Chicago - September 20th -26th, 2010

We arrived in Chicago about 11:30 pm on Monday night, Sept 20^th. We got a cab and went directly to our hotel, the Intercontinental on Michigan Avenue. We stayed in the historic tower which had beautiful murals and woodwork. Our room also was beautiful with the dark wood. On Tuesday Doug had to check in for his board meeting at noon, but he had some work to catch up on so I started my day with by going swimming in the hotel pool. The pool is well known and has a lot of history behind it. It is a junior Olympic size, and has beautiful tiles and the room is beautiful with a tiered seating for spectators. Johnny Weissmuller (the first Tarzan) actually trained for the Olympics here and went on to win 5 gold medals in 1924 and 1928. Supposedly John F Kennedy also swam in this pool but I haven’t been able to verify it. After my swim I went down to Michigan Avenue and boarded the Chicago Trolley Hop on – Hop off tour bus. I sat on the upper level of the double- decker bus. The guide gave us all the history of the landmarks along the way. One of the stops was at Millennium Park so I got off there. The weather was in the 80’s but it was also very humid. I walked around the park and stopped at the Cloud Gate, the famous “bean” shaped silver sculpture. I also walked over to Daley Plaza which was next to Millennium Park. I bought my first Chicago hot dog from a vendor in the park.Later I boarded the bus again and made my way over to Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower). This is the tallest building in Chicago, and for years was the tallest in the world. I rode the elevator to the observation deck (Skydeck)and had a good view of the city. In May they completed several enclosed glass ledges that stick out from the building and give you the sense of walking on air. It was fun to look down through the glass to the street 110 stories below. I got back on the tour bus to complete my tour before meeting up with Doug for dinner. His conference was having a reception from 5pm -7pm. Once that was over several of us went to Gino’s East for Chicago Style deep dish pizza. We had a great dinner of pizza and salads, and Gino’s was a fun place to go. We walked back to our hotel and were in bed by 10:30. On Wednesday Doug got up early and went to his conference and I went swimming again. Once I was ready to leave I took a taxi over to Harpo Studios where the Oprah show is filmed. The week prior I had signed up for last minute reservations for Wednesday the 22^nd, however I hadn’t received a response. My intent this Wednesday was actually just to go to the Oprah store which was across the street, however when I saw the audience lining up I decided to join them. Eventually I was able to talk to someone who indicated that I needed to be in the standby line, which at that point had about 7 people in it. So we all waited and talked and after about 2 hours we were told that the show was full and only a few of the standby people would get in. I wasn’t able to get in so I went over to the store instead. I bought a few little things then hailed a taxi and went back to the city. Once there I took the train over to Oak Park. Oak Park is a beautiful upper class neighborhood, with some beautiful architecture. I saw Ernest Hemmingway’s birthplace and toured Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio. Afterward I walked around the neighborhood where there were several more homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. He was a great archetect.

I rode the train back into the city and walked back to our hotel to meet Doug for dinner. We decided to walk down to the Navy Pier and get a bite to eat there. We went to Charlie’s Ale House after walking around the pier for awhile. Nothing great – but the pier was nice and we hoped to come back later. On Thursday Doug went to his conference again and after my swim I packed our bags to get us checked out. We moved over to the Palomar Hotel for the next 3 days. Carol & Mike and Ruth & Earl were flying in to spend time with us. They both got there around 4:30pm. The conference was over about 4:30pm also so Doug walked down from the other hotel to meet us. The Palomar serves wine in the lobby from 5pm – 6pm each evening so we sat and visited for awhile before Doug and I had to leave to go the Cubs/Giants game at Wrigley Field. We had purchased our tickets with several other colleagues of Doug’s. We got to the stadium and found our seats at one of the Rooftops. On two sides of the stadium, across the side streets are rows of buildings that have been converted to “rooftops”. Each one has stadium seating on the top and several floors for gathering and viewing the game. Your ticket includes food and drinks and it’s a great way to see the game. We had a lot of fun even though the Giants beat the Cubs 13-0. After the game we met up with Carol and Ruth and hubbies back at the hotel for awhile. In the morning we met for breakfast at the Corner Bakery and made a plan for the day. Carol and Mike decided to go to the Art Institute, and Ruth & Earl, Doug and I decided to go to the Chicago History Museum in Lincoln Park. Prior to that the guys both wanted to catch up on some work so Ruth and I walked up the Magnificent Mile and shopped a little, hitting the Gap, Macys and Feline’s Basement. We got back to the hotel and met up with the guys. We took the bus up to the museum which gave us an opportunity to see more of the city. After visiting the museum we walked over to where Second City Theatre was, and then walked back from there to the hotel. The weather was nice so it was a pleasant 2 mile walk. On the way we passed Moody Bible Institute campus so we walked through that. Once we got back to the hotel we rested for a while before we headed for dinner. Dinner Friday night was at a great French Vietnamese restaurant called Le Colonial. It wasn’t too far from the hotel. The food was great – we ordered several things family style and had just the right portions. Afterward we took a taxi up to Second City Theatre and watched “Spoiler Alert- Everybody Dies”. The show was good – there were 2 scripted acts, then a 3^rd act that was improv with some audience participation. At one point during the show an elderly woman in the front fainted and the paramedics were called. We were all impressed with how quickly everyone responded – a few doctors in the house responded immediately. We were told at the end that the family had called and told them that she was at the hospital and she was going to be fine. On Saturday morning we ate breakfast at the hotel, and then headed over to the river to take the Chicago Architecture Society tour. After several days of 90 degrees and muggy weather we got up to cold and windy weather, however it wasn’t raining. We took the 9:30am tour and got some gorgeous views of the Chicago architecture. Our guide was very informative and told us a lot of the history of the buildings. After our tour we went to Portillo’s for lunch which is well known for the Chicago hotdogs. It was fun and inexpensive. Then the guys left to go on the Untouchables Tour, which is a fun tour that takes you around the city to see some of the famous mafia hangouts and crime scenes, including the place where the St Valentine’s Day Massacre took place. The guides dress up like gangsters and make it a fun tour. While they were on that tour Carol, Ruth and I rode the train up the Armitage area which has all kinds of little shops. Once we got back we spent a little time resting before dinner. That night for dinner we had reservations at Keefer’s, a local steak house. It was elegant and fun and the dinner was excellent. We were able to walk to the restaurant since it was close. Afterward we took a leisurely walk back to the hotel. Carol & Mike were leaving early in the morning so we said our goodbyes. In the morning we slept in, and I went swimming for awhile, one last time. After we checked out we visited with Ruth & Earl in the lobby of the hotel until they had to leave for the airport. Doug and I had a couple hours so we walked around one last time before heading to the airport. Beautiful city, wonderful time, and I already miss my sisters!

