Category: Tips

Posted on

The Pyramids/The Egyptian Museum

You know what they are, you know what to expect.  But believe me – you cannot prepare yourself for seeing the Pyramids for the first time.  As we drove through the hectic streets of Cairo, over the river into Giza, the Pyramids almost sneak up on you because you don’t think that they’ll be THAT close to the city.   And then, “Whoa!”, there they are in all their glory.  As much as I hate to make this reference, and I’m laughing at myself right now for doing so, the experience is a little similar (just a teeny bit) to seeing the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas as you’re driving through the desert, but on a much smaller scale.  The Luxor would have to be like eight times the size of the U.S. Capitol building to meet the magnitude.

I already described the hysteria with the camel rides in the previous post, so I won’t get into that again.  After the camel rides, we had the choice of going into the Great Pyramid or the smaller Menekaure’s Pyramid.  We opted for the smaller pyramid due to the fact it was 30 Egyptian pounds per person and that the entrance fee for the Great Pyramid was much more expensive (I failed to record the price, my bad).  But nonetheless, the Great Pyramid on the outside was spectacular enough that we didn’t feel like we had less of an experience by not going into it.

Going inside the pyramid was extraordinarily claustrophobic, even more so than going into the tombs at the Valley of the Kings.   I would not recommend the experience to anyone who is the least bit uncomfortable in tight spaces, and/or has back problems because you literally have to crouch down an incline for about 50 meters. Once inside, the interior was pretty anti-climactic and we came out of it with only the feeling of accomplishment that we A) made it in and out without completely freaking out and B) that we were inside a pyramid.

Once we got out, the fresh, cool air never felt so good.  As we strolled around a little more, another thing I’d like to point out is that the second largest pyramid, Khafre, still actually had some of the original smooth casting stones on its apex allowing you to see/imagine how amazing the pyramids all originally must have looked thousands of years ago.  I’ll also say that at nighttime, the pyramids on the horizon are actually pretty ominous looking.  The silhouette of the pyramids was actually relatively frightening and it’s not hard to see how the villagers of the time viewed the pharaohs as nothing short of godlike.

From there we took a short walk down the hill and a got a look at the Great Sphinx (which was one of the few things I expected to be a little larger, but was still cool nonetheless).  I had no idea the “What has four legs at sunrise, two legs at noon, and three legs at sunset?” riddle that I’d heard before was the question the Sphinx asked.  I’m glad I would have known the answer (it’s “Man” btw if you didn’t know) because the Sphinx ate those who got it wrong. The one annoying part of that area was the millions of girls trying to take pictures of themselves giving the Sphinx a kiss (a little to the left, a little to the right, lift your chin up a little more, go on your tip toes a bit, crouch down a little, turn you head…)

We moved onto the Egyptian Museum in the center of Cairo next.  As much as I would have loved to take pictures of the amazing displays – once again, no photography was allowed inside the museum.  We were able to take some snapshots from the outside though.  The building itself is actually a historical landmark and it has the same 1930s Indiana Jones feel to the architecture.  However, any blogging I do about the artifacts inside wouldn’t nearly do the museum justice.  So here are just two tips.  1) Dedicate a full day to the museum, that’s how big it is and you’ll regret it if you don’t give yourself the necessary time to wander around and discover everything.  2) Pay the extra money to see the mummy room.  It’s worth every penny (though admittedly little morbid) to see the actual mummies of many of the famous pharaohs of Egypt.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.


Posted on

Luxor and Karnak Temples

When we were back at Luxor for the second time, we were able to see some of the sights that we didn’t get around to seeing on the day we arrived.  Two of the main highlights were the Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple.  The Luxor Temple was much like the Edfu Temple in size and look, and was conveniently located a few hundred meters from our boat.  The few highlights of the Luxor temple include the remains of some Christian murals that were painted over the original hieroglyphics and one of the first Islamic mosques that was over the temple.

The Karnak Temple was about a mile down the road from Luxor and it wins the prize (hands down) for the most impressive temple due to its sheer scale.  The Karnak Temple was not even close to being finished, but what had been built over the course of 2,000 years was amazing.  Of all the temples, it’s probably the most recognizable one from film (I personally remember seeing it in The Spy Who Loved Me during the scene when 007 is evading the henchman Jaws).  I’m just glad we didn’t visit Eygpt when they were filming the new Transformers movie there.  Imagine traveling all that way just to show up and the temple is closed because they’re making a third installation to what is a pretty horrible movie.  But alas.

