If you are like me and have already started thinking about making plans for a summer vacation, I wanted to share a few of the top cities to check out. Actually, I am hoping that our first family trip of the new year will be back to the DR {Dominican Republic} however, in case those plans get derailed maybe one of these cities will fit the bill.
These top cities were chosen by the website Touropia.
1 – New York City
The largest and most populated city in the USA, New York City is often called the “city that never sleeps” because it is constantly buzzing with activity. Located in New York state on one of the world’s largest natural harbors, New York City is made up of five boroughs, which include, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx. World renowned for its concentration of skyscrapers and famous attractions, New York City is what many foreigners visualize when they think of the USA.
2 – Grand Canyon
Attracting millions of visitors every year, the Grand Canyon is one of the best places to visit in the USA. Located in northern Arizona, this massive natural wonder was carved by the Colorado River over a period of several million years. It is not the deepest or the longest canyon in the world but the overwhelming size and colorful landscape offers visitor vistas that are hard to match.
3 – San Francisco
Best known for the Golden Gate, cable cars and steep, rolling streets, San Francisco is a beautiful city in northern California, set on the tip of a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. Undoubtedly, the Golden Gate Bridge is the city’s number one attraction. Tourists can drive, bike ride or walk across this famous suspension bridge to admire and photograph stunning views.
4 – Las Vegas
Springing up from the desert in southeastern Nevada, Las Vegas is a major US city world renowned for its casinos, luxury hotels, comedy acts, musical productions and extravagant shows. Most of the city’s main attractions are all concentrated within the area commonly referred to as the “Strip.” In addition to gambling, show girls and lavish performances, Las Vegas offers plenty more to suit people of all ages and interests.
5 – Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park was the world’s first national park, set aside in 1872 to preserve the vast number of geysers and hot springs, as well as to protect the incredible wildlife and rugged beauty of the area. The most famous geyser in the park is Old Faithful Geyser which erupts every 91 minutes. Yellowstone is also home to one of the finest wildlife habitats in North America.
6 – Chicago
Nicknamed the “Windy City” and best known for its towering skyscrapers, sports teams and unique style of hot dogs and pizzas, Chicago is the third-largest city in the USA. Located on Lake Michigan in the heart of the Midwest region in northeastern Illinois, Chicago is also home to many notable landmarks that include one of the world’s busiest airports, O’Hare International, as well as one of the tallest buildings in the Western Hemisphere, the Willis Tower.
7 – Los Angeles
The second-largest city in the USA, Los Angeles is located in southern California surrounded by the Pacific Coast, mountains and valleys. Often regarded as the “Entertainment Capital of the World”, the city is a leading world center for motion films, television productions and music recordings. A huge, cosmopolitan city comprised of many districts and ethnic neighborhoods, L.A. is known for its smog issues but remains a favored destination for its ample sunshine and year-round mild climate.
8 – Washington DC
The capital of the United States and seat of the federal government, Washington D.C. is located on the country’s East Coast. A cosmopolitan city that is home to many diverse cultures, Washington is widely known by its many iconic landmarks like the White House, Capitol Building, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Many of these monuments are all located within the beautifully landscaped parkland known as the National Mall.
I remember being a chaperon for my son’s class when he was in middle school and we had a great time touring this historic city.
Home to world famous theme parks like Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Studios, Orlando is no doubt a favorite destination for family vacations. Located in central Florida, Orlando is a place where dreams and magic become reality. With several amusement parks, visitors to Orlando can meet their favorite storybook characters, reenact live famous movie scenes, ride thrilling roller coasters and watch dolphins performing marvelous tricks.
Orlando was the city in which we had our first Timeshare and as a family would spend every summer vacation in Orlando at the Marriott Cypress Harbor.
(family picture)
10 – Honolulu
The gateway to the tropical paradise of Hawaii, Honolulu is the state’s largest and capital city as well as the entry point for most tourists. Located 3,800 km (2,400 miles) west of California on the Hawaiian island of Oahu in the Pacific Ocean, Honolulu is best known for its top destination, Waikiki Beach, and for the historical Pearl Harbor.
Let’s Chat > Have you vacationed in any of these cities?
Hello friends, before we begin, let me tell you that I have an iPad, not an iPad Air whichmeantthat I didn’t thoroughly read all the requirements before signing up for the campaign. However, just because it didn’t fit my iPad perfectly, it did work perfectly with my iPad. So now that is out of the way, let’s get on with the review of this NEW INVENTION by Sleek Tech!
I really wanted to try the Sleekeys Keyboardby Sleek Tech because as a “boomer” I still love the feel of a qwerty keyboard especially if it has large keys, and this one definitely did not disappoint.
