Living Aloha

I recently ended a four month vacation and I'm not handling it well. I have spent time this week thinking back on my favorite vacations. I haven't thought about the scenery, the weather, or the people I've met but instead I'm trying to hone in on the feeling. I don't know how to describe it. I know when I've had it. I had it at the top of the Mount Healy Overlook in Denali, Alaska. I had it in a stretch of bamboo trees in Hawai'i. I had it in the middle of the Grand Canyon. I had it go-kart racing with a friend in Phoenix and whale watching with my family off the coast of Cape Cod. Whatever it is, I thought I needed to bottle it up so that I can draw on it when it feels like life is starting to beat me down.

Bamboo Trees in Hawai'i

I was going through some boxes looking for a book for my sister when I found a postcard that I was using as a bookmark. It was a Hawaiian license plate that said "LIVE ALOHA." All of a sudden, it clicked. I don't need to bottle up that vacation feeling, I just need to live it all the time. I need to "LIVE ALOHA." How do you even start to do that? Is this a real idea or is it just my own Eat, Pray, Love moment where I need to re-evaluate my life? I have had a job that I love. I know that I am good at it and that my work does make a difference in the lives of other people. I am proud of that, but somewhere along the way I lost myself in that job. My friend Adele and I once talked about how teaching is more than a job, it's a lifestyle. It has been my lifestyle for a decade. I have been this person who gives and gives and now I feel like I have nothing left to give. How do you begin to restore yourself? It is those wise words of the flight attendants ringing in my head, "Affix the mask on yourself before assisting others." I need a mask. I need something to change. 

My Wall Street friends will say that I'm being delusional and that I need to be real. I need a job with a retirement plan and health insurance. I need to buy a house and build some equity. I'm just not built like them. Those have never been the things I worry about. I worry about whether my life has a purpose. I was recently on a very bumpy flight from Phoenix to New York. It was so bumpy in fact that the two women next to me were holding hands and crying. There were gasps from the people in front and behind me. I felt insanely calm. It was out of my hands and if something were to happen, I didn't want my last moments to be fear. I wanted it to be peace. I thought about my life. I don't have any regrets. I have been a good daughter, sister and friend. I'm not perfect but my mistakes are my own. 

Enjoying my time in the Grand Canyon

Maybe traveling a lot automatically makes you more introspective, especially when you travel alone. You have a lot of time to think when you're lying in the hammock. I am at a point in my life now where my options are wide open. I can make decisions that will help me to "LIVE ALOHA." I don't want to be scared to make those decisions. Maybe my Aloha is in travel. Maybe I need to work and make enough money so I can travel and then work again and then travel again. Maybe that cycle is what I need now. Most of my friends are married and have started families. They talk about how life changes when you have children, priorities shift. If that isn't in the cards for me, I need to make that shift on my own. So, let it begin. Today is day one of Living Aloha. 

5 Tips to Avoid Grand Canyon Crowds

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona is one of America's most visited National Parks. The breathtaking scenery draws people from all over the world. If you're not careful you can find yourself on a crowded bus looking out a dusty window at one of Mother Nature's greatest accomplishments. There are simple ways that you can find solitude in the Grand Canyon for you and your family.

Me and the view from the South Rim

1. GET OFF THE BUS. Many visitors to the Grand Canyon arrive at the Visitor's Center and immediately hop on a shuttle bus. The shuttle buses take you places your car cannot and are a an easy way to find your away around the park. The blue line does a loop through Grand Canyon village, the hub for hotels, restaurants and shops. The red and orange lines run along the rim in opposite directions and make frequent stops at various lookout points. The buses are great. They cut down on pollution, take you from point A to point B and the drivers are always full of interesting facts and information. For most people, this is how they see the Grand Canyon. If you are looking to avoid the crowds, hop off the bus. At most of the lookout points there are benches or rocks that are suitable for sitting. Take a few quite moments to listen to the sounds of the canyon...the birds or the wind. Ten minutes of staring out at the Canyon will give you a real sense of its' enormity. 

Fellow hiker coming up out of the canyon

2. TAKE A HIKE. Even if you are only visiting the Grand Canyon for the day, you still have enough time to take a short hike. The vast majority of visitors never leave the South Rim of the Canyon. Even walking a half of a mile down a trail into the canyon changes your perspective and just when you think it couldn't get anymore beautiful, it does. My favorite hike was on the South Kaibab trail. You can take the orange line bus right to the trailhead. There are three turnaround points for day hikers, in order, Ooh Ahh Point, Cedar Ridge and Skeleton Point. Remember, how far you go down, you have to come back up. It is very easy to keep going on your way down but be mindful of how far you've gone and your experience level. You will see signs EVERYWHERE that warn you about having enough water for your hike. Think about how much water you think you should bring and then double that. It is very easy to find yourself dehydrated on the trail. Take your time as you go down and enjoy the different views. The inside of the canyon walls tell an incredible geological history. Looking up from inside the canyon creates an automatic sense of wonder that I never got when I looked down from the rim. If you have more time to spend and are in good shape you can hike to the bottom of the canyon, spend the night and hike back up. An adventure like this requires proper planning and the Backcountry Information Center can help you with all of the details. 

Elk cruising through the campground

3. CAMP. Camping isn't for everyone. If you have the interest and the supplies, it is a great way to escape the crowds. Mather Campground, just outside of the Grand Canyon Village, is an easy home base for exploring the canyon through day hikes. The sites are spacious and often your only disturbance is the elk that come through the place like they own it. My first morning I unzipped my tent to find a large elk just standing around. If you haven't seen elk up close, they look like deer on steroids. Not as big as a moose typically, but still having a rather large animal feet away from your flimsy tent can be unnerving. If you are patient and wait for them to move along at their own pace, you have the opportunity to enjoy the wildlife without putting yourself at risk. 

