#161: Magens Bay Beach (Page 894, 2nd Ed pg 1114)

Nov. 24, 2014

I read/heard that you should avoid this beach, the most popular (of 44 in total!) on St. Thomas on the days that the cruise ships are in.  But we visited on a day that 3 cruise ships were in port and you can see from the picture, the crowds weren't bad at all.  There were other people there, sure, but it never felt "crowded."  This is due in part, I'm sure, to the fact that not only is it the most popular beach, but it is also the biggest (1 mile long), so it's easy to spread out and have a lot of people there without really feeling it.

Cost of Admission: $4/person

Cost of mat rental: $8

Floating around with your daughter on "one of the world's most beautiful beaches":  Priceless

I feel so accomplished to have visited the very last thing in the book!  Too bad, I have over 800 places in the middle yet to go :)  

Verdict:  Hmmmm...... I'm undecided on this one.  Yes, if you're in St. Thomas, it is definitely worth checking out.  Yes, it is an absolutely fabulous beach.  Soft sand, beautiful, warm water, amenities such as bathrooms, showers, gift shop, food, nobody hassling you trying to sell you things, chair/umbrella/mat/kayak/paddleboard, etc rentals.  But I've been to several very nice beaches in my life, so I'm not necessarily sure this is a "must see" above some of the others.  And if you're interested in surfing or snorkeling, you won't find what you're looking for here.  

#160: Route 66 (Page 665, 2nd Ed pg 831)

October 5, 2014

Route 66 was commissioned in 1926 and paved in 1937.  It once ran for 2, 448 miles through eight states, from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA.  But it lost its luster once new interstates were built in the 50's, 60's and 70's.  Today, about 85% of Route 66 still exists, but it is a mostly rural 2-lane highway.  In Albuquerque, one of the longest stretches of Route 66's "Main Street" still exists.  There are still some original filling stations, trading posts, diners, truck stops and motels.  This is one of them:  The El Vado.

Verdict:  No.  Yes, it's original.  And I'm usually a fan of "original." But not in this case.  Route 66 in this area was just surrounded by modernity - nothing unique to see or experience.  And this original motel looked more like a neglected apartment complex, with grass growing through the cracks of the pavement in the parking lot, the parking lot full of old, broken down cars with flat tires and a locked check in counter.  I expected some nostalgia.  Nope!

#159: Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta (Page 665, 2nd Ed pg 827)

Mental note.... if you get to the Fiesta at 3:00pm, this is about all there is to do :)

This is the picture my friend posted of what she saw just a few hours before we arrived.

October 4, 2014

The Balloon Fiesta was from Oct 4-12th this year.  It typically starts on the first Saturday in October and runs through the following Sunday (9 days).  We arrived there on the first day in started. That morning (as we were driving there from Carlsbad), the Mass Ascension went off without a hitch.  We saw people posting pictures on fb and such and we got so excited to see it all with our own eyes - hundreds and hundreds of big beautiful balloons covering the sky.  We arrived to the Fiesta at 3:00.  Little did we know, there is a whole bunch of nothing going on between the Mass Ascension at 7:00 and the Twilight Twinkle Glow at 5:45.  So, we just waited and waited and waited, wandering around the food/souvenir tents.  5:45 finally arrived.  Nothing.  We started hearing word that the wind conditions were not ideal.  Sure enough, about 99% of the balloonists decided to not inflate their balloons.  Here is the picture of what we saw.  I could tell that it WOULD be cool to see what we saw x 700, but this was rather underwhelming.  Especially after such anticipation.  So, we disappointedly went "home" to catch a few hours sleep before getting up at 4:00am to head back for the Mass Ascension the following morning.  It was FREEZING!  We huddled together in the pitch black sipping on hot chocolate waiting for the 5:45 Dawn Patrol.  Nothing.  Then for the 6:30 Morning Glow.  Nothing.  Then for the 7:00 Mass Ascension.  Nothing.  An announcement was made that it was canceled due to unfavorable wind conditions.  I cannot even describe to you our disappointment. Our flights were all leaving that afternoon.  We centered our entire trip around this event and all we saw was... nothing.  What a bummer.  I don't know what happened in the few hours between the morning of our arrival (when everything went as planned) and a few hours later when we arrived.  The weather seemed just fine to us.  But alas, we are not expert balloonists.

