#store in the city that was so hot & crowded & everything was expensive. yes its also independent so im sure the pricing is needed & | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kleptosuperstar · 3 years

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hiii so uhh i really don't think anyone will see this because...i literally have one follower but im kinda making this for myself because me and my cousin are going to the mall and a few stores around the city in a few days SPECIFICALLY to lift and I made a list of things that we both want PLUS some tips for these stores seeing as I DO lift from most of them a lot sooo..yeah

SPENCERS: a moderately easy store seeing as there are TONS of blind spots and LP isn't employed. To top it off, cameras are never monitored, however they are low-hanging and somewhat high quality. Usually only 2-5 employees but the store is almost always crowded so if you find a blind spot it's a free for all. They wont chase but might call mall security.

What we want:

h20 piercing cleaner x2

toy cleaner

jojoba oil

hemp oil

septum and nose jewelery (we will actually have to purchase this, seeing as if you steal the jewelery they hand to you they WILL know you stole no matter what. Plus the packaging is riddled with RFID tags)

HOT TOPIC: Not that many blind spots, but employees usually don't care and rarely count clothing articles, which may have a tag or two, so check for those. Cameras are never monitored and the stores usually have a large layout so just watch out for customers and employees, find a blind spot and throw a bunch of shit into your bag They don't chase! :D.

What we want:

distressed thigh highs

over the knee thigh highs with bow

black fishnet lace thigh highs

black and white stripe arm warmers

black fishnet fingerless gloves

black floral tights

CLAIRE'S: whew lawd. I really really want to be helpful on this one but Claire's is a laughably easy place to lift from. No cameras, usually only 1 or 2 employees and if one is giving a piercing it's a free-for-all. THEY HAVE MIRRORS SO AVOID THOSE. My favorite blind spot there is behind the register if there is no one there, and that's all I have to say there.

What I want: (she doesn't want anything from Claire's apparently🙄)

Headphones

A tiara

Nail polish

VICTORIA'S SECRET: first of all lol, i feel ZERO shame in lifting from them. Please note that they do have cameras, and their SAs are trained to look out for shoplifters, however most of them are just confused college girls lol. Panties are NOT tagged. What I like to do is take a medium sized empty makeup bag and put it in my purse, and once I arrive to VS i put the makeup bag in the tote, I also drop my phone into the tote. I go around the store, picking out panties that are my size and i drop them so they can fall directly into the makeup bag. I do this with as many as I can fit into the bag and I do this with small makeup items as well. Once I'm done, I reach into the bag as if I'm looking for my phone (which i dropped in earlier) and that's the moment when i zip up the zipper of the makeup bag and pull out my phone immediately after and pretend to check the time and say something like "Damn, I gotta go. I'm late." Or something like that. Put the makeup bag in your purse and play around on your phone as you exit the store. And that's really it :) I rarely lift bras from there anymore so I can't REALLY help you there.

What I want:

a bunch of panties and some lip gloss!

BARNE'S AND NOBLES: I've never lifted from this place but I know friends who have. I'll give you the tips they gave me. There are cameras, and they are being monitored, but there are PLENTY of blind spots seeing as it is a very large store. The kid's section has no cameras tho, so if you're like me and look younger than you are, this could be for your advantage. No one expects you to steal when you're vibing in the kid's section. Most books have RFID tags, and hardcover books sometime have books engraved in the cover, so watch out for those. Most manga, some magazines, and just overall 99% of the books are tagged. Get what you want, flip through them and look for RFID tags while pretending to "read". If an employee sees you sitting down "reading" they won't suspect you unless they actually see you ripping out the tags. The worst that could happen is that they could ask you to move out of the book aisle so other customers can come through, if that happens, simply find another blind spot. Slip them into your bags like they're yours as SOON as you know they're rid of RFID tags. They won't chase, but probably will try to get you back into the store and if that doesn't work they'll try to get a license plate number or give your description to the police, neither usually goes anywhere tbh.

What we want:

fire force volume 1

fire force volume 2

fire force volume 3

fire force volume 4

Akame Ga Kill

Soul eater

Black lagoon

Kakegurui vol. 1

The seven deadly sins volume 1

Spy x family 1

Spy x family 2

Spy x family 3

Black butler vol. 1

Black butler vol. 2

Black butler vol. 3

Black butler vol. 4

Wotakoi vol. 1

Wotakoi vol. 2

Gangsta

Dictionary of witchcraft

The anatomy of the occult

Charms, spells, and formula

Moon spells

Gothic beauty magazine number 19

Nocturnal witchcraft

Necronomicon

The good witch's daily spellbook

A big book of practical spells

Any book on astrology

Gothic grimoire

Shingeki no Kyonin

Ulta: The second store I've ever lifted from. This store is easy, but not laughably. I feel like this would be a starter for babylifters. This store has mild LP, so watch out for those and NEVER EVER EVER conceal in front of customers, you should never do this in general but especially NOT in an Ulta. Get to your blindspot and make sure to detag depending on what you plan on lifting. Those mfs at Ulta tag like crazy. Put everything in your bag and remember to NEVER get too greedy at this store. They have a STRICT, VERY VERY STRICT no chase policy.

What we want:

better than sex mascara

lipstick

eyeshadow

makeup brushes

black liquid and stick liner

pink liquid liner (if they have it)

bronzer

brown eyeliner

eyeliner pencil

maracuja oil

any colorful eyeshadow pallate lol

WALMART: My walmart is so easy it hurts. Maybe about 5 cameras throughout the whole store to my knowledge, so the whole thing is basically a blind spot. The makeup aisle is heavily monitored tho so whenever I'm over there I make an effort to never look up to those cameras. Grab whatever you want/need and AVOID EMPLOYEES!!! they're everywhere. As well as customers. They are the two most annoying problems I've ever had lifting from a Walmart. I've noticed that aisles where you get things such as building materials are the most empty with no cameras. People usually only go to walmart because the food is cheap, so there are a lot of families who are usually only at one side of the store. Its rare that people ever need materials like those so seek out aisles like that to use as a blind spot. Wal-Mart doesn't seem to tag that many things, but ALWAYS check no matter what store you're at. If you're lifting something on the expensive side, just check for that.

What I want:

kinder buenos x2

sugar free monster energy

paint

paintbrushes

black lace

blue eyeliner

blush

nail polish

socks

THE DOLLAR TREE:

Pretty easy store tbh. The cameras are fake, and if they aren't they're never being monitored. I don't know about ALL layouts but mine has SO many blindspots it's crazy. If you're just looking for a snack, some makeup, or maybe a meal ? (Yes, you can get a whole meal if you lift enough stuff) then the dollar tree would be your place of interest. There are almost no employees walking around the store. There are usually only 2, and they switch between working at the registers and cleaning out the front of the store or whatever. Honestly this store is so easy just stuff shit in your bag lol. Even if you get caught they won't chase or call the police. Their stock is WAYY too cheap for that. I go there to steal candy or makeup brushes which is usually not worth paying for anyways so this is a beginner store. Knock yourself out ;)

What I want:

literally anything i see there that i want😭

welllll if you actually made it this far, thank you so much! I hope this helped someone and I hope one day I can make a master list of stores myself instead of just picking selective ones but this was all i was able to do :( i really REALLY hope this helped someone lmao just remember

✨ if its chain, its free reign✨

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retrievablememories · 4 years

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a day with you | taeyong (m)

title: a day with you pairing: taeyong x reader genre: fluff, smut, friends to lovers summary: you spend your birthday with one of your closest friends—lee taeyong. word count: 4.7k warnings: fingering, oral sex (female receiving), PIV sex, a lil dirty talk a/n: i know he can’t drive(?) but let’s pretend lol. some parts of this fic are little vague and you’ll see what i mean but that’s so you can imagine your own preferences

Taeyong wakes up first thing in the morning with you already on his mind.

He can’t help but smile to himself as he thinks about spending time with you on a day as special as this—your birthday. He doesn’t always get to spend as much time with you as he’d like because of his neverendingly busy schedule, but this is one day he wouldn’t miss.

Wiping his blurry eyes, he reaches for his phone and opens the text message box with your name on it.

To: Y/N Hi sleepyhead~ are you awake yet? Probably not. But i’m coming to get you soon ^^

Taeyong takes a shower and dresses himself, all while still thinking of you. Once he’s ready to his liking, he leaves the dorm to drive to your favorite breakfast place nearby. The sun is just making its appearance over the horizon, warming the land and making everything seem brand new again.

When Taeyong arrives at your place with food in hand, it’s still fairly early in the morning. As he predicted, you aren’t awake yet—at least not fully. It takes you a minute to answer the door, and only after he knocks incessantly. When you do, you’re still in your pajamas from last night.

“I’m guessing you didn’t see my message?” He laughs and pats your head.

“Honestly, I was knocked out…sorry, Yongie,” you say, stifling a yawn. You move aside so he can come in and close the door after him. Suddenly awakened by the smell of food wafting past your nose, you follow Taeyong into the kitchen. “But I see you have food...what’d you bring me?”

“Only your favorite, of course. What else would I get the birthday girl on her special day?”

“You know me so well,” you say, giving Taeyong a side hug before diving into the bag to get your meal. You and Taeyong eat together at the table, enjoying each other’s company. You’re still a bit sleepy so you don’t say much, but Taeyong doesn’t mind. He likes seeing you enjoying your food, and it makes him happy to treat you to gestures like this.

Once you finish eating, you slide out of your seat and stretch. “Wow, that was great. Thank you Yongie,” you giggle, pinching his cheek. He blushes at your attention and shrugs bashfully.

“I’m gonna go take a shower and get dressed now. Can you tell me where we’re going so I know how to dress at least? A hint? Pleaseee?”

“Not yet! You’ll see when we get there,” Taeyong says smugly, putting his arms behind his head. “It’s not just one place anyway, so it doesn’t really matter what you wear.”

“Oh, fine. You won’t be too bored without me, right?” you ask, turning to look at him from the bedroom doorway.

“I’m fine Y/N, I can handle myself for an hour while you get ready.” He chuckles.

“If you insist!”

Once you’re ready, you and Taeyong go out to his car and take off to wherever the first destination is, which you’re excited to find out. You watch the scenery go by as you travel there.

“I hope work’s been treating you well,” you say, turning back to look at Taeyong.

“You don’t have to worry about me today,” he insists.

“I’m always gonna worry about you!” You put your hand on his leg, and his eyes widen a tad at that. “I know it’s hard sometimes. You said you wanted to make me happy—knowing you’re doing okay is what makes me happy.”

A grin spreads across his face. Taeyong glances at you and places his hand on yours. “I’m doing fine. Promise.” He nudges his pinky finger under yours, linking them together. “I wouldn’t lie to you!”

You squeeze his pinky finger back. “I’m trusting you. If I hear you’re overworking yourself again, I’m gonna force you to take a vacation. Just watch!”

You start to realize where you’re headed pretty soon when the city’s scenery gives way to more greenery. This lake, and the park it’s located in, is one of your favorite places to hang out with Taeyong, although you haven’t been there lately because he’s been so busy with work.

“Remember the first time we came here?” you ask, gazing at the lake’s surface glittering from between the trees.

“That was such a fun day. I didn’t even know this place existed back then...it feels like a hundred years ago now, though.”

Once the car is in the parking lot, you two head to the boardwalk. A good portion of it extends out into the lake itself before meeting the shore again and trailing off onto a nature trail among the trees. You walk along the portion that sits over the lake, stopping every so often to watch the water lap at the wooden posts. There are only a few other people out here besides you two; it’s still too early for the afternoon crowds.

Taeyong stands beside you as you peer into the waters, his hair blowing across his face from the cool breeze.

“You should drop in a coin. Make a wish or something.”

“I thought that was only for fountains?”

“Maybe it’ll work here, too.” He leans forward to see both of your reflections staring back at him.

You giggle. “The fish will get mad at me. I think I’ll pass on that one. We should go see the trail though, there’s a flower bush there...I know you remember it.”

“The one that has those flowers with the funny-looking petals?”

“Yes! I wanna take a picture of it,” you say, already feet ahead of Taeyong. “Come on, or you’re getting left behind!”

You and Taeyong end up walking through the park for a couple of hours; it offers enough land to trek through for days and still be able to find something new every hour. With the sun rising higher in the sky, the temperature quickly starts shooting up. You wipe the sweat away from your forehead, stopping underneath a tree near the side of the park that faces the main road.

You’ve stayed in the park long enough for other people and food trucks to start appearing, and there’s already a line of different vendors camping along the sidewalk.

“I’m hot. We need some ice cream,” you sigh dramatically, leaning against the tree for strength.

“Come on, there’s an ice cream truck down the road.”

Taeyong pays for both your ice creams and you walk along the edge of the park after getting them, eating happily and pointing out birds and flowers to each other every few minutes.

The heat does a number on your ice cream, making it melt onto your hand before you’re even halfway through with the cone. “Damn.” You look at the sticky mess covering your hand. “I should’ve gotten a napkin! Hold on, I’ll just go—”

“Wait.” Taeyong grabs your arm. Before you can ask what he’s doing, he bends his head to lick the ice cream dripping across your fingers. Your eyes grow big, and you stutter trying to think of how to respond, but you end up merely watching him.

He soon pulls back after he finishes his job on your hand. “See? All gone now,” he grins, but his smile comes out more nervous than he intended. The atmosphere isn’t awkward, per se, but it’s definitely more tense than it was a few minutes ago.

“You’re ridiculous,” you say weakly, trying to ignore the heat flooding through your body at his actions. “Don’t get us kicked out of here for public indecency!”

After you finish your ice cream, you and Taeyong decide to leave the park before you melt into the pavement. You stretch your hands in front of the air vents when you get back into his car, letting the pleasant chill run up your arms as he pulls out of the parking lot.

“Where are we going now?” you ask, pressing your hand to the window. The park’s green scenery grows sparse and gives way to roads and familiar hardscapes, which means you’re probably heading to the busiest part of the city.

“Will you ever let me give you a surprise?” Taeyong whines, laughing. “I’ll give you one hint: you’ll need my credit card for it.”

“You mean mine?”

“No way, mine. You can buy whatever you want today, all on me. I already know what you’re thinking, but seriously, it’s fine; charge however much you want.”

“You’re too good to me, seriously. How did I find someone like you?”

“Luck, maybe.”

As you suspected, Taeyong takes you to the busier—and also more expensive—part of the city, packed with shops and boutiques on every corner and filled with people walking to and fro.

When you get out, you and Taeyong stand on the sidewalk gazing at the different stores. “I don’t know where to start,” you admit, gazing at the numerous options laid out in front of you. “You’re all into this luxury stuff, give me a recommendation for something.”

“Are you sure?”

“Please?”

“Okay, here.” Taeyong pulls you to the first clothing store he sees, which happens to be Chanel. You haven’t been in here before, so you’re a bit taken aback at how spacious it is...and how just many clothes there are.

“Wow. I could probably shop forever and still not buy everything,” you say jokingly, drifting away from Taeyong to go over to a jacket that catches your eye.

You spend a lot of time going through the store—and the ones after that—trying to decide what you like. Taeyong buys you a few things from each one. He gives you suggestions at every place you stop in, but at the last store, he becomes drawn to a particular dress hanging on the rack. It’s black with big daisy patterns all over it, and the skirt is made of a flowing, silky material.

“Do you see something you like?” You peek over his shoulder at the dress.

“Yes, for you.” He takes it off the rack and holds it up to your body. “I think it’d look cute on you. Will you try it on?”

You give him a look before taking the dress from his hand. “Okay, let’s see how it looks.” You take it to the dressing room and undress so you can pull it on. The daisy patterns seemed a little overdone at first, but it looks better than you expected. After examining yourself in the mirror, you step outside the dressing room so Taeyong can see it.

“Well, what do you think of it?” you ask, spinning around so Taeyong can see it full-view. He taps his finger against his chin and nods, his eyes lingering on your form.

“You should wear it. Like, for the rest of the day.”

You turn to a nearby mirror and examine the dress again. “Hmm, you really think so?”

“It’s your birthday. You deserve to look good, don’t you?”

“Geez, are you saying my previous outfit was bad?” You snort, throwing Taeyong a skeptical look over your shoulder.

“No, I’m saying...this one is even better.” He’s practically eating you up with his eyes now, and there’s no room for doubt that he means what he says. You’re a bit flustered by the way he’s looking at you, so you turn back the mirror, staring at your reflection.

“Okay, I trust your taste,” you say, willing your heart rate to calm down a little. Taeyong smirks at you in the mirror’s reflection.

You try on a couple more things before leaving the last store—or more like, Taeyong convinces you that every item would look good on you and you decide to get it because you can’t resist his puppy dog eyes.

You drop your shopping bags off at your place before heading back out again. The next stop: the movie theater. Taeyong tells you to pick a movie and promises to stay awake through the whole thing even if he dislikes it, which you roll your eyes at.

“When have you ever known me to pick a bad movie?”

“Well…”

“On second thought, don’t answer that question.”

“Are you hungry?” Taeyong asks a couple hours after you leave the theater. It’s early evening now, but there’s still daylight from the long hours of summer. You had some popcorn in the theater, but you’re ready for the main course now.

“Yes, do you have something special planned for that too?” you ask, poking him in the side.

“Sure, but let’s go back to your place first, I think I left something there,” Taeyong says casually. You don’t suspect anything, so you happily agree, wondering where he’s gonna take you for dinner.

