VETERANS "STAND DOWN" AT 3RD ANNUAL EVENT

It's likely not much of a stretch to say that most everyone you and I know appreciates the men and women of our country who serve in the military.  Many people have a family member who served and possibly paid the ultimate price for that service.   So when a lifelong friend (and early supporter/fan of Travel with Teri B) asked me to attend and write about the 3rd Annual Stand Down event for veterans, to which she has devoted countless hours and about which she would like more people inspired, I said yes without hesitation. Marcie Polier Swartz is an astute businesswoman, philanthropist and the founder/CEO of Village for Vets (click here for her inspiring story).  She could spend more of her time tending to her magnificent produce garden and chickens at her nearby home, or traveling the world, but instead made a choice to help underserved vets, whose numbers are way too high.   Those of us who travel LA's infamous "405" freeway (from the north valley all the way to Orange County) have no doubt passed by Wilshire Boulevard and likely noticed a large expanse of land directly west that is simply known as the "VA."  But have you ever walked the property?  I really hadn't until I attended this event with camera in hand.   For the Stand Down event (military speak for "at ease"), tents were set up offering countless services from housing to pet care to solar panel installation to haircuts to job opportunities.  It was staggering to see.  It was filled with both on-site residents plus many who live independently and traveled long distances to benefit from the offerings.   Marcie had cautioned me that mostly the vets just "want to be heard," so I was careful to strike up conversations instead of just snapping away.  It was easy.  The main topic of the day was the Dodgers, about which I can converse with ease (plus I was in Dodger gear as were countless others on the eve of World Series Game 3).  Once we got chatting, I asked how long they served, in what capacity, and how they were doing.  And I made a point to thank them for their service.   From upper left:  dressed-up volunteer; pet service van; Operations manager Martin Gomez; kitty post-treatment waiting to be picked up.   Above, a dog gets spayed in the mobile unit; 8-year Army vet Grace holding Star who had just been treated  Angela, a 24-yr Dept of Defense and Army vet, looking for job candidates to fill positions at the VA hospital.  Starting salary: $37K! Room filled with donated women's clothing offered to vets From upper left:  Greg is a disabled 4-year vet of the Navy; getting haircuts; Jersey Mike's subs could not compete with In-N-Out, where the line was huge! Everything is donated -- everything.  Shout out to these companies.   When I left, I immediately called the hubby.  "You have to come with me next year, but be prepared"  knowing how he wells up at the sight of a uniform.  We'll be there.  Hope you will too.  You will be moved beyond belief. To learn more, go to:   https://www.facebook.com/Village-For-Vets info@villageforvets.org

THREE SISTERS; PART TWO

I am one of three girls who are collectively known to many as the "Michaels Girls" -- a reference to our maiden name and to many just how we are forever linked.  Three girls very close in age.  We celebrated Margie's 65th in December 2015, and it was just so much fun we decided to revisit another night away with great food and shopping, of course, in celebration of Janie's big day a few weeks ago.

Circa mid-'90's

Booking a weekend night in September is a whole different deal than a midweek night in December; thus the options were a bit more limited.  Many resorts require a two-night stay in September, and a bunch of others had no openings.  So, in spite of knowing we could encounter very hot temps, the decision was made to head back to the desert for an overnight stay at the Hyatt Regency in Indian Wells.   

 

Our private patio with pool.

Off we went early Saturday morning to be at the gorgeous resort in time for lunch.  The drive was easy (under two hours)!  And, as luck would have it, Amex Platinmum came through again with an upgrade to a one-bedroom villa (a hefty 1,200 square feet) with private plunge pool and (you had me at) butler, just a press of a button away.  Nirvana.  And I didn't even mention the enormous bath!  Just beautiful. 

 

Lunch was delicious (and covered by the generous $100 resort credit) -- birthday girl Janie was off to the spa; Margie swam and worked; and I just hung out.  You know -- do nothing.  It was perfection.  

We enjoyed wine during a late-afternoon visit from cousins who reside nearby prior to heading off to dinner at  La Spiga Ristorante. The restaurant came highly recommended by a friend who makes his home in the area.  It was a perfect evening to dine outside on the patio -- the temperature was not overly hot during the day and dropped a bit more to make for a very comfortable evening.  

From top:  wonderful fresh salad; thinly sliced pears with burrata and balsamic glaze; grilled branzino; and the birthday girl at right.  Not shown is a fabulous ragu pasta ....

