Here's a video from my Tennessee trip last week:
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Hotel Review: Pigeon Forge Inn & Suites
Pictures: (Click on the album to view)
I'm only staying one night so I can't get a true rating, but overall it seems to be a good hotel. Its nice for a 2 star hotel.
Website: http://www.pigeonforgeinnandsuites.com/
Price: $67 for one night. I found it on cheaptickets.com. I got a non-smoking room with 2 queen beds.
Amenities:
Check out: 11am
Breakfast: Served from 6am-11am. Cheaptickets.com said there was a free breakfast, but when I arrived at the hotel I found a sheet that said the breakfast buffet was $5 and includes:
Cleanliness: The room was very clean and neat. The outside looks well maintained. The decor is nice.
Front Desk Staff: I was checked in quickly. I just signed a form and then I was given my key card.
Location: You can easily walk to many area attractions and restaurants. You can even take a short trolley ride to even more attractions. They are only two miles from Dollywood and Dolly's Splash Country.
Parking: plenty of parking spots. Free.
Supplies: There was a correct amount of towels, rags, cups, toilitries. Plenty of toilet paper. The toiletries included a small bar of soap and a small conditioning shampoo.
I was pleased with my stay.
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| Pigeon Forge Inn & Suites |
I'm only staying one night so I can't get a true rating, but overall it seems to be a good hotel. Its nice for a 2 star hotel.
Website: http://www.pigeonforgeinnandsuites.com/
Price: $67 for one night. I found it on cheaptickets.com. I got a non-smoking room with 2 queen beds.
Amenities:
- Free Wifi
- Pool
- microwave
- mini-fridge
- TV with remote
- coffee maker
- Iron and full size ironing board
- hair dryer
- Free local calls
- work desk
Check out: 11am
Breakfast: Served from 6am-11am. Cheaptickets.com said there was a free breakfast, but when I arrived at the hotel I found a sheet that said the breakfast buffet was $5 and includes:
- sausage
- bacon
- country ham
- scrambled eggs
- bisquits
- toast sausage gravy
- homefried patato's
- sliced tomatos
- fruit
- waffles
- danish's
- coffee
- orange juice
- ceral
Cleanliness: The room was very clean and neat. The outside looks well maintained. The decor is nice.
Front Desk Staff: I was checked in quickly. I just signed a form and then I was given my key card.
Location: You can easily walk to many area attractions and restaurants. You can even take a short trolley ride to even more attractions. They are only two miles from Dollywood and Dolly's Splash Country.
Parking: plenty of parking spots. Free.
Supplies: There was a correct amount of towels, rags, cups, toilitries. Plenty of toilet paper. The toiletries included a small bar of soap and a small conditioning shampoo.
I was pleased with my stay.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Tennessee
19. Tennessee
Pictures: (click on the album to view)
Day 1
I got up bright and early to leave the house by 6:30am. I went to Hertz to pick up my rental car. The rental car will be $123 for 2 days. I got a full size car at 17.99 per day and 14.00 for LDW and around $50 for the fuel purchase. I got a good discount on my rental since I work for Hertz. I got an Altima hybrid.
It was 200 miles to Gatlinburg, TN from Charlotte, NC. The drive was pretty peaceful with no traffic. I took pictures and made video while I was driving. hehe. We arrived at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park around 2PM. The picnic area was a pretty long drive! We just stayed in the park for a little while to eat lunch.
Next we headed over to the salt and pepper shaker museum. The only salt and pepper shaker museum in the world. Its pretty interesting. There is a woman who collected over 20,000 pairs of salt and pepper shakers and made a museum. The museum has been featured on "Unwrapped" on the Food Network. Its a very large collection! It only costs $3.00 to enter.
http://www.thesaltandpeppershakermuseum.com/
Cost: $3 admission entitles you to $3 off of the purchase of a salt and pepper shaker. (Most of them are around $20). Children 12 and under get in free
Hours: daily 10am-4pm
Then we headed to the Sky Lift. The tickets were $12 each. The Sky lift is like the lifts you ride at a ski resort. You ride high up the side of the mountain. At the top you can get off and look at souveniers. While we were in the gift shop it started raining heavily and the ride stopped. The weather was so nice, but all of a sudden it started raining.It rained for about 10 minutes probably so we shopped and waited for the ride to start again. You can see a great view from the sky lift!
http://www.gatlinburgskylift.com/
OPEN DAILY
April - May 9AM-9PM
June - August 9AM-11PM
September - October 9AM-10PM
November - March As Posted
RATES
Adults $12
Children (3-11) $9
Then we headed to our hotel. Its pretty nice for a 2 star hotel in Pigeon Forge. It was pretty expensive, too. I paid $67 in all for one night. The room has 2 queen beds, a mini fridge, microwave, ironing board, iron, TV, free wifi, hairdryer, and coffee maker. The interior of the room was clean and well maintained. I thought there was a free breakfast but I got a menu which says $5 breakfast buffet.
Day 2
I slept in and then went to get breakfast. The breakfast was pretty good. Then we headed out to the Deer farm. The traffic was horrible. I waited and waited and waited and I just couldn't get out. I wanted to cross all 3 lanes and make a U turn but it wasn't going to happen. Finally I got out and pressed the gas and sped over to the next place where I could make a u turn.
We took a short drive to Sevierville to see the Smoky Mountain Deer Farm and Exotic Petting Zoo. You have to drive down this long and winding road to get to it. It was really interesting. We bought a 22oz of food to feed the animals for 2.50 and then purchased a refill for 1.26. We got to go into the goat pen, but you have to leave your food outside because they will jump on you. I held a baby goat. Those goats are aggressive when people are feeding them. When they see someone at the fence with food they all gather around. There are some of the goats who will push other goats out of the way so they can get food. We also fed a lot of the other animals. I fed the camel, goats, and deer. When I got done my hands were nasty! They slobber all over your hands! It was a good experience. I've seen exotic animals in zoos before, but I never got to pet them.
http://www.deerfarmzoo.com/
Cost: 10.95 (you can find a $1 off coupon in some of the coupon books that you get at the TN rest area)
Hours: 10-5:30 daily. (weather permitting) closed on Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Then we drove non-stop 5 hours to get home.
I really liked driving the hybrid. If I had the money I would consider buying one. I got 558 miles on a single tank. (Its a 20 gallon tank) When I pulled into Hertz it said the fuel range was about 89 miles. Combined MPG =34.
Total miles driven: 558
Pictures: (click on the album to view)
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| Tennessee |
 |
| Tennessee Day 2 |
Day 1
I got up bright and early to leave the house by 6:30am. I went to Hertz to pick up my rental car. The rental car will be $123 for 2 days. I got a full size car at 17.99 per day and 14.00 for LDW and around $50 for the fuel purchase. I got a good discount on my rental since I work for Hertz. I got an Altima hybrid.
It was 200 miles to Gatlinburg, TN from Charlotte, NC. The drive was pretty peaceful with no traffic. I took pictures and made video while I was driving. hehe. We arrived at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park around 2PM. The picnic area was a pretty long drive! We just stayed in the park for a little while to eat lunch.
Next we headed over to the salt and pepper shaker museum. The only salt and pepper shaker museum in the world. Its pretty interesting. There is a woman who collected over 20,000 pairs of salt and pepper shakers and made a museum. The museum has been featured on "Unwrapped" on the Food Network. Its a very large collection! It only costs $3.00 to enter.
http://www.thesaltandpeppershakermuseum.com/
Cost: $3 admission entitles you to $3 off of the purchase of a salt and pepper shaker. (Most of them are around $20). Children 12 and under get in free
Hours: daily 10am-4pm
Then we headed to the Sky Lift. The tickets were $12 each. The Sky lift is like the lifts you ride at a ski resort. You ride high up the side of the mountain. At the top you can get off and look at souveniers. While we were in the gift shop it started raining heavily and the ride stopped. The weather was so nice, but all of a sudden it started raining.It rained for about 10 minutes probably so we shopped and waited for the ride to start again. You can see a great view from the sky lift!
http://www.gatlinburgskylift.com/
OPEN DAILY
April - May 9AM-9PM
June - August 9AM-11PM
September - October 9AM-10PM
November - March As Posted
RATES
Adults $12
Children (3-11) $9
Then we headed to our hotel. Its pretty nice for a 2 star hotel in Pigeon Forge. It was pretty expensive, too. I paid $67 in all for one night. The room has 2 queen beds, a mini fridge, microwave, ironing board, iron, TV, free wifi, hairdryer, and coffee maker. The interior of the room was clean and well maintained. I thought there was a free breakfast but I got a menu which says $5 breakfast buffet.
