Not Your Average Gal

Copywriter. Content Creator. Constant Sassypants.

North America

COVID Travel: Flying During a Pandemic

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Not Your Average Gal Travel

This week, I traveled alone for the first time in over a year.

It's incredibly weird leaving my well-insulated bubble of an island for the Mainland.

Truth be told, I wouldn't be traveling under normal circumstances. I don't think anyone should be traveling for funzies right now. I don't think anyone should be heading to their families for Thanksgiving (outside their normal household) either. 

There are extenuating family circumstances where I have the ability to help. I'm grateful for the flexibility my career offers that I can typically work from anywhere which means when help is needed, I'm around (typically). Don't go thinking I'm about to head across the Pacific to help with Girl Scout sales…although those Thin Mints are legit. 

I’ll also be getting two COVID tests before heading home to Hawaii.

So, as I hugged my husband goodbye when he dropped me off at the airport, I had such a mix of emotions. It's been over a year since I've traveled alone! My heart was happy. My mind was anxious. 

Ask anyone who enters an airport with me and suddenly, as if my little feet have rocket boosters, there's an extra pep in my step and I'm movin' and groovin' through airport processes. I've got all the zippers in my backpack memorized to easily glide through TSA Pre-check by popping out my Global Entry card and boarding pass in one hand and once done, zipping it back into my pre-determined compartment in the other hand. I was so excited to bop through our super tiny Kona International Airport, sit at a gate (no real lounges here), maybe grab a beer and wait for my group to be called. 

We've flown since the pandemic started. In fact, we literally moved across an ocean during it. But I had my life buddy with me then to navigate this odd, new COVID-travel world. I also had my 14 year old kitty to worry about during our nearly 20-hour travel day. 

This time, it's just me. 

As exciting as that was, I was quite anxious, and truth be told, a little rusty. 

I was always that person who would wipe down seats and windows and air vents and flight attendant buttons, but I almost sat down before I went into full disinfecting mode this time. 

Perhaps I was just excited to have a seat at the table again, so to speak.

There's something unnerving about flying over an ocean for 5-6 hours without any land mass in sight. Did you know that the Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated island chains in the world? That means anytime I leave to visit anyone, whether that be in Japan or the US, I'm making a major hike across an ocean, something we knew when we moved here, of course.

It's still a bit discombobulating to know that if there's an emergency mid-air, we have a bit to go to find some land. Not that I ever think like that. Or catastrophize anything and everything. Nope, not me.

I've flown to Australia, Thailand and Hong Kong twice, so these 5-6 hour flights are not much by comparison. 

The longer flights always give me more time to settle in. I realize that sounds odd to people who view flying as simply getting from point A to point B, but I really enjoy the experience of it. (For the most part. If people could still figure out what you can and can't bring through security that would make it infinitely better.) On longer flights, I appreciate being able to bang out some work, sip on a glass of wine, maybe watch a movie and if I'm lucky enough to have cashed in some airline miles, put that seat in full flat bed mode and catch some zzzzzs. 

I know a lot of you are curious what air travel is like currently and boy do I miss writing about travel, so lucky you—you get to join me on a day of COVID-travel! 

LEG ONE: Traveling from Kona, Hawaii to Seattle, Washington

I booked a red-eye from Kona, which is on the other side of the Big Island where we live in Hilo. It's about an hour and a half drive there, which is the furthest we've ever lived away from an airport. Our airport in Hilo is great, it's about a 10-minute drive from our home and flies to any of the Hawaiian islands on “the big planes” as my friends put it. (Meaning, they aren't puddle jumpers.) But, it didn’t offer many flights to the mainland.

So to avoid flying from Hilo to Honolulu, then to the mainland, I opted to drive to the other side of the island which has direct flights to mainland.

This avoided an extra layover, which in my mind is the safer route when traveling during a pandemic.

COVID-Travel Pro Tip: If you can, avoid (multiple) layovers. 

Kona's airport is all outdoors. Bonus for COVID-travel times. Not so much if you want to avoid getting sweaty before your 6-hour flight. But I planned for this accordingly with layers. Travel pro here, folks. 

I checked my bag and was told that TSA Pre-check was on the right side of the security line. But once I got there, I couldn't find it because people were lined up like game day outside the bars at Michigan State. There was zero social distancing. I asked someone who I saw asking the TSA employees where the pre-check line started and he pointed me to the middle of a giant group of people. 

So I made my way there and left room between me and the people in front of me, as much as I could without people using it as an invitation to cut. 

Aloha spirit, what?

The line barely moved. At all.

It should be noted, I got to the airport an hour and a half before my domestic flight, where I have Delta status that gives me access to Sky Priority lines. I also have Global Entry which gives me TSA Pre-check. Both options were painfully slow and there was little difference between the regular and priority lines. 

But, since I've lived in Hawaii for 5 months at this point, I took it in the Aloha Spirit stride because I had an hour and half before my flight. No problem, right?

Except both took so long that I literally got to the gate as they were calling Sky Priority. I'm glad I had time to get a water because I soon found out we got a small bag of munchies and tiny water for the entire flight. 

I specifically booked this flight because of the aircraft flown, a Boeing 757-200 (75S). I knew it had 3 rows in the back that were huge exit rows. Additionally, Delta is still blocking the middle seat so there was a chance I'd have the whole row to myself.

I successfully gambled as the flight was barely booked and I did have the whole row to myself! I missed being upgraded to First Class by one person. If I had, I would have been laying down in my flat bed seat enjoying all the wine and food I could get. 