Enjoying time in the hammock

4. EXPLORE.  But, don't be stupid. People need to be rescued every year at the Grand Canyon because they are lost, dehydrated, injured, etc. You can get away from the crowds and still be safe. Many of the trails into the canyon are too difficult for young children and the elderly, but there are portions of the rim trail that are paved bike paths and wheel chair accessible. Take a walk along one of these paths that brings you away from the main lookout points. Granted, the lookout points are often the best viewpoints to see the canyon but I found many smaller areas between lookout points also provided great views and I was able to enjoy those alone. One afternoon I took the orange line bus to the further stop and with my hammock walked along an unpaved trail for about 10 minutes. It was a safe little trail and there was no way to get lost because it followed right along the rim of the canyon. Once I found a spot with a nice view, I took out my portable hammock that cost me less than $20. I hung that up and for an hour, I relaxed and enjoyed the view. During that hour, one couple walked by me. For that time period, it felt like I had the canyon to myself. 

Moon setting in the morning

5. OFF-PEAK. During my first day in the Grand Canyon I noticed that mid-day and sunset were particularly crowded times of the day. In an attempt to avoid the crowds, I decided to do most of my exploring in the early mornings. Granted, I live on the east coast so my body clock was naturally set three hours earlier. I was waking up on my own around 5 am anyway. The benefit of the early morning hikes are threefold, you avoid the crowds, the weather is cooler and you can see the sunrise over the Grand Canyon. For all of you romantics, the sunset is equally as beautiful, but you'll have to share that with 1000 other couples. Sunrise on the other hand, can easily be enjoyed alone. There are few things more beautiful than watching the sun rise over one shoulder and the moon setting over the other. 

Bottom line is that there are a lot of visitors to the Grand Canyon. You will have to deal with crowds regardless. These five tips will help you minimize those dealings and hopefully you have your magical moment with Mother Nature. Without much work you can find a spot to sit alone and imagine what it was like for Native Americans or Early Settlers to feel like they were all alone with this big hole in the ground. 

Bridging Cultures in Herzegovina

View from Stari Most

Whenever I am planning a trip I always want to go somewhere that I have never been. It almost feels like a waste to go back to a place you have already explored. Something can be said for yearly family vacations with the same people in the same places. That is how traditions are created, but I also don't want to give up the few opportunities I have to go someplace new. I suppose it is a balance. There is always something nice about revisiting your favorite places in the world. Most likely on your first trip you did all of the things you're supposed to do but now you are free to seek out the things tourists rarely do. That was the case for me when I revisited Mostar, a small city in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On my first trip to the region I was an inexperienced traveler. I was paranoid when the border patrol agents got on the bus after crossing from Croatia into Herzegovina took my passport and even more paranoid when they got back on and returned everyone's passport except mine. There we are sitting on the bus and I'm looking around. Clearly everyone knew that we were waiting because of me. My only previous border crossing experience up to that point was going from the United States to Canada. To stay that those two experiences were vastly different would be the understatement of the millennium. No one got on my bus with a machine gun going to Niagara Falls. Eventually I got my passport back and we were on our way to Mostar.

Cemetery in Mostar

The focal point of Mostar is the Old Bridge (Stari Most). Most means bridge, so obviously just by looking at the name you can infer that the bridge has played an important role in the history of Mostar. The Old Bridge divides two parts of town, one part is typically Bosnian Muslims and the other Croatian Catholics. The original bridge was destroyed during a war in the region in 1993.  It was eventually rebuilt and served as a symbol for the region during reconstruction. Many of the tourist regions around the bridge have been rebuilt or restored since the war but if you go even slightly out of that area there are lasting reminders everywhere you turn. Shells of buildings that are barely still standing line streets and cemeteries filled with graves marked 1993. As a high school graduate in 1993 it was a sobering experience to look out among those graves and think about the differences between our lives. While I was preparing for college, out boozing with my fake i.d. and skipping classes, these young people were  defending their families, struggling to find food and hiding their younger siblings in basements. Regardless of your ethnic, political or religious beliefs, in the end we are people with families. As we have all experienced at some point in our lives, losing a loved one is never easy.

Muslibegovic House

There is a dichotomy as you spend time in Mostar. There is a sadness but then there is also this excitement as well. Young men jump from the bridge to entertain the tourists. Streets were closed down, filled with chairs and televisions to watch the World Cup soccer tournament. I meet people on both sides of the bridge who were proud of their cultures. I spent time at the Muslibegovic House, a national monument in Bosnia and Herzegovina. My room was beautiful and the courtyard with pillow top benches were perfect for a few quiet hours of reading. The hosts provided incredible meals and were so gracious and hospitable. I received the same graciousness and hospitality with a Croatian family in a Siroki Brijeg, small town outside of Mostar. They took me in and treated me like I was a part of their family. We laughed over language differences, especially when the father said, "I love you" instead of "How are you?" Overall, my experiences with the people were very positive but in both cases things were said that made it clear all is not well in the region among the people. Small comments like, "Why would you stay there?" or "Why are going over there?" I know tensions in the region are still simmering and some people are working hard to repair both the physical and emotional damage.

