Enjoying Your Stay in Los Angeles or Anywhere

Going to be staying in California for vacation, maybe enjoying the illustrious Los Angeles tourist sites, or perhaps just relaxing on the beach? Whether you are vacationing in the Hollywood hills or anywhere for that matter, here are some great tips for making the most of your stay:

1. Choose a private holiday accommodation.
Skip the expensive and isolated hotels, and opt for a nice bed & breakfast or a luxurious holiday rental unit instead. Many rental homes are very affordable, clean, and are private. These are private properties that are available for travelers-- and they usually have better and more amenities (and are cleaner). SO instead of forking out the big bucks for the expensive chain hotel room, take a peek at rentals in Beverly Hills for a more enjoyable stay.

2. Research using the Internet.
Many cities offer free online guides, travel packages, and other resources on the Internet. You can contact a travel agency for information, or go to your local library and take a peek at some of the travel almanacs on the shelves. Reputable websites, such as Travel & Leisure, have some great articles on destinations, including this slick page about Los Angeles travel.

3. Pre-plan your itinerary, but leave time and money for impulsive moments.
I find I waste less time and money when I have a scheduled, pre-set travel plan, but I know that I am rather impulsive when it comes to new places. So I try to insert a couple of hours for what I call "travel exploration." This may be visiting a museum that I had not previously known about, or strolling through a bazaar, or even stopping to see kids competing on roller blades at some LA skating park. :)

4. Mingle with the locals.
I love to do this. I like to really get a feel for the surroundings. You can skip the national-chain restaurants and select a local restaurant, or visit a park, or just take a walk. I think one of the best parts of travel is learning more about the area one travels! I don't like to be isolated in the Big Travel Chain Stores bubble. Live a little. ;)

Hopefully, these tips help you make the most out of any vacation! Save the money, go local, and enjoy the ride. :)

I Love "Mess" Bags

"Mess" bags is my little private term for messenger bags. I LOVE THEM! I have a couple of them, different sizes and uses for all my travel stuff. I have a "handheld" kind of mess bag, for my hefty DSLR camera and lens and accessories. I have a neoprene one for my 7" netbook. I have a few 17" messenger bags (well, I gave them to my daughters when they got their laptops), and I got a very nice Mobile Edge 15" for my laptop and for general puttering around. The Mobile Edge is my favorite messenger bag right now. :D It even has reflective strips on the side- how cool is that?!

OK OK I know messenger bags are supposed to be for toting laptops and netbooks. And I do, but rarely. I used them like a mini-backpack. I dislike backpacks because they put such strain on the shoulders and back-- messenger bags can be slung on the shoulder, and I like that. They are too large for a purse, though-- so I only use my mess bags when I travel and for carting my Bible and other stuff to church. It's very handy.

Do you have a favorite travel accessory, something you just couldn't be without?

iPhone Apps For the Nature Lover

Since spring is right around the corner, we will be soon crawling out of our winter-laden cabins, ready to head for the hills and hit the trails. If you are like me, you may decide to really "rough it" while camping-- forage for your own food and not pack any cushy air cushions, but there is NO WAY you're leaving the iPhone behind. My iPhone is like my third arm, my digital Swiss Army knife, Rolodex, survival library, nature resource, and Twitterverse all in one. :D

I've found a whole lot of really terrific apps for hikers, nature lovers, bird watchers... I'm pretty excited about them! Here are some of favorites or best rated:

Compass Free
Surprisingly, there are not a whole lot of compass apps on iTunes. Maybe calibration is too difficult? Compass Free is the best I've found, as it doesn't use digital technology to determine north, it uses the sun. Basically, Compass Free is, I think, a sundial compass-- you position the iPhone horizontal to the sun, and position your finger on the image of the compass. The shadow cast by the sun gives you your position.

WildLab Bird
This is one of my favorite apps. It's the largest free version of a field guide to birds available on iTunes, currently. You search by bioregion: coastal, woodland, wetland or grassland. Then you search by type of bird (thrush-like, swallow-like, etc). THEN you search by type of bird. I wish it was possible to search the entire index, but oh well. Every listing has a beautiful picture, information about the bird, and in most cases, an audio clip of the bird call (recorded by Cornell University). There's even a section on the app where you can notate your own sightings of the birds, take photos, and more. I love the app!

SAS Survival Guide
This app is based on the survival book by John "Lofty" Wiseman. There's a free version and an app that costs $6.99. I have the free version. It's very limited-- you can see in the photo that the full version has a lot of resources; the free app contains only "Essentials." Still, the free version is not bad at all, as it contains a few chapters on how to find water, planning for the unexpected, what's in a standard survival tin, forecasting weather, signaling, and several case studies stories. Probably the only thing missing is how to eat leather boots and dealing with breakdown service! I think it's a very informative app.

WikiHow Emergency Survival Kit
I think this is a "must have" for every traveler. It's free. The app lists everything you need to help yourself or other in an emergency or hazardous situation, from the Heimlich maneuver for babies to animal attacks to self defense and vehicle emergencies. It even has a tutorial on how to control a spooked camel! Has instructions and photos. HIGHLY recommended. Especially if you plan on riding a camel.

