The Sudden 60s – Page 2 – The View from Lajeune

Island Hopper

I was born in a blizzard in Newport, RI on Valentines Day, 1962 so it comes as no surprise to anyone that I have spent the majority of my birthdays bundled up in winter coats, gloves, scarves and snow boots. So this year, as my 63rd Vday Bday was fast approaching, I decided to switch things up and spend my special day sunbathing in the United States Virgin Islands.

For our 7 days/6 nights island getaway, James and I departed Bradley International Airport on Sunday February 9th and returned on Saturday February 15th. By the way, it snowed in Connecticut both ways (smile).

St. Thomas was our island dream destination, but we had previously discussed that while on this island we would travel by ferry on day trips throughout the week to both St. Johns, USVI and Jost Van Dyke, BVI. My mother-in-law Irene, who was born in St. Thomas but grew up in Jost Van Dyke, reminded us to bring our passports. I’m so glad she did as we would not have gotten on that island without them. Jost Van Dyke is part of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) so you need your passport to get through Customs and Immigration.

We rented a car for this vacation which we picked up at the airport (it makes sense to rent a car on St. Thomas because there are no Ubers or Lyfts and taxis can get pretty pricey pretty quick) and James drove us on the wrong side of the road (smile) to our hotel, the Island View Guesthouse. We normally stay in resorts when we travel to tropical islands and if necessary, we get around by Uber or Lyft so it felt different staying in an actual hotel and using a rental car. What really sold me on this particular hotel was the free daily breakfasts, plus the hotel’s proximity to downtown Charlotte Amalie which featured a waterfront, local shops and restaurants and nearby beaches.

Our rental car in St. Thomas – a brand new 2025 Nissan Sentra

Our hotel suite at the Island View Guesthouse – a funny story – not so funny at the time…

Since I used a 3rd party app (Expedia) to book our travel, I chose the bundle package which in our case consisted of airfare (United Airlines), a hotel (the Island View Guesthouse) and a car (Budget Car Rental). I would not recommend using a 3rd party app to book your travel anywhere because as I found out from Libby, the friendly and accessible owner of the Island View Guesthouse, the 3rd party app folks take 20 to 30 percent off the top of your bundle packages which in my case meant we were put into the tiniest room at the hotel with no amenities and the car we rented came without GPS. James quickly took care of the hotel room issue the very next morning when he had a talk with Eileen, the Island View Guesthouse Manager. Eileen was a dream – she not only upgraded us to the largest suite in the hotel for 3 nights, but she also managed to upgrade us into 2 more spacious hotel rooms over the final 2 nights of our week long vacation. Libby, the hotel owner, arrived with her Executive Chef Husband Marshall on the Wednesday of our vacation and ensured that the remainder of my Vday Bday week went off without a hitch. Libby and I hit it off right away and even shared a similar sober conscious story that begun at the height of the Pandemic. I can’t begin to thank both Eileen the Manager and Libby the Owner for attending to all of our needs and would highly recommend anyone looking to book a hotel on St. Thomas to make their reservations at the boutique style Island View Guesthouse.

The view of Charlotte Amalie from our hotel room window

Sunday — Day 1 – Travel Day

All things considered, the trip to St. Thomas, VI from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, CT was not too shabby. There were no delays and the time spent in the air was, for the most part, uneventful. We flew from Windsor, Connecticut to Washington, D.C. in record time and the same can be said for our 2nd flight from Washington D.C. to St. Thomas, VI.

The very first restaurant we ate at was The Greenhouse – it was okay – popular for tourists because of its location…

My dinner at The Greenhouse – I was starving so anything would have tasted good – and St. Thomas is one hour ahead of Connecticut so I was “hangry” by then (smile)

Monday – Day 2 (Coki Beach at Coral World on St. Thomas)

Coki Beach is a small and very quaint public beach on St. Thomas (one of the 11 beaches on the island!). The sand is silky smooth and the water, crystal clear. We rented a large beach umbrella and 2 beach chair loungers for just $40 dollars. Thank goodness we did because it rained off and on all day with blustery winds. The large umbrella saved us from running back to our car for cover.

All smiles in between the raindrops at Coki Beach

What I could not help but notice at Coki Beach were all of the yachts that were parked in the beautiful crystal blue water annoyingly blocking our view…

Tuesday – Day 3 (Trunk Bay on St. Johns)

The first of two day trips that week was to St. Johns. And everything I heard about it was true. It is truly paradise, the weather was picture perfect and it was not too crowded. We drove to the Red Hook marina to catch our island ferry – the round trip fare was only 16 dollars and the entire ferry ride took all of 20 minutes. We then caught a trolley/cab to Trunk Bay (one of the 10 beaches on the island!) and spent the entire afternoon there. Trunk Bay Beach is gorgeous with fine, silky smooth sand and crystal clear baby blue water. It was 80 degrees outside but the sun did not seem that strong so we laid out on our beach blankets and soaked it up.