If you would like to see more pictures, click below.

Rocky Mountain High, Colorado - August 26th - 28th, 2010

We left Glacier Lodge in Estes Park on Thursday morning after a great reunion with family.(See previous post). Several were flying out later in the day Thursday so we made our way to Boulder for one more gathering, and ate lunch together at Lazy Dog Bar and Grill on Pearl Street. My first time to Boulder and although it was about 100 degrees, it was still fun to be together one last time and to look around at a few of the stores on Pearl Street.

We left the area about 2pm and drove to Denver and checked into our hotel. We had planned to stay two more nights in the area and do a little sightseeing with Ruth and Earl. After resting awhile at the hotel, swimming in the pool, the four of us went to dinner at Ling and Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill in downtown Denver. The evening was still warm and we were able to eat outside and just enjoy the weather and the food. Afterwards we stopped at the Cheesecake Factory for some low carb cheesecake.

On Friday we got up and went to the Waffle House for breakfast. Ever since Doug had first discovered the Waffle House in Florida (several years ago) his radar has picked up the signal if there is one nearby. Since we don’t have them in Washington it is usually a treat for him, and wouldn’t you know it, as we were leaving the airport at the beginning of this adventure we passed a sign for one. So of course we had to go. Fortunately, they have sugar free syrup for the waffles, and I suppose having just one is not so bad. J

After breakfast we went to Red Rocks Park to see the Amphitheatre. We had planned to be there for a tour however the person who was to give the tour was sick. We spent quite a bit of time going through the visitor center and looking at the amphitheatre. Since there was a concert that night we were not able to go down to the stage but it was amazing to see the natural red rocks that formed the backdrop for the stage. I would love to be able to hear a concert there.

We left Red Rocks and continued on the scenic highway on our way back to Denver. Along the way we stopped to see Buffalo Bill's grave. We stopped in Georgetown, which is a scenic little town. We had lunch in the courtyard of Ed’s Café which was fun. After lunch we went across the street and toured the Hotel de Paris Museum and learned about the history of the area. We shopped a little then headed back to Denver to our hotel. That evening Earl and Ruth had decided to meet Josh and Robin and kids at a local park for dinner and Doug and I decided to rest then go out for dinner. We spent some time relaxing, swimming and Doug working on things then headed out to dinner about 8pm to the Hacienda Colorado in Englewood. The food was good and the décor of the restaurant was really nice. It was starting to get dark out and they had a courtyard with a fireplace for those who were waiting to get in.

On Saturday morning we got up early, checked out of our hotel and met Ruth and Earl to go down to Colorado Springs to meet up with Mike and Carol for breakfast. They had left Estes Park and headed to Colorado Springs to stay and go golfing. They were staying at the Broadmoor Hotel which was beautiful. The property is several acres with a lake and lots of individual buildings. We had a nice breakfast and then walked through the lobby of the hotel and across the lake and over to the main building. We left them for their tee- time and we headed out to see the Garden of the Gods which was on the other side of Colorado Springs.

Garden of the Gods is a drive through park with all kinds of natural red rock stone natural formations. There are several areas to stop and hike or get closer to the formations. It was starting to get very warm out so for the most part we stayed in the car and took pictures from there. It was amazing to see these geological wonders. Afterward we drove up toward Pike’s Peak but determined that we wouldn’t have time to drive to the top because we needed to get to the airport by 2pm.

We headed back to Denver and picked up our car at the hotel and said goodbye to Ruth and Earl and headed to the airport. Although our flight had a layover in LA, we were able to exchange it for a direct flight and get home much sooner than expected.

Home again after a wonderful first trip to Denver. I went away feeling like it was a place that I could live and call home. I loved the scenery and spending time with family. Need to do it more often.

To see more pictures from this trip, click below.

