Sunday, November 24, 2013
More helpful traveling tips
When Flying.... http://www.thedailymuse.com/travel/prepare-for-take-off-the-facts-you-need-to-fly-smart/
Monday, October 28, 2013
Memphis, an unforgettable roadtrip
It's been too long since I posted anything on this page, and it's due to the fact I haven't really been anywhere. I went to Las Vegas in April and I still need to blog about that trip, as I've mentioned before every trip to Vegas is different.
I rounded up the spare change I've been saving, got some friends together and we drove down to Memphis from October 20th-22nd (Sunday-Tuesday). 3 Days & 2 nights - the perfect amount of time to escape reality for a bit.
The cruise down 57 through Illinois is typical flat land, Illinois, at least till you get around the Carbondale area, then it gets pretty but then pretty boring again through Missouri and Arkansas. I will say there are plenty of rest stops along the way so the 8+ hours in the car didn't seem that bad. Also, there are LOTS of wineries in Southern Illinois so that made for a stop as well....on the way back.
For more detailed reviews of the places I mention, be sure to visit my yelp page at http://janinek77.yelp.com
I've never been to a waffle house and having visited Tennessee before I just wanted to go to one. A co-worker told me it's not a big deal but I had to see for myself. This route does not pass a Waffle House, until you're basically crossing over from Arkansas to Tennessee in a town called West Memphis, Arkansas but of course we stopped there. After our Waffle House stop we made our way to our hotel which was pretty much off the first exit into Memphis, and the state of Tennessee. We stayed at the Comfort Inn in downtown Memphis.
Our first night we hit up Beale Street right away - grabbed a pre-dinner drink at Coyote Ugly. Apparently "happy hour" last HOURS so we grabbed a $3 happy hour margarita and then headed over to Gus' Fried Chicken which was AMAZING! Move over KFC & Popeyes because Chicago needs one of these! For a Sunday night I'd say Beale Street had an older crowd - nothing wild & crazy and that was fine. Oh, if you're looking for something wild and crazy...Silky O'Sullivans has "The Diver" - a drink made up of wine, beer, and shots, perhaps the kitchen sink too, I'm not sure but look this up, it's for real!
The next morning after having a pretty decent breakfast in our hotel we headed out to Graceland which was a hop, skip, & a jump from downtown Memphis. Before Graceland we went to The Peabody to see the ducks. http://www.peabodymemphis.com/peabody-ducks/ that is their story. If you plan this into your agenda and want a good spot because it goes fast, meaning those duck come running in...get there early for this experience. We spent pretty much the entire day there doing the Platinum tour. Yeah, I like Elvis and all but I think my parents would dig this place a lot more than I did. There is something for every Elvis lover in your life in the many gift shops on the property too. After Graceland we were famished and hit up Automatic Slim's for appetizers and killer $5 martinis. After resting up at our hotel we hit up Beale Street for drinks and dinner one last time. We had to try BBQ for dinner as this area is well known for BBQ and http://www.hogsfly.com/TheRestaurant.php was recommended to me by a few people here and down there but they were closed during our visit (closed Sundays & Mondays) so we opted for "The Pig on Beale". We were not disappointed. After dinner we grabbed a drink, did our souvenir shopping and made our way back to the hotel. Again, not exactly happening on a Monday night but we still had our fun.
The next day we were thinking of going to the Memphis Zoo but decided to just head back and make a few stops on the way. On the way home we visited Carbondale, and hit up a winery, being Star View Vineyards. Lucky for us it was free tasting day (and every week day) so we pretty much tried everything they had to offer. We picked one of the bunch and it happened to be a good one! I didn't realize there is an entire wine trail down in Southern Illinois - might have to make a separate trip out of that spot.
I was told all sorts of things about Memphis before visiting - good & bad. I'm from Chicago so if you look up the crime statistics, we're way up there so you just need to use common sense when visiting whether it's here or any city, or anywhere in which you're a tourist. The one thing while visiting Beale Street that got annoying was the people asking for money. Here in Chicago I'm used to it...I keep walking but it seems the tourists stick out down there like a sore thumb and they're hit up, a LOT. Of course it all starts out as casual conversation leading into asking for money, a donation, something or other and well...handle it as you'd like. That was the only downfall to the trip, that got a little old but we were only there 3 days. Walking around downtown it didn't happen, only in the Beale Street area.
I rounded up the spare change I've been saving, got some friends together and we drove down to Memphis from October 20th-22nd (Sunday-Tuesday). 3 Days & 2 nights - the perfect amount of time to escape reality for a bit.