This keyboard is awesome because it does not require batteries, an electrical cord or even a Bluetooth setting. It’s ¼ inch and only weighs 3.5 oz which is great because the last thing I need is to add more heavy gadgets into my already overloaded tote bag. The magnets keeps the keyboard perfectly aligned so that your wrists can be placed at a comfortable angle.
A soggy Sunday made for a perfect day to test out the SleeKeys Keyboard and with 2 stand positions I was able to work lounging on the sofa or at the kitchen table with ease.
If you are looking for an keyboard attachment for your iPad Air, iPad Air 1 or iPad 5 go to Amazon.comand check out the SleeKeys Case/Keyboardbecause it’s great for working at home or on-the-go.
Thanks to my friends over at Sleek Tech they have offered to giveaway a SleeKeys Case/Keyboard to one of my lucky readers. Hurry up and enter for a chance to win because the contest ends on 2/1/15 (US residents only).
Check out the other available colors at SleekTech and let me know which one is your favorite.
belief it or not but according to AARP, after the age of 50, you are considered a Senior, someone who is entitled to receive discounts with an annual membership. However, if you are like me, a Boomer over the age of 50 who loves discounts but doesn’t want to be called a Senior, you might want to embrace the tag Senior but instead call the perks Boomer Benefits.
Once you turn 50, and join AARP you can get discounts on car rentals at Hertz, Alamo and National; 20% off hotel reservations a Sheraton, Ramada and Westin. Get a free donut with the purchase of a cup of coffee and Dunkin Donuts; 10% at Michaels and 30% off prescription glasses at Lens Crafters. There are also discounts on mattress purchases from Sleepy’s.
As you move further up in age, the discounts gets better and are more to my liking. For example when you turn 55, you can get 10% off on Tuesdays at Ross, 5% off at Pathmark, 25% off at Salvation Army Thrift Stores on Wednesdays and 10-25% off at certain Goodwill stores on select days…watch for some major thrifted hauls in a few years!
When you turn 60, discounts include 15% off in store purchases at Kohl’s and 30-60% off regular admission at AMC theaters. At the age of 62, 15% off most fares at Amtrak which my grandmother would take advantage of for her annual trips to North Carolina.
There are discounted lifetime passes to federal and national parks and 5% on Greyhound and Peter Pan bus fares. I guess this becomes the best time to starting traveling around the USA.
When you turn 65, discounted fares at major airlines including Southwest, United, American, Continental and U.S. Airways; $3 off haircuts at Great Clips and discounted plans at AT&T and Verizon senior plans.
There are over 175,000 AARP members in the State of Delaware alone, most are downstate where we like to call “’slower lower Delaware”. They can take advantage of these statewide benefits as well:
free classes at DelTech and University of Delaware
free smoke detectors and electric fans (income based)
reduced tools on Delaware bridges
½ off taxi fares via DART SCAT program
discount admission at the Delaware Theatre Company and Delaware Art Museum
$50 discount when adopting a dog at the Delaware Humane Society
What Senior Savings or Boomer Benefits would you like offered in your state?
For the past several weeks, Route 495 in Wilmington has been shutdown and this has added an additional 30 minutes to my daily commute. Now that I am getting home later, I’m trying to come up with fast and easy dinner recipes.
I found one online for a Chicken Tamale Skillet Pie, but changed it up a bit to use what I already had in the kitchen.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a cast-iron skillet brown the ground turkey on medium high heat for 10 minutes or until brown. Add a can of Cream Style Corn, a can of Ro*Tel tomatoes and ground cumin.
Cook for 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, remove from heat, add a few sweet peppers then top with cheese.
Cover with crescent rolls and put into oven to bake for approximately 20 minutes or until dough is golden brown.
Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
This was a great meal and my men loved it, the next time I am going to use shredded chicken.
Do you have any quick and easy dinner recipes that you can share?
Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world. Did you know that on average people worldwide are living six years longer than they were 20 years ago? Thanks to improved medical advances and declining tobacco use the average life expectancy for women in the United States is 81 and male life expectancy is 76.
So now that you’ve got more time, what are you going to do with it? If you are nearing retirement or have retired what creative and inexpensive activities would you like to do in your golden years?
Getting together with friends or neighbors visiting cultural sites, libraries, historic homes or museums or how about taking a Yoga or Tai Chi class to increase your flexibility.
Volunteering your services, participating in church or religious groups are also other great options. A lot of people actually fear retirement thinking they are going to be bored, but trying something new or doing something that you’ve always wanted to do can be both fun and exciting.