Estes Park, Colorado August 22 - 26, 2010

Our family decided to have a reunion in Estes Park, CO. I had never been to Colorado and was really looking forward to going. All 6 of us siblings came with our spouses, and all of Ruth's, Carol's and Jon's kids and grandkids were able to come. There were 32 adults and 12 kids, all under 9. We selected Glacier Lodge as the place that we would stay and rented several cabins on the property. Ruth and her family rented Timber Lodge which was the biggest lodge and gave us the space for gathering altogether for meals. Each of us arrived at different times on Sunday the 22nd. We had planned meals ahead of time and a few of us had gone to Costco to get groceries on our way to the campsite. Dinner that night was prepared by Ruth's family. Robin had made spaghetti sauce ahead of time so that along with garlic bread and salad became our first meal. The weather was hot and after dinner several of the cousins got together and played football on the property or just walked around the grounds exploring. Monday: We purposely decided to not structure specific things during the day, however several people went for drives through Rocky Mountain National Park, went hiking, or horseback riding on the property, went to town, or just stayed around the area to visit. There was a pool on the property and several people went swimming during the day, including the little kids. Late in the afternoon on Monday Uncle Wilbur showed up from Oklahoma. He had written earlier that he would like to join us and we were all anxious to see him. Wilbur is our father's oldest living sibling at 84, and still managing to drive across country every year, and stay active with his woodworking and teaching reading twice a week during the school year. That evening Jon and his family prepared our meal of hotdogs and hamburgers and we had a nice time visiting during and after dinner. That evening Wilbur brought out several wooden cars that he had made and gave them to the kids. Also, Ruth had brought tee-shirts for us siblings to wear with our pictures and we showed a slide show that I created from old pictures, set to music.

Tuesday: After breakfast I led several of the kids and parents (4 carloads) on a geocaching trek. This was the first time for all of them so it was fun to share the experiences. We found 3 different caches and the kids were able to trade several things that I had brought along, taking some of the trinkets that were in the caches. Charlotte (3) spotted one of the caches so here is her picture. We also found 2geocoins that I will be passing on back in Washington. Later in the day Wilbur, Ruth, Dave and I went to town and toured the Stanley Hotel. Several others came too and met us there. The Stanley is an old hotel, up on the hillside in Estes Park. Stephen King stayed there and it was the inspiration for the book " The Shining" although it wasn't filmed there. The lobby has a Stanley Steamer in it, and the grounds are beautiful as well as the view of the Rocky Mountains. That evening Carol and her family made a mexican meal for us with fajitas, tacos, salad, beans, etc. After dinner Wilbur did a magic show for the kids. I remember as a child watching him entertain us with his magic tricks. It was such a special treat to see it again. Wednesday: Several of us had arranged to go on a Rocky Mountain "Top of the World" Tour so we went downtown about 8:45. Our guide, Rene' took us up in the mountains to the top of one of the peaks. Along the way we saw elk and other wildlife. The Colorado mountains are so pretty and different than we see in Washington. We really enjoyed the tour and learning about the area. In the afternoon I went swimming and just spent time enjoying family time. We were in charge of dinner so Doug had been slow cooking a pork shoulder all day for pulled pork sandwiches. That evening was to be our last together so we gathered one more time for dinner and had the sandwiches, along with some trout that the kids had caught that day, and several salads. We still had lots of food that either needed to be eaten or it would have to go home with Josh and Robin. After dinner we spent our last evening visiting and taking group pictures. Thursday: In the morning Doug and I packed the car then went to town for one last look around before we needed to leave. We got back to the campsite close to 10:30, then had to check out. Several of us were planning to stop in Boulder for lunch before those who needed to get to the airport had to leave. I found Estes Park and the Rocky Mountains majestic and I look forward to going back someday. It is a beautiful area and several of us agreed it was a great place for a reunion. To see more pictures, click below. Be sure to read my next entry which is the next few days of the trip including Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs and Red Rocks.

New York City with my Sisters, May 2010

Time for a Sisters Trip so off we went to New York City!

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010. We arrived at Newark Airport at 5:15pm. Carol and I flew together and Ruth met us there. Our flights were about the same time so once we landed and headed to baggage we called Ruth, and she came over from her terminal. We went outside to beautiful, sunny warm weather in the 70s. A nice change from Seattle and Minneapolis weather. We took a taxi, during rush hour, through the Lincoln Tunnel and arrived at our hotel in Times Square about 7:00 pm. Our hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn was in a great location on 8th Avenue between 48th and 49th. We faced 8th Avenue, which was much quieter than facing 7th Avenue and the heart of everything in Times Square. We had dinner reservations for 7:30 so we checked in, freshened up a little and walked over to the Eatery which is on 53rd. The food was good, large portions and attractive with great reviews. After dinner we walked along 53rd to 7th Avenue then south on 7th to see all the lights and buildings in Times Square. Last week was the attempted bombing on 7th and 45th so there was a lot of police presence. Although I had been to NYC twice before, it was still awesome to see all the lights and magnificent buildings. Neither Ruth nor Carol had been and they were impressed. Until you have seen it you just don’t know what to expect. After walking as far as 45th street we headed back up to our hotel for the night.