But since I was in the lowly Main Cabin (I say this facetiously, people!), we got a ziplock back of a tiny water, Cheez-its and my favorite Biscoff cookie. As it was a red-eye I had already eaten and prepared to basically just sleep. 

Yes, everyone is required to and wears a mask. No, you aren’t an exception to the rule.

I disinfected all 3 seats, pulled out all my layers of clothes from my bag because exit rows are notoriously cold on long-hauls and then settled in for the 6 hours. I wrote for about 1 hour and tried to sleep the rest. I even asked the flight attendant if I could use my 6 (SIX!) Delta drink vouchers I have because—hello, we don't travel anymore—to grab a glass of wine, but he told me they aren't able to do it in the Main Cabin. 

About 10 minutes later, he came back and told me I could move up to Delta Comfort and he'd be happy to serve me there. How sweet. I asked if there were many people there and he said no. But I already had settled in and the glass of wine wasn't worth it. 

Mark the date and time as words you'll never hear me say again.

As we landed people, in general, followed social distancing rules. Delta specifically tells everyone to wait for people to get their luggage out of the overhead bins before moving forward. It's something I really hope people abide by post-COVID because nothing grinds my gears more than people barreling through to the front to avoid waiting for others in front of them to leave. (Barring a tight connection, there is no excuse for this.)

LEG TWO: Traveling from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon

Thus, began my layover in Seattle.

If any of you follow me on Instagram, you remember how appalled I was when we moved to Hawaii this summer and had a layover in Seattle. It was Packed. Yes, with a capital P. Perhaps it was COVID-fatigue, perhaps because cases were lower then and people felt more comfortable not abiding by guidelines, but whatever it was, it was packed.

I was pleasantly surprised with Seattle again this time. 

Please note, it was 5 am. So that helped immensely.

COVID-Travel Pro Tip: If you can, book your flights for very early in the morning.

I headed to Terminal B where my next flight was taking off and again, happy to see people social distancing on the train to get there. 

Once I got there I saw I had about an hour to kill, so I made my way to the Delta Sky Club in Terminal A. I had not been to this one before and the lounge life geek in me was super excited to check it out. 

Once checked in, I saw the upper level mezzanine was closed and all available food options were individually packaged. In general, it was the same things you'd get during non-COVID times in the Delta Sky Club; they are just taking precautionary measures to ensure people aren't double dipping and using the same serving utensils.The Starbucks machine still worked and I grabbed a double espresso after that 6-hour red eye. Praise be!

I didn't take any pictures of my food, but for the weirdos that like to know: I got hard boiled eggs, an avocado egg breakfast sandwich and some Greek yogurt. Again, all packaged individually.

At one point, while I was eating my hard boiled eggs, a Delta agent came up to me and started to say, “Ma'am you'll need to wear…” and then she saw I was eating and stopped and smiled. I was super grateful they are monitoring people wearing masks. I wasn't offended. My freedsom hasn't been taken away. She was ensuring everyone was safe and being taken care of. 

COVID-Travel Pro Tip: You'll be asked to only take off your masks between bites and sips. Use one hand to slip your mask down and the other to eat.

I know this seems basic, but you'll want to keep each hand available, which means using your tray table or table in the lounge to keep your food on. 

I disinfected all of my area before sitting down to eat and then went to the bathroom because I love the smell of the hand wash and lotion Delta uses. (Oh yeah, and I needed pee.) Yes, as a marketer I know which brands use what scents. Delta uses Malin + Goetz and the scent takes me back to my days of traveling more regularly. 

Plus, bathroom goals!

From there, I quickly hopped into a co-writing session with my fave MOFOs and started writing this very blog. 

Then it was time to head to my gate. I was upgraded to First on this leg for my whopping 45-minute flight to Portland. 

The people in my boarding group were cognizant of 6-feet separation and again, the flight attendant handed our hand sanitizer. I got to work sanitizing my whole area again. 

When I was upgraded, I was assigned a seat in a row with 2 seats. First class on Delta's Embraer E-175 are a 1-2 seat configuration. Main Cabin is 2-2. I decided to select the side of the plane that had 1 seat. This ensured I'd be as far from people as possible. 

My flight wasn't packed at all. Everyone was spaced out well, even for a smaller plane. 

COVID-Travel Pro Tip: Many airlines are still blocking the middle seat. I would recommend going with these airlines.

Even if it's more expensive, if you have the means, having the middle seat blocked is ideal. Right now, Delta, Hawaiian and Alaska are blocking the middle seats. While air travel is still safe, you do need to take proper precautions and having that extra distance is an added benefit.

The flight was uneventful. I literally was in the air for about 12 minutes before we started our descent into Portland. 

Once we landed, people were again respectful of letting the person in front of them get their luggage out of the overhead compartment and once those people left, then getting up to get their own luggage. 

PDX was pretty empty or at least emptier than I've ever seen it before. (Check out that famous carpet.)

It was still pretty early, so I'm sure that helped with how empty it was. Most of the stores and shops were still open. They had a lot of signage about distancing, similar to Seattle.

I went to baggage claim where people were again very mindful. Please know though, because of my husband’s line of work, I'm pretty vigilant about distance and masks, so some of this may be that I'm placing myself far away from other people. 

After that, I grabbed my bag and then another coffee because when in Portland…

Overall, everything went smoothly. 

Please bear in mind: 

  1. I'm traveling alone. Traveling with kids would be significantly more stressful. 
  2. Having airline status is an added social distancing benefit I had never thought about. Upgrades and lounge access are nice ways to get away from crowds.
  3. I was on a red-eye and my layover was very early. This helped significantly with crowds. 
  4. I'm flying from a place that people are more or less flying to more often. That means my flight home to Hawaii may be more packed.

