2016 Mystery Trip to New York City

Greetings friends! As you may, or may not know, my employer does an annual Mystery Trip to reward us employees for our hard work and dedication to the cause. This year was my first time attending the Mystery Trip as I am new to the company. The trips in the past have been to such awesome places as Chicago, Boston, DC, Mackinaw Island, Vermont, South Carolina, Reynolds Plantation in Georgia and Minneapolis among others. This year the trip was to New York City. The Island of Manhattan to be exact. The day started out with us having no real clue where we were going. Sure we all had our guesses, in fact four of us from the office correctly guessed NYC. Others guessed cities such as St. Louis, Chicago, Orlando or Philly. I was quite sure in my guess based on the clues that we were given by the owner of the company. Here's the funny thing about the clues... Everyone was convinced that they were right about the city they guessed based on the clues. I was sure that I was right because I made the clues work to New York City. However, those that guessed Chicago made the clues work for Chicago. Those that guessed Philly did the same as did those that guessed St. Louis. We all met at Gerald R Ford International Airport in beautiful Grand Rapids to meet Max to find out where we were going. We were handed our itinerary and opened it to find we were indeed going to NYC! We were all, 38 of us total, very excited to be headed anywhere, let alone NYC. Most of us had never been, including Holly and me. The plane left right on time at 9:55 and in less than two hours we were on the ground at Newark International. Once we were on the ground and had our luggage we boarded a luxury motor coach and headed for Brookfield Place in Manhattan for lunch. Brookfield Place is an upscale mall with an upscale food court. I decided to take my chances on pizza, thinking it would be awesome to experience actual New York Pizza and not just the kind from Pizza Hut. Well, it was good, but it wasn't anything to write home about. Bummer!! After lunch we walked across the street to the National September 11 Memorial Museum

The museum was incredible and very moving. Reliving those moments from that day was quite powerful. To see the remains of the twin towers and hear the stories of survival were quite overwhelming. From the reflecting pools to the remains of Engine 3 it was an incredible tour that I won't soon forget.

After this tour we were taken to our hotel in the heart of Manhattan and then set free to explore the city on our own until we had to meet for dinner! Holly and I took advantage of this time to relax and get some rest in our room. Dinner... Oh my goodness, let's talk about Friday night dinner! We made the 15 block walk from our hotel to China Grill. This place was amazing. We started out with some fantastic appetizers. The Confucius Chicken Salad is one of the yummiest things I've ever eaten. The appetizers were followed by three different entree's and desserts. We all left China Grill stuffed beyond belief and were again set free in the city! A group of us were off to Times Square to take in the sights and see the lights. Although it was sprinkling rain, it did not dampen our spirits and Times Square did not disappoint.

Well that's enough for today. Come back next time and we'll talk about Saturday!!

An Epic Hawaiian Adventure. Sightseeing Edition!

A couple of things that I don’t like about Hawaii. Specifically the island of Kauai. First, I don’t think there is a speed limit over 40MPH on the island. Granted, there is no real highways either. Thank goodness for cruise control in the rental cars. It’s sometimes hard to keep it under 40. The one lane bridges can be a pain in the arse, too. Especially when oncoming traffic isn’t feeling the Aloha Spirit.

Second, the selection of radio stations on the island isn’t good for someone that doesn’t like Top 40/Pop type of music. I’m not in to that genre at all, and it made for some rough radio days. Thank goodness it was Christmas and there was a station playing a lot of Christmas music. Next time I’ll be sure to bring my XM Radio with me. A side note, the Mazda 6 we rented while on Kauai did not have an auxiliary jack for me to plug in the iPhone to listen to music there, either.

Other than the roosters at 5:00AM, I cannot really think of anything else that I don’t like about Kauai. I’m not going to get started on Oahu, though.

We are creatures of habit, my family and I. Seems like we stuck to the same routine this time as we did last, visiting all the same spots again. But let’s face it, who doesn’t want to see Waimea Canyon, Wailua Falls and Opaekaa Falls every chance they get?

We did eliminate Fern Grotto this trip, but I think I’d like to add it back on to our next itinerary.

We stopped by Ke’e Beach, Hanalei Bay, Kauapea Beach, Lumaha’I Beach and Tunnels Beach. I think all but Hanalei Bay were closed due to high surf, but still breathtaking sights. We added Lydgate Park and Salt Pond Beach Park to our beach list this trip, having not visited them in the past. Both were great for our son, as they were protected from the high surf and had great snorkeling. We saw two Monk Seals at Poipu Beach. Never saw one at the beach in front of Lawai Beach Resort, as we did last trip.