Thursday, May 6th, 2010 We got up and headed over to the Hop On – Hop Off tour bus and scheduled the All Loops Tour which gave us 4 routes, including Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn and NYC at Night tour. We had 48 hrs to use our tickets so we got on the Uptown bus and road up through Central Park West, past the Dakota where John Lennon was shot, and past St John’s Cathedral, then up through Harlem then down Central Park East. We got off the tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met). We all wanted to see the museum so we went in for a few hours. One thing we learned was that all the public museums have a “recommended” entry fee however you can pay whatever you want, or nothing at all. We paid $10 each rather than $20 because we didn’t plan to stay long. After the museum we walked into Central Park. The weather was still beautiful as we walked by the Belvedere Castle, the Bow Bridge, and back around to the Bethesda Terrace Fountain, which was being renovated. We left Central Park and took a taxi over to Serendipity for lunch. Since it was 2pm we had beat the lunch crowd so we didn’t have to wait at all. It is a fun, eclectic restaurant with great desserts, including Frozen Hot Chocolate, one of Oprah’s favorite things. Lunch was good and the Frozen Hot Chocolate lived up to its reputation. After we left Serendipity we walked back to 5th Avenue and stopped at Trump Tower which is beautiful inside, and Radio City Music Hall, then on to Rockefeller Center. We stopped at the plaza and saw all the flags around the area where there is ice skating in the winter and outdoor restaurants in the summer. We walked back through Times Square and to our hotel to rest for awhile before going out again. That evening we had reservations to see Jersey Boys at the August Wilson Theatre. Carol made arrangements through a friend to have a backstage tour beforehand so we arrived at the stage door entrance as planned at 7pm. Our tour was interesting with our guide showing us how the sets are changed so quickly, where the actors get ready and just how all the choreography works so well together. After our tour we found our seats on the balcony level. The theatre is small enough that any seat was probably good. The show told the story of Frankie Valle and was a lot of fun with familiar music from the 50s and 60s. After the show we stopped at Thalia for dinner, which was close to our hotel. The food and drinks were good.


Friday, May 7th. We left our hotel about 8:00 and walked over to Rockefeller Center hoping to go to the Top of the Rock, and also arrange a studio tour. Once we got our tickets we had to wait in line to see which studio tour we would be taking. They had nothing available until 5pm! We had other plans so we knew that wouldn’t work, so we exchanged the tickets for one for me on Sunday and Ruth and Carol decided they would rather go to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) while I was at the studio tour. So we went to the Top of the Rock to see the view and take pictures, and then walked over to where they were still filming the Today Show. People usually line up as early as 5am for the 7am start, but by 9 or so they start leaving, especially if there is not a special guest. We found a place to stand close to the front row as Al Roker, Matt Lauer and Natalie Morales were doing their stints. Ruth actually shook hands with Al and I shook hands with Natalie. Later we found out that I was on the live broadcast, but the other shots we were in were edited out. We left the area and walked back over to 8th street and got on the Hop On- Hop Off Downtown loop. It really is a fun way to learn a little about the city, take a break from walking and see some things you may otherwise not see. It took us past the Flat Iron district, Soho, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Ground Zero and Wall Street. We got off at South Street Seaport where we transferred to the Brooklyn loop tour. Once we were over the Manhattan Bridge we stopped at Brooklyn Bridge Park so we all could take pictures of lower Manhattan. We got back on and continued our tour through Brooklyn. We stopped at a Pizzaria and everyone got out and got a piece of pizza, then back on the bus for the rest of the tour. At the last stop we got off the bus and walked over the Brooklyn Bridge. What an awesome sight! The walk was fun, the weather was nice and it felt good to walk the bridge. On the Manhattan side we walked through Wall Street area, and over to Lupa for dinner. Lupa is one of 5 restaurants in Manhattan owned by Mario Batali who was raised in the Seattle area and has his own show on the Food Network. It was an excellent choice and we all enjoyed our meal. After dinner we took a taxi back to our hotel. By then it was 10:30 and we had a very busy, yet fulfilling day.


Saturday May 8th, 2010 We got up early and rode the subway to the Ace Hotel. We had read about the little coffee shop next to the hotel that served Stumptown Coffee and it suggested sitting and drinking it in the lobby of the Ace Hotel. The hotel is beautiful with rich, dark décor with the feel of a wonderful, old library. After our coffee we got back on the subway and took it to the end which was the Port Authority pier where the Stanton Island Ferry departs. We walked over to Battery Park and got in line to go to the Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island. It started to rain and the wind was blowing but it was warm. We had brought umbrellas and jackets with hoods just in case so we were ready. We rode the ferry over and walked around the Park taking pictures. The museum had at least an hour wait so we decided that we wanted to spend more time at Ellis Island so we got back in line to take the next ferry. Ellis Island was incredible, to walk in the footsteps of our ancestors as they came to this country, and to see what they went through to be here. We didn’t stay and do any research since you can do it online, however we were able to watch one of the films and go through all the rooms. It was incredible. After we left Ellis Island we rode the subway up to Union Square and had lunch at the Republic, a Vietnamese restaurant. It was a small restaurant with unusual décor, but the food was great. Ruth and Carol both had Vietnamese sandwiches and salads, and I had a bowl of soup, similar to pho. After lunch we took the subway up to Grand Central Station. We didn’t stay long but I wanted Ruth and Carol to see Grand Central. By then we were tired of walking so we decided to take the subway shuttle back to Times Square then walked to our hotel to rest before dinner. Once we were in Times Square we heard that the Stanton Island Ferry had rammed the dock and several people were injured. We had been there in the morning about 9:30 when we were going over to Liberty and Ellis Island, but we hadn’t seen or heard any commotion. That evening we took a taxi down to the Chelsea area and went to the Red Cat for dinner. We had reservations but we were a little early so we went next door to the Drunken Horse for wine and cheese first. Dinner was wonderful – After dinner we went back to our hotel by 9pm. I think it was catching up to us!