Bridge Jumper

Travel to regions with ethnic, religious or political tensions can be difficult and at times scary. There were times when I felt uneasy, but that feeling always subsided when I spent more than 5 minutes talking with the people. It is easy to focus on the history and the politics of the region. War leaves deep scars. Those scars are often more visible than the signs of reconciliation. A friend warned me for my safety to not talk about politics with people and if someone tried to change the subject. Religion and politics can be difficult discussions amongst the closest friends let alone with strangers and your own language barrier. I had read a lot of historical information before I went and I was interested in listening to the people talk about what it was like and where they see things going. I engaged in some of those conversations on small scales but my friends cautious words were in the back of my mind. Warnings like that can deter some people from visiting. It is like the men jumping off the Old Bridge, it can be scary but sometimes it is worth the risk. One of my most precious travel memories is sitting along the river at the bottom of that bridge at sunset and crying. It was during my first trip and I was overwhelmed by the history, the uncertain future and the fact that I never dreamed I would be here. American kids often dream of going places like Paris or Rome, but it would be hard to find one who dreams of Stari Most. That is a shame. The Old Bridge might not be as romantic as the Eiffel Tower but you would be hard pressed to find a place in the world that is more symbolic of a people's past and their hope for a better future. 

It's Always Sunny In...

Independence Hall

Every year my four best girlfriends from law school and I plan a "conference." It is our version of a girls weekend. When we first started the weekends consisted of getting drunk and eating. A few years ago we added an educational component in an effort to appear like we have grown up and our conference isn't just us reliving spring breaks from our 20's. We were all living in the northeast at the time and decided on a trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Commonly known as "The City of Brotherly Love", we, as native New Yorkers, adopted a conference slogan of "Brotherly Love, My Ass." New York and Philadelphia have a love hate relationship, much like New York and Boston. Obviously, this a result of inferiority complexes of both those cities when compared to the greatest city in the world. Every New Yorker reading that sentence just nodded their head in agreement and everyone else in the world shook their head, rolled their eyes and mumbled "cocky New York mother fuckers."

A Founding Father

As a group of former law students, we were extremely excited about the historical and political sites that only Philly can offer. We stood outside the glass of the Liberty Bell and stood in front of Independence Hall with wide eyes. We recited excerpts from the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as we walked across the street to the Constitution Center. This was the opportunity to take our pocket constitutions to their Mecca. We spent hours wandering around the center, giving fake presidential press conferences, arguing about 1st Amendment cases, and posing inappropriately with founding father statues. Now that we had satisfied our educational component of the conference we got back to our roots of eating, drinking and general tomfoolery.

Me & Ben Franklin

We enjoyed taking pictures with the game board pieces in downtown. We climbed in the Monopoly wheelbarrow, posed with a bright yellow Sorry piece and Bingo chips. We ran up the steps of the art museum and randomly yelled, "Yo, Adrienne" in our most obnoxious Rocky voices all around the city. We bought food at the Italian Market and ate the most phenomenal brunch of our lives at Honey's. The atmosphere there would have made the worst meal still feel worth the trip so when the food came and we were all blown away it was like the heavens had opened up just for us. We spent three days eating, drinking, nerding and laughing our way through  Philadelphia. We took snide pictures in front of the LOVE statue, hugged the men and women giving our free hugs in downtown, and sang Will Smith's Fresh Prince's theme song over and over again without ever getting tired. We gave disgusted looks to every person we saw in Philadelphia Eagles attire one second and then giggled like school girls at the thought of Thomas Jefferson wandering the streets in the late 1700's. We could have stayed in Philadelphia for months and still never have been able to see all of the sites worthy of a visit, but as Philadelphia's favorite son, Ben Franklin, once said, "Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days."

Sarajevo Roses

Sarajevo

In the summer of 2010 I was awarded a Fund For Teachers grant that gave me $5,000 to travel and study a topic of my choice. Being a history teacher, I have an interest in global conflicts. I decided to travel to some of the former republics of Yugoslavia (Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia and Slovenia). During the 1990's the region was in the midst of a violent civil war. I wanted to travel to the region and see how it has recovered. One of the hardest hit areas was the city of Sarajevo in Bosnia. Sarajevo was known as the melting pot of the region prior to the war. It was a place where Croatian Catholics, Serbian Orthodox and Bosnian Muslims lived in peace together.

A Sarajevo Rose

The scars of the war in Sarajevo are still visible. Throughout the city you will find splashes of red paint in the middle of roads or sidewalks. They are called Sarajevo roses. During the war mortar shells would crash into the ground and create these dents. People began to fill in the dents with red paint as a reminder of those who lost their lives. As the city rebuilds and replaces roads and sidewalks, the roses are disappearing but you can still find them throughout the city.  There are other reminders of war including burnt out buildings, bullet holes and memorials all around the city that remind us of all of the lives that were lost.

Tunnel Museum

The purpose of the Fund for Teachers grants is to help teacher learn new things and be able to bring those back to his or her classroom. My plan was to use what I learned to create a unit on conflict. I spent a lot of my time talking with people about the war days and the recovery. Every person I spoke with recommended that I visit the Tunnel Museum just outside of the city near the airport. During the war the Serbian forces had blocked supplies from getting into the city and it became very difficult for people to get the basic necessities of life. A secret tunnel was dug to help smuggle supplies into the city. A portion of that tunnel is still intact and has become a small museum. A trip there includes information about the digging of the tunnel, the supplies that would come through it and the influence of the tunnel on the lives of people in Sarajevo. It is an emotional experience to walk through that tunnel. I left with an enormous amount of respect for those who sacrificed so much to help their neighbors.

Sarajevo Film Festival Poster 

I left Sarajevo with a better understanding of the impact of the war on the people. There were plenty of moments that left me in tears but as I left the city on the train I couldn't help but be in awe of their ability to deal with horrific acts that seem unrecoverable. The surprise for me was that Sarajevo is still a vibrant city with an abundance of art and culture to experience. Unfortunately, I did not have a lot of time to explore much beyond my focus on the war and the recovery.  I would love to go back there someday and just enjoy Sarajevo for what it is today, a small European city on the verge of being something great, again. 

