NY, NY part trois

So, it's Saturday and matinee day on Broadway. Remember that matinee days with a Broadway schedule are Wed. and Fridays. Since my husband and I have our ties to Broadway, we HAVE to see a Broadway show with the kids. In the past, I didn't mind paying for my own seat or even my husband and I going together, but times those prices by 4 and it's another story!

Off we to to TKTS, we went to the Times Square Booth. It was raining so my sister took the kids to..........ToysRUs! I think my kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. This store is huge!!! The only problem for parents is to forewarn your kids that this is only a place to put things down on their wishlist. With pencil and notepads in hand, off they went. Nevertheless, this was a good distraction for the kids since I had to wait in line in the rain. That is a recipe for disaster for kids to wait in the rain with a boatload of people. It didn't take too long since I went there before the booth opened (strong advice from me). I tried to get every show that was available for kids and couldn't get all the seats in the same spot. I couldn't let my child sit alone and I don't think they would want to sit next to strangers at their age. After batting zero, I met up with the kids. This is where I learned that you could go to the other TKTS booths the day before and purchase matinee tickets for the next day which I should have done. I never learned this while working on Broadway, but then again, I couldn't always see the other shows since I was working in one with the same show times as the other shows. Now, my kids really love "The Lion King", but these tickets were not available through TKTS.

As I started walking with the kids to grab a bit to eat at Junior's Deli, we walked by "The Lion King". My kids started singing the songs as we were walking and I felt that twang of 'Gee, when will I be back here next with the kids?' I walked into the box office and asked how much the tickets were. They were a whopping $125/seat. I gasped and the cashier just looked at me. Do I spend $500 for next week's matinee? No, I can't. But, when are we back? Think, think, think. My sister states that we aren't paying for room and board and that I just do it. So, in true Nike form with a little NY attitude, I tell the cashier to get me the director's seats (center orchestra). The guy looks at me and just told him I used to work in theater. He smiles and gives me 8th row center. I"m happy and have to say happy that I took the bite!!! I know there are other venues where you can purchase tickets at a discount; however, these are the times, when I prefer to spend my time on just having fun than researching and dragging my kids all over the place for the tickets.

Kids are hungry and I'm craving a good deli sandwich. Typically, I go to Carnegie's, but it's such a touristy place now, that Junior's is perfect. We met up with some friends who were in South Pacific and 9-5 which meant they had to be at work by half hour. It was great to see them. Their kids menu is perfect. Both of my kids have allergies to nuts so it's no joke when I ask if there are any nuts or any possible cross-contamination of nuts with their food. They were very aware of nut allergies and stated that a lot of kids have that allergy nowadays. I had my epipens with me, but really don't want to go through that experience or a trip to the emergency room. The kid portions were large and delicious. My kids ate them up!!! Their deli sandwiches were perfect. What I love the most? Condiments on the side!!! I can't stand it when other delis layer their sauce to the point where you don't even taste the meat. The pastrami was delish! The Reuben to die for! So, so good. My oldest loves cheesecake and there ain't nuthin' like NY style Cheesecake. He was the happiest 7 year old. I couldn't believe that he ate all of his mac n' cheese and then the whole slice of cheesecake. Sundaes are wonderful as well. We were all very happy. So happy that we went back there on another day during our stay.

After our lunch, we headed down to Chinatown. I used to shop there a lot when I was living in Manhattan. Such great deals. However, I have heard that the knock-offs have been shut down. I love the subway and my kids love it too. I think it's so great to get them on public transportation!!! They need to know that it's easy, available, and better for our planet. I have to agree that there were a lot of places with these yellow signs that looked like knock-off places that were shut down by NYPD. However, there were plenty of people whispering to me while I was window shopping what knock-offs they had. In fact, some girls were looking at purses and then some gentleman said something to them quietly and the next thing you know they are following him to the back of the store. Don't you just love this?!! I love NYC Chinatown. I bought baskets of fruits (strawberries, blueberries, and watermelon) all for under $4.00. A place to stop off next time for us will be Joe's Shanghai Restaurant. It's a little place with the most amazing dumplings!!! I promise you. You don't want to skip this place.

We went back to my sister's to make dinner and had a lovely fruit salad for dessert! Time to rest for another busy day tomorrow.

New York, New York part deux

Finally, I get to start down memory lane of our trip to New York. As you know, we stayed at my sister's. It was convenient and economical.

First of all, I did my research (I always suggest you do this first to make your trip less stressful) and found out that citypass was the way to go with the sites we wanted to see. The added bonus was that citypass was offering separate entry lines where the wait was going to be less than the normal entry lines.

