The Travel Expert

I've been getting lucky lately with the lay down seats, the first class seats on these Boeing 757's allow you to recline almost all the way. It makes flying a pleasure when I can sleep comfortably and enjoy a nice breakfast in the morning before reaching my destination.

The Hotel

Sheraton is part of the SPG alliance, I don't have much status with them but I got treated like a king at this hotel. As I always stress in my post, If you don't ask you don't get! When I checked in I politely asked the front desk agent if the executive lounge was included in my reservation. I might have told her a little lie and said that they usually accommodate me on the top floor and give me access. She took a look at my reservation and said "sure I think we can take care of that for you". On top of giving me a room on the top floor and access to the lounge she gave me 2 drink coupons for the hotel bar, as well as some casino match play coupons for the Seneca Casino across the street.

Most people that travel don't even realize what an executive lounge exist, so why do I love them so much? They serve free breakfast every morning, it's good breakfast too not muffins and bagels. They also have a reception at night usually lasting 3 hours with hot appetizers and free beer and wine. Throughout a 4 night stay this can save you around $200 considering breakfast for one person at a hotel restaurant can cost $20-$30 and a drink is usually $8-$10.

(Executive Lounge Night Reception)

(Canadian Beer! :))

SPG is probably the biggest chain of hotels that I've seen that stresses green living. They actually compensate you if you help them in their efforts, If you turn down housekeeping they will give you a $5 restaurant voucher or 500 SPG points just for saving them the use of cleaning towels, sheets and the housekeeping time.

They are also one of the few hotels that restock free water in your room every day, most hotels will charge you $5 a bottle. Its not a big deal but the nice gesture makes a difference.

The Experience

I was really exited to be so close to the falls, I just kept replaying the memories from my childhood in my head of being right in front of the falls as the water drops. Being in Canada the week prior was nice but ehhhh. When you see the falls from the Canada side it just looks like a big painting, it is very difficult to note any detail or really understand what is happening. Me and my girlfriend left the hotel an started running around like little kids trying to get to the falls. It was extremely cold out and the wind was so strong I couldn't feel my face or my ears. I was shocked at how empty this town is, It was a complete ghost town. I guess Canada steals all the tourism away since they actually have stuff to do on that side. After 8pm on the USA side it was hard to even find a restaurant open to eat a meal. Regardless of this I was exited because the park is open 24 hours. Last time I was at Niagara as a kid I got to see a glimpse and I wasn't able to cross over to Goat Island which ended up having the nicest view.

(Walking into Niagara Falls State Park)

The color of the trees and the leaves all over the floor just made the experience that much nicer. After walking about 4 blocks from the hotel we finally made it to the exact spot where I came as a kid.

We decided to come see the Falls every night of our stay. We would cross over to Goat Island and stand in the spot right over the falls. Standing there for almost 30 minutes every night I was able to completely absorb my surroundings.

Maybe I'm crazy and I spent to much time observing the water but I feel like the falls taught me a lesson. When you are at the top all you can see is the loud aggressive water flowing down the current. The water and whatever is flowing with the water has no idea what is about to come, it is a plunge that could potentially finish it. Once the water falls and lands in the Niagara river it is calm as can be, it is mind blowing that it can go from this crazy current and fall to flat calm water. This water is now on a new path, This transitions into our lives and how sometimes we are suddenly faced with obstacles and problems that put us down when we least see them coming. Little do we know that after we over come that fall we are on a new path, maybe with a new purpose or a new goal. When we fall we are given the chance to learn and to grow and to hopefully see something we didn't see before. It's Important to have faith, whatever we are faced with we are capable of handling. If you are traveling to Niagara Falls or have questions about travel in general feel free to message me through Google Circles.

