Hello South Carolina!

Hola Ms. Myrtle and Sir. Charleston!

This weekend le boy, the ladies and moi will be flying our human [and canine] butts to South Carolina, YAY!!!!

The trip was intended to be Myrtle Beach only, but after short consideration I realized that there is not much to do at Myrtle in early October, sooooo I decided to add a car rental to our reservations and now we are going on a Sunday day trip to Charleston and I cannot be more excited! WOOOHOOOO!!!!

So here's what our vacation looks like [and I will update accordingly, after the trip]:

Friday:  The Boardwalk

This one should be fun to walk around on an early Fall afternoon... into the night.

UPDATE:  Cancelled.  Fucked up by storm floodings. 

Saturday:  California Roots Concert

The reason for our trip!  We have become 311 concert goers, so when mah man found out that 311 was going to perform at the California Roots concert, well, things were booked and now we both can't wait!

UPDATE:  Cancelled.  Fucked up by storm floodings. 

Sunday:  Charleston, S.C.

I would be lying if I said I never cared to come to this city.  I've seen how beautiful it looks on TV and I have been wanting to visit for a while now.  I am so so so excited we will get the opportunity to walk the streets of Charleston.  I, of course, jumped on the opportunity of going as soon as I realized there was not much of interest for us in Myrtle Beach after California Roots all day concert was done and over with.  It is only 2 hours away from Myrtle so a day trip on a Sunday seemed feasible and stupid to not do.  I did my lil research and since we will only get a few hours in Charleston, I wanted to make the most of it, so I found this Free Tours By Foot guided tour (which I have already used their amazing tour guide services when we went to NOLA) and booked us a Historic Charleston tour.  The tour is two hours and I'm SURE it will be very informative and amazing and a great way to learn the most about this city.

UPDATE:  Cancelled.  Fucked up by storm floodings. 

Some of the areas visited during the tour are:

The French Quarter:  Four Corners of Law a/k/a the courthouse:  "Known as "the Four Corners of Law" because the intersection hosted buildings from each level of government: the Courthouse (state law), City Hall (municipal law), the Federal Building and U.S. Post Office (federal law), and Saint Michael's Episcopal Church (canon law)." Thanks wiki!

UPDATE:  Cancelled.  Fucked up by storm floodings. 

Rainbow Row:  "Rainbow Row is the name for a series of thirteen colorful historic houses in Charleston, South Carolina. It represents the longest cluster of Georgian row houses in the United States." Thanks again wiki!!!

UPDATE:  Cancelled.  Fucked up by storm floodings. 

Charleston City Market:  A Place where you can shop your little heart out...  plus music entertainment.  Day market opens at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 5:30 p.m.  Night market opens at 6:30 p.m. and closes at 10:30 p.m.

UPDATE:  Cancelled.  Fucked up by storm floodings. 

Pineapple Fountain:  This interesting looking fountain is located in the Charleston Waterfront Park.  I am assuming a place to go for a stroll and relax.  From what I've read so far,  pineapples are a thing in Charleston and represent hospitality. 

UPDATE:  Cancelled.  Fucked up by storm floodings. 

Skytop Adventure Center: UTV

Happy belated barfday to my dear Crees!

I am always fishing for Groupon and LivingSocial activities to do with my loved ones.  Who said one can't have a good time on a budget!?

My friend's birthday was in August so the planner that I am, I ended up buying the Skytop Adventure Center's online deal, and scheduled a birthday outing for my friend.  Sadly, even though I scheduled this thing for the RIGHT day, I received an email from Skytop canceling the adventure.  Of course, I reschedule and well, today was the day!

This thing was fun.  I let my boy drive since this was his b-day present and I went along for the ride.  We got a lil muddy and a whole lotta dusty but all in good fun.

The one thing that freaked me out about this was that later at night when I got home and had to blow my nose, a whole bunch of black crap came out of my nostrils.  Freak-out galore in the shower!

I can't say I'd do this again, but I sure am glad I gave it a try and I'm happy I got to experience this with a good friend of mine.

Thanksgiving is on its wayyyyyy.

Well, Fall is on its way and with it, my yearly trip to Puerto Rico.  YAY!!!

So looking forward to this as I not only get to spend time with my dear mom, but I will also get my baby B to see her grandma again, and for my baby P to meet her grandma for the first time!  I can't wait to see B and P's reaction to my mom's three lil creatures.

