Changes

New energy, new times, new things. Hi folks. We're moving our site and wanted you to know. If you have an ipad, though, you need to check the new site there -  first - and see just how beautiful a blog can be! New site is at:
http://travelingwithworldventures.wordpress.com/
Talk to you soon at our new home!

Touring Alcatraz

ALCATRAZ; everything about the name sounds ominous, doesn't it? Is it because of Hollywood or does it really deserve the name? Reader beware - I'm not going to tell you the answer.......you're going to have to go there and find out for yourself. But when you do - make reservations EARLY online or through your travel agent. If you wait till you get there, chances are pretty slim that you'll make the tour. And even slimmer to make the night tour. We gave it all four stars in our rating - an excellent tour!

Picking up Wally

As you probably remember, Wally had been last seen in Jacksonville taking a Carnival cruise in the Caribbean learning about love and single life on a cruise ship. But, it was time to come back home to his Tennessee town.

The Better Half and I arranged to pick him up in Rochester, NY. In the summer, you can't beat the temperatures in upstate NY. Without taking too much time to dwell on the unfortunate weather related canceled flights surrounding Atlanta, we finally arrived in Rochester.

The home of Wegmans and the summer home of the Buffalo Bills greeted us with fantastic 70 degree weather and it was Perfect for the summer garden party planned by my sister for her sons graduation from Brighton High School. Complete with karaoke and a fantastic buffet spread, we had a fun time energizing and entertaining the crowd with our versions of Queen songs and Broadway.

Wally preferred the hard rock of Guns & Roses and happily conversed with the family dog, Fenway ( yes - there is a relationship between the name and the field!). It isn't often, Wally gets a chance to hang out with his own kind!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Denver

Next stop Denver. Started out flying Frontier - a first timer to the Frontier skies, btw. Nothing special, but it was a good price and a very entertaining flight attendant on the way back home. First time the mandatory flight prep was actually funny and you wanted to listen.

I had concerns about my trip to Denver going better than the last time I was there. One glass of wine and it was freshman year of college all over again........darn altitude. But my research on how to handle the transition to higher altitude went well. As suggested, I avoided all alcohol for the first 24 hours, drank lots of water and I was able to enjoy Denver form the start - with a clear frame of mind.

The Better Half and I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. Mark, our front desk guy, took care of us with a drivers (arrived too late for shuttles), taxis, bike rentals, restaurant suggestions and sightseeing suggestions. Best front desk/concierge guy EVER. Hotel in general? Very, very nice. I'd stay again in a Denver heartbeat. Shout out to Mohcine Gradui, our airport driver with Casabalanca. Courteous, prompt and just great service altogether.

Random question I asked servers and salesclerks this trip? Where is the one place you would take relatives that don't ski when they come to visit to show them Denver? I got two answers; a Colorado Rockies baseball game and RedRock Amphitheater. (Sidebar note here and disclaimer; the baseball game was a must! The Better Half had already informed me that since Todd Helton was a native Knoxvillian that we'd watched grow and develop with his baseball career, going to a baseball game was an obligation and duty!)

Other sightseeing areas around town were the;
16th Street Mall (pretty blocks and blocks of shops and restaurants)
Larimer Square (more condensed, but full of unique locally owned restaurants)

Our favorite restaurant of the trip? Elway's! John wasn't in so he never got by our table to say hello (insert sad face here), but the steaks and lamb chops were FANTASTIC!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Northern Italy Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

♫ Chicago, Chicago! ♫

I have always wanted to see Shakira in concert and when we found out she was going to be in Chicago - well - there wasn't much need for discussion!  Sightseeing gems are everywhere (hence the musical title) and everybody dances in Chicago. Yes - they even dance at concerts - and a Shakira concert was no different. What was different from the usual, though, was that I wasn't prepared for the gorgeous and skillful dancing. Kept wondering how I could learn to do that - however, I'm digressing.....

Sightseeing - there's no way to get it all done in the weekend visit we had - but that left us with the comforting thought that we need to get back again. There's more than enough for many, many visits. and maybe you can even get in a concert or two in too!

Where to stay;

With a plethora of choices, this time we picked the Ritz-Carlton Four Seasons on the north end of Magnificent Mile.  It had recently been remodeled and was just a gorgeous, comfortable hotel within walking distance to the restaurants we had chosen.

Our choices for touring that weekend? I ❤ Millenium Park and Cloud Gate. To quote lonelyplanet.com; "The colossal head of a crazy-looking old lady – four stories high! – is spewing a gush of water onto a gaggle of squealing children. In the distance, the spires of the city rise into the clear blue air, along which floats a faint orchestral strain. Sure, you could get on the El and spend the day racing around the city by foot, but you’d probably learn just as much about the character of the city by spending a long, lazy afternoon soaking in the city’s centerpiece, Millennium Park."
The Magnificent Mile; so much shopping to do and so little time to get it all in! On weekends the street is not only filled with shoppers but with street musicians and entertainment.

Drinks at the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the John Hancock building - 1,000 feet above Chicago overlooking the Oak Street Beach (yes - there is a beach in Chicago). This is such a nice alternative to the crowded Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). I've never paid for the Hancock observatory one floor above, either. I much prefer to enjoy the beautiful panoramic view from my chair and pay for a drink and some appetizers instead. 

