Vacations Blog

All we are is just another tap on the wall

Everyone knows The Bull and Finch Pub in Boston (known as ‘Cheers’ on T.V.) as the place ‘Where everybody knows your name’. To me, that is an essential ingredient in any  place you frequent, visit once, or always hope to get to. For years living in San Antonio there was a drought for a place where you could get more than the average beer served at the ‘insert your name here’ bar on the corner. Sure, one or two places pop up here and there, but they do not have the overall atmosphere and selection that many craft beer bars on the west coast, east coast and Colorado have. Namely, an incredible selection of what many refer to as craft beer bars. Places that serve beer for those with a more refined taste of our favorite malted beverage. Read More »

Check your attitude at the gate. Courtesy of Stock Xchng.

Even though there are an expected 14% less people traveling through LAX this holiday season, there will still be up to 2.35 million people doing it.  Um, that’s a lot of carry-on baggage, not to mention wait times in the security lines.

If you are flying in or out of Los Angeles over the next two weeks, pay attention to peak travel times and days:

• Friday December 19
• Monday December 22
• Friday December 26
• Friday January 2

For flight times from 6AM to 9AM, 11AM to 2PM, or 7PM to 9PM, the airport recommends that you arrive TWO HOURS before takeoff to allow time for security checks etc.  Also, the crazy weather hitting many parts of the country are causing delays, so make sure you check ahead.  There’s a cool delay ticker on the right sidebar of LAX’s website, but you can also call your airline  to be sure.

Encounter Restaurant, courtesy of IFlyLAX.com

There are a few ways to make your adventure at LAX a little bit more excellent.  Instead of taking a half hour to circle the airport 20 times waiting for your guests to emerge from baggage claim, wait at the Cell Phone Lot located at 9011 Airport Blvd.  It’s well-lit, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and offers a safe place to wait in your car texting your friends while NOT burning extra fuel.  (Personally, I enjoy waiting at Encounter, the space-age-looking bar at the center of the airport complex.)

Going somewhere?  Avoid the hassle of parking by using the LAX Flyaway bus system, with terminals in Van Nuys, Westwood, and at Union Station.  Parking at those stations is cheaper, and you get a hassle free ride to the terminal.  You can even check in bags at the station.  Word to the wise:  if you arrive at the airport’s higher numbered terminals, those Flyaway buses are filled by the time they get to you and you’ll be waiting longer.  If you can, hike down to a lower numbered terminal to avoid missing the ride.

Baby's first plane ride, by Kathleen Tracy

If you’re traveling with young children, first of all, I feel your pain, having done it too many times already.  Be mindful of security guidelines about bringing liquids on a plane (only baby formula and milk are allowed).  And just in time for the holiday travel season, the TSA recently announced the opening of special security lanes for families to make the pressure of unbuckling the kid from the stroller, removing his jacket/shoes/hat, putting the stroller on the conveyor belt, putting all your bags/sippy cups/teddy bears on the conveyor belt, passing through X-ray, and reversing all the previous steps a little easier.

Oh, and another little tip:  snow globes count as items containing liquid.  Don’t carry them on.

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

My husband and I just celebrated our anniversary last month. Fifteen years ago we said our vows in front of family and friends in Santa Barbara, so you can understand why I consider this city the most romantic of destinations. Sure, I’m partial, but I’m sure if you check out these hotels you’ll agree that Santa Barbara is the ideal destination for a romantic getaway. And if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll be there with the man of your dreams like I was fifteen years ago.

Read More »

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

I have to admit St. Patrick’s Day is not a big holiday around our house. Although it should be, seeing as my husband is something like one-eighth Irish, along with some Scottish, English, Polish, and a certain allegiance to Australia since most of his relatives are there. Add to that my Japanese ancestry, and you can see how celebrating all of our cultures would be a little daunting. I think the most Irish thing my husband has ever done is hang an air freshener in his car that was shaped like a four-leaf clover.

But this year we plan to celebrate that one-eighth, by downing an Irish beer (or five). St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Monday, so the festivities will be in full swing the weekend before. We’ll start off by heading straight to our favorite, Tom Bergin’s, a classic Irish pub that bills itself as the oldest Irish establishment in Los Angeles. It’s housed in a quaint cottage in the classic Fairfax District, close to the L.A. County Museum of Art. Along with the beer, I’m determined to order corned beef and cabbage. Believe it or not I grew up eating this traditional Irish dish – my Japanese mom used to make it regularly, although I remember it always being served with a side of rice. Hear that? It’s the sound of a thousand leprechauns groaning.

From there we’ll head down the street to Molly Malone’s, which is unique because it also has live music almost every night of the week, everything from acoustic to rock to reggae as well as traditional Irish music. Some popular bands have gotten their start on this stage: Weezer, 5 For Fighting, Train, Tears For Fears and occasionally musicians will show up and play with bands they know – Lenny Kravitz was there recently. I wish I had caught that – listening to Lenny Kravitz play while sipping an Irish whiskey? Awesome, whether you’re Irish or not.

Monday, March 17 happens to be the first day of Spring Break, so with the kids off of school and my husband and I taking the week off, we’ll be able to head downtown to L.A.’s ninth annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It starts close to one of our favorite locations, Olvera Street, so maybe we’ll start off with a Mexican breakfast. Which is such an L.A. experience – huevos rancheros to begin our Irish day. Come to think of it, the parade also puts us close to Little Tokyo, so maybe the day will end with dinner at one of our favorite sushi bars, Sushi Gen. Our two daughters should be completely confused about their heritage by the end of the day.

Close by, the hip local joint Bar 107 is hosting an all-day party; doors open at 6am. And it’s a wildly popular event – last year there was a line of people waiting to get in even at that early hour, ready to down their $2 Guinness. Somehow drinking at that early hour seems crazy to me, though – I’m sure the Irish experience would end with that most American of pastimes – getting over a massive beer hangover.

How do you plan on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day? Will you wear green, or are you hoping to get pinched?