Love the contrast of the green mountains against the crystal blue waters

This soft and supple sand feels so good between my toes

The snack bar where we ordered lunch – the food was soooo good! There were outdoor Tiki bars selling exotic drinks but I did not indulge since I gave up alcohol 5 years ago at the onset of the Covid 19 Pandemic…

Wednesday – Day 4 – Downtown St. Thomas – Charlotte Amalie (Walking on the Waterfront, Shopping for gear and Lunch at Gladys Restaurant)

Wednesday was primarily a rainy day (way too much rain to dry up on the beach) so we turned it into a shopping day – there are a ton of shops downtown in Charlotte Amalie (mostly local merchants) selling lots of wares. By the way, if you are looking for any kind of jewelry, downtown Charlotte Amalie is the place to be to buy gold, silver and diamonds all in one central area and best of all everything is tax free!

James and I finally seated at Gladys’s Restaurant (smile).

Gladys’s Restaurant did not disappoint – I all but inhaled the brown stew chicken, plantains, fresh cabbage and peas and rice!

Thursday – Day 5 (Magens Bay Beach on St. Thomas)

We spent our 2nd to last day at Magens Bay Beach which had come well recommended by the trip advisors. It truly is a beautiful must see and do beach. Magens Bay was super crowded the day we arrived with rows and rows of beach chairs and umbrellas lined up in formation. There was also a sun and surf rental shop, a souvenir shop and an indoor/outdoor bar and grille. Lots going on. We were in the mood for peace and quiet that day so we headed further down the mile long beach where there were no beach chairs, and very few people. Another well thought out idea…

That evening we went out for a late dinner in downtown Charlotte Amalie to a restaurant that was recommended by one of the locals in town. It was called the Sugarcane Grille at Bunker Hill. It was way up a hill on a narrow winding road with no parking. We lucked out though because we managed to squeeze our rental car into a tight space. The restaurant was so cute. We had to walk a bunch of stairs to get there but at the top was the dining room with a view of a well-lit swimming pool. The food was awesome. Our super friendly waiter even talked me into a delish mocktail made with Ginger, yummy!

Love the ambience in the dining room and the Caribbean dishes were delish!

Friday – Day 6 – My Vday Bday – Jost Van Dykes, British Virgin Islands

We popped out of bed at 530am that morning to catch the 730am ferry leaving from Red Dock marina to Jost Van Dyke, BVI. There are only 3 ferry rides a week to Jost Van Dyke so if you miss one, you have to wait a few days for the next one. It’s much more involved than going to St. Johns. First of all you need your passport. Second it’ll cost you $120 round trip per Adult to ride the ferry plus 10 dollars to enter the island and 20 dollars to exit it. Third, you have 7 hours on the island to spend as you wish and believe me, the time flies by. We spent half the day on White Bay beach which we had to catch a cab from the harbor to get to. White Bay beach was breathtakingly beautiful. I felt like I was in a Hollywood movie because it painted the picture of a true tropical beach scene. There was so much all at once to take in. And the beach wasn’t even crowded!

White Bay beach has beauty written all over it! By far my most favorite beach this week! So happy I got to spend my Valentines Day Birthday there.

I kept pinching myself – I could not believe how beautiful and uncrowded White Bay Beach was!

I had to take a picture in front of Gertrudes – a landmark and treasure – in spite of the perfectly set up photo op (smile)

The second half of our day was spent at Great Harbor – we were on a mission to grab lunch at Pinky’s restaurant and we could not leave without visiting the likes of Foxy’s Restaurant Bar and Grille!

Pinky’s Restaurant was easy to spot – love the Caribbean themed spot and enjoyed meeting and chatting with Pinky herself

Pinky herself cooked us her signature dish while chatting it up

Our official Ferry boat to Jost Van Dyke

Our ferry ride back from St. John to St. Thomas – feeling sunburnt but accomplished

