Bloggings, Reviews, Reviews - Travel, Travel

On our way to Isla Mujeres, Mexico!!

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I will start off by saying it has been a long time since we have been on a proper vacation! Our last one was in Puerto Rico over a year ago, so it felt really good to get back into it again. So today it was nice because our flight from Chicago to Cancun did not leave until 12:30, so we were able to sleep in a bit. It was a direct flight on American Airlines. We arrived in Cancun around 4 pm and the process of getting through customs was pretty fast compared to most places we have been. Then it was the moment of truth–how would the transfer to the port be that I purchased? We are staying on Isla Mujeres so I had been researching ways to get from Cancun airport to GranPuerto, I found a company called CARM Tours and Transfers. A guy was there waiting for us at the airport and the van was nice, clean, and air conditioned. The transfer to the port was so smooth and I think we only paid about $30 USD (round trip) for the both of us. Totally worth it for the price and the piece of mind. The drive to the port was great we got to see some of the Cancun resorts and pretty much decided we never need to stay there.

Once we got to the port we got round trip tickets for the ferry to Isla Mujeres. I think these were about $11 USD per person. I was worried about getting sick on the boat because I am always getting seasick, so I went to the convenient store to get some chips and soda. I really wanted pretzels because those have been really good at keeping seasickness away but there were none so we got Cheetos and some weird pizza flavored chips. I also found Dr Pepper here so of course I had to get one and take my picture with it because that’s the tradition in every country we travel. Of course at the port I saw my first of many cats.

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The ferry ride was great, very smooth. We sat on the top and a man was playing music.

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Once we got to Isla we walked to our hotel, Ixchel Beach Hotel. Ixchel was about a 10 minute walk from the port and it is situated on the best beach of the island, Playa Norte. The walk was so hot, I was sweating like crazy! The check in process was easy and fast so we got settled in quickly.

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Then we were hungry so we decided to get some food at Mamacita because we got a 10% discount there with our hotel stay. It was not that great. I got a beef burrito but it was mostly filled with a weird variety of vegetables. Don accidentally ordered a cheeseburger because he thought the waiter said it was a steak or something haha. But his cheeseburger looked pretty good. We each had our first of many drinks on the island, a Sol. We also had a few furry visitors while we ate.

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Next we went to a bar called Kokonuts. We had giant margaritas there and some tequila shots. We talked to the bartender about American football and Fireball. They actually have Fireball here on Isla. After Kokonuts we walked and got some ice cream. And this was our first night in Mexico.

Bloggings, Reviews - Travel, Travel

3 Year Anniversary & Other Updates

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A few weeks ago we celebrated our third wedding anniversary. We have been pretty busy since we moved back to NYC. We went camping with a group of people in PA in September. We camped at Locust Lake State Park. The park was awesome but the experience wasn’t our most favorite. It rained a lot and it was very cold. We also visited the Yuengling Brewery while on this camping trip. My friends Becky and Deni visited with us in September also. It was really good to see them and show them around the city.

So finally in the last weekend of September we went up to the Catskills and stayed at a bed and breakfast. We stayed at the Slide Mountain Inn. The grounds of this place were beautiful. The inn itself was also nice but we have stayed at nicer B&B’s. There were so many things to do just at the inn. There were hikes, paddle boats, and outdoor games. We went on a hike right up the mountain, but we didn’t go all the way up. The views were amazing. I don’t think I have ever seen more beautiful fall colors.

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We also walked around the pond on the property. During this walk a snake snuck up on us and was right under my feet. It was pretty crazy. After checking out the property of Slide Mountain Inn we decided to drive around and see what we could find. We found a trail called Giant Ledge Trail. We thought might as well try it out. We were not really prepared at all for this hike, but the weather was beautiful and we felt like walking. We only had one bottle of water to share between the two of us. At first the trail wasn’t so bad, but then it was just like you were going straight up. After about 2 hours of hiking we came to a point where we would basically be walking straight up a cliff. We debated for quite some time if we wanted to do this. Everyone who came down said it was well worth the effort, so we did it. When we made it to the top the views were amazing. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I was so happy we were able to do it.
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The hike back down was much easier than the way up. I think we even gained energy the way down. It felt good. We went back to the room and got ready to go out to dinner. We knew we wanted to check out the town of Phoenicia so we I found a place to eat there called Tavern 214. It was a more upscale bar and restaurant but not too fancy. We had a sausage slider appetizer. Don ordered a philly cheesesteak and I got the NY Strip. Everything was pretty good and I would recommend this place to anyone in the area. It was a good anniversary dinner. When we got back to the inn we noticed how pretty the stars were…they were so amazing.

On Sunday we got up and did not have breakfast at the inn because we wanted to try Phoenicia Diner on the way home. This place was pretty good. I had breakfast tacos that were probably some of the best breakfast tacos I’ve ever had. On the drive home we also decided to stop by a winery. It was called Palaia Vineyards. I loved everything about this place. The atmosphere was great and they were getting ready to have live music. They have live music often and there were also board games that I saw so maybe it’s a good place to chill. In addition to the wine tasting they had food, beer, and cider. The property was also very pretty. Visiting this place made me long to own something like this of my own. I didn’t want our weekend to end.