You get back to the building not too long after and head up the stairs to your floor with Taeyong trailing behind you. “This isn’t an excuse to look up my dress, is it?” you say jokingly, glancing back at him. Taeyong blushes at that and laughs nervously, scratching the back of his head.

“It’s not like that!”

You think Taeyong’s going to stop at your apartment once you get to it, but he keeps walking past it and towards the set of stairs that lead to the apartment’s rooftop.

“I’m hungry, Taeyong, why are we going to the roof? There isn’t any food up there,” you laugh, though you follow him as he tugs on your hand and guides you up the steps.

“You’ll see!”

When you get to the top of the stairs, Taeyong swings open the door. On the other side is your apartment’s rooftop, but it looks much different from the last time you saw it. On normal days, there’s a little hangout spot up there with tables and chairs, a fire pit, and an array of potted plants dotting each of the rooftop’s corners.

Now, there are little glowing fairy lights strung up everywhere, decorating the assortment of potted plants native to the rooftop’s decor. The chairs have been pushed to the sides of the roof to make room for a huge blanket in the middle, a quaint little picnic basket on top of it.

“Whoa,” you say, your eyes widening at the setup. “I’ve actually only been up here a few times...I guess I’ve been so busy I haven’t had proper time to appreciate it. It looks really different now...” You gaze at the city’s skyline in awe. The sun is still shining brightly, though darker oranges are already bleeding into the sky’s lighter hue in preparation for sunset. It won’t be long before the city is draped in darkness.

“Well, now you get to enjoy it with me!” Taeyong pulls you over to the blanket. The fire pit isn’t lit yet, but maybe you can do that later tonight.

“When did you even have time to set all this up, anyway? Seriously!” you ask as you and Taeyong sit down.

“I know people,” is his only explanation. “And it’s easy to pull strings when you’re cute.” He does an aegyo move and you shove him, laughing.

You and Taeyong dig into the picnic basket. “I made it myself too, ‘cause I know how much you like whatever you make.” He says this with a gentle smile.

“Ever the humble chef,” you laugh, taking the rest of the food out. There’s an array of fruits and other snacks in addition to the main meal. “Your cooking is always so good. How do you do it?” Taeyong shrugs.

“Sheer talent. Or magic. You should let me teach you one day,” Taeyong says with his mouth full.

“I should,” you say absentmindedly, looking across the skyline as you eat. “We should come up here more, too.”

After you finish the main meal, you and Taeyong feed each other pieces of fruit as he lies his head in your lap, his soft hair fanning across your bare legs. His eyes are soft as he looks up at you, and it makes your mind go warm and fuzzy with all the things you want to say to him.

Eventually, you lie back too, reclining on the soft blanket and gazing at the endless sheet of stars above you, glittering from light years away. Taeyong pulls away from you momentarily to light the fire pit, and the flames lick at the edges of your vision as you watch the starry sky.

“Do you ever think about how some of the stars have already long burned out? And their light is only just now reaching us?”

Taeyong makes a face as he settles beside you. “That’s a bit scary.”

“What if they were all gone? And there were actually no more stars left in our galaxy?” You turn your head to look at Taeyong. “What we would look at at night, then?”

Taeyong pauses for a moment before choosing his answer. “There would still be stars to look at. Like the ones here on Earth.” You smile at that.

The night gets darker as time wears on, and the temperature outside drops. Despite the warmth of the fire pit, Taeyong notices you shiver at the sudden breeze and pulls you closer to him, rubbing his hands on your arms. “Maybe we should go inside?”

“Sounds good to me, I’m starting to get a little sleepy anyway…we’ve been out all day,” you say, stretching your arms and legs. Taeyong cleans up all the food and empty containers spread around, refusing to let you lift a finger to help. Once the picnic basket is packed, you both roll off the blanket so he can fold it up and sling it over his arm. He puts the fire out and gets ready to leave with you, taking your hand.

“What about the lights and stuff?” you ask, glancing back at the fairy lighting still dangling off the potted plants.

“Later,” Taeyong says, waving it away. “Somebody will get to enjoy it tomorrow, maybe.”

You both head back down the stairs and to your apartment. Taeyong sets the stuff down and pulls you into a hug once you both enter your place.

“Today was so fun,” you say, hugging Taeyong back and relishing the feel of his arms around you. “It was the best birthday ever. You’re the best friend anyone could have, you know?”

“I could say the same.” Taeyong murmurs. You pull away from each other, but Taeyong’s fingertips linger at the hemline of your dress; he rubs the fabric between his fingers, a thoughtful look on his face. “You look so cute in this dress...really pretty.” His hand drifts higher and his fingers skirt across your waistline, to your arm, and up your shoulder until he’s hovering at your face.

Taeyong touches the side of your face, a gentle smile on his lips. Your eyes linger on each other’s for a tense moment, and then, Taeyong steps closer and closes the gap between you, pressing his lips to yours. Maybe you should be surprised, but you’re not. Taeyong pulls your body closer, his hand sliding to the nape of your neck and into your hair, cradling the back of your head.

His lips are soft and his tongue is warm against yours. His other hand finds its way back to your skirt and drifts higher, higher, and higher underneath, dangerously close to the hemline of your underwear. He pulls away, panting against your lips, and you chase him for more. He acquiesces and gives you another hot kiss, but then breaks it to speak against your lips,

“I’ve been wanting to slip underneath this dress all day.” His fingers come around to your front, pressing into your sex. “Why do you think I picked it? In the shop...wouldn’t it have been nice if we fucked there?”

You moan at that as Taeyong’s lips drift to your jaw, then the side of your neck. You grip Taeyong’s wrist, bringing his hand closer, pressing his knuckles to your clit. You shudder, and Taeyong responds by dragging his fingers over that spot more firmly, feeling you grow wetter and warmer against him.

“Sit on the couch for me, baby.” Taeyong guides you backwards until your knees hit the back of the couch. Your dress spreads out around you as you sit, and Taeyong kneels in front of you, dragging the fabric higher to rest above your thighs. He leans closer to lay soft kisses over your inner thighs, his fingers pressing into the skin as he pulls your body closer to his mouth. You tremble and press your back against the couch when he mouths at your clit through your underwear.

“Taeyong…” He licks you slowly through your underwear and you have to resist the urge to close your legs around his head as his tongue dances over your clit. He pulls back, looking up at you deviously, only to hook his fingers into your underwear and pull them down. You lift your hips to help him, and he holds you firmly in his grip, bringing your pussy closer to meet his warm and wanting mouth. You gasp at the feeling of his lips on your bare skin, pushing your hand through his hair, wanting him to bury himself inside you.

He slips a finger into you as he licks you and makes you pliable, and then he adds another as he presses them upwards to find the spot that will have you shaking for him. Taeyong finds it soon after and keeps thrusting into it as he lets his tongue trace circles over and over your clit, drawing out more moans and whines from you.

You’re wet and sticky with pleasure at this point, moving your hips along with Taeyong’s movements to draw out as much ecstasy as you can. You feel the orgasm building in your lower body as you grind yourself onto Taeyong’s fingers, and he brings you nearer to it until you’re teetering on the edge.

You tip over the precipice when Taeyong moans into you like you’re the best thing he’s ever tasted and wiggles his fingers against your spot a little harder. You come hard on his fingers and face, and all you can do is grab onto his free hand for support as your legs shake and your stomach tenses from the waves of bliss flowing through you. When Taeyong thinks you’ve had enough, he pulls away from you with his face glistening. He licks his lips clean and lets go of your thighs, letting your relaxed form rest against the couch.

“Let’s go to your room,” he says, and gathers you up in his arms, taking you down the hall to where your bedroom is. He lays you gently on the bed and you watch with anticipation thrumming through your body as he sheds his clothing in front of you until he’s down to his underwear. Though you’ve just come, you’re already leaking and ready for him to pleasure you again.

His hands come up to your body to peel away your dress, and he guides you to lie back on the middle of the bed as his lips cover each new section of exposed skin. He kneads your breasts once they’re revealed to him, pinching your nipples and sucking them between his soft lips, teasing them into hard peaks. His mouth is indescribably warm and wet against your body, his hands equally as soft and gentle as they roam over your waist, down to your hips and legs and back again.

You take Taeyong’s chin between your fingers and bring his face back up to yours so you can kiss his lips and whisper in his ear, “Taeyong, please. I want you.”

Taeyong parts from you for a moment to grab a condom from his jeans, and once he rolls it on he settles between your legs with his cock nudging against your lower lips. He thrusts his hips against you, his tip catching on your entrance, and he keeps rocking himself until he’s fully seated inside of you, both of you moaning from the sensation of filling and being filled.

“You feel so good,” Taeyong murmurs into the side of your neck. He pushes into you slowly, wanting to feel every inch of you around him. With so many sensations flowing through you at once, you’re unsure where to put your hands, and they drift across Taeyong’s back aimlessly. The muscles there clench under your palms as he thrusts into you.

He is tender as he holds you close, kissing you wherever he can and moaning softly in your ear. This is not how you thought your night would end, but you have no complaints as Taeyong fills you over and over again, his hand sliding down your body to rub against your clit. You squeeze his shoulders, your nails pricking his skin slightly as the pleasure doubles inside you.

Droplets of sweat gather at his hairline and at the sides of his face, making the strands stick to his skin. You wipe these away as he looks into your eyes and strokes into you, his hips moving with more vigor as he gets more intense and feels the beginnings of his orgasm creeping up on him.

“I’m close,” Taeyong groans.

“Taeyong…” you sigh and arch against him as your climax overtakes you first, flooding through your body like liquid gold and making you tense and shiver around him.

Taeyong shudders against you when he comes, pulling your body closer to his and lowering his head onto your shoulder as he rides out the throes of pleasure. You both hold onto each other as if you’ll drift away otherwise, your arms tight around him as you listen to his heavy breaths.

He eventually rolls away from you to dispose of the condom. When he comes back, he pulls the bed covers back and draws you into his arms. You cuddle close together, and you can hear his heartbeat steadily next to your ear.

“You know I love you, right?” Taeyong asks quietly, drawing his index finger along your side. It tickles, but you don’t mind much as long as he’s touching you.

“Do you know I love you?” you say back, your lips moving against his collarbone as you speak. He brings his hand up to your hair, breathing in your scent.

“Mmm...maybe.” His body shakes with laughter. “I think maybe I knew it all along.”

“Me too,” you say, closing your eyes. Tiredness sweeps over you, and you know you’ll have to talk more in the morning, but right now you are more than content to leave things as they are. “Maybe we were made for each other.”

#taeyong smut #taeyong fluff #taeyong scenarios #taeyong imagines #taeyong fic #nct smut #nct fic #nct fluff #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct 127 imagines #nct 127 fic #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 smut #nct 127 fluff #taeyong #nct 127

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kathydsalters31 · 4 years

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New York City’s Most Dog-Friendly Restaurants, Bars, Parks, and Beaches

September 05, 2018

6 Comments We’re approaching our third year in New York City with Django(and our 10th year living here overall!). We’ve stayed in 5 different apartments throughout Manhattan

as well as Brooklyn, so we’ve been familiar with the city as well as everything it has to provide really actually well. New York City can be a daunting location, specifically if you’re checking out for the very first time with your dog. Not sure where to hang and also eat out with your dog following time you check out? We put together a listing of our favorite dog-friendly dining establishments, coffee shops, bars, coastlines and also parks(yes, beaches!

)in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens

. Leave us a remark below if you have a suggestion we missed! YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: THE BEST PET-FRIENDLY HOTELS IN NEW YORK CITY Restaurants Barking Dog Barking Dog is a canine-themed restaurant on the Upper East Side. The food selection is traditional American and includes salads, sandwiches, and also comfort dishes (i.e.” Mom’s Loving “meatloaf). Dogs can accompany their proprietors on the outside patio area- this area is fully enclosed as well as warmed throughout the cold weather months, so pets and their owners can eat together throughout the year. Situated in Manhattan at 1678 3rd Ave (by 94th). The Soho Grand Bar & Lounge Grand Bar & Lounge is the swankiest dog-friendly spot on this list. The lounge is recognized for elegant and costly mixed drinks as well as fare including the $ 28″Grand Burger”. Although pets aren’t permitted at eating tables, they are welcome to hang out at all other seats locations in the lounge (sofas and so on) where the complete alcoholic drink and also food menu is available. If you’re looking for something swank and also extra flexible on spending plan, absolutely an awesome spot to check out. Situated in Manhattan 310 West Broadway (near Canal). The Gray Dog The Gray Dog is one of those NYC areas with an unmentioned’dog-friendly ‘regulation. Although canines are practically not permitted inside any NYC food establishment, The Gray Dog plays by its very own rules. As long as your puppy is mannerly as well as discreet, the baristas and also stewards will look the other way. The Gray Dog’s rustic motif is devoted to the owners’ pet dogs, Moose as well as Goose. In addition to a complete coffee food selection, The Gray Dog has a terrific morning meal and also lunch offering stocked with sandwiches, hamburgers as well as salads. The 4 located are spread throughout downtown Manhattan in Chelsea, Nolita, Union Square, and also the West Village (see map below). Pig Beach Pig Beach is an enormous indoor and also outdoor BBQ and also beer joint situated by the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. Canines are strongly encouraged to come hang out, so don’t be stunned to see 10 + puppies when you see. There are lots of TELEVISION screens if you’re wanting to capture a football game, and also bench has a full choice of beers, cocktails, and BBQ. Great area to rest outside, socialize with pals, and appreciate a summer day with your pup. Found at 480 Union Street in Brooklyn( in between Hoty and also Smith).< a href="https://www.shakeshack.com/location/madison-square-park/"target="_

space”title=”Dog-friendly Shake Shack hamburger joint in Madison Square Park, Manhattan”rel =”noopener noreferrer “> Shake Shack (Madison Square Park location )Although Shake Shack is a nationwide chain today, the hamburger and also hotdog joint was birthed from a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park. Have a look at the initial Shake Shack with your dog, situated in the center of Madison Square Park. This is a walk-up restaurant, so you might desire to go

in the warmer months. & There’s bunches

of seating yet

Django!.?. !! Boris & Horton has 3 separate locations: a street window to buy food and also beverage( created for individuals with pets) , a small interior seating area where pet dogs can go yet food can not be gotten, and also a primary interior seating location where food can be purchased(no pets in this area ). The menu is restricted to coffee, pastries and also “tasty salutes”, i.e. avocado toast. Situated at 195 Avenue A (by 12th Street).

Bars

American Trash American Trash is a serious dive bar on the Upper East Side. Pets are welcome to come hang around as you delight in the affordable beer, jukebox, dart boards, and also always-busy billiard table. There’s no food here, which is probably a good idea, and also there are tons of TVs. Found at 1471 First Ave (near 77th). Black Door Black Door is a terrific little place in Chelsea with excellent songs and also a cool crowd. The inside is a bit sultry and also dark as well as residents from Chelsea as well as Flatiron usually fill the location throughout after-work hours. Canines rate as well as often found at bench inside. Found at 127 W 26th St (between Avenue Of The Americas & & 7th Avenue).

Boat Basin Café Boat Basin Café is a distinct and also really awesome area exactly on the Hudson River. The views are lovely, specifically at sundown, and also Boat Basin is pet dog pleasant inside and out. The “within “is actually a covered location with open sides, yet it’s perfectly appropriate for a stormy day. Although the menu is quite extensive, do not expect an incredible dish. You’re truly coming right here for the distinct ambience as well as beautiful views. Located right west on 79th Street. d.b.a. d.b.a. is a dog-friendly bar with a range of local beers and a dive ambiance. We lately took Django below for a dog birthday celebration event and had a great time. Food isn’t served below, the bartenders encourage you to bring in outside bites. Among the coolest functions is d.b.a.’s huge yard embellished with illumination as well as great deals of seats. Dog proprietors can even schedule a space inside or out if they wish to plan a doggy meetup. Five Boroughs Brewing Located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Five Boroughs Brewing is an excellent place to grab a couple of flights of beer and also associate your close friends. There are lots of board and card ready everybody to play (consisting of Cards Against Humanity), as well as the owners encourage you to generate food from local community vendors. Pet dogs are really welcome, and also bartenders will gladly bring out water bowls for the canines. Situated at 215 47th Street in Brooklyn (between 3rd Ave & & 2nd Ave). L.I.C. Bar L.I.C. Bar is an outstanding dog-friendly venue located in Long Island City, Queens. The location has a huge courtyard- perfect for a good day- and ample space with great deals of tables. Drinks are reasonably priced, and local

bands play online songs every summer Sunday. 4558 Vernon Blvd in Long Island City. Lobby Bar in The Ludlow This posh garden lounge is located in the Lower East Side’s dog-friendly Ludlow Hotel. Grab a seat on one of the many comfy lounge sofas (ideally by the fireplace) or snag a table in the covered garden area. Anticipate excellent but expensive cocktails as well as a limited French-themed food selection. Situated at 180 Ludlow Street in Manhattan (in between Houston and Stanton).