Day 7 – Saturday – Travel Back Home

We purposely took our sweet time on Saturday morning because our flight was not leaving until 3pm and we would not arrive into Connecticut until 12midnight. We realized we had a long day of travel ahead of us which included 3 airplane trips this time around – St. Thomas, Virgin Islands to San Juan, Puerto Rico; San Juan, Puerto Rico to Washington, D.C.; and finally Washington, D.C. to Windsor Locks, CT. We spent the better part of the morning shopping in downtown Charlotte Amalie at one of our fav surf shops, Ocean Surfari, which,lucky for us, was having a huge storewide sale. Then we picked up our lunch at a local grocer. We arrived at the airport at 115pm and dropped off our rental car so we could relax, eat and soak up a little sun before we headed to Cape Air Airlines to check in. This is where the disconnect happened. Neither one of us realized that because we were flying from St. Thomas, VI to San Juan, PR it would be necessary to go through Customs and Immigration so consequently, after we checked in at Cape Air Airlines, we were told to get in line with the rest of the travelers. The said line was super long and wrapped around and around and around the airport about 3 times! I looked at my Fitbit and it said 215pm which meant we had all of 45 minutes to catch our 3pm flight. There was no way in Hell we were going to make that flight. After about 10 minutes panic started to set in and James said ‘why don’t you call Cape Air and see if there is something they can do to get us to the front of the line?’ I looked at my Fitbit again – it was 230pm now and I saw 3 missed calls from Cape Air. I immediately called them back and explained that we were stuck in line and was there anything they could do for us. They said they would send someone to get us but we could not find that person and ended up trying to move through the line ourselves as time was ticking by. I said a quick prayer to God and the rest of the time was a blur as we were pushed and pulled and stopped and started before we found ourselves at the point where you take your shoes off and load your stuff into gray bins. One of the airport workers familiar with our situation stopped us and told us that we were wasting our time, it was 250pm and our plane was now preparing to leave without us. We felt dejected but went through the motions of looking for and finding our original departure gate. When we arrived to that gate an employee mysteriously appeared out of nowhere and told us that this never happens but they had a backup plane outside and a pilot who would get us to San Juan well in time for our Washington, D.C. connection! The pilot had a Cessna 402 and James and I were the only 2 passengers on board. The pilot flew 6500 feet up in the air to San Juan, Puerto Rico in 35 minutes! Not only did we make our next connection to Washington, D.C., but we were only a half hour behind what would have been our original time of arrival to San Juan airport! I thanked God for answering my prayers so quickly and thanked the pilot of Cape Air Airlines for safely flying and landing us.

Too Blessed to be Stressed – at this point of the trip I am still pinching myself as we travel on what is now a tiny aircraft from St. Thomas VI to San Juan, PR – this flight took just 35 minutes and was truly a Godsend…

Cheers to our next Great Adventure!

Sincerely,

TVFL

“Southern Girl”

In July I met up with my niece and twin nephews (all siblings) in San Antonio, Texas for the sole purpose of family bonding and fun in the sun: SAT, A surprise to me!

And now here it is August and I just returned from a 5 day 4 night mini vacay to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina or “MB” as it is affectionately known (smile).

Me and my boo decided to try something new this time around in regards to our aircraft – we flew Avelo Airlines out of Tweed Airport in New Haven (a first for both of us) and we booked our stay not at a hotel resort but rather at an Airbnb. My girlfriend Sharon’s son Brandon owns a 1 bedroom condominium on the beach in MB called Rosey Retreat so that is where we stayed.

It felt different staying at an Airbnb condominium as opposed to a hotel resort because we missed out on the daily maid service, the convenience of a hotel restaurant and the front desk information gathering station.

But what it lacked in hotel amenities it more than made up for as it had the perfect view from our balcony to the beach, the cozy, albeit quirky rose interior and beachy touches inside the unit such as beach chairs and a beach umbrella complete with a sand anchor.

We spent the majority of our vacay mornings and afternoons enjoying the surf and sun at the beach (did I mention that the temps averaged 85 degrees Fahrenheit all 5 days!) and almost pinched ourselves for picking the right week of the month to travel.

Since we left on a Sunday of the last week in August, most people with children were already in full ‘Back to School’ mode so the beach felt somewhat secluded and a little private.

It feels so good to be on the beach when its not wall to wall people…

Our condominium had a galley kitchen with pots and pans and stuff so we went shopping for food, snacks and adult beverages at the Piggly Wiggly (smile).

And afterwards we had breakfast at Shoney’s – I remember this restaurant from a couple of Summers I spent in Fayetteville, North Carolina with my big sister Dana. I was 15 years old at the time and Dana was 23. She was serving in the Air Force and had recently purchased her own home and it was ‘my turn’ to spend the Summer with her. Dana took me to Shoney’s as they were legendary back then for their huge Southern breakfasts. However, on the day me and my boo went, the managers were cooking (never a good sign) as they were short on wait staff so the food and service were not quite what I expected.

Speaking of food, the best meal in MB that week bar none was the Jamaican take-out restaurant we discovered after leaving the Piggly Wiggly. It was across the street from Piggly Wiggly and to their left. We both luvvvv Jamaican food so we ordered 3 plates to go – 2 plates of Oxtails with rice and peas and cabbage and 1 plate of Jerk Chicken with peas and rice and cabbage.

I inhaled my oxtails, peas and rice and cabbage poolside back at the crib

We had a lively conversation with the owner and his wife around the U.S. dominance in track and field at the most recent Paris Olympics which was precipitated by Usain Bolt’s picture on the wall… 😜

As for lunch and dinner ‘dine-in restaurants,’ we surfed online and found at least 3 or 4 that were decent and within walking distance. We did not rent a car – in all honesty South Myrtle Beach is easy to navigate on foot as everything is relatively close by. The Uber ride from the Myrtle Beach airport to our condominium took just 15 minutes!