Day 2
I slept in and then went to get breakfast. The breakfast was pretty good. Then we headed out to the Deer farm. The traffic was horrible. I waited and waited and waited and I just couldn't get out. I wanted to cross all 3 lanes and make a U turn but it wasn't going to happen. Finally I got out and pressed the gas and sped over to the next place where I could make a u turn.
We took a short drive to Sevierville to see the Smoky Mountain Deer Farm and Exotic Petting Zoo. You have to drive down this long and winding road to get to it. It was really interesting. We bought a 22oz of food to feed the animals for 2.50 and then purchased a refill for 1.26. We got to go into the goat pen, but you have to leave your food outside because they will jump on you. I held a baby goat. Those goats are aggressive when people are feeding them. When they see someone at the fence with food they all gather around. There are some of the goats who will push other goats out of the way so they can get food. We also fed a lot of the other animals. I fed the camel, goats, and deer. When I got done my hands were nasty! They slobber all over your hands! It was a good experience. I've seen exotic animals in zoos before, but I never got to pet them.
http://www.deerfarmzoo.com/
Cost: 10.95 (you can find a $1 off coupon in some of the coupon books that you get at the TN rest area)
Hours: 10-5:30 daily. (weather permitting) closed on Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Then we drove non-stop 5 hours to get home.
I really liked driving the hybrid. If I had the money I would consider buying one. I got 558 miles on a single tank. (Its a 20 gallon tank) When I pulled into Hertz it said the fuel range was about 89 miles. Combined MPG =34.
Total miles driven: 558
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Video and Pictures: Charleston, SC, Angel Oak Tree, Kiawah Island, SC
Charleston, SC: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston,_South_Carolina
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Row
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_Park_(Charleston)
Angel Oak Tree: http://www.angeloaktree.org/
Kiawah Island: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiawah_Island,_South_Carolina
Pictures: (click on album to view)
Charleston, SC
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| Charleston SC |
Angel Oak Tree:
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| John's Island SC Angel Oak Tree |
Kiawah Island:
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| Kiawah Island, SC |
Monday, July 19, 2010
Pageland Watermelon Festival July 16-17,2010
Pictures: (click album to view)
Videos:
Pageland is known as the Watermelon Capital of the World, and each July, the Pageland Watermelon Festival highlights a summer season full of activities. Thousands of visitors come from all over the southeast to enjoy the parade, beauty pageants, music, food and crafts.
Check out Jason Frame:http://www.funfilledentertainment.com/
Highland Knights Drum and Bugle Corphttp://www.highlandknights.org
Deion Reveriehttp://www.reverbnation.com/deionreverie
Dewayne Hill http://www.dewaynehill.com
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| Pageland Watermelon Festival July 17,2010 |
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| Pageland Watermelon Festival July 16,2010 |
Videos:
Pageland is known as the Watermelon Capital of the World, and each July, the Pageland Watermelon Festival highlights a summer season full of activities. Thousands of visitors come from all over the southeast to enjoy the parade, beauty pageants, music, food and crafts.
Check out Jason Frame:http://www.funfilledentertainment.com/
Highland Knights Drum and Bugle Corphttp://www.highlandknights.org
Deion Reveriehttp://www.reverbnation.com/deionreverie
Dewayne Hill http://www.dewaynehill.com
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Martha's Vineyard Video
Here's a video of my trip to Martha's Vineyard. I would have had it sooner but my laptop was in the shop being repaired.
What's up next on my journey?
In 2 weeks I'll be going to the Pageland Watermelon Festival. Its not a new venture, but I want to share it with everyone. Its a festival near my hometown. I've been going to it almost every year. The next weekend I'll be going to Charleston, SC. Its one of my favorite places to go. I've been there many times.
I haven't planned any trips to more states. My mom wants to go to Tennessee before I leave to return to South Korea.
I'm going to the Bahamas in January.
What's up next on my journey?
In 2 weeks I'll be going to the Pageland Watermelon Festival. Its not a new venture, but I want to share it with everyone. Its a festival near my hometown. I've been going to it almost every year. The next weekend I'll be going to Charleston, SC. Its one of my favorite places to go. I've been there many times.
I haven't planned any trips to more states. My mom wants to go to Tennessee before I leave to return to South Korea.
I'm going to the Bahamas in January.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Mission Accomplished
The trip that was started by a picture has come to a close. We arrived back in our hometown around noon.
Mom wanted to see the lighthouse in the picture. She didn't get to see it up close, but thanks to my 55-200mm lens she got a nice picture.
Videos coming soon to my Youtube channel...
Friday, June 11, 2010
Hotel Review: Comfort Inn-Airport (PVD) Warwick, RI
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| Comfort Inn (PVD) |
I stayed in Comfort Inn at the airport for 3 nights. It was rated on cheaptickets.com as a 3 star hotel. I got it as part of a package deal so I'm not sure about normal prices. I went to the website to see how much it would be to stay from next Wednesday to Saturday and the price was $88 a night so the price must be around that range.
Check In: 3pm
Check Out: Noon
Location: Its in a great location. It is literally walking distance from the airport. It takes less than 5 minutes to walk to the baggage claim area from the hotel. The only drawback is being close to the runway so you constantly hear planes.
Customer Service: The customer service was good when I checked in. The woman at the desk was friendly and allowed me to check in 30 minutes early. Check in was fast and efficient.
Cleanliness: My room was clean everyday. The hotel and grounds look neat and well maintained.
Breakfast: Free breakfast every morning from 4:30am-10:00am. The wide time slot is very convenient. There is a good selection of things such as bagels, self serve waffles (that you make on a waffle machine), cereal (not a wide variety), fruit (apples and oranges), muffins, and pastries. They also have water, coffee, apple juice, and orange juice to drink.
Supplies in room: paper cups, bags for the ice, 1 set of bath products which included a small size shampoo, bar of soap, and lotion, coffee packets.
They were experiencing some kind of washcloth shortage while we were there. We had 2 people in the room, but only one washcloth. One night we called and they brought us an extra one. The next night they said they didn't have any extra washcloths. We had the correct number of towels and hand towels.
Amenities: full size ironing board, iron, small hair dryer, coffee machine, Nintendo (you have to pay to play), fitness room(I didn't try it out), free wifi, breakfast, free local newspaper
Airport shuttle: The airport shuttle can be confusing. There isn't a shuttle that says "Comfort Inn". The shuttle actually says "Sheraton Providence". You don't know that its for comfort inn unless you walk up to it and see that there is a yellow A4 piece of paper that says "Comfort Inn". We asked about the times and they told us just to let them know 15 minutes ahead of time if we needed to ride the shuttle to the airport. The driver provided good service.
Restaurant: Small menu and in a very small room.Its more geared toward alcoholic drinks like a bar. I ordered a chicken sandwich. It was $8.50 and came with chips and 2 pickles. It was a chicken breast with lettuce and tomato in a bun. It tasted good to me. The girl at the bar was nice and provided great service.
Comfort: The pillows and bed were comfortable.
Overall rating: I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad.
What they need to do to get a better rating: Get a proper shuttle with the hotel name and don't run out of washcloths
Day 3: Martha's Vineyard
Pictures:
Finally, we had a good day. The weather was great. It was nice and sunny. I got a sunburn! It's going to really start hurting soon! All of my pictures turned out great. I got to see the whole island by bus so I didn't have to walk around and get lost!
Today we ventured out to Martha's Vineyard. We met a airport shuttle that is ran by the company who offers the ferry ($30 for round trip transportation to the dock where the ferry leaves and back to the airport(we left from PVD airport). We were taking the Vineyard Fast ferry from Quonset, RI. A round trip ticket costs $69. The ferry ride is approximately 90 minutes long. The ferry pulled away from the site at 10:00am. We arrived around noon.
Vineyard Fast Ferry: http://www.vineyardfastferry.com/
When we got there we looked for the tour office. We had a ticket for a sightseeing tour (you can order the sightseeing tour through Vineyard Fast Ferry). We missed the noon tour so we had to come back at 1:30 for the 1:45 tour.
The woman at the tour stand told us about some things we should see while we were waiting. She told us about the 'gingerbread houses' and 'flying horses'. We went souvenier shopping first. Then we ate lunch at Sharky's Cantina. Great food. It was a little pricey but so was everything else on the island!
Then we had some time to look at the gingerbread cottages. They are very small and decorated in many colors. People actually live in some of them.