Sunday morning we got packed and took our bags down to the bell hop, then walked over to Rockefeller Center. We stopped and had a bagel and coffee at one of the shops along the way. Ruth and Carol left me at Rockefeller Center and went up to the MOMA and I went to NBC to go on a studio tour. They showed us where the nightly news is filmed, Jimmy Fallon’s studio and where Saturday Night Live is filmed. I enjoyed the tour and Ruth and Carol said that the Museum was interesting. We met up afterward and took a taxi over to Grand Central Station again and had lunch at Zocala. Ruth tried their Cuban sandwich and said it was very good, I had a bowl of Tortilla Soup and Carol had a salad which also looked good. The food was plentiful and good. Afterward we rode the subway back to Times Square for our final time before heading to the airport. As we were walking through Times Square we saw the Naked Cowboy… what would a trip to NYC be without running into the Naked Cowboy! We walked back to our hotel for our ride to the airport. It was sad to leave- I love NY! Once again – my mantra, I will be back!

To see more pictures from this trip, click below.

Mazatlan, February 2010

Since I began this blog a month ago I have been working on re-creating our trips from the past using journals, notes and pictures from those trips. I finally have caught up and this is the first trip that will be recorded shortly after we returned. I decided against daily updates, although I did make notes everyday so I could remember things that we did.

Mazatlan. Home of the 3rd largest Carnaval (Mardi Gras) celebration in the world, following Rio and New Orleans. When we decided to come to Mazatlan again for our annual trip, I checked into the dates of Carnaval so we could avoid this annual celebration. Since our plan was to stay in downtown Mazatlan for 5 days prior to moving to our timeshare, I wanted to be sure that we booked our downtown stay at least the week prior to Carnaval. No problem. We scheduled the hotel and timeshare and got our airline tickets scheduled in August. In December we discovered that we were booked during Carnaval, not the week before. Not sure what happened but obviously I looked at the dates wrong. Oh, well, we are going to make the best of it.

Tuesday, February 9th. This trip started out typical of our daily life. Are we just too busy? Not organized enough? We had a list of things to remember- sunglasses, swimsuits, passports, etc. All the things you might not think of when leaving a rainy, winter in Seattle with a destination of sunny, hot Mexico. So what did we forget? As we were on our way to the airport at 5:30 am, Doug realized that he didn’t have his phone. It was in his hand as we walked out the door, but he stepped back inside to check on one more thing and set it down. So now, he noticed he didn’t have it. We were on Shuttle Express with someone else headed for their flight so we could hardly turn around. So, we got to the airport, got checked in and he headed back in a taxi to retrieve his phone. $78 cab fare later he was back with his phone and enough time to check in. Hope this isn’t a sign of things to come!

We arrived in Mazatlan about 3:15pm (Central Time) and by the time we reached our hotel it was about 5pm. The weather was warm, about 80, but it was a little cloudy. We checked in the La Siesta hotel which is right on Olas Altas in downtown Mazatlan. Our 3rd floor room looked out to the ocean and the boardwalk right across the street from the hotel. We had a balcony with 2 chairs and the room was nice with 2 queen beds, a desk and chair and wireless access. The hotel had a inside courtyard, a pool and was connected to the Shrimp Bucket restaurant.

About 4 blocks behind the hotel is Plaza Machado which is a beautiful park like setting with restaurants surrounding the plaza. After we got checked into our room we walked down to the plaza and had a great dinner at Pedro and Lola’s.

We got up Wednesday morning to cloudy weather, but it was warm. We ate breakfast at the Shrimp Bucket then walked over to the malecon (boardwalk). It is so nice to walk in the morning before it gets too warm. The malecon has several statues and there are quite a few people walking, taking in the sites. We walked about 3 miles or so, resting along the way. We stopped to watch the cliff divers. After waiting quite awhile we figured out that they have a “showman” that is there for the sole purpose of gathering a crowd. He taunts the crowd by putting his arms out like he’s going to dive, as several others below collect money from the crowd. Finally, someone else climbs the tower and is the one who jumps. We walked up past the fisherman’s statue where all the early morning boats come in and they are selling fresh fish. You can buy fresh fish and take it to a restaurant across the street and they will cook it for you. Once we got back from our walk we spent time at the hotel for the afternoon, just relaxing. Doug caught up on some email and I spent time at the pool – which was not heated. It was refreshing anyway, and I enjoyed the downtime with my book. We ate dinner that night at a great little restaurant a couple blocks from the hotel, La Cueva del Leon, Cocina Mexicana.