Anything I missed that you'd specifically like to know about? 

Cruise vs. All-Inclusive. The Ultimate Showdown.

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Up until 7 years ago, I had not done the cruise thing nor stepped foot in a resort. I know, I know. I lead such a deprived life. Let me tell you, neither of these events were life changing, so if you haven’t done either—it’s cool, you can still sit with us at the lunch table.

That said, I would easily do one of these things time and time again, and the other? Well, it would need to be a great deal, good location or something friends or family had organized for me to partake.

#snottytraveler, engage.

To show I’m not as cynical as the last conversation I had with my therapist would lead you to believe, I’m going to list out the positives of both an all-inclusive resort and a cruise.

Ultimately, what this boils down to is your: travel style.

There are pros and cons to both options, but what you want out of each trip will simply be personal preferences. Like, silver tequila. Who drinks that gold shit? Moving on…

All-Inclusive Resorts

An individualized welcome

Many resorts have a loyalty program, which means you get a separate check-in where they’ll chat with you to confirm details, get to know what you’d like to do and offer any upgrades.

You choose your length of stay

If you only have time for a 3-day stay. Do it. How about 10? Do it. I’ve tried to book for 6 months, but the booking system and for some odd reason, the hubster, said no.

Options to earn points

Many resorts are part of larger hotel programs, which earn you points. But the biggest benefit is, many of these resorts allow you to transfer points from different programs, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards. We transfer our UR points to Hyatt, then book through there. We’ve stayed for super cheap!

All of the food and drinks

Grab your drink and go on a beach walk

Each resorts has several restaurant options from casual buffets to the arduous task of having to put on real shoes to have dinner at the Chef’s Table. Many times, the resorts will have theme nights for certain restaurants so you can plan your meals according to how feisty you’re feeling. Plus, since it’s all-inclusive, you can eat your heart out. There are options for upgrades to better steak or wine for a price, but we’ve never felt it necessary with all the good options.

Explore the local area

Since you’re staying in one place, you’ll have the opportunity to take day-trips around the area or head into the downtown area of the city you’re resort is located. Most all-inclusive resorts will provide you their recommendations for quality tour guides. Some of our fondest memories were from checking out Mayan ruins and eating tacos with locals for the afternoon, without feeling the need to be rushed.

Large pool area

Have you seen the pools at all-inclusives? I’m sure there are exceptions, but in most cases, they are HUGE. These expansive landscapes means you can pee in one side of the pool and never worry your family across the way is wading through it. Wait, what? Nevermind… Mainly the benefit of this means, there’s more seating areas and beach chairs. That gives plenty of people the benefit of not having to play the “reserved seat” game.

Stay in one place

This balcony also had a hammock!

No scheduled meetings or itineraries here! You can literally sit by the pool, margarita in one hand, some terrible romance novel in the other and not speak to a soul or leave if you want to.

Options to relax or go hard

By staying in one place, you get to relax. By the second day at our last all-inclusive my husband said, “So you just want to sit by the pool and read again?” Yes. Yes, I do. We took our optional day trips and even headed into town, so walking back to the resort was always a zen feeling of—Ommmmm, I’m home. But, had we wanted to, there are plenty of options to party-it-out or dancing until you get boob sweat. With a resort, you get to pick your own pace of things and how often or how little you want to do them.

Cruises

Check-in breeze

Both cruises I’ve been on had a nearly flawless, less-than-5-minute check-in process. Sign your name that you’re not going to infect the entire ship with noro-virus and walk right onto the ship to find your room. I’m very curious what the process will be now during COVID travels. Provide a negative test within 72 hours of embarkment?

Loyalty program

All cruise lines have loyalty program and while I’ve never used them or been an advocate for their programs or branded credit cards, some people who only do cruises have a lot of success. So congrats, your current trip will earn you some points!

All of the food and drinks

Baby Not You Average Gal and Hubster

A previous Creative Director of mine described the last cruise he was on as a floating cafeteria. While hysterical, he’s pretty darn accurate. You have tons of options at legitimately any time. There’s buffets and restaurants and quick-eats on every single level of the ship it seems. Oh, and bars too, don’t forget. You will not be fraut for choices here.

Hit many places in one trip

This is the whole point of a cruise…to cruise to new destinations. From 4 days to 14 days, you can hit up as few as 2 cities or islands or as many as a round-the-world cruise will allow! For shorter cruises, you often get the afternoon in a place, but with longer cruises, you can get a day or two in one location.

Options to relax or go hard

Cruises are best shared with friends.

If you want to stay on the ship the entire time and never leave the pool bar, do it. If you want to be up at the butt crack of dawn for some power yoga, then shopping on the streets of Rome, do it! Your presence (aside from the muster drill) is not required at anything.

Itineraries galore

You’ll have hourly options for fun from the moment you set foot on the ship. As part of your check in, you’re handed a big ol’ sheet with columns of goodies. Depending on your cruise line and destinations, you will also be told when you can leave the ship and when you need to be back on it so they don’t leave your late butt behind.

Meet lots of people, for better or worse

You’re on a ship with thousands of people. Everyone is a transplant when in international waters, so for better or worse, you’ll get to know people. We met plenty of fun characters on both our cruises. I’ve heard of friends and family taking cruises that were undersold, but more often than not, these puppies go out to sea with packed with people. (Pre-COVID.)

Maybe you guessed, but when it comes to a vacation choice, my vote will typically be for an all-inclusive resort. Again, as I mentioned above, this is based on my travel style. Some people puffy-heart-love cruises and couldn’t imagine staying in one place for days at a time. Good on them. Or good for her, not for me.

