My Travels

Flew to Pittsburgh International Airport on United  for a work conference. I have never been on this side of Pennsylvania and it is certainly different from Philadelphia. Checked into the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel . It is one of the oldest hotels in the city and the architecture is impressive. It wasn’t close to my event but I liked the ambiance. The hotel got busier on the weekend when a wedding was happening. Overall, the room was fairly standard but the bathroom was unusual with a tabletop bathroom sink and the very large window with the toilet next to it. It was also the accessible room so I’m assuming the odd placement was for the accessibility needs. Although I had to be careful of the shower since the bathroom could easily get flooded with no ledge to keep the water in. Renaissance Pittsburgh Bathroom Renaissance Pittsburgh Bathroom Window The hotel restaurant offers some solid breakfast options and I greatly enjoyed my sandwich. If you are platinum or titanium, the brea...

I ended up heading to Pismo twice within 30 days of each other and so I'm consolidating the two trips into one post. The intent of both trips was to go off roading in the dunes. The first time was solo off roading and the second time was with a Facebook group I belong to. Hotel Fairfield Inn & Suites Santa Maria - My go to when in the area, the Fairfield isn't the easiest location to get to off the 101 freeway. Compared to hotel options in the area like San Luis Obispo, Pismo, Avila, and Arroyo Grande, it is basic and inexpensive. Close enough to Pismo, I was willing to stay for a night and drive the 40 minutes to Pismo. It is functional and as a Titanium they often give me a suite option which makes it more appealing to return. Not many high-status Marriott people come through this location, so I think I end up getting good rooms. I still enjoy their breakfast options, I find the food tasting fresh and satisfying. Vespera Resort - The major hotel chains AKA Marriott and ...

I headed out to Las Vegas for an off-road event from Ford. Hopped on a United Airlines flight to land into Harry Reid International Airport (formerly McCarran International Airport). For this trip, I tried Turo for the first time because I wanted a Jeep to get to the off road site and the traditional car rental companies were more money. The person I rented the Jeep from basically runs the rental full time and has 20 Jeeps. It was relatively new and well kept. No complaints from me!  Due to the timing, I opted to book a room at Elara .  Elara King Suite Living Room Elara King Suite Because I was at an event for the day, I didn't spend much time on the strip and picked up food in the short time I was around. Lobster ME - I was looking for something that was still open late and didn't require me to leave the Planet Hollywood mall. So I opted for a lobster roll. It was fine and filling considering my limitations. Dominique Ansel - I walked over to Caesar's Palace to check o...

Made plans to have a friends trip and hopped onto a  Southwest Airlines flight, a quick trip to Big Island was in order. For this trip, I stayed at three different hotels due to timing and plans. My first night was at Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel . I have grown to like this Courtyard over time and I find it nice to hang out in Kona and stay here. It is also more convenient to the airport while I waited for my friends to arrive. My friend found a good car rental rate through Costco and I was able to experience the Jeep Grand Wagoneer . After a week traveling with a group of 7, I would recommend the Wagoneer. During the week, I was at HGVC Kohala Suites Waikoloa  in a 2 bedroom unit. For the weekend, I traveled over to Hilo and stayed at the Doubletree Naniloa Hilo Hotel . Every time I go to Hawaii, I always try to add something new with the something familiar. Let's see if you can spot it. Dining Ululani's Shave Ice - One of the best thing about the Courtya...

 Went to New York for a work conference. Snagged a flight on United Airlines  into Newark Liberty International Airport . I haven't stayed at the New York Hilton Midtown in probably over a decade at this point and re-familiarized myself on this trip. Even though it is post-Covid, I found the city quiet. Busier than during the height of the pandemic but the impact of remote work is definitely felt in the city. Except for my lyft ride. I had decided that I was better off trying to get driven into the city versus taking the subway/train. Unfortunately, my driver got dinged by a construction vehicle and had to take a hit on the vehicle. It was not a good morning for him. The Hilton allowed me to check-in early. It was nice since I had taken a redeye and was in the city fairly early in the morning. As many Hiltons have been moving away from executive lounges, I was pleasantly surprised that this Hilton retained it. Likely due to the international clientele. Hilton Midtown King Roo...

 I headed out to the middle of Minnesota for work. For my troubles, I stuck with flying on  United although I should have opted to fly Delta as they fly directly into Minneapolis from the west coast. I say so because I will not be able to maintain 1K status and it doesn't do me much good to stay committed to United going forward. Maybe I'll change my mind.... Luckily, I didn't really need AWD or 4WD as the snow was mostly gone for my car rental from Enterprise . Unfortunately, I wasn't given a Hilton or Marriott property by the University I was visiting. I stayed at the AmericInn by Wyndham Mankato Center . The property seemed to have a mix-up on dealing with a corporate booking but it eventually settled. Overall, it was a serviceable motel/hotel and ironic to me because I just came from a Wyndham timeshare as well. I also didn't understand why all the King rooms were taken, the motel never seemed that busy. AmericInn Mankato AmericInn Mankato On my last night, I op...

So we had a couple of travel deals to use in a short time frame and hopped onto Southwest Airlines to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport .  I opted to book my stay at Hokulani Waikiki Honolulu especially since I was trying to avoid getting a vehicle. On this trip, Waikiki seemed to be getting more and more international travelers again. Things were more livelier than in recent years. Hokulani King Studio Hokulani King Studio Bathroom This trip was mostly a food eating tour.... Alley Restaurant & Bar - how can I not have some tasty chicken??! Musubi Cafe Iyasumi Beachwalk - One of the best things about Hokulani is the proximity to the newest location for Iyasumi. It is a very small shop and doesn't have all the regular menu items but it hits the spot and they are open late. Sconees Bakery ( 1117 12th Ave Honolulu, HI 96816 )  - While waiting for a table at Koko Head Cafe, I spied this small bakery across the street and they have very lovely scones. Sconees Bakery Pa...

I opted to head out to Hemet for an off road trip and stayed in the city of Temecula overnight beforehand. We have friends in the area so we opted to meet up for dinner and had another neighbor join us the next day for the off-road adventure. The Springhill Suites Temecula was a nice hotel with decent rates. Surprisingly, the hotel rates in Temecula was really high and I didn’t realize how popular of an area it is in SoCal. The downtown is cute but I still am not sure why folks are drawn to this area. Springhill Suites Temecula King Room Dining Hive Bar & Grill - Good experience and tasty entrees. Overall, would recommend to visit. Finch - Interesting menu items and kind of fancier than I was expecting. I am curious if this area will become more and more trendier as people move into the area. 4th Street Garage - Brewery with kitchen. Can get very popular with offroad clubs. The food is fine as long as the company is great.

After eyeing Tahiti for years when United announced they were doing servicing French Polynesia, I decided it was time to see something new post pandemic. With upgrades in hand, it was nice to fly United Polaris. The Polaris Lounge at LAX is quite nice and the food selection for breakfast was very filling. Live and Let’s Fly does a good job reviewing the lounge. For the local flight option, Air Tahiti is the only option to get around. Not to be confused with Air Tahiti Nui, Air Tahiti is the local only plane service for French Polynesia.  Initially, I was thinking of only staying in Tahiti because the  Hilton Tahiti newly opened. Of all the Hilton properties in French Polynesia, the Hilton Tahiti was the most reasonably priced from an awards redemption. I opted to book a five night stay to maximize the point redemption. After making the booking, I was able to find two award nights over the first weekend of the trip at the Conrad Bora Bora . And in the middle of our trip, we...