The cruise down 57 through Illinois is typical flat land, Illinois, at least till you get around the Carbondale area, then it gets pretty but then pretty boring again through Missouri and Arkansas. I will say there are plenty of rest stops along the way so the 8+ hours in the car didn't seem that bad. Also, there are LOTS of wineries in Southern Illinois so that made for a stop as well....on the way back.
For more detailed reviews of the places I mention, be sure to visit my yelp page at http://janinek77.yelp.com
I've never been to a waffle house and having visited Tennessee before I just wanted to go to one. A co-worker told me it's not a big deal but I had to see for myself. This route does not pass a Waffle House, until you're basically crossing over from Arkansas to Tennessee in a town called West Memphis, Arkansas but of course we stopped there. After our Waffle House stop we made our way to our hotel which was pretty much off the first exit into Memphis, and the state of Tennessee. We stayed at the Comfort Inn in downtown Memphis.
Our first night we hit up Beale Street right away - grabbed a pre-dinner drink at Coyote Ugly. Apparently "happy hour" last HOURS so we grabbed a $3 happy hour margarita and then headed over to Gus' Fried Chicken which was AMAZING! Move over KFC & Popeyes because Chicago needs one of these! For a Sunday night I'd say Beale Street had an older crowd - nothing wild & crazy and that was fine. Oh, if you're looking for something wild and crazy...Silky O'Sullivans has "The Diver" - a drink made up of wine, beer, and shots, perhaps the kitchen sink too, I'm not sure but look this up, it's for real!
The next morning after having a pretty decent breakfast in our hotel we headed out to Graceland which was a hop, skip, & a jump from downtown Memphis. Before Graceland we went to The Peabody to see the ducks. http://www.peabodymemphis.com/peabody-ducks/ that is their story. If you plan this into your agenda and want a good spot because it goes fast, meaning those duck come running in...get there early for this experience. We spent pretty much the entire day there doing the Platinum tour. Yeah, I like Elvis and all but I think my parents would dig this place a lot more than I did. There is something for every Elvis lover in your life in the many gift shops on the property too. After Graceland we were famished and hit up Automatic Slim's for appetizers and killer $5 martinis. After resting up at our hotel we hit up Beale Street for drinks and dinner one last time. We had to try BBQ for dinner as this area is well known for BBQ and http://www.hogsfly.com/TheRestaurant.php was recommended to me by a few people here and down there but they were closed during our visit (closed Sundays & Mondays) so we opted for "The Pig on Beale". We were not disappointed. After dinner we grabbed a drink, did our souvenir shopping and made our way back to the hotel. Again, not exactly happening on a Monday night but we still had our fun.
The next day we were thinking of going to the Memphis Zoo but decided to just head back and make a few stops on the way. On the way home we visited Carbondale, and hit up a winery, being Star View Vineyards. Lucky for us it was free tasting day (and every week day) so we pretty much tried everything they had to offer. We picked one of the bunch and it happened to be a good one! I didn't realize there is an entire wine trail down in Southern Illinois - might have to make a separate trip out of that spot.
I was told all sorts of things about Memphis before visiting - good & bad. I'm from Chicago so if you look up the crime statistics, we're way up there so you just need to use common sense when visiting whether it's here or any city, or anywhere in which you're a tourist. The one thing while visiting Beale Street that got annoying was the people asking for money. Here in Chicago I'm used to it...I keep walking but it seems the tourists stick out down there like a sore thumb and they're hit up, a LOT. Of course it all starts out as casual conversation leading into asking for money, a donation, something or other and well...handle it as you'd like. That was the only downfall to the trip, that got a little old but we were only there 3 days. Walking around downtown it didn't happen, only in the Beale Street area.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Booking flights too early can be as expensive as booking too late
I'm in the process of booking a mid-April trip to Las Vegas...my annual vacation. I came across this article posted by a friend of mine on facebook, it's worth checking out:
Booking Flights Too Early/Too Late
Booking Flights Too Early/Too Late
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Yes! Michigan
So I get three weeks of vacation every year and when I take time off work, I like to actually GO somewhere. I went to Las Vegas in April and my original plan was to visit LA again this month but I couldn't financially do it. I wanted to take my mom to the "land of sunshine & happiness" but we'll have to go some other time. Instead, we went to Michigan. For the first 19 years of my life I ONLY visited the midwest. Technically I only visited Wisconsin & Michigan so I'm pretty used to going there. If I'm going to visit a nearby state I'd chose Michigan just because in my opinion, it's probably the prettiest among states in this region.