If you think I didn’t give cruises a fair shot, I did, in fact, give it another college try by going on my second cruise and afterwards still felt the same. There are some reasons for this, that again boil down to personal preferences that you can read below.

Pools

My happy place.

Remember how I mentioned cruises pack those puppies with people. Well they all meet at the pool. Finding a refreshing portion of the pool that isn’t bathwater warm or occupied is tough on cruises. Even the pool decks are packed, leaving very few seats available. Yes, you can hang by the pool all day, but weaving in and out of people to get a drink or get to the hot tub isn’t my idea of relaxing. This thought gives me the heebie jeebies during COVID.

An all-inclusive pool at least lets you catch your breath. You often don’t need to wake up to snag a chair and the pools are much bigger than what they can fit on a ship. I spend most of my time at the pool or beach, so being at a resort maximizes this preference.

Food at an all-inclusive is better

I had good meals on my cruises. But I had memorable ones at the all-inclusive resorts we’ve stayed at. When you’re not loading a ship to feed thousands of people each night, the food can be fresher and more local. I know that cruise lines are doing a lot to get in on the farm-to-table movement, but resorts already have a leg up on them because they are in one location and and source from it. I also didn’t feel like a number as much during dinners at all-inclusives. We weren’t being rushed out or fit into a time slot and the specials were different every night.

Wanting to spend more time in one place

With cruises, it often feels like rush, rush, rush, chill, rush back, rush back, rush back. With being chauffeured around from a tender to a taxi, there’s always this feeling that I don’t have enough time. (Probably because it isn’t on my schedule. Control issues.) Not to mention, you’re dealing with thousands of other people wanting to take advantage and spend the most time possible doing the same things as you.

The herding mentality

If you didn’t guess it by the name of this site, I typically don’t go with the grain. The herding mentality of cruise ships is tough for me. Go, go, go! Get in line. Wait here. Okay, now you can move.

You also see the worst of people when they’re packed into smaller spaces, trying to get somewhere. You know what that looks like: pushing, cutting in line, complaining. Often this is because someone isn’t paying attention, which adds to the tension in the atmosphere. I found myself saying a lot, “Get. moving. Come. on.”

The need to do it all & FOMO

Since cruises offer such extensive options when you’re at-port somewhere, passengers are often left feeling like they need leave because you’re on a cruise with that wonderful option. If I’m in relaxing vacation whose sole intention is to chill (read: not climbing temples in Ankor Wat, Cambodia), then I want to do just that and not feel like I’m missing out on a good opportunity and waisting money by not doing it.

Some people are way better at this than me, admittedly. I know people who never get off the ship. But, my traveling heart couldn’t take it if I knew there was a sweet local spot I was missing because my intentions on this trip were to chill out.

At the end of the day, like I’ve mentioned, it boils down to your own personal travel style and preferences. When we get back to traveling, I doubt people will be debating which is better because we’re just going to be so dang excited to get out again! Freedom!

For now though, give us the scoop on which you like best! Are you are cruises or all-inclusive traveler—and why?

When I Grow Up

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Manzanita, Oregon

It’s a phrase we most often associate with kindergarten projects or awkward conversations with our high school guidance counselors.

“When I grow up, I want to…”

Even a gal in her thirties finds that answer difficult. Much of my formative adult, career-driven goals have been a bit dictated by the overarching medicine journey of the hubster. That’s not meant to be expressed with remorse or disdain; it’s merely a fact of life when you fall in love with a fella that wants to help people. The medicine journey is long and it’s full of cruel formalities that leave little room for partner flexibility.

I hear from so many partners and spouses that their careers, dreams or education have been placed on hold while on the medicine journey with the doctor in their life. Stories that will tear your heart out. Stories that will make you realize setting up a career that is flexible and putting off the wants/needs in life, isn’t just a by-product of being married to a physician—it’s survival.

When I did put my copywriting career first, something we both agreed would be a good decision in the long-run for both of our goals, that looked a lot like living 1400 miles apart for 2 long years. It’s not for the faint of heart, kiddos!

But, now we find ourselves a little over 8 months away from the finish line. 8 months away from what the hubster has been working towards for over a decade.

For me, it’s exciting. For him, it’s a bit unnerving, I gather.

The, “Now what?” question is looming overhead; an overwhelming grey cloud of many paths, each with its own set of uncertain answers.

We’ve watched our friends and family hit substantial milestones over the past decade that we’ve essentially had on hold. Choosing a place or city to live. Choosing a house to pay off for 30 years. Choosing whether to have kids (or not). Choosing to continue to pay off my student loans while his loom in the background like another mortgage. Choosing an iced coffee or hot coffee once it turns fall. What? I really want to know. That one is a toughie.

Over the years, as we moved from different states for medical school, into residency and those milestones have been in a holding pattern, I found myself using that phrase a lot.

“When we grow up…”

“When I grow up…”

It’s a funny thing to say in your thirties and it’s typically in reference to materialistic things, like declaring for the umpteenth time that you love Japanese toilets and when you grow up that’s all you want in your house.

What? They’re glorious.

But there’s an iota of truth to it. The things we’ve only thought about—backyards, a dog, a car that doesn’t sound like an airplane taking off when you start it—are now getting closer to reality.

Holy exciting. Holy overwhelming, too.

That “someday” attitude is all we’ve ever known. Looking back, it may not have been such a great mentality, but for better or worse, it got us through.

We recently went on a nearly 3-week road trip out west to see if any cities from Oregon down to California tickled our fancy. While I could do without the winding roads that did lead to spectacular views, we found out a lot about what we did like and what we didn’t like. (Maybe also that the idea of living in California was a bit more romantic than actually living there.)