Adventures also await!  I rarely ever took time to get to know my country when I lived it in, but for the past few years, I have made it my duty to learn more of it, and to have actual fun (outside of a bar) with nature!

On schedule on this trip is Flyboarding (which is in my bucket list) and Caving.  Oh and lets not forget the Thanksgiving FEAST mom and I will be preparing.

This shall be yet another trip back home to remember.

Labor Day weekend 2015

Oooooooooooooh Labor Day weekend.  How I love thee.  You represent (to me) the end of an uncomfortably hot Summer and the beginning of one of my favorite yearly seasons… Fall!  You are also great because you give me an extra day of rest.  Gotta love my three day weekends! WOOOHOOOO!!!

So this year I decided to go visit my dear friend, in Salem, MA.  She did her duly research and got us running around all over the town doing all the touristy things I love to do.  We went to way too many places, but these are the ones I enjoyed the most:

The Burying Point is oldest cemetery in Salem. Judge John Hathorne’s body, a judge in the Witchcraft Court, is buried here.  Actually… tons of people are buried here! It is a cemetery after all!  Worth a walk and a stroll through the graves.  The best part of this, besides the history, is that it’s FREE!

The Witch Trial Memorial is adjacent to The Burying Point.  It looks like a little park with benches to sit on, but… on these “benches” are the names of the “witches” that were accused, tried, convicted and executed.  This memorial was created in “honor” of the 20 “witches” that were executed in 1692.  Visit this for FREE!

The Witch House is not what it sounds like or what you might imagine.  Here lived no witch!  This was home of Witch Trials Judge Jonathan Corwin and is currently the only structure in Salem that is directly tied to the 1692 Witchcraft Trials [VIDEO].  In this little house I learned that a man accused, tried, and convicted was sentenced to be pressed to death.  Now… that’s a gruesome way to go!

The Bewitched statue is one of those things you either wanna go because you were a fan of the show (which I never watched), or you just find it curious and decide it would be fun to take a picture of/with it.  So… if you happen to be driving through Salem, MA… make a quick stop and snap that selfie!

What is a visit to Salem if you don’t take a picture with a freaky scary looking creature?  We were strolling around going from shop to shop and I see this scary thing that looked like was floating on the ground as it moved from side to side.  So I did what any tourist would do, I have him a dollar and took a selfie with him.  Later in my trip, I found out he was knows as Vampire Steve and apparently, Steve has been causing lil troubles for some people.  Whatever!  He was nice and very patient with kids and he’s earning a buck honorably – which is more than I can say of some people in this world.  Good job Vampire Steve!

Pickering Wharf is the place you want to go if it’s nice out.  It’s simply something to do located near the water with quite a few restaurants/bars and shops there.  If you want a nice little drink, strong, affordable and pretty, I suggest you go to Finz and get the Finz Cocktail for $9 (Disclaimer:  Where I come from, $9 for a drink is on the cheap side).  The drink is blue and refreshing and tasty and STRONG – or maybe I’m just a light weight.  But whatever, head over to the Pickering Wharf and hop on a cruise, tour The Friendship of Salem, or just visit the shops and drink your little heart out and just have a good time.

The Salem Trolley is one of the things we decided to do.  Tickets can be bought right by the sidewalk of The Visitors Center – which is also the area where the tour starts and ends.  The tour is split in two loops and both loops start and end in the same spot by the Visitors Center.  The Trolley operates like a “hop-on/hop-off” bus.  There are stops where no hopping off is allowed, but you can definitely “flag stop” the trolley in quite a few areas of interests like Pickering Wharf, The House of The Seven Gables, Winter Island, Salem Willows, and the Salem Witch Museum, among others.

Last but not least are the spooky tours.  You’d be a fool to come stay in Salem and not go on one of these ghost/paranormal/witch/creepy tours. It is fun, and enjoyable, and sometimes educational.  We did the Candlelit Ghostly Tour.  I cannot say I regret doing this tour cause I really enjoyed walking around Salem with a lit candle while the Tour Guide spitted out historical facts about certain structures and points of interest, but, the Tour Guide didn’t have the equipment necessary to tour around with a big group of people (no microphone) so it was very very hard to hear all the “facts” to the point where I just stopped listening and watched my candle wind breaker a/k/a plastic cup catch fire and melt. The other tour my friend and I went on was the Paranormal Salem Investigation Tour.  This one was a different kind of tour.  The guide met us by The Witch Trials Memorial and whipped out quite a few gadgets to read paranormal activities in the area.  I am a skeptic, but I do have to say it was pretty interesting.   Next time I go on a Salem spooky tour, I will make sure the tour guide is one of those that wears a costume and gets in character.  I am sure that will make it even better.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot!  While walking around Pickering Wharf's hood, I stumbled upon a lil box with a bunch of books, so I came out with winnings!  #SCORE!!!!

