I’m off to join nearly a million others in saying farewell to 2010 in the center of the universe—Times Square. This is my third time braving the crowds on New Years Eve, and each time I swore I’d never do that again.
So to everyone all around the globe, I hope you have a wonderful evening, and an even better 2011! Looking forward to new adventures and new experiences in the coming year(s)!
Whether we’re ready for it or not, the holidays are here. Yes, already. And if you’re anything like the rest of us, you’ve probably got quite a few stragglers on your list that you have yet to shop for. Whether it’s your sister, friend, roommate, or the coworker who is on vacation more than he’s actually in the office, here are 16 gift ideas for the on-the-go guys and gals on your list, no matter what your budget.
1. For the friend who’s always planning their next trip: 1000 Places To See Before You Die. This book is full of must-see destinations and practical information to help plan. Whether the jet-setter on your list likes history, outdoor activities, shopping, or cuisines, this book is sure to offer valuable suggestions. Pick it up at your local book store or Amazon.com, starting at less than $10. Pair it with a journal and a nice pen to make the ultimate travel planning companion.
2. Maybe your friend isn’t a frequent flyer at all, but the thought of going on that spring vacation with her is enough for you to “accidentally forget” to pick adjacent seats. Anin-flight organizerwill help her keep everything handy instead of disturbing the people next to her while digging for lip balm, headphones, or Advil every 10 minutes.
3. Everyone likes to protect their electronics, so why not give them a stylish, water resistant case for their new eReader? Just make sure it’s sturdy enough to shove into a bag while on the go.
4. A quality carry on bag is always a good idea, but don’t overlook a “personal bag” to suit his/her style. I pack an overhead carry on with clothes, shoes, and any other large items I may need. But the bag that I use as my personal item has to fit my laptop, power cords, hair straightener, makeup, liquids, DSLR, keys, wallet, iPod, snacks, books, and then some. It’s nice to have a trendy, high-quality, organized bag that can double as a purse once I arrive at my destination. For men it might be better to go with a traditional overnight bag, but for women, check out their favorite designer or accessories store and look for an oversized bag with compartments. Go with their natural style- do they often carry boho-chic bags? Or how about a messenger bag, backpack, or simply a duffel bag? ebags.com also has an excellent selection of bags for every guy or gal on the go. Some suggested features:
5. What about the coworker you picked in the office gift exchange? Whether he’s an avid traveler or just a guy who doesn’t like to get wet when running out for lunch on a rainy day, a nice travel umbrella should do the trick. The smaller, the better. A flat handle fits into a bag much easier than a clunky round one. Or better yet, the Shortstuff Portable Umbrella is only 5.5″ folded so it can fit comfortably in his pocket. This is the type of gift that may not seem like much, but it’s one that he’ll use just as much, if not more, than any gift on this list.
6. I’ve found myself packing cheap and easy foods like instant oatmeal and macaroni & cheese in an attempt to save money while traveling. But sometimes it can be difficult to find dishes to prepare these low budget meals in. How about a collapsible bowl & plate for the extremely frugal traveler on your list?
7. Got a wine lover on your list that stocks up in every new place they visit? Give them Bottle Armor XXL—the perfect gift to prevent a suitcase of wine-stained clothes and shards of glass.
8. While on the road, clean drinking water isn’t always easy to come by. And we all know bottled water can get quite expensive. Here’s a cheap way to give your friend filtered water all the time, with the Waterbobble Filtered Water Bottle.
9. Has your friend been dying to visit a place year after year, but it always falls through? Ever wonder how you can help them get there without paying for a plane ticket that costs more than your first car? Why not get them a gift card through their favorite airline? It’s like starting a rainy day fund that they can’t accidentally spend on anything else.
10. Do you have a roommate who works nonstop on the road, but is constantly calling to have you to email a file from their desktop? Why not get them a subscription to MobileMe? At $99, you’ll help your hard-working roomie get a bit more organized by automatically syncing their desktop, laptop, iPad, and iPhone. No more docking and syncing before every trip. Added bonus: there’s even a feature to help your “organized” roomie find their iPhone or iPad the next time should they happen to misplace it.
