Intermission: Vacation Interruptus

Wow!  Have you ever had planning your vacation interrupted by a vacation action (taking of vacation impromptu)?  I call it “vacation planning interruptus”.  My vacation planning and research got interrupted by an impromptu trip to Honolulu for the first week of December.  So here I sit in a Starbucks (ah…have I been in Seattle too long???) in Waikiki at 5PM on a Thursday evening typing this.  I resisted this trip with all my heart cause to leave here is going to break that heart and it has only been held together for the past 10 years with spit and shoe polish as it was.  It was 10 years ago I left Hawaii after spending 28 years there.  And 8 and 1/2 years since I was last in the islands to see my lovely keiki graduate from high school. 

Nothing has changed…and a lot has changed.  Some for the best…some for the worse…and some, no change at all.  I could find my way around blindfolded.  The sun is just as bright and hot, the sky just as blue, the people just as warm and friendly and the bus system just as efficient.  And the politics rage just as they did when I left, crime is about the same, people are just as kind or as rude as they ever were, the pot holes just as big with temporary fixes of asphalt patch…yet sidewalks clean and Waikiki just as touristy.  They have a lovely hula show (for free) at Kuhio Beach every evening at dusk compliments of the Waikiki Improvement Association.  They light the tiki torches while blowing the conch.  There are incredible sunsets with blood red sails (and green and yellow and white sails as well), that sail across the sunset glow on the water.  The pink hotel still lights up, not only at sunset, but at sunrise…and even in the middle of the day.  There is still liquid sunshine that falls on you to ease the cooking heat of the sun.  There are a lot of cranes on the horizon and big buildings dotting the skyline.  And this month there are the additional delights of Christmas lights and decorations. 

 It is so hard to imagine that in a too few hours, I will be headed back to the cold, the dreary, the cloudy/rainy/snowy mainland.  I find myself in total rebellion of the concept or the thought. If I did not miss my TopDawg so much, I might write the rest of my blog from here forever.  But I need to go and get my fur fix, retrieve my TopDawg and start to plot my next return to paradise.  

Over the next few days I will post pictures and comments of my experiences of the past 5 days in Waikiki and Honolulu.  I will share some of my most favorite places, mention a few of my favorite people, and generally tell the story of a rebellious wahine who has to leave the islands of her heart and go back to her life.  Stay tuned…it is time to go catch a sunset through the palm fronds and breathe the fragrant pikake and plumeria flowers for a few hours more! 

Aloha and Mahalo!

Tips for Getting Around: South Beach, Miami, Florida

 Sun, Sand, Seaside – A place to warm your inner soul.  The first week of May 2006, I went to South Beach – Miami, Florida….here are some tips that helped me get around SoBe.  Welcome to South Beach! 

This is a synopsis of my article written for Associated Content:  To read the whole article and see the pictures, click here:

 TRANSPORTATION:

While Miami International Airport is usually the first stop, I had finally arrived in the land of sun and sand.  After the exhausting flight and trekking to baggage claim while praying my bags actually arrive intact and without a TSA sticker (meaning everything is still folded and still there), I could say I had “ARRIVED”.  Gathering my bags, I headed for a taxi stand. 

Going to South Beach via taxi can be somewhat expensive, but not as expensive as renting a car and paying for gasoline.  I discovered (happily) you do not need that rental car that you will park in the hotel garage (at exorbitant daily parking rates) and only take out onto the streets one or two times during your stay.  After all, I came to South Beach for just that:  South Beach!  Why would anyone want to drive anywhere?

TAXI/CABS:

Back to the taxi.  Rates from the airport to the South Beach (Government Cut to 63rd Street) area are a flat rate of $32.00.  Best of all, one fare pays for all passengers.  Fares do not include waiting time, however.  Always ask for and get your receipt.  Record the vehicle number and chauffer number on your receipt. (The Chauffer License Number is located either next to or above the glove compartment.)  The Vehicle Number is located on the hood, trunk and sides of the exterior of the cab. 

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: 

If you want to ride in air conditioned comfort there is a bus that is called the South Beach Local.  There are designated bus stops and the buses run at roughly 15 minute intervals and cost only $.25 (25 cents)

 GETTING AROUND/EXERCISE:

Exercise and sightseeing is of course best taken on foot.  Walking around SoBe is entertaining as well as good for your legs and heart.  The two miles of beach sand, running south to north from 1st to 23rd Streets, is an excellent way to get your feet exfoliated while building strength.  There are many parks scattered through out SoBe.   Additionally for your walking and viewing pleasure, there are beaches, a boardwalk and fishing piers.  There is a Boardwalk on the beach from 21st  to 46th Streets with entry to 11 primary beaches and 2 fishing piers.

SOBE SNAPSHOT:

The Art Deco District, the area from 5th to 15th Streets and compass points north, south and west, houses some of the best of Art Deco hotels and architecture to be found.  The 1930’s architects built with the intent of bringing tourists to Miami Beach and giving them everything they could want.  World War II, however, caused a state of decline for the Art Deco district even as another area of Miami Beach began a boom.  Built in a style of MiMo (Miami Modernism) there are several hotels of the time built with a “space-age” look.  The Art Deco District was in a state of disrepair until the mid-1970s when a group of artists and entrepreneurs saw the future of saving these wonderful old buildings as a means of bringing life back to Miami Beach.  Thanks to a few forward thinking people, you can see Art Deco structures with window “eyebrows”, portholes, pastel colors and geometric shapes.

There is everything to enjoy in South Beach and tons of things to do, people to see and places to be…Hope you enjoy SoBe as much as I do!

Hello world!

Welcome to the TopDawg’s Travelogue at wordpress.com. This blog is intended to give Carlanne and her faithful “TopDawg” pooch, as well as anyone else who wants to, a chance to write about, read and share about those dream vacations or our dreams of vacation. 

As a professional travel consultant, it is important to stay on top of the trends, the special places, the special people and the special opportunities that give our planet its diversity.   Today’s vacationers want longer and more meaningful vacations.  Perhaps today’s traveller is looking for a chance to reconnect their families, loved ones,and friends.  Maybe our dreams are to explore new adventures, hone skills in our hobbies, or perhaps simply to kick back and see the world without any pressure. 

I am offering this blog as a means to express ourselves in our perception of the beautiful, bountiful planet called Earth.  Dream….Express….Luxuriate….