The first restaurant where we ate was recommended by a hotel concierge named Will whom we met on the street – he said it was popular with tourists so he knew we would like it. Will was not wrong (smile). It was named River City Cafe. I had a delish veggie burger with cheese and a side salad. Before our meal came we were served salty roasted shelled peanuts in a cup and afterwards we got to throw the shells on the wooden floor😀. It took me back to my days growing up in Groton, Connecticut when we ate at The Ground Round 😀.

The license plated wall of the River City Cafe

Delish veggie cheese burger with a side salad

Cool ice water with salty roasted shelled peanuts and yes, we gladly threw the empty shells on the floor (smile).

For dinner that night (really apps since I was still full from lunch!) we chose RipTyde Rooftop Bar because it overlooked the beach and it had a cool indoor/outdoor vibe. I had a delish Frozen Mango Margarita Mocktail that froze my brain every time I took a sip (smile). There was live music playing and from our seats, we could watch the hotel guests enjoying a game of Corn Hole on the beach.

We had the best view from RipTyde indoor outdoor restaurant

The following night we headed back to the Myrtle Beach boardwalk to check out Pier 14 Restaurant but while walking on the boardwalk we met a friendly middle -aged couple from Washington state who had just arrived in town to attend NASCAR. We exchanged our respective life stories and went on our way 😉.

The beautiful and well-lit Myrtle Beach 1.2 mile long boardwalk

We ate that night at Pier 14 which was known for their seafood and specialty drinks. It was late for dining (9pm) so I ordered something light – Poke Tuna and it hit the spot ☺️

From there we went to The Arcades (old school gaming) which really took me back in time…

The following evening (after once again spending all day on the beach) we dined at LandShark Bar and Grill where I had a Caribbean Chicken salad before people watching along the Boardwalk.

Perfect photo op inside Landmark Shark Bar and Grill retail store

And we couldn’t leave MB before riding on the SkyWheel – it was truly a stress free ride – more observational than anything else – as we checked out the city lights and carnival rides.

Could not miss the SkyWheel on any given day, it was literally always in our sight

Entering the Sky Wheel to buy our tickets

Felt no stress whatsoever on this wheel 😜the ride lasted about 14 fun-filled minutes.

Our 5th and final day was spent in our condominium- eating, packing and admiring the view from our balcony…

The view from our balcony was impressive

For those of you who are wondering why we did not golf, well we figured that just gives us another reason to head back 😜 ⛳️

Sincerely,

TVFL

SAT, A surprise to me!

San Antonio, Texas (SAT)

My most recent mini vacay was to San Antonio, Texas which is located in South Central Texas with a population of 1.5 million people. San Antonio is 150 miles from the Mexican border and to say the Tex Mex influence is strong would simply be an understatement (smile). Why San Antonio? Well, because my fraternal twin nephews, Marcus and Marshall who will be 40 this year, have been living there for well over a decade and up until this point, I had yet to visit them. Their sister and my niece, Dimitrica, who will be 46 this year and resides in North Carolina with her husband and son, arranged to meet me so we could share a hotel room. This was to be a short trip but one where we planned on lots of family fun, bonding and catching up on lost time.

La Fogata with L to R: Marcus, Me, Marshall, Dimitrica

Our very first meal when we arrived was at a restaurant called La Fogata. Dan Fenyn, my sales manager Jocelyn Fenyn’s husband, highly recommended it. Dan was not wrong, not only was the food we ordered delish but the ambience spoke to a highly authentic and true Mexican experience.

My dish at La Fogata – Cheese quesadillas with specially seasoned shrimp and spinach

Canopy by Hilton San Antonio Riverwalk

This is the hotel I booked for our 4 day, 3 night stay. I purposely chose this hotel because it is across the street from the Riverwalk plus it is right in downtown San Antonio where all the restaurants, shops and outdoor activity were located. Plus we needed a place that we could easily walk to and from. It’s amazing what you can do in a 4-day weekend (Friday – Monday) trip when you travel from another coast and are given an extra hour to work with (smile).

Clean room, comfy beds, nice showers and strong coffee

Modes of transportation

We noticed there were may different modes of transportation for those people who were not driving. Scooter rentals, Electric bike rentals, even Segway rentals lined the downtown streets. I could not help but notice the very large, very loud pick-up trucks flying up and down the downtown streets adding to the traffic congestion.

And I was blown away by the carriage rides populating downtown streets – so many at once and all decorated in different seasonal themes and colors! It seemed like everywhere we turned we would come upon a family or a couple or a group of friends on a horse drawn carriage ride! At nighttime it was super cool to see because the carriage was now brightly lit with different colored lights and music played throughout. I looked at what it cost to take a ride on the horse drawn carriage: $75 dollars for 1 person and $35 dollars for each person thereafter for a 20 minute ride. $100 dollars for 1 person and $50 dollars for each person thereafter for a 30 minute ride. And one child rides free with each paying adult.

