Tag Archives: vacation

NYT: The 45 Places to Go in 2012

Posted on April 22, 2012 | 5 Comments

What’s on your travel list for this year?  The places that I’ve checked off so far (including weekend getaways): Mexico City, Woodstock, Philadelphia, Santa Fe, Taos, Albuquerque, San Antonio and Austin.  St. Augustine, FL and California to come.

Even though it’s almost May, there’s plenty of time to plan your trip (or trips) for 2012!  Let the New York Times help.  Check out their article, The 45 Places to Go in 2012.

1. Panama
Go for the canal. Stay for everything else.

2. Helsinki, Finland
Design. Design. Design. Aesthetics fuel a new cool.

3. Myanmar
Back on the tourist map after being off-limits for years.

4. London
The Olympics! The Queen! Charles Dickens turns 200!

5. Oakland, Calif.
New restaurants and bars beckon amid the grit.

6. Tokyo
With some tourists slow to return, greater opportunities for those who do.

7. Tanzania
Coming into its own as an upscale safari destination.

8. Chilean Patagonia
Proof that adventure doesn’t have to mean roughing it.

9. Lhasa, Tibet
New luxury hotels bring respite — and controversy.

10. Havana, Cuba
The Cuban capital is once again within Americans’ reach.

11. Moscow
New cultural venues add a dash of the sacred and profane.

12. Glasgow
Zaha Hadid takes on a Scottish waterfront.

13. Puebla, Mexico
International mole festival. Need we say more?
Read this weekend’s 36 Hours in Puebla, Mexico as an inspiration for your trip.

Photo credit: Adriana Zehbrauskas

14. San Diego
With breweries and brewpubs, a sunny heaven for suds lovers.

15. Halong Bay, Vietnam
New ways to visit a natural wonder in Southeast Asia.

16. Florence, Italy
A Renaissance city gets a contemporary kick.

17. St. Vincent
A new resort may put this Caribbean island on the map.

18. Moganshan, China
Luxury in the former mountain hideaway of Shanghai gangsters.

19. Birmingham, England
Could England’s second city be first in food?

20. Space
The final frontier now has a ticket agent.

Click here for #21-45

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Sunday, March 25th

Posted on April 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

7:00am
It’s all over!  NOOOO.  I’m on a flight to Chicago.  K had a 6am flight back to DC.  I’ll miss that girl.  But we had a great trip together.  Our first vacation, just the two of us ever.  We’ve known each other for almost 20 years!

12:00pm
I’m sitting in the plane heading back to NY.  I feel the difference already.  The people are more ‘uptight’ and not as relaxed.  They’re all in a hurry to get somewhere.  NOOOOOO.

3:00pm
I’m back in my apt.  J is here.  It’s a nice welcome home.  Time to make some bracelets (I sold 4 while I was on vacation), do some laundry and get ready for the week ahead.  NOOOOOO.

10:00pm
I’m a lucky girl.  Traveling enables me to see life outside of the NYC bubble.  New Mexico was calm and serene, artsy and cultural, rich and poor.  Texas was friendly, lush & green, spacious, lively.  I felt like friendly Sheree when I was away.  I looked people in the eye and smiled at them.  Said hello to strangers.  Smiled when I was walking.  Was in no rush to be anywhere.

Hopefully some of this carries over to my normal life.  What a great week it’s been.  Can’t wait till my next adventure! Thanks for following me :)

Big XOXOs

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Saturday, March 24th

Posted on April 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

10:00am
My last day of vaca!  It’s overcast outside.  We’re sad :(

11:00am
Off to the spa to relax.  We take advantage of the steam room, whirlpool, relaxation room and pool.

12:30pm
Finally!  The sun’s out!  Like kids, we run over to the water park.  Hello, lazy river and water slides.  When was the last time you hung out on an inner tube w/ your bestie?  Loved soaking up some sun with K.

6:00pm
We pack it all up and head to downtown San Antonio to check out the River Walk.  We do a drive by and see River Walk but with some guy screaming $2 margaritas, we just didn’t seem to enticed to find a parking spot and wander around.  It felt touristy like Times Square.  Now that I’ve been back and talked to people about my travels, they tell me San Antonio is very artsy, cultural and quaint and now I wish I would have given it a chance!

9:00pm
Dropped off the rental car and the 1,000 bugs that I killed along the way.  RIP bugs.

9:30pm
Dinner at a local place called Hofbrau.  They have giant margaritas for $12.  The glass is gigantic and they top it with a bottled beer, red bull, orange soda – whatever the “garnish” is.  We stuff ourselves with some Texan munchies and people watch.  We enjoy our last night of vaca together.

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Best U.S. Road Trips

Posted on March 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

I’m trying to figure out what to do when I take vacation in 2 weeks.  While I’d love to go international, I think I’m going to stay in the US and I’m contemplating a road trip.  After doing some research, I’m pretty sure I’m going to the Southwest.  I think a few days of driving and taking photos will help me relax and revive myself.  There are so many “roads” to choose from and we’ll never have enough time to see it all.

The Huffington Post Travel site pairs photos with ShermansTravel.com’s Top 10 U.S. Roadtrips.  From the Big Sur in California (90 miles along the coast sandwiched between redwood trees and cliffs) to the Red Rock Scenic Byway in Arizona (beautiful rock formations with dessert vegetation) any traveler can find his/her dream road trip.


Big Sur.  Photo: Flickr/Greg Woodhouse


Red Rock Scenic Byway.  Photo: National Scenic Byway Programs

Do you have a favorite road trip you’d like to share? 

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The Perfect Winter Escape

Posted on January 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

I’m itching to get away right now.  It’s a combo of the winter + the craziness of work.  I need a nice, long vaca far, far away from everything and everyone.  Jetsetter is featuring an escape on Fort Morgan Cay, a 29-acre private island in Roatan, Honduras.  You can rent the four-bedroom villa for only $2825/night.  Ok, so maybe it’s not realistic but a girl can dream!

From Jetsetter.com

Setting

In Port Royal Bay, a 5-minute boat ride from Roatán Island in Honduras, the 29-acre island has water-lined mangroves and three private beaches.

  • Genuine 16th-century pirate fort
  • World’s second-largest coral reef just offshore
  • 20-minute boat ride to grocery store

Bed & Bath

The villas has four bedrooms, each with its own bath and indoor/outdoor shower.

  • All rooms have AC
  • Two have ocean views and two have garden views.
  • Honduran mahogany four-poster beds draped in mosquito netting

Common Areas

Well furnished but low-key, the living areas would no doubt meet with Papa Hemingway’s approval. And when you get tired of lounging, there are 29 acres of palm tree–fringed land to explore.

  • Living, dining and reading room
  • Covered porch, sun deck, hammock terrace
  • Freshwater pool
  • Two kayaks and three power boats

About the area

Named for pirate Henry Morgan, who was known to frequent the island, Fort Morgan Cay is a private 29-acre retreat inhabited today solely by the villa’s staff, blue crabs, egrets and turtles. At the east end, you’ll find mangrove marshes lined with canals for kayaking. The clear, shallow water off the three beaches is rimmed with reefs. And the villa has an armada of boats to suit just about any hobby: fishing, sailing, jet-skiing, powerboating. Don’t forget to pack your suntan lotion. The nearest grocery store is 20 minutes away — by boat.

 

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