Luckydog is a great watering hole in Williamsburg including alcohol, games, an enclosed backyard, as well as lots as well as great deals of canines. Bench is a little divey, as well as the drinks are low-cost and also strong (even more affordable during satisfied hr). The place gets loud as well as pretty packed during prime time hrs. Located on the south side of Bedford Ave in Williamsburg (in between 2nd as well as 1st Streets). Mission Dolores Bar Goal Dolores is a laid back bar with a significant option of regional craft beers and also a revolving draft menu. The front entrance is primarily a huge open garage door, as well as pet dogs are really welcome as well as generally wandering regarding within. Comparable to d.b.a. and also Five Boroughs Brewing, you’re permitted and motivated to generate outdoors food from regional community suppliers. Situated at 49 4th Ave in Brooklyn (between President St & & 5th Ave). Watermark Bar Watermark is a stylish, outdoor cocktail bar with panoramic views of the Brooklyn as well as Wililamsburg bridges and also the Brooklyn skyline. Django and I had a fun time hanging out below previously this summer season with a staff of good friends as well as dachshunds. Watermark provides a limited food selection of bar attacks consisting of three burgers (beef, salmon and vegetarian) if you’re truly hungry. When the weather is wonderful, it’s a wonderful area to hang out and sit outside. Located at the actual end of Pier 15 in the Financial District (78 S St).

Various Other Dog-Friendly Activities in NYC

Off-Leash Hours in NYC Parks

Central Park(Manhattan)and Prospect Park (Brooklyn)are havens for canines, offering acres of lawn,trees and open room. Central Park is our go-to with Django.

We’re a stone’s throw out from the park as well as spend a solid 30 minutes before job every early morning allowing Django run around on the grass and also socializing with various other area puppies. Both Central Park and also Prospect Park allow dogs off-leash in the early morning(prior to 9am) and also evening( after 9pm ). Possibility Park in particular limitations of-leash activity to the Long Meadow (other than ball park), Nethermead, Peninsula Meadow as well as Dog Beach (Yes! A coastline. Extra on this below).

Prospect Park Dog Beach Possibility Park Dog Beach is a small, rough swimming hole for pet dogs to cool and go for a swim. It was lately remodelled in 2016, with rocks reduced from upstate New York, and a water-deep fence avoids pet dogs from swimming out too much from shore. Dogs are welcome off-leash in the morning (before 9am) and evening (after 9pm); they are welcome on-leash the rest of the time.

Dogs like this distinct watering hole in the center of NYC, one point to think about prior to going to is sanitation. As the lake is little as well as situated in the center of bustling Brooklyn, the lake water is not the most immaculate. Consequently, Mike and I like taking Django to Brooklyn’s bigger beaches throughout the off season (maintain analysis).

Brooklyn Beaches

Throughout the off-season (October 1 via May 1), pets are allowed on a lot of New York City’s sandy coastlines consisting of Brooklyn’s Manhattan Beach, Coney Island Beach, as well as Brighton Beach. Canines should continue to be leashed, although don’t be shocked to see some dogs running complimentary and chasing after spheres, specifically in the morning as well as late night hours of the day when the beach is relatively silent.

These 3 coastlines additionally flaunt long, welcoming boardwalks. Leashed dogs are enabled on the boardwalks of Coney Island Beach and also Brighton Beach throughout the off-season. Manhattan Beach is the exemption – leashed dogs can only accompany their owners throughout the off-season from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

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barryswamsleyaz · 4 years

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New York City’s Most Dog-Friendly Restaurants, Bars, Parks, and Beaches

September 05, 2018

6 Comments We’re approaching our third year in New York City with Django(and our 10th year living here overall!). We’ve stayed in 5 different apartments throughout Manhattan

)in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens

The Soho Grand Bar & Lounge Grand Bar & Lounge is the swankiest dog-friendly spot on this list. The lounge is recognized for elegant and costly mixed drinks as well as fare including the $ 28″Grand Burger”. Although pets aren’t permitted at eating tables, they are welcome to hang out at all other seats locations in the lounge (sofas and so on) where the complete alcoholic drink and also food menu is available. If you’re looking for something swank and also extra flexible on spending plan, absolutely an awesome spot to check out. Situated in Manhattan 310 West Broadway (near Canal).

The Gray Dog The Gray Dog is one of those NYC areas with an unmentioned’dog-friendly ‘regulation. Although canines are practically not permitted inside any NYC food establishment, The Gray Dog plays by its very own rules. As long as your puppy is mannerly as well as discreet, the baristas and also stewards will look the other way. The Gray Dog’s rustic motif is devoted to the owners’ pet dogs, Moose as well as Goose. In addition to a complete coffee food selection, The Gray Dog has a terrific morning meal and also lunch offering stocked with sandwiches, hamburgers as well as salads. The 4 located are spread throughout downtown Manhattan in Chelsea, Nolita, Union Square, and also the West Village (see map below).

Pig Beach Pig Beach is an enormous indoor and also outdoor BBQ and also beer joint situated by the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. Canines are strongly encouraged to come hang out, so don’t be stunned to see 10 + puppies when you see. There are lots of TELEVISION screens if you’re wanting to capture a football game, and also bench has a full choice of beers, cocktails, and BBQ. Great area to rest outside, socialize with pals, and appreciate a summer day with your pup. Found at 480 Union Street in Brooklyn

( in between Hoty and also Smith).< a href=“https://www.shakeshack.com/location/madison-square-park/"target=”_

in the warmer months. & There’s bunches

of seating yet

it is all outdoors. Coffee & Light Snacks The Bean The Bean is a dog-friendly coffee and tea store situated in midtown Manhattan and Williamsburg. The venue is lined with little tables and also clients are encouraged to hang around as well as remain a while. The food menu is restricted to pastries, morning meal sandwiches, shakes and juices. 5 areas are spread out throughout downtown Manhattan as well as Williamsburg(see map below). Boris & & Horton Boris & & Horton is a dog-friendly cafe in the East Village. We lately hosted a ‘Welcome Back to NYC’ celebration here for Django!.?. !! Boris & Horton has 3 separate locations: a street window to buy food and also beverage( created for individuals with pets) , a small interior seating area where pet dogs can go yet food can not be gotten, and also a primary interior seating location where food can be purchased(no pets in this area ). The menu is restricted to coffee, pastries and also “tasty salutes”, i.e. avocado toast. Situated at 195 Avenue A (by 12th Street).

Bars

Black Door Black Door is a terrific little place in Chelsea with excellent songs and also a cool crowd. The inside is a bit sultry and also dark as well as residents from Chelsea as well as Flatiron usually fill the location throughout after-work hours. Canines rate as well as often found at bench inside. Found at 127 W 26th St (between Avenue Of The Americas & & 7th Avenue).

d.b.a. d.b.a. is a dog-friendly bar with a range of local beers and a dive ambiance. We lately took Django below for a dog birthday celebration event and had a great time. Food isn’t served below, the bartenders encourage you to bring in outside bites. Among the coolest functions is d.b.a.’s huge yard embellished with illumination as well as great deals of seats. Dog proprietors can even schedule a space inside or out if they wish to plan a doggy meetup.

Five Boroughs Brewing Located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Five Boroughs Brewing is an excellent place to grab a couple of flights of beer and also associate your close friends. There are lots of board and card ready everybody to play (consisting of Cards Against Humanity), as well as the owners encourage you to generate food from local community vendors. Pet dogs are really welcome, and also bartenders will gladly bring out water bowls for the canines. Situated at 215 47th Street in Brooklyn (between 3rd Ave & & 2nd Ave).

L.I.C. Bar L.I.C. Bar is an outstanding dog-friendly venue located in Long Island City, Queens. The location has a huge courtyard- perfect for a good day- and ample space with great deals of tables. Drinks are reasonably priced, and local

Mission Dolores Bar Goal Dolores is a laid back bar with a significant option of regional craft beers and also a revolving draft menu. The front entrance is primarily a huge open garage door, as well as pet dogs are really welcome as well as generally wandering regarding within. Comparable to d.b.a. and also Five Boroughs Brewing, you’re permitted and motivated to generate outdoors food from regional community suppliers. Situated at 49 4th Ave in Brooklyn (between President St & & 5th Ave).

Watermark Bar Watermark is a stylish, outdoor cocktail bar with panoramic views of the Brooklyn as well as Wililamsburg bridges and also the Brooklyn skyline. Django and I had a fun time hanging out below previously this summer season with a staff of good friends as well as dachshunds. Watermark provides a limited food selection of bar attacks consisting of three burgers (beef, salmon and vegetarian) if you’re truly hungry. When the weather is wonderful, it’s a wonderful area to hang out and sit outside. Located at the actual end of Pier 15 in the Financial District (78 S St).

Various Other Dog-Friendly Activities in NYC

Off-Leash Hours in NYC Parks

Central Park(Manhattan)and Prospect Park (Brooklyn)are havens for canines, offering acres of lawn,trees and open room. Central Park is our go-to with Django.

Brooklyn Beaches

. You could likewise have an interest in

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luckydogsolutions · 4 years

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New York City’s Most Dog-Friendly Restaurants, Bars, Parks, and Beaches

September 05, 2018

6 Comments We’re approaching our third year in New York City with Django(and our 10th year living here overall!). We’ve stayed in 5 different apartments throughout Manhattan

)in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens

( in between Hoty and also Smith).< a href="https://www.shakeshack.com/location/madison-square-park/"target="_

in the warmer months. & There’s bunches

of seating yet

Bars

Various Other Dog-Friendly Activities in NYC

Off-Leash Hours in NYC Parks

Central Park(Manhattan)and Prospect Park (Brooklyn)are havens for canines, offering acres of lawn,trees and open room. Central Park is our go-to with Django.

Brooklyn Beaches

. You could likewise have an interest in

6 Responses

Leave a remark

from Lucky Dog Solutions http://www.luckydogsolutions.com/nycs-most-dog-friendly-restaurants-bars-parks-and-beaches/

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zipperdry57-blog · 5 years

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Three Days in Charleston

Travel

by Jenn P. | on April 3rd, 2018 |

When Vinny asked me what I wanted for Christmas last year, I replied “nothing”. Then I said, “Wait. I take that back. I want you to plan a weekend away together” because I am wise and all-knowing and pretty much always itching to get out of town if time and finances allow. On Christmas morning I opened an envelope with an itinerary he created– a few nights each in Charleston and Savannah, with print-outs of the most expensive hotels in each city because Christmas mornings are for wildest dreams and looming debt. We delayed booking until we filled our vacant apartment, but once we did, we hopped online and decided to go away for our 15th anniversary. We didn’t end up staying in the pricy, dreamy places he’d originally picked out, but that’s okay because Charleston and Savannah are pretty dreamy on their own.

WHERE WE STAYED:

The Ashley Inn: We stayed in room 5 of this cute pink bed and breakfast very conveniently located in downtown Charleston. We booked it last minute on bedandbreakfast.com, and were very pleasantly surprised by its location and the fact that it lead out to a slightly more private section of the home’s wrap-around porch.

PROS: Clutch location! Around the corner is one of Charleston’s best breakfast spots (The Hominy Grill) and just past that are two really great restaurants– Xiao Bao Biscuit (I’ll circle back to this!) and R’s Kitchen, which we wish we could have tried. The b&b is about a 10-15 minute walk to King Street, which is the main shopping/restaurant row in town. Also, I gotta give props to that four-poster bed. It’s rare that I sleep so comfortably when I’m not in my own home.

CONS: B&B purists will be none too thrilled at the check-in process. No one greeted us, and we never met an innkeeper. Rather, our keys were obtained from an envelope in a property down the street. Breakfast was also served down the street, but I never ended up going for it since Charleston is known for its food! But the biggest drawback (and it’s a big one frankly)… there was no coffee in the building! Not one sweet, sweet drop! Who could live like this? Seriously, this place needs to set up a keurig or something in the main area, because that’s just bad hosting, in my opinion. On the brighter side, the lack of in-house brew forced us to get up early and beat the crowds for breakfast:). Another thing to know before booking is that the hotel is a few blocks from the medical center and we heard emergency helicopters hovering overhead a few nights which scared the shit out of me until I realized what was going on.

NEARBY: The Hominy Grill, R’s Kitchen, Xiao Bao Biscuit, Sugar Cupcakes, Candy Shop Vintage, King Street

HOW WE GOT AROUND: By foot! If you stay downtown there’s really no need to rent a car. If we weren’t able to walk, ubers were plentiful and inexpensive and every single driver was so sweet and friendly we couldn’t get over it. Charleston is a super quick flight from NYC (I think it was less than 2 hours!) and a great weekend destination for people on the East Coast. We went in March, which was perfect timing since we’re about at the end of our ropes with winter weather.

WHAT TO DO:

Our intention in heading down to Charleston and Savannah wasn’t to “do” much, but to stroll, soak up a little spring sunshine and eat until our top buttons cried uncle. We met all these goals. We didn’t really do that much in Charleston except wander around and explore, punctuated by feedings. Downtown Charleston is super walkable, and there are a million guides on the internet to lead you toward the most popular areas to walk around in. South of Broad, Rainbow Row, the Battery, King Street, down by the water. It’s all very photogenic, clean and charming. That’s what we did the first day and a half– walked around, dipped into little stores, ate.

We also visited a plantation in nearby Mt. Pleasant, and I certainly would recommend that as well. There are a few to choose in the area; we chose the one that offered the most insights into what life was like for the slaves on the plantations. Boone Hall Plantation is the only plantation in the S.C. Low country to present a live presentation of the Gullah culture adapted by African slaves and they have eight former slave cabins you can walk through to learn more about the conditions for slaves on the plantation. (and yes… I suppose some people will choose this one over others because The Notebook was filmed here).

MOST IMPORTANTLY…WHAT WE ATE

Poogan’s Porch– Recommended!

We tried: Country Fried chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes (very much like the Chicken Fried Chicken I grew up eating in TX), Lump Crabcakes with creamed corn (super generous with the crab, but they could have punched up the flavor a bit), pimento cheese fritters with green tomato jam (the real MVP), and she-crab soup–very tasty but realllllly heavy. This soup is basically on every Charleston menu, but this was the only time we tried it so it’s hard to say whose is best. Very good food, super charming atmosphere, lovely service, a little on the pricier side. Oh yeah… great cocktails too!

Hominy Grill– Highly Recommended!

We tried: Bread Pudding French Toast with Bourbon Caramel Sauce (as good as it sounds) and their classic Shrimp and Grits with scallions, bacon and mushrooms over cheese grits (like heaven, but seriously). I just loved this place, and it was literally a five-minute walk from our inn, which was perfect to beat the morning crowds. On our second visit, I had the grits bowl topped with mushrooms and leeks (and side order of bacon I got to crumble on top:), and Vin got smothered eggs over biscuits. Fantastic and inexpensive. Get there early for breakfast because it gets totally packed, but there’s lots of good reasons why. I wish this place was in my neighborhood.

Sugar Bakeshop- Recommended (pop in if you’re already walking toward King Street)

We tried the Lemon Curd and the Raspberry. Small, light, lovely little place. Definitely worth a stop if you’re already in the area but I wouldn’t necessarily go out of the way unless you’re a total cupcake fiend (I’m not. I’m more of an ice cream gal).

Fleet Landing- Recommended, especially for atmosphere

We tried: Fried Green Tomato Stack layered with tarragon crab salad (for $8.99, this is an amazing deal and it was delicious!), Lump Crab Cake Sandwich with Red Pepper Remoulade (we’re used to paying through the nose for any dish whispering the word “crab” in NYC, so we ordered crab at almost every restaurant in Charleston!), the fish special which was served with a tomato relish, black-eyed peas and Charleston red rice (twas just ok). Great spot downtown, very popular and super nice if you’re looking to eat outside by the water. Not my favorite meal of the trip, but did the job.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams Highly Recommended!

I’m an ice cream gal, and this place is indeed splendid. If you’re ever in a town that has a Jeni’s shop, you must pop in to sample their excellent flavors made from premium ingredients. Top billing goes to Wildberry Lavender and Brown Butter Almond Brittle.

Xiao Bao Biscuit Very Highly Recommended!

All the in-the-know gals who travel to Charleston (thanks Victoria!) rave about this place and for good reason– it’s incredible! On the website, it’s described as “Asian Soul Food - Select dishes from China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam prepared locally & inspired by kick-ass grandmothers everywhere. ” We tried the popular cabbage pancake topped with bacon, an octopus tail and a crazy beautiful spicy salad (the menu has already changed for the season and I can’t remember what any of the dishes are called). But trust me, when you need a quick break from heavy home cooking, this place really hits the spot! Charleston truly is a foodie’s paradise, and not just for Southern cuisine.

Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit Very Highly Recommended!

Line up early because this place is small, popular and fantastic! Vin had a breakfast sandwich on a biscuit (which was bomb) and I just tried two little guys (cheese & chive, which was really good and Black Pepper & bacon which was utterly mind-blowing). On King Street, so if you’re already shopping around, pop in! This one qualifies as an absolute “don’t miss”.

Circa 1886 - Very highly recommended (for a splurge). We went to Husk in Savannah, and I have to imagine this place beats Husk- Charleston. If you’re looking for a romantic and special meal for your trip, this is the spot! The restaurant is in the carriage house of the Wentworth Mansion (one of the fancy printouts Vin made on Christmas morning) and serves some really exceptional high-end Southern cuisine.

We tried:

Appetizers: BUTTERMILK FRIED ARTICHOKE HEART with Parsnip Puree, Tomato Marmalade, Black Truffle Pesto, Basil, Baby Spinach, Prosciutto (good, but not as awesome as it sounds)

NIMAN RANCH PORK CHEEK with Spaghetti Squash, Pickled Green Apple, Crispy Kale, Herb de Provence Glacé (very very good, very tiny)

Main Courses: COFFEE BRINED ANTELOPE with Sorghum Sweet Potato Mousseline, Braised Greens, Pineapple Relish, Shishito Peppers, Coconut Crema (Amazing!!! So many flavors– everything was covered)

BENNE CRUSTED DUCK BREAST with White Peach Grits, Broccoli, Carmelized Shallots, Sour Vanilla Tea Demi Glacé (I will dream about white peach grits for a very long time–such a subtle flavor that worked perfectly with everything else on the plate. Really fantastic!)