First stop, The American Natural History Museum near Central Park. The weather was brisk, but sunny and it was Spring Break for most of NYC and other cities throughout the United States. Was I ever happy to have purchased the CityPass. The lines were incredibly long and with 2 young boys, I didn't want to stand in line while they either got bored, cold, and whiny. We walked right in, did the coat check (well worth it!) and started on our discovery of the Museum. I did have our kids watch the movie, "Night at the Museum". This gave them something to connect to while they were walking around the museum. They kept referencing to the movie and really enjoyed their time there. The planetarium was included in our citypass. The boys absolutley loved it and thought it was the best thing for them in the museum. We started early in the morning and spent over 3 hours at the museum. We did bring some snack, but my kids were hungry so we went to the cafe. It was pricey like most places, but with the money we were saving on room and board, I splurged here.

We then walked across Central Park to the Eastside to hit one of my favorite spots, Serendipidity. Yes, we walked the whole way and the boys got a little tired toward the end, but with a few stops here and there in Central Park, they were doing pretty good. If you haven't been to Serendipidity's, then it's a must. Even when I lived there, I would have cravings for their frozen hot chocolate! I knew my boy's would love their foot long hotdogs. Here's the thing........you can't make reservations there and it's a cozy place with seating being a challenge during meal rush hours. However, they will always say it'll be a 45 minute wait, but 9 out of 10 I usually wait for about 20 minutes and we get our table. I don't know how that happens. Maybe most tourists try to wait it out and decide they can't or if they have kids, they don't want to wait and then leave. The line goes from really long to really short fairly quickly there. Do I chance it with my kids? No!! I always have snacks in my backpack just in case they start getting a little hungry. My oldest, who loves hot dogs, had the biggest smile on his face when his foot long dog arrived. The rest of the menu is good! The desserts are huge so think about sharing. Trust me, you and the kids will LOVE this place!!!! It's a must go-to place.

Central Park is huge! There is so much to do there and you won't cover it all in one day if you want to see the sites within the park. I wouldn't advice to hit it in one day anyways. The kids love to play and run around. Let them do that while you sit and relax with the beautiful surroundings.

We did end our day doing just the Natural History Museum and a small part of Central Park. It was enough and the kids were tired. We headed on the subway back to Port Authority and took our bus back to Edgewater. By the way, I wouldn't suggest taking the bus during commute times. It's crazy and I had to keep an eye on our boys. People are everywhere! One of my boys had to go to the restroom which meant public restrooms (ugh!). Surprisingly, the restrooms here were clean. It kind of reminded me of Japan (Tokyo had exceptional public restrooms...hotel-like by our US standards). The buses fill up quickly. I hope that I am passing this information on to help those of you who decide to use any type of public transportation during commute hours in NYC. The only other time it was this busy was late at night. I couldn't believe my eyes, but people were, once again, all lined up for the bus and it looked like people were just getting off of work. You know the saying, "NYC never sleeps" It's true! I guess I shouldn't be too surprised since I would get off of work from the theater and travel home around 11pm at night.

Onto to part trois next!

New York, New York, a helluva a town. The Bronx is up, but the Battery's....(Part 1)

down! Don't you love that movie, "On The Town"? The music is wondeful (thank you Bernstein) and the lyrics are fantastic (Comden & Green)!!! But......I digress.

A friend of mine is heading to New York (Manhattan to be specific) and asked about places to go and visit with her two kids. Our family had flown there a year ago to visit New York. I used to live there and miss the vibrant energy that blankets this great city.

What did I do to prepare (because you know it's all about the research and preparation that makes your vacation a great one!):

1. Where are we going to stay?
2. How are we getting there and stay within budget?
3. What are we going to do and stay within budget?
4. Food?
5. Weather, which translates to how I pack and how many pieces do I really want to carry and pay for.