It’s funny how incomplete the place is due to the fact that with each new pharaoh, started new building projects in or along the temple without finishing the previous king’s projects.  So it’s sort of like a potluck where each dish that everyone brings is only half cooked or prepared.   I’m not going to lie – thoughts of how amazing it would be to play hide and seek in this complex crossed my mind.   I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, but here are a few other things first:

-When you first walk into the Karnak Temple – look to your right.  You’ll see behind the left pylon the reminiscence of what used to be the dirt mound the Egyptians used as scaffolding.  That’s how the discoverers new that the temple wasn’t just a ruin that had fallen apart over time – it was actually incomplete.

– See the nighttime light show; it’s about 60 Egyptian pounds per person.  It’s a great experience, one that’ll give you that feeling you had the first time you saw an IMAX movie.  You walk through the temple and the lights project images on the sides of the temple walls and columns as a booming voice narrates a story.

-Try to find the graffiti left by Champollion, the man who deciphered the Rosetta Stone.  If you do find where he scratched his name, you’ll see how high up on the column it is.  It illustrates where the sand/ground level used to be and how massive of a excavation the Karnak Temple is.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted on

Camel Riding

What do you think of when you think of Egypt?  You think of the Pyramids.  And you think of camels.  Now before our trip I made it a goal to make sure that I got a chance to ride one of these bad boys.  My enthusiasm however was stunted a little bit before we even went to Egypt because I had heard all these horror stories about peoples’ not so joyful camel riding experiences.  Specifically, that the camel drivers were going to rip you off, make you pay extra to take a picture, make you pay extra to get off the camel, things of that nature.  But nevertheless my intent was still there and I had the opportunity to ride on the camels twice – both being two very opposite experiences.

My first camel riding experience was in Aswan.  When we mentioned to our guide at the time that we wanted to take a camel ride at some point he told us, “The camel drivers in Cairo are thieves.  They’ll charge you a ridiculous amount.  Pure thieves.” This statement pretty much supported what I had heard at home before we went on the trip.  But he told us that he could take us to a place in Aswan that would give us an opportunity to ride the camels at a more legitimate rate.  Now our guide was doing this out of the kindness of his heart, since this wasn’t on the normal tour itinerary, so he asked us not to mention to anyone on the boat that he was doing this favor for us.

We took a quick boat ride across the Nile from Aswan to the base of the Tomb of the Nobles (you can see it easily from Aswan).  The motorboat ride cost us $60 round trip (however, our guide was with us so you’ll probably have to pay more unless you’re really good at bargaining/speak Arabic).  Once we arrived on the opposite bank we took a quick 3 minute walk up to the base of the tombs and, low and behold, sitting there was a group of camels.   Our guide was able to get us 30 minutes on these camels for only 30 Egyptian pounds a person (which is about $6).   In Cairo, our guide told us he’d heard of some camel drivers charging 500-600 pounds to some poor unsuspecting tourists.

My excitement was at its peak as I hopped onto the back of a feisty, male camel.  As he stood up, I almost lost my balance as I wobbled upward.  The camel driver I had was an elderly man who didn’t speak very good English.  Now I’ve never ridden a horse or anything like that, so when part way through the ride my camel driver gave me the reigns, I thought he wanted me to hold them momentarily while he tied his shoes or something.  No, he was giving me control of the camel, which at first almost ended in disaster.  My driver started saying things in Arabic and I really couldn’t tell if he was giving orders to me or the animal I was riding on.  Definitely at one point, my camel got seriously pissed at something and started sprinting (yes, it started fucking sprinting) away from the group.  I had NO idea what I was doing and it took me a little too long to realize what the camel rider was yelling in Arabic was essentially to pull back on the reigns to get the camel to stop.  I pulled back so hard, that the camel stopped so suddenly, I almost flew head over heels off the damn thing (my crotch actually slid forward into the horn of the saddle which was extremely painful, but the only thing that stopped me from flying off).  Once the camel calmed down, and I figured out how to get the reigns to make the camel go where I wanted to go (he was a feisty one throughout, but I did like his spirit) it became a much more pleasant ride.  My mother and sister both had teenage boys leading their camels and these boys were more than happy to take several photographs of us (they seemed to really be enjoying playing with the digital cameras).  At the end of the ride, we were on cloud nine.  The ride was so much fun, and the camel drivers were absolutely great.  We paid them the agreed 30 pounds a person, and we gave them each a hefty tip (which they accepted with great appreciation.  This is something I’d like to point out now and go back to).