11. Know a shutterbug that insists on showing you every single photo after every mini-adventure? Give them a Flickr Pro subscription so they can upload and share their photos with the entire world. At only $24.95 for one year, it’s also a great way to store high quality photos online, just in case anything happens to their memory card or computer while on the go.
12. What do you get a world traveler who’s not planning a trip any time soon? Let them explore different cultures while staying local by giving them a certificate for a class. Maybe a wine and cheese class, or a language class that will help them when they finally make that trip to Germany. If their schedule is too unpredictable, maybe a membership for a cheese, wine, or beer of the month club. I can’t recommend or speak on behalf of any company in particular, but a quick search will pull up several options to suit your price range.
13. What about the clutter-free friend whose apartment looks like a page from a West Elm catalog? Perhaps a digital picture frame would be the perfect decoration for their place. Most of the nice ones can run you close to $100, but look for a combo pack with a memory card included for that price. Load up the card with some pictures of their journeys for a more personalized gift.
14. An essential for any traveler, especially those who frequently fly long distances: noise canceling headphones. I’ve personally had great experiences with Bose, but do some shopping around to find the best ones in your price range.
15. Turn their digital camera into an underwater one with a water resistant cover. Many travelers have great cameras but miss out on quality underwater photos when they settle for a $15 Kodak disposable. These can cost a couple hundred dollars, so make sure you know the camera’s exact model before purchasing.
16. Can’t decide on just one gift to give the wanderer in your life? Why not make your own travel gift basket? Get items that will come in handy when they’re on the go, and stuff them inside of a new carry on bag instead of a basket. An emergency charger, a sleeping mask, snacks, travel games, a passport folder—anything goes.
Lost Girl of the Week: Kim Merritt
If you’ve never heard of them, The Lost Girls are three friends who left their lives in New York City for a year of adventure and inspiration around the globe in 2006. (They’re basically three girls that I wish I had met long ago and could now call friends of my own.) They developed a website to share their experiences with other like-minded nomads, and to this day, Lost Girls World has become the “premiere travel and lifestyle website for young women.” Whether you’re looking for advice on a trip around the globe, tips for dropping the 9-5 and working on island time, or ways to add more adventure into your everyday life, Lost Girls World is sure to be a valuable addition to your RSS feed.
Each week they feature a “Lost Girl of the Week,” and I’m excited to share my very own story—and inspiration behind Just Visiting—as this week’s “Lost Girl.” Check out the path I’ve taken to get where I am today, and why I’m still trying to figure out where exactly that is. Check out the entire story here: Lost Girl of the Week: Kim Merritt
“Home for the holidays” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it when you’re broke or unemployed. Instead of warm thoughts of spending time with loved ones over homemade meals, you might be calculating cash advances and counting pennies for holiday gifts. With Thanksgiving and Christmas so close together, it can be hard to arrange affordable travel plans twice within 30 days, especially when you’re more than a couple hundred miles away. Being a professional broke-ass, here some tips I’ve learned over the past few years that have helped me make it home for the holidays.
1. Book early. If you’re not already on your way home for turkey dinner on Thursday, chances are you won’t be going for very cheap, if at all. Experts say that September is the ideal time to book the best deals on holiday travel. But if you haven’t yet booked a trip for Christmas, there may still be hope.
2. Choose one or the other. Look at the amount of time you can spend visiting compared to the cost of the trip. For most people Thanksgiving is a four day weekend, whereas many companies shut down for up to two weeks during the Christmas and New Years season. Not to mention more time off means more flexibility in booking your trip- aka lower prices!
3. Be flexible with your dates. Do your research and see what days and times are cheapest. Once when I had to be back to work on a Monday, I saved $200 by choosing the 7a-830a Monday morning flight over flying out on Sunday. Try to avoid the busiest travel days at all costs (the Wednesday before and Sunday after Thanksgiving, and December 23, 26, 27).
4. Don’t rely on travel sites like Expedia or Orbitz for the lowest prices. Many low-cost, independent air carriers do not provide information to the travel search engines, so you might miss out on a huge deal. Check out the low-cost air carriers on their own websites.
