Tag Archives: Travel

a city skyline with white text

New York City Limits Ride-Hailing Services

Did you know that New York City just became the first major U.S. city to limit ride-hailing services? This news grabbed my attention because of something that happened the last time I was in NYC. As I was walking by City Hall I noticed that it was sealed off. On the front steps a protest was in progress. I saw press coverage and someone was making a speech. I walked around the park for a bit and then as I was leaving the area I saw one of the protestors with a man I assumed was a politician. They were being interviewed by a television station. It was the tail end of the interview so I didn’t catch much. The protest signs said something about taxi drivers committing suicide, but not living in New York City I had no idea what this meant or what story it was referencing. I meant to do some research but forgot about it.

Uber/Lyft car in NYC

Image source: https://www.npr.org/2018/08/09/637008474/new-york-city-temporarily-halts-more-uber-and-lyft-cars-on-the-road

Continue reading

a logo of a boat

The FERRY Best of Staten Island

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

Continue reading

a blue text with dots

How to Combine SPG & Marriott Accounts (Points, Lifetime Status & Free Night Certificates)

Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  I’m not a huge fan of SPG or Marriott and didn’t give too much thought to choosing a reward package, so I’m far from an expert when it comes to the SPG / Marriott merger.  But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night…  But I did just combine my old SPG / new Marriott account with my existing Marriott account, so I wanted to show you the steps and share some of the interesting things about the combination process.  First thing first, I signed into my new Marriott account (old SPG account) and it shows that I have 3,495 Marriott Rewards Points, which sounds right, since I did have 1,165 SPG Points in my account.  It also shows 2 “Standard Redemption Rate” awards – I’m not sure what those are, but I think they are related to my 2 SPG award stays booked on July 11.

a screenshot of a computer

Continue reading

blue letters on a white background

Buy United Miles with 100% Bonus: Such a Deal!

“United miles on sale with a 100% bonus…..yes please!” My friend Rich sounded excited. He’s a long-time United flyer. He does monthly commutes from Hawaii to California so he can never have enough United miles. When I saw this sale I let him know about it, and then I took a look at it for myself. I don’t fly United metal very often, though last year I did have a great trip home from Europe in First Class in their now retired plane. I do book a lot of flights through United using Star Alliance partners, though. I’m partial to Star Alliance airlines when I go to Europe or Asia. Sometimes the best and quickest way to top up miles for an award trip is to simply purchase miles from an airline, especially when they have 100% bonus sales going on. We all like to travel more, for less! I keep a list of airline point promos handy to see if they’ll work for me. Depending on your travel plans, this might be worth checking out.

a bag with a laptop and a phone Continue reading

a blue background with white text

Visit San Francisco’s Newest Attraction: Salesforce Park

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

Continue reading