From daytime to nighttime, these horse carriage rides suited everyone’s wish lists

The Alamo

Aptly described as an “18th century Spanish mission preserved as a museum.” We could not leave San Antonio without at least visiting The Alamo. It was just as I expected…

The Canopy hotel restaurants

Another reason me and Dimitrica enjoyed staying at the Canopy was because you did not have to leave the hotel for good breakfast food. We ate hearty breakfasts every morning at Domingo Restaurante and for nighttime mocktails, the rooftop deck at Otro was the place to hang out and relax after a fun-filled busy day.

Texas sized bowls of oatmeal for breakfast at Domingo!

Otro on the rooftop at night for mocktails and apps

The Riverwalk

We discovered the San Antonio Riverwalk on our second day. It had become a source of conversation to me by so many people the very second I mentioned I was visiting family in San Antonio. The Riverwalk is just like it sounds. It’s a miles-long pedestrian walkway with a river running through it. It is truly underground so you have to get to it by taking steps down from the street. The river is surrounded by restaurants, cafes, bistros, shops, retail clothing stores, boutique hotels and the like. Every time we walked down the steps to the Riverwalk, (for short cuts or to find a new shop) we would see masses of people browsing around, shopping, eating and/or sight seeing.

Me at the top of the walkway from The Riverwalk

Go Rio

While walking around the Riverwalk, we kept seeing river boat cruises filled with tourists passing us by. We were told by the hotel staff that if we decide to take a river cruise we should to catch one at night as it’s cooler in temperature, the boat is well lit and decorated and music is played throughout the promenade. We finally took them up on it on Day 3 of 4 – the 35 minuted guided tour was so fun and festive and the cost was a small $14.00 per person!

Passing another passenger-packed Go Rio cruise boat while on our own tour

La Cantera Resort and Spa

We purchased a Resort Day Pass for $65 (Marshall’s brilliant idea) to the La Cantera Resort and Spa. This luxury resort and spa is known for its private villas, fine dining, wellness spas, championship golf and celebrity sightings. By purchasing a Resort Day Pass we were able to have access to the pool side of things. So on day 3 we spent half the day poolside where we enjoyed the infiniti pool, delicious lunch and laying out on lounge chairs. We also took advantage of the hot tub where we met a loud and raucous middle aged man who was pretty accurate at guessing our personality traits (smile). At the lazy river pool we played pool games with floaties and then rode down what were kiddie slides just for Ha Ha’s.

Pool games, fabulous food and lots of fun

Pandora’s Bookstore & Coffee Bar/Pure Aloha Bath & Beauty

Marshall (my nephew and our unofficial tour guide) told us about an African-American owned bookstore-cafe downtown which collaborated on space with a natural plant based beauty, cosmetic and personal care shop. We were so impressed when we stepped into this cute shop which had a nice collection of goods and a real positive vibe. I enjoyed meeting the owners (who have now become good friends) of both of these shops as they complement each other in the best way. Be sure to check them out if you visit San Antonio as you will not be disappointed.

I had a Deja Vu moment when I met Barbara Thomas the bookstore cafe owner – I can’t explain it – I just felt like that scene had already played out…

Enjoyed meeting and chatting with the owner of Pure Aloha. She is a wife, mother, and now small business owner living the dream

Bohanan’s

Bohanan’s (another Marshall pick) was a place Dimitrica and I had walked by during our daily recreational walks throughout downtown. The storefront truly did not do it any justice as when we entered the jazz supper club and restaurant, we were pleasantly surprised by piano bar and the funky vibe. I ordered a mocktail garnished with jalapeño peppers and Marshall and Dee each had a specialty expresso martini drink.

Mocktails and Cocktails at Bohanon’s Jazz club

Marcus’s family home

My nephew Marcus, his wife Asuka and kids live in a house in the suburbs of San Antonio. His wife was gracious enough to offer up a traditional japanese meal made from scratch. We had the best time at their house that day. It rained for a spell so we stayed inside and ate handmade Sushi and Sashimi and Tofu Salad with sesame seed dressing and a deliciously prepared thinly cut beef ribs and chicken. I ate 2 plates and then understood why Marcus said he does not eat out at restaurants anymore (smile). We also played games with the kids in the game room which featured game chairs for Street Fighters, a basketball net and more.

Family pictures – making memories in San Antonio

This is all homemade Japanese cuisine – courtesy of Marcus’s wife Asuka – can’t blame him for not wanting to eat out anymore (smile)

Historic Market Square

Ironically the evening Dimitrica and I decided to walk to this collection of restaurants and shops in an indoor space, mostly all of the shops were closed. Not too surprising though because it was a Sunday night and it was about 10pm…However the much talked about Mi Tierra Cafe and Bakery was still open which pleased Dimitrica, who was in search of the authentic Mexican Hot Chocolate and a sweet treat to go with it. The lively decor featured live Mexican music, mariachi dancers, a fun atmosphere, costumed staff and instagram-worthy photo backdrops! Oh and Dimitrica said the hot chocolate was delish!