Hotel Review: Crowne Plaza Lake Placid

The Great Room of the Crowne Plaza

I don't write many hotels reviews but after this weekend I thought I would share my thoughts on the Crowne Plaza hotel in Lake Placid, New York. I just returned from a wedding over Labor Day weekend and stayed at the Crowne Plaza. The Crowne Plaza isn't cheap. If you're looking for a $50 a night hotel, this is not your place. If the $400 a night Mirror Lake Inn rooms are too pricey for your budget, the Crowne Plaza is a nice alternative. Depending on the time of year and dates of your visit the prices can differ. This weekend I paid $129 for a Thursday night and $189 a night for the holiday weekend. My room had a nice king size bed with a patio that provided an incredible view of the sunset over the mountains. The view of the lake and mountains from the Great Room off the lobby is one of the finest views I have ever seen from a hotel.

Sunset View from my room

While the scene and the room are both splendid at the Crowne Plaza the atmosphere was just as impressive. The mother of the bride had booked the Grandview Cottage, a 3 bedroom cottage on the grounds of the hotel that served as Bridal Headquarters for the weekend. A constant flow of people came in when they arrived or came over for breakfast in Jameson induced hazes to piece the evening together. The hotel bar located in the Great Room provided those spectacular views but also reasonable drinks and classic pub food. After the rehearsal dinner we spent several hour throwing back the drinks, laughing and being a pretty rowdy crowd but the bartenders never flinched. When we finally left the bar area I cashed out my tab and started to walk towards the lobby when the bartender yelled, "Slater! Take these waters" and sent us on our way with 3 bottles of complimentary water. What more can a wedding guest ask for...a great view, a comfy bed and bartenders who call you by name. 

Private Accommodations

Walls of Dubrovnik

My Mom loves hotels. Whenever I travel anywhere she always asks about my hotels. I never really understood her fascination. I see hotels as a necessity. After I am done exploring, I need a place to crash. I appreciate a nice hotel like anyone else but when it comes to budgeting a trip I would much rather spend less on the hotel and more on exploring. I had mentioned this to a friend when I was planning a trip to Croatia and he suggested I go with private accommodations. I did a little research and there were bed and breakfast accommodations that you could reserve in advance but my friend insisted that the best way was to wait until I arrived in Dubrovnik. He said,"When you get off the shuttle from the airport there will be these old ladies waiting around holding signs that say SOBE. Tell them you want a room for 20 euros and don't give them any money until they show you the room." I am fan of being flexible and not planning every minute but the idea of going to a foreign country without having a place to stay can be scary. The worst case scenario went through my mind where I am sleeping in some alley with my luggage, get arrested and spend the next 15 years in a Balkan prison camp. Okay, so maybe that was a little dramatic. I was nervous but he was so insistent that I decided to give it a shot.

View from my room

I arrived in Dubrovnik and the scene played out exactly as my friend described. I ended up getting an incredible room overlooking the water just outside the city walls in Dubrovnik. It was a short walk to everywhere I wanted to see and the woman who rented the room was better than any 5 star concierge. We talked the first night over a bowl of ice cream about my interests and she helped me develop a plan for the next few days. I started with a walk around the walls. You have to climb up a steep set of steps to get to the top but the walk around the top of the walls is astonishing. The view of the Adriatic Sea, the cliffs, the walls and the orange roof tiles create an image in your mind that you are unlikely to forget. 

Secret drink spot

While my host gave me a ton of great information there were two specific suggestions that she made that really summed up my trip to Dubrovnik. The first was a secret drink spot and the second was a trip to a War Museum at the top of the mountain. I asked for a recommendation for a place to have a drink with a view of the Adriatic Sea. She drew me a map on a napkin and told me to look for a piece of wood painted with the words " Cold Drinks" and a arrow. It wasn't easy to find and at one point I felt like I was a rat in maze but finally I found it. I had to walk through this mini-tunnel inside the wall but when I emerged on the other side I literally gasped. It was a bar on the side of a cliff with nothing but the majestic blue of the Adriatic ahead of me. I sat there for 3+ hours. I had a few too many beers and was entertained by the crazy Australian guy who climbed over the railing and jumped into the sea on a dare from his buddies. I may have stumbled upon this place on my own. Most likely, I would have walked right past that rickety sign and missed out on one of my favorite vacation experiences. 

View of Dubrovnik from the War Museum

During the first night ice cream session I mentioned that I was interested in Croatian history and how the country has changed since the war of the 1990's. My host suggested that I would enjoy the war museum located on the top of the hill in an old military bunker. She offered to drive me up and show me around. The museum was filled with photographs and weapons which were interesting to look at but the most interesting part was listening to my host talk about her personal experiences during that time. It put a real face on the war for me. The surprise of the trip to this museum was the view of the city from up there. I never would have found that museum on my own. 

Me overlooking the city

My experience throughout Croatia with private accommodations was mixed. This first one in Dubrovnik was by far the best but also the most expensive at 25 Euros a night. It had a wonderful view of the water and my host consistently went above and beyond. In Split, a city farther north up the Croatian coast, my room was tiny and in the basement. I saw my host when I got there and then never saw her again. She did leave me a note and a baggie of homemade cookies the morning I checked out. If one of your favorite parts of vacation is staying in a plush hotel, then private accommodations may not be for you. For me, the best part of vacation is trying to fit in as a local and private accommodations definitely helped me to do that. 

Ku'u Momi Makamae (my precious pearl)

Waikiki, O'ahu Hawai'i

In my quest to visit all fifty states I spent February vacation on O'ahu. I was pumped to finally make the trek to Hawai'i. I only had a week and two of those days were going to be travel days so I didn't have a lot of time. When I was doing my research for this trip I read that Kaua'i is the place for adventure, Maui the place for romance, the Big Island (Hawai'i) the place for space and O'ahu the tourist trap. Here's the thing, the two things I wanted to see most in Hawai'i are on O'ahu, surfing at the North Shore and Pearl Harbor. I didn't want to waste too much time traveling between islands so I came to grips with the idea of only being able to visit O'ahu. Every person I talked with before I left kept telling me not to go to O'ahu." Go to Maui! Go to Kuai'i." Something just kept telling me that O'ahu was the place for me right now.