More than 300 easter egg-colored houses complete with dainty trimmings and names such as "Angel Cottage," "Wooden Valentine," and "The Pink House," make up the cottage colony. The colony - a major tourist draw - is a sweet treat for the eyes.
Here's a pic of one of them:
Then we headed out to meet the tour bus. We went with Martha's Vineyard Sightseeing tours. The tour costed $29 and lasted for 2 1/2 hours. We drove through all 6 towns. We had a full bus today. We only stopped and got out at one place. We stopped at Aquinnah at the Gayhead cliffs and lighthouse. As we were driving around he told us stories and showed us where a lot of celebrities live on the island. The tour was over around 4:30pm. We got some ice cream and then went to watch the 'flying horses'. The flying horses is the oldest carousel in the world. The horses do not move up and down like regular carousels.
Gayhead Lighthouse:
Then we headed back home on the Vineyard Fast Ferry and took the airport shuttle back to T.F. Green.
Tomorrow I am headed home. I have a 6am flight! Thats way too early! I have to wake up around 3:45am. The only time I'm up that early is when I just haven't went to bed yet!
Everything we did today can all be booked through the Vineyard Fast Ferry link.
$69 RT ferry ride
$30 RT airport shuttle
$29 Sightseeing tour
My opinion: Great tourist place. It's a nice place, but I'd never be able to afford to live there!
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| Martha's Vineyard |
Finally, we had a good day. The weather was great. It was nice and sunny. I got a sunburn! It's going to really start hurting soon! All of my pictures turned out great. I got to see the whole island by bus so I didn't have to walk around and get lost!
Today we ventured out to Martha's Vineyard. We met a airport shuttle that is ran by the company who offers the ferry ($30 for round trip transportation to the dock where the ferry leaves and back to the airport(we left from PVD airport). We were taking the Vineyard Fast ferry from Quonset, RI. A round trip ticket costs $69. The ferry ride is approximately 90 minutes long. The ferry pulled away from the site at 10:00am. We arrived around noon.
Vineyard Fast Ferry: http://www.vineyardfastferry.com/
When we got there we looked for the tour office. We had a ticket for a sightseeing tour (you can order the sightseeing tour through Vineyard Fast Ferry). We missed the noon tour so we had to come back at 1:30 for the 1:45 tour.
The woman at the tour stand told us about some things we should see while we were waiting. She told us about the 'gingerbread houses' and 'flying horses'. We went souvenier shopping first. Then we ate lunch at Sharky's Cantina. Great food. It was a little pricey but so was everything else on the island!
Then we had some time to look at the gingerbread cottages. They are very small and decorated in many colors. People actually live in some of them.
More than 300 easter egg-colored houses complete with dainty trimmings and names such as "Angel Cottage," "Wooden Valentine," and "The Pink House," make up the cottage colony. The colony - a major tourist draw - is a sweet treat for the eyes.
Here's a pic of one of them:
Then we headed out to meet the tour bus. We went with Martha's Vineyard Sightseeing tours. The tour costed $29 and lasted for 2 1/2 hours. We drove through all 6 towns. We had a full bus today. We only stopped and got out at one place. We stopped at Aquinnah at the Gayhead cliffs and lighthouse. As we were driving around he told us stories and showed us where a lot of celebrities live on the island. The tour was over around 4:30pm. We got some ice cream and then went to watch the 'flying horses'. The flying horses is the oldest carousel in the world. The horses do not move up and down like regular carousels.
Gayhead Lighthouse:
Then we headed back home on the Vineyard Fast Ferry and took the airport shuttle back to T.F. Green.
Tomorrow I am headed home. I have a 6am flight! Thats way too early! I have to wake up around 3:45am. The only time I'm up that early is when I just haven't went to bed yet!
Everything we did today can all be booked through the Vineyard Fast Ferry link.
$69 RT ferry ride
$30 RT airport shuttle
$29 Sightseeing tour
My opinion: Great tourist place. It's a nice place, but I'd never be able to afford to live there!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Day 2: Hartford, CT
18. Connecticut
Today we got out and went to Hartford, CT. We decided to take the city bus today to the Kennedy Plaza where we were taking the charter bus. We got a day pass for $5.
I told the bus driver at Kennedy Plaza that I was catching the 10:30am bus to Worcester. I pronounced it wrong. He told me the correct way to say it. Its wor ster. Leave out the ce. The "ce" confuses everyone!He asked me what nationality I was..haha..
I also got asked today if I was Canadian..(no, I'm not)
We left the Peter Pan station at 10:30am headed to Worcester. Today I took my laptop on the trip so I could keep myself occupied. They have free wifi on the bus. sweet. I just wish they had power outlets!
We got to Worcester about 11:25am. My mom was meeting one of her penpals who lives in Worcester. We met her and talked for a while. She took us out to eat and then we went back to the bus station.
We caught the 12:50pm bus to Hartford, Connecticut. We arrived in CT around 2pm. Today on the agenda we only had 5 things that I planned. Our first stop was the Mark Twain house. We made a few detours before making it there. I like to stop and take pictures of churches and other buildings. Our 2nd stop was the Harriet Beecher Stowe house. It started drizzling around that time. We went to a store and bought an umbrella. We also stood in Taco Bell for a few mins and stood under a covering at the police station. When the rain let up just a little we started walking to our next destination.
Our next destination would have been the old state house, but we kept walking and walking and walking and still weren't there. Mom wanted to turn around because she was afraid we wouldn't make it back on time. So that was cut off my list. I was also going to see an ancient burial ground around that same area. That was also cut off the list.
Our last destination was the state capital. Its a lovely building!
Afterwards we went back to the bus stop. We made it there in time.
I was worried that we might not make it back tonight. We were going to leave at 6:15 and catch a connecting bus in Boston. Our bus was delayed because they were waiting for some people to arrive from another bus. Our bus ride was delayed by 20 mins. I went out and asked the bus driver if the bus at Boston would wait on us (since they were waiting on the albany bus to arrive making us late). He said it wouldn't wait. I thought we'd be stranded in Boston. Thankfully we did make it on time!!
We caught the 9pm bus from Boston to Providence, RI. After we arrived in Providence we took the city bus back to the airport. The bus driver let us off at the hotel.
Overall today was better. I made a few videos. The only bad part was not being able to see all that I wanted because of limited time and heavy rain. Other than that everything else went great.
Today: Martha's Vineyard
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| Hartford, CT |
Today we got out and went to Hartford, CT. We decided to take the city bus today to the Kennedy Plaza where we were taking the charter bus. We got a day pass for $5.
I told the bus driver at Kennedy Plaza that I was catching the 10:30am bus to Worcester. I pronounced it wrong. He told me the correct way to say it. Its wor ster. Leave out the ce. The "ce" confuses everyone!He asked me what nationality I was..haha..
I also got asked today if I was Canadian..(no, I'm not)
We left the Peter Pan station at 10:30am headed to Worcester. Today I took my laptop on the trip so I could keep myself occupied. They have free wifi on the bus. sweet. I just wish they had power outlets!
We got to Worcester about 11:25am. My mom was meeting one of her penpals who lives in Worcester. We met her and talked for a while. She took us out to eat and then we went back to the bus station.
We caught the 12:50pm bus to Hartford, Connecticut. We arrived in CT around 2pm. Today on the agenda we only had 5 things that I planned. Our first stop was the Mark Twain house. We made a few detours before making it there. I like to stop and take pictures of churches and other buildings. Our 2nd stop was the Harriet Beecher Stowe house. It started drizzling around that time. We went to a store and bought an umbrella. We also stood in Taco Bell for a few mins and stood under a covering at the police station. When the rain let up just a little we started walking to our next destination.
Our next destination would have been the old state house, but we kept walking and walking and walking and still weren't there. Mom wanted to turn around because she was afraid we wouldn't make it back on time. So that was cut off my list. I was also going to see an ancient burial ground around that same area. That was also cut off the list.
Our last destination was the state capital. Its a lovely building!
Afterwards we went back to the bus stop. We made it there in time.
I was worried that we might not make it back tonight. We were going to leave at 6:15 and catch a connecting bus in Boston. Our bus was delayed because they were waiting for some people to arrive from another bus. Our bus ride was delayed by 20 mins. I went out and asked the bus driver if the bus at Boston would wait on us (since they were waiting on the albany bus to arrive making us late). He said it wouldn't wait. I thought we'd be stranded in Boston. Thankfully we did make it on time!!
