of the film Easy Rider, so as I walked around the cemetery the song, “Kyrie Eliason” kept going through my head as I remembered that iconic scene with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda having an bad trip with two prostitutes (to be honest that song was in my head throughout the trip!) I also learned from the tour guide that you have not been allowed to film in that cemetery since that film was released, specifically because of that scene, which they filmed without permission from the church.

 

 

After our tour we headed over to a great little restaurant, Napoleon House, which is known for their Pimm’s cup cocktails and Muffaletta sandwiches (said to be the best in the city).

 

 

We were so hot and tired by this point that we headed back to the hotel to take a dip in the pool and rest in the a/c. At around 5:30 we headed back to the breakfast area as they offer a nightly happy hour where you each get 3 (weak) cocktails and can eat from the buffet. They had hot dogs, baked potatoes, chicken fingers, nachos, soup, chili and other snacks. It wasn’t anything to write home about but definitely great for the kids to fill up while the grownups enjoyed their cocktails.

A friend of mine happened to be in NO for work that night, so she met us at the hotel and we walked down Bourbon street with the kids. It was still pretty early but my oldest said it was too loud and “everyone’s drunk,” so my husband took the kids back to the hotel to go to bed and my friend and I went over to Frenchmen Street for dinner. We went to this great jazz club/restaurant called Snug Harbor and had a delicious meal. The band that night was actually a teenage ensemble and they were amazing! We listened to them for a bit and then walked around some of the artisan markets on Frenchmen before heading home.

 

 

The next morning after breakfast we walked down to Cafe du Monde to try their famous beignets and chickory coffee that I have been hearing about for years. There was of course a line but it actually moved really fast and before you knew it we were popping those hot delicious sugar pillows into our mouths. So incredibly good!

 

 

After that we walked over to 1850 House and took a tour of one of the apartments in the historic Pontalba building that is set up to look as it would in the mid-19th century. Following this we walked around a bit more and visited the antique weapons store and then the Historic Preservation Museum. This museum is free, stretched over two buildings, and really well done! I highly recommend a visit if you are in NOLA. The first building took your through the history of the city. The staff was so nice and helpful and got some scavenger hunt type worksheets for the kids, which my 8 year old loved. In the 2nd building across the street they had an exhibit on the French quarter, an educational exhibit with things to touch and smell for the kids, and a modern art exhibit.

 

 

After this we were getting hungry so we decided to head over to the Treme neighborhood to check out the famous, Willie Maes Scotch House for fried chicken. Our one mistake was actually walking there from the French Quarter. It’s only a 1.5 mile walk but in that heat and humidity it was brutal. Plus when we got there we had to wait in line for about an hour (they do have some shade and free water bottles in coolers while you wait). We didn’t eat until about 3pm, but it was so worth the wait. It was definitely the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, plus lots of great southern sides such as Mac and cheese and fried okra.

 

When we were done we took a Lyft back to the hotel and the driver had an adorable puppy with him that we got to snuggle with in the backseat as the driver gave us more suggestions for things to do in the city.

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When we got back to the hotel we rested and then had our cocktails and snacks again. After that we decided to take the street car through the garden district over to an ice cream place that our Lyft driver recommended. It was fun to see the old southern mansions from the open windows of the old-time trolley.

 

The ice cream place, Creole Creamery, did not disappoint. They had a ton of great flavors such as “A chocwork orange,” lavender honey, and Thai basil coconut. After our ice cream “dinner” we walked over to Magazine Street which has some shops and restaurants but my youngest started whining so we took a Lyft back and put the kids to bed.

Later my husband and I went out to walk around the French Quarter and get some drinks. It was fun except Bourbon street was honestly pretty loud and gross (we literally had to step over puke, and that was only at 9:30pm!). We decided to finish the night with a sazerac from the famous bar of the same name in the Roosevelt hotel. It was sublime.

 

The next day we headed over to the aquarium after breakfast. It was very nice with some great exhibits but it was rather small so we finished the whole thing in about an hour. Afterwards we took the riverfront cable car down near the French Market. We tried to have lunch at the famous jambalaya place, Coops, but the kids weren’t allowed in (over 21 only). So we walked through the French Quarter to the oyster place, Felix’s. My older son tried his first raw oysters, and he was not a fan!