Every weekend in NY we have plans. Life has been very busy between fantasy football, school, work, and hanging out. We have been having fun though. We hoping to soon walk across the George Washington Bridge, visit some haunted houses, visit Little India in Jersey, and do some apple picking…

Bloggings

NYC Second Time Around

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So we have moved back to NYC last week. It has been a pretty hectic past few months and up until now I have been constantly busy. I thought it would help to write more. Let’s start with the actual move. Last Monday (6/23) we paid some movers to load up our UHaul. Then around 11:30 am we set out on the road, Don driving the uHaul and Lina and I in the car behind him. The beginning of the drive was not too bad, but from about Ohio on it rained on and off constantly. Not just a light normal rain but downpours. It was scary. We stayed in a hotel Monday night in Pennsylvania. Lina did pretty good the whole first day and at the hotel.

The second day of driving started off pretty good there was barely any rain. We made it to NYC around 10:30 am. Ethan met us here and we had movers take our stuff up to our new 4th floor apartment in Washington/Hudson Heights. Luckily we have 2 elevators in the building. I was surprised to see how big the apartment was and I can’t wait to take pictures. I want to wait until we get a few more things done first.

The rest of the week was spent unpacking, organizing, and doing various things for my new job at NY Presbyterian. I start July 21. I also suffered from some sort of virus that made my muscles so sore and achy. At first I thought it was from moving but when it wasn’t getting better and my sister said she had similar symptoms I knew it was more than that. Luckily by yesterday I started feeling better but it was miserable. So achy and headache for about a week. How come every time I move I get sick? When we moved to Chicago I got a terrible cold. For the weekend we made a trip with the car to Lowes and Ikea in Brooklyn. We got blinds and various things but had no luck at Ikea due to their credit/debit machines not working. Hopefully we go back soon.

The place is pretty much getting in order now. Now I find myself having a lot of time to get things done but there’s only so much I can do. I find it harder to keep busy, especially with the weather being so hot. Keeping busy is key to not thinking about everyone and everything you’re missing. I love NYC and I love friends and family here, but I never thought I would miss Chicago so much. We made tons of friends there and my job at Lurie’s was the best. It makes me so homesick and sad to think about it. The problem is I don’t want to forget and lose contact with people…as well as I don’t want them to forget about me. But keeping in contact and wishing I was at work there doesn’t help with moving on here. I’m sure it will be different when I start working, I hope it will be good. Last night was the first night I cried about it in a long time. I know we did the right thing and I know things will get better. I also know we have no idea what the future holds. I’m excited for everything, I just want to feel happy and not homesick. I want to go on adventures with my husband and be able to sit around and watch our favorite shows again also. We haven’t been able to spend a lot of time together these past few months.

I went to the park today and it is so beautiful. I can’t wait to show people around when they come to visit. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings. Starting over is hard but I am able to do it, I’ll never forget our time in Chicago but mostly I won’t forget the people.

Travel

Last Day-Back to San Juan

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Today we drove back to San Juan and returned our cars. We went back to our hotel that we stayed at on our first night and asked if they could hold our luggage while we wait for our flight. The guy there gave us a really hard time but eventually we left our bags there.

Then we went to look for a breakfast/lunch. We ate at Cafe Del Angel and it was absolutely delicious. I had the best cuban sandwich I have ever had there and they had the best salsa. We actually bought a bottle of the salsa it was sooo good.

After lunch we did a little shopping and then we walked along the beach. Our flight was around 3 so we left to go to the airport around 1. Judy and Steve’s flight was not until later that night.

It was a pretty good last day but I’m ready for our next vacation already.

Travel

Last Full Day

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Today was a our last full day here in Puerto Rico. In the morning we did a tour of Coqui’s Hideaway. We were able to see all the plants and how big the property really was. It was raining a little. Don and Steve saw a big snake and then he fell and slipped in the mud. Good thing we have our own washer and dryer at Coqui’s.

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After that Judy and Steve went to look at some gifts shops and Don and I went to the kiosks again for lunch. Then we relaxed in the pool before going to Fajardo for a tour of the Bio-luminescent Bay.

The tour of the Bio-Bay was a kayak tour and Don and I have not had a good history with kayaks. This trip didn’t start off well. It was pitch black and the water was very rough. We could not get the kayak to go straight in the beginning and I started freaking out. I decided that I didn’t want to go and we made it back to the dock. I told the tour guide I was scared and not good at kayaking. He asked if we wanted to hook up to his kayak and he can pull us, so we decided to do that. It was much easier and I was happy our tour guide was so accommodating. We saw other couples and groups being pulled also, so we were not complete losers. The Bio-Bay has glowing plankton and it was very pretty.

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