First Impressions of Las Vegas, NV

So, business trip to Vegas.

I should preface this by saying that I had indeed been to Vegas once before in my life…while my mom was pregnant with me. Which, obviously, made it a memorable and exciting trip for both of us. Apparently, it was over 100 degrees when my parents came through on a road trip to California the last time, and my mom was suffering from some nasty sciatica because SOMETHING insisted on sitting on her sciatic nerve for four solid months. Yeah…something tells me I got the good end of that deal.

So, twenty-odd years later, I made my grand return to the city of Lost Wages, Nevada. I was on a business trip there from September 13th through the 17th, working at a trade show and meeting with clients. While I was working all day every day, my coworker Vicky and I found some time to enjoy the sights at night.

Everything about Las Vegas is unique, starting with the airport. Since McCarran International Airport sits about two miles from the center of the strip, when you fly into the city you are literally flying into the city – it feels like you are skimming the tops of the buildings as you come in for landing. My flight landed after dark, so I had a fantastic view of the city lights as we prepared to land. Once on the ground, it took less than 15 minutes in the bus to get to our hotel for the week, Treasure Island.

First Impressions of the Strip - Blurry and All

Setting eyes on the world-famous Las Vegas strip for the first time is truly amazing. Everyone is competing for your attention, making every attempt to get you to focus in a city full of distractions. Even things that are not designed to be distracting can catch your attention. For example, before our first trek down the length of the strip, I didn’t know that Las Vegas does not have an open bottle law–meaning, if you want to walk down the street with your beer, you are welcome to walk down the street with your beer. I was quickly learning that this was my kind of town.

As an architecture nerd, one of the best parts of Las Vegas was the unique and challenging architecture. Along with everything else in the city, the buildings are all vying for your attention, trying to get you to in just by being the biggest, or the most unique, or even the strangest. I applaud the people who made the decisions to hire these architects, because they realized (and continue to realize in new hotels) that tourists are not coming to Vegas for intellectual stimulations. They are coming to Vegas for visual enlightenment – and visual enlightenment they will receive.

Glen Onoko Falls in Jim Thorpe, PA

Since I’m broke (yeah, I’ll say it), my boyfriend and I have elected to take a few day trips this summer to places we have heard about, or have been to and would like to revisit. Glen Onoko Falls in Jim Thorpe, PA was at the top of our list.

Glen Onoko Falls are a collection of sizable waterfalls located outside of the historic mining town of Jim Thorpe, PA. The falls are beautiful, yet they look a bit misplaced in eastern Pennsylvania. Falls of this size are rare in Pennsylvania, and having them so nearby is a treat.

Smaller falls at the bottom of the mountain.

We decided to spend a day up there, exploring the town of Jim Thorpe, and utilizing the many hiking and walking trails located around the park. When we got to the park, I was suprised to see how crowded it was–and that almost everyone was a part of a couple: there were few kids, and more people in their 20s and 30s than you typically see in state- and federally-run parks. It turns out that the falls (and the river winding through the park) are a major attraction for people in the area due to the cool temperatures around the water on hot summer days.

The hiking trail was tough (my knees weren’t pleased), and very steep at times. I wouldn’t recommend it if you have a small child or any sort of heavy equipment with you; whole sections of the trail required hands grabbing on to roots and rocks to get to the next portion of the trail. If you’re looking for an easy hike through the woods, this is not it. Wear hiking boots or sneakers, and definitely come prepared to sweat.

Although it was difficult, the beauty of the falls made the hike worth it. The falls increased in height the further we climbed, and the temperature dropped significantly the higher we got in elevation. Nothing is off-limits at the falls; you can wade in the water and even under the falls if you’d like. I don’t recommend it if you’re not the type of person who cannonballs into the swimming pool on the first day of summer…the water is colder than you would think.

Um, cold.

After a long day of hiking, we decided to check out the nearby town of Jim Thorpe. The town of Jim Thorpe is named after one of the greatest athletes of all time, and was formerly a major mining town. Since the 1970s, Jim Thorpe has been viewed as a gateway town to the Poconos, and thus is a major tourist attraction for the area. It hosts unique architecture that makes the town appear to be “frozen in time.” In addition to being the tourism center for the area, it serves as an artists’ colony.

Jim Thorpe, PA

So, we spent another hour walking around the town, checking out the arts scene. It doesn’t take more than an hour or two to walk all of Jim Thorpe, so once we had covered the town we got some great food to eat. The food was pretty good, but the last thing we should have done after hiking and walking all day was sit in a dark restaurant and eat. We were exhausted; and more than ready to put our feet up. Thankfully, we only had about an hour and a half drive back to my boyfriend’s house.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VISITING GLEN ONOKO FALLS AND/OR THE JIM THORPE, PA AREA
I recommend Glen Onoko Falls for travelers who like to hike and/or are fairly athletic. The walking trails around the falls are narrow but not particuarly challenging. It’s the trails TO the falls that are hard, and not for the unathletic. Leave the heavy equipment behind, but definitely bring a camera.