Pearl Harbor 

I arrived in Honolulu on a Saturday evening and immediately crashed in my hotel room. I booked an early tour of Pearl Harbor with O'ahu Nature Tours. They picked me up at my hotel at 6:00 am on a Sunday morning and our whole tour group consisted of 3 people, the tour guide, one other woman and me. We were the first to arrive and practically had the place to ourselves for the first hour or so. When the alarm went off I questioned why on earth I picked a 6 am tour on the first day of vacation, but once I got there I was so glad that I did. At the museum I had time to stop and read things without crowds of people around me. Our boat from shore to the U.S.S. Arizona was not crammed with tourists. Pearl Harbor is an unique experience. The two closest things are the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC and the new 9/11 Memorial in New York City. It is a combination of serenity and eeriness. If you spent too much time thinking about it, it can overwhelm you. Our guide told us that a few weeks before we were there they had a ceremony where one of the last survivors of the Arizona had asked for his ashes to be sprinkled in the waters around the Arizona so he could be with his "brothers." Standing out there on the deck of the memorial and thinking about what was below it is hard not to image that day. Looking up at the sky for planes. Looking around at the other ships. Looking out at the shore. I definitely felt a sadness and wasn't ready to leave when it was time to go.

The Great Aloha Run

The next day was President's Day and people in Honolulu celebrate the day by participating in the Great Aloha Run. It is an 8-mile run through downtown Honolulu and ends in Aloha Stadium. The majority of the run in on a highway and the scenery isn't what I imagined until the highway climbs and you are overlooking Pearl Harbor. The best part of this run for me was the chance to spend time with the locals. Coming from New York I was in the midst of "Linsanity." The New York Knicks basketball team phenom of the moment was a young Asian-American named Jeremy Lin. He immediately became a superstar in New York and a hero to many Asian-Americans. Hawai'i has a huge Asian population. For the run I decided to wear my Jeremy Lin jersey. I cannot even begin to count the number of people who came up to talk to me or just yelled " Linsanity" during the run. People were incredibly kind and funny. It was a wonderful opportunity to chat with people and get some O'ahu insider tips for the rest of week.

Makapu'u State Park

 Now that I had seen Pearl Harbor and ran the race, the only other must-do I had on my list was to watch surfing on the North Shore. I took a tour for that and unfortunately the waves weren't huge (by their standards but pretty huge by mine) and the tour guide decided on minimal time on the shoreline and more time on the Dole Pineapple Planation. I was disappointed but that is the chance you take when you book a tour. You lose the freedom to choose. During the run one of the tips I received from a native to Honolulu was to check out the South Shore. I took one of the city busses to the end of the line to Makapu'u State Park and the Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline. I arrived about 6:30 am on a windy morning. The park was empty except for a lone surfer. The blue sky with the even bluer water contrasting with the black volcanic rocks gave me my favorite picture of the entire trip. There are trails to a lookout with a lighthouse and trails that go through this valley along the coast. The valley is HOT. You really feel like you are traipsing through a desert and the view of the Koko Crater is just stunning. I am pretty sure I stood there with my mouth open for a solid 10 minutes.

Koko Crater

I never left O'ahu. Maybe Kaui'i and Maui are better but every native Hawiian I met said to go to the Big Island when I come back. I think I'll take their advice. People are right, O'ahu can be a tourist trap, if you stay in Waikiki and never leave. That gives O'ahu the reputation as being the cheesiest place to visit in Hawai'i. I don't think that is true at all. If you get out and explore you'll find out that there is a lot more to O'ahu. I've learned this over and over again on all of my travels, the most important thing to do on a trip is talk to the people. Tour guides are good but talking to native people about their home will be the best vacation decision you'll ever make. People are proud of where they come from and they want you to appreciate it. So, ask questions and say mahalo (thank you). You'll get great advice and a smile.

America's Treasures...National Parks

Denali National Park, Alaska

In college I did a large project for my Public Policy class on the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service (NPS). Before that I had taken part in a family vacation that took us in a van from New York to California and back in 5 weeks. I wasn't that excited about spending 5 weeks in a van with my parents and five younger siblings but it ended up being one of the pivotal experiences of my life. My parents aren't big on shopping malls or theme parks but rather on historical sites and national parks. I was raised with this appreciation for the natural wonders of our country and that has continued through my adult life.

Cape Cod National Seashore

This summer I purchased my very first National Park Pass. For a feel of $80, this one year pass entitles you to entrance to all National Parks, National Monuments, National Forests, etc. Recently we were on a family vacation in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and happened upon the Cape Cod National Seashore. I was pumped to show off my pass for my family and get us in for free. Cape Cod is beautiful. I have spent many summer vacations here and it has always been one of my favorite places but I had never been to the National Seashore. We spent about an hour walking through the sandy trails that weaved though these gorgeous sand dunes. My 9 year old nephew said, "Aunt Melis, this looks like Africa." It felt like we were in an exotic place.

African Burial Ground New York, New York

That is the beauty of our National Park system, they take you places. When you're standing on top of a mountain range in Alaska and overlooking the river valley you literally feel on top of the world. When you are deep in a forest in Olympic National Park with trees towering over you and ferns lining the forest floor you feel like you're in a child's imagination. In the middle of Yosemite valley looking up at the faces of rocks on both sides of you, you feel small and insignificant. Not a bad ego check. Even walking through the middle of Manhattan and you stumble upon the African Burial Grounds. By comparison, a small part of the NPS but no less inspiring.




