Monthly Archives: April 2011

April 20, 2011

WHY?

By simply three cents

It’s so great that so many companies are going green. But tell me, why do they have to let me know with SO. MUCH. WASTED. PAPER.

I have gotten so many letters in the mail telling me they are going green. No next steps, no action on my part, but a letter – in an envelope, telling me they were going green.

A deli here in NYC went green last year, by making consumers ask for napkins and utensils rather than automatically giving it out. But to do this, they put flyers in the bags for weeks! Flyers telling consumers that they would be going green. Not only was this printed on fairly big sheets of paper, but it was glossy! Hardly recyclable paper.  And they get so much repeat business day after day. Wouldn’t a big sign in the deli have sufficed?

WHY?

Leave a comment | posted in observations, WHY Wednesday

April 19, 2011

US Airways Made Good

By simply three cents

Received this email from US Airways in reponse to my note. Good job US Airways.

Dear Ms. X,

Thanks for your feedback about the email you received last week. Though we made a mistake, we’re pleased to tell you we’ve posted the 1,000 bonus miles to your account. Please go to usairways.com to see your account balance.

We value your business and want to thank you for your continued support of US Airways.

Sincerely,

X
US Airways Dividend Miles

Leave a comment | posted in letters, responses

April 18, 2011

Seder for Dummies

By simply three cents

As tonight is the first night of Passover, I was reminded of my ‘sample menu’ I sent to a Catholic friend a few years ago, who was going to her first Passover seder. Here’s the heads up, I mean, sample menu.

1 – Gefilte fish 
My dad wont even let it near him at the table yet I love it. Comes in a nasty gooey jelly. Just shove the goo aside and load it up with horseradish (purple stuff). I’m not going to tell you what’s in it because you don’t want to know.

2 – Chopped liver
I think it looks like diarrhea and smells almost as bad. I cannot eat it.

3 – Matzo ball soup
This is always the best. Don’t eat too much because you will get full and bloated because it is loaded with salt. This is usually served in the beginning.

4- Brisket, turkey, some kind of meat
Is normal and should be ok. Personally, I am not a big meat-eater so I usually skip this.

5 – Anything baked
It is made with matzah – SMALL portions are key to your success. The dishes are called kugels – some good, some bad. If there are raisins it’s usually good because it’s something sweet. Potato kugels are good too. Be warned: the result is the same. You WILL have to go to the bathroom, well, you’ll want to, you just may not be able to 😉

6 – Yams. Fill up. Even better if there are marshmallows in it.

7 – Some kind of carrot and raisin concoction. My mom has made this since I can remember. I think its called simmus or sirrus. Not bad.
But I don’t like cooked carrots.

8 – Dessert is usually chocolate covered matzah, some flourless cakes or macaroons. Tread carefully and be wary of dessert kugels (made with matzah).  Your belly may not love you anymore – refer to point  five above if you need this to be reiterated. 

9 – Not sure how religious they are but if there are kosher wines, you are better off with grape juice. If you don’t like sweet wines (I don’t) you are screwed! Kosher wines are sweet and nasty. If they aren’t that religious, you can bring a bottle of normal wine – so you can
down that and the food.

10 – Towards the end of the meal, they will open the door for Elijah. This is for real. They aren’t drunk!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Leave a comment | posted in food, holidays

April 17, 2011

Observant in Orlando

By simply three cents

I told you I’d share some observations about my day at Universal, but I am going to share my biggest observation about Orlando as a whole.

If foreign visitors only see Orlando, and want to generalize, they must think Americans are buffet-eating, line-pushing, souvenir-collecting kind of people. 

The same could be said if they add Las Vegas to their US itinerary.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , | posted in travel, travelogues

April 16, 2011

Wild, errr, Warm Weather

By simply three cents

This is a scheduled post but as I write this Saturday’s forecast is 90 degrees in Orlando and 51 degrees at home.

Not a bad forecast for wedding number two of three in April.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , | posted in just silly, things that make me smile

April 15, 2011

Universal Observations

By simply three cents

Heading to Universal Studios today! Am sure I will have a ton of observations as I haven’t been to a theme park in years.