Our second experience was not so enjoyable.  When we arrived in Cairo (I’ll explain more about Cairo in the next post), we were all running on about 3 hours of sleep since it was New Years Eve the night before.  Being in Cairo we were going to have a new guide, and on the very first day we were supposed to see the Pyramids of Giza.  We arrived at the Pyramids, and our guide essentially told us we really should ride the camels.  All of us weren’t totally in the mood since we were so tired, and we had done it already in Aswan so we didn’t feel the need to go a second round.   But this guide of ours just kept pushing it, and pushing it.  We finally figured out that this guide was pretty much getting paid off by one of the camel drivers.  The guide was quoting $40 American for each of us for 30 minutes (versus the $6 in Aswan).  Then he dropped it down to $30.  At this point, we decided, if we could get it down to $20, we’d do it (I mean it was a camel ride next to the Pyramids, so we guessed we’d probably regret passing up the chance).   He gave us $25 and were like “Fine, whatever, we’ll do it” as much out of wanting him to stop pestering as actual enthusiasm.

So we board our camels, but of course this time around I know what to expect/know what I’m doing.  My camel driver was a chatty fellow who didn’t have the same kind demeanor as the fella in Aswan.  My sister had a kid no older than 5 pulling her camel along, which was actually quite disconcerting.  We get to a point where the Pyramids are behind us and the camel driver offers to take a picture.  So I give him my camera and he takes some shots of us with the Pyramids.  When he comes back, he doesn’t give me my camera back – he holds out his hand.  I literally am like “Are you serious?” He says “C’mon give me a tip”.  I’m not going to win this one, so I start pulling out money (the guy even says to me “Give me American dollars).  I give him 10 Egyptian pounds (which is like $2) and I tell him “Give me my camera back, now“.  He gives me my camera back, and I look over to my mom and sister and motion to them to put their cameras away or we’ll be quickly losing more money.

We ride along a little bit further and the older man and the young boy leave (inexplicably) and we’re left with a teenage boy who ties all our camels together and has the camels start running back.  In the midst of all of this running, the bouncing causes my mother’s camera to pop out of her pocket.  We scream at the kid in front (who doesn’t really speak English either) to stop the camels.  We check the saddles of the camel (quite thoroughly, keep this in mind), but don’t see any camera.  We spend the next half an hour scouring the desert for the camera on the ground.  It was bizarre because we could see the tracks where we had come from and the camera shouldn’t have been buried by any sand in the 30 seconds the camels were running.  We’d almost given up on the camera and were getting ready to head back with out it when I have the head camel driver (who had come back to help find the camera) check the camel’s saddles a second time.  This time the camel driver “finds” the camera relatively easily.  Now, I’m not accusing anyone of anything, but we find it rather suspicious that the camera was discovered so easily in the saddle after my mother, sister and I all looked through it pretty thoroughly.   Once again, he holds onto the camera, even though I motion to him to give it back, and smiles “We’re all happy now, yes!”  We get back to our Cairo guide, who has a big smile on his face hoping that it’ll charm us to go easy on him, and I try to get the camera back again.  The camel driver says “Are you happy?”  I reply, “I guess”.  He puts out his hand and says “Show me”.  So I give him 50 Egyptian pounds and he shakes his head.  Once again, with no one to back us up (the police standing there couldn’t care less to help), and our Cairo guide just standing there, there no way to win this one.  So I give the guy a second 50 and he gives me the camera back.  I look at my family and they gave me the same look that said it all.  We wish that our memory of camel riding was isolated to the experience in Aswan.  The drivers there were humble, kind, and a pleasure to be around – the total opposite of the drivers in Cairo.