#1 - Fortunately, I have the pleasure of having a sister who lives in Edgewater, NJ and so accomodations were taken care of. She only has a 1 bedroom apt, but a large enough living room for us to sack out on her lushes couches and aerobeds. I know some people are thinking...couches? But trust me, her couches are the most comfortable couches in the world. I have been there before with my other cousin and she said the same thing (and she's used to 5star hotel mattresses).
      However, I do have some suggestions when heading to New York if you don't know anyone who would offer you place to stay. I have a large extended family and they have gone to visit New York and this was what was reported back to me. One of my cousin's used her points from her credit card and stayed at the Hilton. It wasn't for free, but it was a significant price-cut which included complimentary breakfast every morning. Since she had a family of four, she thought it was worth it. I realize this is important to some people; however, having lived in Manhattan, I think you can get a decent breakfast at any deli corner for a very reasonable price. 
     I had another cousin who was travelling with her kids and her elderly father. They complained about how expensive Manhattan hotels were so they decided to stay in the New Jersey side and took public transportation into Manhattan. I agree that to stay on a budget, public transportation is the way to go here. Everyone takes public transportation and it's easy. Those of us who live in the West Coast should learn to  use public transportation more often and the government could stand to learn from the New York/East Coast cosmopolitan cities, but that's another blog, eh? The Holiday Inn was the suggested hotel that was easy and affordable. I found two Holiday Inns. This is where you have to do the research and decide for yourself how much you want to spend and how much commuting you want to do. I personally think it's great for the kids to learn about public transportation and to actually use it. One is the Holiday Inn at Secaucus. Great reviews, but a little further out (again remember that people live in these cities and commute into Manhattan daily so buses and trains aren't that bad). The other one is Holiday Inn Express at the Lincoln Tunnel which is literally the connector to Manhattan and takes only minutes on the bus to arrive at the Port Authority. To read some reviews, I have done some research for you. Click on the "reviews" and read for yourself what you are most comfortable with. I always rely on my gut instinct. Once you have read enough reviews you will get a pretty good idea. Another place I like to go to for reviews is TripAdvisor. This site has done pretty good for me. The more reviews, the better the chance that I pick the right place for me and my family.
     At my sister's, we just took the bus that was a block away from her place (NJ Transit). It didn't cost that much, but check out the website for current prices. I think we paid about $3+/- for adults and about $2 for the kids. It took us right to Port Authority (8th and 42nd). The kids enjoyed walking up to Times Square.

#2 - There are some great prices on JetBlue and Virgin America to the Kennedy Airport. This is a place where a car service is just as good if not better than a taxi. I like the car service because the prices are the same as a taxi and they are there waiting for you rather than you having to wait in line with your kids all ancy from a plane ride. Trust me....it's worth it!
     We flew into Newark because my sister lives there. We flew Continental Airlines and since NJ is the hub for Continental, it was quite a nice terminal. The price was decent. It wasn't as inexpensive as flying into JFK, but by the time we would have paid for car service from JFK to New Jersey, it would have cost us the same as flying on Continental. I have flown into Newark Airport before while living in Manhattan during my B.C. days (before children). I really liked it. It was not as crowded, easy transportation to Manhattan, and rarely delayed. It made my travels less stressful and I know now, with a family, that low stress is preferred on my travels.

As you all know, I am a mom or pseudo single-mom. So, I will have to finish up on this trip on my next posting since it has 9 days worth of fun and excitement. My children need me right now.

(Here's the catch with blog about NYC. I have no photos of my own to share on this site. Why? Well, the SD card on my camera acted up when I went to upload the photos. I can't upload any of them and it bums me out since we did a lot of sites with our kids. I don't know if I can get them back. I went to one place and they said it would cost alot to get someone to "fix" it. I know it's been a year, but I'm waffling back and forth on the monetary costs of pictures. I do have my memory of them and I am sharing them on this blog. Any suggestions from my readers? Not sure if I have any readers right now, but thought I'd ask anyways.)

Places to Visit in Washington, D.C.

I am so glad that I have some fans on Facebook now. It helps to know that this is going out to someone who can use my experiences as a part of their research and personalize their own trip as well.

Okay, let's finish up with D.C. here.

Our favorite place that had quick delicious sandwiches was The Potbelly Sandwich Shop. They had these delis in Chicago as well. We loved this place because the prices were reasonable, the menu had something that everyone liked, and their secret relish was truly one-of-a-kind and so good!! The place is packed during lunch hours.So, unless you don't mind waiting in line or having your kids keep tugging at you and telling you how hungry they are, my suggestions are to arrive earlier or later than the lunch rush. Also, the thing to remember about the Capitol area, everything closes when the typical work day is done. Things close up around 6pm and almost everything is closed on Sundays. Be prepared because we weren't and ended up taking the Metro a few stops away to get food.

Speaking of the Metro....it's really a great way to travel around D.C. There is no need to rent a car. We were able to get around all over D.C. Unlike NYC, where the subway only goes uptown and downtown, the Metro will get you just about anywhere. Some of our favorite stops were Chinatown/Gallery. This area had the International Spy Museum, National Portrait Gallery, restaurants galore, and a great movie theater. People asked us why a movie theater on vacation? Well, when it's below freezing outside and you want to get out of the hotel, the next best thing was the movie theater where we saw Alvin and Chipmunks, The Squeakel.

The Spy Museum was really a great place to visit. Our kids really enjoyed it and had a great time. The admission is a bit pricey, but well worth it. Also, all the Smithsonian Museums are free so one can't complain too much about paying for admission to one museum. You get to learn about espionage and even get to be one. Be aware of the common tourist trap...........the Spy Museum Store. You have to walk through it to exit the museum. We did get caught up in it and I think we did because we all enjoyed it so much and the store had some great shirts and souvenirs.

