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Alaska Cruise

April 8, 2016 by Notourguideneeded 4 Comments

Alaska.

Just go.  Don’t even think about it.  I hesitated and it is by far one of the best trips I have taken.   It seems to be best seen, at least for your first trip, by cruise so you can experience it all.  If you are not one for cold weather (me!) the cruise is great because you go out and do excursions and then you hop into your room, or the thermal spa.

Yes, I said thermal spa.  If you are an experienced cruiser, you know what I am talking about and you are smiling right now thinking of the warm benches or the sea salt baths.  BUT, if you are new to cruising like I was, you have no idea what is in store.  I will write another post specifically about thermal spas, but let me just say it is a must.  Especially in freezing Alaska.

Now, the hubs and I like to spend our money wisely and we weren’t too sure if we would like a cruise (we did) or Alaska (we did).  Norwegian Cruises had a special where we could be in a balcony room for something really cheap.  We decided to give it a try.  We left for Alaska the first week of May.  The bears weren’t even out yet it was so cold.

 

Getting there and logistics

There are many options for this cruise. You can start or stop in Vancouver, Seattle, or many other places.  We opted for the most variety and chose to get to Vancouver a few days early, enjoy ourselves, and then return via Seattle with a day to see that city.

I would not go on this cruise in anything less than a balcony room.  The view is amazing but one of the best parts of the trip was watching the whales from our balcony.  The captain would announce which side of the ship the whales were on and we saw plenty.  If you splurge in any area, it is this.  It is worth giving up any excursion.  Plus you are at sea for a few days and you still have great views.

We thought (maybe like you are now) that we could get an inside cabin and then just go to the main area.  One, that is what everyone else thinks too.  Two, there isn’t enough room for everyone to see.  Three, it is probably going to be cold.  In our case it was very cold.  So, having the balcony, I could wrap myself in a blanket and sit outside fine.

 

Different ships and ports do things different, so keep that in mind.

 

Excursions

You have to remember that you are going to small towns.  Depending on what time of year you go, there may not be many options of things to do.  That might be okay with you and maybe not.  I’m listing below things we did, and wish we did.  However, Alaska is so pretty that I am not sure you could go wrong with anything if you had the right attitude.

 

Vancouver

I had always heard that Vancouver was fun, but it is on my list of places that I would like to return to someday.  A few places that you should probably check out:

  • The Capilano Suspension Bridge is super cool.  I wasn’t that familiar and I wish we had planned to spend more time there.  I could have spent a full day walking around and we only budgeted about 4 hours.  (4 hours is enough, I was just greedy :)).  Check out the link above and if you don’t do anything else go there. There are lots of tree houses and tons of interactive things.  Get the passport if they still have them and play the game of getting stamps.  You are on vacation, you can be a child too!
  • I know that some people really dig the whales, but you are about to go to the middle of the sea, where you will most likely see whales for free.  Choose wisely.  If you must see whales, go for it.  If you are thinking that is just something neat, make sure you have done the bridge before you spend the money on the whales.
  • The Olympic Cauldron.  It’s there.  Take a photo.  Move along.
  • Stanley Park is great if the weather is good.  We drove around it but it was much to cold for us to enjoy the park.

 

Juneau

This little town of 33,000 is only reachable by boat or plane.  It is a popular spot for vacation because it does have a lot to offer.   The main one is the dog sledding that will put you back several hundred dollars.  I wanted to go but was torn to pay that kind of money.  The universe decided for me, as it was a late Spring and everything was still frozen.  We opted to take a photography whale watching excursion and a stop over at the glacier.  Not disappointed with either of these.

First, we stopped off at the glacier.

Mendenhall Glacier

and then we saw it…

 

The guide said it was one mile from where we were standing. That is how big the glacier is!!
The guide said it was one mile from where we were standing. That is how big the glacier is!!

You can read more about the glacier from the visitor center, and I highly recommend you check it out.