After that, it was only the fact that the Pyramids were so amazing to see in person that saved the day for us.  So if you’re ever in Egypt, heed this warning:  BEWARE THE CAMEL DRIVERS AT THE PYRAMIDS.  One way to get around getting screwed is to have one of your party walk along with the camels and take pictures (but you’ll really owe the one person who doesn’t take the ride).  Or do like we did the first time and find a place to take the camel rides in the non-touristy areas.   But in the end, you can’t get around it.  We got some pictures of us in front of the Pyramids, riding on camels, so we’ll choose to forget the ordeal we went through and just appreciate that we have them.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted on

Abu Simbel

I’d like to make one quick statement.  I’m so glad we got in and out of Egypt when we did.   I can understand the hostility towards the government however.  We noticed that there was some unhappiness amongst the Egyptian people, and saw first hand a group of store owners getting thrown out of their stores by the police and forced to shut down their business because the government wanted the land.  But did I think this revolution would occur a mere couple weeks after leaving?  No way.

Moving along now, one of the most popular excursions from Aswan is a trip to Abu Simbel to see the two temples.  In order to get to Abu Simbel, it takes a 6 hour bus ride or a quick 45 minute flight from Aswan.  We took the 5 A.M. flight to get there because the views of the two temples is ten times more spectacular if you can catch it with rising sun shining on them.  I’d like to also take a moment to recognize the travelers who were killed in the bus crash on their way to Abu Simbel.  The accident occurred the day before we went and needless to say it shocked all of us on the boat.

Like I said, our flight was ungodly early, but from everything we heard, this was a place we HAD to see.  Most of the people at the Aswan airport that morning looked like they just rolled out of bed and were heading to Abu Simbel as well.  Once we landed, after a little bit of confusion trying to figure out which bus to get on (TIP: If you visit Abu Simbel via EgyptAir – EgyptAir has a free shuttle that goes back and forth from the airport to the temples) we arrived at our destination.

The gate to the temples was about 400 meters away from the sight so we weren’t able to see anything from the start.  We followed the crowed down a path which led around a large cliff along the beach.  Still not able to see anything, we walked down the path towards the beach on the right edge of the cliff.  It wasn’t until we looped around and looked over our left shoulders that we saw:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

So needless to say, it’s quite a shock to see that all of a sudden.  I was awe-struck at how well preserved the carvings were, and how massive the figures were that were embedded in the cliff.   Once again, we weren’t allowed to take photos inside the temples (although once inside I did see a few folks taking a few quick snapshots.  I wish I had done the same, but I decided not to risk getting arrested).  However, I will say about the interior that the paintings inside were the most interesting and exciting of all that we’d seen in Egypt.  Most of the illustrations depicted the King Ramesses II conquering his enemies in battle to in order to intimidate the Nubian neighbors.  I could certainly see how anyone walking into the temples and seeing this would be immediately humbled.

Here’s another tip if you’ve taken the flight to Abu Simbel.  Take your time.  Seriously.  You’ve probably booked a flight that only gives you about an hour to see the temples (you’ll want two hours).  You’ll feel like you need to race back to the shuttle.  You’ll get anxious as you see the time ticking past the usual 30 minutes before the flight leaves boarding time.  You’ll get on the plane.  And then you’ll realize, the plane won’t leave until everyone gets on board.  So you’ll sit for another hour on the plane while the rest of the passengers slowly stroll on after taking in the Abu Simbel temples at a leisurely pace.  So do yourself a favor and enjoy the temples, the plane won’t leave without you.  And you never know when you’ll be back.

Posted on

Luxor

Our journey started off in Luxor, about 240 miles down the Nile from Cairo (actually it’s technically up the Nile since the river goes “downstream” towards the Mediterranean).  Now despite what you might think from the great pyramid in Las Vegas, there are no pyramids in the real city of Luxor.

Luxor is split into two parts, with the Nile dividing the city.  On the West Bank of the Nile, you have the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens and no real population living over there.  The East Bank has the temples and markets.  In the later dynasties of the Egyptian civilization, the royalty were buried on the west side of the Nile to harmonize with the setting sun.  We took a ferry over to the west side very early in the morning to get to the Valley of the Kings before the crowd, and the heat of the day.

Unfortunately (like a lot of the trip), we weren’t allowed to take pictures in either of the Valleys.   And they were serious about us not bringing our cameras in; like soldiers armed with AK-47s serious.