Dessert: CHOCOLATE BENNÉ CAKE Jivara Mascarpone, Ganache, Benné Butter, Lace Cookie

This was the best dessert I’ve ever had. The chocolate was practically unsweetened and the benne seeds (which are popular in the Carolinas, and are basically sesame seeds with a more toasted flavor) added lots of texture and crunch. My life’s mission is to recreate it. Plus, how pretty is this thing??

What we Missed: Husk, FIG, Jestine’s, R Kitchen, Leon’s Oyster Shop ( I hear the fried chicken sandwich is spectacular and I’m still sad I missed it!).

Jenn P.

30-something psychotherapist. Loves cooking, hosting parties, exploring new places. Texan by birth. New Yorker by choice. Likes to tell little stories. Pull up a chair; I'll tell you one.

Source: http://muchtomydelight.com/2018/04/three-days-in-charleston.html

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svetlanawagner-blog · 5 years

Photo

Our year in NYC is already over! I can’t believe how fast it went. As I write this, I’m currently staring out my window soaking up one of the last beautiful sunsets I’ll see over the city

For the past 5 years, we’ve explored a new city every year, and moving to each city has felt a little like dating. We’re originally from Atlanta, and so far the cities we deep dived into were LA, Vegas, San Diego, Portland, and NYC.

This post may contain affiliate links, where we receive a small commission on sales of the products that are linked at no additional cost to you. All opinions are always our own. Read our full disclosure for more info. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Local Adventurer possible.

Last Updated: Mar 22, 2019

Pros and Cons of Living in New York

Each city had its pros and cons. Ultimately, we haven’t felt like we could settle down in a of these cities. Maybe we’re commitment-phobes and afraid to lay down deep roots in one place or maybe we just want to pave our own path that just might not look like everyone else’s.

It always feels bittersweet to leave because there will always be parts of each city that made our stay worthwhile and also parts that made it a living hell. I’m going to mix up the pros and cons since each one with a different perspective or taken to the extreme can go either way.

The Weather Perpetually Sucks / All the Seasons

You get all the seasons, and it’s beautiful. However, the fall and spring are fleeting, and winter seems to last forever. There are ma places that get colder temperatures, but what’s most brutal is the length of winter. You can assume it will go well into April. If not, you have a nice surprise. Summers are also not ideal since it gets hot and humid.

Overall, after the gloomiest and rainiest year in Portland (they had in decades), my body felt much happier having sun in NYC. I will admit that I didn’t spend much time outside during the winter.

More: How to Survive Winter in New York + Best Places to See Cherry Blossoms in NYC

It's One of the Most Expensive Cities to Live In

We’ve all heard this before, so this is no surprise. Or maybe it still is, because it’s still common to hear visitors exclaiming how crazy the prices are.

You’re paying double or maybe even triple for everything. Right now we live in an apartment that’s triple the size and half the price of our NYC studio. Get ready to say goodbye to savings, because your income is going straight to rent, and you can pretty much forget trying to buy a place.

We’re not just talking about rent. It’s also the eating out, drinking, and entertainment. Yes, there are some cheap eats in the city, but if you’re comparing it to the rest of the US, you’re paying a lot more for the same quality. For example, dinner and a movie can set you back $100 compared to $30-50 in other cities.

PRO – Every other place will feel cheap to you!

More: Top Free Things to do in NYC

No one cares about you

This could be either a pro or a con depending on how you look at it. What I absolutely loved about New York is that you could roll out of bed or act completely batshit crazy, and people will just go on with their own busy lives. No one is judging you for how you look.

On the flip side, if you’re in trouble, everyone might pass you by thinking it’s someone else’s responsibility. Our friend saw someone have a seizure, and they were the only ones that stopped to help out.

We did have one incident that contradicts this. When Jacob passed out on the 7 train, there were several guys who stepped up and helped me carry him out.

Everyone Hustles Hard

Because everything cost more, we hustled more. We saw that ma of our friends also hustled hard simply to be able to live here. I loved the working energy, but I could see it wearing me down if I had to do it for more than 3 years. It’s a great city if money ain’t a thing, but for the rest of us, it will be a city we pass through.

It's a Concrete Jungle

It has some great urban parks and green spaces, but overall it’s much harder to get outdoors and connect with nature. The busyness can sometimes feel overwhelming if you don’t have ways to “find your zen” or have inner peace.

More: 11 National Parks in New York City + Your Essential Guide to Central Park and All Its Secrets

There's Always a Wait and It's Crowded Everywhere

You can almost always expect a wait if you’re going out to eat during peak meal hours.

I overheard a visitor saying how New Yorkers love to wait. No one loves to wait, but New Yorkers accept that it’s the reality of New York. Not only do you live on top of each other, but you also get a ridiculous number of visitors that clog up the regular flow of the city. It’s impossible to escape if you leave your home, which is why it’s nice not to have the pressure to go out and see everything in the city. Staying home can feel like a luxury too. Is that why people are going from place to place to get out of the crowd as fast as possible?

Yet a Lot of People feel very lonely

Although you’re always surrounded by people, it can be a lonely place. It’s already difficult to meet people and make friends the older you get, but New Yorkers are busy people. We got lucky since we already had a few friends living here, and since we climbed a lot, we met friends at our climbing gym.

New Yorkers aren't Friendly / They Don't Fake It

I hear a lot of people say how New Yorkers are rude or cold. Maybe it was my expectations coming in, but I was pleasantly surprised to find plenty of New Yorkers that were friendly. No, it’s not Mr Rogers neighborhood where everyone is saying hello to each other, but when we needed it, strangers took the time to help us out or chat with us.

I also don’t need people to be fake nice to me. I like people being a little more rough around the edges and honest.

It's truly a melting pot

It is the most linguistically diverse city in the US. Over 800 languages are represented here. On our apartment floor alone, we represented 11 countries.

You See it First

Since it’s a city that starts trends, you get to experience a lot of things like trends, fashion trends, etc before it arrives awhere else in the states. Companies often build flagship stores, pop ups always come through, and you’ll get huge music acts visiting the city.

More: Your Essential Guide to NYC Pop Up

You Never Run Out of Things to Do

There are tons of museums, shows, restaurants, bars, and more. It has a little bit LOT of everything for aone.

More: The Ultimate Guide to Broadway Shows

It's the city that never sleeps

There’s always something to do or eat a time of day. It was perfect for night owls like me who always have a midnight craving.

The Food

The is hard to top and the options are endless. We started with a big list when we arrived and every time we checked one off, we learned about another 3. Our list never got smaller. Out of all the great options, they did have a shortage of amazing Korean , Vietnamese , and tacos (yes, even in the outer boroughs, but I will always take more recommendations in hopes to prove myself wrong).

More: 99 Best Places to Eat in NYC + 17 Best Desserts in NYC

It's Not Great for Big Groups

If you’re going out with a big group, you don’t have as ma options for places to hang out or eat. A lot of places are compact and have limited seating.

Amazing Public Transportation / It's Hard to Own a Car

You can practically get awhere via subway and bus. If not, there’s always Uber. Regardless, you can find ways to get around having a car. The hardest thing for us was not being able to do a large grocery haul. Instead, we would buy things here and there when we’re out, which can be more time consuming.

If you want a car, the challenge is finding parking and paying for parking. Parking can be the cost of rent in other cities.

More: 15 Incredible Weekend Trips from NYC

You Can Get Screwed by Public Transportation

We’ve been lucky, but a lot of locals have been screwed by public transportation. You’re at the mercy of their schedule if it goes down.

You’re also exposed to the elements when you have to use public transportation to get everywhere. Subways aren’t heated or cooled.

More: 25 Fun Things to Do in NYC for Rai and Cold Days

You Walk a Lot (And Fast)

I miss the walking city. You learn to walk fast and be conscious of the people around you, so that you’re not in their way. I felt healthier not being in a seated position most of the day from desk to car back to desk.

It's safe

NYC used to be known as a dangerous place, but nowadays, you can walk around most of the city at a hour without having to worry about your safety.

Sometimes people get freaked out that there are tons of homeless people. For the most part, they are harmless.

Direct Flights and the Airports

Since we still travel quite a bit for work, it’s important for us to have direct flights. We have plenty of airports and flights to choose from, but they’re all a cluster.

There isn’t a other city like it. I actually surprised myself how much I fell in love with the city, since I had a love/hate relationship whenever I visited. It turns out, I just needed to take on New York at a slower pace.

Tell me… could you move to a city like NYC? What are some dealbreakers when you decide where to live?

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Esther + Jacob

Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, which is one of the top 5 travel blogs in the US. They believe that adventure can be found both near and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They explore a new city in depth every year and currently base themselves in NYC.

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Visiting Iceland in 2019: Detailed Itineraries for the Land of Fire and Ice

Posted: 1/24/2019 | January 24th, 2018

Windswept volcanoes. Black sand beaches nuzzled against rugged coastlines. Secret hot springs hidden in misty valleys while majestic waterfalls cascade from every hill.

Welcome to Iceland.

It’s a destination unlike any other in Europe. Its unique landscapes and natural wonders perfectly complement the modern capital of Reykjavik with its café culture and boozy, rambunctious nightlife.

Iceland is known as both the Land of Elves and the Land of Fire and Ice. It’s a country where you’ll find smoldering active volcanoes and vivid blue glaciers side by side. Horses and sheep dot the countryside, colorful puffins flock along the cliffs, and whales breach the choppy Atlantic waters that envelop this tiny island.

It’s easy to see why Iceland has become such a popular destination in recent years (all those cheap stopover flights have helped greatly too).

And, while it’s not the most budget-friendly country in the world, there are still ways to see the sights without breaking the bank!

If you’re planning a weekend getaway or want to drive the entirety of the island, this list of Iceland itineraries will ensure that you see the best the country has to offer!

Table of Contents

One Weekend in Reykjavik

Four Days in the South

Four Days in the North

One Week: Golden Circle and Southern Iceland

Two Weeks: Exploring the Ring Road

One Month: Everything!

What to See and Do in Iceland: One Weekend in Reykjavik

Day 1

Take a tour of the city I always like to start my trips with a free walking tour. They’re a fantastic way to see a destination, learn about its history and culture, and get all your questions answered by someone who knows what they’re talking about. City Walk and Free Walking Tour Reykjavik both offer great free tours of the city. They’ll help you get a sense of Reykjavik so you can decide what you want to revisit later. The tours are donation based, so just make sure to tip your guide!

Explore Laugavegur When you’re in need of a coffee or snack, go for a stroll down Laugavegur, a shop- and café-lined street in the center of the city. This is the oldest (and coolest) street in Iceland, and you’ll find everything from expensive couture to dollar stores here. Be sure to stop in a bakery for a pastry or a coffee. My personal favorite is Mokka Kaffi.

Visit a museum After that, make your way to the National Museum of Iceland, where you will learn everything you need to know about this tiny Nordic nation. The most famous piece in the collection is the Valþjófsstaður door, a piece carved in the Middle Ages that illustrates the saga of the lion and the knight. The museum does a fantastic job of giving you a robust history of the country without being boring.

If you’d rather visit a more unconventional museum, consider a visit to the Icelandic Phallological Museum instead. Colloquially known as the Penis Museum, this small institution is home to the world’s largest collection of penises and penis-themed art. Yes, you read that right! There are almost 300 items in the museum, including whale penises and (allegedly) troll penises! It’s a small museum, but it’s actually incredibly informative — if you’re not too shy!

National Museum: Suðurgata 41, +354 530-2200, thjodminjasafn.is. Open daily 10am-5pm (closed on Mondays in the winter). Admission is 2,000 ISK (1,000 ISK for students/seniors).

Icelandic Phallological Museum: Laugavegur 116, +354 561-6663, phallus.is/en. Open daily 10am-6pm. Admission is 1,700 ISK per person.

Go for a swim Once you’ve gotten tired of walking, go for a refreshing swim in the Laugardalslaug Geothermal Pool. Swimming and saunas are how locals relax and unwind after work. It’s basically a national pastime. This pool is Iceland’s largest and was built in 1968. It’s actually a whole complex with hot tubs, a thermal steam bath, a waterslide, and even mini golf! If you have extra time, check out the nearby garden and zoo too.

Sundlaugavegur 105, +354 411-5100, reykjavik.is/stadir/laugardalslaug. Open weekdays 6:30am-10pm and weekends 8am-10pm. Admission is 625 ISK, though if you have the Reykjavik City Card, it’s free!

Take in the nightlife End your day enjoying the city’s famous nightlife back around Laugavegur. This is one of the best party cities in the world, so there’s something for everyone. Just make sure to go during happy hour so you don’t blow your budget (alcohol in Iceland is not cheap!). Here are a couple of my favorite hotspots in Reykjavik:

Kaffibarinn – This café transforms into a dance club on the weekend, and it’s a great place to party. The space is divided into three different sections (bar, dance floor, and lounge), so you can find a section for however you want to spend your night out. It’s small, so seats can fill up quickly. Bergstaðastræti 1, +354 551-1588, kaffibarinn.is.

Lebowski Bar – Yes, this is a Big Lebowski–themed bar. The inside looks like a vintage American diner and bowling alley. And, since The Dude drinks a lot of White Russians, its menu includes a wide variety of different ones. Its signature Lebowski cheeseburger is pretty good too. Spin the prize wheel to win up to 10 free beers! Aim for happy hour, which is held daily 4pm–7pm, as drinks are cheaper then. Laugavegur 20b, +354 552-2300, lebowskibar.is.

Slippbarinn — This is the first proper cocktail bar in the city and boasts live music and DJs several nights a week. Happy hour is daily 3pm-6pm. Myragata 2, +354 560 8080, slippbarinn.is.

Where to stay in Reykjavik: Hlemmur Square – If you’re looking to splash out, this is both a cozy hotel and an upscale hostel, so you have options for your type of stay. There’s a great bar here, plus traditional Icelandic communal dinners several times a week.

For a more standard hostel, stay at Kex Hostel. It has a café and bar with an awesome happy hour, a comfy lounge, and a heated patio.

Day 2

Explore the Golden Circle The Golden Circle — comprising the Gullfoss waterfall, the Strokkur geyser, and Þingvellir National Park — is the biggest tourist draw in Iceland, so you’ll want to start your second day early and head out of town in a rental car (or on a tourist bus). As tourism booms in Iceland, these sites can get a little crowded, so make sure you get there early (especially in the summer and on weekends).

The round-trip journey is around 250km, so plan accordingly when it comes to food and fuel (if you’re driving). If you’re driving, you’ll also be able to stop regularly to see the many Icelandic horses that you’ll pass by.

Experience the famous Blue Lagoon This is one of the most iconic destinations in Iceland. The pools are quite large, and the whole area is steamy, with the water a stunning milky-blue color that is rather photogenic (which is why the lagoon is so popular on social media). It’s a beautiful and luxurious way to end the day, and a great place to relax right before you depart.

Personally, I think the place is a bit overhyped, as there are tons of free, secluded hot springs all around the country. Of course, if you’re short on time and don’t plan on leaving the city, then it’s the perfect way to end your trip!

Fun fact: The Blue Lagoon is simply runoff from the nearby geothermal plant. Icelanders just found a way to monetize it for tourists! Thank you, Instagram? Ha!

Norðurljósavegur 9, +354 420-8800, bluelagoon.com. Open daily, but hours vary, so check the website for an up-to-date schedule. Admission starts at 9,990 ISK per person, but it can be cheaper if you go during certain hours.

READ MORE: How to save money in Reykjavik

What to See and Do in Iceland: Four Days in the South

In addition to the itinerary above, here are some activities you’ll want to add if you plan on getting further outside of Reykjavik to explore the southern region of Iceland.

Day 3

Experience nature Head southeast on the Ring Road from Reykjavík to scout out some waterfalls. Be prepared and bring swimsuits, towels, a waterproof camera, and a jacket.

Reykjadalur – Stop in the town of Hveragerði to visit the Reykjadalur hot spring (or hot pot, as they are known locally). It offers a gorgeous backdrop of rolling hills and mountains, and it’s free to enjoy. You’ll need to hike a bit to get there (30-40 minutes), but it’s worth it! Keep in mind that there’s not a private changing area here, so you may want to wear your swimsuit under your clothes.

Seljalandsfoss – Continuing on the Ring Road, you’ll come to the picturesque Seljalandsfoss waterfall. It has a drop of 60m and is another highly photographed spot in Iceland, so try to get there early before the tourist buses. You have to pay for parking, but otherwise it’s free. If you’re hungry, there’s a food vendor that sells delicious lamb stew (among other things).

Skógafoss – Another epic waterfall is Skógafoss. Legend says that you can find a treasure chest behind this massive waterfall. This is also the starting point for a long, multi-day hike, but you can also just climb to the top and walk for as long as you’d like before returning. There’s a small museum nearby as well if you want to learn more about the history of the waterfall.

Seljavallalaug – This hot pot is located a short walk off the Ring Road. It’s not super hot, and the change room has seen better days, but it’s secluded and it’s worth it just for the scenery, as its located at the bottom of a deep valley.