Next time you're planning a family vacation or a vacation for yourself, consider visiting our National Parks and Monuments. Be careful, you just might get addicted.

The Valley of the Sun

Pool at Chase Field, home of the Diamondbacks

Let me just say this upfront, I hate the heat. I can tolerate it if I am close to a large body of water but given the choice between 10 inches of snow or 110 degrees, I chose the snow. Everytime. That's why a trip to Phoenix, Arizona was a little out of character for me. A friend of mine is from Phoenix and was harping on me to check it out. I finally gave in and gave Phoenix a week to win me over. I was pretty skeptical. I mean, their baseball team has a pool in the stadium. Really? I had this image of  Phoenix where a bunch of grandmas riding around in golf carts and frat boys chasing girls around town. Phoenix in my mind is pretty much the west coast version of Florida. I hate Florida. 

The Zovko Family

Despite all of these misgivings, I went anyway. Mostly, because I wanted my friend to stop nagging me and I would have a chance to spend some time with his family and I love the Zovkos. Okay, here's the truth. I could never live in Phoenix. Not only is it hot but it looks like someone copied and pasted strip malls up and down every street. The small downtown area, if you can call it that, leaves a lot to be desired. I also couldn't get used to this Tempe, Chandler, Mesa, Scottsdale conglomerate. Are these neighborhoods of Phoenix? Separate towns? Suburbs? So maybe the heat made me a little grumpy. I was on the verge of punching the next person who said, "It's a dry heat." A dry heat is still friggin' hot. When it is over 100 degrees it is hot. There is no way around that.

Desert Botanical Garden

There were two things that saved Phoenix from becoming my least favorite place in America, The Desert Botanical Garden and The Heard Museum. I wasn't sure what to expect from a botanical garden in the desert but it was surprisingly beautiful. The garden was full of flowers, animals and cacti. It is definitely worth a visit. It was hot walking around. I know, you get the point. It's hot in Phoenix. Bring your personal fan that spritzes water on you and enjoy your walk around. I saw some crazy looking lizards and the butterfly room was amazing. You walk into this enclosed greenhouse and butterflies are EVERYWHERE. It was like being a kid again. I had the urge to run after each of them. The only thing that would have made this better was if it was in an open field and Laura Ingells was running around with me. The flowers and displays throughout the garden were stunning but the landscape surrounding the garden was even more spectacular.

Heard Museum

The Heard Museum is one of the premier American Indian museums in the country. If you have an ounce of interest in Native American culture you will fall in love with this place. There was an elaborate display of ancient pottery and weavings. The exhibit that stuck with me the most was about boarding schools that the U.S. government forced American Indian children to attend in order to "civilize" them. The exhibit included photos and interviews with real people and how difficult it was for them to be taken from everything they have ever known and forced into a new way of life. I'm not embarrassed to say that I shed a few tears reading them. This museum alone was worth my entire trip to Phoenix.

Bottom Line. Phoenix isn't my favorite. I might go there again but only to visit friends. There are a few shining stars. As you may have picked up on, I do hate the heat and I do have a problem with the Diamondbacks because they beat my Yankees in the World Series in 2001 when New York really needed something positive to celebrate. The heat and my sports related hatred may have skewed my opinion. Honestly, it wasn't all bad. It is always fun to explore a new place and I got to hug a huge basketball. That's pretty cool.

Unique Emerald City

Space Needle

I have visited quite a few American cities and after a while they can seem to blend together, especially when you spend a lot of your tourism time in the traditional places. Almost every city has a zoo, a park and an art museum. While there are the usual standouts, the San Diego Zoo, Portland's Washington Park or the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, in many American cities these places are often indistinguishable. One of my goals when I visit a new city is to try to find the things that make that city unique. The two main attractions in Seattle were the Space Needle and Pike's Market. Obviously, there aren't Space Needles all over America but the idea of seeing the view of the city from the highest point is pretty common. The same thing applies to the market, every city on water has a port and a market. With minimal research I found the two museums that are uniquely Seattle.

Experience Music Project

DJ Un-Smooth

The EMP museum is the brainchild of Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen. This museum is the museum of a kids dream. I have never been to a museum that is so interactive. The sound lab alone was worth the admission price. This area of the museum consists of cubicles and booths where you can play all different instruments. The energy and the smiles in this room were infectious. I am not musically inclined at all and honestly, I'm just not that interested in music. This place made me interested in music.  So interested in fact that I spent an unhealthy amount of time trying to perfect my scratching skills in the DJ booth. There were exhibits with green screens and a stadium size screen playing music videos. This place was loud and FUN! 

Chihuly Garden and Glass

The other unique experience I had in Seattle was at that Chihuly Garden and Glass museum. Dale Chihuly is a famous glass blower and this museum will leave you gawking with your mouth wide open. You'll stare at the formations of the class and the intense colors. You'll find yourself thinking, "How on earth did he do that?" I ended up taking 10 or 15 pictures of the same exhibit because I was  so amazed. The museum continues outdoors in the shadow of the Space Needle. The glass is mixed in with natural gardens. Even if you're not an art or garden lover, this museum is likely to leave you in awe.

On your next city visit try to spend some time in the lesser known museums that just might surprise you. If you love the zoo, go the zoo but don't overlook the unique places that add to the culture of a city. We are bombarded with Starbucks and McDonalds on every corner in every city, so if you have a chance to play a trombone or be entranced in colored glass don't pass it up. 

Going for Olympic Gold

I was not able to attend the real Summer Olympic Games in London, therefore I had to create the Slater Olympic National Park Games. I was a contender in the following events: camping, hiking and relaxing. Game on.