Have you ever wanted to write a book, sing, act, paint, or learn to play a musical instrument? Perhaps you would enjoy sharing your knowledge by teaching, writing a blog or in specialty cooking and baking. Local travel to neighboring states discovering what is in your own back yard can also be an inexpensive adventure.
No matter what you choose, if you start making a list now while you’re still working you’ll have more to look forward to when that great day actually arrives.
What is the one activity that you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time?
Summer is right around the corner and if you have little ones or are entertaining the grands this year, sometimes coming up with fun activities can be a challenge and the last thing you want to hear is, “I’M BORED“!
Purex has teamed up with Family Fun Magazine with a chance for 15,000 Grand Prize winners to receive a FREE subscription to their magazine.
I remember when my sons were young, Family Fun Magazine was my go-to for cool tips on outdoor games and activities, DIY’s, recipes and vacation planning. So be ready for when the kids are out of school and you need a few ideas for some family fun, enter to win today by clicking here.
Hello Friends and Happy Monday, I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
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Last Saturday I attended my first Blogger’s Meetup which was held in Washington, DC and sponsored by the BLMGirls DMV Chapter. BLMGirls.comaka “Bloggers Like Me is an online community of women bloggers created by Leslie Young dedicated to the positive exchange of ideas, tips and advice about fashion, beauty, relationships, faith and everything in between. Through blogging, meetups and social networking we encourage each other and focus on REALationship building!”
The Experience was also simultaneously being held by the Chapters in Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. When I initially registered for the event I didn’t realize it was during the Labor Day weekend and I almost changed my mind as I did not want to be stuck in Holiday traffic. Thankfully, the trip to DC was delayed only by a few minor back ups about a half an hour from the venue. At 2:30 pm, I arrived at the 201Bar, after finding a free-to-park lot across the street on Massachusetts Ave NE (I love FREE). Upon entering this modernly decorated tavern I was immediately greeted by our hostesses Whitney James and Karen Curtis.
Each table setting held a pink Welcome Folder that contained worksheets including a “Getting to Know You” form and on a separate table there were Swag Bags. I was the first to arrive but shortly afterwards more lovely ladies began to enter, including my Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority sister who had traveled up from North Carolina.
As more ladies arrived it quickly became a festive atmosphere enhanced only by the mingling which intensified as we got down to the business of completing the “Getting to Know You” form. As we mixed and mingled the waitstaff began to bring out trays containing the most scrumptious Hors d’eouvres; an assortment of Egg Rolls, Mini Crab Cakes, Jerk Shrimp, Skewered Beef, and Flat Bread Pizza. We were also given 1 drink ticket for which I used mine for a glass of the house Red Wine – you know me!
The theme of the BLMGirls Experience was Building and Growing your Brand by building REALationships. Our guest speaker, Arsha Jones of BrandBuildSell provided a lively and very informational presentation on Branding Your Blog. Throughout the presentation she allowed ample time for sharing as well as questions and answers from the group. We took a short break to dine on Seasoned Chicken Wings, Rolls, Sliced Turkey and Mini Dessert Bars.
At the conclusion of Arsha’s presentation, Whitney’s husband, the designated photographer took a few group photos outside and The Experienceended just as it had started – Perfectly. Our “Swag Bag” contained a #BLMGirls TShirt and a sample of “Capital City Mumbo Sauce“, a product made and marketed by Arsha and her husband.
It definitely was a wonderful Experience and I’m glad to have met some amazing Bloggers Like Me and to finally see the faces behind the blogs. Driving home was smooth sailing and I look forward to the next BLMGirls DMV Experience.
Hello Friends, I hope you all had a wonderful and restful long holiday weekend!
Today the weather didn’t cooperate so I didn’t get a chance to sit by the pool, so instead I watched “The Haves and Have Nots” marathon on OWNTV Network and worked on my Blog with next week’s posts.
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Last month I received several nominations for Blogger Awards and having finally found the time I want to say, “THANK YOU” and pass them along to others.
1. Display the Award Certificate on your blog
2. Announce your win with a post and thank the blogger who nominated you.
3. Present 15 deserving bloggers with the award.
4. Link your nominees in the post and let them know of their nomination with a comment.
5. Post 7 interesting things about yourself.
Hubby and I are enroute to New Rochelle, NY to attend the wedding of my cousin Kyton and his fiance’ Shivon…hey guys we are on our way!
Unfortunately, we will be missing Middletown’s Annual Old Tyme Peach Festival which is a major event for our little town. I know this year it will be bigger and better than last with perfect weather!