As disappointing as this was, I understand the need to preserve the tombs and respect the dead.  In the Valley of the Kings, our tickets allowed us to visit any three of the several tombs we wanted.  Walking through the valley, one certainly has the Indiana Jones feeling.  The sky was clear, it was quiet, and you’re surrounded by mountainous, dusty hills.  The locals were sitting on the hills smoking and lounging, and within these hill were openings that marked the tombs of the pharaohs.  The first tomb we visited was that of King Ramses IV.  The first thing I was struck by was the presence of color that had been preserved.  The entire hallway which leads about 50 meters down to the tomb was covered in colorful hieroglyphics that made the entire room and hall look like a giant coloring book.  I was surprised by the fact that in this room, there was no glass or plastic covering the walls or the tomb itself, so we had the ability to touch the writings.  It was quite a surreal experience.

The second tomb we visited was Ramses IX who had a similar setup as IV, but this tomb had the expected glass lining the walls and the tomb (which amusingly read “Please don’t touch glass or clean” while a guard was leaning his hand up against it).   We passed by the tomb of Tutankhamun (better known as King Tut), but decided to pass on it since it was said to be mostly empty and that items in the tomb were at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (which was where we were going later in the trip).  The third tomb we visited was probably the most intriguing.  Tuthmosis III’s tomb had a fake entry which was built to deceive the grave robbers.  The real entrance required you to climb over a hill and down into a hole on the other side.  The tomb was deep into the ground and it certainly is NOT for those of you who suffer from claustrophobia.   The tomb itself was multi-leveled with much more intricate and sophisticated hieroglyphics.  And even though there were A/C units underground, it was hot and stuffy down there.

After the Valley of the Kings, we made our way to the Valley of the Queens.    This valley was much smaller, and the tombs we visited were less glamorous.  But I will say it was almost nicer because of the fact that there was almost no one there yet (all the tour groups were still at the Valley of the Kings), and the quietness gave the valley a really serene feeling.

On this day we also visited an alabaster factory where the workers described how they create alabaster statues, bowls, and all sort of items.  They demonstrated the solidness of the alabaster by chucking a statue on the ground and showing how it doesn’t shatter.  The alabaster factory also gave us a look at glowing limestone which is a rock that naturally glows Slimer green when the lights turn out.  It was a neat experience, but not one that tempted us to buy anything.

I’ll describe the sights in Luxor on the East Bank of the Nile later on since we hit up that side when we got back at the end of our Nile cruise.

In the meantime, here are a few tips about Luxor:

-This applies to all of Egypt.  Everyone looks for Baksheesh, or tip.  Everyone from people in the bathroom, cab drivers, guides, and even the damn soldiers who are guarding the place.  So make sure to immediately break a large bill at the airport or somewhere to get small change.

-If you take a cruise into Luxor, which most people do, watch out when you get off the boat.  The second you get off the boat, you’ll be approached by someone claiming to be a chef on your boat.  He’ll say something to the effect of “Hey yeah I make the bread, but I’m on my way to lunch now.  Do you want to see where the locals eat?”  I’ll be honest, we fell for it and followed him.  We were lead to a papyrus factory where the owner tried to get us to buy some papyrus paper.  Most of the time the hustler will be harmless, will even say he doesn’t want tip, just wants to show you around, and you’ll follow him.  But he’ll lead you to a market where he gets some sort of commission, drop you off, and the market owner will try and sell you goods.  So watch out for those guys if you don’t feel like being lead astray.  It was quite amusing when we docked back in Luxor a few days later on the end of our cruise and someone else tried to stop us on when we got of the boat.  This time we knew better, and my mother did a pretty amusingly smooth job of calling the guy out: “Lemme guess, you’re on our boat, you make the bread, and you want to show us where to eat right?”.   The dude didn’t say anything, kinda smiled and walked away.  Boosh.

-When you’re in the tombs, don’t accept at the entry the pieces of cardboard to fan yourself.  You might think the people handing them out work there, but they don’t.  They just want tip.

-Find the local supermarket if you want to get water or food.  If the place looks clean, and has “western” snacks and drinks on the outside, its probably not local.  Look for the dusty place that has several local people coming in and out of it.  A large bottle of water at these local places will be only around 3 Egyptian pounds or 60-70 cents.  The tourist markets will try and sell you a small bottle of Dasani (which the one guy was trying to tell me was the greatest water in the world, with me responding, “I know, I drink it everyday”) for 10 Egyptian pounds or $2.  Yes, I’m arguing about mere dollars and cents, but its the principle.