Airtran
Allegiant
Frontier
jetBlue
Southwest
Spirit
Sun Country
USA3000
5. Think outside the airport. I live about 14 hours from my family by Greyhound and Amtrak, but I’ve made the trip a few times and saved a couple hundred dollars each trip. Five years ago I signed up for Greyhound’s Road Rewards program, and have received a handful of discount coupons ever since. Every random weekend trip you take on a bus throughout the year adds up. Most people would rather shell out big bucks for convenience—an hour and a half flight vs a 12 hour bus ride could mean a difference of well over a hundred dollars. But if you look for a nighttime express service, say from 1030pm to 1030am with only 2 stops along the way, you’ll be there in a normal night of sleep’s time. (If you have a hard time sleeping in vehicles, make sure to board with some Tylenol PM and headphones.)
6. Carpool. See if anyone you know within a reasonable radius is heading close to your destination. Chip in for gas and turn it into a fun road trip. Living in New York, I once spoke to a friend in Boston about me taking a $20 train upstate and meeting him along the way if he’d pick me up. Just make sure it’s a reliable person, because you don’t want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere on Christmas Eve.
7. Make a friend or family member an offer that’s hard to refuse. If you live in a hot tourist destination (ex: NYC at New Years), see if you can convince someone to drive you back one way in exchange for free lodging and the experience of a lifetime. Sure, you might have to brave the crowds with them in Times Square on December 31st, but isn’t that better than charging a flight you can’t afford?
8. Redeem airline miles for free flights. Most companies have blackout dates, but I was surprised to find out through my Spirit Airlines Mastercard that I have enough miles for a free flight during the peak holiday season. (I didn’t end up choosing that route because I can also redeem those miles for two roundtrip tickets to the Caribbean during the off season, which to me seemed like a better deal. After paying taxes on that “free flight,” my fare would’ve almost been as much as a train ride anyway.)
9. Redeem credit card reward points for a prepaid Visa or MasterCard gift card. This kind of goes hand in hand with number 8, but if you can get a $50 gift card through credit card points, that’s money you can put towards your trip home. Also, credit card companies like Citibank offer Thank You Points, which can be redeemed for free items in their online gift store. Maybe you have enough points for that video game your brother wants, giving yourself an extra $50 to spend on your trip.
10. Ask for part or all of the trip to be paid for as a Christmas gift. Who really needs that many socks, anyway?
11. Check out alternate airports, bus terminals, or train stations within driving distance. If you can find a significantly cheaper deal to a nearby location, convince a friend or family member to come get you.
12. Be willing to travel more. If you’re traveling across the country or international and there is a cheap flight to a city 150 miles from your destination, look into taking a bus those extra 150 miles. This can be a bit risky considering weather conditions and delays, but I once flew jetBlue from LA to Chicago, and then jumped on a $30 express Megabus for four hours to Toledo to visit my family. I saved over $200.
13. This one takes a bit of planning, but make sure to follow your favorite budget airline(s) and travel websites on Twitter. It’s a much quicker way to watch for a sale than visiting each website every day. Also, some airlines and hotels are participating in Black Friday deals this year, offering discounts on trips booked on 11/26 for travel before the end of the year.
14. This may be a bit extreme depending on the size of your family and whether you’re their favorite child or not, but consider celebrating a few days before or after the actual holiday. Traveling on Thanksgiving or Christmas days can be much cheaper than the surrounding days. I know someone who waits until mid-January to fly home and celebrate Christmas with his family each year, and only pays a fraction of the price for a plane ticket.
15. If all else fails, order some takeout and video chat during dinner so that it feels like you’re right there at the table. Happy holidays!
One doubley-awesome way to enjoy fun, free events while meeting new people is through volunteer work. Not only does it leave you feeling good about giving back, you can sometimes experience things you’d otherwise never get a chance to.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to run around the field at the New Meadowlands Stadium, the new $1.6 billion dollar Jets/Giants stadium in New Jersey. As of right now, it holds the record as the most expensive sports stadium ever built, and is considered the third largest NFL stadium in terms of total seating at 82,566.
