Atlanta is fun!

Just a quick update on our going abouts in our new hometown. We’re really starting to love Atlanta. The Hammond family has been busy and the kids have each found new activities, new friends, and new places in Atlanta that they love. (Do I smell success??)

Our most recent trip was to Coca Cola World and I don’t believe that we’ve been here already for a few months and that wasn’t the first thing we did. I am not a coke drinker and rarely allow it into the house, however, this was a special treat and it really blew us away. The exhibits are fascinating and the kids came out of there on suuuuuch a sugar high…wow! But it was fun—worth the calories!

I’m a big Jim Henson fan and I literally had tears in my eyes at the Henson exhibits at the Center for Puppetry Arts. What a magical place! The kids loved it too, though thought it was strange that I was getting all dopey on them with nostalgia.

I don’t think that SciTrek, the Science and Technology Museum of Atlanta, was created for kids specifically, but it is definitely a great place to bring kids of all ages. Each of my kids (12, 9, and 4) found something that interested them. Alex was great and took Justin around with her for a little bit so I could spend some extra time with Julia (the 9) who’s going through a surprising science phase. All in all, another great day.

My special treat—I went out with some new work friends to the Atlanta Brewing Company for a free tour and tasting. It had been a long time since I’d “been out” so there was a hint of awkwardness—but nothing that a beer or two couldn’t cure!

So things are good. Now we’re all just looking forward to our family trip to San Francisco. The kids have a few weeks of camp and then we’re off!

Frequent flyers beware of email scam

My husband just forwarded me this link from a frequent flyer travel blog he follows. He suggested I post it to spread the word: There’s an AAdvantage spam email that’s going around tricking people into submitting their frequent flyer numbers and pins.
The email’s subject line was “AAdvantage Survey Program” and reads as follows:

Greetings from AA.com

Welcome to the American Airlines AAdvantage(R) program, the first and largest loyalty program in the world! We are proud to inform you that today June. 26 /2008 AmericanAirlines.com launch a new reward program. Please log in to your American Airlines account and take the 5 questions survey. For your effort you will be rewarded with $50
Your 50 dollars bonus code is AA-001NXX-2008NX22. Please log in to your www.aa.com account and follow the steps.
Thank you very much for your help and your patient and hope you will enjoy the American Airlines reward program in the future
Sincerely,
American Airlines Reward Department

So keep your eyes peeled!

10 Great Places to go for the Green (Golfing)

1. Amelia Island Plantation - Amelia Island, Florida
2. Barton Creek Resort & Spa - Austin, Texas
3. The Broadmoor - Colorado Springs, Colorado
4. Kapalua Resort - Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii
5. Pebble Beach Resorts - Pebble Beach, California
6. Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Kiawah Island, South Carolina
7. Mauna Lani Resort - Big Island, Hawaii
8. Pinehurst Resort - Pinehurst, North Carolina
9. Reynolds Plantation - Greensboro, Georgia
10. Turning Stone Resort & Casino - Verona, New York

(Thanks, USA Today.)

By the way, I’m back from Jackson Hole where I enjoyed some golf myself at Jackson Hole G&TC. I wouldn’t put it on a top ten list, but it was fun and it’s nice to play golf in warm air with snow capped mountains in the background.

New State Park in Washington State

Great news for the West Coast! Washington State has just opened its first new state park in more than a decade. Located on the southwest shore of Camano Island is the brand new Cama Beach State Park.

Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen calls the new state park “a jewel”, according to the article in USA Today, which also explains how the park-making process was a bit delayed after archeologists uncovered human remains and Native American artifacts dating back 1,600 years. It’s the Tulalip, Swinomish, Upper Skagit and Stillaguamish tribes that occupy that area who opposed the construction and renovations of the park. An agreement was made to leave the north side of the property undeveloped to preserve the cultural history of the ancient Native American village. Reservations for the new park are already filled through the summer.

While you’re in that area, check out other national and state parks in the area:

1. Olympic National Park
2. Deception Pass State Park
3. Moran State Park
4. North Cascades National Park
5. Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

See ya there.