One thing I do wish we had time for was to walk on the glacier.  I thought it was kind of a dumb idea sitting in my kitchen researching excursions.  “Walk on a chunk of ice.. who wants to do that?” I thought.  Well, now I do.  After seeing the glacier in all its glory, I wanted to walk on that sucker.  It’s not like you can just walk up to it either, so one for next time!  (Plus, we saw a lot of whales off our balcony, but there was no guarantee of that).

 

Then we were off to check out the whales!

Now, I had never been on a whale watching tour before.  What do they do to get the whales?  Do they feed them? Well, they have spotters.  And the whales are pretty habitual so the boat drivers talk to each other and then they follow the whales around.  You don’t want to get too close because the boats are small and the whales are huge.  It was freezing and raining, but it was super cool to be outside with the nature and seeing the whales.

Whale

 

Whale

 

 

DSC_0184-7

 

Then we did something I wasn’t expecting.  We went to see eagles.  Now, after being in Alaska for a few days, I learned that eagles are everywhere, but early on the trip this was just amazing.  (there are many eagle watching tours.  think about this when booking one.  there is no guarantee that you will see an eagle on your own, but based on what we saw, I’d be surprised).

DSC_0322-9

 

Ketchikan

We stopped in at the Totem Heritage center.  It’s a good stop and very interesting history. Not long but a good deal to see.

There is lots of shopping and little craft stores.  I bought myself a wooden owl there.

The big thing is to go fishing, but if you aren’t into that, the city gives enough to do just walking around.

The city has a lot of history and it is well documented.  It was once the seen of a red-light district and you can take a very cheesy, but good tour of the house.

Ketchikan River

 

Skagway

Skagway is a VERY small town.  Unlike Ketchikan, there weren’t that many shops.  Most people took the train up to the Yukon to see the beautiful scenery.  Not us.  We did it like they did during the gold rush – we rode horses!

They are very accommodating and even if you have never been on a horse, you will be okay.  They do not let you go free with the horse and there is always someone around to help.   I highly recommend this tour!

 

There were many muddy parts but the horses didn't mind!
There were many muddy parts but the horses didn’t mind!

Skagway Train

 

The Town of Skagway

 

 

 

Glacier Bay

As I said earlier, get yourself a balcony room if you can.  For the main part of glacier bay, we did go to the outside of the ship because the ice was calfing (why can’t they just say dropping??).

NCL Cruise Glacier Bay

 

Seattle

We only had a day in Seattle, but we got to see the highlights.

This is the famous public market. It was impressive!
This is the famous public market. It was impressive!

 

Seattle

 

The big thing at the public market is the flowers. They are beautiful and everywhere to buy!
The big thing at the public market is the flowers. They are beautiful and everywhere to buy!

 

Again, the trip was great, and I would go again if other people were going too.  Or maybe if there was a sale.  Or to see the bears, because it was too cold when we were there. Or maybe to so salmon fishing..

 

Check out some other blogs that talk about Alaska and the parts that I didn’t go:

  • Nerd’s Eye View – Alaska
  • Alaska Blog Network
  • Alaska Attitude

 

Filed Under: Adventures, Cruise, Favorite Places, History, United States Tagged With: Adventure, Nature, Snow, Whales

Chicago St. Patrick’s Day

March 18, 2016 by Notourguideneeded 1 Comment

I have been to Chicago many times and each time have had an exceptional experience.  The city is great, with shopping, food and just some really good history.  There is always something going on in the city and I am not sure why I do not go more often.

This year, I headed up to the Windy City to experience St. Patrick’s day.  I have always wanted to see the river green and had no idea the party I was in for that day.  First, let me say that Chicago knows how to party.  They start dying the river green around 9am and the festivities are well under way.

It wasn’t hard to find the festivities. Just walk over to the river.  The plumbers’ union is the ones that dye the river and they were having a hell of a good time.

 

The dying of the Chicago river green!

 

There are parties throughout the city and many around the river or as you head to the parade.

