Day 2 of my 50/50 challenge is Alaska. I’ve never been to Alaska, but I’d love to go. The perception is that Alaska is just a big, cold iceberg. That’s not entirely accurate. The average temperature in Juneau, Alaska during the months of June, July, and August is 63 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course it takes almost 18 hours of daylight in June and July to achieve that 63 degree average. So, if I’m going to Alaska, it’s going to be in the summer.
One reason to visit Alaska to see the Northern Lights, otherwise known as Aurora Borealis. The majority of people haven’t seen a real Northern Lights display. This alone is worth a trip to Alaska. When I was a kid there was Northern Lights visible one summer night in upstate New York and it was absolutely spectacular. In Alaska there are many Norther Lights tours you can sign up for that know the best times and places to go to see the Northern Lights.
The wildlife in Alaska is unparalleled in North America, and whale watching tours are plentiful. There is also the opportunity to view the Mendenhall Glacier and the snow capped peaks of the Denali Mountain. There’s also the opportunity to spot some of the state’s most exciting wildlife such as moose, caribou, and grizzly bears in the fall. It’s a lt’s also a great place to go salmon fishing.
If you’re a cruise person there are many great cruises that navigate the Alaska coastline and dock at the major cities.
Alaska is one of the most unusual of the states and that’s exactly why it’s worth visiting. You’ll see things that you can’t see anywhere on planet Earth.
Next up on my 50/50 we’ll go from cold to hot as we visit Arizona tomorrow. Safe travels! ~Phil
Imagine waking up at the crack of dawn, making your cup of coffee and walking out to the beach to people watch as the locals walk and stop to pick up a few sea shells here and there. Maybe there’s someone on a paddleboard drifting by quietly. Sitting there enjoying your coffee with no news to watch. No worries about the stock market or whatever controversy is the flavor of the day. You inhale deeply of air that smells like a mix of your coffee and the ocean, and you just watch the day waking up to the sound of waves lapping at the shore.
White sand beaches and a cup of coffee. What else could you need to start your day off relaxed? For the last six years, every year except Covid 2020, myself and a few longtime friends have made our annual pilgrimage to Fort Myers Beach, Florida. Fort Myers Beach is a town located on Estero Island on the gulf side of Florida. It’s not exactly a sleepy, unknown seaside town, but it’s probably as close to anything you can find nowadays, if you go at the right time.
My friends and I go late October/early November every year. It’s not tourist season at that time and it’s definitely not Spring Break. If you go at the right times of year, this place is an absolute gem for relaxing beach time. In the month of November daily high temperatures range from 78°F to 82°F, rarely falling below 71°F or exceeding 87°F. Perfectly comfortable.
In Oct/Nov this is how crowded the beaches are in Fort Myers
If you don’t like just laying around the beach, there’s plenty of other fun activities, like renting a jet ski, going paragliding, fishing or golfing. Like any great beach community there is also a thriving nightlife here with bar/restaurants up and down the beach where you can get a great meal with a view of the ocean before heading inside for a few adult beverages.
Although this place is getting busier and more popular, it still has an awesome, small beach town feel. There’s a couple 7-Eleven’s and one Publix supermarket. The rest of the businesses on the island are local owned mom and pop shop types of places, whether it be restaurants or gift shops.
Where should you stay when you go to Fort Myers Beach? There’s plenty of great options. There’s beach resorts and hotels everywhere and if you’re vacationing on a budget, just pick a nice little hotel across the street from the expensive ones and walk over to the beach through the many public access areas. There’s also a fantastic AirBNB/VRBO community of property owners that will rent you anything from a beachfront house to a condo or a beautiful bungalow on an inter-coastal waterway with a dock. While you’re there, if you don’t want to drive the rental car everywhere, you can also rent golf carts that are street legal just to drive around the island.
There’s a sunset like this almost every single night.