I feel like me and Dimitrica were right inside of a festive carinival!

Mi Tierra is known not just for their delish authentic Mexican cuisine but also for their lively atmosphere

Centro San Antonio

One of the most interesting things I discovered during my quick trip to San Antonio is that there are a group of uniformed ambassadors called Centro San Antonio who are based downtown and work to keep it clean, safe and welcoming for the merchants as well as City visitors. Whether you are looking for directions to someplace or need assistance or information, they are trained to help. As it turns out, there are a number of homeless people in this large City who live downtown so another very important part of Centro’s mission is to offer them a safe place to live, food to eat, clothing to wear, a drug free program if needed and a safe space where they feel welcome. Sixto or “Six,” as he is referred to on the street, was a welcoming source of information to me and my niece while we walked around downtown.

This Centro Ambassador set-up is for the homeless when they are thirsty and looking for a free bottle of cold water

TV News station

I work in local sales at an ABC affiliated TV news station in New Haven, CT called WTNH News 8 so whenever I travel, I always look to see what the local news looks and feels like. Here is a snapshot of what I saw in in San Antonio:

And finally, if you are looking for an affordable place to live and work, my nephews (who both work in IT) tell me that San Antonio fits the bill. Housing is cheaper, jobs are available, ethnic food is plentiful, there’s lots to see and do and the residents are friendly. I am so glad I finally made the trip.

Sincerely,

TVFL

A 9 Hour Tour

I should have known that our planned vacation to Costa Rica was destined to be unpredictable as soon as our driver didn’t show up at 5am on the Sunday morning we were to depart for JFK International Airport. We didn’t know this at the time but apparently the night before that said driver (a friend of a friend) entered 4pm instead of 4am on his smart phone. What we did know was that we were 85 miles away from Queens, NY and neither of us were in the mood for nor possessed the inclination to take on New York City traffic that early in the morning. What ultimately pushed us forward was our original idea of flying outside of the country to enjoy a stress-free (and news-free) week in a dream destination.

The prospect of vacationing in Costa Rica, or “rich coast,” a relatively small country in Central America was super exciting to me because zip lining, mud bathing and Hot Springs would now be checked off my bucket list and James was thrilled mostly because of his keen fascination with all things nature.

We chose the month of October for our Costa Rican vacation because the hotel resort rates are very attractive during the rainy season so you can get more for your dollar. Also we figured it would not be as crowded as it is during the so called “dry season” which runs from December to March. We were at the end of Costa Rica’s ‘Winter’ where it rains off and on in this Southern Pacific Coast between the months of May through November. On our week there it typically rained every single afternoon between 3pm and 6pm but sometimes we were caught off guard with a quick and hard downpour early in the morning or later in the evening. The upside was that all this pesky rain created beautiful lush greenery and scenery seemingly out of a postcard once the bright sun came back out.

Feeling like we are in the middle of a postcard (smile).

We stayed at Secrets Papagayo Resort in Guanacaste on the Southern Pacific coast. The promotional video reeled us in with the Bungalow Suite King room and picturesque ocean views.

A picture of the Bungalow Suite King Room with peekaboo ocean views (smile).

What we discovered when we got to our room and immediately pulled back the sheers and stiff curtains to the deck were what could only be described as peek-a-boo views of the ocean. James promptly got on the phone and worked his magic with the concierge so much so that by the very next day we had been moved from our room in the 300s down to a room in the 100s. This room was identical to our other room but now we were not only closer to the action but more importantly, looking out we had the expansive view of the ocean that we were drawn to in the promotional video. If vacation were a man, he was now starting to resemble a tall, strong, muscular creature with long angular arms and crooked fingers, beckoning me to take refuge in the comfort of my new surroundings…

We took a guided 2 hour Jet Ski tour on the Pacific Ocean our second day there. We stopped at 3 different beaches during this tour. The first beach where we stopped had a dark cave like area where we took turns with the other couple we were on the tour with taking silhouette pictures.

The second beach featured a cliff that we had to climb up to. Once there we stood just close enough to capture great photo ops.

I refused to look behind me as we were standing on a cliff…

The third and last beach featured a woodsy area with white faced monkeys – those sneaky little thieves that steal your sunglasses and hats right off your head – these mischievous monkeys boldly rejected the other couple’s healthy peaches in favor of salty rich Doritos that some kid had dropped (smile).

You can’t be mad at him, he likes what he likes

The ride back on our Jet Ski was fast and furious as now we were heading directly into the high winds causing me to cling that much harder to James’s waist. I couldn’t avoid the cold ocean water spray either as it spit all over my face and bare arms. Brrrrr, it was cold!

Back on the resort I was not at all impressed with the cuisine. However Market Cafe, which featured a buffet of international cuisine, was surprisingly good. I’m not a buffet person but their daily breakfasts, lunches and dinners carried a a lot of weight in their food choices. We both looked forward to eating at Himitsu, a Pan-Asian Fusion place, because we love sushi and Asian food in general. As it turned out, Himitsu did not disappoint. Our favorite entree was the pork bellies – we literally ordered them on three separate occasions!