Make Your way to Vík Head to the charming little town of Vík and spend the night there. Vík is a seaside village with a glacier that covers the Katla volcano. It’s also home to some amazing black sand beaches and a DC-3 plane wreck in Sólheimasandur (located on the coast between Skógafoss and Vík).

Where to stay in Vík: Vík HI Hostel – This charming hostel has a café/bar, a female-only dorm, rooms for families, and a kitchen so you can cook your own food if you’re on a budget.

Day 4

Chill at the beach Wake up in Vík and go for a stroll on the otherworldly Reynisfjara black sand beach. There are some offshore rock formations you can see from the shore and from the cliffs above if you feel like a hike. If you’re here from May through August, you may even get to see some puffins!

Take in the view If there’s time, head up the hill to see the small Vík i Myrdal Church. It overlooks the town and gives a complete view of Vík and the ocean. Grab a coffee at a local café and enjoy the scenic vista.

Head for home Head back to Reykjavik. See more sights, chill in more cafés. Do whatever you want before you head home! (sad)

What to See and Do in Iceland: Four Days in the North

If you want to get away from the crowds, go north. Northern Iceland is one of the least-visited regions of the country and has a lot to offer the intrepid adventurer, including majestic hikes, more varied landscapes, whale watching, fewer people, and a better chance to see the Northern Lights!

Day 1

Travel north to Akureyri Start your adventure off by flying north to Akureyri from Reykjavik. If you don’t want to fly, it’s a 5-6-hour drive from Reykjavik up the west coast, which can easily be done in a day. You’ll just want to factor in a few stops along the way to sightsee!

Explore Akureyri Take a self-guided tour of the town, visit the Akureyri Botanical Gardens, get an espresso from the picturesque Laut Café, hop in the local swimming pool, or just explore the relatively small town and sip on some kaffi (coffee) and “happy marriage cake” (rhubarb jam–filled pastry with a buttery oat crust) from Kristjánsbakarí. Soak up local life as much as you can before you go!

Where to stay in Akureyri: Akureyri Backpackers – This is a laid-back hostel with a cool bar, great staff, and really hot showers!

Day 2

Visit the Waterfall of the Gods Make your way to Goðafoss, the Waterfall of the Gods. It’s a majestic semicircular waterfall that’s close to Akureyri on the Ring Road. The waterfall is over 12m tall and 30m wide, and (not surprisingly) is highly photogenic! Enjoy the view before heading onward to Mývatn.

Head to Mývatn Spend the day in Mývatn, starting off with a hike around Lake Mývatn. There is an easy trail you can follow that lets you stretch your legs and enjoy the natural beauty of the region. You can easily hike the lake in a few hours if you go at a leisurely place. Then head to the Mývatn Nature Baths geothermal pool, which is much quieter (and cheaper) than the Blue Lagoon.

There’s not much else to do here. It’s a quiet town for relaxing, but the lack of lights makes it a wonderful place to see the northern lights!

Spend the night in Mývatn at one of the many Airbnbs, guesthouses, or farm stays in the region.

Day 3

Pretend you’re on Mars Next, you’ll want to head toward the coastal town of Húsavík. On your way there, stop at Hverir and Krafla, two geothermal areas with Martian-like craters and lakes. Steaming sulfur fills the air, giving this whole area an otherworldly ambience. You can just stop to take photos or go for another hike.

Visit Dettifoss Next, head to Dettifoss, Europe’s most powerful waterfall. There are two roads leading here from the Ring Road: 862 and 864. The latter is ridden with potholes, but in my opinion offers the better view. Just drive slowly and keep an eye on your tires! Enjoy a snack by the waterfall and take in the scene. When you’re ready, drive to Húsavík (you can take the 864 north from Dettifoss).

Visit the Whale Museum Whaling has been a part of Icelandic culture for centuries. And while there is a global moratorium on hunting whales, it’s still worth learning about these massive creatures, their habitat, and their impact on the country. They also have a full blue whale skeleton!

Hafnarstétt 1, +354 414-2800, hvalasafn.is/en. Open daily with hours varying depending on the season. Admission is 2,000 ISK per person, with discounts available for seniors, families, and kids. If you go whale-watching with Gentle Giants, you’ll get 20% off your museum ticket.

Where to stay: Spend the night in sleepy Húsavík at a local guesthouse or Airbnb. If it’s northern lights season, stay at Arbot HI Hostel. The hostel is in a relatively secluded spot outside of town so you’ll have a great view of the dancing lights without having to worry about light pollution.

Day 4

Watch the whales and explore the coast Wake up early, head to the coast, and go whale-watching. There are a few different companies you can book tours with here, including Gentle Giants, who have a partnership with the Whale Museum (see above). Whale-watching tours usually last around 3 hours. Expect to pay around 10,400 ISK for adults and 4,400 ISK for children.

When you’re done, explore the hiking trails around Húsavík. You can find a list of the trails on the Visit Húsavík website. Pop into some of the local shops and cafés to get a sense of small-town life here in Northern Iceland.

See some unique architecture Travel to nearby Laufás, which is located west of Húsavík. Here you’ll get to see the old turf houses, traditional Icelandic homes that are timber framed and covered in grass. The furnishings are from around 1900, and you’ll feel like you’ve traveled back in time. While in Laufás, take a small detour and check out the church. Inside is a decorative pulpit from 1698!

Have an Icelandic feast Go back to Akureyri to explore the city and dine on fresh fish and chips from Akureyri Fish & Chips. Don’t forget to sample the country’s famous ice cream from Brynja too!

Note: I know it sounds like a lot, but if you have a car, this itinerary is very doable.

What to Do In One Week in Iceland: Golden Circle and Southern Iceland

Day 1-2

Head East Fly into Keflavík International Airport and rent a car (SAD Cars and Car Rental Iceland are the companies I recommend). Head east from Reykjavík along the Ring Road to start your adventure!

Soak in the hot springs and search for puffins Head east for a soak in the Reykjadalur hot springs in Hveragerði. Camp or stay at the hostel nearby so you can get another soak in before heading onward.

To get a bit off the beaten trail, take the ferry to the Westman Islands for the afternoon or an overnight stay (you’ll find plenty of puffins here during the summer season!). There are very few tourists here, so it’s a nice way to escape the crowds and relax.

Chase some waterfalls Venturing onward along the Ring Road, head to Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls. At Skógafoss, the 29km Fimmvörðuháls Trail begins. If you want to hike the entire trail, you can stay at the Volcano Huts at the end of the route and then take a bus back to Skógafoss in the morning. If you’re fit, you can do this hike in a day. Otherwise, you’ll need to bring tents and camp halfway. If an epic hike isn’t in the cards, stroll around the area before continuing east toward Vík.

Tour a crash site Before you get to Vík, you’ll want to check out the DC-3 plane wreck in Sólheimasandur. It’s about a 45-minute walk from the Ring Road, but it’s worth it to see the crash up close (you can no longer drive directly to the site). Dress appropriately, as it can get windy near the coastline.

Spot puffins Continue on to Vík and stop to see the black sand beaches. There are also two short hikes nearby that take you up the cliffs. They offer incredible views of the areas, and if it’s the right season, you can go puffin spotting!

Where to stay: For your first night, stay at the Hot Springs Hostel in Hveragerði (right near the hot spring). That way you can wake up early and go for another soak before you leave. If you’re on the Westman Islands, stay at Aska Hostel (or book one of the many private guesthouses for a cozy local experience). When you get to Vik, stay at Vík HI Hostel.

Days 3-4

Hike Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon This 2km-long canyon dates back to the Ice Age. It’s over 100m deep and makes for a great place to hike or have a picnic and enjoy the view. The road to get there is full of potholes, so drive carefully.

Explore Vatnajökull National Park Hike in the Skaftafell wilderness area to see the glaciers of Vatnajökull National Park. There are plenty of hikes here, both long and short, for outdoorsy types. For a shorter hike, head to Svartifoss, another photogenic waterfall surrounded by long columns of black basalt (the waterfall’s name literally translates to “the black waterfall”).

Klapparstígur 25-27, +354 575-8400, vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is. The park itself is open 24/7 however the Skaftafell visitors center has limited hours (usually 9am-7pm in the summer and 10am-6pm in the winter). See the website for more details, including camping information and weather updates. Parking is 750 ISK per vehicle per day.

Visit Jökulsárlón Lagoon The Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon borders the national park, and you don’t want to miss it. The waters are blue, and there are huge icebergs from the nearby glacier floating in the water. The lagoon flows into the Atlantic Ocean, and you’ll see lots of seals in the winter. You can follow the stream out to sea and watch the glaciers as they meet the ocean. Best of all, this is right on the Ring Road and it’s all completely free (though if you want to take a boat out into the lagoon, you’ll have to pay — I don’t think it’s worth doing, though!)

Tour the coast Continue on the Ring Road to Höfn or Djúpivogur, two tiny coastal towns. Get a taste of what life is like in small-town Iceland while exploring the winding coastline. There’s a hidden hot spring outside of Djúpivogur to reward you for making it so far up the coast too!

Where to stay: If you’re ending your day in Höfn, stay at Höfn Hostel. You can see the Vatnajökull Glacier from the town, and everything is within walking distance. If you’re heading on to Djúpivogur, Airbnb will be your best choice.

Days 5-7

Return to Reykjavík Hop in the car and head back to the capital city. Stroll the cozy streets, take a free walking tour, and enjoy some of the city’s plentiful happy hours.

See the Golden Circle Wake up early and drive out to see the three main sites of the Golden Circle. The sooner you start, the better, as you’ll be able to beat the tourist buses there and get some photos without the crowds. You’ll also have time to hike in Þingvellir National Park if you want to stretch your legs. Stock up on snacks for the day in Reykjavik to save some money (the cheapest supermarket is Bonus, so shop there!).

Relax at the Blue Lagoon If you’re craving another dip in a hot pot, head to the Blue Lagoon before your flight home. You’ll be able to end the trip on a very relaxing note!

Two Weeks: Exploring the Ring Road

With two weeks, you will be able to drive the entire Ring Road without rushing too much. You’ll have time to enjoy the rugged east coast and places like Seydisfjordur, explore the second-largest city Akureyri, hike around the Snæfellsnes peninsula, and maybe even dip into the Westfjords.

Start in Rekyavik, head east, see Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, explore Vík, visit the Jökulsárlón Lagoon, detour over to Seyðisfjörður, then head over to Dettifoss, Mývatn, Goðafoss, and Akureyri.

After exploring Akureyri, continue west to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula for some hiking. Make sure you stop off to see the iconic Kirkjufell mountain, which is one of the most photographed spots in all of Iceland (plus, it’s where they filmed some Game of Thrones scenes, too). Snæfellsnes National Park is home to Snæfellsjökull, a 700,000-year-old volcano capped by glaciers. You can book a glacier hike here or just explore the rest of the park on your own. It’s right along the coast too, so you’ll be met with some gorgeous views. Stay at The Freezer hostel (it has great live music.)

If you have time and want to get off the beaten trail, detour into the Westfjords in the northwest, or visit the Westman Islands off the south coast.

If you want to be more focused on your trip, you can split Iceland up into smaller geographic areas. One fun route to take is to head west to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, then up into the Westfjords for some hiking and relaxing before flying back to the capital. This will be the most remote part of the country, so you’ll have a lot more space and privacy to enjoy your trip.

One Month: Exploring All of Iceland

With one month, you can see the entire island of Iceland. I’ve met quite a few people who have decided to spend this amount of time in the summer months. They’ll rent a car or camper van, pack a bunch of camping gear, and drive the Ring Road at a leisurely pace. But even if you aren’t renting a van or car, you can get around by bus, air, or hitchhike!

Take multi-day hikes, visit to the less-explored Westfjords, an area many tourists skip due to a lack of time (and paved roads); visit Hrísey and/or Grímsey, the very remote islands in the north with fewer than 100 inhabitants each; or the Westman Islands, or explore more parks in the interior of the country (it’s very remote, very unvisited, and very, very awesome).

If you’re traveling on a shoestring budget and planning to camp and hitchhike in Iceland, you’ll need this longer travel time to make sure you aren’t rushed, as sometimes you’ll be waiting awhile for a lift.

But with a month here, there’s very little you can’t explore!

***

Iceland really does have something for everyone. Whether you’re visiting for a weekend or spending an entire month exploring this rugged landscape, you’ll be able to have an amazing experience.

While it’s not cheap, there are tons of ways to save money in Iceland to make these itineraries doable for even the most frugal budget traveler. But don’t take my word for it. Get out there and explore the Land of Fire and Ice for yourself!

WANTMORE? GET ALL MY TIPS AND ADVICE WITH MY GUIDEBOOK TO ICELAND!

Want to plan the perfect trip to Iceland? Check out my comprehensive guide to Iceland written for budget travelers like yourself!

It cuts out the fluff found in other guides and gets straight to the practical information you need to travel and save money in one of the most beautiful and exciting destinations in the world.

My favorite things to see and do

Money-saving tips

Budget advice

Transportation advice

My favorite non-touristy restaurants, markets, and bars

And much more!

Click here to download the Iceland guide now!

Book Your Trip to Iceland: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines, because they search websites and airlines around the globe, so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use these all the time. My favorite places to stay in Iceland are:

Hlemmur Square (Reykjavik) – A posh hotel with a great bar and traditional Icelandic communal dinners several times a week

Kex Hostel (Reykjavik) – Has a café and bar with an awesome happy hour, a comfy lounge, and a heated patio

Akureyri Backpackers (Akureyri) – A laid-back hostel with hot showers, a cool bar, and helpful staff!

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it, as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

Looking for more information on visiting Iceland? Check out my in-depth destination guide to Iceland with more tips on what to see and do, costs, ways to save, and much, much more!

Photo credits: 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12

The post Visiting Iceland in 2019: Detailed Itineraries for the Land of Fire and Ice appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Traveling News https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/iceland-itineraries/

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karen-kk · 7 years

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After a long flight home, I'm finally ready to sit down and write about my experience during L'Arc~en~Ciel 25th Anniversary event. This is more of my personal experience than a live report, sharing what I enjoyed and what I didn't. Shockingly it has turned out quite long, so you are warned.

First of all I must say I was very impressed by their Japanese management team and staff members. The scope of the operation was incredible with 110k people attending, and yet everything was well organised and well prepared for. I'll use the example of the goods store. The store opened at 9am each day, I was told people started queuing as early as 4am. I joined the queue around noon, by that time it had already taken over both side of the pedestrian paths and then some. I couldn't even see the store. There were security guards and staff everywhere making sure everyone knew where the end of line was (yes, it was that confusing. It took me 15 minutes to find it because I didn't speak Japanese), we were not blocking the path and obstructing other tourists in the Tokyo Dome City, and we were moving on quickly and efficiently. The store had total of 24 booths, so it didn't take as long as I thought it would. Even with the language barrier, the transaction was very smooth. All my interaction with the staff members had been extremely pleasant. From security check to being shown to my seats they were always there when I needed help. They had always been courteous and helpful even though most people I spoke to knew very little English.

Japanese Laruku fans were very interesting to observe. They seemed to be from all age groups and occupations. I had seen teenagers, young adults, people around my age, my parents' age and older even. It never ceases to amaze me how big their male fan base is in Japan. I would say about 35-40%? In contrast VAMPS hard rock style, their split was like 5-95 with female fans completely dominating the scene when I saw them back in 2009, but I think the ratio has shifted a bit nowadays. And I don't mean guys being dragged there by their girlfriends etc. A lot of them either came by themselves or in groups. The 2 guys next to me in day 1 were dancing hyde's signature moves throughout the entire live, and they were talking about how they admired the band since primary school. At lease third of the hyde cosplayers that I spotted were male. There were many families that brought their kids with them as well (I hope Ken-chan's MCs were not too r-rated). One of the cutest hyde cosplayer was this little girl about 10 years old dressing up as hyde in the 20th L'Annivesary period. She was so adorable with the braids and jacket and everything. On my way out in day 1, I overheard another little girl babbling about haido haido excitedly to her mother, so cute! The fans were so friendly as well. I had a yuki fan coming to me and giving me a present including a Japanese traditional dessert with her hand drawing of yuki. I had another girl coming to me when she realised that I didn't have a LED wristband, and she helped me to speak to the staff to get one. Then with her broken English and my non-existed Japanese we squealed over how "cute-handsome-kawaii-kagoii" hyde was lol

The tour goods are worth mentioning as well. They are such good quality comparing to what I bought during the VAMPS tour years back. My favorites include the expensive as hell handbag and the teddy. The handbag has all the staff access passes stitched on from all of their past tours. It is like carrying a piece of Laruku history whenever I use them. The denim material is thick and strong, the only downside is it is quite heavy. I personally think it looks so much better the 20th Anniversary version. When I went sightseeing yesterday I still saw a lot of people carrying it around Tokyo. The tour book is great too, with much better English. I only wish they would stop repeating the same paragraphs over and over though. And it also reminds me of the good old days when hyde still had our beloved eyebrows...

I was very impressed with the stage design. One of the reasons why I had always wanted to see Laruku in their home land was because they would have the budget and resources to go all out. And I was not disappointed. As soon as the screens lit up, I was in awe. It was so beautiful! The theme of the concert was locating pieces of Laruku's history and it was very well incorporated into the setup. They also integrated past live footages with the current live broadcast on the giant screens. The front part of the stage was detachable, it moved during Revolution and carried the members to the smaller stage at the other side. Everything was very well thought out and visually stunning. Not to mention there were real flames and mini fireworks. The Dome looked incredible with all the LED wristband, which were being manipulated as a giant LED screen.

