Do you remember that commercial? (If you do, you’re showing your age!) A long soak in some Calgon bath salts definitely takes me away for a limited amount of time, but certainly never far enough away!
With the start of the new year and the knowledge that I have an additional THREE more days of vacation, you can bet that I’m already researching vacations. I was thinking of sailing the Greek Isles; well, ok, maybe two of them. Their economy is down, so traveling there should be a bargain, right? However, I’m kind of in the mood to go to Italy again, particularly Florence and Verona. Although Italy’s economy is also down, the Euro is still doing better than the American dollar. I’ve considered going back to Bali, in combination with a jaunt to either Thailand (Bangkok and/or Koh Samui) or Vietnam (Hoi An, for more clothes). I admit it – I miss Bali after being away for more than a year! New Orleans is high on my agenda, too, because I was disappointed not to be able to make it back there for any part of the holidays.
After all of my talk of new destinations, my first planned trip of the year is… back to Hawaii in May. I thought about not going this year, but it made me too sad. When I’m obsessed with a place, it takes awhile for it to wear off. Obviously, Hawaii has been one of my obsessions for the last 3 or 4 years. The draw is the near perfect weather, the unspoiled beaches (unlike the ones in Bali which are littered with trash and debris in the mornings), the people and maybe, just maybe, the loco moco! It certainly doesn’t have affordable prices, but they’re not much worse than San Francisco. My ticket has been purchased and the deposit on my room has been paid. Now I simply wait. Then again, that’s prime reason for me to hit the gym and get back in bikini shape.
My second trip for this year will be to L.A. for the Playboy Jazz Festival in mid-June. Only the plane ticket has been purchased, as the tickets for the Festival aren’t on sale yet. In fact, the line-up hasn’t even been announced. I don’t even care who the line-up is. I want to go for the experience. It’s been about 25 years since I went to the Playboy Jazz Festival! My hotel hasn’t been booked yet. I’ve been seriously searching on AirBnB, which has some amazing deals for private rooms in homes. Otherwise, I can stay at my usual hotel in Hollywood, which is walking distance from the Hollywood Bowl.
As of last night, my third trip of the year has been booked. A co-worker transferred her United air miles into my account; I paid the transfer fees, which was cheaper than simply purchasing extra air miles on their website. Seriously, the minute they sent me an E-mail saying that the miles had been deposited into my account, I went on-line and booked a ticket to New Orleans for Labor Day weekend. In actuality, it’s for part of Labor Day weekend. I’ll go to New Orleans on August 27th, the Wednesday before the weekend starts. My return will be on Sunday, August 31st, because the flights I wanted weren’t available on September 1st. Four days in New Orleans is more than enough time to get in trouble! Accommodation-wise, I’ve been in contact with a guy on VRBO in regards to his studio apartment in the French Quarter. The price is affordable (particularly for a holiday weekend) and the location is great. Although it’s not on the quieter end of Bourbon Street, which was a second option, it’s close to the Camellia Grill in the French Quarter. That could be my breakfast stop every morning. Another plus is that there’s a small balcony. As soon as the guy sends me the contract, I’ll sign and pay.
For the first 4 and half months of this year, I’ll put my nose to the grindstone. In other words, that involves hitting the gym regularly, staying home more, saving more money, eating healthier, and so on and so forth. Famous last words!
Waimea Beach
At Rumfire
Santa and Me on Bourbon Street
Napoleon House