On another day, we went to the National Portrait Gallery. My husband and I enjoyed it; however, I think kids younger than 5 y.o. will have a tough time. There are lot of paintings and statues. They are beautiful and interesting, but after 3 floors of it, my 5 y.o. was having a hard time slowly getting through it all. My husband is a history buff and so he entertained the kids with historical "stories" to keep their attention. Again, it can be tough for the little ones. I would suggest making it to the Presidential Portraits first since my 8 yo was studying the presidents at school and these paintings were larger than life.

Having mentioned that the Smithsonian Museums are all free, the National Mall is surrounded by these free museums that take days to get through. We were amazed how some people thought they could get to everything in 3 days. Our suggestion is to not try to do that. It just becomes one big discombobulated mess. If you're there for 3 days, then pick 3 museums max., especially when you have children. I would suggest The National Air & Space Museum; The Museum of Natural History (you can spend 2 full days here); The Museum of American History.

The Air and Space Museum is place of wonder for the kids. They have large airplanes hanging from the ceiling, rocket ships on display, things children can touch and play around with. We spent almost 3 hours there before we headed off to lunch and then came back to finish the rest of it. The lunch area is convenient and pricey. Again, if you're on a budget, pack a lunch and you can take that to the eating area and relax for a bit before finishing up the rest of the museum.

The Museum of Natural History is another great place for the family. There are many exhibits and many floors. If you get a chance to see an IMAX movie there, I would suggest it. The kids loved the dinosaurs IMAX movie and then had a chance to follow up with the displays about dinosaurs. My boys enjoyed the mineral exhibit. The Hope Diamond is there and they were fascinated by it. There was the astrology area where the kids had a lot of hands-on activities. In the basement is where the cafeteria is located. Also, the museum stores are down there as well. I found this cafeteria to be quite good and the prices were reasonable for the food that was cooked fresh for you.

The Museum of American History had the longest line to get in. It moved fairly quickly, but beware there might be a long line for the entry. In the basement area is where my kids loved playing in. They have the Sparks Invention Lab here where they hand out free pins with the logo and you can go in and invent things from their kits. My kids made an electrical circuit to get a fan to start and float a ball. They also had the opportunity to build things that made music. They have supervision there where these "scientists/inventors" would guide the children with their projects. I think my kids could have stayed in there all day. They do close earlier than the museum so time things out. You don't want to arrive there at 3:30pm and just as your child is really getting into his/her invention, they have to leave because of closing time (4pm when we were there). The other floors had a lot to see as well. Remember there are a lot of people and a lot of exhibits so keep your kids nearby as they are anxious to see everything and one little peak of curiosity could lead to lost children. We saw quite a few of them there.

If you haven't seen or heard about Groupon, then this is something you must visit. This site offers coupons to major cities. What I love about them is that they offer you the discount (typically 50% off) and if the total number of people needed to purchase the "groupon" is not met, then they don't charge you for it. If it does exceed the total of required purchases, then you receive the coupon. So, I purchased a groupon for a restaurant in Dupont Circle (another nice area for restaurants and shopping...our fav: Trader Joe's). This restaurant is called Mezza Luna. It's a Mediterranean cuisine with a variety of tapas. These tapas were large enough to share. We ordered several and shared them "family-style". Their food was delicious and they were very accommodating with our children in regards to making their dishes less "fancy". This translates to "please no green onions on the top", "no nuts. our children are allergic to them", "plain pasta with butter". They were really wonderful with all our needs.

We did hit the Memorial Parks. The kids enjoyed the walk (again, if you have little ones, take your stroller) and seeing all the historical monuments. We walked a few miles and it was a lot of fun; however, you can take the Metro to these areas if your legs are getting tired.

One place I don't want to forget to mention is the United States Botanic Garden. This place is a gem! The plants and gardens are gorgeous and our kids really liked visiting this place. There were so many exhibits to visit. One wouldn't know it by looking at it from the outside. I wouldn't miss this place. It's a great place for the kids to run around.

Finally, we did purchase tickets to see the Terra Cotta Warriors at The National Geographic Museum. It was an okay exhibit, but I am comparing this exhibit to the one I saw at The DeYoung Museum in San Francisco many years ago. This exhibit in D.C. was smaller and the kids enjoyed it. The garden/courtyard area is definitely a photo op location. I was very impressed with the photography as I'm sure most people are. The photographs are truly spectacular!

I almost forgot to tell you about the Kennedy Center. It is quite the site at night. I guess I almost forgot this place because it was someplace my husband went to every night for work. We didn't see a show there since we have already seen the show, but if you get a chance to see something there, we think you would enjoy it. It's not always easy since not all shows are appropriate for children, but I did want to mention this for those of you who might have a babysitter/relative on hand to watch the kids.

