Category Archives: Trip Reports

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Tarom Airlines Schedule Change? Email Reservations Department to Fix

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Good morning everyone.  A few months ago, I booked a flight on Tarom Airlines (SkyTeam airline based in Romania) to fly from Chisinau, Moldova (KIV) to Bucharest, Romania (OTP) to Sofia, Bulgaria (SOF) with a 7 hour layover in Bucharest to explore the city.  I booked the flight directly on the Tarom Airlines website and all was good until I received an email from Tarom with the subject line “Schedule Change.”  If you get a similar email from Tarom Airlines regarding a schedule change, I will show you exactly what to do.  Since the whole email was in Romanian, and my Romanian is a little rusty, I used Google Translate to understand the email.

a screenshot of a email

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You’ve Never Seen Anything Like This Superpod of Dolphins!

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When I lived in the Bay Area the Monterey Peninsula was my favorite get-away spot. Hiking, kayaking, walking along the coast in Pacific Grove, enjoying the Monarch butterfly migrations, the local movie house and coffee shops and one of the best bagel places, ever……..the Monterey area had it all. I’ve spent countless hours gazing at the ocean watching and enjoying the marine life, but never ever did I see anything like what this lucky guy who works for the Monterey Aquarium captured last week on video. You have to see this. Be prepared to be awed and to view this over and over again!

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The FERRY Best of Staten Island

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I’m not much into cruises but I do have one that’s my all-time favorite, and it just might surprise you. Even better than it being my favorite, one thing about this cruise seems to be something most people don’t know……it’s FREE! And you’ll almost cruise close enough to be able to shake hands with a very famous lady! Okay, enough with the hints. I’m talking about the Staten Island Ferry Harbor Cruise.

The Staten Island Ferry – A Free New York Harbor Cruise

You’d think there wouldn’t be much to know about the Staten Island Ferry Harbor Cruise except you get on, you cruise and see incredible New York Harbor sites, you get off. But as I recently found out, just knowing about the cruise and that it’s free is only the beginning of what you need to know to make this outing a great memorable adventure.

a ferry boat in the water with Staten Island Ferry in the background

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staten_Island_Ferry

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Visit San Francisco’s Newest Attraction: Salesforce Park

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Good morning everyone.  On Monday, I finally got to experience the brand new Salesforce Park, the newest attraction in San Francisco.  The bottom levels are the new Salesforce Transit Center and the top level is the new Salesforce Park.  The park is surrounded by Salesforce buildings and is a short walk from Embarcadero Bart, Montgomery Bart, and the SF Ferry Building.  If you are planning to visit San Francisco, I highly recommend visiting the new Salesforce Park.  It is free to visit and is open everyday from 6am to 9pm.  I walked the entire park path in 13 minutes and that included taking in the sights and taking a few photos.  There are lots of tables, chairs, green spaces, and activities throughout the day.

a group of people sitting on a lawn in front of a building

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Get to the Oakland International Airport (OAK) Escape Lounge Like a Pro

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Disclosure: I have TSA PreCheck, a Clipper Card, and travel with carry-on bags.  If you do not have TSA PreCheck, your security screening will take longer.  If you do not have a Clipper Card, you will need to buy a one-way BART ticket prior to riding BART.  If you need to check your bags, you will need to drop off your bags before going through security.  With that said, here is how to get to the Oakland International Airport Escape Lounge like a pro.

Good morning everyone.  Last week, I wrote Get to the SFO Centurion Lounge Like a Pro.  I wanted to show the East Bay some love too, so I will show you how to get to the Oakland International Airport Escape Lounge like a pro.  This lounge is part of the Escape Lounge collection and is accessible for free if you have an American Express Platinum Charge Card (you can bring in 2 guests for free).  The lounge is located in Terminal 1, between gates 8 and 8A.  The lounge opens at 5am and closes at 9pm, unless the airport is quiet and the lounge will close early.  I’ve been to the Escape Lounge a few times and I recommend reading Points with a Crew’s review of the Escape Lounge.

a bar with a counter and a television

Image source: https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2016/11/11/norwegian-partners-escape-lounge-oakland-san-francisco/

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