Despite the lack of pictures at the tombs, here are a few pictures I was able to take during the day:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted on

Looking for a Bed and Breakfast? Check out airbnb

Most people planning a vacation will go to the usual websites such as Orbitz, TripAdvisor, and Travelocity to find hotels, flights etc.  My friend Bruno passed along this handy site for those looking for a good deal on Bed and Breakfasts’ or private vacation rooms to rent out for a few nights.  The apartments do look pretty sweet if you’re looking for a place to stay a little bit off the typical hotel grid.  The site is http://www.airbnb.com/.

Finding a place to stay is easy, the search option works much like Kayak, etc.  The Airbnb Collections is a neat feature that narrows down and showcases the most popular locations around the Globe and the deals available.   If you’re looking to be a host on the website, the site makes it Craiglist style easy to do as well.  Airbnb works with you to set prices, review clients (you get to approve who stays), and will send a professional photographer to your location so that you don’t have to worry about posting pictures on your own.

Posted on

Travel Gifts for Guys

A few weeks ago I posted my friend Ady’s list of some great travel gifts for the ladies.  I would be remiss if I didn’t give the same sort of shopping list for the gents.  Now I’ve read several gift articles in Maxim, GQ, Men’s Journal, etc, and although getting a $400 dollar machete or a $5,000 Swiss military diving watch would be effing awesome – I just don’t see many of us normal people going out and getting these things for the traveling fellas we all know.

So here’s a list of some things you can get the Guy on the Go that you know:

Personalized Leather Flask at Brookstone – Great for a little warm up while camping, the long plane ride, or a day at the beach.

Convertible Pants at REI – Like I said in an earlier post, the versatility of these pants makes them a must have when you’re traveling.  They’re quick drying, light, and will turn into shorts at a moment’s notice.

Garmin Nuvi at Best Buy – Although you could get a $500 version, you could easily get a Garmin around $100.  Really good gift for those guys who travel for business a lot; they’re going to love the “Food” utility that finds restaurants for them within the area.

Swiss Army Knife at Victorinox – A nice little stocking stuffer, this handy tool is something that every guy should have in their car or back pocket and you can buy practically any variation of the knife depending on what he would use it for.

TNF Apex Bionic Jacket at The North Face – This jacket is the ultimate traveler’s outerwear.  Waterproof, windproof, warm, and light.  The jacket is big enough to have several layers underneath, but will never look bulky.  It works in the city and in the woods.

Aluminum Condom Case – For the guys on Santa’s Naughty List.  You never know who you’ll meet on the road.

Quiet Comfort Noise Canceling Headphones at Bose – These headphones will cancel out the crying baby in the airplane cabin.  Enough said.

Canon Powershot Digital Cameras – Depending on how advanced of a photographer your gift recipient is will dictate which version to buy.  But for most, the simple point and shoots will the job just fine at an affordable price.  They’re sturdy, compact, and most come with a decent amount of video time (even in HD).

AirPort Express at Apple – This handy little device is a portable wireless network device (handy for iTouch owners or if you’re stuck in an airport with no WiFi).

Skyroll on Wheels and High Sierra Carry-On Wheeled – These days airlines are charging an arm and a leg for checking bags.  These two pieces of luggage are overhead compartment approved.  For the businessman, Skyroll is a suitcase and garment bag wrapped in one.  For the tourist, the High Sierra Carry-On is a suitcase and backpack in one.


Posted on

Random Thanksgiving Travel Tip

First off, Happy Veteran’s Day to all you veterans out there.  Thanks for everything you do.