Stay tuned.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , | posted in observations, travel

April 14, 2011

Plane Peeves

By simply three cents

As I am flying tonight(!), I am thinking about my peeves on the plane. In no particular order, here goes:

  • People who open closed bins to find space for their oversized luggage
  • People who dont hold onto their coats and instead use precious overhead space for a coat
  • People who run to board first and clog up the area for those whose rows have been called
  • People who travel with luggage half open with things falling out (yes, really)
  • People who don’t understand that you have to travel with 3oz or less of liquid, and you, yes, you, need to take off your belt
  • People who set off alarm; then take one thing off at a time, only to continue setting off alarm until they realize they have loose change in their pocket
  • People who go to bathroom on plane right after boarding; clogging the aisles for people who are trying to get to their seat, or even worse, right before take off
  • People who get up while the seat belt sign is on. You are not in first grade. Pay attention, and it’s truly for your safety – as seen by the Air France jet that clipped a regional plane on a runway at JFK earlier this week.
  • Unprepared parents. I totally get a crying child because their ears pop, or they may not like to fly, or even sit still. But please don’t rely on the magazines in the seat back pocket for entertainment. DVDs, music and games are a better choice.
  • People who don’t get a seat for a child who is clearly too big. I have seen this a handful of times and I can’t believe this is allowed. This is probably not safe, and not comfortable for the parent, the child or the person sitting next to you (ie. ME).
  • People who fly with dogs aside from medically necessary ones. This cannot be fun for the dog. I realize sometimes it is necessary, but if it is, don’t take your dog out mid flight to show him off to your neighbors. I’d take a plane full of screaming babies before one yippy barking dog on a five hour flight. Been there, done that. It barked the entire flight and the owner got some dirty looks and comments throughout.
  • Arm rest hogs. Unless you are in the middle, you get one, and only one.
  • Men who don’t help women get their bags up when they are sitting in the aisle right below where I am trying to get my bag in. I travel light. I am short and I have zero upper body strength and sometimes it’s difficult for me to get my bag into the bin.
  • People who put their seat backs back right after take off, right before a meal is served. Unless this is an overnight flight, there is no need to keep your seat reclined. This is not your living room. It is not your Lazy Boy and yes, I am RIGHT behind you.
  • People who kick the seat in front of them. Once I get kicked twice, I have now resorted to telling the  person (usually NOT a child) that I have just had back surgery and to please be careful with their seat. The fact that I usually can’t lift my bag into the bin helps with the back surgery story.

With all this, I still LOVE to travel! The people-watching and observations that come out of your time (leading up to) and in the sky can be hilarious.

What’s your biggest peeve?

Leave a comment | posted in observations, peeves, travel

April 13, 2011

WHY, it’s THAT girl

By simply three cents

Without fail, every time it rains, I am THAT girl.

I have left home with no umbrella, I have left work with no umbrella, I have bought so many umbrellas off the street, I have lost count. I’ve also lost most of them too.

When it rains, I am seemingly always dressed inappropriately. For example, today, I left the house in a puffy coat, thinking it would just be raining. I didn’t account for the wild wind, and since I was holding a pocketbook and umbrella, I didn’t have enough hands available to zip it. Or put up my hair. With the wind whipping my hair in every direction, I had to deal with an unruly umbrella, that I finally gave up on.

As I’m in line to board knowing full well I had a ticket in my pocket, why is it that last second before having to hand over the ticket, I cannot find it? Really?

Or what about today, getting dressed up for two client meetings on a rainy day, only to find out one would be cancelled and the other turned into a conference call. I could have been wearing a pair of cords, a sweater and rainboots.

Other examples of this THAT girl experience. If I am wearing pants and heels, I’d leave the heels in office and throw on Converse, dragging the long pants (that are purposely long FOR heels) through the wet city streets.

Sometimes, I won’t even change into sneaks, and then we have the problem of walking through the rain in (probably) uncomfortable, and inappropriate footwear.

Or, if I leave the house in a heavy winter coat, it’s no doubt pouring, or if I left in a light jacket, it’s freezing rain. Either way, totally inappropriate. I do have an old raincoat, and have been meaning to buy a new one. Why do I only think about buying it when I NEED it?

What about making plans on a rainy day, only to show up at the wrong place…and having to hoof it crosstown…in the rain. I can’t make this stuff up.

Brought to you by WHY? Wednesday.

Leave a comment | posted in why, WHY Wednesday, winter

April 12, 2011

They’re waiting in your account…NOT!

By simply three cents

Email received from US Airways – Dividend Miles on Tuesday, April 5
Subject: They’re waiting in your account!

Email message: Miles make you smile…And they get you where you want to be
We know you love award travel…and we love seeing you happy! So, we added 1,000 bonus miles to your account. We hope these miles get you a little closer to your next award trip. Keep flying and using Dividend Miles partners and you’ll be on your way in no time!

Email received from US Airways – Dividend Miles on Friday, April 8:
Subject: Oops!

Email message: Earlier this week, we inadvertently delivered an email message to many of our Dividend Miles members’ email accounts. Unfortunately, one of those accounts was yours. Worse, this email incorrectly stated that we posted 1,000 Dividend Miles into your account. This was not accurate and the email message was sent in error. We apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused you and appreciate your understanding.