Thursday was the first day of Carnaval. We really did not know what to expect. All around were signs of things happening. Obviously Pacifica Beer was a sponsor (they have a brewery in town). There was a stage being set up right next to the hotel, and there were gates and barricades set up on all the street entrances to the area. The hotel gave us wristbands to wear so we got get back in if we ventured outside of the area. We decided to head for the Golden Zone for awhile during the day. The Golden Zone is at the north end of the 12 mile long malecon. It has a lot of the big hotels on the beachfront, and lots of shops and restaurants. It is where the tourists go, and where the cruise ships bring their tourists for a day of shopping and dining.

We had a late breakfast at Panama which is a chain restaurant /bakery. The food and service were good. After we ate breakfast we walked around the area. We stopped at Joe’s Oyster Bar which overlooks the ocean, then we rode the bus back downtown. By then it was about 3:30 and there was a band practicing on the stage, and more and more vendors were bringing their carts down the street and setting things up. After relaxing for awhile we had dinner at the Shrimp Bucket, and decided to settle in to see what the night would bring. As the evening went on more and more people started coming. Around 8pm the band was playing and a large crowd was gathering. As we walked the area we saw that there were at least 6 more stages set up in the 12 block area. There were food booths, entertainers, candy, toys and trinkets, masks, etc. It was fun to people watch. At 9pm there were fireworks and the crowd was continuing to get thicker. We decided to head to our room and watch from the balcony. The music went on until 1pm – I’m glad I brought earplugs which helped a lot to drown out some of the noise.

On Friday we got up to quiet streets (and clean streets). It was hard to believe that last night was the beginning of a huge party. We walked over to Machado Plaza and had breakfast at La Tromoya then walked over to the city market. Mazatlan has a huge city market with many meat and produce vendors, as well as craft vendors. We walked to the Cathedral and the plaza nearby. We came back to the hotel to rest and swim. Once again as the day went on more and more people started coming to the area, and the bands started playing. We decided to walk back to Machado Plaza to see what kinds of things were happening. Although it was outside the gates, there were vendors, entertainers and lots of people. We walked down one of the side streets and went to Te Amo Lucy’s (I love Lucy’s) for dinner. It’s a fun little restaurant with I love Lucy videos playing and all kinds of little ornamental things hanging from the ceiling. American Tony and his Mexican wife Lucy are the owners. The food is great and it is usually busy. When we got back to our hotel around 9pm there were a lot of people in the area and all the stages had performers. We watched from our balcony as more and more people came to the area. They partied in the street until about 3am. Once again I was thankful for the earplugs.

Saturday morning we got coffee at Looney Beans which is a few blocks from the hotel. Great coffee which is grown in Mexico in the state of Chiapas. With our coffee we walked up the malecon to fisherman’s statue, then took one of the pulmonias to the Golden Zone again. After lunch at Gringo Lingo we walked up the main road and took a bus back downtown. When we got back to the hotel area there was a lot of action with more and more people coming into the area and vendors getting set up for the evening. That evening we walked from one end to the other of the main street, stopping to listen to the bands and buying dinner from the street vendors. It was fun to be part of the action and watch people. We never saw anyone acting unruly… there were families with kids, couples old and young and everyone was having a good time. At 11pm we were back on our balcony to watch the fireworks show, which lasted about 45 minutes. That evening the music and the street dancing went on until about 5am.

On Sunday morning we got up and packed to get ready to move over to our timeshare at the Mayan Palace which is at the north end of Mazatlan in an area called Cerritos. We walked around the area one more time, got coffee from Looney Beans again and we both commented on how clean the streets were, just a few short hours after the all night party ended.

We took a pulmonia to the Mayan Palace and arrived there about 1:30. Doug’s Dad Cal had planned to meet us at the hotel as he was going to spend the week with us. He actually had been in the area for a week visiting with friends in Tecapan which is south of Mazatlan. He showed up shortly after we arrived at the Mayan. We were not able to check in so we left our baggage with the bellboy and looked around the resort. We sat by the pool and had lunch then we took a bus over to the Mega Foods to pick up some food for meals for the week. Once we got back to the hotel we were able to check into our room which had a great view of the ocean and the pool. That evening we ate dinner at the hotel.

I was really looking forward to resting at this hotel and spending time by the pool. When we were downtown our intent was to spend time checking out the sites, enjoying early morning walks, etc, but once we moved to the Mayan I wanted to enjoy the pool, and spend some time reading. We spent the day Monday at the hotel. That evening Cal wasn’t feeling well so we walked across the street to a little taco stand and got him some tacos then Doug and I headed to the Golden Zone for dinner at Gus Gus, which was great.

On Tuesday we got up to an overcast day so we decided to take Cal to the Golden Zone. He has a little trouble getting around and walks with a cane so we planned to walk slow and stop and rest now and then. After awhile we decided to walk to Joe’s Oyster Bar which overlooks the ocean. We asked Cal if he would like that and we planned to walk the 3 or 4 blocks slowly and take our time. We stopped to rest several times and when we were about 30 ft from the entrance Cal stopped again to rest. I pointed to the sign and told him we were almost there and he told us to go ahead and he would catch up. Doug and I got to the restaurant, ordered drinks and waited for Cal. After several minutes we were still waiting so I went back to the street to get Cal and he was nowhere in sight. I walked back to the restaurant and Doug went to look and also could not find him. We waited several minutes then left to try to find him. We walked around the area for awhile then rode the bus back to the hotel figuring that he would be there. There was no sign of Cal. He finally showed up several hours later and said that he had walked several blocks to the end of the road and waited for us for over an hour. That evening we rode the bus back to the downtown area to experience Fat Tuesday, the last night of Carnaval. We got off the bus near Machado Plaza and walked slowly enjoying the entertainment in the area. We ended up walking to the main street and ate dinner at la Copa de Leche which was really good. Afterward we walked outside the main gates and took a pulmonia back to the hotel.