Date Night at Himitsu – Pork Belly Dish with fresh broccoli and jasmine rice was so good we came back 2 more evenings for more!

Portofino, the fancy Italian restaurant featured 5 courses as well as a dress code (which meant that men had to wear pants and if they showed up in shorts, they were offered a pair!). We understood Portofino was known for its wine list but since I gave up wine at the onset of the Pandemic back in 2020, I sipped on cold bottled water.

Fancy 5 course dinner at Portofino – I chose linguini with pesto sauce and James chose lasagna but i ended up eating his lasagna because it was so tasty and delish!

Speaking of giving up alcohol, my favorite non-alcoholic drink was the Green Monster – it was healthy, refreshing and delish! One afternoon I drank 4 Green Monsters poolside simply because the waiter kept refilling my glass (smile).

The Green Monster – I drank 4 of these non-alcoholic totally healthy and delish Smoothies made with almond milk, kale or spinach, frozen banana, almond butter, chia seeds, cinnamon and protein powder!

Seaside Grille was the seafood restaurant at the resort – during the day they piled fried seafood on platters and served them poolside and at night they offered fancier entrees where you dined in their cool, air-conditioned interior.

Seaside Grille by night – James ordered the Ribeye steak – I wish I had because my salmon was underwhelming…

All in all we do love resort life (especially the All-Inclusive’s) because you don’t have to worry about what you are going to do for the day, your bed is made and room is cleaned every day, there are planned activities posted daily, food is everywhere whether you are looking for something fast or casual, and there are plenty of things to do on and off the resort. If you come as a couple you have the opportunity to meet and hang out with other like-minded couples. We met this wonderful couple named Randy and Rachel from Nashville, TN over dinner our second night at the resort. We were dining at Himitsu – seated outdoors – and since we were sitting so close to them, we could not help but strike up a conversation. James said it reminded him of a Sienfield episode. Suffice it to say, we kept bumping into our new vacation friends until they talked us into joining them later on in the week on a 9 hour mega tour.

They caught us at the right time too because we were just getting ready to book the remainder of tours for the week with Amstar (since we enjoyed the Jet Ski tour so much) when they told us about this young man who was tucked away unseen on the resort but not too far from the Preferred Members club where we were meeting for drinks. They took us to him and it turned out that his tours were so cheap because they were Costco tours. Suffice it to say, we got a 9 hour mega tour (horseback riding, coffee cultural tour, sugar cane cultural tour, mud bath, hot springs, giant water slide, zip lining, bus ride to and from and lunch(!) for just $150 dollars. We met them and 4 to 5 other couples on the Thursday morning at 745am for an hour and a half bus ride to the our first leg of the mega tour, horseback riding.

Horse back riding was interesting because the horses were so well trained that we really did not have to do anything but hold on to our straps. They basically took us on a long walk down a muddy dirt road where the horses each comically took turns pooping all over the place and then stepping in each others messes (smile).

I felt like we were in an old timey Western movie

The next tour was the sugar cane cultural tour where we were offered delish expresso, cornbread, a sugar cane, and goat cheese on small plates. Here we sat in hard backed chairs and listened to the guide as he gave us the history of the sugar cane. Afterwards we walked down the hill (where it suddenly started to rain!) and met the star of the day, the oxen. This oxen (with the help of 2 volunteers – James and Randy) walked around and around in circles to produce fresh sugar water while James and Randy stuck the canes in a tree like opening. It was delish!

James and I posing with the very patient Oxen

The next tour was zip lining. I was feeling a little under the weather that day so the trek up the mountain to the zip line quite literally took my breath away. Once I was strapped in and felt secure, the rest was a breeze. We went on 5 different zip lines so I did not have time to think about whether I could do it or not – it was exhilarating for sure!

One of the most exhilarating tours on our vacation – this 9 hour tour was by far my favorite and zip lining was my greatest adventure – especially since I was zip lining in Costa Rica with our new “Vacation Friends” Randy and Rachel from Tennessee

Some people on the tour bus said that this was the best part of the day – lunch! We were fed healthy portions of authentic Costa Rican cuisine including rice and beans and spicy chicken. We sat in large room with wooden tables and got in much needed rest while we inhaled our delish hot food.

The last part of the tour involved the big water slide which we skipped because I did not have it in me to walk up another mountain to get there. Then came the mud bath and hot springs. I loved the hot springs because the water was extremely hot. The mud from the bath had to be taken off in a cold outdoor shower so that was not so much fun. And I slathered the mud on in all the crevices not realizing that I would would need to use cold water to remove it. Had I known…The hot springs (5 in all) were awesome and felt like heaven on earth with the heat rising from the water. Each hot spring we entered got a little cooler than the one before so by the 5th one, it was like being in a lukewarm bathtub. A wonderful and fitting ending to our day. And a beautiful end to an unpredictable vacay (smile).