Back to my title; why should you visit as soon as possible? In about two years the massive Margaritaville resort that’s being built will be completed. If you love Margaritaville, great! This is a perfect place for it, but my fear is that this massive tourist resort will cause the island to be constantly and perpetually full of people. I fear that those slow, lazy mornings having coffee on a peaceful beach will be gone forever. I really hope I’m wrong, but just in case, visit Fort Myers Beach while you can. ~Phil
I apologize for the language. I found that sticker in a little shop In Burlington, Vermont last weekend. Vermonters are a very liberal, creative bunch, and that’s just fine with me. That sticker now resides on my laptop.
But this review is not about the wonderfully interesting and creative people in the Green Mountain state. I’ll answer my title question with an emphatic yes, you should go to Vermont, but don’t do it like I did last week.
All of New England, and especially Vermont is especially romanticized in the fall. The rolling mountains covered with the tapestry of red and gold leaves are a beautiful sight to see. Breathtaking really.
From mid September through the middle of October the whole state looks like this
First of all, before you go to Vermont in the fall, you have to plan your trip. If you go too early or too late you’ll miss the spectacular fall foliage that’s better than anything you’ve seen in a movie. Here’s how to enjoy your trip to Stowe, Vermont.
1. You’ll want to book your trip for somewhere between Sept. 20th and October 15th. That is the ideal time to go “leaf peeping” in Vermont.
2. Book your trip about 6 months ahead. And be prepared to pay for an expensive hotel or resort. During the fall the hotel costs are through the roof. When I went this past week, I went a little cheap, if you can call $250 a night cheap.
My wife and I booked a resort that we had driven by many times and once ate breakfast at many years in the past. The Stoweflake Inn and Resort.
When we first saw it over two decades ago it was beautiful. When we showed up last weekend, it looked like it hadn’t been updated in the last 25 years. Here’s some pictures:
We were greeted by this sad little “fountain”
and overgrown shrubs everywhere
We initially thought it might have been abandoned. After checking in we went to our room and were met with a blast of cold air as we entered. The thermostat was set at 55 degrees. So, we turned up the thermostat and left for two hours. Later, when we returned we explored our resort and room more:
Yaa! At least I won’t have to peel the wallpaper myself. Is that mold?
Good to know that dental hygiene was important to the people who last had the room.
Would you want ice from this machine?
Apparently there was a fountain inside the hotel recently
When you book your hotel in Stowe, Vermont, make a note to self: Do not choose The Stoweflake Inn.
3. Things to do in Vermont:
-Go to the Ben & Jerry’s original location in Waterbury, Vermont. Great ice cream, fun tour and a great gift shop.
– Visit the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington. It about three blocks of a street blocked off and it’s full of interesting shops and great restaurants.
-Walk around the quaint, beautiful village of Stowe. Of course if you show up in the fall it will be very busy with tourists. A tip from friends of mine that live in Vermont: Go in April. You’ll miss the leaves changing, but you’ll also miss the mass of tourists that come in the fall.
-Skiing: If you like downhill skiing Vermont is your place. Mount Mansfield in Stowe and and Killington, in Killington are two very popular and top rated ski spots.
Big Fish, Stowe, VT: GREAT seafood, but beware; currenty they are asking for proof of Covid vaccination before letting you be seated. Bring your vaccination card.
Sushi Yoshi, Stowe, VT: Great food, all sorts of Chinese, Japanese and Asian food. Clean and great service!
-In Stowe, Vermont do not go on the gondola ride to the top of Mount Mansfield. It’s $67 for two people to get a ride up to the top of the mountain where there really isn’t anything to do but look around at the mountains and fall leaves, which you can do literally anywhere in Vermont for free. Don’t do it.
–The Auto Toll Road: Another thing you should skip. It’s about $25 to drive several miles up a single lane, poorly maintained dirt road up a mountain that has views that you can see for free everywhere you look in Vermont. The road feels dangerously difficult at times when it’s too narrow and there’s cars going both ways.
I have never seen Snakes on a Plane, but I often see jerks on a plane. Here’s the story of one of those flights…
Oh it’s a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big Tylenol~ Johnny in the 1980 movie Airplane!