EveryTrail
The free version is extremely limited. The pro version costs $3.99. I am checking out the free version, but so far, I LOVE it and will probably buy the pro version. This kind of app is so perfect for a travel blogger. The EveryTrail video explains how this amazing app works. I'm very impressed! Here's the main EveryTrail website.



Critter Trax
This app costs $1.99. If it was free, I'd probably get it, but I'm not interested enough in tracking critters to buy it. However, you may like it if you like critters. It's got pretty good ratings at the site, and looks like it's very well organized with good images. If you have it, leave me a comment about how it performs.

Audobon Nature apps
iTunes has a ton of Audubon nature apps. The two that appealed to me are the Audubon Trees- A Field Guide to North American Trees for $9.99, and Audubon Guides - A Field Guide to Birds, Mammals, Wildflowers, and Trees $29.99. $30 for an app is rather steep, but I'll bet it's gorgeous and very resourceful. When I travel, I like to know about the trees and plants of the region. I probably wouldn't spend $10 or $30 on an app (I'd get a book, instead), but these may be useful to you.

Of course, I've already mentioned a few other incredible apps like Trails and Farmshed in a previous post. And if you're an urban lover, there are some very cool NYC apps, too.

Absolutely Beautiful Upstate New York

I was going through some of my Flickr archives tonight. Oh my word! Look at some of these exquisitely beautiful photos of the state! Sometimes I wish I had a huge, huge screen with xbox to make these photos fill the room.

Beautiful Trenton Falls, in Barneveld, NY:



The ruins of an old wooden pipeline that carried water for hydroelectricity in Trenton Falls.



This is at Steuben Burial Memorial Site in Remsen, NY



Also at Steuben Memorial:



At gorgeous Lake Ontario, in Oswego:



Lake Ontario at Sodus Bay, NY:



Lake George, NY:





Crazy roots in a swamp that was once the village for the ancient Oneida Indian tribe-- in Smithfield, NY



Chittenango Falls in Chittenango, NY:



This is White Lake, in the Adirondacks.



This is White Lake, in the winter:



The Hudson River in Albany, NY



Tupper Lake, Adirondacks:





My front yard :)



See how beautiful New York State is?? Ahhhhh, what a lovely place. :)

Winter Break Specials at Syracuse Zoo

If you're looking to get the cabin fever-crazed kids out of the house for winter break, why not take them to the zoo? We go to the zoo every winter. :D It's less crowded and the admission is very low, if charged at all. Utica Zoo in Utica, NY, has free admission up until April 2nd, where you can visit the animals and hike some of the trails in the back, weather permitting (bring your own snowshoes). Some animals may not be visible, as they may be "in hiding" during the cold weather (winter is certainly an effective best weight loss supplement for certain critters!). But when we go, it seems like the camel and the donkeys and the seals are especially friendly. Unfortunately, both tigers died, so that cage is empty. :( I hope they get tigers soon. The bald eagle there is amazing-- he's huge! Definitely worth visiting.

The Rosamond-Gifford Zoo in Syracuse has reduced admission during winter break. Admission is $4 for adults (19-61), $2 for youth (3-18) and $2.50 for seniors (62+). Children two years old and younger are free. Good prices, and the penguins are out, winter or no winter!

If you don't live in the Central New York area, check with your nearest zoo and see if they offer reduced or free admission during the winter. You might just have a great time!!

Something Beautiful: Handel's Messiah Meets the Mall

A group of shoppers at a typical American mall broke out into Handel's Messiah. The video was posted on YouTube. OMG it brought tears to my eyes!!



Yeah, yeah. So it was staged by a photography business. But so were the christmas trees! A couple of exceptional singers stood up in the middle of lunch in a food court, and started singing a piece from Handel's Messiah. What's amazing is that the people joined in! What a terrific, terrific video! To hear Jesus be praised as King of kings and Lord of lords in a mall! Woohooo!!!

To see more "Something Beautiful" posts, visit Renee's blog, A Glimpse of Beautiful!

Answer: Sassy Phone, Barebones Plan

If you remember, I recently and loudly lamented my confusion about cell phones, cell phone plans, and the like. Well, I did some research and spent about three hours chatting with wireless dudes at various stores over the weekend. And I FINALLY made a decision. I opted for a sleek, sophisticated smartphone and a barebones, basic phone plan. I think it's the best of both worlds. I gave my daughter my TracFone, and when it runs out of minutes we are going to throw it AWAY. Good riddance.

I got an iPhone. 4.

No moans and groans, please! I haven't been taken over by the Apple hype, seriously! I do think Apple products are, generally over-rated. The iMacs and MacBooks are INSANELY priced. I can't believe a computer costs as much as a new car or gorgeous Mori Lee bridesmaid dresses. Yow.

Well, I got a good deal on the iPhone (I love the guys at that store!) and I got a basic cell phone plan with no bells and whistles. The only downside to getting an iPhone is that you HAVE to get a data plan with it. :-p

Anyway, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the iPhone! I can do anything on it!!! My grocery list, watch videos, read books, Twitter, check email, listen to music. Oh yeah, and make and receive phone calls.

So thus ends another chapter in my life. I am now officially on the GPS grid. :-p