Detroit Adventures

When the rare opportunity arises for me to travel for work, I always want to experience a destination that I haven't been to before. That is how I ended up in Detroit, Michigan for a week in July. Which also leads me to some quick Census information...

The Census Bureau has 12 regional offices in the U.S. The entire country is divided amongst the offices based on geographic location and population size. Often times, our travel opportunities are to one of these 12 places.

Anyway, this particular trip was to observe a conference for the Detroit Regional Office's SFRs (SFR=Senior Field Representative). I got put up at a nice hotel with all I could ever need, such as 2 flat screen televisions, a large soaking tub, a clock with soothing noises and adjoining walls so thin I could hear my neighbors television word for word. Hey, it can never be perfect, can it?

I'll spare you of all the boring conference mumbo jumbo and just share with you some pros of a city with such a bad reputation. When I told people I was going to Detroit I got an overwhelming similar response from everyone: "Wow, Detroit huh?" "Yikes, Detroit, don't die." "Detroit......nice...." Needless to say, I was determined to show Detroit some love and find the good in it. I must admit, it wasn't a hard task!

Detroit has lovely views of Canada. They also have a long river walk to enjoy the views, fountains for kids to play in, and park areas. The GM Renaissance Center (the "Ren Cen"), the tallest building in Detroit, also boarders the River Walk.

Detroit had very nice people. I felt like I was in the South. This was really the first time I dined alone at a sit-down restaurant and everywhere I went, people were very friendly and helpful.

All the athletic stadiums are within spitting distance of each other. A "people mover" only costs $.50 a ride and can take you to all the main downtown locations. I rode it around just to see the sites.
Finally, it was a breath of fresh air from the hustle and bustle that I'm accustomed to around here. I was happy to not be overwhelmed in a new city and I was able to hold my own quite nicely. It would have been better had I had someone with me to share the experience with, but otherwise I had a good time.

Vacation Recap - Day 7 & 8

Day 7 - At Sea

Well, this was technically our last day of vacation. We left Grand Turk and were headed back to Ft. Lauderdale and the real world. The weather was great so it was nice to sleep in and spend the day by the pool. We found a shady spot with a good view and managed to finish our books before lunch.

But, if you ask us what we really remember about the last day, it would definitely be the little visit we got from the coast guard. See, around noon time the captain (and his very thick Italian accent) came across the loud speakers to tell us he had a very important announcement. Someone was going to be air lifted off the boat. The coast guard's ETA was 2:15 and we were instructed to be cooperative with the staff. Grreeeaaaat.

I had a feeling things were about the go haywire so I suggested to Joe that we run and grab lunch ASAP. We did just that and returned to our pool chairs to chow down. Within minutes, the staff started clearing the upper decks (where a lot of pool seating is located). Everyone had to get up, the chairs were packed up, etc. We also began hearing that the other pools were completely evacuated and the places we had just gotten lunch from were closed. Somehow we had managed to select some of the only seats that day that weren't forced to move. Thank goodness!

In the end, of course, the coast guard was even later then expected so our "at sea" day was really interrupted. Most people weren't allowed to return to the pools or chairs until around 3:30. But, the little rescue effort was quite impressive to watch. The helicopter hovered over the ship, while we were still moving, and dropped the basket down to pick up the passenger. It seemed like the blades were so close to hitting the boat. They made it look so easy.

After things go back to normal we spent a little more time by the pool and got cleaned up for our "last supper." After dinner, we enjoyed a show put on by two of the comics we saw previously on the ship. Then, we switched locations for what was listed as a Family Feud style game. We had just planned to go and watch, but the turn out wasn't terrific and we were convinced to become a team. Well, turns out, Joe and I were quite good at it and won 1st place and a bottle of champagne. Woo hoo! Since we had to stay awake and polish off our prize, we went to the final show which was staff member's hidden talents. Finally, it was time to go to sleep.


Day 8 - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

We awoke to the lovely (ha) sounds the the ship docking in Florida. *sigh* Vacation was coming to a close. We had to pack our suitcases the night before so we hadn't held much behind for getting ready. Needless to say, it didn't take long to head out of our room. At this point, we were both quite sick of seeing food but we managed to find room for one more breakfast buffet.

We signed up for one of the latest times to get off the boat since our flight wasn't until the afternoon. This being, 9:30am. Disembarking and customs were a sintch and it wasn't long before we were in line for a taxi to the airport. The couple in front of us in line offered to share a taxi which was an offer we couldn't refuse. Still, we ended up at the airport four hours before our flight.

And so, that's what we did for the rest of the day: hung out in the airport. At 2:30, we flew back to Baltimore and were glad to survive the windy and shaky landing. 55 degree temperatures welcomed us home.