When visiting Jim Thorpe, walk the residential streets for a bit to get a feel of the unique architecture. There are a lot of small stores in homes, and they hold some pretty unique products.

If you are not already in the Poconos and will be heading up just for the day, dress for temperatures about 10 degrees cooler than you are experiencing at homes. It doesn’t seem like it, but the falls and Jim Thorpe are higher in elevation than they seem.

Staycationing: Beverage Edition

Given the state of the current economy, not too many people are thinking about exotic, extensive vacations. Not too many people are thinking about packing their bags and heading to Peru for two weeks to hike around Machu Picchu, nor is anyone really considering marathoning in Antarctica (it happens, trust me). So, what is a broke world traveler to do when life hands him or her a few lemons?

Why, make beer of course.

There are few cheaper and unique ways to get a taste of the exotic than to sample beers from different countries. This is especially cheap and tasty if you have a massive beer distributor or liquor store near you that sells “make your own six-packs” deals. In this situation, you can mix and match which types of beers are most appealing to you without the risk (and cost) of buying a whole case of beer that you may not like (I’m looking at you, Leffe).

In this mix and match scenario, you can get as creative as you like. Maybe try one beer from each country available, or you can go on a tour of a larger beer-producing country and select beers from across Germany, for example.

I recently began my own tour (I’m taking it slow with one at a time) with a beer from Nicaragua called Toña Cerveza. I, personally, have never been to Nicaragua, and so I have no idea what that beer would taste like. So, I tried it. It was pretty good, pretty light, and had a pretty unique taste. I have a few other beers I’d like to try—one from Jamaica, one from Germany, and one from Japan—but I’m taking it slow to savor the experience. This isn’t a real vacation with deadlines and places to see; I can take my sweet time.

This kind of tour also works with mixed drinks. Want to go to Hawaii? Try a Mai Tai. Or even a Blue Hawaiian. Want to make a full meal out of it? Try some Hawaiian slow-roasted pork and pair it with pineapples and your sweet Mai Tai. Now you’ve got a real Hawaiian meal to enjoy, sans the airfare.

This unique spin on staycationing is a cheap way of broadening your palatte without actually traveling to your country of choice. You get one of the perks of travel—trying local beverages—all for about $5. You have to get creative in a rough economy, so crack open an exotic brew and enjoy your money well saved.

Bad to the Future

Back when I used to have time to read, I did a lot of reading. Like, tear-through-two-books-per-week a lot. During that time, I read quite a few classics, including Brave New World and 1984. I noticed something very similar between those two books, something that caught me off guard and confused me: Why is London always the epicenter of bad things in books and movies?

Now, I have been to London. It’s a lovely city, and it truly is one of—if not The—world capital. There is so much history there it is truly astounding. But why does it get such a bad rap in apocalyptic novels? And it’s not just novels—the comic book (graphic novel for the nerds in the house) V for Vendetta, and the movie 28 Days Later also expound upon this. More recently, the movie and book Children of Men use London, England as the centerpiece for their tale. Doubtlessly London is not a coincidental choice…but why there?

In Brave New World, 1984, and V for Vendetta, London serves as the seat for dictatorships that seek to control every aspect of their populations’ lives. In 28 Days Later and Children of Men, the end has already arrived in the form of diseases that wreak havoc upon the populations of the world. While their plot lines diverge, London remains at the center of it all, like the center of an apocalyptic flower.

So why London? I have a few uneducated guesses. First, London is a world capital, so it is only natural that something major (good or bad) would start there. There are a lot of people with a lot of different agendas floating around, just waiting for the opportune moment to share their message. A major city with a diverse population would be a natural place to start.

Second, at the time a lot of the original books were written, technology was a new, scary thing. No one knew exactly how fast technology would evolve, and no one knew if all the progress being made in diverse areas (sanitation, data storage, medicine, etc.) would develop into something sinister overnight. Not a lot of people understood all this new science being thrown around, and that breeds fear. London, being one of the most cosmopolitan and forward-thinking cities in the world, would naturally be the breeding ground for new ideas and thus new technology.

Finally, I think the time in which this book was written plays a major role in another way. Since some of these books were written post-World War II, and WWII had such a major impact upon England, wouldn’t it be natural to assume that the writers that grew up in this time were surrounded by the paranoia of a totalitarian government? Also, they had London’s history further back in time to back them up—the city has a long history of being the center of chaos and coups—what better place to start a revolution?