A while back a certain incident sparked my interest in becoming a mentor. Since I couldn’t make the time commitment, I started volunteering through the Young Professionals Committee for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization in New York. It’s basically a group of young professionals that organize fundraising events and support the BBBS’s mentoring programs. This annual event on November 6th was called the Gridiron Games, where everyone in the BBBS program was invited to come out to the New Meadowlands Stadium and play ball on the field.
The day started with us setting up for the activities, but not before a much anticipated (at least by me) walk across the field. The music was pumping, and I took my first step out onto the surprisingly cushiony 40 yard line before getting the urge to tackle somebody.
A couple of hours later, the kids and their mentors arrived at the stadium to play games and warm up with four of the Jets Flight Crew cheerleaders.
My job was to help the kids get out to the field and back in to tour the visitors locker room after they were done playing. In between, I had at least an hour to run around, pretending to be an MVP quarterback. Oh who am I kidding? I was more like the timid water boy, watching from the sidelines, except I was also creepily taking pictures.
I got to direct all 200-some kids and their mentors into the visitors locker room before taking a tour myself.
I was amused that the NFL posted so many signs instructing these professionals how to play the sport, but this was probably the most intriguing sign I ran across in the locker room.
And of course, on the way out I couldn’t resist the urge to stage some photos of me running through the tunnel onto the field.
After lunch, a performance by a local kids band, and speeches from former NFL players Stephen Baker, Billy Taylor, Jack Brewer, and Kurt Smith, our morning duties were over. Some of the group stayed to help out with the afternoon events where several NYC area law firms compete in a tournament to win the Gridiron Games trophy.
For more behind the scenes photos of the New Meadowlands Stadium, check out my Flickr set from the BBBS Gridiron Games.
And good news— if you’re in the NYC/NJ area and dying to walk across the same field that Eli Manning and Mark Sanchez call home, stadium tours are given Wednesdays (for groups) and Saturdays (for individuals). Visit the New Meadowlands website to purchase tickets and set up your tour in advance. Booking as an individual will cost you $3 more per person (thanks to Ticketmaster’s convenience charges), but group rates are $17 per adult, $12 per child between ages 5-12, and free for kids 4 and under. Just make sure to set up your tour for the day(s) before your team’s home game. As the league’s only stadium shared between two NFL teams, it might be a bit of a letdown for a Jets fan to come see a stadium decked out for a Giants game; or vice versa.
This may seem a little premature, but the Radio City Christmas Spectacular kicked off the holiday season this past weekend. The show has been a tradition in New York since 1933, featuring the world-famous Rockettes.
On Thursday I caught the final preview show before opening night— for free. I’m not one to pass up much of anything free, especially when it usually costs around $100 a ticket. It was a little strange considering I was dressed up as Joan Holloway just five days before, celebrating Halloween. But a friend of mine got two free orchestra seat tickets from opening an account at Capital One Bank, the sponsors of the show.
You’ll have to excuse the cell phone pictures, but they don’t allow SLR’s inside. I thought they said no cameras at all, but I guess you can use a point and shoot. I had a great view about 15 rows from the stage, but I’d definitely recommend purchasing seats more in the center if you have the choice.
If you’ve never been inside of Radio City, that’s an experience in itself. Especially this time of year. From the second you step inside, all the way downstairs to the concessions, the place looks like Santa’s workshop exploded. You can even skip the lines at the mall and have your photo taken with Santa. But I don’t understand the whole restroom situation. You walk into a gigantic lounge area that’s bigger than most apartments in New York, but the bathroom is severely outdated. Sure, they’ve got the new “press here for a new toilet seat cover” dispensers (on a manual flush toilet might I add), but the sinks are a joke. You literally have to turn and hold the handle on with one hand while you soap up and rinse the other one. When you let go the handle springs back into the off position. Oh, and did I mention that there are two handles— one for hot and one for cold? So you’re either washing your hands, wait no, let me correct that, HAND, with scalding hot or freezing cold water. And when you dry them off with the foot pedal-powered hand dryer, it’s no stronger than gently blowing on your hands. Time for an update, Radio City!
Anyway, I always thought that the show was just the Rockettes doing their signature eye-high kicks while dancing along to Christmas music. I was pleasantly surprised and entertained to see that it’s a much larger production, complete with impressive costumes, a 3D animated show, ice skating, fireworks, and even a living nativity with live camels, sheep, and donkeys.