We caught the 9pm bus from Boston to Providence, RI. After we arrived in Providence we took the city bus back to the airport. The bus driver let us off at the hotel.
Overall today was better. I made a few videos. The only bad part was not being able to see all that I wanted because of limited time and heavy rain. Other than that everything else went great.
Today: Martha's Vineyard
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Day 1: 2 states in one day..and disasters
16. Rhode Island (My hotel is in Rhode Island. I'm not actually seeing any sites but it still counts..just like having a hotel in NJ counted.
17. Massachusetts
I'm typing this in the early morn while listening to my mom snore.
Yesterday I started my next Northeastern tour with my mom. On this trip I will be covering Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Things were going good at first. All the flights were good, on time, and short.
After we claimed our bags we were standing outside waiting for the shuttle. My mom was tired of waiting so she called the hotel to see when the shuttle was coming. They told us the shuttle was already there. We didn't notice it because it didn't say "Comfort Inn" on the shuttle itself. The actual shuttle said "Sheraton Providence" so we see it sitting out there and think that it is "Sheraton". Actually they had an A4 sheet of yellow paper that said "Comfort Inn". You wouldn't know that it was for comfort inn unless you got right up close to see. It had been sitting in front of us the whole time. They need to actually get their own shuttle.I was surprised by how close the hotel was to the airport. It's literally a 5 minute walk.
He took us to the hotel and we were able to check in 30 minutes early. We checked into our room. Then we were going to meet the Peter Pan Bus to go to Boston. We walked to the airport. We were suppose to meet the bus at 3:30.
We are standing there waiting and it starts to rain. The bus is 15 minutes late. Then the bus driver comes and we talk to him. We were actually at the wrong station. I went to their website and typed in "Providence, RI". 3 stations came up. I assumed that you could catch the Providence bus from any of those stations. I chose the airport one since it was the closest. That wasn't the case. Each one of those stations has its own schedule and fare. I think it needs to be clearer on the webpage! So he tells us that he will be back at 5:15pm and that we can ride the bus from the airport even though our tickets are for the providence station. I contemplate it and sit around thinking. I decided to come back to the hotel and check schedules on the website. We could take that bus at 5:15 and arrive in Boston around 7pm. We'd have to leave and get on the 10pm bus coming back and find our own way back to the airport from Providence.
We got to Boston around 7pm. We were going to walk as much of the Freedom Trail as we could. First we had to find our way to the beginning of the trail. We missed a turn somewhere so we turned around and walked again. Finally someone helped us. We were actually right near what we wanted to see.
First we went to the Boston Common. I took some pictures of monuments there. Then we saw the State House. Then we saw Park Street Church. Then walked a little while longer and ended up at the old city hall. The freedom trail wasn't as easy to follow as I thought it would be. It probably would have been easier if we went during the day and not when it was raining. I thought there'd be a lot of signs showing you where to go. The only sign I saw was for Park Street Church.
I was frustrated that we were short on time because of the bus confusion. I'm also trying to take pictures while holding an umbrella. Plus my flimsy umbrella was being blown by the wind and is no longer in a usable state. I guess you get what you pay for. I bought it at walmart for $2. I brought a tiny one on the trip because I wasn't planning on rain and I didn't want to bring a big umbrella that wouldn't fit in the suitcase.
So due to unforeseeable circumstances day one was a disaster. I didn't get to see much. I didn't get many good pictures. I don't have any opinions on whether or not I like Boston. I didn't have adequate time to assess the situation.
We took the 10pm bus back to Providence. We decided to take a cab home since we didn't know of any other options. That cab was very expensive! A 10 mile ride was $34!
Here are the pictures (There aren't many and they aren't that great!):
Today we will be using the bus!!
Thursday's agenda: Hartford, CT
17. Massachusetts
I'm typing this in the early morn while listening to my mom snore.
Yesterday I started my next Northeastern tour with my mom. On this trip I will be covering Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Things were going good at first. All the flights were good, on time, and short.
After we claimed our bags we were standing outside waiting for the shuttle. My mom was tired of waiting so she called the hotel to see when the shuttle was coming. They told us the shuttle was already there. We didn't notice it because it didn't say "Comfort Inn" on the shuttle itself. The actual shuttle said "Sheraton Providence" so we see it sitting out there and think that it is "Sheraton". Actually they had an A4 sheet of yellow paper that said "Comfort Inn". You wouldn't know that it was for comfort inn unless you got right up close to see. It had been sitting in front of us the whole time. They need to actually get their own shuttle.I was surprised by how close the hotel was to the airport. It's literally a 5 minute walk.
He took us to the hotel and we were able to check in 30 minutes early. We checked into our room. Then we were going to meet the Peter Pan Bus to go to Boston. We walked to the airport. We were suppose to meet the bus at 3:30.
We are standing there waiting and it starts to rain. The bus is 15 minutes late. Then the bus driver comes and we talk to him. We were actually at the wrong station. I went to their website and typed in "Providence, RI". 3 stations came up. I assumed that you could catch the Providence bus from any of those stations. I chose the airport one since it was the closest. That wasn't the case. Each one of those stations has its own schedule and fare. I think it needs to be clearer on the webpage! So he tells us that he will be back at 5:15pm and that we can ride the bus from the airport even though our tickets are for the providence station. I contemplate it and sit around thinking. I decided to come back to the hotel and check schedules on the website. We could take that bus at 5:15 and arrive in Boston around 7pm. We'd have to leave and get on the 10pm bus coming back and find our own way back to the airport from Providence.
We got to Boston around 7pm. We were going to walk as much of the Freedom Trail as we could. First we had to find our way to the beginning of the trail. We missed a turn somewhere so we turned around and walked again. Finally someone helped us. We were actually right near what we wanted to see.
First we went to the Boston Common. I took some pictures of monuments there. Then we saw the State House. Then we saw Park Street Church. Then walked a little while longer and ended up at the old city hall. The freedom trail wasn't as easy to follow as I thought it would be. It probably would have been easier if we went during the day and not when it was raining. I thought there'd be a lot of signs showing you where to go. The only sign I saw was for Park Street Church.
I was frustrated that we were short on time because of the bus confusion. I'm also trying to take pictures while holding an umbrella. Plus my flimsy umbrella was being blown by the wind and is no longer in a usable state. I guess you get what you pay for. I bought it at walmart for $2. I brought a tiny one on the trip because I wasn't planning on rain and I didn't want to bring a big umbrella that wouldn't fit in the suitcase.
So due to unforeseeable circumstances day one was a disaster. I didn't get to see much. I didn't get many good pictures. I don't have any opinions on whether or not I like Boston. I didn't have adequate time to assess the situation.
We took the 10pm bus back to Providence. We decided to take a cab home since we didn't know of any other options. That cab was very expensive! A 10 mile ride was $34!
Here are the pictures (There aren't many and they aren't that great!):
 |
| Boston |
Today we will be using the bus!!
Thursday's agenda: Hartford, CT
Monday, May 3, 2010
Planning my next trip....
I booked my flight and hotel today! My trip will be June 9-12, 2010. I will be visiting 3 states-RI,MA,and CT.
I used www.cheaptickets.com
I got a RT flight from Charlotte, NC to Providence, RI and 3 nights in a 3 star hotel for $418
The trip is probably going to end up costing around $700 in all, but we are packing a lot into 3 days. And we get to see 3 states! I'm a good planner. I try to maximize every trip we take. I make sure we get to see more than one place.
We plan to take a bus to Boston, MA and Hartford, CT. We will also take a ferry to Martha's Vineyard and take a tour of MV with a tour company.
We will be on a total of 4 planes. 3 of the planes will be the small 50 seaters again. I guess that's what you get when you are trying to travel on a budget! I'll be flying with Continental this time. I've never flown with them before.
I'm setting records this year. After this trip I will have traveled to 6 states in 4 months time. In the past 28 years of my life I had only covered 10 states. I don't know how many more states I will cover before I go back to South Korea in March of 2011. Depends on how wisely I spend my money. Maybe I'll find states that are nearby and drive or find road trip buddies. Tennessee is only a few hours away. Maybe I'll get a rental car and a buddy and go there.
I used www.cheaptickets.com
I got a RT flight from Charlotte, NC to Providence, RI and 3 nights in a 3 star hotel for $418
The trip is probably going to end up costing around $700 in all, but we are packing a lot into 3 days. And we get to see 3 states! I'm a good planner. I try to maximize every trip we take. I make sure we get to see more than one place.
