To most people, it may seem a little weird that one of the things we really wanted to do while in Hawaii was at least see Disney’s Aulani resort. So near the tail end of our trip, we decided to meet up with a college friend of mine that lives on Oahu and spend the morning with the kids where the trip first started, with Disney. As we approached the southwest side of the island, I started to remember visiting the area on my first trip back in 2006, as the same friend and I went to see the luau at Paradise Cove. Now, the landscape was quite changed with the addition of Disney coming to town.
Upon entering through the lobby, the openness of the design instantly welcomed you into the property. On all sides you are surrounded by local artists work depicting various periods of the Hawaiian culture.
Off of the front desk area, there was conveniently located a keiki (child’s) play area, complete with games and Disney shows on the several televisions. Can you find the subtle Mickey hidden in the play area?
Even the gift shop had cool little details reminiscent of the Hawaiian culture, such as the shaved ice light fixture or the inlaid floor with sandals footprints. Fortunately, by this portion of the trip, all of us had lost the desire (or luggage space) to want to bring anything back home from the gift shop.
Shaved Ice Light Fixture
What was located in the main building was beautiful, but no one comes to Hawaii to sit indoors. The open design drew one outside to experience what the rest of the property had in store.
In the spirit of Mardi Gras I could not help but return as an InACents guest blogger to share my experience in New Orleans this past December 2012.
My family and I visited New Orleans (NOLA) for a short weekend prior to a cruise leaving Monday morning. To put NOLA in a word, I would say – Culture. Culture was pouring out of the city from the architecture, to the pride of the locals, to the cuisine, and to the artists seemingly everywhere. We stayed about 15 minutes south of the French Quarter in a Knights Inn for $89 a night right off the highway. Nothing to write home about there but we did not plan to spend much time in the hotel after all.
Sunday morning we booked a New Orleans bus tour with Gray Line. We did the Super City Tour which was $43.00 a person, lasting 2 hours and had one stop to actually get out and walk around, which was at the St. Louis No 1 cemetery. We stopped there for about 15 minutes. The tour guide was amazing and we definitely enjoyed all the information and history of the Big Easy. The tour guide did a great job of showing all different areas of the city as well as some of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The trees have Spanish moss in them, which reminded me of my trip to Savannah last September, and there are Mardi Gras beads stuck in the trees everywhere you look!
We spent the rest of the afternoon in the French Quarter shopping and enjoying the local cuisine. Jackson Square was by far a favorite. Local artists come and set up shop every morning selling their artwork all along the perimeter of the square. The cathedral was breathtaking and street performers were simply everywhere. People painted like statues, kids tap-danced for spare change, people played instruments, others sang, there were open-air bars and voodoo shops everywhere you went; NOLA definitely has something for everyone! I cannot wait to go back.
One thing NOLA residents pride themselves on is their love of food, and trust me when I say you could eat your way through the town with all the local favorites. We stopped for lunch at The Famous Gumbo Pot. It was a pricy lunch, but well worth it. Very good authentic NOLA food. I had the gumbo, my parents shared a PoBoy. Excellent eats!
Afterwards, definitely be sure to stop by Aunt Sally’s praline shop for some Original Pralines, as well as Cafe Du Monde for some beignets (a light, fluffy French donut covered in powdered sugar usually served with a Cafe au Lait.)
The World War II museum in NOLA is supposed to be amazing; however, time did not permit us to visit, so that is on the list for the next trip.
Another spot I recommend to anyone visiting NOLA is Mardi Gras World. It is the biggest company that builds floats for the famous Mardi Gras parade all year round. The tour is actually through the warehouse with artists working away on floats for the upcoming Mardi Gras parade. The tour only costs $20 each and it was money well spent.
The tour lasts about an hour and then you are free to wander around on your own, checking out all the parts of the floats from years past. We ended up stopping there Monday morning on our way to our cruise and were so glad we did.
Mardi Gras is actually a 2 week long celebration and has over 52 parades! They also have old costumes you can take photographs in and photography is permitted throughout the warehouse.
Overall I cannot wait to go back to NOLA this year as it is truly a magical city with endless hours of entertainment. Enjoy the pictures and stay tuned for more guest blogging in the very near future!
Jill has a passion for traveling, and is situated out of St. Louis. Thanks Jill for the timely article!
This past weekend we were fortunate to be able to partake in some of the Asian culture and help celebrate the Chinese New Year. 2013 marks the year of the Snake, and the Cleveland Asian community pulls together and celebrates their amazing heritage.
Call me naive, but I really had no idea the Cleveland area had such a diverse Asian community, and I was super excited when my wife suggest that we take the boys and go. As I have grown older, I have really started to appreciate more the different cultures and experiences one could enjoy not only around the world, but even often in your own community.
The Cleveland Chinese New Year celebration that we attended was held at the Asian Town Center (3820 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44114), which is a smaller “mall” pulling together Asian vendors, art and entertainment in the heart of a very diverse Asian community. While the area is not quite like the Chinatown that I experienced in Chicago or New York City, but it was charming nonetheless.
After some early morning traditional Asian music, we headed into the Asian Food Co. to check out the wonderful, and some questionable, products from around the World. The boys enjoyed checking out various gummy products and chips, unaware of exactly what was in the product.
While inside the grocery, we purchased the boys perhaps the best egg rolls we have ever eaten. Real. Traditional. Not the fake junk you get at an American Chinese restaurant. The egg rolls were packed full of warm pork, and the boys loved them! Mrs. InACents and I decided to indulge in a Wife Cake, which is a pastry filled with winter melon and almond paste. The Mrs. was more impressed than I was with the pastry, but it was good and a unique, original twist when you get used to the gelatinous, high fructose corn syrup junk available at American bakeries.
By the time we completed our appetizers for the day, some of the main showcases were starting to play on the main stage. First up to celebrate the Chinese New Year was Mame Daiko Japanese Drumming. People of various ages, including kids, played tremendous drum lines that make you shake to the bone. Words, and even the video below, can not even begin to explain the tremendous deep bass that come when ten people are banging on drums.
The idea behind loud music stems back from centuries of Asian tradition, where it is believed they warded off evil spirits. All I could think about was the incredible display of drummers from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. With that much vibration coming from the hundreds of performers, it is a wonder the entire bird’s nest stadium did not come crumbling down. The sheer power of sound was pretty amazing!
Following a long build-up for what everyone had come to see, it was time for the tradition of the Kwan Family Lion Dance. Besides some videos or news clips, I had never actually seen and experienced a traditional lion dance. I knew nothing of the heritage or what any of it all meant.
My wife educated the boys and I on the tradition associted with cabbage, and red envelops filled with money, and what the scenes represented, as well as variations of the story. It was wonderful having my knowledgeable wife along for the experience.
Besides the wonderful displays of traditional Chinese culture, it was a unique experience to see health remedies being weighed and sorted by hand, some of the children dressed in classic garb, and the authentic lunch we had down the street.
Perhaps what excited me most happened to be smack dab between two delectable pieces of bread. About ten years ago when visiting a college friend in Boston, him and his girlfriend introduced me to a unique little Vietnamese sandwich called Bánh mì. From that moment I was addicted, yet been on a mission to find them again until now.
I was delighted to find a little Vietnamese restaurant inside the Asian Town Center that served my delectable little sandwich, and I was not getting out of town without any. Mmm! My wife and I both shared a traditional, as well as a pork version, and they were both equally fresh, with the perfect consistency of chewy bread, and spiciness. My Bánh mì was the perfect end to an extraordinary Chinese New Year with my family!