Looking forward to my next visit!

Until then....

Skytop Adventure Center: TREETOP ZIPLINE & CHALLENGE COURSE

This is my third time doing this Zipline/Challenge at Skytop, but my first time doing the course with my boyfriend. This adventure is somewhat intense and at times, you really do have to go the distance and push yourself during the obstacles.  The zipline parts are easy breezy!  This is for the active, and the daring… and if you are afraid of heights, please stay home.   The course is full of elevated bridges, ladders, cargo nets that you have to walk (or crawl) on, hanging logs that one has to use to go across.  The whole adventure (minus a couple of ground touching pit stops) takes place above ground.

 

If you make it all the way to the end (nobody likes a quitter!) they offer an extra course, free of charge, not made for the weak or the lazy.  Boy what a workout that last course was!

 

The first and second times I did the Treetop Zip/Challenge, it was a three hour thing.  This third time, I guess it was the charm cause we got to go through obstacles and zips for FOUR AMAZING HOURS!

 

It’s stuff like this, I completely and truly enjoy!  I will definitely do this again next year.

Improvising after a failed birthday plan.

I had this great adventure in PA planned and scheduled, but life throws you curve-balls and then you have to improvise.

After receiving a very disturbing cancellation email, I had to get my planning wheels in motion and figure out last minute what to do with my dearest friend.  What could we do that we haven't done yet and doesn't need much planning.  I thought, rock-climbing!

Well, we got lucky!  Cause we headed over to New Jersey Rock Gym with no reservations made and when we got there, the counter people said we needed a reservation BUT that we got lucky cause they had an instructor ready to go for us.  PHEW!!!!

Needless to say, we had a great time and later we had sore time but all in good fun.

No pain no gain, right?  Happy Birthday Crees!!!!

The Falls

The Falls

So I took my dearest mother to the Niagara Falls (it’s kind of an unofficial yearly tradition for me to take her somewhere she hasn’t been before), and boy was it fun!

We drove 7 hours there and went armed with the Clifton Hill Fun Pass – which allowed us to go on a few “activities” for a very low price.  For $25 e/a we were able to go on a 3D “roller coaster”, mini golf with the dinos, a kiddy “ghostblasters” ride, a wax museum and hopped twice on the SkyWheel.  I have to say it was the best deal I coulda gotten… and I was very satisfied.  Oh! and the package even came with some tokens to spend at the arcade!  We also went on Skylon Tower (skip the overpriced restaurant, just go for the view!) and of course, no Niagara Falls trip is ever complete without hopping on the Hornblower Cruise.

Clifton Hill

As for stay… I booked us a no-frills hotel.  The great Howard Johnson a/k/a HoJo, and for the cheapo price I got our stay to be, I couldn’t have asked for more!

This is definitely a trip that will not be forgotten!

To traveling on a budget! 

SOON!

It's been freezing here on the Northeast Coast, and I'm ready for a weather break!  How lucky am I (and my dearest boyfriend and my beautiful baby Butts) to have a Puerto Rico trip scheduled two days from today?!?  WUT WUT!!!

Arecibo (Home), Rincon (Beach/Surf), Caguas (Zipline/Waterfall Rock-climbing), San Juan (Dinning), Aguadilla (Naughty Private "Disco") are some of the towns/things we will be visiting/doing.

Nice nights with my mom and small family, reconnecting with a strayed friend, spending quality/fun time with my man, in my Island.... on 80 degree weather...  What else could I ever ask for?

Nothing.  At this moment, seems like I have it all.

'Till next time!

Woodstock

This trip was just what the doctor ordered!

Woodstock is a small and very peculiar town.  Plenty of stores to “window shop” at.  Some stores carry pretty weird merchandise, while others have the normal “souvenir” stuff.  If you like “records”, this is the town to go to.  If you like wearing second-hand funky/gothic/hippie stuff, this is definitely the town to come shop at.  I LOVE thrift stores, and this town definitely appeals to that side of me.  My favorite was Castaways in the Woods.  Lots of stuff to go through, but no doubt anybody will find something to take back home with them.