We talked a lot about what our preferences are as individuals and also, as a small family. In my opinion, we’re pretty darn lucky that we even have the opportunity to lay it all out and see what areas may meet that flexible criteria. How many people actually get to do that?

So many of us are bound by ties both with family and friends, as well as careers, that those often dictate the places we choose to live. If moving 1,400 miles to Florida 7 years ago (and then back to Michigan last year) taught me anything—and boy did it—it was those forever friendships, some who have known you since your pimply days wearing Spice Girls t-shirts, will bridge the distance. The distance may certainly change some dynamics, but it doesn’t change the heart that provides life to a friendship.

We found out some things about ourselves that may have changed over the years on this trip too. For instance, I never thought I’d need to live near a Costco, but well…here we are. Costco aside, being able to be outdoors for a majority of the year, is big for me. More than I ever thought, in fact. The hubster, who is an avid golfer and an amazing one at that might I add, needs to be able to golf more than he can now in Michigan’s temperamental winters. Our wants for a better commute, diversity, being near academia and an open-minded community moved their ways to the top. Plus, again, a Costco.

Now we get to choose that, if an ER job opening presents itself.

Holy exciting. Holy overwhelming, too.

While on this road trip, as we drove around neighborhoods, downtowns and parks, as we went on long walks and fun hikes, as we sat silently on hours-long car rides, as we golfed in picturesque settings, as we sat in restaurants pestering waiters with questions, as we bellied up to local dive bars and talked to bartenders, we slowly unraveled what we wanted when we grew up.

Something that seemed out of reach for so long.

Something that was placed on hold while we got our ducks in a row.

Something that took a backseat to traveling and career choices and moving.

Something that is here, at our doorstep, now.

Holy exciting. Holy overwhelming, too.

Buckle up! Grown ups need to wear seatbelts too, you know.

Saying Goodbye To Summertime

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Happy Fall y’all! Real talk: I hate that phrase and I have no idea why.

Last week, we welcomed in the fall season, as we waved goodbye to good ol’ summertime. When I lived in Michigan, this time of year gave me winter anxiety. As much as I loved fall, I knew what was to come next: 8 months of grey, cold, slush, sleet and sometimes pretty snow. Funny enough, I was actually in Michigan last week as a Florida refugee fleeing Hurricane Irma.

Since the last few weeks have been a blur of packing, prepping, evacuating, waiting, packing again, unprepping and unpacking, I barely noticed summer was over. Here are some Highs and Lows of the Summer of 2017.

Highs

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada

I mean, have I talked about this trip enough here and here? It was easily the highlight of my summer. Looking back, I think a lot of it had to do with the hubster and I just exploring on our own schedule, in sync, step by step, bike ride upon bike ride, together.

Niagara on the Lake Niagara Parkway Recreational Trail

Marco Island, Florida

We dipped over to the other side of the state early on in the summer to just get away. Our in-laws have a magnificent place on the beach (that thankfully wasn’t damaged in Irma) and they let us crash in every once and a while. It’s a sleepy little island, but we found ourselves busy with things to do. I’ll write about it soon!

#DayofDinners and Women’s March

In June, I participated in #DayofDinners where people from all walks of life and political affiliations sat around a table, had dinner and discussed the state of the world…respectfully. I met some wonderful people who left me feeling better about the world. On top of that, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the activism and work that the Women’s March of Broward County does. It’s an honor to stand by these ladies and yes, gentlemen. I have learned so much in the 8 months since I’ve joined including, and probably most importantly, to listen; to simply listen to someone’s story.

Lows

Hurricane Irma

Suffice to say, Hurricane Irma did a number on my mental health and I was lucky enough to evacuate. Lucky enough that there was minimal damage to our home. Lucky enough to get through the worst part: not knowing. Currently, there are still trees down everywhere (including one that barely missed our windows) and I can’t go to work without seeing at least one stop light not working. It will be months, but we’ll get Florida back to her good ol’ pretty self. I’m a member of RNGR and we volunteered to clear some trees and debris from Hugh Birch State Park this past weekend. I need to remind myself how much I enjoy being outside, physically working, especially to help others.

Saying goodbye to friends and coworkers

Our close friends packed up and headed up north to Jacksonville to begin a new chapter in internal medicine residency. Additionally, a couple of my favorite coworkers resigned and started new, exciting positions. In all those cases, moving on to new things is a good thing for them, but selfishly it’s hard to say goodbye. The older I get, the more I know dynamics change as the tides change, so the goodbyes get tougher.

What’s next on the docket? Oh I’ve got some things up my sleeves that I’m working on. Right now, I’m focusing on keeping my head down, busting ass, taking names and looking at London for my reward this fall.

My 7 Favorite Wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake

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Who knew the Niagara region of Canada was so well-known for their wine? Certainly not me. That said, now that I know, I’ve been spoiled for life. I’m pretty sure even a trip to Napa Valley here in the states wouldn’t match up to the wonderful time we had in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.

If you have a long weekend to explore, you can find my itinerary on a previous post here. Put your relaxation pants on because Niagara-on-the-Lake is full of charming houses, gorgeous wineries and green space for days.

We used this map a lot while there, but please note it is most definitely not to scale. But, it gives you a good reference of how many wineries are in the region.

Below are a few of my favorite Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries. As I mentioned previously, there are 88 total wineries, so it’s pretty much impossible to hit all of them on one trip. But if you do, I want to hear about it. In fact, I’ll give you a gold star and feature you here on this blog, you alcoholic, you.

