Sabbatical Success

So I'm about to head back to the San Diego airport and mark the end of an incredible month. It's been filled with some amazing adventures and experiences and I hope I did an ok job of bringing you with me. Along the way I've been trying to give views exactly as I saw them, but of course I saved some photos of the friends and family that enjoyed the trip with me.

So enjoy this video, shout out to Animoto.com, and thanks to everyone who followed along, hope you enjoyed. Until next time...

Born to Sail - San Diego

My last full day in San Diego had to be one of the best days of the trip. Slept in until lunch and then headed to the marina to go out sailing with my mom. I'm so excited the schedulling worked out because I'd been looking forward to going out on the water. We sailed around the harbor and out into the ocean for nearly 5 hours! We also got some kayaking in which was pretty amazing.

Enjoy this pics, and know I enjoyed this day!

PETCO Park - Home of the Padres

Downtown San Diego seems to be doing a lot of things right, and PETCO Park is a great example. We went to the Padres-Diamondbacks game last night and the feel of the park was amazing. Easily the best stadium I've seen a game at, and no doubt the cleanest one.

We had great seats and a great dinner during the Padres not so great game. But the fans stuck around and supported their team all the way to the bottom of the 9th, 2-out, homerun the Padres knocked out of the park for a respectable 5-1 loss. Check out some pictures around and outside the stadium.

San Diego Tour

Yesterday we hopped on the San Diego Old Town Trolley early in the morning and spent the whole day exploring the city. It was another long one, but we spent some time in Coronado and a large chuck of the afternoon in Old Town seeing some really great stuff. I got a little caught up and didn't take a ton of pictures, but I really enjoyed the day.

As appears the tradition, we were shuttled to the historical Hotel Del Coronado first and the tour gave some amazing facts along the way. The size of the hotel alone is worth seeing, at over 130 years old it's bigger than most new properties anyone would ever build. Really cool.

A Long Day in San Diego

So we definitely hit the ground running today when we arrived in San Diego. After a quick drop-off at the hotel, we had lunch and headed straight to the San Diego Zoo. It was a dream of mine to go to this zoo since I was a little kid watching shows about it, and while I probably would've appreciated it even more at age 7, it was still awesome. Hands down the largest zoo I've been to and I didn't even bother taking too many pictures. Just wanted to enjoy the day and finally being here.

After the zoo completely dominated us for over 4 hours I came straight back to the hotel and went to bed before heading to dinner. We went to a Thai restaurant, Rama, that was recommended by the concierge and I thought it was a good pick, right up my alley. Check out a few pictures from the day and expect many more tomorrow.

The US Grant - San Diego

Sorry for the downtime everyone, but the last few days in Bali and coming home have been unbelievably relaxed and I appreciated the rest. But alas, the last leg of the sabbatical month is underway and I arrived in San Diego with my mom this morning. To my surprise the US Grant had our rooms ready to go even though we arrived around 11. This was awesome and I appreciate the accommodation.

The hotel is pretty great. I thought the hotel was a part of the historical collection, but it's officially a part of Starwood's Luxury Collection so it has all the trimmings of a St. Regis. Very classic style, but what's stood out is the amazing art collection in the rooms and throughout the building. Of course I got a few shots for the blog, do enjoy, this is a sleeper hit for me!

Monkey Forest - Bali

Things I learned about Bali:

1) If you tell someone you're from America they will reply with "Ah, Barack Obama!". They love our president (more than we do) and will remind you that he learned everything he needed to know while in Indonesia.

2) If you American, you from New York City. At first it bothered me that the only city Indonesians know offhand is NYC, but then I realized an average American would be lucky to know a single Indonesian city outside of Jakarta.

3) There's some definite American envy going on here. Multiple people made comments about how big and strong America was compared to Indonesia. One guy even complimented how things are made smaller here because they're not big, strong Americans like me. Maybe he just wanted a tip, but it's a little uncomfortable.

4) Traffic is far worse here than anywhere in the US. One of the first questions I got was whether the traffic in Bali reminded me of home; it's not even close. This place is a driving nightmare 24 hours a day, even more reason to stay at your hotel.

5) The same $3 meal in a village will cost you $20 at your hotel. That $18 drink at your hotel costs about $6 at the bar across the street. I must say the W made it very hard to want to leave the compound, but the upcharge is outrageous. We didn't have a single dinner under a million rupiah. Yikes!

6) Monkeys are cute (if not vicious). Sorry to digress, but we had the chance to visit one of the popular monkey forests while in Ubud. And despite seeing one of these on "When Vacations Attack" I still went along and snapped a few shots for you all. Enjoy.

Hanging Around Bali

So this amazing leg of the trip is coming to a close and I have spent an outrageous amount of time sleeping and relaxing in Bali. The sound of the waves (which are more like trucks crashing) 24 hours a day has a soothing effect that puts me at peace.