Navy Pier; entertainment, shopping, museums and the starting point for many boat trips.

The Tribune Tower

Chicago River and the Riverwalk

Grant Park & Buckingham Fountain

Old Water Tower (one of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire)

Restaurants we enjoyed....

Bistro 110 (classic salads and sandwiches)

Sayat Nova (a fantastic Middle Eastern and Armenian restaurant)

The Grill on the Alley (first-rate fare, attentive service, and a dignified atmosphere; private rooms, too!)

Venus (features the food of Greece and Cyprus)

Thrilling, Chilling Gatlinburg in 24 Hours

The Better Half and I had a birthday to celebrate and a work break of 24 hours - what to do? Not a hard decision with the Smokey Mountains in your backyard on a gorgeous autumn day and the screaming, chilling, thrills of the Haunted sights of Gatlinburg......(insert Twilight Zone music here)


Starting Our Day at Look Rock
We started our morning driving the Foothills Mountain Parkway and enjoying the views (going on a weekday definitely helped with the traffic). I hadn't been to Look Rock in a long time and wanted to see the gorgeous views again. The 360 degree panoramic is fantastic. To get to the observation tower, follow the signs to the trail head on the west side of the Parkway. Take the trail up to the service road, and turn left on the road to reach the tower.
.
Then On to Gatlinburg....
With Halloween around the corner, I managed to convince the Better Half that this was our opportunity to  check out all the scary and thrilling things to do. We started out with the Sky Lift with a ride to the top of Crockett Mountain at 1800 feet (ok - maybe not so thrilling in the scary sense, but it was plenty thrilling in the sights department. Also the thought that of how far I would drop if anything bad happened was plenty thrilling enough).


With the success of not falling off a Sky Lift chair, we wandered onto the main street in search of our next adventure and found Earthquake - which wasn't much of a quake...maybe a slight tremor. We gave it 4 cheeses on the Cheesiest scale - with 4 meaning it doesn't get much cheesier. Next we tried Hauntings which wasn't quite haunting. Maybe a 5 year old would get scared, but who wants to scare a 5 year old? Another 4 cheeses on the Cheesiest scale.


Would Ripley's Haunted Adventure Save the day?
Ripley’s advertises that their Haunted Adventure is a multi-million dollar haunted house featuring live actors, animatronics and bone chilling special effects......and they're right. The Better Half and I were thoroughly entertained with not only the effects, but the actors. They did their job well, from the ticket taker to the guy at the end that chased us out (can't say - no spoilers here!). We were taken through the house with 4 other young adults that gave the attraction a solid A. No cheeses here - all stars! Fair warning - I really did get scared, scared (not just fun scared) at one part where the plastic walls seemed to close in on me. Fortunately the Better Half told me to look up where you could see that there really wasn't a grand plan to keep us forever.......


Dining
Lunch was on the patio of Blaine's Grill and Bar where we had the best sandwiches and their signature Blaine's Magic Margarita which you HAVE to order. Dinner was my favorite, Cherokee Grill, with the best steaks in town.

10 Reasons to Visit the Hard Rock

10 Reasons to Visit the Hard Rock
In honor of 10/10/10, the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas will celebrate with bonuses throughout the day at the property: Get a room upgrade (based on availability) for $10; 10 slot players will receive $1,000 from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; get a 50-minute massage at Reliquary Water Sanctuary & Spa for $110 (normally $125); get a $10 manicure at BrannonHair, and more.

Universal Orlando Horror Nights!!

For nineteen years he's been behind every scream. Now, the thing you most have to fear is… FEAR himself! Experience the nation's premier annual Halloween event – Halloween Horror Nights® XX: Twenty Years of Fear, only at Universal Orlando® Resort. Select nights September 24 – October 31, 2010.

Buy your 2-Day Park-to-Park with Halloween Horror Nights® combo ticket in advance and SAVE! At Universal Orlando® Resort, explore two AMAZING theme parks with a 2-Day Ticket with park-to-park access. Plus experience the ultimate fear with admission toUniversal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights (not including Saturday event nights). From $184.99*  per adult, plus tax Or, make it a COMPLETE VACATION! Receive all the inclusions listed above plus three (3) nights hotel accommodations at a Universal Partner Hotel, access to live entertainment** at Universal CityWalk® and Early Park Admission^ to Universal’s Islands of Adventure®to enjoy select attractions before the rest of the general public. Only $134†  more per adult, tax inclusive

EVENT MAY BE TOO INTENSE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN AND IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 13. NO COSTUMES OR MASKS ALLOWED.

36 Hours in Gatlinburg, TN

The New York Times once did an article about spending 36 hours in Gatlinburg (a quote - "you can't get any closer to the misty blue peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park than Gatlinburg, Tenn., a town of 3,700 outdoor and arts aficionados.") So - in honor of an upcoming birthday, the better half and I are going to do this. I'll let you know if it can be done and if it really should be done in this way (after all, they are New Yorkers, you know.....wink, wink!)