Small Talk Vineyards

We stopped at Small Talk Vineyards on our way into Niagara-on-the-Lake because the hubster knows my affinity for hard cider. Small Talk is a colorful setup with lots of fun quotes adorning their walls and bright porch. Each wine or cider has a good pun regarding “small talk” that made this copywriter’s heart happy. They are particularly known for their cider and it did not disappoint.

Try: Shiny Apple Cider and Shiny Pinot Cider

Tip: If you’re coming to Niagara-on-the-Lake from the west, this is a great place to hit up on your way in.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Small Talk Vineyards Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Small Talk Vineyards Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Small Talk Vineyards

Stratus 

This was the first winery we hit on our personal bike tour and it ended up being my favorite. We had a wonderful tasting guru named Dave who pointed us in the right direction for wines. Stratus Winery is an organic winery that takes pride in that fact — and rightfully so. It’s a tough feat to grow organically when surrounding vineyards that don’t. I personally fell in love with the Gamay red wine. It was just the right amount of medium-body and the perfect amount of peppery undertones for me. Did that just sound like a snotty sommelier? Good.

Try: The 2014 Stratus Gamay

Tip: On certain days you can do wine tastings out on the deck in the back.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Stratus Wines Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Stratus Wines Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Stratus Wines Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Stratus Wines Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Stratus Wines Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Stratus Wines

Caroline Cellars

It’s my namesake people, so of course it would make the list. Caroline Cellars is basically a huge, rustic barn with a large restaurant, The Farmhouse Cafe. We made our way into the tasting area, after passing some swag that, duh, I bought. I really appreciated the particular font chosen and the kerning used. You can take a girl on vacation away from marketing, but you can’t take marketing out of the girl. The tastings at Caroline Cellars are actually free, which was a welcome surprise. Caroline Cellars is known more for their reds than their whites and we really like their Farmer’s Red and Cabernet Franc. It was a bit crowded about 10 minutes after we arrived because a busload of people came too. But that’s not unusual for any winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake really with busloads coming and going on their scheduled tours.

Try: The 2013 Cabernet Franc and their seasonal Farmer’s Red.

Tip: Grab some Caroline swag. Everyone could use more Caroline in their life.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Caroline Cellars Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Caroline Cellars Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Caroline Cellars

Inniskillin

Just a beautiful bike ride down the Niagara Parkway, on the outskirts of town, you’ll find Inniskillin. We arrived about an hour before they were closing, grabbed a quick glass and sat underneath one of the few tables that still had an umbrella open. It seemed that arriving even an hour before closing meant they kinda sorta wanted to let you know that they were really closing at 6pm, since employees walked around and closed table umbrellas even as we were still sitting at a table. I know the hubster rolled his eyes at me, but I am my father’s child and that really annoyed me and put a bad taste in my mouth about Inniskillin. All that aside, the employees on the inside were helpful and friendly. They are well-known for their ice wine, so we decided to do a tasting and while they were good — it just wasn’t my jam. So, so sweet!

Try: Belly up to their ice-wine tasting bar.

Tip: Don’t arrive an hour before they close.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Inniskillin Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Inniskillin Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Inniskillin

Two Sisters

With probably the prettiest entrance of all the wineries we explored, Two Sisters exemplified the stereotypical winery appearance. Because of this, it’s one of the most popular properties. They are well-known for their sprawling porch out back, where you can eat at their popular restaurant, Kitchen76. We came between lunch and dinner and shared a flatbread margherita pizza that was delicious. If that was just their small menu, I can imagine the full shebang is quite exceptional.

Try: 2014 Sauvignon Blanc. (We bought 2 bottles.)

Tip: Even if there is a wait, it’s totally worth it to have a glass of wine and a meal outside on their porch.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Two Sisters Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Two Sisters Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Two Sisters Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Two Sisters Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Two Sisters

Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery

This one is the hubster’s favorite winery and I can’t blame him. It was gorgeous, but still warm enough that you left with a homey-feeling. We hit up Ravine on our way back from Niagara Falls. It’s a touch too far (for us) by bike from the center of town, where we were staying at the Olde Angel Inn. They have hearth fire pizza on their patio in the back, with killer views of the vineyards.

Try: 2016 Ros̩ and The local Lowrey Bros Hard Cider (they had peach while we were there Рdelicious!)

Tip: Go there for lunch and sit on their patio out back — share a wood oven pizza too.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Ravine Vineyard Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Ravine Vineyard Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Ravine Vineyard Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Ravine Vineyard Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Ravine Vineyard Niagara on the Lake Winery

Reif Estate Winery

On our bike ride back into town from Inniskillin, we popped into Reif at the recommendation of Dave from Stratus Winery. Reif has a beautiful porch in the front and a really pretty interior wine tasting section. Our wine tasting guru was helpful and friendly, without being overly pushy.

Try: 2015 Sauvignon Blanc and 2016 Gamay Cabernet

Tip: If you’re riding on your bike, you can leave your purchases here and swing by to grab them on your way out of town.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Reif Estate Winery Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Reif Estate Winery Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Reif Estate Winery Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Reif Estate Winery Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Reif Estate Winery

Overall, like I mentioned before, you really can’t make a bad choice for any of the wineries in the area. There’s so many to choose from that you’re sure to find one that tickles your wine fancy.

Have you ever been to Niagara-on-the-Lake? Which were your favorite wineries?

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario: A Friendly, Canadian Town Filled with Wineries

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Real talk: Growing up in metro Detroit, we used to cross the border at 19 and go (legally) drink in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. I didn’t do this until I was 20 though because I was a cautious rebel. This was way back when you only needed a drivers license to cross the border, too. Oh, those were the sequined halter top days, weren’t they?