I will admit that none of these reasons are particularly satisfying, or even really fantastically creative. I just wanted to point out how intriguing it is that London always seems to be caught in the center of a dystopian future. Who knows…maybe it’s the weather getting to them once and for all.

Enterprise

Had my first (business-related) trip to Denver last week. This marked my 12th separate trip to the Denver area. As always, I had beautiful weather and a fantastic time. That state breeds miracles, I swear. What I really want to write about today is Enterprise Rent-a-Car.

I was first turned on to Enterprise through, of all things, a business management book. I liked their business plan and their model for exceptional customer service, so the first time I had a chance to rent a car, I immediately thought of them. They lived up to my expectations by delivering on the customer service model they had developed and promoted, so I was hooked. Also, when I turned in their car after my rental period was up, I received a discount off of the price they had originally quoted me. One point to Enterprise. The second time I had a chance to rent a car, I chose Enterprise again. Same thing–another discount upon my return. I’m not talking about a lot of money–maybe $10–but that adds up. I decided to try my luck again, this time on my latest trip to Colorado. Same thing.

While I definitely expect the great customer service Enterprise has proven to be capable of, I never expect that small discount to show up. But, when it does, it’s the cherry on top of an already enjoyable experience. I cannot say enough good things about Enterprise, and until they personally mess up one of my rental experiences, I will not be trying anyone else.

Staycation: Dewey Beach, DE

You never know what you are going to find in your own backyard. Hence the surprises I found when I went to Dewey Beach, Delaware a few weekends ago.

It had been ages since I had last been to Delaware’s beaches—probably over ten years. In that time, I managed to forget that the beaches are actually pretty nice, not as crowded, and the main streets in both Rehoboth and Dewey Beaches were lined with bar after bar. All of this somehow escaped my teenaged attention the last time I was down there.

My best friend wanted to head down to Dewey Beach when she heard a band she likes was playing a show there. So, we headed south about three hours to southern Delaware. Traffic was nowhere near as monstrous as the traffic headed to the Jersey shore on a hot summer weekend—which this one definitely was. In fact, it was a downright pleasant ride. We caught a shore breeze pretty far from our destination, and hit very little traffic along the way. Parking was free and close to our destination, two things that are unheard of around other summer beaches.

We were surprised by the reasonable pricing, and the lack of crowds everywhere we went. More surprising, perhaps, was how close by all of this was and it somehow escaped our attention in our post-21 years. It was exciting to rediscover something in our own backyard; something we had forgotten had existed while we were focusing our attentions on more distant places. But here was a place that was close, cheap, and fun that would require only minimum amounts of planning and commitment to get to.

While this might not qualify exactly as a staycation, it does have some of the same principles of staycationing: affordable, easily accessible, and fun. So, this summer, as spending tightens, consider rediscovering your own neighborhood.

Business Travel Tip

Since the airlines began imposing bag fees last year, the cost of traveling has increased significantly. If you have two checked bags (or even one, in some cases), prepare to pay. These fees can easily run a solo traveler with a few bulky bags over $100. I’d like to propose a different solution.

Since I am traveling to Denver next week for work, I decided to look into shipping the two samples I will need to present ahead. Since the products I am bringing with me are heavy, bulky items totaling about 65 pounds, I decided to ship them ahead of my arrival to my presentation destination. Now, these two products would probably run me about $80 round trip, not to mention I would have the aggravation of waiting at the baggage carrier and lugging these bulky packages out to my rental car and then lugging them into the place where I would be presenting. Then, I would be fortunate enough to repeat this process on my way home, if they decided not to keep these samples.

What I decided to do was ship my products ahead of time to the location I would be presenting in. I saved myself the annoyance of taking them to the airport, checking them in, paying for bags, and hauling them all over Denver International. Total cost? $49. No aggravation, no pulled muscles, no checking bags. I can breeze through checking in with my carry on, skip the baggage claim, and ride worry-free to my meeting the next day, knowing my samples are already there. Not to mention the savings I will obtain when I rent a smaller car than would otherwise be necessary if I was carrying the samples with me.

So I saved about $30 on the flying, and probably about $10 on the rental. While $40 may not sound like a lot to you, it does to my boss and that can never hurt. Saving a little cash by planning ahead is definitely a smart choice.

Upcoming Denver Trip and General Site News

Good news! I am headed to Denver for a three-day business trip next week. One of the reasons I took this job was because I wanted to travel for work, and I’m pleased to say that is paying off in a big way very, very quickly. So expect some Denver- and business travel-related posts in the next week or so.