Food

New York City is one of those places where you can find any type of cuisine you are craving. I got to eat at several restaurants ranging from high end to street carts. I will be reviewing one high end restaurant that blew me away as well as a mid range dining establishment that was very unique and full of options. The second night of my stay I decided to tag along with my co workers to a reservation they had at Nobu. I had heard of Nobu in the past and I knew it had a good reputation world wide. Nobu has 22 locations worldwide practically in every continent. Nobu is an A La Carte restaurant, this means that you get what you order (no sides, no extras). Even though this isn't the place you go to get full it was some of the best tasting food I have ever eaten. We ordered Yellow Tail Jalapeno Sashimi as well a Salmon Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll and Spicy Tuna Roll.

(Sashimi)

(Shrimp Tempura, Spicy Tuna, Salmon Rolls)

I'm not the biggest fan of raw fish but I had to try it after hearing all the hype. It was the most delicate, delicious piece of anything I had ever tasted. It literally melted in my mouth, on top of each piece was a jalapeno slice and some other herbs. Everything just complemented each other and it was an explosion of flavor. If you decide to go to any Nobu worldwide be prepared to spend some money, I would say at least $80-$100 per person. The cheapest bottle of wine on their list cost $65 and a craft cocktail ranges from $15-$20.

Next to my hotel was a one of a kind dining establishment unlike any other I have seen, it is called "Urban Space". It is basically an Urban food court, filled with various unique dining options. They have coffee stands, latin stands, asian stands, french stands, beer and wine stands, donut stands and so much more. During lunch hour during the week each stand had at least a 15 minute wait, it was a really cool experience.

I ate lunch at Urban Space 3 days in a row. The first day I got food from a taco stand, the chicken and steak tacos where really good but not as good as the food from "Hong Kong Street Cart". Traveling around the country I have developed a weird obsession with restaurants that serve Ramen. The main reason is because every restaurant adds their own touch to their ramen and it completely changes the flavor (I also love soup). Honk kong street cart seemed to be famous for their Ramen considering the huge line they had every day.

(Menu Options)

A bowl or Ramen was being sold for $15, it comes with broth, noodles, hard boiled eggs, herbs and a choice of bbq pork shoulder or chicken dumplings. The broth and a spicy chili sauce come on the side and you can add it the way you like it. After my first taste I was in love, it was so good I wanted to cry. I ate lunch here every day for the rest of my trip.

After my meal I had to get some dessert of course! there was a stand that baked fresh donuts, They had about 20 custom flavors like elderberry, dulce de leche and other random ones. I decided to take the classic route and go for the glazed and cinnamon sugar. The donuts where warm and soft to the touch and made a great dessert after eating that amazing Ramen.

You cant take a trip to NYC and not visit time square, I can sit in times square for hours an people watch and soak in the environment and not get bored.

(Also don't forget to eat a NYC hotdog)

One afternoon I took a walk uptown on Maddison street, i went to Rockefeller center and some other places and stumbled upon St Patricks Cathedral. This is where the Pope had visited about 4 weeks prior. I went inside and took a tour having no idea how beautiful it was. The architecture of these historic structures always amazes me.

Luckily for me I came in around 5pm, I over heard one of the tour guides mentioning there was a mass at 5:30. I decided to stick around, I sat down and reflected on my blessings and spent some time praying. The cathedral filled up almost %100 for the mass, it was a one of a kind experience. Sometimes we get comfortable in our every day lives and don't always realize all the blessings in front of our face. We should take time at least once a week to count our blessings and thank god for everything we have. 

If you are traveling to NYC or have any questions about travel in general feel free to message me through Google circles.

I haven't spoken on the main blog yet about hotel rewards programs but I highly suggest that if you have a stay at a major hotel chain that you join before arrival. This can make you highly eligible compared to other guests to get an upgrade. When I arrived it was 11am and check in wasn't until 4pm, I always call the hotel ahead of time and provide them with my rewards number so they have it on file. This means that when they pull my name up at check in they can see my loyalty to their chain. I handed her my Id and credit card and asked if there where any rooms available, she immediately said "its July 5th and we where sold out last night but let me see what I can do". While she was looking I kindly asked "if you have anything on a high floor over looking the bay that would be great". She nodded at me and kept typing. About a minute later she picked up a set of keys and started magnetizing them, "she said I found you a water/city view room on the 21st floor, thank you for your loyalty". The most important thing to realize is that it never hurts to ask, the worse thing they can say is no. It would have probably cost $100 a night more to guarantee a water view room, especially on a high floor.