Well, I’m happy to tell you that both Canada and I have only grown prettier with age!

Niagara on the Lake Niagara Queen's Royal Park

Why Canada?

Canada has always held a special place in my heart and not just because they are our friendly neighbors to the north. Canada basically seeped into my everyday life when I lived in Michigan. We used to take school trips to Stratford, Ontario and watch wonderful theater performances during the Stratford Festival. Have Canadian change? Doesn’t matter, we’ll treat it as an American quarter or dime. When American news or sports weren’t showing what we wanted, we’d just switch over to CBC. Labatt Blue beer? You’ll find it in the domestic beer section. (No joke!)  If *NSYNC concerts sold out in Detroit, we’d just head to Toronto and watch JT pelvic thrust at the Rogers Centre. Even when working in downtown Detroit at General Motors, I had office views of Canada across the Detroit River, and often would pick up Canadian wireless carriers and get charged roaming fees. Crazy, eh? See what I did there?

As I mentioned in our 2017 Travel Plans, the original intent was to go “Up North” Michigan and explore some wineries, something every bonafide Michigander has done expect for me. But that’s forgiven now because I live in Florida, right? Anyway, the hubster took the reigns with planning this long weekend and I’m so glad he did because he was the one who decided on Niagara-on-the-Lake instead of going up north.

Crossing the Border by Car

Crossing the border is a cinch. I flew into Detroit the night before, met up with my Michigan-living hubster and we then drove through the Sarnia border crossing in the morning. It took us about 4 hours to get to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Have your passport ready, don’t bring over any weapons, smile pretty for the border patrol and you’ll most likely get a, “Welcome to Canada.” as you’re waved through.

Tip: Have your passports ready when you pull up to the booth. Don’t be that guy.

Abacot Hall

We stayed at Abacot Hall bed and breakfast and absolutely fell in love with it and the owners, Ed and Irene. We reserved the Queen Elizabeth’s room with the loveliest canopy bed and traditional decoration that made me feel right at home. Other B&B’s I’ve stayed in had shared bathrooms, but our room had an en suite. Score!

Abacot Hall also has a balcony upstairs on the back that I used one morning as the ER doc hubster caught up on precious sleep. I caught up on emails while sipping on coffee and listening to the birds chirp. Birds don’t really chirp this time of year in Florida. They’re hiding from the sun. Ed and Irene served breakfast each morning, which was a cool time getting to know the other guests. Most visiting were actually from the Midwest while we were there. I never felt pressured to stay and chat longer or that anyone was hovering, which is often the steroetype of a B&B. Irene asked us which wineries we were going to, gave us coupons for them and then sent us off on our merry way. The day we left, they gave us traditional NOTL ice wine as a gift since they heard it was our wedding anniversary. I mean, c’mon, how sweet! Both literally and figuratively as I explain below.

Tip: Choose the Seafood Omelet or Eggs Benedict at breakfast. Don’t turn down the bread either, it’s homemade.

Niagara on the Lake Abacot Hall Bed and Breakfast Niagara on the Lake Abacot Hall Bed and Breakfast Niagara on the Lake Abacot Hall Bed and Breakfast Niagara on the Lake Abacot Hall Bed and Breakfast

The Olde Angel Inn

We spent our last night at the famous Olde Angel Inn, right in the center of town. The hubster saw that it was historically British and knew I’d love it. There is a pub downstairs that served classic English fare, which is 100% legit, and this is coming from someone who knows. Hello, we got married in England. Plus, their server, Andrea, hand to the heart, made our evening both times we went. Friendly and accommodating, you know, classically Canadian. They also had the best cover band I’ve ever seen, James Blonde (formerly X Prime). On our first evening, went to the Olde Angel Inn for a quick night cap and promised we’d only stay for one drink because I needed to run 4 miles the next day (I’m training for a half marathon again). Famous last words. After James Blonde started playing, we knew that wasn’t going to happen. The funny thing is, the hubster and I tend to not like loud bands, but they were so good we actually found our introvert-selves getting up and dancing. It was great. A really fond memory of mine.

Can we also talk about the Governor’s Room the hubster reserved? I fully appreciated every single Union Jack in the our suite.

Tip: Order the Shepards Pie and peach cider from Mill Street Brewery/Brickworks Ciderhouse. Try out the cheese store next door and the ice cream place across the street. Why are most of my tips about food…?

Niagara on the Lake The Olde Angel Inn Niagara on the Lake The Olde Angel Inn Niagara on the Lake The Olde Angel Inn Niagara on the LakNiagara on the Lake The Olde Angel Inn James Blonde e The Olde Angel Inn

Food and Drinks

We were told to try The Irish Harp Pub, so we popped in there the first night for dinner and had the best chicken curry I’ve had in a long time. We liked it so much we went back for dinner the second night, too. Creatures of habit, I tell ya’. They had plenty of authentic Irish beer and cider to choose from and our dinner on Saturday night featured a celtic band playing in the pub.

Try Balzac’s Coffee right next door to The Irish Harp Pub for some good, strong coffee.

Across the street from both Balzac’s Coffee and The Irish Harb Pub is the famous Prince of Wales Hotel. Much to my chagrin, I did not get a break from the heat by leaving Florida, as it was incredibly hot in Canada the weekend we were there. We popped into the Prince of Wales lounge for a reprieve from the sun and to enjoy a cold beverage. It did not disappoint. It was a cool, old lounge-type of atmosphere with big comfy leather chairs. Our server, Eric, friendly again as all get out, spent some time talking to us and pointed us in the right direction to get local cider on our way of town the next day.