With Thanksgiving coming up, everyone is gearing up for the travel to see their loved ones.  It’s going to be a shitshow no matter how you slice it before the holiday, but here’s a little tip to hopefully make your life a little bit easier (actually this tip only really helps those on the East Coast.  Sorry rest of the country).  If you’re driving between Boston and Washington, D.C. and you don’t have an E-Z Pass device, you can save some time at the tolls by staying to the right.  Some of you probably already know this, but if not, if you stay to the right, there’s always additional tolls about 200 yards past the main toll plaza.  So while all the poor travelers are stuck in the main toll traffic wondering why the slow lane is moving so fast and thinking it’s just an anomaly, save yourself time and annoyance and breeze through.  I can’t do anything about the outrageous toll prices though…

Posted on

Travel Gifts for Girls

With the holidays coming up, it doesn’t hurt to start thinking about potential gifts for those of you who know avid travelers.  Here are some gift ideas for the traveling females out there that you need to shop for (this list is for the ladies, as it was put together by my female friend Ady; although I know a couple guys who would probably want the Dynamic Duo Makeup bag):

1. Pick Your Place Versatile Travel Journal from UsefulBooks on Etsy.com
2. London Art Print, 8×10 from studiokmo on Etsy.com
3. Dynamic Duo Makeup Bag & Dressing Table Bag from Anthropologie
4. Leather Lined Passport Case from Cole Haan
5. Printed eye masks from Odds & Blobs on Etsy.com
6. 3 Little Soaps with Travel Dish from Clinique
7. Canon PowerShot D10 Digital Camera from B & H Photo
8. Townhouse Carry-More Bag from Tumi
9. Opteka DF-TFT8 8-inch Digital Picture Frame from Amazon.com
10. Metal Chain Stud Square Scarf from Sabina Les

Excerpt from Ady Schneider: Tales of a twentysomething in NYC

Posted on

Virgin Mobile Freefest Part I

Last week, those of us in the D.C. area were treated to a free, all day music festival for the second straight year; courtesy of Richard Branson and his Virgin empire.   The line up, while not as impressive as last year’s in my opinion, still had enough acts that I wanted to see that would make the trip up to Columbia, MD worth it.

The event (I just found myself cringing that I used that word, damn you NBC!) was held at the Merriweather Post Pavilion.  The actual pavilion (where normal shows perform during the year) acted as the main stage, and they set up a second west stage about 200 meters away.  There was also a “dance forest” set up – I’ll talk more about that later.

If you ever decide to see a show at Merriweather, here are a couple of tips.  1) Bring a bottle of water.  Yes, they’ll let you bring in one factory sealed bottle – which means as long as that gallon jug of water you want to take in is sealed, it’s all good.  And you don’t want to be paying $7 for a bottle once you’re inside.  2) Park at the Columbia Mall. The mall is literally a stone’s throw away from the back entrance of the pavilion.  State police “tried” to tell people to not park at the mall so that there wouldn’t be congestion, but we got away with it pretty easily.  If you park at the mall, park on the food court side.  You can get out of the area quicker and instead of paying $10 for a shitty plate of 3 chicken tenders (which I ended up having to have to do anyways since I got hungry 6 hours into the festival), you can hit up the food court at the mall before you go in.  Actually the food court is rather impressive with, seriously, pretty much every food vendor available.  This makes the pavilion actually a pretty good place to see a show during the week, since with the mall being right there, you can eat dinner before the typical 7:30 start time.

But back to the Freefest.  Before we went into the show, my group of friends had decided on what acts they most wanted to see.  Since a lot of the bands’ performances overlapped with each other we all did our best to try to plan so that we could get to and from the Main and West stage as well as the “dance forest” at the right times. Since most of the acts were on average 45 minutes, there was a lot of walking around.  But also, because the acts were generally shorter, all the bands played more of their famous songs and crowd pleasers to satisfy the masses.

As we walked in we noticed that the event holders were smart enough to have convenient tents and covered beds for the concert goers to relax in between shows.  There were also several vendors giving away souvenirs such as those plastic back sacks, wristbands and bandannas (that they refreshingly soaked in ice cold water before they gave to you).  Jeremiah Weed was also there with their sweet tea.  Yes, it was $10 for a Dixie cup sized cocktail, but it was damn tasty and damn refreshing on the last hot day of the year.

 

One of the cozy relaxation beds

 

(Thanks to the DCist for the pictures, my camera is broken)

Collectively, we all started at The Temper Trap on the west stage.  Most of you probably know the song “Sweet Disposition” from either the Diet Coke commercial, or the movie 500 Days of Summer (good flick to check out btw).  They were a solid B+, and I learned that they have both an Indonesian lead singer (the first of a few vocalists that day that I discovered I had wrongfully pictured in my head) and the most animated bassists I’ve ever seen.

I’ll get to more of the concert in the next post.