But alas I did manage to get out one day and visit the village/city of Ubud which features many of the things you come to expect in Bali and the tourist destination everyone is filtered to. It's pretty nice that you get a driver/guide for however many hours you need and they take you around for less than $20/hr. We were out for about 7 hours, 4 of those being in the horrendous Bali traffic, but we enjoyed the experience nonetheless.

Here's a few things from our outings...

One of the first things you notice about Bali is the extraordinary amount of temples everywhere you look. From small temples for a person or two, to massive ones for large ceremonies, you can't go very far without seeing a stone temple. We were able to stop by one on the way to Ubud and check our the amazing artistry that goes into these sites on a large scale.

Starfish Bloo - Bali Dinner

The W just doesn't want to let us leave the resort compound so we stuck around for dinner last night. I heard a lot about their in-house restaurant before I got here so I was more than happy to check it out. Sadly, I was sooo hungry that I didn't even think to take pictures of all the food before we started eating. But you'll get the gist and also see what 1.8 million rupiah buys you!

W Retreat & Spa Bali - Seminyak

My apologies for the major delay in posts. Bali has taken all drive away from me and I've been sleeping more than I've been awake since I've gotten here. But when you see this W Retreat, you won't be so upset with me. My goal today is to actually leave the hotel and get back on these mean streets of Bali, but that has yet to be confirmed.

I have some shots around the property and then you can check out the room below that. Enjoy!

Singapore IMAX

My last morning in Singapore was spent watching Harry Potter before heading out to the airport. The movie was of course incredible and I will certainly be seeing it again to tie up a few loose ends. What was even cooler was the theater we went to. Singapore design is just on a different level, not that it's any better, but just different aims. Lots of public spaces everywhere you go and just coolness all around.

National Orchid Garden - Singapore

So my last full day in Singapore was pretty busy but nothing too exciting. I think we successfully covered the entire city over the last few days and were certainly able to see everything we wanted to see. You've seen pictures of all the good stuff and the last big visit was to the Singapore Botanical Gardens which has a separate orchid garden that you can walk through. It was brutally hot and humid, but we made it through and Lissy got some great shots. Enjoy to all my aspiring botanists!

Among the Skyscrapers - Singapore

After the Singapore Flyer we made our way around Marina Bay and into the city to enjoy my favorite part of all modern cities, the architecture and buildings. Singapore has plenty of buildings and shots to enjoy and new ones being built all over the business district. We ended with a visit to the top of Singapore's tallest building where we were able to look down on all the buildings we had stared up at all day. Amazing.

Major photo dump after the break. Beware!

Singapore Flyer

Made it to one of Singapore's main tourist attractions today after the sun finally showed itself. The Singapore Flyer is the largest observation wheel in the world with some pretty great views of the city. A quick 30-minute ride and the chance to take all the pictures you want. I certainly took advantage, check out all the shots!

The St. Regis Singapore

Checked into the St. Regis this morning where I'll be for the next few days and it feels just right. Everyone I mentioned the hotel to here in Singapore was really excited and in love with the hotel which made me laugh. It's new but classic as I've come to expect from the St. Regis and top service as always. Escorted and showed around my room, butler a phone call away, and the best concierges in the business.

Not too much crazy with the design here but I still took a few pictures to hold onto. Do enjoy.

A Day in Singapore

The weather forecast in Singapore for my entire visit is dismal and that played out today. It started raining shortly after we got out for the day which severely inhibited my picture taking. The city's skyscrapers are pretty amazing and the city is certainly built upwards in complete contrast to Spain. Hopefully I'll get a clear day before I leave so I can get some good shots.

Nonetheless, we made the most of the day and I came out with some pictures to share. Another late night, it's already 3AM, but I'm keeping this blog as "live" as can be. Enjoy the pictures.

Sheraton Towers Singapore - Presidential

Well, well, well Singapore. The Sheraton Towers has welcomed me with their beautiful presidential suite. This is a first for me, but the receptionist assured me that the hotel is at full capacity and with me arriving at 2AM from my flight, she decided to upgrade me to the last suite in the house. 

I love Starwood and my Platinum status, but a bi-level, top floor presidential suite?!? Is this real? Does Marriott even have presidential suites?!? Awestruck...

But alas, I'm only here for one night. The rest of my time in Singapore with be spent at the St. Regis, but with a 2AM arrival, I wasn't about to pay the St. Regis all of that money just to sleep a few hours. And low and behold the Sheraton still came through big time. The bellman also wanted to let us know that this suite has been used by the likes of Michael Jackson and the beautiful Janet Jackson. For realsies??? I must be delusional from the flight. 

Check the pictures after the break and Marriott people, just go ahead and switch to Starwood. It's time.