Took the sunset dinner cruise to Na Pali Coast with Captain Andy’s. Fantastic time, but the large swells in the ocean got to me and caused me to recycle my brunch to the fish. We saw several whales, which was a highlight of our trip.

The Garden Luau at Smith’s Tropical Paradise can’t be beat. I’ve done that twice now, and it’s always going to be at the top my list of outings when we go back. Love the food, love the show and love the gardens.

There were some things we had hoped to do, but didn’t get to. Most notably the Christmas lights at the county building in Lihue. We drove past them on the way from the airport to LBR, but never got a chance to stop and see them up close and personal. One of these times I want to walk around Koloa, Hanalei Bay and some other towns to visit the little shops there. Maybe next time when I’m not traveling with a six year old.

Until next time, Aloha!

An Epic Hawaiian Adventure. Food Edition!

The trip to Hawaii is over and we're back home. One minute, Benjamin was on the beach in Waikiki making sand castles and the next minute he is in our front yard making a snowman. We left light rain and 80º in Honolulu and came home to snow and 28º.

It's not going to be possible for me to recap our entire trip in one blog posting, but I'm going to give it my best shot to provide you with some of our favorites from the trip. Favorite spots, favorite events, favorite eats and favorite people.

One of our favorite places to go on Kauai for a snack was Uncle's Shave Ice. This is located within The Shops at Kukui'ula Village, which was just around the corner from our condo at Lawai Beach Resort. More flavors of shave ice than you can shake a stick at! I personally recommend Passion Fruit, Pineapple & Tiger's Blood

When you go, be sure and tell Uncle Rick hello for us!

Another favorite place to eat was Shrimp Station. We enjoyed both of their locations, one in Kapaa and one in Waimea. The shrimp tacos cannot be beat! You'll notice that shrimp tacos became a staple of my diet on this trip. Loved each and every one of them.

Here is a list of my top eating establishments that we visited:

Shrimp Station

North Shore Tacos Sweet Pork Tacos are beyond description!

Puka Dog This place is so good we named our dog after it!

9th Island Sports Bar & Grill The burgers were amazing, but the prices were a little high.

Brick Oven Pizza We visited the one in Kalaheo and I very much liked the buffet. Although, at $14.95...

Scotty's Beachside BBQ Get the pulled pork nachos!!

Bubba Gump Shrimp I know... it's a chain, but I had never been there. The only reason it's not higher on my list was the cost. I got the shrimp tacos and loved every single bite. So much so that I might drive to Chicago just to get them again!

Hula Dog It's Puka Dog, but with a different name.

Hula Grill Great burgers, but the service left a little bit to be desired. I kind of got the feeling that our server wanted to be anywhere but there that night.

Of course there are a few places that we visited that are not on our list of places to try again. Poipu Tropical Burgers in Koloa is one. The food was good, but the service was awful.

Bubba Burgers in Koloa is another. We had heard quite a bit about this place, so we gave it a try. Over priced and under impressed. That's how I would describe Bubba's.

Finally, I didn't care for Savage Shrimp in Koloa. That could be my fault because of what I ordered. Maybe we'll try it again, maybe we won't!

I'd like to say we avoided McDonald's, Burger King, Subway and Denny's, but we didn't. They were great in a pinch or when we were in a hurry.

One of the things that surprised me most on the trip was the fact that McDonald's had a $1 Menu and $1 soda. The $1 Taro Pie was ono!

Well, that took a little longer than I had planned so I'm going to call it good. Next time I'll be back to talk about some other Hawaiian stuff. Until then, Aloha!!

Hawaiian Vacation. December, 22, 2012.

Aloha! Well here we are. The family has finally made it to Hawaii after an incredibly long day spent in airports and airplanes. When we left Grand Rapids, it was 28º and when we landed on the beautiful island of Kauai it was 73º. After we picked up our rental car, a blue 2012 Mazda 6, we decided it was time to find something for dinner. Naturally, we had Siri give us directions to Puka Dog. This is one of our favorite places to eat on the island.

Benjamin wasn't a big fan of it, but Holly and I sure enjoyed it. I wish someone would open a Puka Dog in Grand Rapids!! After this we made our way to our "home" at Lawai Beach Resort to finally get some sleep. Long day, but we sure enjoyed it. I'll talk to you again tomorrow to tell you all about day number two in Hawaii. Until then, Aloha!