Another Top Ten Beach list

I saw that Sharon posted Dr. Beach’s Top Ten Beach list, and just to round out the pickings, I thought I’d post another top ten list (the 100 best everything list). So if you’re not a Dr. Beach follower, maybe you’ll prefer this list:

1. Panama City Beach, Florida
2. Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii
3. Kee Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
4. Kailua Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
5. Green Sand Beach, Hawaii
6. Daytona Beach, Florida
7. La Jolla Cove, California
8. Caladesi Island, Florida
9. Fort De Soto, Florida
10. Kua Bay, Hawaii

Some thoughts: Dr. Beach’s list has more diversity—he’s got a few New York beaches and one in South Carolina, whereas this list is exclusively Hawaii and Florida with one California beach. Also, the only beach that overlaps on both lists is Caladesi Island, which Dr. Beach ranks as #1 and this list ranks as #8. I think it’s safe to say that Caladesi Island is definitely worth going to!

The art of sightseeing while on a tight schedule

If you’re anything like my husband, you’ll have a business meeting in Chicago and then have a few hours to kill before boarding your next flight and jet setting to another meeting in San Diego, where you’ll then maybe get to sleep the night and have another few hours before you get right back on that plane and, if you’re lucky, head home. According to Linda Vaughn from the Business Traveler magazine, the average reader of BT takes about 30 round trip flights a year, rarely taking advantage of the little time he or she has in between meetings. Which is why the folks at BT have created the 4-Hour Guides, a great resource that directs busy business travelers to the must-see sites in a manageable between meetings/flights time span. But these plans are also good for all us regular people who want to have some efficient, fun, site seeing while our husbands/wives/parents are at their meetings and we’re bored of sitting around in the hotel waiting for them to get back and take us down to the lobby for dinner.

This month’s 4-Hour Guide is on Boston and since it has not yet been published online (we get the actual paper magazine) I thought I’d share it with you all! This article is by Alison Stein Wellner and I’ve taken her recommendations of the places, but have used my own experiences as explanation.

1. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum – I love Boston and this is one of my favorite places in Boston. This museum is actually Isabella Stewart Gardner’s former residence, complete with her personal art collection. The building is a magnificent Venetian-style home with a garden and courtyard filled with beautiful flowers, art, and music. Works of Titian, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Manet, Degas, Whistler and Sargent are organized not according to era or style, but are placed aesthetically in a manner that Gardner had thought was beautiful to admire. In the summer months the Gardner Café is open. And, if your name is Isabella, you get in for free! Also, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is right near Fenway Park, so you should pop in there while you’re in the area.
2. The Backbay Fens – Beautiful urban parks that connect the Boston Common, to Franklin Park (where you can then take the kids to the Franklin Park Zoo). The park was established in 1879 and offers great respite from city noise.
3. Harvard Square and Harvard Book Store – I lived in Cambridge for a year and loved every second of it. Just walk around and enjoy the cobblestone roads, bookshops, cafes, and street performers. You can take the T here from The Fens, by taking the E train to Park Street and then switching to the red line. You’ll come out right by Harvard University. While you’re in the area, head over to Davis Square (2 more T stops away or a nice 20 minute walk) and get some ice cream at J.P. Licks. (Get the Oreo or the peanut butter yogurt.)
4. Mr. Bartley’s Gourmet Burgers – Wellner recommends this Harvard Square hot spot, and I’d have to agree with her choice. She suggests getting the onion rings, which I’ve never had, and the malted milk shake, which I have had and which is amazing.
5. The Prudential Center Skywalk Observatory – Take the T back to Park Street and then take the Green Line back to Copley Square. Besides for another J.P. Licks in the area, you should stop by the Pru for some great views, and some great food and shopping.

Have fun in Boston!
P.S. For more on Boston, check out this post that I wrote a few months ago.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - not such a hole after all

Done with business school, got a little wild vacation after it, and now I’m back to work with the occasional “business trip” in tow. I have a lot of work that I need do from home, and when that piles up high enough, I take it away with me somewhere nice to do it in peace away from the city. I write off most of it as business expenses.