During the 8 weeks of the show the animals live inside Radio City, consuming 450 bottles of water, 340 bales of hay, and 560 loaves of seven grain bread. They exercise daily by taking early morning and late night strolls on the streets outside Radio City, so if you’re staying in the area, you never know what you might see roaming the streets after hours.
The 90 minute show combines 12 scenes with no intermission, running November 5 — December 30. It does a pretty great job of capturing the holiday spirit in famous New York spots like Times Square, Central Park, and of course Radio City Music Hall. There’s even some flying magic to turn nonbelievers into believers.
Tickets on the official website start around $45-$55 depending on the date, but can reach over $100 a piece for peak days and times. Taking a date or the entire family to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular could get pretty pricey on a tight budget. My best advice for saving money would be to Google some of the New York discount ticket sites, or even search Craigslist if your dates are a bit more flexible. I can’t speak for any discount sites firsthand, but Goldstar is a great site that sells discount tickets for concerts, events, and performances all year long. If I remember correctly from last year, they sold tickets for the show at nearly half price for certain days and times. The Radio City Christmas Spectacular show is the ultimate way to get into the holiday spirit!
Are you planning a trip to New York on a tight budget? Or perhaps you’re a nature enthusiast who finds yourself overwhelmed in the concrete canyons of Manhattan? Or maybe you’re a New Yorker with only lint in your pockets after paying rent on an apartment even the Smurfs would feel claustrophobic in. Well you can forget about dinner at The Mercer Kitchen or shopping on Fifth Avenue.
One of the great things about New York is that you can experience it on foot. Translation: for free. But depending on which neighborhood you end up in, sometimes you want to see something a little more scenic than a street full of trend setting hipsters (note the sarcasm here), or smears of dog poo on the sidewalk. If a stroll through a recycled railway garden sounds like a nice afternoon to you, check out the High Line on Manhattan’s West Side.
The High Line is an elevated garden between 10th and 11th Avenues, running through the Meatpacking District and Chelsea. Right now it is only open from Gansevoort to 20th Street, but once it’s completed it will be a mile and a half long elevated park extending all the way to 34th Street. The High Line is built on the former elevated freight railroad track for the West Side Line, but now serves as an urban garden for Manhattanites.
Along the aerial garden’s concrete walkways are lush, green vegetation designed by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations and architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro. You can still see the tracks weaving throughout the plants, but near 14th St they have these great fixed and movable seats on the them for guests to enjoy the afternoon sun.
Although you feel like you’re in a desolate part of the city at times, you’re only thirty feet above some of the city’s best restaurants and bars at any given moment.
This time of year the greenery looks more like a wild brushfire hazard than anything, but the experience is not all about the plants. You’ll see views of the Hudson River, New Jersey, The IAC building by Frank Gehry, and the Empire State Building, while peering down the bustling streets of Manhattan.
There’s even an “urban theater” over 10th Ave at 17th Street- a set of stadium style seating enclosed by glass windows for a unique view over 10th Ave.
Who knows, maybe you’ll see some sort of art exhibit while you’re up there. Or just a corner full of a color that catches your eye.
The High Line is open daily from 7a-10p. Check out their website for more information and upcoming events scheduled. And just a friendly tip: the restrooms are only slightly above what you’d expect in a public park, so plan accordingly ladies.
Last week, Seth Kugel from the New York Times interviewed a handful of AYCJers for the Frugal Traveler; myself included. My name was mentioned alongside several others, including Megan Kearney from Chicago, whom I had the pleasure of meeting during a layover in Long Beach on day 30. Megan seems like an interesting enough girl, definitely well-traveled with a great blog to prove it.
Check out how other AYCJers spent their 30 days on jetBlue, and decide for yourself whether or not the AYCJ pass was worth it. NYTimes Frugal Traveler: Does JetBlue’s All You Can Jet Pass Fill You Up? Users Respond
Since my All You Can Jet journey has come to an end, I thought I’d share some of the things I learned during those 30 days of travel.