Journey to Singapore

So today was the big day, and it was the whole day! Flew out of Wednesday afternoon and 24 hours later I've made it to hot, muggy Singapore at 2AM in the morning. The Tokyo leg was a little touch and go for a while, but I managed to maintain my sanity. Not much sleep all day so I'm probably about to crash in a few minutes.

But of course I took a few shots during the day to share, ending with this shot where you can see the heat outside the Singapore airport caused everything to fog up! Look on.

Afternoon in ATL

Catching up on posts, but since I had one last day in Atlanta before my Singapore leg, I decided to get out for the afternoon and hit the spa and have some lunch. It was burning up all day, but I still got some rooftop time at Six Feet Under through the haze.

Before lunch I had time to hit up one of my favorite spas, Nouvelle Nail Spa over on the Westside. Great prices and great service, and I just love the building and design they went with.

Just a few pics from the venues inside...

Atlanta - Mi Casa

So I'm back home until Wednesday when I jet off on the next adventure and I have no idea what I'll be doing these couple days. I hate to let the blog just sit idle so I'll try to keep it updated even though I'm just hanging around town.

I was thinking I would recap the Spain trip but that just seems really cheesy, I'll come up with something to culminate the trips I promise. But since I was just hanging around the house today and running errands in prep for the next departure, I figured I'd take some pictures of my own space to throw up. My humble shelter...

The Westin Palace Madrid

Well there's only one Starwood hotel in Madrid and it's the historic-feeling Westin Palace. Amazing location and the architecture, like everything else in Spain, is detailed and ornate. I can also confirm that the heavenly bed is in fact heavenly around the world.

Only staying for a night, but I'm glad I got to check this hotel off the list before heading home.

Madrid - Plaza Mayor

Made it to Madrid today for a half day before we fly out Sunday morning. Limited amount of time means we had to hit the star places upon arrival. Luckily our hotel is in a great spot and only a short walk from Plaza Sol and Plaza Mayor. Everyone knows I hate historic sightseeing, but when in Madrid...

We took a few shots and then had lunch in the plaza and I believe I had my first authentic "people watching" experience. Just a few pictures of the plaza and our walk after the break. Great weather, great food, great time.

Barcelona - Around the Town

Heading into my last night, I must say I've enjoyed Barcelona. Plenty of surprises and the sheer size of the metro astounds me. I notice that about most international cities I visit, the density in these cities is incredible, I feel like we only have New York City that's comparable. Imagine 3 million people living inside the perimeter in Atlanta, then cut the space in half, you have Barcelona with building on top of building and people everywhere!

I snapped pictures as we've been walking around and even on a bus-top tour today. No context really, just shots of the architecture and even a few shots from the top of the W. Enjoy please, it's classic and beautiful.

Camp Nou - FC Barcelona Stadium

The #1 thing on my Barcelona to-do list was a visit to Camp Nou, home to the European champs. Seeing it on tv and seeing pictures had me really excited to see it in person. It did not disappoint. The museum was overwhelming and really cool, but all I really wanted was to get inside the stadium to feel the gravity. Awesome, plenty of pictures inside. Enjoy to the two soccer fans I know!

Opium Barcelona - Jordan Shop

I found heaven on Earth today on a back street in Barcelona. Just off La Rambla is an amazing set of boutique shops topped off by a shop named Opium. If you know me then you can imagine how happy I was. Not only did this shop specialize in Jordans, but they have full stock of every Jordan from at least the last 2 years! No exaggeration at all, I had to pull myself out of the store to stop from buying everything. I won't go down the list, but if you name a Jordan, they had it.

The owner of the shop is very strict about pictures so these will probably be pulled before long, but enjoy them while you can. I have the information for the shop so if I ever decide I want some older shoes I can always get in touch with them.

Check out the pics...

Spain Dinner Feature

So we went out to dinner tonight at a restaurant called Tickets, and it has a back "secret" lounge call 41 Degrees. During dinner I decided to do a post about one nice dinner per trip over the upcoming month. I've been eating a lot this week and my diet is mainly cod and patatas bravas. All good, but nothing groundbreaking.

But Tickets/41 Degrees was simply amazing. We were lucky to get a reservation earlier this week, it's one of the most popular restaurants in Barcelona right now. While we were standing there waiting for our reservation at least 10 people were turned away for trying to walk up and get a table.

Truly exclusive and modern chic just like I like it. I decided to take a few pics of the room and food/drinks we ordered. The 41 Degrees portion is actually an exotic cocktail bar that serves food as well, but everything was great. A must-visit if you can get a reservation. Check out the pics!

The W Barcelona

The flight from PMI to Barcelona took exactly 20 minutes, so I wasn't without the shelter of a Starwood hotel for long. Actually, the ride from the airport to the W actually took longer than the flight itself. But it was all worth when I pulled up to this beauty...