Wednesday was rainy in the morning so we rode the bus again town to the City Market. Once we came home in the afternoon the weather was nicer so I spent time by the pool. That evening we went to dinner at Senor Frogs.

On Thursday morning we got up early and rode the bus to the Golden Zone and went to the Vineyard Church. We volunteered to make sandwiches and fill water bottles along with other volunteers. Once we were done several of us boarded 2 of the church buses to go the city dump where the church has a ministry to feed the “workers” at the dump. Basically they are there to salvage anything they can to sell to support their families. On our way to the dump they drove through several poor parts of town where the church has set up “feeding” centers. Many of the “colonias” (neighborhoods) have dirt roads and due to the rain the day before one of the buses got stuck the mud. After trying to get it unstuck they finally moved the sandwiches and water to the other bus and we continued our journey to the dump. They called for assistance getting the bus out of the mud. Once we got to the dump we spent time handing out the food and visiting with the workers. They are so poor and they spend 10-12 hours every day salvaging things. After we left the dump we stopped and fed the children of the workers. The experience really puts our lives full of material things into perspective. We all went away feeling good that we were able to help.

After we got back to the church we went next door to the Taco restaurant which is called Taco Time (not the chain) and had lunch. We walked around a few of the stores in the area and Cal bought a Viking hat which he had seen earlier in the week. That evening Doug and I ate dinner at the hotel then watched several people singing karaoke in the hotel bar.

On Friday it was really sunny for the first time since we got here. I wanted to spend the day relaxing by the pool so Doug went downtown on his own and I went to the pool. Cal came down after awhile, but then he decided to ride the bus to the end of the line and site see without having to walk around. That evening we rode the bus to the end of the road past our hotel and had a great dinner at The Last Drop. Friday nights are “all you can eat ribs” so Cal and Doug enjoyed and I had a great hamburger.

Saturday was beautiful again so I stayed around the hotel during the day then we planned to go to the Golden Zone to Pancho’s for dinner. It is right on the beach and has great food. We got there about 6 and had to wait at least an hour for a table. There was entertainment on the beach (fire dancers) and a mariachi band stopping at the tables. We had a good time.

On Sunday we got up and packed to get ready to check out. It is always hard to leave. We had a good time, the weather was somewhat ok, especially the last few days. Carnaval turned out to be a good experience. Cal had a good time too, even though he had a little trouble getting around.

Next year we are hoping to go to Puerto Vallarta. We’ll be back in a couple years to Mazatlan.

Leavenworth, December 2009

Last year when we went to Leavenworth for the annual tree lighting we booked again for this year. We planned to stay two nights at the Enzian Inn the weekend of December 4th and 5th. We left about 9:30 or so and stopped on the summit for a late breakfast. We arrived in town around 1pm. The roads were clear and bare, not at all like the last two years when we had so much snow. Both Snoqualmie and Blewett passes were fine and once we got to Leavenworth they didn’t have any snow either. The Enzian Inn is on the main highway, right across from the main part of town. Once we got things settled in our room, we bundled up to go over to the village shops. We browsed for a few hours then watched some of the festivities in the Park. St Nick comes to town, there are choirs singing, and usually other entertainment. There were not a lot of people yet, but from experience we knew there would be a lot the next day. After awhile we stopped at Ducks and Drakes for a bite to eat, and then went back to our hotel. Once again there was a piano player and they played and sang Christmas carols. The hotel is so festive with their tree, the apple cider smell and the roasted almonds and pecans. I went swimming for awhile and we turned in early. On Saturday we got up and had a nice breakfast, which comes with the room. During breakfast the owner of the hotel played the alphorn, which is a daily tradition. After breakfast we had booked a sleigh ride, however, there was no snow! No problem, they also offer carriage rides so that is what we did instead. Even though it wasn’t snowing, it was still cold so we bundled up and they had wool blankets for us. They took us through the fields on an hour ride. Afterward we had hot cocoa and cookies in the tent. There were quite a few people there and no one seemed disappointed that there wasn’t any snow. We headed back to town and over to the village. More and more people were starting to come. Since this is a festive town at this time of year there are tour buses that bring people in just for the 5 hrs or so of festivities. During this time you cannot even get into some of the shops! We browsed around for awhile then at about 4:30 we joined others in the main plaza for the entertainment. Several choirs sang carols, the town officials addressed the crowd, and the count down began for the lights to come on. It started to snow just as they were getting ready to turn the lights on. All of a sudden the lights of the whole town came on beginning with the trees, then the village storefronts. It was fun to see, and really has a way of getting you in the Christmas spirit. After the lighting we went to the Soup Cellar for an early dinner. We had never been there but it was really good. After dinner we took our time and walked back to our hotel for another restful evening of swimming, and relaxing. In the morning there was 3-4 inches of fresh snow, but the hotel staff indicated that the passes were clear and dry. We had chains with us just in case. We left the area about 11:00 and were home by 1:30 or so. We booked again for next year, but we are both thinking we might pass on it. There is only so much you can see, and 3 years in a row now should be enough for awhile. Of course, we may change our mind next year.