My Campsite 

Camping. The key to a good camping experience is to select the right campsite. As a solo camper, I opted against the backcountry camping because I am not quite comfortable in all of my navigational and survival skills. In Olympic National Park there are a plethora of good campgrounds. Without a car, the number of easily accessible campgrounds is limited. I selected the Fairholme National Park campground located on Lake Crescent. It was a short walk from a bus stop (by bus stop I mean a grassy patch on the side of the road) and was located on the shores of Lake Crescent. When first arriving at a campground, it is important to check out all of the sites before you select one. In Fairholme there are secluded sites up on the hill that feel very much like you are backcountry camping but there are also walk-in sites at the bottom of the hill that are prime lakefront property. I selected site 90, on the shores of the lake but also the furthest campground so I had neighbors on one side but the rugged wilderness on the other side. There are no shortages of trees in Olympic National Park so the hammock hanging was a piece of cake. The other benefit of being a wooded area was quickly realized during a late night thunderstorm. Thunder and lightening in a tent can be a harrowing experience but the enormous trees protecting me eased my discomfort. My tent was barely wet in the morning. Protection from the elements, check. Scenic view, check. Proper hammock hanging, check. Limited human interaction, check. Gold Medal #1. These games are off to a great start.  

"The Slide" on Pyramid Peak Trail

Hiking. Once again, not having a car limited my hiking options, but I still had some pretty good options. The campsite information board did not have any listings of hiking trails in the area, but thankfully when at the National Park Visitor’s Center at Hurricane Ridge I purchased some topographical maps of a few areas in the park, and luckily one of those was of the Lake Crescent area. It had hiking trails identified. The main event hike of the week was to Pyramid Peak. It was a short 3.5 mile hike to the top but the trailhead was 3.5 miles down an old park road. Round trip on the day it would be about a 14 mile trek.  At the beginning of the trail there was a warning sign of dangerous trail conditions at the “Slide Area.” It peaked my curiosity, so I figured I would check it out. Along the trail I met a couple that had made it about 3 miles and hit the slide area and turned around. The woman said, “You’ll keep thinking you’re at the slide area but then you’ll really be at the slide area and know it.” She was right. There were what I like to call mini-slides along the route with downed trees and rocks but when I got to the landslide, it was a legit landslide. The side of the mountain was completely wiped out of trees and all that remained was loose dirt and patches of rocks sticking out. I took my time assessing whether there was a safe route around, maybe walking down the hill a bit and crossing over. I saw footsteps of others who had trekked across where I assume the trail used to be but I lost my footing a few times just getting towards that point. As disappointing as it was to be so close to the top, I turned around. Maybe, and I stress maybe, if I was with someone else I might have made a go of it but if I fell and was hurt badly, there might not be anyone up there for days. I have my first aid and survival kit, food and water but not enough to keep me warm overnight. In the risk versus reward analysis, risk won. Unfortunately they don’t give medals for good decision making.  A minor setback, but let’s see if I can rebound in my next event! 

Sunset View from the hammock

Relaxing.  It took me a few days into this trip to really chill-out. Usually when I am on a trip I get myself so concerned with seeing everything that I can that I end up running myself ragged for a few weeks and never relaxing. I come home and need a vacation from the vacation. I was conscious this trip to not let that happen.  I tried to create an atmosphere of relaxation. Camping in the same spot for 5 nights would provide opportunities to explore the area but also the chance to sit back and enjoy the scenery. My gear for the relaxation event included, a Brazilian hammock, four books and yarn. The view of the lake from my hammock was breathtaking but I can stare out at the water for only so long. I needed something to do while I was lounging around. I read two of the books (Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park and John Krakauer’s Into The Wild).  The big relaxation win was the kickass scarf I crocheted while lying in the hammock. I hadn’t crocheted in a long time but there was a JoAnne Fabric store near my hotel in Port Angeles and I thought it might be a good relaxation tool. It was the best $8 I spent on this trip. I didn’t do anything fancy. A scarf is about as simple of a project as you can get, but that was the beauty of it. I didn’t have to think. My hands just did it and my mind was clear to think or not think about something else. Between reading, crocheting and napping in the hammock, I was finally able to relax, definitely gold medal material. 

Coming home with two gold medals and the knowledge that I gave it my all in the other event, I feel pretty proud of my accomplishments. After a hot meal and an even hotter shower I will be ready for my Today Show interview showing off my bling! Take that Michael Phelps.

Blazing Trails in Portland

Downtown Portland

 I want to write about what an amazing time I had in Portland. It is all of things I want a city to be, environmentally conscious, abundant outdoor activities and good beer. A friend of mine said that Portland was the city version of me. I went there with enormous expectations and it really met them all, but somehow it was disappointing. It took me a while to put my finger on the problem but eventually I came to the sad realization that I'm just not cool enough for Portland. If someone asked me about Portland, I would 100% recommend the city. I liked it. I just didn't love it but like some poor teenage girl is hearing right now, "it's not you, it's me." It is city of hipsters. Endless people ride on their skinny tires with baskets like Dorothy and Toto. I'm not cool enough for a bike basket. People have dyed hair strands, piercing and hot pink fishnet stockings. I'm not cool enough for fishnet stockings. Within hours of being in Portland I had processed this disappointment and adjusted accordingly. Whenever I am in a new place I always try to blend in and let the city drive my experience. This time, I had to blaze my own trail. I decided to seek out the things that I love and see how they measure up in Portland.