I'm also referring to the side on Lake Michigan. Up till last week I had only been as far as Muskegon. We only had a few days to spend there so we decided to go about an hour and a half further north to Ludington (4 1/2-ish hours from Chicago).
I'm also referring to the side on Lake Michigan. Up till last week I had only been as far as Muskegon. We only had a few days to spend there so we decided to go about an hour and a half further north to Ludington (4 1/2-ish hours from Chicago).
We spent 3 days/2 nights in Ludington so this blog is based on that short time. I will say that I have a "comfort zone" and that being Saugatuck, Michigan. I will have to blog about that another time because that deserves it's own entry, and it will be long as I've been visiting there for the past 20 years.
Tuesday 6/19: After an iced coffee stop in Illinois we headed out. We stopped for breakfast in Chesterton, Indiana. It's not half way but it's a nice place to stop for gas, to eat, etc. in Indiana just to stretch your legs. Another interest of mine is WINE and southwest MI has LOTS of wineries to visit. We stopped off in Berrien Springs at Lemon Creek Winery
I did a wine tasting and bought two bottles :)
Next we stopped in Saugatuck - there is a little store in town that I needed to buy a ceramic butterfly to add to my wall collection from. It's called Grandpa's Circus. Mission Accomplished. We stopped for lunch in Grand Haven and made our way to Ludington. We stayed at the Ramada which was on the main road and got there right after check in time. As with everything in life, you get what you pay for...this was a trip on a budget, plus I'd never been there before so I was comfortable staying at a chain rather than some place I just stumbled upon. This was fine...the staff were friendly, free continential breakfast though my only problem was the bathroom. Check out my review at Yelp for more info.
After checking in we decided to spend a little time at the beach so we went to Stearns Park/Beach right at Hwy 10 and the lake. It's a park, and a beach and also a pier with the lighthouse showed above. After the beach we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We had dinner at Jamesport Brewing Company This place was AMAZING!!! Great food & beer! My favorite part of the trip! I also wrote a small review about them on Yelp as well. After dinner we watched the SS Badger pull out and head across lake michigan - this is a car ferry that travels back and forth between Ludington, MI and Manitowoc, WI. We took a walk down the pier to the lighthouse to watch the sun set. There are beautiful sunsets on the east side of Lake Michigan...It's something I've enjoyed doing since my first trip out there.
Wednesday 6/20: After our free hotel breakfast we killed an hour in good ol' Walmart while our room was cleaned. We decided to spend the day at Ludington State Park. Out of state cars pay an $8 entry fee. There are many hiking trails, a river that you can tube down, and also a separate lake/beach within the park called Lake Hamlin. We picked up KFC and had lunch at the beach there before heading to Lake Michigan. This particular day was WINDY so our experience was not as pleasant having whipping sand blowing at you while you're trying to tan. Lake Michigan was also pretty chilly so I stayed out of it. Others at the beach didn't seem to think so though. We spent a few hours there, then headed back to the hotel. There isn't a whole lot to do in Ludington...there are a handful of restaurants, bars, etc. We decided to visit the town just north of there called Manistee and hit up the casino. We gambled and ate dinner at the buffet at Little River Casino & Resort Of course I liked this place, I won $50 (I'm not big on gambling) This was a decent casino to visit - very clean, etc.
Thursday 6/21: I had to work that night so we headed out before check out time. It rained the ENTIRE way home. We were glad we were heading home because we did everything that struck our interest in Ludington and had no idea what we'd do there if it did rain all day. Indoor pool, perhaps?!
We stopped for gas about 20 miles south and again in Fennville to pick up a few things at Crane Orchards I will write more about that hidden gem on my upcoming Saugatuck blog. We stopped in South Haven at Big Boy for lunch, again in Chesterton, IN for gas and back home.
Yes, there are lots of things to do in Ludington if you're an outdoors person - hiking, boating, fishing, etc. There are even sunset cruises on a pontoon boat on Lake Hamlin for $20 (we wanted to do this but opted for the casino instead. We were limited on time so it was a short trip. Personally, I'll travel back to my comfort zone of Saugatuck...I really don't think traveling further north for a small town on lake michigan is necessary, if I'm going to try a new area in the future in MI, I'd probably hit up the Upper Peninsula.
If any readers have any suggested areas to visit, I'd love to hear about them so please do so in the comment area below.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
$$$ Expensive Travels $$$
I came across an interesting read on the Huffington Post today regarding domestic & international travel. Check out: Most Expensive Cities To Travel To Around The World
Thursday, May 24, 2012
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