We plan to take a bus to Boston, MA and Hartford, CT. We will also take a ferry to Martha's Vineyard and take a tour of MV with a tour company.
We will be on a total of 4 planes. 3 of the planes will be the small 50 seaters again. I guess that's what you get when you are trying to travel on a budget! I'll be flying with Continental this time. I've never flown with them before.
I'm setting records this year. After this trip I will have traveled to 6 states in 4 months time. In the past 28 years of my life I had only covered 10 states. I don't know how many more states I will cover before I go back to South Korea in March of 2011. Depends on how wisely I spend my money. Maybe I'll find states that are nearby and drive or find road trip buddies. Tennessee is only a few hours away. Maybe I'll get a rental car and a buddy and go there.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
New trip planned..story behind it
So I'm in the process of planning another 3 state trip with my mom. She wants to go to Martha's Vineyard. I want to make the most of our trip while we are there by adding other stops on the way so we can see as many states as possible. I am planning the whole itinerary.
We will be flying into the airport in Warwick, RI. Our hotel will be 0.4 miles from the airport and it offers a 24 hr shuttle so thats great. We will be taking a bus to Boston, MA one day. We will also take a bus to Hartford, Connecticut. On our last day of sightseeing we will go to Martha's vineyard. We will take a ferry to Martha's Vineyard and use a tour company to maximize our time on the island.
I'm going to keep searching prices, but as of now I think our trip is going to cost us around $600 a piece which is pretty decent.
So how did my mom choose this trip?
It all started from this picture that I purchased at Goodwill.
I didn't have anywhere to hang the picture. I guess I just thought it was pretty and picked it up. She thought it would go great in her kitchen.
Then the obsession began. See if you can find the common theme in all these pictures...
Well if you haven't figured it out by now...she went crazy over lighthouses.
So now we are going to see the lighthouse that inspired this obsession.
We are going in June. I'll write reviews of the hotel, restaurants, tour groups, cities and anything that we do there. I'll be sure to post lots of pictures and honest feedback.
After the trip I will be up to 17 states! Mom will be up to 10. I still have a long way to go to meet my goal of USA domination.
We will be flying into the airport in Warwick, RI. Our hotel will be 0.4 miles from the airport and it offers a 24 hr shuttle so thats great. We will be taking a bus to Boston, MA one day. We will also take a bus to Hartford, Connecticut. On our last day of sightseeing we will go to Martha's vineyard. We will take a ferry to Martha's Vineyard and use a tour company to maximize our time on the island.
I'm going to keep searching prices, but as of now I think our trip is going to cost us around $600 a piece which is pretty decent.
So how did my mom choose this trip?
It all started from this picture that I purchased at Goodwill.
I didn't have anywhere to hang the picture. I guess I just thought it was pretty and picked it up. She thought it would go great in her kitchen.
Then the obsession began. See if you can find the common theme in all these pictures...
Well if you haven't figured it out by now...she went crazy over lighthouses.
So now we are going to see the lighthouse that inspired this obsession.
We are going in June. I'll write reviews of the hotel, restaurants, tour groups, cities and anything that we do there. I'll be sure to post lots of pictures and honest feedback.
After the trip I will be up to 17 states! Mom will be up to 10. I still have a long way to go to meet my goal of USA domination.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Washington DC-The capital of the USA
Pictures: click on album to view
On our 5th day we went to Washington DC. We left Chinatown at 8am and arrived after noon. We went on a chartered bus with the same tour company that we went to Philly with. It was $35 roundtrip. We had from noon-8pm to explore.
I picked up a souvenir book to look at all the sites. There was also a (bad-not to scale) map inside.
All the things were actually close to Chinatown where we were dropped off, but we walked a long way in the wrong direction because the map was not drawn to scale and not very good. After walking a long way in the wrong direction we asked someone where to go and they pointed us in the right direction.
We saw:
Some beautiful churches
The White House—there was someone outside protesting about nuclear weapons.
The Washington monument
The world war 2 memorial
The Korean war memorial
Lincoln memorial (didn’t attempt to climb the stairs)—reflecting pool was empty…why? Ruined my postcard style shot!
I missed the Jefferson Memorial. I also didn't get to the capital building,pentagon, or the Arlington cemetary. It was farther away.
I didn’t find the Vietnam memorial.
PROS: nice city, easy to get around and most of tourist sites are in the same area
CONS: none
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| washington DC_1 |
On our 5th day we went to Washington DC. We left Chinatown at 8am and arrived after noon. We went on a chartered bus with the same tour company that we went to Philly with. It was $35 roundtrip. We had from noon-8pm to explore.
I picked up a souvenir book to look at all the sites. There was also a (bad-not to scale) map inside.
All the things were actually close to Chinatown where we were dropped off, but we walked a long way in the wrong direction because the map was not drawn to scale and not very good. After walking a long way in the wrong direction we asked someone where to go and they pointed us in the right direction.
We saw:
Some beautiful churches
The White House—there was someone outside protesting about nuclear weapons.
The Washington monument
The world war 2 memorial
The Korean war memorial
Lincoln memorial (didn’t attempt to climb the stairs)—reflecting pool was empty…why? Ruined my postcard style shot!
I missed the Jefferson Memorial. I also didn't get to the capital building,pentagon, or the Arlington cemetary. It was farther away.
I didn’t find the Vietnam memorial.
PROS: nice city, easy to get around and most of tourist sites are in the same area
CONS: none
Philadelphia
Pictures: click on album to view
On our 3rd day we took a day trip to Philly. We left from Chinatown(NYC) at 9am and arrived in Philly at 11am. We rode on a chartered bus with New Century Travel. Only costed $20 roundtrip. We were going to be inside the town from 11am till 6pm.
Our first stop was Reading Terminal Market. It was a nice market with tons of things, but very crowded. We didn’t stay long because there were so many people you couldn’t hardly get around.
Then we just started walking around trying to see all the ‘must see’ things that I found on the Internet. We stopped at a souvenir shop and I picked up a walking map. I saw a lot of things off that map. We walked to all of our stops. I didn’t get to see 2 of the things that weren’t within walking distance.
I saw (didn’t go inside):
Independence Hall
Betsy Ross House
US Mint
Carpenter's Hall
First Bank of US
Philadelphia Exchange (beautiful building!)
Philadelphia bank
Federal Reserve Bank
We did go inside to see the Liberty Bell(free). We also went inside Christ Church. That was interesting. Its one of the oldest Episcopal churches and is still an active church today. I sat in Benjamin Franklin’s pew. Back in the day they had to rent their pews. We also went to the Christ Church burial ground where 4 of the people who signed the declaration of Independence are buried. A lot of people were looking at Franklin’s tomb. It costed $2 to enter.
I wanted to see the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Eastern State Pentitentary, but I didn't get around to it. They weren't within walking distance.
I have a friend who is from Philadelphia. He recommended that I eat a cheesesteak from geno’s or Pat’s. After searching online I chose Genos. We took a cab to get there because it was too far to walk. There was a long line at Genos and Pats. We probably stood in line for about 10 mins or so. I ate my first cheesesteak. It was good.
PROS: Philadelphia is a beautiful city. I loved all the old buildings. There is a lot in history that happened in Philly.I think Philly was one of our favorite places. It was so laid back and not as busy as NYC. It was much easier to see a lot of the sites without walking too far.
CONS: none
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| Philadelphia |
On our 3rd day we took a day trip to Philly. We left from Chinatown(NYC) at 9am and arrived in Philly at 11am. We rode on a chartered bus with New Century Travel. Only costed $20 roundtrip. We were going to be inside the town from 11am till 6pm.
Our first stop was Reading Terminal Market. It was a nice market with tons of things, but very crowded. We didn’t stay long because there were so many people you couldn’t hardly get around.
Then we just started walking around trying to see all the ‘must see’ things that I found on the Internet. We stopped at a souvenir shop and I picked up a walking map. I saw a lot of things off that map. We walked to all of our stops. I didn’t get to see 2 of the things that weren’t within walking distance.
I saw (didn’t go inside):
Independence Hall
Betsy Ross House
US Mint
Carpenter's Hall
First Bank of US
Philadelphia Exchange (beautiful building!)
Philadelphia bank
Federal Reserve Bank
We did go inside to see the Liberty Bell(free). We also went inside Christ Church. That was interesting. Its one of the oldest Episcopal churches and is still an active church today. I sat in Benjamin Franklin’s pew. Back in the day they had to rent their pews. We also went to the Christ Church burial ground where 4 of the people who signed the declaration of Independence are buried. A lot of people were looking at Franklin’s tomb. It costed $2 to enter.