All right my travelling peeps, go take your kids out! We are hoping this history class just expands their experiential background for their own education.

Volcano National Park..... Respect Madame Pele please!

Volcano National Park is a great place to take the kids. It's full of science and history that enhances their experiential background. Important note: Bring layers of clothing! Volcano National Park has an altitude of about 4,000 ft so it can get cold especially as the sun sets (windbreakers, sweatshirts, long pants to go over their shorts, and proper shoes if you decide to hike a little past the end of the Chain of Craters road, oh, and little flashlights).

Please give yourself a whole day for this adventure if you are coming from the Kona side. We took our rental car and drove south and around from the Kona side to the Hilo side. To make our long drive (it took a few hours) more exciting, we made little stops whenever we saw something of interest to any of us. We stopped at local farmer markets where they had some arts and crafts stands, coffee bean farms (some of the tours are free, but we didn't stop since we knew we had a long drive), fruit stands and other interesting sites of nature. We did take a longer stop near the South Point (Ka Lae). This is the most southern tip of the United States. It was very windy there, but the kids enjoyed knowing we were at the most southern tip of the US. We didn't go the the Green Sand beach since it was not a paved road and our car rental company had stipulations about driving on unpaved roads. I think if you had a 4WD, one would be okay.

By the time we arrived at Volcano National Park, it was lunch time. Entering the park was $10 (12/2008). We went to the Visitor Center and that was a great place to start (bathroom breaks, ate lunch that we packed, read up on the history and science of the park). Walk across the street and visit the Volcano House. There you can see the Kilauea Caldera. It's typically our first view (we've been there twice and it's still exciting). The Volcano House is a fun place as well. The artwork is beautiful and the historical pictures hung along the hallways are fun to view. There is a snack bar and restaurant there as well as the store for souvenirs. The snack bar was okay (expensive for typical snacks i.e. bag of chips). We never went to the restaurant there. We always had food with us and really wanted to get out to hike the park.

The first time we were there, we were able to take the Crater Rim Dr. all the way around. This time we were not able to drive completely around due to dangerous gases coming through the vents at certain places. There is a radio station 530AM that gives you updates on the park. However, there was plenty here to see and we were able to drive part of Crater Rim Dr. Near the Volcano House was a steam vent that was fenced, but the kids were still able to see it. They were fascinated by it.

We hopped into the car and drove southeast on Crater Rim Dr. to the Thurston Lava Tube. This was a great little hike for the kids. Some of the paths are paved and some are not, but they are all clearly marked. We had so much fun hiking and discussing the trees, ferns, changes in climate, stories of the Menehune and the lava tubes.

Then we got back into our car and drove further on Crater Rim Dr. to the Chain of Craters Rd. This road is 19 miles down to the shore and ends where the lava flow has cut it off. This is quite a spectacular drive. We timed it so that we could drive down there during daylight and drive back at night. Just to forewarn you, the old lava is dark. Very, very dark and at night it's pretty cool and creepy for some kids. This is why we had our flashlights. This kept the kids feeling pretty safe and they enjoyed the hike. We wanted the night sky so the kids could see the glow of the lava.

We were pretty hungry by the time we were heading out of the park. The first time we were here, we stayed in Volcano Village at this really nice bed and breakfast place (this was before children and if interested, I'll try to find that information). This time we weren't going to stay overnight, but we wanted to have dinner. So, we went back to the place where we ate the first time and it was still there. This place is called Thai Thai. Our children love rice so this was the perfect place to go. It seemed like they expanded a little. It was definitely more popular than the first time we were there. The food was delicious and make sure they know to eliminate the spice for children if your children don't like spicy food. Their mild spicy level can still be spicy for children. Their curry is very good. We never had a bad experience there, but according to some other reviews it was quite bad regarding service. So, one never knows. All I can say is that we never experienced bad service or food there. ***Note: Volcano Village Restaurants close around 7 or 8pm. Make sure you are out of the park early enough to get to a restaurant or bring your own food.

We drove home and it was a full day!!!

I wanted to add a note to my previous blog about Sunlight on Water, not only did we swim with the dolphins, but we were able to see the "mommy" whales with their babies. I had forgotten to mention it because during that whole week we were there, we saw whales all the time. We looked out into the ocean and there they were. Amazing creatures!

A - LOOOOOO - HA!

I just had the most lovely picnic with my son and his friends from preschool. While enjoying the sunny, warm weather after months of rain, the moms had a great time chatting while the kids played around on the grass. Amidst many topics, vacation was one of them. It was an important one and probably something a lot of moms and caretakers like to discuss, organize, fantasize, and somehow put to fruition with children in mind.