 

We had bought the Audobon Experience pass which gets you into the aquarium, the insectarium, and the zoo, with one imax movie pass as well. So after lunch we walked over to the insectarium and spent about an hour there.

 

Following this we headed over to the Steamboat Natchez, the tourist-y steamboat that will take you up the Mississippi a little bit. I had bought tickets ahead of time using Chase ultimate rewards points. Another perk of using these points is you can us them to book activities such as this, and even museum tickets. I’m glad we didn’t pay anything for the tickets because to be honest, the boat was pretty hot and crowded. It was cool to see the engine room and the paddle wheel, and to get up river for a bit.

 

We were so hot when the trip was over, luckily we docked right next to the aquarium and so we were able to duck into the imax theater to use our movie passes to see a film called “Hurricane on the Bayou,” about Katrina and how the destruction of the wetlands and the construction of levees actually contributed to the level of devastation.

That night after the kids went to bed my husband and I walked around the warehouse district which was near our hotel. We checked out the popular restaurant Cochon, but we couldn’t get in (and reservations were full for the rest of our trip). Luckily they have a sister bar next store called Cochon Butcher, which had some delicious small plates and cocktails.

 

On the morning of our last day we took a Lyft to the zoo. I was worried it was going to be too hot to walk around but they did a really nice job designing it so that most of the paths were in the shade and they had several indoor (air conditioned) spaces throughout. We walked around for about 2.5 hours and then were pooped and took a Lyft back to the hotel.

 

Next we walked down towards the National World War II museum which was about a 15 minute walk from our hotel. We hadn’t eaten lunch yet so we stopped at this great place called Auction House Market which was like a high end food court. It had a bar in the center and then various food stations around the perimeter serving various things such as empanadas, dosa, Thai street food, etc. It was a great choice for us because everyone could get what they want and we could eat quickly.

 

The WWII museum was pretty epic. It was fairly crowded since it was Memorial Day weekend, so that was the only downside, but despite the crowds it was still an incredible place. They did such an amazing job walking you through the details of the various battles such as D-day and Midway island. They interspersed text with film and artifacts, as well as recorded oral histories from veterans. We also got to see a little write-up of my grandfather’s unit in Burma, “Merrill’s Marauders.”

 

I cannot recommend this museum enough. If you do get to go, you should allot plenty of time to see it all, at least half a day and if you spent a full day there you would still probably be fine.

Following this we had the kids eat dinner at the hotel’s happy hour and when we got them settled in bed my husband and I went out to dinner at Muriel’s in Jackson Square for our anniversary. The meal was ok but then afterwards we got to meet up with friends from my travel hacking group for a drink in the French Quarter. We had a great time chatting travel and points with them and then headed home to bed.

 

For our last morning we walked back down to the French Quarter. We had wanted to check out the pharmacy museum but it was closed so we went to the voodoo museum instead. We walked around a bit more so my older son could pick out a souvenir, which he found at the flea market.

It was getting so hot that we decided to just head to the airport a little early and hang out in the air conditioned lounge. Since my husband and I both have the Amex Platinum and we were flying on Delta, we were able to go into the Delta sky club. We technically had to pay $29 for each kid, but the clerk only charged us for one! They had a great spread, including muffaletta sliders, pasta salad, chicken salad, jambalaya, hummus, cheese, crudité, and treats, so it was worth it to us to pay the $29 to have free food and drink and a nice air conditioned place to rest before our flight.

The verdict

I loved New Orleans, but man was it hot! And this was only late May! I would love to go back when the weather is cooler. I liked our hotel for the free meals for the kids and the location. The French Quarter was fun but crowded. Their free history museum was great. The highlight of the trip was definitely the World War II museum. If we went back without kids I would make sure to do more historical activities, go to some jazz shows, and spend more time at the WWII museum. I’d also skip the steamboat. There is definitely stuff for kids to do there but they also limit what you can do. The food, of course, was amazing. Overall a fun trip in a city that definitely deserves more time to visit.

