Weekend in New Orleans, LA

I decided to spend my summer weekend in downtown New Orleans and what a blast it was!  My only recommendation might be to visit during the cooler months of the year as it can get extremely hot and humid in summer! If you do go there during the hot season, be warned to take plenty of fluids -3 bottles of fluid for me on one day and some sunscreen as I got sunburn on the nose. It is not unheard of for persons to pass out from the extreme heat. If you enjoy people watching, the arts, and the festive atmosphere, then New Orleans is for you. There are plenty of activities from street performers, music, people watching, site seeing, shopping, and restaurants and bars. Visit Harrah's Casino near the Riverwalk Mall. Take a stroll along the Riverwalk area and shops. The French Quarter is the main draw where all the crowds are with its uniqueness no where else to be found.  Don't miss out on the French Market place with its produce and flea market. Worth a visit , north of the French Quarter, is Louis Armstrong Park and nearby St Louis Cemetary with tombs above the ground. This place is like a PARTY atmosphere and if you love music and the arts, there is plenty of it to see free of charge!



The RiverWalk area

 

Carriage ride tours line Jackson Square

Cemetary visit, just north of the French Quarter, Rampart St

 

The French Quarter with its shops, restaurants and bars, and street performers




 

Chinese New Year 2013 in Chinatown in Dallas

Happy Chinese New Year! What better way of welcoming the year of the snake then by visiting Richardson (Dallas), Tx's DFW Chinatown on Greenville Ave. Red Chinese Latterns strung out along the shopping center and Confucius and terra-cotta soldiers line up in the background.  Among the various Chinese shops and restaurants, there is at least one Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese restaurant in this plaza making this the multicultural place to visit. 

Lion Dance




Dragon performances followed by amazing Martial Arts Performances



Standing in line at the Chinese Community Center to get my name written in Chinese.

7 night Caribbean Cruise

Found a great deal - $600 (tax included) for a 7 night cruise for one traveler, departing and arriving in San Juan, Puerto Rico and visiting the ports of St Thomas, St Lucia, St John, Guadeloupe, and St Croix . I enjoyed each port for different reasons. Upon arrival, St Thomas was most strikingly beautiful port with the ship surrounded by its green rolling hills. Pointe-A-Pitre, Guadeloupe is a French speaking island with all its French named streets  was the most interesting culturally, although it was not at all very scenic at port. The last port stop, Frederiksted, St. Croix, was fun and the most convenient port - everything was accessible at the port area: a park, a beach, and Fort Frederik, a historical landmark/museum with cannons facing out to sea. Lastly, Puerto Rico was the largest and most modern of all the islands in the Caribbean I've ever visited. It reminded me very much of Miami Fl.

View of St Thomas from the ship.

 

Excursion and a visit to the beach in St Lucia

 



Man on Stilts in St Croix

 



Exploring the older part of the city in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Towel animal in my stateroom.

 

 

The Great Wolf Lodge - Grapevine (Dallas) TX

If you are into grand, luxurious resorts, than a must see in Dallas are the Great Wolf Lodge and the Gaylord Texan, both located in Grapevine Tx, just across from each other, a few miles north of the Dallas Fort Worth Airport.
Today, my visit took me to the Great Wolf Lodge which did not disappoint and surpassed all my expectations. There is something for everyone, not just kids.  Parking was free and it wasn't hard to locate a spot on my morning arrival.
Not only does it has a great atmosphere, there were plenty of entertainment. An impressive, huge indoor waterpark was viewable through glass from the lobby area. A spectacular view , although the waterpark is reserved exclusively to the hotel guests.  There are gift shops, a Starbucks, several restaurants, a huge arcade area of games for every age. They even have several types of 4D theater simulation rides for $6. I tried the Haunted Mine, which was a roller coaster like simulation ride and it did not disappoint. The Great Wolf Lodge is a must see in Dallas!

 

 

Costumed characters come out for the kids.

 

 

 

 

Weekend in San Antonio, TX

I decided a weekend in San Antonio TX would do me some good and for a $2 Greyhound bus ride from Dallas it would not break the bank for a vacation. The Riverwalk is a favorite place for early morning joggers and walkers and was a walkable distance away from downtown entertainment so I decided to forgo the all day $10 Rio taxi and took a walk from the Riverwalk's Crown Plaza north end to the downtown southend Rivercenter Mall. Passing through was the La Vita area including miscelleanous shops but wasn't open until 10 am. There were many restaurants and a few hotels along the Riverwalk.

 

Very picturesque. Great for photo taking.

 

 At the downtown far west end was the Rivercenter Mall and adjacent to the Mall was the Alamo Plaza which was a popular area for tourists. Horse carriage rides and tourist buses could be seen in this area . Also convenient was the trolley stop in front of the Alamo Plaza, for about $1.50 fare to take you around the downtown area. After I finished my tour of the historic Alamo and its museum, gift shop and its gardens, I went right across the street to the assorted Ripley's museums and attractions. I tried Ripley's Odditorium and Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum- not enough likeness for me . Next time, I would love to try Ripley's 4D Moving theatre ride or Ripley's Haunted Adventure. Overall, my visit to San Antonio was a worthwhile experience that everyone should try at least once in their lifetime.

 

 

 

Gaylord Texan Resort & Grapevine (Dallas) TX

Just a short distance north of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the Gaylord Texan Hotel and Resort in Grapevine TX. Its proximity to other entertainment such as  Lake Grapevine and Grapevine shopping center makes it a must visit area in DFW. My day started with a visit to this grand hotel, the Gaylord Texan. Afterwards, a visit to Bass pro Shops made it a memorable day.
The Gaylord Texan combines a rustic Texan style, with elements of San Antonio and natural elements of Arizona with it's canyons and plants.
The hotel is a must see and is the most spectacular hotel in DFW. From its opulent lobby opening up to a large courtyard atrium with acres of garden and natural elements, it's winding artificial river streams and facade of the Alamo is reminiscent of San Antonio TX. The stone cliffs and cactus adds elements of Arizona. Water fall and water spout shoots up in the air. With plenty of sitting areas to relax and enjoy the natural elements,plenty of shopping, and various restaurants, I could spend the whole day here. I hear that the Christmas season is a great time to visit, the place is nicely decked up and ice sculptures abounds Even though parking was quite expensive ( $12+taxes for parking up to 4 hours and $17 over), it was a worthwhile visit.

 

 

 

 

 

Faux Riverwalk replica

 

My next stop up the intersection was the Bass Pro Shops, from its rustic huge sized building and touted as the largest outdoor sporting equipment store in the southwest, so I had to see. It was almost as impressive as the Gaylord Texan, from its grand rustic lobby, I was in awe and had to take a picture of everything. Some animal rights persons opposed to hunting for sport might be deterred to going to such a place as realistic looking animal trophy heads and full size animals -bears, deers, tigers, etc. abounded on the walls and aisles. It also had an artificial waterfall and indoor aquarium , food/snack area with artificial river stream. It had every activity from food sample tasting, bass fish indoor aquarium feeding, an outdoor Koi fish event, to carrying everything from boats, outdoor gear, food/snacks and clothing. Where else can you go and sit on a +$25K boat and dream that you could perhaps own one. Perfect start for my labor day weekend.

WinStar World Casino - Oklahoma

    My first time at this casino near the TX/ OK border and I brought home $50 in winnings!  Pretty good considering that I'm a novice at slots and don't know how to play!  A $10 motorcoach bus ride earns $20 in gaming credits is all that I played.  Might try my luck again another weekend.

 

The various countries represented in the casino includes China, France, Spain, etc.

There are a number of restaurants in this casino as well as free self service refreshments bars.