Travel is always good fodder for a blog post and my trip this week was no different. Here are some things I learned waiting in the security line:
1) If you’re over 75 you don’t have to take off your shoes or jacket. Apparently TSA believes that there is a mandatory retirement age for terrorists.
2) TSA also believes that only medical professionals wear scrubs and the rest of us are completely unable to obtain these super secret garments. While waiting in line I noticed a guy behind the cordoned off area in scrubs. Then a few minutes later I noticed he was well ahead of me going through the scanner.
In summary, I’m going to dress up as an elderly physician next time I have to fly. I’ll be through security in minutes. Unless of course I have to get my hands dusted. When I went through the scanner, an alarm pinged. I quickly checked my pockets thinking I might have forgotten some change. No, I was informed, I had been randomly selected to have my hands checked for explosives. I flexed my biceps and replied, “If you want to see something explosive check these out!” Needless to say, after hearing that line the entire security area, passengers and TSA, broke out in lighthearted laughter. Lighthearted laughter in the security line? Just kidding, that would be a first.
Almost as soon as my plane left the ground chaos ensued. We weren’t given permission to move about the cabin but suddenly people were getting up and running willy-nilly in the aisle because it was a littlechilly. It looked like an elementary school hallway at dismissal time. Overhead compartments flew open up and down the plane as panicked passengers grabbed coats and blankets. The captain came on the p.a. announcing he was turning up the thermostat. Holy crap, I thought to myself, what a sense of entitlement these idiots have if they think it’s ok to violate FAA safety regulations because they might be a little chilly for a few minutes. If I was the incognito federal marshal on that plane I’d have been tempted to stand up and point my gun at these dolts telling them to sit down and shut up. Or maybe I’d just show my biceps again.
The worst offender of fashion and airline etiquette was Captain Denim. He was a roughly 60 year old gentleman with greasy hair receding in front but long enough to reach the collar of his denim jacket in the back. He was also wearing denim jeans with the elaborate, bright stitching that draws your attention but also makes you think This guy really doesn’t have the kind of ass he should be drawing attention to. As soon as our plane touched the runway Captain Denim popped out of his seat and took down his Volkswagen-sized suitcase and planted it in the middle of the aisle. The flight attendant had to tell him very sternly three times to put it back in the overhead compartment until we reached the gate. Again I thought about pulling out the biceps but I figured this wasn’t the place for my particular brand of vigilante justice. And I didn’t want to get laughed at.
Seriously, I do want to thank TSA and the airlines for getting me safely from place to place. They do a tough job and do it well. Writing a blog is tough too and if you like what you read here please hit the Facebook share button below.
I’ve got to tell you, that although the Logan Hotel is within walking distance of Love Park where the iconic square Love sculpture lives, I didn’t love the Logan Hotel. The Logan Hotel, is a Hilton Hotel in their “Curio” line of hotels. The Logan Hotel used to be The Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia, so I had high hopes for this trip. Apparently being a Hilton Curio hotel means kitschy decorating and dark hallways. (If you’d like to see some pictures of the artsy decor click HERE)
I’m going to go with the negatives first:
–On Sundays and Mondays there is no food or drink available in the hotel. Nothing. The in-house restaurants and bars are closed. They don’t even have a pantry where you can grab a snack. I didn’t know this before booking the hotel and as I was coming in on Monday, I was hoping to maybe get a bite to eat and have a glass of wine after a long day of work. I had to walk down the street to have my needs met.
–The hallways are so dark that if I was walking down a street and saw an alleyway this dark, I would run the other way.
–A glass of house wine at the hotel bar is $18 minimum. If the basic “house” wine is $18 a glass, imagine how much the good stuff must be.
–The Cafe downstairs doesn’t open until 7:00 a.m. So much for grabbing a quick bite before leaving for an early meeting.
–Need or want housekeeping? They don’t automatically do it, and they don’t tell you when you check in that you need to ask for housekeeping if you want it.
–There is no business center. I had to ask the front desk to make copies for me.
–They don’t have their own parking. If you valet park, they’ll charge you $58 a day to drive your car around the corner to a public parking garage. If you park yourself at the same garage around the corner, it costs $18.