1. Tommy Lee doesn’t like having his picture taken. Unless he’s on a boat. Naked.
2. In the Pacific Northwest, it’s believed that Portland has the most strip clubs per capita over any US city. The city has just over a half million residents, and more than 50 strip clubs throughout the city. I’ve read online that Springfield, Oregon passed Portland as the most clubs per capita in 2009, but either way, Portland is still up there. More than Vegas. Apparently these strip clubs also serve up some excellent food.
3. I love eating Handi Snacks Breadsticks ‘n Cheez, but I hate eating them in public. See, I’m kind of a “no cheese left behind” kinda gal, and I fully support licking the plate (or plastic container) clean. It’s pretty embarrassing to do while sitting on an airplane or in an airport. But with a little creativity, it can be done discreetly.
4. The Travel Channel may have played a part in making Voodoo Doughnuts famous, but their end of day deal should be a must for any doughnut lover on a budget in Portland (if you’re willing to gain a few pounds). They sell 5 gallon buckets of day old doughnuts for $5. That’s fresher than packaged doughnuts from the grocery store; and more unique flavors too!
5. The iPhone 4 doesn’t just suck in New York. It sucks all over America. I don’t know if it’s AT&T or the iPhone itself, but mine didn’t work in about 60% of the places I visited- big and small cities alike. Mostly dropped calls, and no internet/data service (even though it had full bars and a 3G signal). Oh, and the “extremely tough gorilla glass” on the LCD screen is not so durable either. The prong side of my power cord hit the screen from 2ft in the air and shattered it. Of course, AppleCare doesn’t cover cosmetic damage. They actually told me to call my renters insurance and file a claim, or go in to Apple and pay $200 to have the screen fixed (on a phone I paid $300 for). I’ve had this phone just under 3 months and it has already cracked twice. Pretty bad considering I had my 3G for two years and it never saw a single scratch.
6. I will no longer take New York tap water for granted. Of the 12 cities I visited, none of their tap water comes close to New York’s. I think it tastes better than most bottled water. San Diego was probably the worst I tasted over the 37 days. I heard Chicago’s is great, but I didn’t try it.
7. Seattle’s Sound Transit Link Light Rail is only a little over 1 year old, and cleaner than my apartment.
8. Los Angeles has a subway system. Who knew? I’ve always heard about how bad their traffic is, but I’ve never once heard anything about a subway system. It doesn’t look like it connects much of LA, but when I took it four stops it was much quicker than driving or taking a bus. Their public buses are a joke. Yes they have televisions on board for maximum [looping] entertainment, but you’d better leave four hours early. Or plan on being late.
9. When they say don’t travel to the Caribbean during hurricane season, they mean it. Unless you plan on spending your entire Caribbean vacation indoors.
10. This one may seem like a no brainer, but if you plan on visiting another country, check out the conversion rate BEFORE you get there. I figured since Jamaica accepts US dollars and I was staying in a prepaid all-inclusive hotel, I’d be okay with a $20 bill and my ATM card. Well the cab to the hotel was $30, so I immediately had to stop at a Jamaican ATM. I didn’t have cell phone service to check the conversion rate, so I had to trust what the cab driver told me to withdrawal (which was a pretty scary feeling, especially since I didn’t have more than a few hundred dollars in the bank to begin with). The Jamaican conversion rate is 86.855 Jamaican dollars for every 1 USD. $30 USD ended up being something like 2600 Jamaican dollars. I’ve never in my life felt more uncomfortable than when I stepped into the private locked ATM machine, and typed in a $2600 withdrawal with a line of people standing behind me.
11. Never make a phone call from a foreign country without a calling card. And make sure you’re using a designated hotel phone that will not charge you a connection fee, or a per minute fee on top of the calling card fee. Even though the credit card rate advertised may only be 50 cents a minute, they have all kinds of hidden connection fees. You’re better off just not making any phone calls. This isn’t the first time I was wrongly informed of how much a phone call to the US would cost.
12. Cool Runnings fans (there’s still some out there, right?) should check out the Jamaican Bobsled Cafe on the Hip Strip in Montego Bay. I didn’t get to see it, thanks to Tropical Storm Nicole, but they have the original Jamaican bobsled from the 1988 Calgary Olympics.