This was why I found hyde's outfits so incredibly jarring. I know I've complained about this numerous times in the last 2 days, I just can't let it go. His first 2 outfits made him stood out like a sore thumb for half of the concert. I literally laughed out loud when I saw what he was wearing, and it was during Niji. I felt so bad about this. It is a song that means the world to the band and its fans because of what it represents. And there I was, laughing while he sang his heart out... ==|||

The other complaint that I have is the set list, with 2 days and only 4 songs being changed. I may have been spoiled by the 20th Anniversary where 2 days had completely different set list. The thing I really love about Laruku is their ability to make their older songs shine during lives. I haven't been a fan of their older studio albums for some reason. But their more recent lives always managed to make me realize how great they were even back in the days. I fell in love with songs like In the Air, Shutting in the Sky, As If in a Dream, Garasu Dama, Floods of Tears, Dune, White Feathers etc. this way. And I was hoping because it was an Anniversary event, older songs would have been performed. But no. And my all time favorite songs such as Metropolis, Jojoushi, Bless, Ibara no Namida, New World, Hoshizora, Umibe were not played as well. I was also secretly hoping for an appearance of P'unk-en-Ciel as well... I guess they are no longer doing it?

Given my first day's seat being really bad, being on the far right hand, I can't really say much because I could barely see anything. To make the matter worse, the bass sounded really loud and distorted, and it kept bled into the vocal. It was difficult to hear at the times so I can only share my favorite moments from day 2.

During Revolution, we all went crazy when we saw hyde and ken-chan on the drum, yuki and te-chan played the bass and guitar respectively, then the stage started to separate and carried them over to the other side of arena. At the end of that session, when the stage started moving back everyone had a basket of balls that they were supposed to threw to the crowd. Yuki, on the other hand decided to take a shortcut and just dumped his entire basket of balls along with his basket. He was clearly channeling his Acid Android persona. Unfortunately, it didn't get him out of his job, he was immediately handed another basket. Then ken-chan decided to get creative as well, he tried to balance one of his balls on the edge of stage and starting to blow at it to make it fall. During one of the MCs, hyde played Fullmetal Alchemist a few times by clapping his hands and slapped them onto the ground a few times to make us create human waves. We did, and we also did it in reverse while he screamed in fake horror. The staff then blew air or dry ice on him as the waves approached his side. During second half of Blurry Eyes, he forgot that he already threw his whistle to the crowd and he had to make a mad dash toward the back to get the second one. He never made it in time and we all laughed. Did I mention how hot leader-sama was in his stylish white suit and white Alexander McQueen scarf? OMG! I had never considered him good looking until now (gomenasai, leader-sama, your array of way too colorful outfits usually blinds me). It probably helped with hyde being such stark contrast.

Edit 1: Hyde did a member introduction during day 2, even though I doubted there was a soul in the Dome who didn’t knowing who they were. It went like “drum - yuki~, guitar - ken~, bass - tetsuya, and vocal~“ and we called out HAIDO~~~~!!! He looked so proud! It was so cute!

Ken-chan had sunglasses on the entire time during day 2. At the end of the concert, right before he went off the stage he was wiping his eyes with his hand. Was he crying? I couldn't tell. Leader-sama came back to the stage with his basket of bananas and asking "mina genki, genki desuka" as usual. Only this time, he took off his Alexander McQueen scarf and wrapped around one of the bananas and threw it to the crowd. We all went eh~?

My most memorable moment was definitely during My Heart Draws A Dream. When hyde took off his earphone to hear us sing the chorus and our voices echoed throughout the Dome, I cried. The open tenderness on his (eyebrowless) face was so beautiful. It was the perfect moment that I will treasure forever.

Overall, the concerts were not what I expected, but I don't regret spending an arm and leg to participate in this important milestone in their career. As a fan, I already had so many regrets, like not seeing their AYR and their Theater of Kiss tours, and of course missing out on the 20th Anniversary. I didn't want this to be a regret as well. Leader-sama mentioned 30th Anniversary already and I do hope I would have the privilege of being there.

Happy anniversary, L’Arc~en~Ciel.

#l'arc~en~ciel #25th l'anniversary

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electronicarcadewolf · 3 years

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JAIPUR, A MAGICAL PLACE

Earth’s distance is more than 12,000 miles. If you just start to journey it then it’s going to take years possibly decades if you want to travel at all the corners of the world. Have you ever wondered that this earth is so big and beautiful, you travel anywhere you want to but still cannot, these regrets sometimes can disappoint but you can do nothing and move forward and to anything, you want to? If you are enjoying the meaning of life then you can feel the world, the road on which you are walking, the wind that is rustling over your ears calling you to tell you the meaning of life. Of course, I don’t know that if we are going to have another life or we are not but we know one thing today that we can live our life to the fullest. you know that I know that and universe knows that, that’s why it has created so much beautiful world. We don’t have any words to describe this beauty, it is so mesmerizing to see it. So let’s start a journey, a journey that defines a journey that is so beautiful, a journey that can never end. The journey of mother Earth. First, place Jaipur. Many people must be knowing this place and many won’t but this place is so magical so heart-divining that you will not even know when are going to fall in love with it. The pink city of India. 6 hours away from Delhi, is this magical world of its own. We reach here at 10:00 clock, the sun is already at its maximum, it’s our first time so we look here and there we can just see the crowd, the rustle of people from one place to another, big hotels, of course, the hotels why won’t this type of a place won’t have so big hotels. Our luggage is collected we are accompanied by the porter, they are so traditionally dressed a turban on the head big mustache curving through the checks, of course, their face only tells how different Jaipur is from others places. We open our room’s window and see the mountains everywhere it is like we are being protected by them and just we spot a fort not only one but 3 forts, we look at them they are just so beautiful even after 500’s of years standing tall and straight. It’s the evening we decide to go to a traditional restaurant in this Eden. The smell depicts the taste as we order some food, seeing the spices and big slices of bread we just dive into the food and the food is just dainty minutes and minutes pass away and we are just eating and eating looking nowhere but just on the plate. We finish our dinner and head for a walk of course at night the temperature is cool but this place was not only cool but so comfortable it was like the temperature has set by us. Walking onto the footpaths, cars driving and people eating at the stalls, kids playing games and laughing, the weather is so silent of course the night also just tells a different story. Happy and warm we reach our rooms thinking to turn off the lights, but before we fall asleep as we were so tired. It’s 5:00 in the morning waking up just excited as we can get in a cab and head out for the three forts, Amber, Jaigarh, and Nahargarh. The weather so cool and it’s so silent and comfortable. Birds chirping, monkeys roaming here and there. Just as we walk seeing the beauty of the place seeing the architect no one could have known that these forts were made back in time. The oldest in them is Jaigarh, known for the largest canyon in the world so big and heavy it must think I look at it from a distance imagining how much far away it must have thrown balls. The next stop was Nahargarh the youngest of the forts in all of them made just 200 years ago, you could tell it is a modern architect so much big and great master planning. We enter a room we are told to wear some protection on our shoes I think what could it be in the room, seeing the room I just get stuck seeing so many beautiful diamonds and golds gridded on the wall, seeing down in the floor I am standing on glass and down the glass, there are so many emeralds and expensive items. I just fall in love with it being such a beautiful place. Next is Amber fort this fort is the best among these in our preview, there is no popular thing in it but so much big and beautiful it is. The places where the king used to meet important people and common people. The stairs were so compressed so that it would be difficult for the enemies to climb. Made at so much higher altitude so that it would take a lot of time for the enemies to climb at such a higher place, ah yes and who can forget the limestone walls, Made at a higher altitude no doubt it would have been hot in the fort that’s why the walls were made from limestone so that how much hot it would have been outside, that much cold it would have been inside. So much good planning led the kings to be safe and live a comfortable life that’s why the forts still today stand straight and strong. After this, we go to a restaurant got some energy, and went back to the hotel. we would always love to go there again. In the evening the Jal Mahal, the fort inside the water, we could not have gone inside due to the unhealthy water around it but still, lights and color coming from inside were just magical like it was a fictional castle. Went back to the hotel, was excited for tomorrow to go to local places. It is a little late in the morning, bit of dizzy woke up the morning thinking to go to which places. Hava mahal the fort that I had in my mind, it just looks like a modern building from the outside consisting of so many windows more than 950 don’t know the accurate who really could know so well how many are there. Reached downstairs got some breakfast and went by a rickshaw on the tiny roads of Jaipur, no cars or buses could travel inside. We reach a market all the shops so brown, reddish and pink in color that’s why it is known as the pink city everywhere you see there are red and pink in color, taking from tailor shops to the departmental store. Reach the mahal, ah just look at it so beautiful sun shining directly on the glass looking so lustrous just as somebody has turned on a flashlight even more shiner than it. Just as we entered the mahal got inside so much cool air coming to us, well it can be said looking that king felt really hot. Built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh ruler of kachhwaha Rajput. It must have been really awkward that the royal princesses of Jaipur seeing the life of common people that’s why this mahal was made so that they could see the life of common people from windows and also nothing bad is happening. Just as we complete the Hawa mahal head out for the city palace the place where the king lives no hungry enough as had breakfast a little bit late head out for it. Just as we spot it from a distance looking so beautiful and eye-catching no doubt the place where king lives would have been beautiful but this was just outstanding like a maze, 4 squares inside the palace, the first 2 for public and last 2 for the royal family, there was only a flag hung up the tip of the palace this means that king is not in town, 2 flags mean he is inside Jaipur. Many people riding on elephants and horses just without any worries enjoying the beauty of this lovely place, not only rides but a small museum also having old armors, weapons, and souvenirs from that time. It’s late in the evening, traveling from the whole day tired reach a traditional restaurant, but no ordinary a restaurant where everything is old and traditional ways of cooking are used. Enjoy our meal and head out for our hotel, reach there. A party is going on the roof, just as we reach there we see the match going on and people enjoying and so cool and chilly winds blowing, just as we enjoy the view, just as we enjoy Jaipur.It’s late at night we want to sleep but we are so dived into the beauty of the view, just want to stand all night and just stare at it till morning stare it till that beauty stays. It’s the morning we have not slept and neither want to, so we decide to go to the last place Alberta hall a museum which is one of the most famous in Jaipur. It looks like a big castle but it is a museum. Birds sitting inside big halls dividing doors from one place to another the place gives creepy ness as well as calmness. As we see the old-time items we explore the museum more briefly, it was once a library but now made a museum, the guide told us that at night many lights are lit up everywhere around it looking very beautiful, just as we imagined it thinking that the last place also comes to an end, take a taxi and head out for the airport, looking back at Jaipur thinking about it. So many temples as we go ahead, small forts depicting old culture, and malls. Just as catch our flight we see it from the air looking as if it is telling us that the beauty of this place cannot be said in words, not even in imagination. Looking through Jaipur, looking throughout the world, looking beyond the world.

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shirlleycoyle · 4 years

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The 2030 Last-Minute Christmas Gift Guide

Buying Christmas gifts for you friends, family, and loved ones is always hard—and after yet another turbulent year it looked like maybe it was finally time to just cancel the holidays! But things are finally looking up, and we can’t think of a better reason to celebrate.

With the ceasefires still holding in Texas and Idaho, clean(ish) water restored to almost half of Los Angeles, and—most importantly—Amazon confirming that yes, they will be restarting deliveries to Evac-Bill registered US citizens in most major FEMA Relocation Camps, there’s never been a better time to get in the festive spirit with a little retail therapy!

Whether you’re a Tier 1 high flier with a bonus to blow or an Unranked trying to make that final Freedom Dividends payment last ‘till January, we’ve got gift ideas to match all wallets and payday loan repayment strategies!

Tier 1 Zone Day Pass From $199/day – restrictions apply, see below

Want to see how the other half lives? Well, I guess more accurately it’s the other 0.1%, but why get hung up on numbers? Grab a Tier 1 Day Pass from Darklake Security for a family member—and maybe one for yourself—and get a chance to explore parts of the city you’re never usually allowed to see! Want to hit the shops in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards? Have brunch under the Park Slope Climate Dome in Brooklyn? Take a stroll and check out the view from Pacific Heights in SF? With a Tier 1 Pass you can walk straight in to dozens of exclusive, restricted neighborhoods in cities around the world, no questions asked!*

Rub shoulders with the brilliant, beautiful, and financially solvent—who knows who you might bump into! And with the special Connect package deal, for just an extra 30 bucks, you can enjoy a whole day of Tier 1 internet access and surf like an influencer—stable connection, fast download speeds, nazi-free social media, data anonymity, and no pop-ups. Come and get a taste for the Tier 1 life—you’ll never look at your credit score again in the same way!

*Restrictions apply: Tier 1 Day Passes are available only to Evac-Bill registered US citizens. No exceptions. Security checks and infection tests must be completed before admittance to Tier 1 neighborhoods. All visitors must consent to wearing a tracking and monitoring device for the entire duration of their visit. Removal of the device, or breaking of any other laws or restrictions, will result in immediate imprisonment under the 2027 Emergency National Cohesion Act as it applies to Private Enforcement Contractors. Darklake Security Industries reserves the right to refuse or cancel entry at any time, without explanation.

B. W. Trump – Only The Hague Can Judge Me $29.99 from Amazon on vinyl/CD, streaming available only in Tier 1 Certified Access Zones

It’s been a tough couple of years for Lil BazE: abuse and kidnapping allegations, paternity cases, alleged connections to the Jacksonville Separatist Army, and the reports that his father was refusing to let him visit him in prison—but the triple Grammy-winning rapper is back with the long awaited follow up to 2028’s Air Fucks One. And it does not disappoint.

From the drive-by swagger of "Spray It Don't Say It" through the hot under the collar bump n’ grind of "Shorty Put The Ride In Auto" to the emo soul baring of "Alone On The Gulfstream" every track on Only The Hague Can Judge Me is on point. This is the work of an artist at the top of his career, and one whose talents only shine more as the haters try to step up. With the breakout single"Cancel Culture" currently topping the charts on both sides of the 40th Parallel DMZ, it looks like B-dub has already delivered another hip-hop classic.

The Unlimited Dream Company Bespoke Crisis Zone Tours Packages starting at $1399 per person

Want to get out and see some more of the world in 2031, but know there’s no way you’ll ever be able to afford international air travel again? Well, there’s still a lot of America to see and explore! It’s fair to say our great country has seen some challenging times over the last decade, including shifts in both our political and geographical landscapes, but as a nation we’ve stood up to and embraced the challenges—and what better way to celebrate this new era than going out and experiencing it yourself?

Want to take a low flying helicopter ride over the Texas Refinery District Toxic Exclusion Zone? Try urban scuba deep under what was once the Miami waterfront? Or maybe you want to take a leaf out of your favorite influencer’s book, and get your photo taken on the rim of the crater that was once the Space X test facility? The Unlimited Dream Company can make it happen, with its range of exclusive, customizable tourist trips. You’ll be given full safety training and orientation—including an entry level handgun course for trips in disputed states—and will be accompanied by medical staff*, Darklake certified security agents, and tour guides with unmatched local knowledge.

Prices are not cheap though, so this is definitely a gift idea for those of you firmly ranked as Solvent A-7 and above. Still, UDC also sells a full range of merchandise in its online store—from FEMA approved radiation-detecting temporary tattoos to "My sister visited the Baltimore Dirty Bomb Clean Up Zone and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" shirts. They make for perfect low cost stocking fillers.

*Medical expenses not included in package prices. Participants are expected to have their own health insurance.

Where’s Elon? – Mindfield Games Ltd $8.99 in the App Store/Google Play

Where did he go? Did he really make it to Mars? Is he hiding out on the dark side of the Moon? Has he really accepted Chinese citizenship? Or is he just chilling in his luxury bunker in New Zealand? Nobody knows for sure, but with this new mobile game from superstar designers Mindfield you can help track down America's greatest traitor! Based on the classic children’s book, Where’s Elon? challenges you to spot the world’s greatest entrepreneur-turned-environmental-criminal across a dozen beautifully illustrated, scrolling crowd scenes. When you see him point him out quick—and be rewarded with the satisfaction of watching a beautifully rendered drone strike! Fun for the whole family.

The InfoWars Flat Earth Atlas $25.99 from Amazon

Less an informative text and more an exquisite curio, the official InfoWars Flat Earth Atlas, 8th Edition is the perfect gift for that coffee table book enthusiast in your life. Learn about how everything you thought you knew about physics is a lie, and why nobody has ever been permitted to sail to The Edges, through a series of exquisitely painted and painstakingly annotated maps, charts, and illustrations. And with the addition, new to this edition, of QRcodes on every page that auto post content to Facebook with just a single scan, this is the perfect gift for that uncle that always sparks the most interesting family discussions. You might not be a believer, but can you ever really be sure? About anything? Take some time to shrug off the chains of reason and logic this holiday season and experience the buzz of free thinking—before they try and ration that too!

Marvel vs Star Wars VI – The Final Conflict $39.99 from Amazon/Disney on uBlu-Ray, streaming available only in Tier 1 Certified Access Zones

If the thought of Tony Stark wearing C3-PO’s face as a temporary face mask or the sight of The Hulk behind the controls of the Millennium Falcon doesn't get you excited, can you really even call yourself a movie fan anymore? This holiday sees the release of the final installment of the saga to end all sagas! For real this time! Will our heroes get over their personal differences in time to band together to save the galaxy from the cross dimensional threat of the Thanos-Palpatine Axis? Will Thor, now struck down as a mere mortal, pass his Padawan training and become a Jedi master worthy of the memory of Baby Yoda, tragically slain in the last movie? All these questions will be answered, plus a bunch that never will, in what is definitely, completely certainly, the last chapter in the series.