One of the coolest things about the location of this hotel was the one block distance from Little Italy. I have only been to the Little Italy in Manhattan and wasn't even aware that Baltimore had one. This little section of Baltimore was built by 20th century Italian immigrants, they built countless restaurants that still operate today. I took a walk down the streets and the culture still remains, the food, the environment and the people allow it to be a pretty cool experience

Close to the hotel is also a Whole Foods and typical chain restaurants, it definitely isn't a problem trying to find a place to eat.

There was one attraction that I really wanted to do but I didn't get the chance unfortunately. Its called Urban Pirates, they have an afternoon cruise at 10pm only for adults and you can bring your own Wine/Beer/ Liquor for $25. The boat gets attacked by "pirates" while it cruises the bay all the drunk people on the boat get to try to fight them away with water cannons. 

I had the most fun at Dick's last resort. I have seen them around the country but never stopped in to eat or have a drink. If you have ever been to Senor Frogs in the Caribbean it is very similar but 100 times better. They have a barge floating on the water with a full bar, kitchen and stage with live music every night. Sitting at the bar on top of the water made my feel like I was in the Bahamas. The motto at Dick's is to serve you with sarcasm, so all the bartenders treat you like crap and are rude but it makes the experience fun. Me and my boss got a little exited because of the environment and drank a bit to much. We totaled about 12 shots of Jameson and 8 "Big Ass Beers" as they call them, the bartender only charged us for 2 of shots and the beers. Each shot was $14 so we saved a good amount of money and just left him a nice tip. Since it was our first time I guess they have a tradition of making you a hat with something vulgar written on it. Below are a couple of pictures of the place. 

(Boardwalk with countless restaurants)

(My boss's custom hat)

("This is how my condoms fit")

From the hotel the Baltimore Rayven's stadium and the Baltimore Orioles stadium can be seen. Luckily there was a game on Friday so I decided to look up tickets. I have a weird obsession with stadiums so I go to games even though i'm not a sports fan (I go for the beer also). This is another budget friendly attraction, the Orioles aren't the greatest Baseball team out there. Tickets on Stubhub.com started at $15, I ended up figuring out that Friday nights they offer a $7 ticket special for students with an ID. $7? thats half the price of a movie ticket to go see a Major League Baseball game. Unfortunately we weren't aware that it was a rival game against the Washington Nationals and when we arrived to the box office every single seat in the stadium was sold out. I was able to get a picture from the outside though. Always check the team's websites to see what promotions they have going on, you can find a good amount of tickets cheaper directly from them compared to outsourcing to a 3rd party website.

(Stadium Entrance)

After a long 8 days I was ready to go back and sleep in my own bed. I received an email 3 days prior to my departure from US Airways that I had been upgraded to first class. Just a tip for people with iPhones, Use your Passbook APP!!! It is extremely convenient and saves you the hassle of having to carry around a printed ticket. Always check in to your flight 24 hours in advance online using your airline confirmation number. After you choose your seats there will usually be an option so email your mobile boarding passes. Once you receive the email you can download them straight to Passbook. All TSA security stations and boarding gates have the capability to scan the ticket directly from your phone. Below is an example of what your ticket will look like.

(Passbook Boarding Pass)

(Red Wine Before Takeoff)

If you are planning a trip to Baltimore or have any questions about the city or hotel stays feel free to send me a message on Google Circles. Next week I will be traveling to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. My next post will discuss how you can upgrade to first class and save money even if you are traveling on an economy ticket and don't have any airline status.