My Travels

Went out on United Airlines to New York's capital. I haven't been in upstate NY in almost a decade and I was looking forward to visiting despite winter seasons and it was a two day work conference. After laying over at O'Hare International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport , I arrived into Newark too late to catch my connecting flight. Luckily, there was another flight to Albany and I changed my flight on the United app. I think they would have held the plane for me since I landed when the flight was supposed to leave. After being on the planes all day with limited food options, I opted to grab a quick dinner at the airport and take the later flight. Vanguard Kitchen is in one of the United terminals and the restaurant even allows you to use Mileageplus points to pay for dinner. You also order from the iPads stuck on the table. It is definitely a new concept in dining to incorporate full service and self service at the same time. The food is typical of air

On a last minute whim, I drove up to San Jose for the Pac-12 Championship game. It was a quick one night trip and a very early drive along the 5 Interstate highway. Near Gilroy, made a pit stop at one of the local fruit stands and purchased local honey and spiced pistachios. I also saw a Sonic Drive-In and had lunch. Checked into the Four Points Sheraton San Jose Airport . It is a recently converted Radisson. With the year winding down, my SPG upgrade certificates are in need of use and I was confirmed to a suite a few days earlier. The suite was spacious and the room had two bathroom sinks. Makes it nice to use the shower and let others be able to brush their teeth. Parking is free which is a nice amenity in this city. Four Points San Jose Airport Suite Living Room Four Points San Jose Airport Suite King Bedroom Met some family at the Ten Ren  in Cupertino. For such the high number of foreign folks, I am surprised to see that the ethnic restaurants and eateries are und

Flew out on United Airlines to Honolulu. On this trip, I'm combining timeshare and regular hotel stays on this trip. Checked into the Moana Surfrider . I've seen the property over the years and have always wanted to stay. With the timeshare mix, I splurged and stayed on this Waikiki resort. I found the hotel charming and, not surprisingly, the hotel rooms a bit small. On the first night, I was checked into a regular standard room. I had a confirmed upgraded room earlier in the week but a last minute change in hotel rates lost the confirmation. Next time, I will opt to contact the hotel to change the rate rather than lose the confirmed upgrade. The front desk was nice enough to mention trying the next day to see if the room can be changed. Since it was late, grabbed light dinner at Buho Cocina Y Cantina down the street. Ordered an assortment of appetizers of fries, nachos, guacamole, and flautas. I enjoyed my ginger lilikoi margarita. Not a common combination but it was very