Verdict:  No.  I'm sure for many, they would give a favorable verdict.  Those that actually saw a balloon or two at the Balloon Fiesta.  But for me, given my experience, it was just a big disappointment.  Cost:  $10/car for parking plus $8/person admission.  (Children free)  Non-refundable in the case of Balloon cancellation :(

Note:  I went back to the Festival the following year in 2015 and actually saw the balloons launch!  It was amazing!  And yeah, it probably will be one of my "I'm glad I saw that before I died" memories. So, the bottom line is, if the weather cooperates and you are part of the sunrise launch, it will be a worthwhile lifetime memory.  But if the weather doesn't cooperate, well then for obvious reasons, not so much!"

#158: Carlsbad Caverns National Park (Page 666, 2nd Ed pg 828)

October 3, 2014

Standing in front of the "natural entrance"/"bat cave"

A close up of the natural entrance

You have the option of taking the elevator down into the big room or entering here in the Natural Entrance and descending on your own down toward the Bat Cave (200 feet below the surface), past Devils Spring and Devils Den (500 feet below the surface) and all the way down to the Big Room. And that's what we did!

The Natural Entrance Route is self-guided (you can rent audio guides for $5/piece which I did), but it's a lot of walking, so you should be in decent physical shape.  It's about a mile long, but takes about an hour due to all the switchbacks and assuming you are stopping to take in the glory surrounding you.

The Natural Entrance Route follows the traditional explorers' route.  It descends over 750 feet.

These "draperies" were my favorite.  The flowing rock that looked like fabric blowing in the wind.

Witches Finger

Seen along the Big Room route

At night (we were told to gather at 6:15; actual bat flight started ~6:45, but changes from night to night), you can experience the "Night Flight."  This is the only picture I have because they do not allow any cameras/video to be on during this experience.  The Mexican free-tailed bats live about 200 feet into the Natural Entrance of the cave.  It is estimated that somewhere between 200,000 - 1,000,000 bats live here.  While sitting there, listening to the ranger tell you about it, answering questions, etc, all of a sudden, you see a few bats fluttering out of the cave.  And the next thing you know, THOUSANDS are streaming out all at once. And they keep coming and coming and coming!  It is absolutely AMAZING!!!  Our ranger said this typically lasts anywhere from 30 min - 3 hours.  We were there for almost 40 minutes and they were still going out strong!  The only reason we left was because it got too dark to see anything.  It was absolutely remarkable and a major highlight of our trip!

Verdict:  Yes!  This absolutely exceeded my expectations.  I thought I'd be in the caverns for 30 min.  Instead, I was down there for several hours.  I thought the "Night Flight" would last 5 min and be "kinda cool."  Instead it lasted beyond when it got dark and was "totally amazing."  But because the "Night Flight" was one of the major highlights of being here, I would recommend coming in the summer/early fall months.  The bats leave to go back to Mexico the end of Oct/beg of Nov for the Winter and fly back the following year.  

#157: Roswell (Page 668, 2nd Ed pg 830)

Inside the International UFO Museum and Research Center

(Admission $5/person)

A peak at the world's second largest UFO/Alien research library.  The Vatican is home of the largest.  Who knew?

Supposedly in July of 1947, a UFO crashed in Roswell leaving wreckage and a few alien bodies that the government tried to cover up and has kept hidden ever since.

I'm not a skeptic and I don't buy into many conspiracy theories, but I have to admit, I thought after touring this town and museum, I thought maybe I'd be a little more open to the idea..... Nope.  I have to say, neither the town nor the museum swayed me in the least.  The "museum" looked more like a giant high school project.  None of the mountings seemed professionally done and the flow of information was very confusing.  But hey, if you're in Roswell, ya gotta do it.  The museum closes at 5:00.  But even if you get there at 4:10 (like we did), it's plenty of time ;)

Verdict:  No.  I actually expected a lot more out of this town.  I thought it would be cheesy, but in a fun/touristy kind of way.  Like some cool restaurants with tables in the shapes of UFO's and beverages served in glow-in-the-dark alien cups and the like.  But really, it's just a hole-in-the-wall town that closes down at 6:00 with nothing much to do or see (no offense Roswellians).  We asked several locals for ideas, but nobody seemed to be able to come up with anything their town had to offer except for the local fair that was going on that week, which I have a feeling is the highlight of the year around here.  Except maybe UFO week in July.....

Note:  I am totally befuddled as to how this made "the cut" into the 2nd edition??!  Scratching my head..... I'm convinced Ms Shultz has never actually been here (correct me if I'm wrong, Patricia, if you ever read this!)  Aside from the notoriety of the place, there is a whole bunch of absolutely nothing here!!