A Stat To Make You "Cringe"

Here’s an interesting stat for you.  With two more home runs, Brandon Cringe will become 20th all time on the Detroit Tigers home run list.  That just scares the socks off of me.  Did you also know that he is the franchise all time leader in strikeouts?  He is over 100 ahead of the number two guy on that list, Lou Whitaker.  Cringe averages a strikeout every 4.37 plate appearances.  Lou was one for every 9.09 plate appearances. 
 
The last ten playoff losses for the Red Wings have been by one goal.
 
ESPN is having a three hour special tonight to announce the National Football League SCHEDULE.  The freaking schedule!  Three hours.  The schedule.  Kind of makes LeBron’s “The Decision” look pretty good now.
 
Today is your last chance to show me something, Francisco Liriano.  I’ve already got another starter in mind to replace you on my roster.  Good luck to you, sir.  My team may be your best chance to get a ring.

Seriously. Did You Boo Shea Weber?

Went to the Red Wings – Pedophiles game on Sunday with my lovely wife and two friends.  Good times!  I was disappointed that the Wings lost, but it was a good game and I really enjoyed myself.  Some have suggested that the Wings dominated the game.  I agree, to an extent.  The Pedophiles didn’t just dominate the first period, they thoroughly dominated it.  The Wings looked like they were playing in sand, while Nashville was skating gracefully on the ice.  Once the second period started, the Wings actually started to skate and play hockey.  I just wish the officials would put the whistles in their pockets and let them play.
 
I was not one of the 19,000+ who were booing Shea Weber each and every time he touched the puck.  I didn’t boo him when he scored the Pedophiles first goal.  Nope, I didn’t boo him even though he seems to be public enemy number one in Detroit right now.  Why did I not boo him?  Because he is a free agent at the end of the season and there is nothing I’d like to see more than for him to put on the sweater with the winged wheel next season.  If that happens, I’m guessing those 19,000+ will suddenly become hypocrites and no longer boo him.
 
I think it’s a slap to the face of Tiger fans for Jim Leyland to put Brandon Inge as designated hitter.  As I said on Facebook yesterday, Inge couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat.  I’m guessing maybe Leyland thought he was penciling Inge in at DH – Doesn’t Hit, rather than DH – Designated Hitter.  What other excuse could there be?
 
I long for the day when the crawl on ESPN says “Minnesota Twins have claimed Daniel Schlereth off waivers from the Detroit Tigers”. 
 
I had my first Five Guys burger yesterday afternoon on the way home from the Wings game.  It wasn’t just a burger; it was a religious experience, like Heaven on a bun.  Of course it was soon followed up with the realization that I’d have to drive to Beast Lansing if I wanted another, as that’s the closest one to me.  WTF??  Why can’t we have a Five Guys in GR?  Seriously, it’s one of the three best burgers that I’ve ever had.  Don’t ask me what the other two are, but I know this was one of the top three.
 
What do Kenn Michael, Maureen Flanningan, Brice Beckham, Jeremy Licht, Christine Lakin, Josie Davis and Keith Coogan have in common?  Before you answer, say it with me; WHO???  Apparently these former child stars have all banded together as “Child Celebrities Opposing Kirk Cameron” to take aim at the controversial remarks made by Cameron.  Surely this has to be some sort of a joke.  Right?  I’m guessing that’s a nice way to say “our fifteen minutes was up, so let’s get back in the news”.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying I agree with Cameron, but it makes me laugh that these seven clowns are all banding together.  My guess is that 90% of the American population could not pick any of them out of a police lineup.
 
Finally, Lana Del Ray and Axel Rose? 

2012 Baseball Predictions

It’s opening day for the 2010 MLB season. With that, I present to you my predictions for the winners and losers this year.



AL East: Tampa, New York, Toronto, Boston, Baltimore

AL Central: Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Kansas City, Minnesota

AL West: Los Angeles, Texas, Oakland, Seattle



NL East: Miami, Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia, New York

NL Central: Cincinnati, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Houston

NL West: Arizona, San Francisco, Colorado, Los Angeles, San Diego



AL Wild Cards: New York, Texas

NL Wild Cards: Atlanta, San Francisco



AL Championship: Tampa over Detroit

NL Championship: Arizona over Atlanta



World Series: Tampa over Arizona



AL MVP: Evan Longoria

NL MVP: Joey Votto

AL Cy Young: Dan Haren

NL Cy Young: Madison Bumgarner

AL ROY: Matt Moore

NL ROY: Zack Cozart