I wanted to see the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Eastern State Pentitentary, but I didn't get around to it. They weren't within walking distance.
I have a friend who is from Philadelphia. He recommended that I eat a cheesesteak from geno’s or Pat’s. After searching online I chose Genos. We took a cab to get there because it was too far to walk. There was a long line at Genos and Pats. We probably stood in line for about 10 mins or so. I ate my first cheesesteak. It was good.
PROS: Philadelphia is a beautiful city. I loved all the old buildings. There is a lot in history that happened in Philly.I think Philly was one of our favorite places. It was so laid back and not as busy as NYC. It was much easier to see a lot of the sites without walking too far.
CONS: none
New York City
Pictures: (click on album to view)
We arrived in New York on March 4th. We had a good flight into JFK with Us Airways. On a one hour flight they give you a complimentary drink. Our flight was only about 1 hour 20 minutes so we arrived about 20 mins earlier than scheduled.
I hated that we had to pay $40 to store our luggage. There aren’t any lockers in the subway stations. Why? I wouldn’t mind paying $5 to use a locker in a subway. I only knew of one place to store luggage and it wasn’t anywhere near where we were going so we walked around for a while and then we ended up taking a cab.
Our first stop on our trip was the Rockefeller Plaza. We had tickets for a taping of the Jimmy Fallon show. I have only watched Jimmy Fallon’s show twice, but it was easy to get tickets to. I wanted to go to a show taping for the experience. We got there early and got tickets and a wristband. Then we went to eat at McDonalds and came back to the studio.We stood in line for a while and had to go through security to get into the studio. After we sat down a guy came out for a warm up. He was funny. The Roots played. They are good.
First he had the reunion of the cast of "California Dreams". It was neat to see all of them. I remember watching that show. Dennis Haskins (Mr Belding on "Saved By the Bell" ) also showed up.The first guest was Zach Galifanakis. He was in "The Hangover." He's funny.There was a funny scene where they did "let us play with your looks". Jimmy came out in this ridiculous outfit. Zach also came out. A girl from the audience came down with Zach. They put shaving cream all over her head!
The second guest was a Mia Wasikowska. She stars in the new "Alice in Wonderland."
The musical guest was Silversun Pickups. I'd never heard of them before. They were okay.It was interesting to be a part of the audience. I enjoyed it
the 2nd day of our trip we took an 8 hour comprehensive tour of NYC. It was great. Its about 88 dollars and includes lunch and an hour ride on a water taxi. We were with greyline tours. I definitely recommend the trip. Our tour guide’s name was Dave. He was awesome. He knew so much information. There were only 7 people on our trip. Me and my mom were the only US people on the trip. There were 3 people from Australia, 2 from the UK and us. We rode around and he would point out buildings and tell us the history. We had lunch in Little Italy-Italian rest called Grotta Azzurra Ristorante.Lunch was great.I had skirt steak. An hour ride on the Hudson river was also included in our tour.
On our 4th day in NYC we went to Koreatown for lunch. I love Korea so I had to go to Koreatown. I was in the mood for galbi.The cute Korean waiter was standing outside the door. I asked him if we could cook the galbi at our table. He said yes and we didn’t have to order more than one portion. We went in there and I struck up a conversation with the cute waiter. I was telling him about just getting back from Korea. (I’d been home for a week) He told me his step mom owns a hagwon in Korea. He took my name and email.He was nice and friendly. Oh and did I mention he was handsome. He was 30 years old. He might go back to Korea this year. Maybe we can be friends when I go back to Korea. The waiter cooked the galbi for us at our table. It was delicious. The side dishes were good also. I made it through the whole meal eating with chopsticks even though I’m not extremely coordinated.
Then we headed out to Coney Island. It was easy to get to. We just rode the F train to the next to last stop. The beach was beautiful. I love beaches! We stayed there for a while. I took a ton of pictures and picked up a lot of seashells. I found a lot of big whole shells. It’s a lot better than the little broken shells that you find in SC. It was a nice day out also.
Later that night I wanted to go to see the ‘charging bull.’ The subway we needed wasn’t running so we took an alternate route on subway 4. The Bowling Green stop led us right in near the bull. I knew it was on Whitehall, but I walked a long way in the wrong direction then turned around and found it. I did find the Staten Island Ferry at the other end although we didn’t ride it.
We spent a lot of time in Penn Station which is one of the busiest stations in the US. It was always busy when we were there. I also had to visit Grand Central station. We didn’t take the train from there but it was very busy.
I never made it out to the Bronx, long island, or Staten island. We mostly stayed in Manhattan. We were in Brooklyn for a short time.
PROS: Lots of things to do, subway open 24 hours
CONS: subway could be confusing for people who don't have subway experience, things are expensive, cabs are expensive, no lockers in subways, lots of beggars,very busy, lots of crime although i didnt experience any
 |
| New York |
 |
| New York 2 |
 |
| NY 3 |
We arrived in New York on March 4th. We had a good flight into JFK with Us Airways. On a one hour flight they give you a complimentary drink. Our flight was only about 1 hour 20 minutes so we arrived about 20 mins earlier than scheduled.
I hated that we had to pay $40 to store our luggage. There aren’t any lockers in the subway stations. Why? I wouldn’t mind paying $5 to use a locker in a subway. I only knew of one place to store luggage and it wasn’t anywhere near where we were going so we walked around for a while and then we ended up taking a cab.
Our first stop on our trip was the Rockefeller Plaza. We had tickets for a taping of the Jimmy Fallon show. I have only watched Jimmy Fallon’s show twice, but it was easy to get tickets to. I wanted to go to a show taping for the experience. We got there early and got tickets and a wristband. Then we went to eat at McDonalds and came back to the studio.We stood in line for a while and had to go through security to get into the studio. After we sat down a guy came out for a warm up. He was funny. The Roots played. They are good.
First he had the reunion of the cast of "California Dreams". It was neat to see all of them. I remember watching that show. Dennis Haskins (Mr Belding on "Saved By the Bell" ) also showed up.The first guest was Zach Galifanakis. He was in "The Hangover." He's funny.There was a funny scene where they did "let us play with your looks". Jimmy came out in this ridiculous outfit. Zach also came out. A girl from the audience came down with Zach. They put shaving cream all over her head!
The second guest was a Mia Wasikowska. She stars in the new "Alice in Wonderland."
The musical guest was Silversun Pickups. I'd never heard of them before. They were okay.It was interesting to be a part of the audience. I enjoyed it
the 2nd day of our trip we took an 8 hour comprehensive tour of NYC. It was great. Its about 88 dollars and includes lunch and an hour ride on a water taxi. We were with greyline tours. I definitely recommend the trip. Our tour guide’s name was Dave. He was awesome. He knew so much information. There were only 7 people on our trip. Me and my mom were the only US people on the trip. There were 3 people from Australia, 2 from the UK and us. We rode around and he would point out buildings and tell us the history. We had lunch in Little Italy-Italian rest called Grotta Azzurra Ristorante.Lunch was great.I had skirt steak. An hour ride on the Hudson river was also included in our tour.
On our 4th day in NYC we went to Koreatown for lunch. I love Korea so I had to go to Koreatown. I was in the mood for galbi.The cute Korean waiter was standing outside the door. I asked him if we could cook the galbi at our table. He said yes and we didn’t have to order more than one portion. We went in there and I struck up a conversation with the cute waiter. I was telling him about just getting back from Korea. (I’d been home for a week) He told me his step mom owns a hagwon in Korea. He took my name and email.He was nice and friendly. Oh and did I mention he was handsome. He was 30 years old. He might go back to Korea this year. Maybe we can be friends when I go back to Korea. The waiter cooked the galbi for us at our table. It was delicious. The side dishes were good also. I made it through the whole meal eating with chopsticks even though I’m not extremely coordinated.
Then we headed out to Coney Island. It was easy to get to. We just rode the F train to the next to last stop. The beach was beautiful. I love beaches! We stayed there for a while. I took a ton of pictures and picked up a lot of seashells. I found a lot of big whole shells. It’s a lot better than the little broken shells that you find in SC. It was a nice day out also.
Later that night I wanted to go to see the ‘charging bull.’ The subway we needed wasn’t running so we took an alternate route on subway 4. The Bowling Green stop led us right in near the bull. I knew it was on Whitehall, but I walked a long way in the wrong direction then turned around and found it. I did find the Staten Island Ferry at the other end although we didn’t ride it.