Our cabin was small, cozy and delightful. I was very happy with our stay there.  The only downside of this cabin is the shower, but taking a shower takes only about 15 minutes of your day, so this didn't make me not like the cozy place.  Rock City Writer's Studio was equipped with everything we could need on a rainy gloomy winter weekend.  HDTV, cable, DVD player, movies, board games, a sauna room, a fully equipped eat-in-kitchen.  If grilling is your thing, and I wish it hadn't been so rainy and cold so we could have taken advantage of it, the cabin comes with its very own gas grill.  This lil place was just perfect for our weekend getaway.


Now, lets talk about FOOD!


Whoever goes to Woodstock, HAS to go eat Oriole 9.  Try to get seated AWAY from the door if it's a cold day.  The food here is pretty damn delicious!  They don't have "normal" sodas or cocktails, but they do have homemade sodas -  the orange soda one was pretty refreshing!  We had breakfast here.  I had a chicken sandwich and my boo had a regular breakfast.  The french toast were delicious!


Cucina was a nice lil Italian restaurant.  The service was so nice and welcoming.  The waiter and the

bartender were also very accommodating to my "pain-in-the-ass-requests-for-getting-the-perfect-cocktail", and they DELIVERED with FLYING COLORS!  WOW was that drink amazing!  The food was pretty tasty too.


Until Spring, my dear Woodstock.  We will certainly see each other again!

Weekend getaway.

Well... Double celebration weekend's coming!  And we are heading to Woodstock, NY for the weekend.

No clue as to what's to do there, if anything, but we are going regardless.

Hopefully it'll be fun.  If not, then at least we'll have each other.

Oh, and the pooch is coming with!

The family that travels together, stays together.

Mi isla.

Oooooh how I miss my mommy!  And the warmth of my little island.

I was pretty sad when I realized that my yearly Thanksgiving trip to Puerto Rico wasn't in the cards this year, but that got fixed with a nice Jetblue sale to start 2015 with a nice hot and steamy BANG!  so January... get ready, cause we are leaving your Northeastern cold behind and heading out south to the Caribbean to visit my motherland!  OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH YEAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

#PickleFest

So a couple of weeks ago I was browsing around the internet and stumbled upon Rosendale's Pickle Festival flyer.

Now, let it be known that I am not a fan of pickles or pickled things, but I figured...  why the fuck not?  It's not like I do anything interesting with my time on Sundays, nor did I have anything exceptional planned for today, so I put my "something to do" hat on and put together this lil trip with another couple.

This was our first time at a pickle fest and have no idea what to expect, except a whole lotta pickled products.

So this day started with a crack of dawn 8 a.m. wake-up (bear with me, it's a fucking Sunday, ok!?)  The four of us hopped in the car and went for a hearty breakfast at the Brownstone Diner - boy was that delicious!

After getting our tummies filled with deliciousness, off we went on a 2 hour car ride to Rosendale, NY to attend the Pickle Festival.

Cheap (close to free admission) and quick check-in was definitely a plus.  Once in, they had a four tent setup.  The first tent was full of "flea market" and "homemade" items for sale - which is always entertaining to browse through.  The second tent was full of "fair" foods like cakey goodies, Italian sausage sandwiches, cupcakes, dried fruits and vegetables, coffee, pastries, organic fast foods and the

likes. In between tent one and two I noticed a human pickle parading around to take pictures with the visitors - I totally got one, of course.  It was the one things I was looking forward to.  We then passed

by a stand alone tent with a ginormous pickle Christmas ornament symbolizing a German tradition, to which I made everybody enter and take a group picture with.  The third tent was more like the miscellaneous tent, selling all types of peanut butter, cheeses, salsas, pickle juice energy drinks, pastries, venison meats, and chocolate covered bacon.  The last tent was all kinds of pickled shit "heaven", and the equivalent of L.A rush hour traffic.  Masses of people standing in front of the vendors' tables pretty much blocking me and the ones I was with from seeing what was being sold by them, but it was obvious it was with no doubt, the pickled tent.

So this was my Sunday pickled adventure.  My fave parts of the day were seeing the human pickle *grins*, and the stand alone tent with the huge Christmas ornament.

Looking forward to stumbling upon another "weird" event to go to.

Until then...