In site news, I am sorry, loyal Foxy Citrus readers, that I have been so lax with updating. Between my commute and my job, I have a sixty-hour work week that takes up a lot of my time and creative powers. I am very lucky to have this job; I am not complaining; however, it does explain why I have not been updating as much as I used to. I believe I’ve adjusted to my new schedule enough to start posting again more frequently, so get used to seeing some more posts around here. I truly love traveling and writing, it’s just a matter of finding some more time in the day where I can write. I’m finding it, and I will continue to contribute as long as I can.

Thanks for sticking with me. I look forward to getting posty a little more often with you.

Guest Posting

Hey loyal Foxyists (and you are loyal if you’re reading this right now…),

I’ve contributed a guest post over at BlackBeltMama …check it out here: http://www.blackbeltmama.com/black_belt_mama/2009/06/karate-from-an-outsiders-perspective-it-turns-out-its-not-all-hiiiiyah.html .

In it, I write about karate. True story.

Real post coming soon, I promise.

Staycation: New Jersey

So, a few weeks ago, before I was relegated to desk life once again, I had the opportunity to go to the Jersey shore. The Jersey shore, for those of you not in the Tri-state region, is a magical place that draws people from all over the region to its shores. We all beat up on it, we all know its shortfallings, but we accept and love the place nonetheless.

Since they were calling for unseasonably hot temperatures at the end of April, my best friend and I decided a few days in advance that it would be great to get down the shore for a day.  As with all staycations, planning was key: we knew what we wanted to do a few days in advance, and thus could put together a sensible plan of action before the night before. We (thought we) found the best time to leave so as to avoid traffic, and hit a small amount during the first half of our trip down. Once we got to the shore, though, we found that people were going to factor very little into our day.

What traffic?

The first place we settled on the beach was perfect: wide open white sands with nothing between us and the ocean. There were maybe five other people on the entire stretch of beach that we could see. We parked about a block away, for free, on an empty residential street. Anyone who has been to the Jersey shore on a 90-degree day in July can tell you that is like hitting the lottery (maybe better). We chose a Monday, which is another great thing to keep in mind, staycationers: pick an off-peak day if possible. Fewer people means you can avoid the crowds, whether you are visiting a theme park or going to the shore.

So, after absorbing the summer-like sun for a bit, we decided to brave the off-season boardwalk. We were confident that our lucky streak was about to run out. Not so–we still found free parking, we still got a great deal on lunch (2 sandwiches for $10…unheard of during the busy boardwalk season), and we found the beach wasn’t busy at all. It was busier than it was at the other end of the block, but still much better than it would have been a month later. Since the water was freezing, most beachgoers decided to stay on the sand, but a few brave souls (yours truly included) tried to brave the water. The water came in at about 40 degrees, further proving another point staycationers need to remember: while the off-season has its perks, not everything is going to cooperate. You won’t get the crowds associated with the summer season, but you also won’t get the warm water. It’s the off-season for a reason.

What crowds?

Something surprising that we found once we cruised the boardwalk was that a majority of the stores were open. We were surprised to see no fewer than 90% of the stores open on the boardwalk, more than a month from the official start of the season. Some had limited hours, but some were headed into the season at full speed with no restrictions. It had been a few years since we had been down the shore (I know, it’s a sin), and we checked out all the newest additions to the boardwalk, as well as stopping into some old favorites. We picked up some fudge and salt water taffy, and then indulged in Mack and Manco’s pizza. Which brings me to my final tip for staycationers: always do something classic, or you’re going to regret it. You wouldn’t go to Paris without hitting up the Eiffel Tower, and you wouldn’t go to the Jersey shore without getting some Mack and Manco’s pizza. If you don’t regret it yourself when you don’t do something a little expected, your coworkers would make you regret it once you get back:

“So, how was Paris?”
“Great, we had a wonderful time. I’m glad I saved all year to go there; it was the trip of a lifetime.”
“How was the Eiffel Tower?”
“Actually, we didn’t go there.”
(silence)

I mean, come on. If you intend not to, you look like a douche; and if you just didn’t get there because of time constraints, then you look like you didn’t bother to organize your trip. Do something classic, trust me.

We headed home after our trip to Mack and Manco’s, and were happy to find we were safely behind traffic. Traffic would have been an unwelcome burden at that point in the day, so we were relieved to get home. Any longer, and our exhaustion might have turned into frustration. A long day in the sun will take it out of you, and you don’t want to ruin a perfectly good day by being crabby at the end of it.

So, staycationers, remember the tips above, and you will be sure to have many a successful (and cheap) summer days ahead of you.