San Diego!

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I know I complain about the weather a lot in Syracuse, but according to my very scientific internet research, we actually only get, on average, 63 sunny days, and 98 partially sunny days per year. We have 161 total days per year without any sun. If you are not from this part of the country, picture your gloomiest, cloudiest, greyest day. That’s our “normal” weather.

The many benefits of living in Upstate NY outweigh this one crappy downside (I’ll write a post this summer just about all the amazing things I love about Syracuse and the surrounding area), but in order to compensate for the downside I have only come across a few things that help me from spiraling into total despair during the long winter: Vitamin D supplements, lots of outdoor time (no matter what the weather), hot yoga, and traveling! It’s essential for my mental health to travel to sunny places throughout the long winter (October through April).

Florida is an obvious choice from the east coast but that can get old. So this year for April break I thought about taking myself and the kids to sunny Southern California. I also had some Alaska Airlines miles and an Alaska Airlines companion pass to use, and they fly primarily to the west coast. Out of all the potential West Coast destinations to travel to in April, San Diego promised the most sun and warm weather. I had been to California before but never San Diego, and it had been on my bucket list for years. Unfortunately, my husband could not join us because of his teaching schedule (but he is actually going to go to San Diego with friends for a conference in a few months).

The trip

The kids and I had a 7 am flight out of Newark on Saturday morning. We got in the car right after school and drove down to NJ. Unfortunately the drive was very rainy and so took longer than expected. We got to the airport Hampton Inn around 9pm and went right to sleep. In the morning we took an Uber to the airport since there were at least 40 people waiting for the shuttle which would only fit maybe 12 (but at least this was covered due to my Amex platinum Uber credit). The airport was insanely busy due to it being spring break, however we got on our flight on time and took off to San Francisco. At SFO we only had about 45 minutes to quickly eat something and get on our next flight to San Diego. That was a quick flight and pretty soon we were in sunny San Diego getting our rental car. We drove over to our quirky Airbnb and checked in. The space was a former art gallery and decorated very artsy. It was also bright and sunny and had plenty of space and amenities for us to feel comfortable.

 

Finally here!
Our Airbnb

We decided to walk around the neighborhood we were in, North Park, and we stopped at Target to get some supplies and then Hammond’s ice cream which was awesome. North Park is one of those neighborhoods that became  gentrified and “hipsterized” recently. In fact it shows up on the “Where is Williamsburg” app (google it – it’s pretty funny) as ground zero for San Diego.  The good thing about this is there were a lot of great little restaurants for us to try, right outside our door. We had dinner at a taco restaurant, Lucha Libre, which was decorated with luchador and Ron Burgundy memorabilia.

The next day we were up early due to the time change so we got in the rental car and drove out to Coronado Island. The beach there was beautiful and the kids ran around and we took pictures. We got to see and walk around the famous Hotel del Coronado. After that we drove down to Imperial Beach which my friend who grew up in SD had recommended and walked out to the end of the pier for some fish and chips at the Tin Fish. It was so beautiful to see the ocean and the houses lining the shore.

The Hotel Del Coronado
Fish and chips!

Next we drove over to the Barrio Logan neighborhood and Chicano Park. My friend also told me about this and a great little coffee shop (Por Vida), where we got some awesome iced coffee and then walked over to the park, which is under the Coronado bridge. There is a community garden and the pillars holding up the bridge are all painted in these amazing murals inspired by Mexican-American culture and history. We took some pictures of the murals and then headed home to rest for a bit.

Por Vida coffee

Later that day we drove over to Old Town San Diego. This is part historical site, part tourist-trap but overall pretty fun to walk around. There are lots of Mexican themed shops and restaurants and a historic section with old-timey shops and exhibits. Since we went later in the day we were only able to visit a few places before they closed; the Sheriff’s museum and the historic Whaley House. The kids had a blast playing around in the Sherriff’s museum where they could go in an old cruiser, a helicopter, a jail cell, and more. The Whaley House was one of the first houses in San Diego and my son had heard it is one of the most haunted houses in the country. We didn’t see any ghosts but it was fun to tour the house and hear a bit more about the history. After that we walked around a bit more and had some Mexican food for dinner. Later I was able to meet a friend of mine from college who recently relocated to the area.