26 stories of glass and steel with residences above that (I need to find out who lives in the penthouse). Really a striking structure with the inside being the standard "W cool" that we're all used to. It also can't hurt that it's the first building constructed in Barcelona since 1992. Check out the rest of the pics!

Above Palma Shots

Leaving Mallorca for Barcelona yesterday we took an amazing flight path along the coast so I snapped a few pictures. Really no context here, I just really enjoyed the view so I rebelled against the order to turn off my electronics. Such an anarchist. Yea, that's me.

Hopefully at least one other person will enjoy these. As always, click to see all the pictures.

Mardavall Cliff Videos

I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in these, but I saved some videos for myself.

I took a few videos while I was down on the cliffs just to capture the natural sounds. I wish I could figure out a way to make this an audio loop. I could make my own nature sounds music. You may want to avoid these if you're already tired, they will put you over the top.

Check out the three videos after the break...

Cliffs of Mardavall

The southwestern coast of Mallorca is a mix of beach fronts and cliff drop-offs. The St. Regis is lined by a cliff so of course I took a walk. Obviously it's very rocky, but there are also some formations that jut out into the water so you can actually walk into the Mediterranean.

Going out to the cliffs and into the water was definitely my favorite thing of my time in Mallorca. I can't really convey the feeling, but it's so quiet and you just hear the water hitting the rocks, true serenity. I could have stayed out there all day, but alas this beautiful tone of mine tans too easily.

But enjoy the pictures and really make it a point to come experience this for yourself. I loved it!

La Seu - Catedral de Mallorca

I spent a good amount of time walking around Palma yesterday and it was a beautiful day. Restaurants and people everywhere, really clean city, and just a great vibe. We were surprised at how busy it seemed, but being in the middle of it you could lose all concept of being on an amazing island in the middle of the Mediterranean.

But, the star of the city is undoubtedly the Cathedral, which is by far the largest structure on the island and probably the largest structure I've ever seen in real life. We didn't make it in time to go in, but I snapped some shots from outside. There's no way to capture the scale of this place, but it's pretty incredible.

The St. Regis Mallorca Mardavall Resort

Hotel #1 on the itinerary is a stunner and should be hard to top. One of the few hotels around Palma de Mallorca that is actually on the beachfront (cliff front). Starwood really outdid themselves with this one, here's a few pics. I'll keep updating this post with pictures as I get around some more.

Makes me wonder, as usual, why would anyone ever waste money and time getting Marriott points?!? You know who you are. Move over to Starwood, we welcome you around the globe with properties like this...

Who loves clouds???

Every time I fly (even after all these years) I'm amazed by how majestic the clouds can seem. So calming and the scale just puts things in perspective for me. Anyone else? No? Ok.

Here are some pics anyway...

First travel day in the books...

We made it to Mallorca!!! After you add in the layover time, it really gets up there, almost exactly 24 hours from the time I woke up in Atlanta until I arrived at my hotel in Mallorca. So after a customary 4 hour nap, I'm up and ready to go!

Before I head out to dinner I had to post about quite the travel day that ended with this view....

Time to Fly - Travel Day

Packing down to the wire this morning, so no time to post. Very happy with my packing skills; one checked bag for clothes, one carry-on with only shoes, and one cool, slim-fit (oh yea, they exist) backpack with all of the electronics. No need to congratulate me, I'm already proud enough. Ha.

Chris is joining me for this leg of the trip and we made it to the airport on time and just arrived at JFK to connect to Madrid. We were both able to be upgraded for what will mostly likely be my only taste of first class this month, on the shortest leg of the month. Complaining??? No way!

Packing Time - Day 0

Less than 12 hours away from my first flight of this long month and the packing is pretty close to complete. I'll pack the electronics and entertainment up in the morning and hope everything fits in my new backpack. I was hoping to just take these essentials but I got a little past that.

Even better would be a couple white tees and these pieces. What else do you need right?

Giving up for now though, I'll update this when packing is complete and it's time to hit the airport. Goodnight!

On to the next one...

Sooo yea, cheers to my 2nd Chromebook of the week! I tried to be happy with the one I had, but it wasn't what I wanted and you all know how I am. I was able to find the Silver WiFi version and have it sent overnight. Just in time! Definitely meant to be.

So the white one is gone and here is my new baby that I'll be keeping around. Definitely happy, back to blogging now.

Chromebook Arrives!!!

Just in time for sabbatical, my Samsung Series 5 Chromebook has arrived. I refused to blog until it got here, so here we are. I feel cooler already as if I was meant to blog all my life.

Also using this as another practice post before I really get up and running. 3 days and counting!

Practice Post

Just wanted to get a practice post up to figure all this blog business out.

So here is an ode to my prize possession, my Nickelodeon alarm clock from 1995! I've had this clock since I was in 4th grade and it still works! As loud as ever and all the lights still work. I always want to figure out who I can send a compliment to because who has any electronics that last for 16 years!