Archive for the ‘Family Vacations’ Category

Brownsville, Texas: You Must Crash a Mexican Wedding!

Saturday, April 26th, 2008

Photo by Sheree Zielke

Who are these people? We didn’t know them either, that is until we attended their wedding, uninvited. But you haven’t lived until you’ve crashed a Mexican wedding.

My husband and I don’t normally go uninvited to the wedding of strangers, but cheap happy hour drinks, great Mexican food, and authentic Mariachi music were too attractive to resist. An evening out at a local Mexican restaurant sounded like a great idea. We weren’t planning on the wedding.

Read on . . .

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Bourbon Street in New Orleans – Do visit but do so in the morning!

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008

Photo by Sheree Zielke

There are some things you must do when visiting New Orleans:  Take a Hurricane Katrina bus tour; eat seafood gumbo from a tiny deli on Royal Street; ride a streetcar to the huge St. Patrick cemeteries at the end of Canal Street; and visit haunted houses in the French Quarter.  Above all, take a walk along Bourbon Street, but do it in the morning.

Bourbon Street is a magnet for the young and lecherous among us, at night, but a morning walk in the bright sunshine, devoid of the nighttime debauchery, can be a truly pleasant experience.  Especially if you are a photographer.

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Booking your travel plans? This site is the way to go!

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

Plane Wing in the Clouds

I don’t usually gush about one travel booking site over another, but in this case I must make an exception.  As a travel writer, I travel frequently.  I recently discovered that an event I needed to cover back home had switched its dates, right over top of one of my flight dates.

I do all my airline bookings online, but I have never needed to make changes before.  So, I wasn’t sure what I was in for.  However, I pulled up the site’s contact number, and placed a call.

I was in for a big disappointment.

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Deep Sea Fishing: Hell on the High Seas!

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

Photo by David Thiel

There is hell on earth, and it’s called, “deep sea fishing.” What was I thinking, or rather, what was my husband thinking when he agreed to a 5-hour deep sea fishing adventure?

We took our first deep sea fishing trip just off the coast of South Padre Island in Texas. To me, it was an adventure; to my husband, it was an unending journey into the depths of hell.

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Elvis Fans? Vintage Memorabilia Fans? This Museum is a MUST-see!

Friday, April 11th, 2008

Little Graceland Museum in Los Fresnos, Texas

In the army, you never know who you’ll be bunking with. Except Simon Vega had a fairly good idea that the dark-haired handsome guy from Tupelo, Mississippi, was special. Back in 1958, Vega shared army duty with none other than the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Vega remembers fondly his days with a young Elvis. But remembering his former army buddy wasn’t enough for Vega; only a museum would do. But what a place to put a museum!

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Most Haunted House in New Orleans is Owned by a Big Hollywood Star!

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

Most Haunted House in New Orleans

Who owns the most haunted house in New Orleans, Louisiana?  He’s a big star, he’s done lots of movies, he’s an Oscar-winner, and he was once married to the child of a King.  Can you guess?

Okay, here’s another clue: he lives down the street from another famous star, in fact, a pair of Hollywood notables: Brad and Angelina.

Have you guessed yet?  No?

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Mother’s Home Cooking? Try New Orleans, Louisiana

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

Mother’s Restaurant - New Orleans

Ignore its dumpy exterior because if you want to eat in this New Orleans restaurant, you’ll have to get over first appearances.  Besides, the place was good enough for celebrities like Steve Martin, Jimmy Buffet, Kathleen Turner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and LeAnn Rimes.

Look for a plain building with a side entrance; one of the entrances probably has a busted door, so you’ll have to go to the side.  You’ll see lots of people coming and going; that’s always a good sign of good eats.  Once inside, don’t stand around waiting for any special attention, just grab a menu, and place your order.

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Brownsville, Texas: Smallest sit-down hamburger joint ever!

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

Rutledge table

Don’t let the look of the ketchup bottle put you off.  You simply must visit this tiny 84-year-old restaurant hidden away in historic downtown Brownsville, Texas.  You’ll be able to say you’ve rubbed shoulders in a place where American President, Lyndon Johnson, once rubbed shoulders, too.

And rub shoulders is exactly what happens here – the walls are only about 6 feet apart.

Read on. . .

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How a Tilley Hat Nearly Caused my Husband’s Death!

Sunday, March 16th, 2008

Tilley Hat Man

Nothing proclaims, “This person is an adventurer” like a Tilley hat.  It’s true; look at a group of tourists – the ones in the khaki Tilley hats don’t look so touristy – they look more serious, more experienced, more like seasoned travelers.

Yes, it’s all good when you wear a Tilley hat unless, of course, you (like my husband and world travel companion) refuse to wear the hat’s chin strap.  That decision, or lack thereof, can get you into a lot of trouble.

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Dunedin, New Zealand: Cheese, Churches and Beer!

Sunday, March 16th, 2008

I was feeling a tad envious as I watched other passengers board the charming Taieri Gorge vintage train.  They didn’t even have to drive into Dunedin because the train pulled up alongside our Celebrity ship.

However, had I known how wonderful a day in Dunedin, New Zealand was going to be, I would have merrily waved them on their way, without a second thought.

I found out later those folks didn’t get much of a chance to explore Dunedin (Celtic for Edinburgh) and that would have meant missing so much.

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