All that was by way of introduction to my current lodgings at Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa. I don’t take travel lightly and I figure that if I’ve got the money I should spend it. I don’t stay in big, fancy hotels because I don’t like them; but I stay in nice ones.

So I’m in Jackson, Wyoming, right near Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

I spend half of every day working and the other half either hiking (I’ve hired a private guide to show me the best of the best in a limited amount of time) or I’m in the spa relaxing. This is my kind of vacation—out in nature, with fresh air and wildlife, but not too far from a luxury room and my laptop.

I hope you didn’t believe me…

I received a frantic call from my little sister (who reads my blog religiously) who was so confused about my last post on San Diego Zoo’s Future. So just to clear my record here, The Onion is a SATIRE WEBSITE where about half the articles are satires of current events, and half are just plain JOKES. So the San Diego Zoo is NOT merging with any prisons, not now and (probably) not ever.

Dr. Beach recommends…

I’m SO frustrated! We were just in the Tampa area and were choosing between a few beaches in the area and DIDN’T go to Caladesi Island State Park Beach. And NOW, only now, do I read that Dr. Beach rates Caladesi Island SP as the TOP beach in America!

Caladesi Island is a barrier island north of Clearwater (which is not far from Tampa Bay) with white sands, crystal clear, steel-blue Gulf waters, and forests filled with birds and wildlife.

Stephen P. Leatherman (a.k.a. Dr. Beach) makes a list of the nation’s best beaches every year, and I ALWAYS look at, but for some reason it escaped my mind this year.

The other beaches in the top ten for 2008 are:

• Hanalei Bay Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
• Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota, Florida (which is also not SO far from Tampa…grrrrr.)
• Coopers Beach, (Southampton, New York)
• Coronado Beach, San Diego, California
• Main Beach, East Hampton, New York
• Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
• Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina
• Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Florida
• Beachwalker County Park Beach, Kiawali Island, South Carolina

So no big deal…just next time I need to check the list before heading out to the beach!

Summer Trip is announced!

Two or three times a year, my parents take me and the kids on a fantastic vacation, all expenses paid. I have a brother and sister-in-law and a niece who either get their own vacation with mom and dad or join us. This year it’ll be the whole family. Obviously we all get input into the destination, but m&d get the final say. And this year, we’ll all be going to…SAN FRANCISCO!

I am really excited. I have never been to San Fran and have always wanted to. Sometimes the trips are small, like 2-3 nights in the mountains nearby, but it seems like this is going to be a biggie. We’ll be going for 8 days and they already have quite an itinerary.

Here are the definites, and of course, if anyone has any MUST DO’S, please let me know so I can pass on the advice to my parents:

1. Basic Brown Bear Factory – This will obviously be a winner with the kids, but I’ve always loved factory tours, so I’m looking forward to this as well. And my mother actually collects teddy bears, so that’s probably the real reason why we’re going.
2. Wax Museum at Fisherman’s Wharf – None of us (except my sister-in-law) have ever been to a wax museum. I, of course, am most looking forward to Elvis Presley. Alexandra says she can’t wait to see Leonardo DiCaprio – how does she even know who that is?
3. Alcatraz Island – This one is really my dad’s top choice, so he says “it ain’t gettin’ moved off any list.” So here ya go, dad.

It’s a small list so far, but they only just decided on a location this morning and we don’t leave till mid-July. So we’ve got plenty of time. I only wanted to share because I was so excited about the announcement and I have friends who keep asking where we’re going this summer!

Anyways, as always, please feel free to offer advice! Like what are the best beaches? Is it worth it to go to the zoo up there (Oakland Zoo or the San Francisco Zoological Gardens) if we have such a good zoo (Zoo Atlanta) right near our new home?

Thanks for your help!

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Related Topics:

• Factory Tours in San Francisco Bay Area, Carmel, Napa Valley, Central CA
• Museums in San Francisco Bay Area, Carmel, Napa Valley, Central CA
• Historical Sites in San Francisco Bay Area, Carmel, Napa Valley, Central CA
• Zoos and Aquariums in San Francisco Bay Area, Carmel, Monterey, Central CA
• Botanical Gardens in San Francisco Bay Area, Carmel, Napa Valley, CA
• What to do this summer?