Overall, I think this trip did improve my opinion of cruises. It was nice to be so well fed and always have a lot of options for things to do at night. The crowds and lines weren't too too bad, although I still prefer vacations where I can be around fewer people and don't have to worry about claiming my chair by the pool/beach/etc. We had a great time! Check it out for yourself:

Eastern Caribbean - Roundtrip Ft. Lauderdale 7 Days

The End!

Vacation Recap - Day 5 & 6

Day 5 - St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Shortly after leaving St. Maarten, we cruised to St. Thomas. Both Joe and I had been to this island previously so we decided on an excursion that would take us to the island of St. John. There was a little confusion after getting off the ship. Usually when you do excursions you are given a time and place to meet your group and then you proceed to that location and look for someone holding up the name or number of your trip. Welllll, for some reason, that whole holding up numbers concept wasn't very good in St. Thomas. Eventually, though, we figured out where to go and waited for the ferry that would take us to St. Thomas.

It was about a 60 minute scenic ferry ride to St. John - the water is so blue, the land so mountainous, the weather so beautiful. We then taxied to Trunk Bay which was once voted one of the top 10 beaches in the world. It was great! 75% of St. John is owned by the national park service and therefore remains preserved and uncommercialized.

Our excursion was actually a snorkel trip despite my hesitation. Joe was quite the trooper sitting by the pool and on beaches the entire trip so I thought it would be nice to do an activity for him. Well, the park service actually set up a snorkel tour at this location. Just like going to the zoo, there were plaques underwater to describe what you were seeing. Very cool!

This was the second formal night so once we got back to the ship, we cleaned up and spiffied up for a fancy dinner. Joe had lobster and shrimp and I had beef wellington. It was very yum. After, we saw a comedy/magic show which was interesting to say the least. Following that, we went to see a game show based on the Newlywed Show except they used a couple married that day, a couple married 7 years, and a couple married 25 years. It was one of our favorite days of the trip.


Day 6 - Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos

So Grand Turk...this port is owned and maintained by the cruiseline and therefore it was very similar to the experience we had on our Bahamas day. Excursions were available but not necessary because the beach is right next to where the boat docks. There were also pools right next to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. It was a little resort.

It was a very hot day and we sought refuge under some palm trees. It was a relaxing day in and out of the water. That's what I look for in a vacation.

We ate dinner in the dining room again. I can't quite recall what we ate but I think I had sea bass and Joe had some sort of beef. I do remember that I had some excellent cheesecake for dessert. I wish I could have boxed up tons of that to bring home! We saw some traditional cruise entertainment that night - a tribute to pop stars. Well, I didn't quite agree with their idea of pop star but it was something to do. Afterwards, we caught The Blind Side on the tv in our room.

Vacation Recap - Day 3 & 4

Day 3 - At Sea

On Tuesday, we spent the day on the boat as we cruised from the Bahamas down to St. Maarten. Despite being on a moving ship, the weather was great. In the early morning hours we scouted out seats at the back of the ship near the "adults only" pool. And by scouted out, I really do mean went and sat in the seats...we did NOT threw our stuff on the chairs and go back to bed for 3 hours. Grrrr, big pet peeve.

I guess you must feel more of the boat's motion on the back of the boat because the little square pool was more like a wave pool. The water would shift side to side. We got our lunch from the pizza bar and ate it on our beach chairs.

This was the first of two formal nights so after a day at the pool we got all dolled up for dinner. We made reservations for a late 8:15 meal so we had to occupy ourselves beforehand. There was a big display of champagne glasses being erected in the piazza of the ship so we watched that for a while. Once it was finished they poured champagne creating a waterfall effect (only after the top glasses fell off and shattered...funny stuff).

The thing about dinner that really sticks out in my mind is how full I felt before and during consuming it. Miserably full. But, because I had gotten all dressed up, I really made a good effort to finish things. After dinner, we changed and attended another comedy show.

Day 4 - St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles

...and then we arrived at St. Maarten. We signed up for an excursion called the French Riviera Rendezvous. That is, they were taking us to the French side of the island to Orient Beach and lunch was included. It was very picturesque.

For lunch we dined at a little restaurant just off the beach. We had a choice of ribs, chicken, or mahi mahi. I had chicken and Joe had the fish. Neither of us were very wowed with the food. Maybe we just missed our buffet.

The sand was nice and white. There were waves. Oh, and most importantly, it was legal to be perfectly nude and one end of the beach. Those crazy French! Unfortunately, we did not head that way to catch a glimpse of the birthday suits.