We spent a lot of time in Penn Station which is one of the busiest stations in the US. It was always busy when we were there. I also had to visit Grand Central station. We didn’t take the train from there but it was very busy.
I never made it out to the Bronx, long island, or Staten island. We mostly stayed in Manhattan. We were in Brooklyn for a short time.
PROS: Lots of things to do, subway open 24 hours
CONS: subway could be confusing for people who don't have subway experience, things are expensive, cabs are expensive, no lockers in subways, lots of beggars,very busy, lots of crime although i didnt experience any
Restaurant Review: Geno's Steaks (Philadelphia)
I have a friend who is from Philadelphia and I asked him for some recommendations on things to do in Philly. He recommended Geno's Steaks. It was great!!
Philadelphia is the home of the cheesesteak so I just had to try one. Going to Philly without eating a cheesesteak is like going to Korea and not eating Korean food.
Location: 1219 South 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
website: http://www.genosteaks.com/home1.html
Menu:
Steak Sandwich $7.50
Wiz Cheesesteak Sandwich $8.25
Provolone Cheesesteak Sandwich $8.25
American Cheesesteak Sandwich $8.25
Pizza Steak Sandwich $8.75
Roast Pork Sandwich $7.50
Freedom Fries $3.25 · Cheese Fries $4.25
Soda $1.75 · Bottled Water $1.75 · Hot Chocolate .75¢
Coffee .75¢ · Tea .75¢
I ordered the American Cheesesteak Sandwich. It was my first cheesesteak and it was good!
The price was good-8.25
There was a long line when we got there so its a popular place. We were in line for about 10 minutes or so.
The service was fast. The prices with tax included were posted so you could have your money ready. I ordered, paid, and was given my order very quickly.
Good price, good service and good food.
From the website: Be prepared and know how to order, because the service is fast and the line keeps moving. For example, on a cheese steak with onions specify which kind of cheese you'd like (Provolone, American or Cheese Whiz). By the time you have given your order, your money will be taken and your sandwich will be out the window nice and hot! At the next window you can pick up your soda, fries and coffee. Geno's is open 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a week.
There is no indoor dining, but there are tables under canopies on the sidewalk for those who wish to enjoy sandwiches on the premises rather than drive off with them. Stop by when you're in town and see why Geno's Steaks has become a Philadelphia tradition.
Restaurant Review: Katz's Deli (NYC)
Location:located at 205 E. Houston Street (Manhattan-Lower East Side, NYC)
Katz's was the site of Meg Ryan's and Estelle Reiner's famous "I'll have what she's having" fake orgasm scene in the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally.The table at which she and Billy Crystal sat, is marked with a sign that says "Where Harry met Sally...hope you have what she had!".It was also the site of Johnny Depp's character meeting with an FBI contact in Donnie Brasco.Katz's Deli is also the site for a scene in Across the Universe in which one of the main characters reveals he has been drafted into the Vietnam War.
I only wanted to go to Katz's Deli because it was a restaurant from a movie. It was used in a scene for "When Harry Met Sally."
I'm not a huge deli fan and I'm reluctant to try things that I haven't tried before so I think you'll just have to try it for yourself. This is my account.
We went on a Sunday night. The place was packed!
When you walk in they give you a ticket. They use the ticket to record your order. They really want that ticket back if you don't use it. If you don't return it there is a huge fine. What's the big deal? Its a ticket like one of the "admit one" tickets you'd get at an amusement park or something.
There were a few lines you could get in. The person at the door had to keep reminding us "There are 3 lines. Each line has its own cutter."
I ordered the cheeseburger. I had to wait about 5-7 minutes for them to cook it. The burger costed $5.60. When I got back to my hotel I looked at it. The burger isn't much bigger than a double cheeseburger and wasn't something I'd want to pay nearly $6 for. The taste wasn't anything special. I've had much better.
My mom got a hotdog with chili for $4.10. She wasn't too happy with it. She said it was good, but not great.
I wasn't happy with my trip to the deli. I think you just go there just to say you've been there. Maybe the other food is really good. I don't know. I only tried one thing and wasn't satisfied.
The prices are probably high because it is kinda like a tourist attraction.
I won't go back, but don't let my review keep you from going.
Restaurant Review: Han Gang Koreatown (NYC)
Location:34 West 32nd Street
(between 5th Ave & Broadway)
New York, NY 10001
Price: $$
I've lived in Korea so I like some Korean food. While in Koreatown I was on a mission to find Galbi that I could cook at my table. Cooking it at your table is part of the experience.
I looked at a lot of restaurants and most of them said "you must order 2 portions to cook at your table."
The waiter of Han Gang was standing outside the door so I asked him if we got to cook it at our table. He said yes. Then my next question was to inquire about having to order more than one portion. You didn't have to order more than one. I think we have a winner.
We went on a Sunday around 2pm. There weren't many people in the restaurant so we got seated right away. We ordered Galbi. First we got our side dishes. I never know what the side dishes are called but they were good.
The waiter cooked the galbi at the grill on our table while me and him chatted about Korea. He was really friendly (and handsome).
The service was great. They were really attentive and helpful.
The price is a little expensive, but hey you're in NYC so its expected.
We got one portion of Galbi that was plenty enough for 2 people. It was $24.95.
I was pleased with this restaurant. Good food and great service. If you like Korean food you should check it out.
์ ๋จน์
yeah I took the photo after we ate. At least you know the food was good.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Trip #1 Summary
Photos: picasaweb.google.com/valeriebeth2010
I just returned from my first vacation of the year. I went to New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. I had a good time, saw a ton of sites and spent a lot of money. How much did I spend? I have no clue! I don’t know how much money I had in my purse when I left but I know I brought 400 and when I left I still had about 100 left. That means I spent at least $300 plus $50 for baggage. I’m not sure how much was already in my purse before I put in the $400.
I got a great deal on the hotel and flight. I booked about 2 months in advance. When I first checked on the site tickets were around $375 each and then I checked a week later and the price went down. I grabbed the tickets then before they had a chance to rise again! I used cheaptickets.com and got 5 nights in a 3 star hotel in Newark, New Jersey and a round trip flight from Charlotte Douglass International to John. F Kennedy International all for $275 per person. My mom and I went on the trip. I also paid for a Comprehensive tour of New York City for about 88 per person. I booked 2 bus rides also. The bus from Downtown Manhattan to Philadelphia was $20 roundtrip. The trip from Manhattan to Washington DC was $35 roundtrip.
I’ve used cheaptickets twice in the past 3 years and I’ve had 2 positive experiences. I’ll continue to use that site for my trips.
I did a lot of walking on the trip. I was determined to not pay cab fares to get from place to place inside the city. I used a cab once to get to a luggage storage place on my first day, to get to a restaurant in Philly, to get to the bus station and to get to a subway station. My mom was also with me and didn’t like all the walking which reminded me that I don’t need to travel with her anymore. It caused much frustration for me. I don’t normally get angry but I got angry at her many times. She complained about walking too much. She’s old and doesn’t like to walk much and I’m young and full of energy.
Transportation on the trip was very expensive. If I would have known that it was such a hassle to get from Newark to Manhattan I would have chosen a more expensive package with a hotel in New York. I used the New Jersey transit everyday to get from the airport area to Manhattan. It was $15 one way. That came up to $30 a day. I paid well over $150 just to ride the train for the week. Ridiculous! Why was it $15 to ride 11 miles?
Food was also expensive in New York City. In SC you’d pay around $5.00 for a big Mac combo. In NYC you’d pay nearly $7.00.
We also rode the subway a lot. I paid $27 for an unlimited metro card. That wasn’t too bad. The only inconvenience was that they changed every single train that we needed during our trip there. I got my directions off of the internet so I followed them. We got to the station and we’d see a sign “The D train does not stop here this weekend.” We’d have to follow the alternative route that the poster suggested. The subway wasn’t as hard to navigate as I had heard, but I do have subway navigating experience.
The subway has its pros and cons. I compared it to Seoul’s metro. I think Seoul’s subway system is much better and easier to get around than New York City. The subway is more expensive there. $2.25 per ride is pretty decent, but I’m used to paying 1400 won at the most which is a tad bit over $1.00 in Seoul. I do like that NYC subways run 24 hours. Seoul’s subways are closed from 1am-5am.
I hated having to pay $25 on both airlines to check my baggage. I paid $50 for checking my bags. We had to pay once on the flight with US Airways from CLT to JFK and another charge from JFK to CLT with Delta.