I have a lot of friends who are Hawaiian from my work in the theater. And so, rather than going in chronological order in my blog, I am going to blog about what is necessary. The topic for now is our Hawaiian trip with our children.

We went last December because we really wanted to see the whales. This time I was not alone and had my husband to help with the travel. Makes life a lot easier and there are still "things" that need to be organized It was high season for Hawaii, but a great place to check for affordable pricing is Travel Zoo. We did it all on a budget.

1. Airline Tickets: We were able to get a great deal with Hawaiian Air. They were having such amazing specials! How do I know? I subscribe to Travelocity via email and when I see a special, I immediately check to see if the airline website has a better price. Sometimes the prices are better and sometimes they are not. This time, Travelocity had the better price. So, with that we had an 8 day stay flying on Hawaiian Air and staying at the Sheraton Keauhou.

2. Research: Before I purchase anything, I do my research on the airline and hotel accomodations. It helps to read reviews as well. You find me opening up several tabs so I can compare Travelocity with Expedia and Orbitz. However, the reviews on these sites gives me a great opportunity to see what I am in for. Please do your research!

3. Airline: Hawaiian Air was fantastic! When travelling with children, airline comfort and ease is so important. The airline is similar to Virgin America where everything you purchase is via credit card. They don't accept cash so it's important to know this because you don't want hungry children and no easy access to your credit card. The monitors on the back of every seat was nice for the kids. Knowing what to bring on the flight for the kids is critical to make a long trip less stressful (previous blog).

4. Hotel: The Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa was excellent. The beds were comfortable. We did not have a view of the ocean, but we thought our view from our lanai was beautiful with the lush trees and to the left was the Bay. There was daycare onsite, the swimming pool had a large lava tube and other swimming areas and sprinklers for the little itty bitties, free pool toy rentals, the restaurant was delicious and had a great kid's menu with special discounted pricing (kids eat free with adult meal), family movie nights with popcorn and drinks under the beautiful Hawaiian sky and finally a great place where just below the hotel you can look over the edge of the Bay and see the Manta Rays get fed. The Resort puts the lights on in the water and when the Manta Rays see the plankton, the action begins. You will find a lot of other divers from the boats swimming with the Manta Rays. It's very exciting and the kids absolutely loved it! Finally, the rooms had mini refrigerators. I know this is really important for families as snacks are a staple for those moments when the children get hungry. This was a big plus to the resort.

5. Car Rentals: Our car rental was suppose to occur right after we arrived; however, the rental company ran out of cars on the Kona side and so they had to get some from the Hilo side (long drive). So, they were kind to bring us to our hotel and stated they would call us as soon as they had a car available. Here's a side tip: Don't get all upset because you didn't get your rental car when you thought you were going to get it! Don't raise a stink! I could see they were doing their best to get cars to people. Some people were on such a tight schedule that the were "freaking out"! Remember people, you're in Hawaii and it's Hawaiian time...no worries. It'll all come to play. Sure enough, the next morning while we were relaxing by the pool after breakfast, the rental called and stated they were driving our car to us at that moment and to meet them at the front of the hotel in 45 minutes. Perfect, eh? We knew we wanted to rent a car because we had plans to drive to the Hilo side and visit Volcano National Park so we found that the Sheraton only charged their guests $10/night for parking which is very affordable compared to the other resorts. Sheraton really keeps the ohana in mind.

6. Snorkel gear rental: My husband and I have been to Hawaii a few times and we have always rented from Snorkel Bob's. We like them, there are a lot of them, it's easy and quick. They also had gear that fit kids. Price? $9/week. We put them in the trunk of the rental car and whenever we stopped at a beach, we all had our gear ready to go and head out to snorkel.

7. Grocery/snacks: We found the closest WalMart and stocked up on little snacks (drinking water, crackers, etc). I am not sure if the Longs' in Hawaii have been converted to CVS or not, but we loved the one on Oahu at the Ala Moana Mall so we looked for one near the Sheraton on the Big I. Sure enough, we found one and they have some great Hawaiian snacks i.e. Lihi Mui powder (dip your gummy worms in it..yum!), hurricane popcorn, etc. We also found them at WalMart as well, but it was a further drive to the WalMart. We took the free shuttle from the Resort to the little "mall" where Long's and L&L's BBQ were located along with some other great restaurants.