Tip: When paying with your American credit card, you should almost always choose to pay in local currency if given the choice. Why? You’re charged around 3% of the purchase price to convert to your home currency. Obviously, you should always use a credit card that has no international fees, but this fee is in addition to that.

Niagara on the Lake The The Irish Harp Pub Niagara on the Lake The The Irish Harp Pub Niagara on the Lake The The Prince Of Wales Hotel Niagara on the Lake The The Prince Of Wales Hotel Niagara on the Lake The The Prince Of Wales Hotel

Zoom Leisure Bike Rental and Tours

We rented bikes for 3 days from Zoom Leisure. We both got cruisers, but they have plenty of options. Hubster joked with a straight face that he got us a tandem bike. NOT FUNNY. I have to say, I’m a huge fan of cruisers, especially when they are literally used for cruising between wineries.

Tip: Get there right when they open. We barely beat the crowd by getting there around 10am on the weekend. Lots of friends come here in groups since it’s such a fun time, but you’ll need to wait a bit when they start rolling in. We needed to drop off our bikes around 6:30am on our last day, so we could go on a run (remember that run I didn’t get in the first morning). They let us leave the bikes out back as long as they were locked. Canadian trust and friendliness wins again. Oh yeah, and every winery we went to had a bike rack!

Niagara on the Lake Zoom Leisure Niagara on the Lake Zoom Leisure

The Wineries

I mean, where does one begin when talking about the wineries in NOTL? I had no idea Niagara-on-the-Lake was known for their many, many wineries. Truth be told, I really hadn’t even heard of Niagara-on-the-Lake before. There are a whopping 88 wineries that span the town.

Like I mentioned above, they are known for their ice wine, which is basically a process that involves harvesting grapes in the winter, making the wine extra sweet because the grape juice is essentially frozen when the grapes are crushed. I initially thought it meant the wine was cold so upon arrival, after we had been in the car for 4 hours, I asked to have a glass at the first winery we stopped at. The waiter must have sensed my newbie-ness and asked if I had ever tried ice wine before; he then explained it’s incredibly sweet and I may not want to try a whole glass straight out the gate. Bless his heart – he was so right. It certainly wasn’t bad, but there’s a time and place for that sort of sweetness.

There are so many different types of wineries in NOTL: organic, family owned, corporate, known for their whites, known for their reds, on hundreds of acres far from town or on small plots close by. With so many options, you’re sure to fall in love with one that is probably different than my favorites. Honestly, there are so many that it deserves it’s own post, which is coming up next week.

Tip: Listen to what people suggest, but don’t feel obligated to follow it to a tee. Every person has their own opinion about wine, but like most things in life, it’s subjective. If you’re on a bike and a winery looks nice, just go in and give it a whirl!

Niagara on the Lake Winery Niagara on the Lake Winery Niagara on the Lake Winery Niagara on the Lake Winery

Green Space

NOTL is full of parks and miles upon miles of vineyards, so it’s definitely a space to go on a nice walk, run or bike ride. Our favorite was the Niagara Parkway Recreational Trail, and Queen’s Royal Park where we sat on the edge by the rocks and looked out onto both Toronto, Ontario in Canada and Youngstown, New York in the US. So cool, right? Hubster and I didn’t realize it at first and noted that Fort Niagara, across the way in the US, had very colonial looking buildings. *light bulb moment* Oh hey, that’s the US! We knew we would be able to see the US at from certain vantage points, but didn’t realize we’d be able to see so much. I checked off another country on my run list (up to 10 so far) and even dipped my feet in the cold Niagara River. That warm Florida water year-round has spoiled me.

Tip: Plan out a morning stroll to see how the small town slowly comes alive. NOTL is so full of character that you feel you could be Belle strolling through the village in Beauty and the Beast. (Minus the part with everyone singing that you’re a nutjob.) If you’re not a morning person, the sunsets in the evening over Niagara River and Lake Ontario are lovely as well. Take a bottle of wine you got at winery that day and sit in Queen’s Royal Park to take in the sky changing colors.

Niagara on the Lake Niagara Parkway Recreational Trail Niagara on the Lake Niagara Queen's Royal Park Niagara on the Lake Niagara Queen's Royal Park Niagara on the Lake Niagara Queen's Royal Park Niagara on the Lake Niagara Queen's Royal Park Niagara on the Lake Niagara Queen's Royal Park

Niagara Falls

You absolutely cannot visit this region of Canada without visiting Niagara Falls. Both the hubster and I had been there separately with our families as kids, so we didn’t spend more than an hour taking in the magnificent power of it all, but you could certainly make an afternoon of it. We both talked about how so many memories you have of your childhood don’t live up to the way you remembered when you visit the same places as an adult. Things seem smaller, or less spectacular than the memory itself. Not Niagara Falls. It’s just as immense and powerful as I remembered.

Tip: It’s barely even a 20-minute drive to get there from NOTL, but get there early. The busloads starts arriving around 10am. The Canadian side has the better view of the falls in my opinion, but you could hop over to the US (bring your passport) if you want that vantage point as well.

Niagara on the Lake Niagara Falls Niagara on the Lake Niagara Falls

Overall, Niagara-on-the-Lake, is a small town full of character, the arts (it has a huge theater scene that I didn’t even dive into), wineries and friendly people. In what may seem to go against the “small town” mentality, it’s full of culture and diversity. Maybe, that’s what made is so special for me. Friendliness and open minds, imagine that?

So, when are you planning your trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake? The hubster and I loved it so much, we may make it a summer tradition. Heck, this Midwesterner-turned-Floridian may even go back in the winter, that’s how much I loved it!