We had a safe trip. I was glad. I’d heard how bad crime was in NY. I didn’t feel unsafe at anytime. Even walking the streets at midnight in Chinatown.
My flight home was overbooked and on a tiny plane. (I don't understand why they overbook flights..only sell how many seats you have..duh!). I could have gotten on the next flight for free, but I was ready to go on this flight. Every single seat was filled. There wasn't enough room for all the carry ons so our carry ons had to be carried under the plane as cargo. I've never been on a plane that small! It could only hold 48 people. The service was great though. It was a 2 hour 20 minute flight and they gave us snacks and drinks.
I took tons of photos. I’d say I probably took about 1,000 photos. I’m thankful for digital cameras. I don’t know how I’d afford developing all those pictures. Most of my pictures will stay in a digital album so I won’t have hard copies. My sister has a photo printer so I’ll use it for my favorite shots. I love photography. I have to capture everything on film.
I covered 3 states! New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. I didn’t do anything in New Jersey besides stay in the hotel but it counts because I touched soil. Haha. I’ll also count Maryland as being there because we stopped there for briefly although we didn’t get out of the bus. Hey gotta count down the states any way I can.
I think I’m up to 13 states now. I’m well on my way to North American domination. Its my plan to visit them all before I kick the bucket.
I just returned from my first vacation of the year. I went to New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. I had a good time, saw a ton of sites and spent a lot of money. How much did I spend? I have no clue! I don’t know how much money I had in my purse when I left but I know I brought 400 and when I left I still had about 100 left. That means I spent at least $300 plus $50 for baggage. I’m not sure how much was already in my purse before I put in the $400.
I got a great deal on the hotel and flight. I booked about 2 months in advance. When I first checked on the site tickets were around $375 each and then I checked a week later and the price went down. I grabbed the tickets then before they had a chance to rise again! I used cheaptickets.com and got 5 nights in a 3 star hotel in Newark, New Jersey and a round trip flight from Charlotte Douglass International to John. F Kennedy International all for $275 per person. My mom and I went on the trip. I also paid for a Comprehensive tour of New York City for about 88 per person. I booked 2 bus rides also. The bus from Downtown Manhattan to Philadelphia was $20 roundtrip. The trip from Manhattan to Washington DC was $35 roundtrip.
I’ve used cheaptickets twice in the past 3 years and I’ve had 2 positive experiences. I’ll continue to use that site for my trips.
I did a lot of walking on the trip. I was determined to not pay cab fares to get from place to place inside the city. I used a cab once to get to a luggage storage place on my first day, to get to a restaurant in Philly, to get to the bus station and to get to a subway station. My mom was also with me and didn’t like all the walking which reminded me that I don’t need to travel with her anymore. It caused much frustration for me. I don’t normally get angry but I got angry at her many times. She complained about walking too much. She’s old and doesn’t like to walk much and I’m young and full of energy.
Transportation on the trip was very expensive. If I would have known that it was such a hassle to get from Newark to Manhattan I would have chosen a more expensive package with a hotel in New York. I used the New Jersey transit everyday to get from the airport area to Manhattan. It was $15 one way. That came up to $30 a day. I paid well over $150 just to ride the train for the week. Ridiculous! Why was it $15 to ride 11 miles?
Food was also expensive in New York City. In SC you’d pay around $5.00 for a big Mac combo. In NYC you’d pay nearly $7.00.
We also rode the subway a lot. I paid $27 for an unlimited metro card. That wasn’t too bad. The only inconvenience was that they changed every single train that we needed during our trip there. I got my directions off of the internet so I followed them. We got to the station and we’d see a sign “The D train does not stop here this weekend.” We’d have to follow the alternative route that the poster suggested. The subway wasn’t as hard to navigate as I had heard, but I do have subway navigating experience.
The subway has its pros and cons. I compared it to Seoul’s metro. I think Seoul’s subway system is much better and easier to get around than New York City. The subway is more expensive there. $2.25 per ride is pretty decent, but I’m used to paying 1400 won at the most which is a tad bit over $1.00 in Seoul. I do like that NYC subways run 24 hours. Seoul’s subways are closed from 1am-5am.
I hated having to pay $25 on both airlines to check my baggage. I paid $50 for checking my bags. We had to pay once on the flight with US Airways from CLT to JFK and another charge from JFK to CLT with Delta.
We had a safe trip. I was glad. I’d heard how bad crime was in NY. I didn’t feel unsafe at anytime. Even walking the streets at midnight in Chinatown.
My flight home was overbooked and on a tiny plane. (I don't understand why they overbook flights..only sell how many seats you have..duh!). I could have gotten on the next flight for free, but I was ready to go on this flight. Every single seat was filled. There wasn't enough room for all the carry ons so our carry ons had to be carried under the plane as cargo. I've never been on a plane that small! It could only hold 48 people. The service was great though. It was a 2 hour 20 minute flight and they gave us snacks and drinks.
I took tons of photos. I’d say I probably took about 1,000 photos. I’m thankful for digital cameras. I don’t know how I’d afford developing all those pictures. Most of my pictures will stay in a digital album so I won’t have hard copies. My sister has a photo printer so I’ll use it for my favorite shots. I love photography. I have to capture everything on film.
I covered 3 states! New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. I didn’t do anything in New Jersey besides stay in the hotel but it counts because I touched soil. Haha. I’ll also count Maryland as being there because we stopped there for briefly although we didn’t get out of the bus. Hey gotta count down the states any way I can.
I think I’m up to 13 states now. I’m well on my way to North American domination. Its my plan to visit them all before I kick the bucket.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Hotel Review: Wyndham (Newark Intl Airport)
550 Route 1 South Newark, NJ 07114
I am currently writing this from my hotel room. I stayed here for 5 nights.
I've had a pleasant experience with Wyndham Garden Hotel.
The staff has been pleasant. The room is very clean.
Amenties:
Hairdryer in room
Laundry service and coin operated laundry
Business center
Fitness center
Free wi-fi in room
Hotel restaurant
Iron in room
Free shuttle pickup from airport
desk in room
laptop sized safe
alarm clock
It seems to be a nice hotel. Its rated 3 stars. You can get picked up from the airport in their shuttle. The shuttle leaves the hotel every 20 mins from 6am-midnight and every 30 mins from midnight-6am.
They give you a lot of pillows. There were 5 pillows on the bed. The bed is comfortable and 4 of the pillows feel like down pillows. They are very soft.
They give you glass cups in the bathroom and in the room with a bottle of water. There is also a coffee machine with a few packs of coffee. Their bath products are True Blue Spa Bath and Body works.
I ate in the hotel restaurant. The cheeseburger is good. Its 5.45 alone and 7.45 with fries. The waitstaff was very helpful and attentive. I was pleased with the service.
I searched the prices and the lowest was 69.00 a night. I don't know anything about the prices. My hotel was included in a package deal with flight + hotel.
Check In: 3pm
Check Out: 12 noon
I had a positive experience. I'd recommend this hotel.
I covered more states!
11. Pennsylvania
12. New Jersey
13. New York
14. Maryland (just passed through)
15. District of Columbia (not a state, but needs to go somewhere)
12. New Jersey
13. New York
14. Maryland (just passed through)
15. District of Columbia (not a state, but needs to go somewhere)
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
My Travel Blog....
Hi, my name is Valerie and I love to travel.
My main goals are:
1. Visit every state in the US
2. Visit at least one country on every continent
So far I've seen:
USA
1. South Carolina (I live here!)
2. North Carolina (I've lived here too)
3. Georgia
4. Florida
5. Texas
6. California
7. Montana
8. Mississippi
9. Alabama
10. Louisiana
THE CARRIBEAN
1. Bahamas
ASIA
1. South Korea (I lived here)
2. Japan
Even if I only stopped in the state for a short while it counts as visiting that state.
There are some places where I've only been to one city.
What do I want to see?Everything! I love travel and photography. This blog will cover those two passions
My main goals are:
1. Visit every state in the US
2. Visit at least one country on every continent
So far I've seen:
USA
1. South Carolina (I live here!)
2. North Carolina (I've lived here too)
3. Georgia
4. Florida
5. Texas
6. California
7. Montana
8. Mississippi
9. Alabama
10. Louisiana
THE CARRIBEAN
1. Bahamas
ASIA
1. South Korea (I lived here)
2. Japan
Even if I only stopped in the state for a short while it counts as visiting that state.
There are some places where I've only been to one city.
What do I want to see?Everything! I love travel and photography. This blog will cover those two passions
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