That paints a bleak picture initially, but there are some positives too. I’ll lay them out and you can decide if the negatives outweigh the positives.
I had a big beautiful room with a great view.
They have a rooftop bar. I’m a sucker for a rooftop bar/restaurant.
It’s located in a great spot. Easy walking distance to Love Park, The Rocky Balboa Museum and other attractions.
Nice swimming pool and workout room.
For what is supposed to be a high end type hotel it had a moderate price tag of $177 (plus taxes and fees) for the nights I booked. It’s likely more expensive on the weekend.
That’s my review of The Logan Hotel Philadelphia. I give it 2.5 Philly’s out of 5. Hilton Hotels, I hope you read this and fix some of the issues because I really like the location.
So recently I stayed in Philadelphia for work, and I did so during the NBA playoffs when the Philadelphia 76’ers were still alive. When I was in Philly, unfortunately the Sixers were playing in Atlanta. Philadelphia is renowned for some of the most loyal and most crazy sports fans in the country. Although I couldn’t go to a game in person, I decided that I wanted to do the next best thing, watch a playoff game in a Philly sports bar with real hard core Philly sports fans. As it turned out, my hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn Philadelphia Center City (click to read the Philliver’s review) was just 100 yards from Bar-ly.
When I arrived at my hotel, from driving in the area I had figured out that my hotel was smack dab right in the middle of Philly’s ‘Chinatown’. I’m not calling it Chinatown, Philadelphia is. They have signs that say it.
Scan it with your phone camera! You can see the menu
I’m kidding! It won’t really work from a picture, but how many of you tried it before you read this? Anyway, I didn’t know that Bar-ly was a Chinese sports bar until I walked in, and I couldn’t have been happier. Half of the menu is Chinese and Vietnamese. How great is that? The fact that this place is right in Chinatown means the food is legit.
Don’t you get tired of bar food sometimes? How many wings can you possibly eat without wondering if there’s something better somewhere? What if that something better was eating Chinese food, drinking an awesome local craft beer and watching your team on one of 37 televisions?
I heartily recommend Bar-ly if you’re in Philadelphia Center City. As a sports bar I give 4.5 out of 5 Philly’s. Great food, great atmosphere and a great selection of craft beers. The reason for the 4.5 instead of a full 5, is that they only take cash, quite possibly to fund the illegal casino downstairs. That may or may not be true, but you should read my story about it, An Amish Buggy in Chinatown, over on The Phil Factor.
Yes, those lonely flip flops (🎵stepped on a pop top🎵) and towel right next to the “the hotel hot tub” last weekend were mine. Admittedly, I’m a hot tub guy. Yes, I know saying that brings to mind images of a guy with gold chains and a red velour robe that he drops just before stepping into the hot tub au naturel. Trust me, I’m not that guy. But I’d bet that Will Farrell is.
Picture courtesy of NBC and Saturday Night Live
Let’s be honest, under the best conditions, hotel hot tubs are a dicey proposition aren’t they? Not knowing how often they’re cleaned and chlorinated makes me wonder if I’m stepping into a bouillabaisse of bodily fluids. But, sometimes I just can’t ignore the seductive siren song of those 104 degree bubbles.
Don’t get me wrong, I do have some standards. I always avoid the indoor hotel hot tub. If it’s indoors I imagine people leaving the hotel bar with drinks in hand and slipping into the indoor hot tub and doing God knows what.
The outdoor hotel hot tub is another matter altogether. It’s out in the open where 200 people can see it from their rooms constantly, so I have a little more confidence that it hasn’t been anyone’s personal petri dish. Also, if I want to use the hotel hot tub, I do it in the morning, imagining that no one has used it in hours and the chlorine has killed off whatever might be in there.