Sincerely,

TVFL

A Quick Dash to Nash

I had a truly memorable Memorial Day weekend this past May of 2023. The goal was to visit my big sister Casandra who moved to Nashville almost a year ago. And of course to see her daughter MoNa, her son-in-law Kevia and their rambunctious 6 year old son, Harlem.

Memorial Day is not called the “unofficial start to Summer” for nothing. It seems as if everybody and their grandmother (smile) was driving that weekend on the road, flying in the air, or using some mode of public transportation during this much anticipated prelude to Summer.

What usually happens when we now adult Hollis children go to a new place or space to visit family, is we try and incorporate at least one African American cultural activity into the trip.

In this case it was easy, almost too easy: a trip to the National Museum of African American Music or NMAAM as it is referred to. NMAAM is conveniently located in downtown Nashville so we did not have to travel far as my sister Casandra lives only about 15 to 20 minutes outside the city limits.

National Museum of African American Museum (NMAAM)

Parking the car in a garage was pretty steep ($45) and you really have no choice if you drive as there is very little if any available street parking downtown.

The ticket prices to the museum (which we ordered online on the NMAAM website the night before) were $24.95 for Adults (me) and $18.75 for Senior Citizens (Casandra). Just so you are aware, the rest of the ticket prices are as follows: $18.75 for Students and Teachers with ID, Military and Senior Citizens; $13.50 for Museum Guests aged 7 to 17 and Free for Visitors 6 years of age and under.

While there, for just $5.00 more you will receive a NMAAM wristband which allows you to download multiple genres of music (up to 500 songs!) to create your own music playlist as you touch and explore your way throughout the museum. This music link is sent to your email address a week or so later for you to download to your Apple or Spotify account. Very cool!

Wearing my wristband and building my playlist – so much music to choose from!

Incidentally, NMAAM also offers visitors an annual membership with lots of special perks and education and programs for groups and special outings.

The NMAAM brochure tells you it takes 90 minutes to explore the museum (as it features timed admission) but it took me and Casandra 3 hours as there is so much to see and do! By the way, there is no extra charge if it takes you longer than the 90 minutes (smile).

The museum is broken up into 6 rooms which each feature a different genre of music and its history.

It is fascinating to discover just how intertwined the music is with the historical happenings of each era.

The Roots Theater focuses on African American history and its music.

Wade in the Water (one of my personal favs) showcases how gospel music and its rich history has more than influenced religious music. This gallery featured an interactive room where me and Casandra went in, donned the requisite church choir robes and stood in front of the Green Screen so we could sing along with the Gospel Choir. The ending was sweet as we were both magically inserted into the Gospel Choir (smile). We saved this download to our NMAAM wrist band so we could view it later on at home.

Crossroads chronicles the time in the Deep South (and after slavery) when work songs and field songs (i.e., the Blues) was prevalent.

A Love Supreme highlights the Jazz era in African American music and culture.

Louis Armstrong, An African American pioneer in Jazz music and Trumpeteer

One Nation Under A Groove records the time following World War I with the emergence of Rhythm and Blues…

The Message clearly narrates Hip Hop and Rap music and how it influenced (and continues to influence) pop culture in and around the World…this room featured a interactive DJ booth where we were able to select from one of 3 different rappers and then rap along with them. Not surprisingly, the line to this interactive feature stayed long (smile).

Tupac Shakur, an influential and highly regarded and recognized African American Rapper

Rivers of Rhythm featured the touch panels (found on the large glass tables) throughout the NMAAM theater which allow the user to touch their way into an artist’s songs and biographies. We downloaded lots of music to our NMAAM wristbands from these touch panels. Incidentally every half hour or so a concert played on the interactive walls (that day we jammed to the sounds of Prince, Tina Turner, and James Brown).

And just before you leave the museum, you will notice an art gallery featuring the works of very talented community artists.

My sister Casandra in the Art Gallery right before we left

There- also is a museum store called Amplify which sells beautiful NMAAM memorabilia at reasonable prices.

Amplify had lots to offer at different price points

By the way, Casandra and I had the pleasure of bumping into Left Eye Lopez’s little sister Reigndrop who was at the museum that day creating a documentary about her late sister Left Eye Lopez. Here she is entertaining the lobby crowd in her own eclectic way.

Also while in the lobby we could not help but notice the tribute to the legendary Tina Turner – who recently passed – you can’t showcase black music without including Miss Tina…may she Rest in Peace…

All in all, we had the best time eva and I would highly recommend this museum to anyone visiting the city of Nashville (or Nash as it is called).

Fun Fact: I remember years ago my sister Casandra telling me that if we were not sisters, she would want me as a friend – I feel the same sis (smile).

Sincerely,

TVFL

Category: The Sudden 60s

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A Quick Dash to Nash

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