Category Archives: Trip Reports

Brooklyn Bridge Park, Those Views…

Family Travel, Trip Reports, , ,

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Kim and I have been visiting DUMBO in Brooklyn, NY for quite some time. However, our visits used to be pretty much, just for culinary reasons. Think Jacques Torres Chocolate and the famous Grimaldi’s Pizzeria (although I wouldn’t consider them worthy of the lines they get during the busy summer months & holidays.)

A few years back Patsy Grimaldi returned to the pizza business with his new shop Juliana’s. It took over the original Grimaldi’s location and I’d definitely recommend giving it a try. (FYI- You’ll see very long lines there too.)

When Lucas was born we started going to DUMBO for the impressive Brooklyn Bridge Park. Continue reading Brooklyn Bridge Park, Those Views… →

Seeing A Different Side of NY with BQE Tours

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BQE

It’s always fun taking the time to play tourist at home. With so much to check out, see and do in and around New York City, we’re pretty lucky.

A great way to explore places not usually accessible is during Open House NY weekend. I’ve done stays (on rare occasion) in Manhattan to get a better feel of what it’s like to be a tourist (like the time we stayed at the Omni Berkshire Place). During that visit, we had a chance to Visit the Cathedral of Commerce- The Woolworth Building.

When I was invited on a tour that claims to be “the ultimate anti-tourist tour of NYC’s burgeoning boroughs“, I took BQE Tours up on their offer. Continue reading Seeing A Different Side of NY with BQE Tours →

McDonald’s Nicaragua Impresses

Food, Trip Reports,

McDonald's Nicaragua

One of the things that I have to do when visiting a new country is stop by McDonald’s. You’re probably wondering why. Well, I love checking to see if there are any locally-inspired menu items available.

While I rarely ever visit McD’s at home, I look forward to this visit during our trips! Yeah I know, you need to try the local food to really get a feel for a country. Well yes we do that too…

During our recent trip to Nicaragua, we didn’t come across a McDonald’s until close to the end of our visit. And it happened to be directly across the street from our hotel in Managua! Continue reading McDonald’s Nicaragua Impresses →

Classic Burgers at the All-American Driver-In

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All American Drive In

It’s definitely no secret that burgers are one of my favorite foods.

I recently wrote about Eater’s 21 Must-East & Best Burgers in America.

At the time of writing, I had tried burgers at 7 of the places that made the list. With the most recent one being at The General Muir.

There was one place, not too far from home which I’d been wanting to try for quite some time, the All American Drive-In. Continue reading Classic Burgers at the All-American Driver-In →

A Delicious Award Winning Burger & More at VB3- Jersey City, NJ

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VB3 Jersey City

I was recently invited to VB3 Restaurant for a tasting in Jersey City, NJ.

My initial reaction was most likely going to be a no thank you since I rarely make special trips to New Jersey but then I read a bit more about the chef and had to take VB3 up on the offer.

Chef Michael Colletti runs VB3 Restaurant & Bar with his family.

When I read that Chef Colletti had a burger on the menu at VB3 which had back to back victories at the Food Network’s 2009 Food & Wine Festival “Rachel Ray Burger Bash” in Miami & NY, I had to stop in to give it a try (along with some other items from the menu!). Continue reading A Delicious Award Winning Burger & More at VB3- Jersey City, NJ →

Visiting the Cathedral of Commerce, The Woolworth Building

Trip Reports,

Woolworth Building Tour

I was recently invited to take a Woolworth Building Lobby Tour.

The tour was appealing to me for a few reasons. First of all, I love learning new things about New York as well as visiting interesting sites. More importantly, the fact that the lobby is closed to the general public (unless you take one of these new tours) made me want to check it out even more!

Oh, and it’s also fun to play tourist in your hometown once in a while… Continue reading Visiting the Cathedral of Commerce, The Woolworth Building →

In A Nutshell: Inle Lake, Myanmar- Pt. 2

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Inle Lake Myanmar

After enjoying our time around Nyaungshwe & during our Sunset Tour of Inle Lake, we were looking forward to checking out the lake during the day.

We got up relatively early to beat the heat for our Day Tour on Inle Lake.

Before I get started, here are some related posts to check out:

I knew that it would be hard to beat what we saw the night before but we still had to see what life was like on the lake during the day. At just $18 for the tour (around 4 hours) it seemed like a relative bargain. Continue reading In A Nutshell: Inle Lake, Myanmar- Pt. 2 →

Trip Planning: $540.42 + 137,250 Miles + 2 IHG Free Nights= Trip for 3 to Nicaragua

Trip Reports,
NIcaragua Tourism
image: Google Maps

The school year ended on June 26 and we were off on a little adventure to Nicaragua that evening (or the following morning depending on how you look at it).

We left on a 2:00am flight out of JFK to Panama City before making our way to Nicaragua…

We spent around a week checking out a bunch of areas around the country and flew home on July 4, getting great views of the fireworks as we flew back over New York.

Now that we’re back, I’m a bit late on sharing what we booked and at what it cost whether it be miles, points or cash. Continue reading Trip Planning: $540.42 + 137,250 Miles + 2 IHG Free Nights= Trip for 3 to Nicaragua →

During A Layover, Rent A Car Or Uber It?

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Uber It
image: Google Maps

On July 4, Kim, Lucas and I flew home from Nicaragua stopping in Miami for a long layover before getting back to New York.

All along I had a plan to get out of the airport (for around 5 hours) to spend some time wandering around Miami. However, with rentals car prices seeming to be pretty high, I debated what our best option really was. Continue reading During A Layover, Rent A Car Or Uber It? →

A Deli-cious Burger at The General Muir

Food, Freddies, Trip Reports, ,

The General Muir

At the end of April I headed to Atlanta to attend the Freddie Awards which took place at the amazing Delta Flight Museum. During my visit I also took part in a couple of other frequent flyer events including the Delta Jet Drag.

Prior to heading to Atlanta I had come across a restaurant that I had to check out. Thanks to an article from Eater I found out about 21 Must Eat & Best Burgers in America. Considering burgers are one of my favorite foods, I had to get to a place in Atlanta which made the list. Continue reading A Deli-cious Burger at The General Muir →