Hot Tub Time Machine
Last Saturday I was on vacation in Florida and all my conditions were met. The hot tub was out in the open, it was a bright, sunny day and I headed down there at 9:00 a.m. The hot tub was empty. I walked by to find a lounge chair to leave my t-shirt and Kindle on. Upon walking back to the hot tub, to my horror I found two people in the hot tub. It was as if they had magically materialized there in the 30 seconds I had my back turned. But the worst part was that not only was this couple in the hot tub, the were in the hot tub if you know what I mean. She was sitting and he was kneeling between her legs facing her and they were full on making out, with tongue! At 9:00 in the morning!
I was on vacation and would not be deterred. I aimed my lounge chair directly at the hot tub, sat down and waited. Not like a creepy psychopath seething with inner rage, but more like a nice normal guy pretending to read a magazine while seething with inner rage.
Bob’s Burgers-Fox Television
After about ten minutes my low level creepy stalking paid off. They got out of the hot tub and began to walk away. I launched myself from the lounge chair and flip flopped over to the hot tub as quickly as possible. But on the way there, the impossible happened, I was distracted. I was approaching the hot tub as the couple was walking away and I couldn’t help but notice the woman’s caboose. But I didn’t notice it in the “Ooh! That’s a nice derriere” kind of way. I noticed it in the “Yikes that’s a lot of ass showing at the hotel pool when there’s kids around and people have just eaten breakfast” kind of way.
Don’t peg me as a prude just yet. What I noticed was that it wasn’t apparent as to whether she was wearing a thong or if she had the world’s worst wedgie (www for short). When I decided that it was the worlds worst wedgie, I wondered if it was that way when she got in the hot tub or if their amorous activities had led to that. Of course that thought led me to wonder what amorous activities I might not have been able to see from my lounge chair vantage point.
So after pondering that for nearly seven seconds, I hopped into the hot tub anyway and found a jet that hit that tight spot in my lower back just right. As I began to relax, to my abject terror, they came back. And they got in the hot tub with me! Having zero interest in how they created the www the first time, I fled that hot tub like it was on fire AND full of snakes.
Fortunately, the next day I was able to have a nice solo soak. Have a great Saturday and safe travel! ~Phil
The first and most enduring memory of my trip to Walt Disney World with my kids 15 years ago is of the shuttle bus ride from the Orlando airport to the hotel.
Prior to my trip I had thought that the entertainment wouldn’t start until we actually arrived at Walt Disney World (aka The Costliest Place on Earth). Thanks to the gratuitous disbursement of alcoholic beverages by the airline, the early entertainment was provided by a representative of a Pittsburgh chemical company who flew to Orlando on “business.” It’s a good thing he took a shuttle bus because I’m sure that after the flight Mr. Pittsburgh had no business being behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. He barely had any business being allowed in a motor vehicle. The fumes he was giving off could have been lethal if we couldn’t have opened the windows.
Not a picture of me
His partner was a bit more inhibited, but seemed to be, to the endless amusement of Mr. Pittsburgh, an avid cell phone person. Mr. Pittsburgh’s partner was either trying to call his wife, or trying to sell his motorcycle, (which I overheard is listed on cyclevantage.com). Each time the more sober of the two was cut off from his wife on the cell phone, Mr. Pittsburgh would repeatedly shout, “Oooo…Ooooo Call her back! Oooo…Ooooo Call her back!” (He was attempting a poor imitation of the Gwen Stefani song Hollaback)
At one point he became so agitated in his Rainman-like chanting that he literally began banging his head on the window of the van. Our driver, Jose, was very alarmed by this.
Sensing Jose’s concern Mr. Pittsburgh would occasionally shout, “Hey Jose! How much longer?” He must have asked this at least 4 times in a 30 minute span. After I suggested that my kids watch the ponds and rivers by the road for alligators, Mr. Pittsburgh shouted, “Hey Jose! Are there alligators or crocodiles here?” The one other apparently sober passenger who wasn’t part of my family, a woman travelling alone, pointed to Mr. Pittsburgh and whispered deadpan, “I wish there were alligators here.”
15 years later that still makes me laugh. Sometimes it’s the things you don’t plan for on vacation that are the most memorable. As you read this on Saturday morning, this time next Saturday I’ll be again heading to Walt Disney World. My kids may have outgrown Disney World, but my wife has not.