Talk to y'all on Monday!

http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/04/28/travel/escapes/28hours.html

Just beautiful, don't you think?

Some Things I Learned on Our Alaskan Cruise

I recently went on a family reunion cruise to Alaska with Princess Cruise lines on the "Golden Princess." Here are my notes on what worked with the family of 22. Yes, that's right. I said 22.......

What to Pack

Best, if you have it, is a Gortex jacket with layers underneath. Even though the temp might be high 50's or even 60's, Alaska has a wind that is brutal and it rains a lot. If the sun is out, it's beautiful, but w/o sun (which is 80% of the time) it's chilly!! My better half had Gortex and I brought one of those winter coats that could be rolled into a ball. I needed it for our balcony, Juneau and Skagway. All I needed for Ketchikan was a vest and turtleneck (temp and sun both cooperated that day!). My siblings all brought sweatshirts and vests for our anticipated temps of high 50's, which was fine for the upstate NY crowd, but the Ohio crowd wished for more layers at times.

Jeans were great (they stopped the wind, too) for the excursions with hiking boots or tennis shoes (whatever you'd like for lots of walking in towns). Evenings I had two skirts with assortment of tops (go out Sat night style) - one sister had a couple of dresses, another wore nice black/grey pants and we were fine. The guys brought a collared shirt with a tie and they still were able to go to the two formal evenings - which we hadn't planned on BTW, but then the guys heard there was lobster for dinner......

Side Note; Don't forget the binoculars! In fact, bring a pair for everyone. When the animals are out, everyone will be trying to grab yours! But if you forget, no worries - you can rent them on the ship.

Anyway - we started out with some time in Seattle

The young adult crowd LOVED the Seattle Aquarium which had a variety of otters and birds specific to the Seattle region. If you think there might be a good sunset, that's the best time to do the Space Needle, but any non-cloudy day is great. And the entire family loved the Pike Place Fish Market, which is a must for any Seattle first-timer.

Juneau Mendenhall Glacier; Must do!

The better half, our kids and I did the helicopter walkabout tour and it was totally fantastic. We took about a 10-15 minute ride over the glacier before landing, and then took a 45-60 minute tour on foot. It’s especially cold on the glacier, so be sure to dress appropriately. Bring your hat and scarf, the tour company will have a special coat and gloves for you to wear. The tour was great, but can be pricey,  so my sister (who is positively KNOWN for being able to accomplish the same thing for less!) rented a car for her whole family and drove to the edge of the glacier at the park. They really enjoyed this at a considerably reduced expense for their whole family and my parents (who were afraid of the helicopter anyway). Point is to concentrate on glacier/wildlife and don't worry about anything else (like shopping - see more on that in Ketchikan)

Skagway;

Ziplines were a lot of fun (the kids and adults alike had a blast with them) The White Pass Scenic Railroad was considered overpriced by the Patriarch of the family (i.e. my father), but it's something you have to do because it's the only way to see the vistas - they're just gorgeous!! Also, there was some good history as told by our narrator. Best time to go is the afternoon; could get cloudy in the morning or late evening. In Skagway, walk the town until you get to The Skagway Brewery which dates back to 1897. Have a beer and then you can start back to the ship.

Glacier Bay

We were SO glad to have our balconies all the time, but here it was invaluable. It was one of our best days. We saw whales and bald eagles, dolphins, etc. If you turn your TV's to channel 45 and listened to the Park Ranger talk, he/she will tell you if something is coming up. At some point you can go to the deck and see it in 360 degrees, but for most of the day, it was so nice to use the balcony and not have to scramble for a seat. The captain turns the boat all ways so you will have a chance to see both the white and black glaciers (yes, I had no idea there was such as thing as a black glacier either!). Point is, that a balcony for an Alaskan cruise is a MUST! Our kids stayed across the hall in a lower-cost interior room, but there was plenty of room on our balcony for all of us. The views are great all day, so get up early, order the breakfast for your room, and settle in on your balcony.

Ketchikan

Cutest town ever! Make sure you walk to the bridge to see a cute shopping area with the streams. Check out various totem poles as you go along. The stream was packed with Coho salmon and it was complete with bald eagles diving in to get some salmon for themselves. A truly memorable sight. The guys didn't have much time for wandering this town as they had to catch a boat for their fishing trip. They caught their limit of salmon (had it shipped back home, too) and saw all kinds of sea life and bald eagles. It was a highlight of their trip. We heard that fishing is very good in the other cities, too, but timing worked out better here for us .

Victoria, British Columbia

We decided to just walk and really experience the city with a fun, pleasant, evening strolling through a beautiful city. Our young adults had a touch more high energy and took the Victoria Pub Crawl Tour. They had an absolute blast tasting the beers of British Columbia.

I probably didn't talk enough about the ship itself, but we'll leave that for another time. Today is all about sightseeing.

A final thought - there are an incredible number of things to do in Alaska and there is no way to get all of it done unless you spend a month there. So don't sweat it - get to what you can and don't look back. YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A FANTASTIC TIME! It is the trip of a lifetime and worth every bit!!!! 

Take lots of pictures and let me know your thoughts when you get back.

Connie

Beautiful Victoria, British Columbia