Plus as a bonus feature for Blu-Ray owners, make use of the exclusive Auteur Algorithms mode. Disney made a machine learning AI watch hours and hours of movies by classic directors whose IP they own—Kubrick, Kurosawa, Scorsese, DuVernay, and Hitchcock to name just a few—so that it can re-edit and re-frame the movie in their unique personal styles, in realtime. With every watch it will look unique! The long-awaited future of cinema is finally here.

Balenciaga Bug Out Bag $799, Nordstrom exclusive

If the last ten years have taught us anything, it’s that we all need to be ready to move out at just a minutes notice. We’ve all got—or should have—a bug out bag ready to go, and while being constantly prepared can cause considerable stress and anxiety, there’s no reason that you can’t look stylish! The Balenciaga Bug Out Bag might be expensive, but it’s guaranteed to make you stand out in any crowd, whether you’re trying to get out of the state or into one of the hastily designated public shelters. Packed full of goodies like San Pellegrino-branded water purification tablets and an exclusive Burberry designed insulation blanket, it’s got all the essentials you need to survive the next evacuation call while still looking tight. Got a keen teenage social justice warrior in the family? Then the special Pro Protest edition is perfect for them—with extras such as a Nike branded breathing mask (tear gas rated), an Anker mil-grade laser pointer, and a limited-edition facial recognition fooling make up kit from Sephora. Now you can send that adorable little protester out for the night knowing not only will they be safe but they’ll also be the envy of all their friends as they fight against the oil and tech companies, police brutality, the forced relocation of a local community, or whatever it is the kids get all worked up about these days.

FEMA gift vouchers $5 – $200, from Amazon and fema.gov

Still don’t know what to get that friend or loved one that’s been relocated to one of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s temporary residential camps? Then let them pick how they want to treat themselves with a FEMA gift voucher. Not only is it redeemable against certain product lines on Amazon, it can be used in-camp to make their stay a little easier by paying for extra food and water rations, extended shower times, and even little luxuries such as chocolate, fruit juice, and soap. Know somebody staying in one of the Amazon or Walmart co-administered camps? Then get them one of the new Duvet Day passes for just $75, that gets them out of all work camp duties for a full 24 hours!

The 2030 Last-Minute Christmas Gift Guide syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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bushstory61-blog · 5 years

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A Week in France’s Loire Valley

After 5 gelato-filled nights in Venice and 2 chocolate-filled days in Zurich, our travels took us to the French countryside, or more specifically, the Loire Valley: land of medieval castles and royal châteaux and vineyards as far as the eye can see. We spent 6 days in this lovely little region of France, exploring castle gardens, wandering flower-lined streets, sipping wine and nibbling on fresh cheese and crusty bread.

It was the middle of May when we were there, and the picturesque little towns were in full bloom. It’s one of the reasons why spring is my favorite time to travel: everything is so much more charming when flowers are involved. It’s also generally less crowded than summer and more temperate too. It was actually a bit colder than I anticipated, and I spent the first few days shivering until our hostess so kindly lent me a scarf (note to self: always pack a lightweight scarf even if the weather forecast misleads you). I eventually picked up my own scarf from a boutique in town, and wouldn’t you know, as I stepped out of the store, the clouds parted, the sun warmed my face, and the temperature continued to go up from there (should’ve bought the scarf earlier in the trip! Ha!)

When we were just starting to plan this trip, Venice was a given, but it seemed logical to make the most of our travel (the flight over being the most expensive part) and see another place while we were over there any way.

My travel bucket list is full of destinations, from Iceland and Portugal to Croatia and Greece, not to mention the rest of Italy and, well, everywhere else (just about). One place that wasn’t on my shortlist, however, was the French countryside (Taylor and I usually preferring to stick to cities when we travel).

After a bit of hypothetical back and forth, my aunt sent me a link to her friend’s chateau in France. When you get an email that says, “My friend has a château in France”… do you really need to think about it?

When I clicked the link and actually saw Maison Dovalle, well, let’s just say I’ve never responded to an email so quickly and confidently. Yes! A thousand times yes! Don’t twist my arm or anything.

So, it was settled, we’d spend 2 weeks in Europe, splitting our time between Venice and France. (We also ended up with 2 bonus days in between, which we spent in Zurich. You can read about that here!)

This is how we found ourselves in the tiny hilltop town of Montreuil-Bellay, about 3 hours outside of Paris, staying in a beautiful 15th century castle chateau overlooking the valley.

The Loire Valley region is probably best known for it’s castles and châteaux, the area being a popular country retreat for the French nobility in the 16th and 17th centuries (seriously, you could spend two months just visiting the 100+ open-to-the-public châteaux alone). It’s also known as the Garden of France due to its abundant orchards and vineyards, the mild climate making it a perfect agricultural center. The central part of the valley was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 2000.

It’s one of those places that you could easily tack on to a trip to Paris, either as a day trip to one or two of the castles, or even a few nights relaxing in one of the charming little towns. Or better yet, spend a whole month here hopping from town to town, castle to castle (you’d need at least that long to really see them all).

I don’t have an extensive list of recommendations for restaurants and such, as, to be completely honest, easily 2/3 of our meals were a mish-mash of market finds and nibbles enjoyed at the chateau. However, I’ve organized my images by location and will talk a little bit about some of the other towns and attractions we visited during our trip.

Montreuil-Bellay

Being our home base, we got to know this little town quite well, from the charming bakery we visited every day (sometimes more than once), to the local creperie overflowing with locals enjoying a light lunch.

The town itself sits up on a hill, anchored by the fairytale-esque turrets of the Château de Montreuil-Bellay, which dates back to medieval times and was the site of battles and sieges alike.

In addition to French-language guided tours of the interior, you can also wander the grounds and ramparts on your own, as well as partake in a complementary wine-tasting of some of the château’s award winning wines.

The town itself boasts an adorable little patisserie (the highlights being the speculoos eclair and marizpan pig filled with layers of almond cake and chocolate cream), a creperie, a few little cafes and French restaurants, an antique shop, a clothing boutique, multiple wineries, a pharmacy (travel tip: learn how to say “I have a cold” in the local language) and even a Super U (the French equivalent of a Walmart). I mean, everything you need, right?

Montsoreau

This cute little village is home to a bustling flea market on the 2nd Sunday of every month, which worked out perfectly with our schedule. Vendors line the streets along the river selling a wide array of antiques and eclectic goods, as well as locally-made food products and fresh produce at the food market (which happens every Sunday). There was also a local arts and crafts exhibit, where we picked up a gorgeous little etching of the town (art being one of our favorite souvenirs).

We had reservations for brunch at La Marine de Loire hotel & spa, which offers a delightful brunch buffet in their charming tea room. With a large assortment of fresh breads, savory bites and gorgeous little pastries, it was quite enjoyable. (I’m still thinking about that little orange pastry, layers of cream and crunch and bright citrus.)

Fontevraud-l’Abbaye

We drove through this adorable little down on our way to the flea market in Montsoreau, and knew we had to stop for a closer look on the way back. The town is home to the Fontevraud Abbey, the largest abbey in Europe.

We spent a bit of time in the gift shop (a lovely little gift shop if you’re looking for unique souvenirs), but opted not to tour the abbey itself and instead explore the rose-lined streets, er, street—there’s really only one main street running through the town.

There’s not much else here besides the abbey and a few shops lining the downtown square. Still, it was worth checking out if only for those turquoise doors (that shot’s a framer!)

Villandry

Sure, we could’ve spent all week touring castles and châteaux, but we didn’t. Still, we figured we had to go to at least one while we were in the area, and the gardens of Château Villandry lured us in.

I’ll note that the chateau itself isn’t exactly what I expected. The home was still in use as a country retreat as recent as the early 20th century, so it’s not nearly as historic as I thought. We walked through the interior pretty quickly, opting to spend the majority of our time outside in the gardens, which are truly spectacular.

Travel Tip: Even if you’re just there for the gardens, I still recommend purchasing an interior ticket too. It’s the only way to get up to the keep and see the gardens as they were meant to be seen: from above.

Also? Don’t pass up the snack bar outside. It was rather warm that afternoon and the prospect of a refreshing scoop of ice cream lured me in. The flavor list was quite extraordinary, featuring herbs and produce from the gardens. My nettle, verbena and mint sorbet was decidedly different from my normal flavor choices, but absolutely delightful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen nettles for sale at our local farmers market, but you can bet if I ever do I will try to recreate this.

Bioparc de Doue la Fontaine

Wait, I thought you went to France? Why are there pictures of lions and giraffes??

While a zoo might not be what you expected in the middle of French wine country, the Bioparc in Doue la Fontaine (a quick 15 minutes drive from Montreuil-Bellay) is definitely worth the trip. It’s by far one of the most unique zoos I’ve ever encountered.

Built within an old rock quarry, the habitats are constructed in amongst the rock walls, with tunnels and passageways leading to different levels of the park. The well-planned enclosures make you feel like you are part of the animals’ natural habitats, rather than just coldly observing them through a metal fence.

The South American aviary was by far one of our favorite areas, we could have easily spent an hour there just watching the parrots, flamingos and penguins flitting about within the natural stone walls, although the giraffes, lions, monkeys and goats were fun to see as well.

Saumur

Saumur was the largest town and closest train hub to Montreuil-Bellay. It’s a pretty easy 3 hour train journey from Paris here, although not a direct one. We didn’t spend a lot of time here, the town itself being much larger and more commercial feeling than some of the other little villages we visited. Saumur is known for its equestrian programs, although we weren’t able to fit in a show while we were there.

One thing we did manage to fit in? The mushroom museum (duh). Located just outside Saumur, the Musée du Champignon is built within a troglodyte house and the natural caves extending far into the mountain behind it. It’s a self-guided tour, but the museum’s caves are filled with lots of informative signage in both English and French. You see examples of the many methods of mushroom cultivation as well as a huge collection of mushroom species from around the world. I found it very interesting (it’d also be great on a hot day since the caves are naturally cool).

We also did a good bit of wine-tasting in the area. Pictured above is a private tour of Le Petit Saint Vincent winery just outside Saumur, a family run winery that’s been in operation for 4 generations. The natural caves underneath the winery are a sight to see!

Paris

We were originally going to spend 6 nights in Montreuil-Bellay, heading back to Paris for one final night before our flight out the next day. As it turns out, we ended up heading back to Paris a day early.

We’ve been to France twice, and twice we’ve been affected by strikes in one form or another. The French go on strike quite regularly it would seem, and a series of rolling rail strikes were, coincidentally, scheduled during our trip (at least they have the courtesy to schedule them, but still). I wouldn’t have known about it except for an article I saw on David Lebovitz’s facebook page (coincidentally, the same way I found out about the air traffic control strike when we were scheduled to fly into Paris 3 years ago).

If you’re planning on going to or through France, either by plane or train, it’s worth a quick google before you go just to make sure there are no strikes. I’m not sure what we would have done if we hadn’t known about this, arriving at the train station for our originally scheduled train only to find it cancelled. We probably would have panicked, argued about what to do, and ended up on a 5 hour bus ride to Paris (doesn’t that sound fun).

Still, the last French strike gave us a bonus day in London… this time we got a bonus day in Paris. I, for one, am not complaining.

A day in Paris probably doesn’t warrant it’s own post, but we took the opportunity to check out Montparnasse and the Latin Quarter, areas we hadn’t had time to see before, as well as grab a few pastries and even meet up with Laura and Connor who coincidentally happened to be there at the same time (if you recall, we both happened to be in Japan at the same time last year. Could this be the start of an accidental yearly tradition?)

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Source: https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2018/08/a-week-in-frances-loire-valley.html

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travelwithkat · 6 years

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Famous department stores decorated in festive bling, twinkling lights draped above the streets as bright red double-decker buses pass by and sparkling Christmas trees of every size are plentiful. Wine is mulling, chestnuts are roasting and a rosy-cheeked, white-bearded Santa seems to be everywhere at once — how does he do that? — there really is no place like London at Christmas. Yes, the shops are crowded and yes, it is overly commercialised but there’s a buzz in the air, smiles beam at the sight of so many fairy lights and ripples of laughter ring out from the pop-up ice rinks that appear each year around the city. The excitement grows as the countdown to Christmas begins. Don’t be a Scrooge, pop on your Christmas jumper and enjoy my top ten things to do at Christmas in London.

This post is brought to you in association with Rohan, the outdoor and travel clothing specialist. Some links in this article are affiliate links.

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CONTENTS

Window shop at luxury department stores

Enjoy Covent Garden

Explore Winter Wonderland

Visit the Winter Market at Southbank Centre

Take a spin on the ice

See the giant Christmas Tree on Trafalgar Square

Visit Hogwarts in the Snow

Discover Kew Gardens at Christmas

Catch a Christmas show

See the Christmas Lights

Where to stay at Christmas in London Where to eat in London What to wear in London at Christmas

Top ten things to at Christmas in London

1. Window shop at luxury department stores

London is home to a number of well-loved high-end department stores, most notably Harrods, Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges, all of which look fabulous decorated in their Christmas bling. It’s worth visiting them just to see their festive window displays. Be sure to pop inside too, even if it’s just to window shop. Harrods is one of my favourites to explore. You can marvel at the gifts you might be buying for someone who has everything, but you may also spot a bargain or two (my cat loves her Harrods food bowls, which I picked up with 50% off a few years ago).

2. Enjoy Covent Garden

I love visiting Covent Garden any time of year, with its colourful street performances and a mix of independent shops and quirky stalls, as well as a few well-known high street stores. At Christmas, however, with over-sized silver baubles and gigantic mistletoe hanging from the ceiling, it’s particularly enchanting. There’s such a festive atmosphere here, with the smell of roasting chestnuts and mulled wine drifting through the air, and the giant Christmas tree always looks splendid. It’s a great place for picking up unique Christmas gifts too. And I still love these giant red baubles from a few years ago, I hope they bring them back again one year.

3. Explore Winter Wonderland

I’ve visited Winter Wonderland, in London’s Hyde Park, a number of times and always enjoy it. Each year it seems to get bigger and bigger. This year it opens from 23rd November 2018 to 6th January 2019, from 10am to 10pm.

In the Bavarian Village there’s a fabulous range of gifts, crafts, food and drink in traditional wooden cabins. There are live shows, over 100 funfair rides, and the biggest outdoor ice rink in the UK (which is even bigger this year). Entry to Hyde Park and Winter Wonderland is free, however, a number of events and attractions are ticketed and pre-booking is advisable for these.

You can check out all the details here, and see more pictures from my previous visits in my London’s Winter Wonderland post.

4. Discover Kew Gardens at Christmas

The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew after-dark festival, when the Gardens are lit up with thousands of lights and laser beams, runs from Thursday 22nd November 2018 to Saturday 5th January 2019. This year the winter trail through the Gardens is bigger than ever and with spiced cider, hot chocolate, toasted marshmallows and more, you’re sure not to go hungry or thirsty!

For more information visit, Christmas at Kew. You can also read about my visit in spring, Kew Gardens.

Image courtesy of The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, credit: Jeff Eden

5. Visit the Winter Festival at Southbank Centre

Throughout the year the Southbank Centre hosts a huge range of music and arts events, so whatever time of year you visit it’s worth checking what’s going on. From Saturday 8th December 2018 to Sunday 6th January 2019, twinkling lights will line the south bank of the Thames, with a huge Christmas tree outside the centre, as well as wooden chalets selling Christmas gifts and crafts, German sausages and other festive treats. With a view of the city skyline, it’s also a lovely spot for a romantic walk along the River Thames.

6. Take a spin on the ice

As Christmas in London draws near, ice rinks pop up all over the city. The one pictured below is in Winter Wonderland but it’s grown a lot in size since then!

You’ll also find ice rinks at the Natural History Museum (from 25th October to 20th January), The Tower of London (from 23rd November to 6th January) and Canary Wharf (from 2nd November to 16th February) but there are plenty more dotted around the city.

7. See the giant Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square

Each year, a spectacular 25-metre (82-foot) Christmas tree is donated by the city of Oslo to the people of Britain in thanks for their assistance to Norway during World War II. The tree is erected in the centre of Trafalgar Square and decorated by hundreds of lights. This year the lights will be turned on at 6pm on Thursday 6th December 2018. In the lead-up to Christmas in London, numerous choirs sing carols around the tree from Monday 10th to Friday 21st December 2018. Performances take place from 4 to 8pm on weekdays, and from 2 to 6pm at weekends.

8. Visit Hogwarts in the Snow

Warner Bros. Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter, is some way out of London but it’s well worth the effort to get there. Harry Potter fans will love it at any time of year but at Christmas it’s even more magical, with the giant model of Hogwarts (the actual model used in the filming) covered in snow and the Great Hall laid out for a Christmas Feast.

You can find all the information about ticket prices and how to get there here, The Making of Harry Potter and you can read more about my first visit (I’ve been back a couple of times since!) here, Hovering Hogwarts.

9. Catch a Christmas show

Christmas in London’s theatreland isn’t limited to the great British tradition of pantomime. There are comic adult-only shows, seasonal ballets (most notably two productions of The Nutcracker), musicals, plays and extravaganzas. The most popular shows, such as The Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker get sold out well in advance. The 2019 production will go on sale early in the new year.