To see more pictures click below:

San Francisco, November 2009

Alaska Airlines had an awesome special- $49 each way to San Francisco so we decided to take as quick trip. Just 2 nights, but still a chance to get away. We booked the Wharf. We flew down on Thurs afternoon the 12th arriving about 2pm. They were able to give us our room so we got that taken care of then headed down to the wharf. The weather was really nice, didn’t even need a jacket. We walked down to Pier 39 and looked around at the shops and watched all the seals on the docks.We were told they would be closing off the area in a couple of months so there would not be anymore seals in the future. It’s fun to watch so I’m sure there will be some people that will miss it, us included.
Later we took a walk back to Fisherman’s Wharf. They have a new museum which is an old fashioned penny arcade. It had all kinds of old, mechanical machines that are still in working order. It was fun to take some quarters and play them. There was one that was hilarious with a lady that was laughing hysterically- it got everyone around laughing too. Around 5pm we met up with one of Doug's business clients at Hooter's. We had a bite to eat with him and talked business for awhile, then we left to walk around. As we were walking we were given tickets to a free comedy club right at the pier so we went to it. It was a place for stand-ups to practice and get a start. Some were funny, but nothing spectacular. I guess you can’t expect much for free. After the show we walked back to the hotel and sat in the lounge for awhile. We had been given a gift certificate for drinks and appetizers so we each ordered a drink and got plate of different things to try. We enjoyed relaxing, and unwinding. On Friday we rode the cable car up to Union Square, and from there we took a bus to Golden Gate Park. Once we got there we walked over to the California Academy of Sciences, which was new since the last time we were here. It had wonderful exhibits and we were there a couple hours checking it out. There is a planetarium, aquarium, natural museum of history and a 3D theatre. After we got back we walked down to the waterfront again and ate dinner at Nicks and had dinner. We’ve been there before and it was good, and we enjoyed it again this time. Afterward we went to Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum. It had been years since I’d been there so it was fun to see all the things they have added or changed. There are a lot of not-so-believable things, but it’s still fun to see what people come up with. In the morning we had time for a quick breakfast, then checked out and headed to the airport. Another quick trip – but definitely fun and a chance to get away from hustle and bustle, and rainy Seattle.

For more pictures, click below.

Las Vegas, October 2009

Doug’s annual conference this year was being held in Las Vegas. They were trying to cut down on expenses for people (not quite NY, Miami or San Francisco) so they booked rooms at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Vegas, rather than the Strip.

We have been to Vegas several times so it actually sounded good to be in the downtown area, away from the strip. I wanted to go for the rest and relaxation and was glad to know that there was a nice pool at the Golden Nugget. In fact, they had just remodeled it the year before and it included a waterslide that went through a shark tank. This I gotta see!

Doug flew down on Tuesday the 6th and got registered for his conference, then I came down on the afternoon of the 8th. Kaycie and Brad were also down in Vegas with some friends so we made arrangements to meet them for dinner in the Downtown area. Brad had not been to Vegas in several years and had not seen the Fremont Experience, so we thought we would stay in the area. We ate dinner at one of the hotels that had an all you can eat steak buffet. After dinner we did a little gambling and headed out to watch the show. The main plaza between all the hotels/casinos in downtown is closed to traffic and is covered by an arched roof. In the evening there is a laser, light show on the ceiling running the whole length which is about 4 blocks. There is a new show every hour. It’s a fun experience.

On Friday while Doug was at his conference I spent several hours at the pool, and just relaxing in the area. Once he was done around 5pm we headed over to the strip to meet Brad and Kaycie for dinner at Margaritaville. They got our name in, knowing we would probably be waiting awhile. Once we got there they called us within a few minutes. We had a good dinner but they put us upstairs, away from all the action. They had monitors so we could see the main room, but it wasn’t quite as fun as being there.

After dinner we headed to the Bellagio to see the 10pm showing of Cirque du Soleil “O”. We have seen several of the shows, but not this one. It was impressive how the stage performances were done since most of the show is done around water, diving into water, etc. The stage floor elevated so everything was choreographed perfectly to get the right effect. It wasn’t our favorite among the ones we have seen, but it was good. After the show we walked around the strip a little before we went back to our hotel.

On Saturday we stayed around the hotel, went swimming, gambled a little in the area, then in the evening we had made arrangements to meet the kids over at the Rio for dinner buffet. We started out by taking the city bus, however after an hour we still had not gotten very far so we got at Caesar’s and walked over to the Paris and waited in line to take the free shuttle that goes over to the Rio. Even that took about 45 more minutes. We finally got there and the kids had been waiting in line for quite some time to get into the buffet. That took quite awhile too. We finally made it and got seated. The buffet was huge! They had international stations so we had our choice of Chinese, Mexican, Thai, American, Italian, and tons more. The guys really enjoyed going back over and over. Not sure where they were putting it! After dinner we walked around the strip again since we were in the area.
After the show we spent a little time on the strip before we headed back to our hotel for the night. In the morning we got up and packed to come home.