13. Despite how clean the city looked, I’m pretty sure one of the most disease-infested alleys in America is in Seattle. The saliva-filled “bubblegum alley” in Seattle’s Pike Place Market is fairly similar to the Bubblegum Alley in San Luis Obispo, California. Is it weird that I had a strong urge to lick the walls?
14. Sunset is a great time to go up in the Seattle Space Needle. You can see the city in the daylight, sunset, and dark all within about an hour.
15. The 60th floor Sky Lobby at the JP Morgan Chase building in Houston provides a panoramic view of the city for free. It is the tallest building in Houston, and the 50th tallest in the world at 1002ft high. It is also the tallest 5-sided building in the entire world.
16. I-90 ends in Seattle. I’ve taken I-90 from my hometown in Toledo, West to Chicago and East to New York more times than I can count. I had no idea that had I missed the Chicago exit, I would have ended up in Seattle a few days later.
17. A man named Carl Fisher invented the car headlight, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Miami Beach in the early 1900s. He also began developing Montauk in Long Island New York as a “Miami of the north” tourist attraction before being cut short by the Great Depression.
18. The San Diego Zoo is expensive, and definitely not on a budget traveler’s agenda. It’s supposed to be worth every penny, but at $37 for the cheapest 1 day pass, I couldn’t afford to see for myself.
19. If your car breaks down on the Pacific Coast Highway, don’t count on your cell phone to call someone. Well over half of the drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco I was without service.
20. If you’re riding shotgun and hoping to take pictures along the Pacific Coast Highway, drive south. It’s easier to be on the outside than trying to take pictures past the driver’s head. And if you can, make time for a few stops along the way. Just make sure you take better pictures than I do.
21. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is the 2nd busiest airport in the world.
22. The show Most Extreme Airports on the History Channel ranks San Diego’s airport as the 10th most dangerous airport in the world due to its proximity to the mountains and downtown. In order to keep the noise down in the surrounding area, planes are allowed to take off between 630a and 1130p, or else face a fine. Arrivals are allowed 24 hours a day.
23. Apparently it does get hot in San Francisco. And there’s no air conditioning so you just have to suffer.
24. I stayed on Grant street, which was the first constructed street in San Francisco. It was originally named Calle De La Fundacion.
25. Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills trumps any cupcake I’ve ever had in NYC (yes, even the dry, overrated cupcakes at Magnolia). And they’re opening their first NYC store in Feb 2011, on Lexington between 60th & 61st.
26. Willamette Valley in Oregon produces some of the best and most inexpensive Pinot Noir in the world. I chose one based on the cool label, called The Four Graces, and it was by far the best low price wine I’ve ever had. Willamette Valley also appears as the end destination in The Oregon Trail.
27. Recycling bins on the streets of New York make me happy. But an abundance of compost bins out on the west coast? Incredible.
28. Nineteen of the world’s 25 largest hotels (by room count) are on the Las Vegas Strip.
29. Hostels are a perfectly cheap place to sleep in a new city. I stayed at my first hostel in Seattle, and although it was a huge difference from the hotel rooms I’m used to, a girl on a budget can’t complain. It was only $35, and since I only needed a place to rest from 9p-5a, I couldn’t justify spending much more for a hotel.
30. Traveling is a lot more fun when you don’t have to go back to work afterwards.
30 days. $499. Unlimited flights. Drumroll please- the numbers are in:
24,654 miles flown on the jetBlue AYCJ pass (25,154 including a flight on Spirit Airlines, from DTW to LGA on day 37).
913 miles in a car or by bus (between cities- not including transportation within cities).
60 hours 15 minutes on airplanes.
35 hours in airports.
20.5 hours on buses.
16 hours 15 mins on trains.
15 hours 15 minutes travelingin cars between cities.
13 cities. 12 airports.
2019 photos and videos taken.
Not to mention, brief encounters with 3 tornadoes, 2 tropical storms, and 1 Tommy Lee. I stayed in 10 houses/apartments, 2 hotels, and 1 hostel, and only encountered 1 canceled flight, and 3 flight delays.