Washington Park's Rose Garden

Stop number one was the city park. As a New Yorker, I have had the luxury of spending time in Central Park and the lesser known (and dare I say better) Prospect Park in Brooklyn. These are two of the finest city parks and it pains me to say this, but Portland's Washington Park puts them both to shame. New Yorkers say that Central Park gives them an escape from the city but that's just bullshit. If you look up you see skyscrapers, if you listen you hear a taxi blowing on the horn and there are 3 million people crowded on the lawn on a sunny day. Not exactly my idea of an escape. Washington Park on the other hand is a real escape. I really did not feel like I was in a city at all. Granted Portland is a small city and the park is up on a hill overlooking the city and not right in the center of it all, but it is still an escape nonetheless. The nature trails were secluded and rarely did I have to share them with others. The rose garden is hands down the most spectacular flower garden I have ever seen. If you have an ounce of interest in flowers or gardens this place will blow your mind.

My Food Truck

Stop number two was lunch at the food trucks. These aren't your Daddy's food trucks filled with grease and parked outside some construction site. This was a block, all four sides of the block bumper to bumper food trucks of every imaginable variety. I had the most incredible veggie sandwich. As a vegetarian, I have had a lot of bad veggie sandwiches in my day but this one was by far the best I've ever had and only cost me $5. You feel like you've hit the food lottery when something tastes so good and was so cheap. It definitely doesn't happen often enough.

Columbia River Gorge

Stop number three took me out of Portland to the Columbia River Gorge. People always say that Portland is an outdoor lovers paradise, but Portland isn't really. The area around Portland is undoubtably an outdoor lovers paradise with Mt. Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. Unfortunately you can't access either of them using public transportation so I hopped on a guided tour of the gorge. The tour included waterfalls and a view of the gorge that convinced me that the words gorge and gorgeous are appropriately linked. The view from the Vista House left me imagining Lewis & Clark paddling down this gorge sensing that they are approaching the Pacific Ocean. Bottom line, you might not be cool enough for Portland but in the spirit of Lewis & Clark explore around and you're bound to find something that is just right for you.

The ATL

A few weeks ago I wrote this happy-go-lucky post about being delayed in Asheville. There were stories of laughs with the airport bartender and stranded travelers. Tonight, all I have to say is, “Fuck you Atlanta.” Three times this summer you have screwed up my plans. I hate you. I strongly disliked you in June but in July, I HATE YOU.  I hate your southern accents, your sweet tea and your restaurants that serve heart attack specials. I didn’t even want to come to your stupid airport. I was supposed to go from Albany to Newark to Seattle, but another southern town screwed that up and I would miss my connection in Newark. That is how much I hate you Atlanta, I would rather spend time in New Jersey than with you.

Here was my conversation with the United Airlines Representative:

Him: We can put you on a Delta flight through Atlanta

Me: Atlanta? Can’t you put me through Chicago or Denver or Minneapolis?

(My Dad: Hey, it looks like there are storms headed towards Atlanta)

Him: Nothing available through Chicago

Me: Aren’t there storms headed to Atlanta?

Him: No Ma’am the only storms are in Houston. I booked you on the Atlanta flight

Me: Silence

(My Dad: laughs)

So, here it is 10:58 at night and I am sitting on the floor and wondering why on earth someone picked out this carpet. There isn’t even a pattern. It looks like some 3-year-old cut up a bunch of carpet pieces and put them together. Okay, that’s not fair to 3-year-olds. Every time I get up to check the departure time it changes so I have stopped checking in hope that it will remain constant. So far it’s been 9:05, 9:45, 10:20, 10:55, 11:07, 11:30, 12:15, 12:45, and last time I checked 1:02. I am sure it has changed since then but I refuse to give in.

I have done everything possible to pass the time. I bought some Atlanta postcards and wrote them out bitching to friends about being stuck in the Dirty South. I spent an hour wandering around a tiny bookstore. I ate too many snacks. I avoided the airport bar because by the time my flight is ready to leave I will be bombed and they probably wouldn’t let me board anyway. I have walked up and down the entire B concourse so much that I should get a medal and a free t-shirt. The gate next to me is boarding now, Birmingham, Alabama. I am so delusional at this point that I actually just thought about going to Birmingham. I can’t get the “free” wifi to work so I can’t watch Netflix or stalk people on the Facebook. I am sick of my ipod. If I start to read Phantom of the Opera (who buys that at an airport bookstore?) I’ll fall asleep. Side note: If the over/under on the number of women reading 50 Shades of Gray was 1,000, I would bet the over. Every time I see one of them they have this really annoying look on their face. I want some dude to pull out a playboy magazine and sit around flipping through it and see what kind of looks people give him. I have had too many, “where y’all headed” conversations. I lied to the last 3 people. I told one of them I was going to Iceland, another Albuquerque and the most recently to Des Moines, Iowa for an international farmers convention on corn. I should be an actress.  Speaking of actresses, my flight attendant was a dead ringer for Jennifer Aniston. She looked so much like her I thought it was part of one of those shows where celebrities act like real people. Maybe I should go buy an US Weekly and catch up on my pop culture. What I really need is a naked midget to run though the terminal with hapless security guards chasing after him. That would pass the time.  

Okay, I think I got all the bitching out of my system. Thunderstorms happen and I know that I would much rather sit here than be riding in a big metal thing in the sky with lightening on the prowl. I would like to call up that representative from United Airlines and say, "My Dad's a better weather predictor than you are" but that might not be the best example of my maturity. Logically, I know it’s not you’re fault Atlanta, but I’m not going to forgive you. Just ask Chipper Jones, three strikes and you’re out.

Update: It is 7:46 am EST and I have finally arrived at the airport hotel in Seattle. My luggage is soaking wet. Luckily, most of my clothes are in waterproof stuff sacks but I had to wring out the few that were not. My pack (which has a rain cover on) is drenched. I think someone left it lying face down with the rain cover on the ground during a torrential downpour and the back of it just got saturated. There is nothing like carrying around a 40 lb backpack with soaking wet straps. This trip is not starting off on the right foot but I am optimistic that after a nap things will be better. If not, I hear Portland is big on the beer.