 

Ah, yes the parade.  I was warned by numerous people that the parade was a crazy event.  I have been to Mardi Gras, Oktoberfest, etc.  I can handle crazy.  Well, the ‘irish’ in Chicago pack it all into one day!  The crowds were everywhere, but I must say that even though I did see a few disorderlies, I never felt unsafe.

 

We spent most of our time at McCormicks and everyone I asked said they were not going to the parade.  The hubs and I decided to head over and check it out anyway.  We couldn’t get there… too many people!

The crowd was just too much!!
The crowd was just too much!!
More and more people
More and more people
Great Party here at McCormick's
Great Party here at McCormick’s

Filed Under: Adventures, Festival, United States

11 things to Remember when New York City during Christmas

January 2, 2016 by Notourguideneeded Leave a Comment

Tips NYC at Christmas

New York City at Christmas

Many years ago I started going to New York City at Christmas time for shopping and snow viewing.  It has now morphed into my husband’s birthday celebration place.  If you are thinking of going to New York during the Christmas season there are a few things to keep in mind.

 

Weather

We had a great trip this year, even with the weather being crazy.  We arrived on Thursday night and it was hot, then Friday morning it was freezing.  It stayed cold until Monday as we were leaving it was hot again.  Hot being 70 degrees, but that is warm for NYC in December.

A few years back we experienced a blizzard!

Bottom line – be prepared for any type of weather.

 

People

There will be LOTS of people.  More than normal.  And most of these people are panicking because they have a Christmas list of things to buy and time is running out.   The hubs and I quit doing presents a long time ago and therefore are not freaked out.  But you must be on notice that people are really really stressed out.

 

Clothing

While the streets are (usually) freezing, the insides of buildings are usually ridiculously hot.  Prepare for this.  Do not wear heavy sweaters under a heavy coat and then wrap your bag over your shoulder.   Wear layers.  And put your bag under your coat.  Then when you enter the building you can take your coat off without it being an Olympic event.    The locals have this down to an art; you are not a local so don’t even try.  Just put that purse under your coat or be ready to melt.

If you do not own a scarf, buy one immediately when you get to NYC.  I’m from the south so we don’t really need/wear scarves.  I have found over the years though that they are quite handy and wear them often now.   Google a video on the many ways to wear them.   The cold wind in NYC somehow knows how to hit your lips (while chapping them well), and then rush down your neck and into your clothes. Wear a scarf.

You can also use them to breathe through went on the subway and not so great odors appear.

 

Christmas Windows

The Christmas windows are just as pretty in the day as they are at night when people think that is the only time they are up.    They are also up at 9am before the stores even open.  Do not stand in long lines to see the same thing you can see in the morning.  They are beautiful.  Evening and morning they are the same.

 

Other Christmas Activities

If you stand on the church steps at St. Patrick’s on 55 and 5th, you can hear (and kind of see, but not well) the Saks Christmas lights on the building.  Or you can cross the street and stand in the crowd. This, unfortunately does need to be done at night.  It is pretty and should be done.  But please don’t fight the crowd…stand on the steps and lean over a little.  You’ll get the point.

There is nothing more peaceful that watching people ice skate in Central Park.   Forget Rockefeller ice.. it is loud, and touristy.  Bryant Park can be nice too sometimes.

I avoid Time Square at all cost.  If you have never been, go around 9am.  Things start opening up and it is not as crazy as the middle of the afternoon.   There is nothing “christmasy” in TS, so look and then leave.

Nespresso has a shop up by the park, east side.  Forget the Starbucks.  This has a restaurant and the coffees are fabulous.  The store in the back has great servers that will let you sample your heart out too. And they have clean bathrooms.

Lincoln Center has opera and ballets that are wonderful to watch during this time.  Check out their schedules.  It is less hectic and usually much cheaper than a broadway show.

Last but not least, remember to enjoy your self.  And stay away from people with look of panic in their eyes. 🙂

 

 

Saks lights NYC Christmas
The Lights at Saks

Snow in Central Park NYC Christmas
Snow in Central Park

 

 

 

Filed Under: Christmas, Favorite Places, New York City, United States

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