The next day we had a delicious breakfast at a very cool place called Breakfast Republic near our Airbnb, and then we hit the zoo! The San Diego zoo is truly the most incredible zoo I have ever been to. It is like the “Disney World” of zoos. The exhibits are just so well constructed with great attention to detail. Plus they have over 5,000 animals! The kids and I looked at the zoo map that morning and decided we would try to conquer the entire thing. And we did! We made it through every single exhibit and had minimal meltdowns along the way. We did have to wait in line over an hour for lunch though, so I would recommend brining in your own food. We got there around 9:30am and left around 5, so we were pretty exhausted that evening. We went to a little sushi restaurant in our neighborhood and crashed.

The following morning we headed over to Balboa Park, which was very close to our Airbnb. This is a beautiful park that houses many of San Diego’s museums. We started by walking around the park a bit since we arrived at 9:30 and the museums don’t open until 10. Our first stop was the Museum of Man, since they had an exhibit on cannibalism and my older son had just read a book on the Donner Party. They had some other cool exhibits but many were under construction and they also had some school field trips visiting so we left after about an hour and headed over to the automotive museum, which my car-obsessed son had been waiting for. This one was a real treat to see some classic cars and motorcycles from all decades in mint condition. My son was so happy to just look around and read about the cars.


Since our Airbnb was so close we headed back home for lunch, and afterwards returned to do the Science Center and Natural History Museum, both of which we got into for free with our local Science Center membership (they have reciprocal admission). The science center did not “wow” us, as it had some of the same exhibits that we have seen at many other ones, but we loved the Natural History museum. We especially liked the exhibit called “Unshelved” where they are displaying items that they usually keep in storage.

Once we were museum-ed out, we drove downtown and walked around the gaslamp quarter, and then went over the Petco park to see a Padres game! We first had a snack of some Carne Asada fries at Lolita’s, next to the ballpark) since one of my friends had recommended that. The stadium was really nice and we had pretty good seats. The boys were super excited and we stayed until the 8th inning ended, once it was clear that the Padres were going to lose.

On our fifth day, we went to a gourmet donut shop for breakfast and “fueled up” for a trip out to La Jolla. First we drove to Torrey Pines State Reserve, which is a gorgeous natural reserve on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. We took a hike out to one of the bluffs and took pictures of all the breathtaking views and cool desert plants and flowers. My older son and I wanted to hike down to the beach but my younger son had had enough. so we left to get some lunch.

The boys had been wanting to try “In and Out Burger” since they had heard about it as being a California “must.” I have never been there myself and was always curious, so we actually drove about 20 minutes south to get to the closest one. The burgers and fries were pretty good, although I learned later I should have ordered “animal style” (secret menu) where they fry the onions in mustard. Next time!

After this we drove back up to La Jolla cove to see the seals and sea lions. This was absolutely one of the highlights of the trip (if somewhat stinky!). They were so cool just lounging around on the rocks near the beach and we even saw a young sea lion walk around (poor guy had a fish hook stuck in his mouth). We stayed there for a while watching them and then we headed up the coast to the Birch Aquarium. This is a small but lovely aquarium with a gorgeous outside patio with a touch tank overlooking the ocean.

After the aquarium we drove up the coast a little more to the town of Solana Beach where we were meeting some of my travel hacking internet friends for a meet-up! It was so much fun to meet them and their kids over pizza and beer. We had a blast.

The next day was our last and we were determined to hit everything that was still on our list. We woke up super early and went back to the fancy donut place for Montreal-style (wood fired) bagels, and then drove inland about 45 minutes to the Safari Park, which is a whole different place also run by the San Diego Zoo. This one is equally well done but has a tram going through an open area for some of the animals to roam, and other exhibits that are a bit more open. It actually got pretty hot mid-day since we were further from the ocean, so we decided to leave and head back to San Diego. We wanted to check out the USS Midway so we went and toured that famous Aircraft Carrier.