#156: Ten Thousand Waves (Page 669; Listed as Hot Springs and Spas in 2nd Edition, pg 833)

So, apparently you don't have to travel to Japan to experience a traditional Japanese hot-springs onset.  Just to Santa Fe, New Mexico!  Ten Thousand Waves is tucked into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  You are surrounded by natural beauty as you sleep here, eat here, bathe here. It is a wellness retreat.  We ate at the izanami restaurant and it was DELICIOUS!  Not cheap (~$25/person for lunch), but DELICIOUS!  All the food tasted so fresh and flavorful.  It is served tapas style in that all the plates are small, so everybody orders 2-3 and shares.  You can sit inside or outside.  We chose outside so we could enjoy the scenery and they provide blankets upon request.  The servers were very friendly, and don't leave without using the restroom!  The toilet seats are heated and there are all kinds of "cleaning gadgets" as well ;)

Verdict:  No.  It's beautiful.  It's relaxing.  But it's not a "Must Do."

#155: Inn of the Anasazi (Page 668; Listed as Markets and Festivals of Sante Fe in 2nd Ed, pg 833)

October 2, 2014

Supposedly "Santa Fe's most sophisticated hotel."

The manager on duty was excited to show us the "Water Wall."

My friend, ME, relaxing in the library, which is located right next to the Anasazi Restaurant, known for its organically grown native foods.

Walking outside the restaurant, you find yourself in a quaint little courtyard with shops and cafes and locals selling their handmade souvenirs.  They are all lined up on the sidewalk in front of the Palace of the Governors, the oldest public building in  America.

Verdict:  No.  It was nice.  It was quaint.  But no nicer or quainter than dozens of other Inns/Hotels I've stayed at/seen.

Note: In the 2nd Edition, this is mentioned as part of the whole area.  The little downtown area with markets and central plaza and Palace of the Governors.  We saw and did all of that.  And while that is a much more appropriate entry than just this one hotel, it's still not a must-do experience before you die. 

#154: The Santa Fe Opera (Page 669)

October 2, 2014

The Santa Fe Opera was founded in 1957 and is known for its free frequent world premiers.  In fact, next year/season, the world premiere of Cold Mountain will make it's debut.  Tickets go on sale in October (now) at www.santafeopera.org

The opera season typically runs for two months:  the beginning of July - end of August.

Tickets vary widely, but can be as little as $31 or as much as $220 depending on the day, the opera or the seat.

Verdict:  No.  The setting of this opera house is gorgeous; an amphitheater carved into the hillside tucked into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  But unless you are a die hard opera fan (I am not), then you can peacefully go to your grave without experiencing the Santa Fe Opera.

#153: Barnes Foundation (Page 700; Listed as Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation in 2nd Ed, pg 862)

July 9, 2014

The entrance of The Barnes Foundation

The grounds....

The Still Lifes of Paul Cezanne are currently on exhibit until September 22, 2014

It includes 69 works by Cezanne.

In addition to the Cezanne pieces, the Foundation houses 181 works by Renoir, 60 by Matisse and 44 by Picasso.  van Gogh, Degas, Corot, Seurat, Monet, Manet, Goya and El Greco also have pieces of their art on display.  

The Barnes Foundation was established in 1922 and is named after its founder, Dr. Albert C. Barnes.  

There are a total of 23 galleries divided between two floors.  

Hours:  10am - 6pm

Admission:  $22/adults, $10/students, Free Children 0-5

Tip: Free admission is offered on the first Sunday of every month.

Verdict:  This is an impressive museum with many works from many famous artists.  And I'm sure it is a Must Do for artists and art enthusiasts alike.  But for me, who is neither, while a beautiful museum I can appreciate, it is NOT a must-do before you die!

#152: The Mekong Delta (Page 511; 2nd Ed pg 639)

The Mekong River originates in the Tibetan Plateau, journeys through China, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia and then flows through Vietnam, splitting into many waterways that form the Mekong River delta.  It is one of the most fertile areas in southern Asia, supplying the country with most of its rice, fruit and seafood.  And, upon our arrival, some of that delicious fruit was awaiting us!

Many of these riverside villages are accessible only by boat.

A bike ride through "town" was a highlight!

Our guide on our small sampan.

on the back of our sampan.

We were able to see how many things are processed in this area, including coconuts.

It's amazing, the amount of manual labor involved in shelling, peeling and preparing these coconuts!

I will never take coconut for granted again!

We were able to visit a rice paper factory and see rice noodles being made.

I had to have a taste!

We started our Mekong Delta adventure in Ben Tre, famous in Vietnam for its coconut candy.  Everything we saw and did was beautiful, fascinating, cultural, new, adventurous.  I loved it!

Verdict:  Yes!  This is a MUST DO!!  Would love to go back and spend more time!