8. Snorkeling: One of our kids favorite beaches was also one of the most popular. I could see why because the break was really far out and therefore, the water was very calm. Kahaluu Beach is the beach where you will find a lot of children. We all went snorkeling there and the kids were able to see another world underwater. Also, we saw honu! Yes, the turtles are an endangered species so you can't touch them, but our kids floated in awe and sat in awe as the honu climbed near the shore to feed on the algae (see if you can find the turtle in the first picture). Because there are more people at this beach than others, the shore was a bit beat up due to constant wear. However, it was a nice place for families (showers, snack truck, BBQ's). I think it was about a mile from our resort. The Keiki pools was another place we were going to go, but a local told us that it was even more crowded than Kahaluu and she suggested another area. We had to hike a little to it, but it was worth it. I don't know the name, but it's near the old Kona airport. When we arrived there on another day, there was no one there. The kids had the whole place to themselves. What a retreat!



9. Dolphin swims: We went with Sunlight On Water for our dolphin swim excursion. You start early in the morning (around 7am) and you are done by about 1pm. They were so kid-oriented! Their philosophy was to educate the children and let them experience the dolphins so they learn about conservation. This was really a different philosophy from other excursions. Some other excursions wouldn't allow kids or highly discouraged them. Not Sunlight On Water, they talked with the children about the dolphins, what to do when they saw them, how to swim with them, and the boat had a hot shower, restroom (which did not consist of a bucket), and food for everyone on the boat.
**seasickness tip: our youngest gets motion sick really easy, so our pediatrician suggested children's bonine and to administer it the night before and then one in the morning after a light breakfast. It worked like a charm!

10. Luaus: We went the the luau that was at our resort (Firenesia by Island Breeze). It looked like it was rated #2 after the one at the Fairmont (The Orchid...or something like that). What I saw as the difference in price (significant difference) was just the food. My husband and I had gone to a lot of luaus whether they were for tourists or for locals. However, we wanted our kids to enjoy a great show. The food was wonderful. They had the staple i.e. Kalua pork, rice, poi, salad, but also some other favs that my kids enjoyed like the choices in soup, bread, desserts, etc. One thing that we did pay a little extra on was the preferred seating. Our kids are, well, kids. They aren't tall enough to be looking over or at someone's head. The preferred seating got us seats up in the front, juice or soda for the kids and grown-up juice for the adults. We were served our drinks rather than having to stand in line for the drinks. It was really lovely and let's just say a lot less stressful. The kids loved the show and the food. At the end of the luau, no worries about carrying tired children from car to room because it was at our Resort. A quick jaunt back to our rooms and the boys were snoozing from a full day. Now that is the most satisfying feeling for all parents.

For those of you looking for great eats throughout the state of Hawaii, check out my girlfriend's website My Aloha Vibe

More to come! About Volcano National Park.

Pack it Up!

As I had mentioned in my previous post, I have been on the road travelling whilst on a Broadway Tour and learned a few things. Most important for me was how to pack compactly and still have everything I need to fit into 2 suitcases.

I figured I'd just transfer my past experiences with my child. Again, I typically don't have my husband around to help me since he is always at the city before me working. In 2003, my son was only 18 mos. and I had to figure out how to keep things light since I was by myself traveling with him.

My List of Thoughts go like this:

1. Is there a washer/dryer available? This will dictate how much clothes to bring.
2. What is the weather like at our destination city?
3. How do I pack my suitcases so that everything will fit and not be deemed "heavy item"?
   
4. How much can I really carry myself with my child onto the plane?
5. What do I need to keep my child interested while waiting and flying?

I will tackle these questions first.

Is there a washer/dryer available? This will dictate how much clothes to bring.

Yes, we have access to a washer/dryer which meant I could bring less clothes since I could clean them easily. If I did not have access, I would have packed more.

What is the weather like at our destination city?

We were going to be in Boston for over 3 mos beginning in June. This meant hot, humid weather according to my research and speaking to people in Boston (I had called a friend who lived there and then spoke to our landlords as well for the weather scoop). What I do enjoy about warmer weather is that it doesn't require as much clothes. However, my son would easily dirty his shirts with food, drinks, mud, etc so I still had to have changes of clothes for him. But, the material for summer clothing is thinner.

How do I pack my suitcases so that everything will fit and not be deemed "heavy item"?

While I was on the road by myself, I would try to figure out ways where I could pack without having to iron everything. What worked best for me was rolling my clothing. Some experts believe that rolling with paper (like how they use tissue paper at the Dept. Stores) helps decrease wrinkled clothing. In all honesty, who had time to do all of that. I'm not Martha Stewart and don't really feel the need to have to do that. So, I just rolled my clothes and it worked nicely. It also seemed to save space. This worked out with my packing my clothes and my son's in our 1 suitcase. Yup, I did it all in one large suitcase.