Image courtesy of the Royal Opera House, credit: Tristram Kenton

10. See the Christmas Lights

There are numerous streets with fabulous Christmas displays and a good way to discover the best of them is through a walking tour. See the route I took, along with more of my pictures, here; Where to find the best Christmas lights in London. If you don’t have time to see them all make sure you don’t miss Regents Street and Oxford Street.

<h2>Where to stay to enjoy Christmas in London

Whether you are looking for luxury hotels in central London or have a more modest budget, London has it all, from elegant hotels that feel like you stepped back in time to the golden age of travel, to comfy modern hostels and, of course, we now also have AirBnBs.

I recently stayed in a Point A hotel for the first time. There are six in London with rooms from £54. Mine was in Kings Cross, which is the most expensive at £85, however, it’s just a few minutes’ walk from St Pancras International as well as Kings Cross national and underground stations. It was basic but had everything I needed (including a good shower), and was spotlessly clean. And I felt very safe there as a lone female traveller in London. Plus, if you join the A List, you’ll get 10% off.

Where to eat in London

They say you can find almost every cuisine in the world in London. You couldn’t be more spoilt for choice. Here are a few of my favourites…

In Chinatown, I love the Orient London, right next to the Chinese gate, for their fabulous range of dim sum, or for a quick snack it has to be the Bun House in Greek Street, Soho. For a business lunch or a night out with friends I head to Social Wine and Tapas in Marylebone. For fish ‘n’ chips my choice is any branch of Poppies. My favourite food market is Borough Market – don’t miss the scallops from Shellseekers.

To get a real taste for London, this food walking tour really hits the spot, Eating London.

What to wear in London at Christmas

The weather can vary greatly, with glorious sunny days not unheard of, but winters in London are more typically cold and often wet. The average high in December and January is 9°C (48°F) and the average low is 5°C (41°F). However, it’s not uncommon to have freezing temperatures and snow is a possibility. Be sure to pack a warm hat, scarf and gloves and a waterproof winter coat. My choice is the Rohan Bergen Jacket. It’s lovely and warm and a little longer than many jackets, with a hood and high collar to keep your neck warm and, of course, it has all the Rohan trademark features of being lightweight, crease resistant, high wicking, quick drying and totally waterproof, with many more great features to keep you warm and dry.

Top 10 things to do in London at Christmas Famous department stores decorated in festive bling, twinkling lights draped above the streets as bright red double-decker buses pass by and sparkling Christmas trees of every size are plentiful.

#christmas

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readexplorerepeat · 6 years

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Punta Cana: A guide to an all-inclusive family vacation

When hubby said "we are going to Punta Cana" I was excited, but not incredible thrilled as I've been with other trips, but the truth is that I didn't know what to expect. Either way, we pack our bags and headed to Dominican Republic, an island shared with Haiti, located between Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, in the beautiful Caribbean ocean.

First things first. We always look for the best travel deals and family friendly spots. For more information on how to travel on a budget read this first.

When you budget for a vacation, it is important to remember a few factors. First, how many are traveling. Not to be obvious here, but the more people the more expensive it can get, but even with large families, there's always the option of Airbnb.

This time, we wanted to do an all-inclusive type of hotel. Dominican Republic is known for its many resorts and beautiful beaches, so we gave it a chance. We found an amazing deal (expedia unreal deals are great sometimes) at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Granted that sometimes, if you book your hotel directly with the hotel's site, you can find even better deals. Sometimes this hotel (depending on the season) has up to 40% and kids stay free. Of course, they do these types of deals when kids are in school and chances are that you will only find adults there, but hey! If you can afford taking your family on a school week without missing any important tests or projects, this can be a very affordable option.

Either way, we always pack light. Even when kids are traveling. I've adopted a minimalist way of traveling and I'm loving it. For a list of things to pack when traveling with kids, check this out.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE PUNTA CANA AIRPORT

It is hot. The plane landed and we got off the plane and into a bus, which took us to their immigration port of entry. Lines were long, so be prepared to wait. Have your immigration AND customs paperwork filled out and ready. Once we went through immigration, you proceed to pick up your luggage and go through customs... which is technically just an officer collecting your form. They might do a random baggage search, but we didn't see any of that. In fact, there are people that work at the airport for a tip that will help you get your luggage and through the side so you don't stay in line...most of them know the custom's officers and they let them bypass the crowd. Weird, yes, but it worked for us.

Make sure you have transportation set up in advance.

We were recommended Dominican Plus, and we are glad we used them. Very reliable, incredibly friendly staff, and we felt safe the entire time. Not to mention, very much affordable. You can rent a van just for you and your family and they will pick up at the airport, and take you straight to the Hotel. Round trip. No other stops, no other people in with you. Private van for a very affordable price. You can go to their website or check them out on Viator (which by the way is highly recommended) to see their tours and other services while in Punta Cana.

A TIP GOES A LONG WAY

One of the good things about an all-inclusive vacation is that tip is included in the price…well, that’s what they tell you. In fact, it is written on what’s included with your trip. But, look at it this way: yes, you might’ve paid enough to get there and have your dream vacation, so yes, it should be included in the price, BUT these people make no money out of it, and work incredibly hard every single day. They will not get rich if you tip them a little here and there, in fact, they will treat you like a VIP.

Here’s what you do: Always tip your drivers and bell-person at the hotel. Pick your favorite bar and get to know your bartender or poolside server. Tip him/her well ($10 might not be a lot for you, but it is for people in other countries), that tip, at the start of your day will create a ripple effect… Your glass will not be empty, you will feel like a VIP, because they will treat you differently from those who do not tip, IF you are drinking alcoholic beverages (why not! it is all-inclusive!) they will make sure your drink is better than all others. Don’t believe me? try it. You will be treated like royalty…it is your dream vacation after all.

HOTEL EMPLOYEES ARE HUMAN TOO. BE KIND.

This is something that you would think is obvious, but I was surprised by how many people treated Hotel employees and drivers like they were trash. It was sad. Yes, they are there to help you and make sure you have a great time, but please remember that a kind word, a smile, and a simple thank you can make a difference in the day of others… and it will give you good Karma points.

TRY ALL THE DRINKS

It’s free! Yes, if you are drinking a Pina Colada, and suddenly your taste buds decide you need something more dry…Do it! No outrageous-cocktail-price guilt attached. And after that try a specialty coffee to wake you up before Karaoke night. Yes, you get the idea.

TAKE CASH

We are all so used to plastic, that it’s easy to forget to withdraw some cash before your trip. Take cash with you because you will need it. American dollars are OK. It comes in handy when you tip or when you want to buy a quick souvenir. Keep in mind that most of these resorts have many stores and many choices to find small (or big) gifts.

PACK SOME FANCY CLOTHES

If this is your first time at an all-inclusive resort, you probably think that all you need is your swimming suit and flip flops. Well, yes, that is great if all you plan to do is to stay by the pool. But the truth is that you are going to want to try the amazing gastronomy that these resorts have to offer… INCLUDED IN THE PRICE.

Side note: to eat at some of these restaurants, you must dress up… a little. So pack a nice dress or two, and fancy flats or sandals. You will regret it if you don’t. By the way… it doesn’t really have to be so fancy, just something other than shorts and a tank top.

DO KARAOKE, GO TO THE DANCE BAR, GO SEE A SHOW

But, I have the kids with me! Yes, I know. We did too… Besides the Casino and specific adult-only designated areas, Most all-inclusive hotels that allow children are very family oriented and kid friendly. So, things like Karaoke, shows, and dance night are open to all ages. They might have a curfew for kids, but it’s usually by midnight. Believe me, you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy yourself and your kids will love it too.

USE YOUR POINTS

When you book at certain hotels, most have a reward system or point system that gifts guests with incentives. Get informed about their rewards and use it! You may think that it’s a scam to lure you into buying extra amenities or packages..blah blah. Not always. We used our points (given to us by just booking on certain days) and used them towards excursions. All you have to pay is tax. We were able to swim with the dolphins and snorkel in the Caribbean ocean for next to no money! Thanks to the points we cashed. No questions asked, no extra spending. USE YOUR POINTS! If you don’t like excursions, you can also use points towards the Spa or even to buy souvenirs.

A side note: I did notice that the actual city of Punta Cana is quite dirty. The touristic sites are kept well and clean, but the rest of the city and streets are extremely dirty and full of trash. That sight made me double pledge to keep trash in bins and recycle ALL my plastic at home.

RELAX BY THE BEACH

Chances are your resort is on the beach. If so, take advantage of the privacy (or semi-privacy) that all-inclusive resort locations have to offer. Depending on the location, you might find paradise in your back yard. It is easy to get lost in the amenities that resorts have to offer, just take at least a few hours to admire nature and put your toes in the sand.

RELAX BY THE POOL

This one is pretty straight forward. Just pick a pool and enjoy. Most likely whatever all-inclusive you pick is going to have several pools to chose from. The best thing to do is wake up early, have breakfast and head to the pool of your choice to reserve a chair. Pools get pretty packed starting mid morning and after noon. But if you know that you will be spending your day doing nothing, sun bathing or enjoying cocktails while you read your favorite book (see suggestions here!), pick your pool and claim your seat. Get to know your bartender and/or poolside waiter, tip them well, and you will LOVE your day.

ALSO, HAVE FUN BY THE POOL

In many hotels, they reserve the main or central pool to conduct family friendly pool activities. Take a day or afternoon to get our of your shell and release your inner weirdo… in a good way, and not in a creepy way. Pool entertainers are usually pretty outgoing and with a contagious sense of adventure, get lured and participate. Fall off the giant inflatable in front of everyone, rock on in a pool of foam, paddle across the pool competing for best time, play polo or water sports. Just do relax, and have fun.

LAST THOUGHTS

All inclusive resorts are great if you have a budget and a family. You can drink, eat, and have fun without the guilt of overspending as everything is pre-paid. Want some ice cream at 10 pm? get it! Decided to try all flavors of coffee and accompany them with different pastries…do it! No-guilt attached… other than the overload of calories you will intake, your wallet won’t suffer.

GO ahead! Find your best choice for your family and do it. Looking for deals might be a tedious task sometimes, but it is sooooo worth it when you finally hit the jackpot. Piece of advice: search on Wednesdays and/or Thursday nights, since I’ve found that many deals are released on those days. If you search for vacations on the weekend, chances are that you will pay more… this is not always the case, but it’s worth the try.

ENJOY YOUR VACATION!

Do you have any other tips or recommendations? comment below! I would love to hear about it.

Always,

Mia

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invinciblebutterfly3 · 6 years

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Beautiful Venice! This was our second stop during our 3 Week Trip To Europe. You may be asking, is two days in Venice enough? The answer to that is, Yes! We arrived here determined to discover the most authentic Venice we could, in only two days. And that’s exactly what we did.

Now, when booking your train to get to Venice, make sure that you purchase it for the right stop. There are two train stations in Venice. The first one on the main land (Venice Mestre) and the other is on the island (Santa Lucia). If you are staying on the island, or want to visit, the second one is the one you should book it for.

Once you arrive at the train station, you are at the Grand Canal. I have to say, finally seeing the dream-like canals of Venice was a dream come true. There are tons of taxi boat options that can take you close to your stop, or you could walk. However, if you have heavy bags, this may not be the best options. We were that group with the big bags, but thankfully our hotel was right next to the stop and we didn’t have to walk much.

We arrived at the hotel very early, so we left our bags there and went out to explore the island. Google maps was our best friend during our stay. So make sure you have a phone carrier that will allow you to have unlimited internet connection. But don’t be afraid to get lost here. Just grab a gelato when you do and find a place where you can restore your connection and route.

Day 1

So like I mentioned earlier, we arrived pretty early to Venice from Paris, which allowed us to start our exploring time the same day. We walked around looking for some lunch, so we stopped for a quick pizza. Right across the street we found some gelato. Don’t worry about looking up the best spots, at least we didn’t, because you will find Pizza and Gelato everywhere.

We chose to leave this as a free day to just explore, so we walked around the allies. Some of them may lead to a dead-end, the canal, or some pretty nice boutiques. Take this time to purchase any souvenirs.

Our first day in Venice was actually my dad’s birthday, so we decided to go back to the hotel to change for a nice dinner. We had an amazing dinner at Trattoria Bar Pontini. The food was delicious, of course. After this, you could walk around to find local bars for some tapas and wine.

Day 2

On our second day, it was go time. We woke up ready to walk and explore. We started our morning with breakfast at the hotel. Most restaurants do not offer breakfast, so we were thankful that our hotel included it.

Our first stop for the day was the Basilica Dei Frari. There was a service going on at the time, therefore we couldn’t walk in.

We continued walking and found ourselves at the Ponte dell’ Accademia. The views from here were breathtaking. Take your time walking around and enjoy the free galleries and boutiques.

Then our route took us to the Piazza San Marco. This is the main square in Venice. The area is extremely crowded during the summer, but it was perfect for the time we visited. This place is magical though. Here you will find live bands and tons of restaurants. As for the Basilica, it is free to go in but you may find a long line during peak season. Again, since we went in November, there wasn’t a long line for us. You will need to be dressed appropriately to be able to walk in. Pictures are not allowed inside. At the Piazza, we decided to sit down and eat our quick lunch that we had prepared earlier.

After walking to the Rialto Bridge, we decided to take a Gondola ride. The prices area bit expensive, but how can you go to Venice and not get on a Gondola? Tons of people opt to not do it and decide to take a taxi boat which also takes you around the whole island. But again, how can you not get on a Gondola? lol.

Once we got back to the Bridge, we decided to just continue getting lost walking through the galleries and stores. We waited until it was dinner time and headed to Rossopomodoro. This is said to be one of the best Pizzas of Venice. Needless to say, it was delicious. We then headed back to our hotel to prepare our bags because we had an early train to Rome.

Watch this video of my trip, it includes a few more clips from the visit.

What you should know about your visit to Venice:

Tip # 1: Visit during slow season. We were able to enjoy a lot because we didn’t have to wait in long lines to go into these places. We visited in November, which was a bit colder than expected, but I hear that late September/October, or late March/April are great times to visit as well, less traffic and good weather. Also, keep in mind that things may cost you more when you go during summer time.

Tip # 2: Do not squeeze too many things in. Venice is a great place to get lost in, walking around through the alleys and enjoying the views.

Tip # 3: Prepare snacks. We bought tons of coffee and hot chocolate during our walks because it was super cold, but they were so delicious that we didn’t mind the extra expenses. However, do prepare some snacks and water for when you are out. This will save you tons because it will help you avoid buying something to eat in every corner. Do enjoy the local food, of course. We tried to always get a hotel that included breakfast, and prepared something for lunch, so that all we had to really sit down for was dinner. We also waited to ask the locals what they recommended for us to eat, instead of looking for restaurants online.

Tip # 4: Like I mentioned at the beginning, look for a place to stay that is close to the train station. Get familiar with the map of the area you’ll be staying in and places you’ll be visiting.

Tip # 5: It is also recommended that you contact your Bank before leaving, to let them know that you will be making purchases in a different country so that they don’t block your card. Also, ask if they charge you for using your card, if they have any fees, to see if its more convenient to only use cash. You should still carry a certain amount in cash.

Tip # 6: Try to purchase your tickets early, and when I say early, I really mean early. We bought our plane tickets almost a year ahead of time, and the train tickets we purchased months in advanced. Trust me, this will help you save A LOT.

Tip # 7: The TripAdvisor app was a big help before and during our trip. In finding where to stay, where to eat, and even the places to visit. Also, we purchased a lot of the things we needed for our trip, like our Travel Power Adapter, through Amazon.

Tip # 8: Lastly, be aware of pickpockets, or people asking you to sign anything, to look at something. Keep your bags tight while walking or taking the train or escalators.

There is always more to see, so just do some more research and see what else you would be interested in. But take your time to enjoy Venice. Since we went during fall/winter time, it was a bit cold and foggy. However, the views were still breathtaking. If you go when it is a little warmer, you will be able to enjoy the beautiful colors on the buildings.

I’m not sure if it is necessary to even add that by the end of our visit we had fallen in love with this historic city. From the beautiful canals, the warm locals and incredible food, everything was amazing. It was a short stay, but it was great. Venice was actually one of my favorite destinations on the trip.

Well, I hope that this itinerary and tips for Venice help you during your next visit. And if you do follow it, or take any tips from here, please write me. I want to know how it went for you. Don’t forget to read my Europe Trip post to read more about my whole trip and the other places we visited in Europe. Who knows, maybe you follow our same 3 week route.

So get ready for lots and lots of walking, going up and down a few stairs for the bridges, tons of gelato, pizza, and of course, amazing views.

Here are the recommended Itineraries for my trip:

3 Day Trip to Paris France – Tips and What to do

2 Day Trip to Venice – Tips and What to do

2 Day Trip to Rome – Tips and What to do

1 Day Trip to Naples – Tips and What to do

1 Day Trip to Amalfi Coast – Tips and What to do

2 Day Trip to Florence – Tips and What to do

1 Day Trip to Pisa – Tips and What to do

1 Day Trip to Cinque Terre – Tips and What to do

1 Day Trip to Nice, France – Tips and What to do

2 Day Trip to Barcelona – Tips and What to do

My trip to Venice, Italy (2 day visit) – Tips and what to do. Beautiful Venice! This was our second stop during our 3 Week Trip To Europe. You may be asking, is two days in Venice enough?

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