Email sent on Tuesday, April 12
Subject: Seriously US Airways?

Email message: So you’re basically telling me miles make me happy, yet you take them away a few days later? You could have just done good and left it at that. 1,000 miles are practically worthless and you made a big stink retracting them from your loyal customers. Seriously? It was that important for you to take them away, then just let it be? I didn’t even notice that I got the first email…UNTIL I got the second.

It’s not about the 1,000 miles. It’s that you are so cheap that you can’t leave them there. It’s not like they have any significant cash value. I have enough miles for a free flight on US Airways so the 1,000 miles didn’t get me any closer to the next level but for you probably teased a lot of people. 

I am on the search for a credit card that awards me miles. You’ve just taken any US Airways cards out of the running. Who knows what you’ll retract if I were to become a cardmember.

Perhaps someone in IT did not connect with someone in PR. Either way, the miles should not have been moved. It was a mistake that did not need to be corrected. Instead, you should have chalked it up to a nice gesture to your Dividend Miles members. So much for that.

Leave a comment | posted in letters

April 11, 2011

Even Exchange…or not!

By simply three cents

People ask me how I am able to travel so much. ‘Isn’t it expensive?’ I am asked. Well, yes, it can be…IF you stay in high-end hotels, travel in peak season, travel in comfortable (read: pricey) modes of transportation and pick places where your home currency is not valued well against the local currency, your trip might cost you a pretty penny.

Here’s how I try to combat what could be very expensive overseas trips — which in the end allows me to travel more:

1 – I love to take in as much local culture as possible so I choose bed and breakfasts or small local hotels. Bed and breakfasts are an incredible way to get inside information from your hosts, as well as local breakfast foods. It’s also a way to meet like-minded travelers.

2 – I am also very much an off-peak traveler. With a few exceptions (Patagonia in the summer, Iceland with 20 hours of sunlight), I tend to travel off-peak. Less crowds, better service and most importantly, more interaction with the locals. You also have some instant spontaneity since everything is not already booked. Off-peak doesn’t have to be December in Italy – though it’s lovely strolling in Venice with no massive crowds, but it can also be laying out on Croatia’s beaches in early September since all the Europeans visit throughout August.

3 – Utilize public transportation. Hiring a private driver is a good idea in some places for safety, or for those long-haul flights where you just don’t want to think about getting from the airport to your accommodation. Private drivers are great when you don’t want a big group tour, and letting your host know you are open to adding a few more people can save you money, and introduce you to other travelers. These comforts shouldn’t be your primary mode of transport. And do your research. Cabs in NYC are not for budget travelers, but cabs in Buenos Aires definitely can be.

And so for the final piece, do your research. Destinations with busted economies, unstable governments (but relatively safe) and currency that does well against your home currency (mine is the USD) are great picks – and probably not completely overrun with travelers…yet.

Ten years ago when I was backpacking around Europe, pre-Euro, there was different currency in each country. So, I would make my first meal McDonald’s (gasp!) when I arrived so I could get a better idea of the exchange rate in each country. The cost of my chosen meal (which I kept consistent across countries — value meal with two cheeseburgers, small fries and a medium soda) gave me a better idea on how the currency stacked up for me for lodging, food and purchases! [When I did this, Belgium was the only country that I never saw a McD’s!]

This was obviously not the best way to get a ‘taste’ of the country but when you’re backpacking alone and stink at math, it’s a good substitute. Now, I use oanda.com instead of testing my theory so I can enjoy local cuisine from the very start of my arrival in various countries around the world.

In no particular order…here’s a short list of countries that I know do well against the USD. My goal here is not to cover the world, just give some insight on places that some people may not instantly think of when they think of places to visit overseas. Countries I have been are in bold. Everything else is on my wishlist.

I welcome comments because it’s just more options to add to my list…if they aren’t already on my longer wishlist!

  • Croatia; Europe without the Euro exchange rate.
  • Bosnia; People still have imagery of a war-torn country. This is true but it is very cheap and very beautiful.
  • Iceland; A few years ago their very prosperous economy collapsed and how can you say no to 20 hours of sunlight in the summer
  • Argentina; Unstable economy. When I booked my trip, it was 3 pesos to 1USD; when I arrived, the exchange was 4 pesos to 1USD
  • Southeast Asia; Vietnam, Laos, parts of Thailand, Cambodia. Have never been but on my list.
  • Eastern Europe: Latvia, Hungary, Romania, Estonia. Prices in these places are supposedly what the Czech Republic was like 10 years ago.

Again, I very much welcome comments. Where have you been that the exchange rate was ridiculously good?

1 Comment | posted in travel, wanderlust