The items that took up a lot of room were shoes. Not my child's, but mine. With the amount of time we were going to be there, I had to have the sneakers, sandals, dress shoes for various outfits and occasions. I used plastic grocery bags to wrap my shoes and packed them strategically. Since then, my girlfriend has made me shoe bags for each shoe. I love this because I can separate the shoes and know which belongs to the other pair (fabric) and yet pack them in those various "cracks" between clothes.

Other bulky items were my toiletries. We weren't staying in a hotel and so I needed to make sure we had our shampoos, lotions, etc. This is where I used the ziplock bags (see previous post) to insure I wasn't going to have any leaking shampoo on our clothes. It worked beautifully! The trick is to not overstuff the ziplock bags. If you overstuff them, they get too bulky and tough to strategically place between clothes and shoes.

I typically packed my shoes first and then put the clothes around it. However, I found that if I packed the clothes first then I can squeeze the shoes between various clothing items. This just lessened the one blob of bulk that took up room which I needed for other things.

How much can I really carry myself with my child onto the plane?

I used my backpack which freed up my arms. I had the carseat for my child's seat. I had a stroller that helped in carrying things to the gate. I also had one carry-on to go below my child's seat in front of him. I tested it out myself and it worked. I would recommend doing a mock run of what you would be carrying yourself from the curb to the airline desk for check-in and from there to security and then gate.

The stroller I used was MacLaren's Volo. It was light and folded up quickly with one hand and one foot. I could break that stroller down in 2 seconds flat right before I entered the plane.

My carseat was FAA approved and I purchased a carrier for it. It had a shoulder strap which I sometimes used on my shoulder, but I typically hung it onto the stroller. I have seen some nowadays with wheels. I love how things evolve in such a short time. Beware***if your child gets up off the stroller, the stroller will tip so be careful.

My carry-on I could put on my shoulder or hang it on the stroller as well. Again, beware if your child gets off the stroller...physics will come into play.

What do I need to keep my child interested while waiting and flying?

My carry-on had a lot of compartments...a lot like my backpack. Those small side pockets are critical for me. Why? Well, as I approached the airline counter for check-in, they would ask for id and all. Here's my lesson. I initially had it in my backpack which meant I had to take the backpack off my back, turn it around, and look for my wallet. So, now my hands are all tied up and I didn't have my had on the stroller. Call me paranoid, but I had to have at least one hand on the stroller my child was sitting in. The carry-on with those side pockets helped because all I had to do was unzip, pull out my information, stick the boarding passes in the same pocket, and zip up....all with one hand. No need to shift and prop one knee up, etc.

The main question is what to bring. I was able to bring liquids back then so my child's drinks were in a reusable cup that had a tight lid on it. However, to be safe, I had the drinks in a ziplock bag to avoid spillage onto other items in my carry-on. Snacks, snacks, snacks are crucial. I used my "tupperware" for those snacks. Remember, when a young child is hungry they don't understand, "just wait a minute", they want it now. I also had my child's old toys that he hadn't played with in a while and I wrapped them in wrapping paper. This was my first time flying with a child and I didn't know how long his attention span was. I had about one wrapped toy per hour. It seemed to suffice. In addition to all of this, the lovely portable DVD player and headphones (Sony makes great ones that fit kids). I had enough DVD's to last the time when we arrived for departure to final destination. I have to say this was my biggest life-saver. I wasn't sure if I was going to need it, but packed it anyways just in case. I only had to use it for an hour out of the 7 hours we were travelling form doorstep to doorstep. There was a moment when my son was getting tired and nothing was appeasing him. Out came the DVD and the zzzzz's followed. I also had his favorite books. All of this went under the seat in front of us for easy access. The overhead bin would have been too much.

My backpack had its typical paraphernalia for a first time mom. I had diapers, wipes, blankie, favorite stuffed toy, wallet, first aid kit (travel size), travel size photo album (my son loved looking at pictures of people he knew), vaseline, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, etc. I put in anything I felt I anticipated needing.

Was it all a success? Well, other than learning about the wallet in the backpack and my son getting knocked in the head by a guitar case at the airport's baggage claim, it went pretty smoothly. Did I use everything I packed? No, but I was sure happy to have it as a just in case. It made my travels a lot less stressful knowing I was armed with "stuff" to keep myself and my son happy.

One final story: The flight attendants kept telling me I couldn't bring the carseat onto the plane and so I had to show them it was an FAA approved carseat. I think they thought that bag was just a big bag and not a carseat. But, what was most appalling was that none of these flight attendants lifted one finger to help me carry something to our seats. They saw I had a little one and was carrying quite a lot. The ones that helped.................other moms. Thank you to those mom's that helped us get seated because they understood. I won't mention the airline and I did complain, but nothing happened. Well, I don't know if anything changed. I never flew that airline again.

Now go travel with your kids. It can be done!