Since we had a long day at the beach, that night we opted for the buffet instead of the four-course meal. It turned out to be German night at the buffet so you can guess what we had. And guess what...we went to another comedy show on relationships. Can't get enough of that!

Vacation Recap - Day 1 & 2

Joe and I just returned from a wonderful vacation cruising the Caribbean. 7 nights on the Emerald Princess. Thus begins our vacation recap...

Day 1 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL

We awoke early on Sunday morning to make our way to Baltimore for a 9am flight. The parking lot and lines at the airport were a lot more crowded than I was used to but we had allowed ourselves enough time. We checked in, grabbed some breakfast, and boarded our plane for Florida.

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale around 11:30 and took a taxi to Port Everglades. Embarkation, they call it. When you get there, they take your luggage and you trust it'll eventually show up at your room on the boat. We went through security, waited in some lines, got our picture taken, and eventually we were on the boat. After finding our room, can you imagine what we decided to do next? Eat, of course! Buffet...buffet...buffet...where are you?

Oh, but we soon found out you can eat but drinking will cost you. Not just drinking alcohol, but even drinking soda and coffee. You could either buy each small glass of soda at $2.50 a pop or sign up for a $30 all you can drink plan. $60 later, we were set to go. Phew. A definite downfall of this cruiseline. Can't they just wrap drink costs into the total cost?

The rest of the afternoon we checked out the boat and settled into our room. Eventually our suitcases showed up and we changed for...you guessed it...another meal! But first, they were showing Michael Jackson's This is It in one of the lounges and since Netflix has had us on a wait to see that movie for months and months, it was about darn time we finally could!

You'd be quite impressed to know how adventurous I was with my eating. For dinner, I ordered Barramundi (an Australian fish) and it was very delicious! Joe probably had beef.

Day 2 - Princess Cays, Bahamas

It didn't take very long to arrive at our first destination. The Princess Cays is a private island owned by the cruiseline. Therefore, it's not really necessary to sign up for any excursions because everything you need is right there. The ship anchored offshore and we had to tender into the island (sophisticated looking life boats, essentially).

There was a very large beach with plenty of chairs. We set up camp for the day. The beach was a little rocky near the shore so I decided I'd rather float and we rented a raft for the day. It was lovely. The water here was definitely the coldest of all the destinations and took some getting used to.
For lunch, there was a BBQ buffet with some huuuge hotdogs. We chowed down. Fresh fruit was plentiful. My least favorite part was waiting in long lines to take a tender boat back to the big boat but we survived.
This day we decided to do an earlier dinner. This meant, we'd get to see the pretty sunset off the back of the boat. Also, I think it was this night that we saw a comedian (Kevin Hughes) who specialized in relationship humor.



More to come...

Away we go

I'm very excited to report that we've booked our next vacation. It's a 7 day cruise of the eastern Caribbean. Joe is a veteran cruiser but I've only been on one other cruise. It was a nice way to be able to hit a bunch of different islands and came out to be cheaper than most vacations we'd been pricing out.
We are starting off in Ft. Lauderdale and visiting the Bahamas, St. Martin, St. Thomas, and Turks & Caicos. I can't wait to see all the beautiful islands and enjoy the clear water.

This is a picture of St. Thomas when we cruised there in 2006:

We're choosing to go in May before wedding season swings into gear this year. Also, I have a lot of classes scheduled at work and we had to pick a time in between those. I can't wait to get away!

Tequila...I love it!

We recently returned from a little vacation in Mexico. Last weekend we were in bathing suits by the pool and this weekend we are waiting for the predicted 10-20 inch snowfall. Crazy! We traveled Thursday through Monday so we spent about three and a half days in Mexico. We stayed at the Iberostar Tucan in Playa del Carmen which is about an hour south of Cancun. Our favorite travel buddies, Jill and Adam, were along for the ride as well. It was a vacation all about sun, relaxing, and drinking and eating until we burst. I believe those are essential parts of a great getaway!

The pool was our favorite place to be. Especially with a drink in hand....


At night, we enjoyed having dinner together and catching the show at the resort.

We really had a great time. The weather was beautiful and overall it was just a much needed break. You can view all of my pictures here.

Which brings me to our travel year in review (2009):

January - Nevada & Arizona to visit Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon
February - Deep Creek Lake in Western Maryland for skiing
April - Italy. We visited Venice, Florence, and Rome.
July - Williamsburg, VA for a little Water Country USA action
September - Kill Devil Hills, NC. Our anniversary at the OBX
October - Elon, NC for homecoming
December - Playa del Carmen, Mexico for some fun in the sun

Not too shabby! Here's to more of the same in 2010!