After enjoying morning brunch (included in the rate), it was off to the  Premium Outlets.  I actually start getting a bit giddy with anticipation!  Oh, the (mystery) savings to be had ... As to the outcome of said shopping trip (other than the farewell lunch at In 'N Out), that shall remain safely within the sisters.  

 

After these two wonderful overnights, I look forward with anticipation to January 2019 -- a sisters' trifecta!

EVERYONE'S FAVORITE: "RESORT FEES" -- BUT IN THE CITY??

Are you the only person I know (maybe on the planet, for that matter) who willingly pays those pesky "Resort Fees" that are tacked on to your hotel bill?  If the answer is "yes," by all means let me know.   If you're one of nearly every other traveler I've spoken to, you find them annoying, antagonizing and the exact opposite of engendering a warm and fuzzy feeling.

 

So why do hotels persist in this practice?  Why not simply bundle the cost into the daily rate?  We all know that services provided are not "free" and the properties do incur costs for providing.  But the practice seems akin to paying legal fees (likely NOT cheap), and then seeing a separate line item on the bill for "Xerox copies"!  Is there anything more maddening?? (That's rhetorical, but this annoyance is way up there).

This added cost is not new.  What is new, as I found out from Chris Kirkham's recent WSJ column, is hotels in major (and some smaller) cities have adopted the practice.  Just when you think you can escape resort fees in New York's Times Square, for example,  you'll have a nice surprise on your bill  -- at least at the Crowne Plaza there.  Yes, $30 per night!  Per the column:  "A hotel employee told him (the guest interviewed for the piece) the fee was for two free drinks at the bar, the gym and a newspaper." Really?  What if you're a teetotaling sloth who doesn't read? Do you get a refund??

Back to the situation at hand, maybe if we collectively got together to "protest" there would be more movement on the part of the hotels.  Many hotels say all of their fees are disclosed up front on their website, but what happens if you book through a third party?  Oh, the problems that could happen.    

Beware the fine print before you lodge a complaint!

As a person who has spent virtually her entire adult life selling to customers, why wouldn't vendors (in this case hotels) want to provide the utmost satisfaction?  Don't they get why people become loyal?  First and foremost, loyalty is acquired by providing products at fair prices with no surprises on the bill!  Someone needs to tell the industry that there's a better way to do things without sacrificing their need to make a profit -- I don't begrudge them that.  Likewise, take the time to fill out those surveys that pop up in your inbox about 30 seconds after you've departed.  I know that the responses are read and very ofter responded to.  Likewise on Trip Advisor -- I always get a response from a hotel when I post my review, particularly if there are complaints.

Time to get off my soapbox and "negotiate" my next stay.  Happy travels!

 

BOSTON & PROVIDENCE: FALL FAMILY FUN!

When the family (the hubby, me and the kids) had a chance to get together with far-flung relatives (Florida, NY, CT, RI) gathered together in one location for a bar mitzvah, the decision to attend was a swift one.  Three of us are self-employed (and daughter Hannah got clearance from her boss) so it was just about carving out the four days and we were off! 

Boston's Logan Airport offers far greater flying options than Providence, RI, the site of the weekend's festivities.   We thus arrived late Thursday, rented our car, spent the night and next day in the city and drove the 90 minutes to our destination.  

What does one do first in Boston?  Perhaps checkout Fenway -- alas, the Red Sox were out of town. See Harvard, MIT, BU or the other schools?  No.  The answer is to find the best pizza around, which meant a return trip to Regina's in the North End.

After meeting up with Hannah's bestie from LA who makes her home in Boston, we made our way to Regina's after successfully finding parking which is no small feat in any area of the city.  This was a second visit for us and it was just as delicious as before.  We walked around the area for a bit before saying good-bye to the girls for the drive to Providence.  Hannah would take a late-evening train to meet up with us.

From our Regina's lunch -- two girls very happy to be together and the insanely delicious pies

Providence to me is your quintessential New England town -- sophisticated enough to entice students to either Brown University and/or RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), but quaint enough to have that small-town feel.  We found some of each.  

We first met up with the family (Uncle, Aunt -- who traveled with us earlier this year in India -- and cousins on the hubby's side) for Friday evening (Shabbat) services at Temple Beth-El and a light dinner afterward.  The bar mitzvah service was Saturday morning, followed by a luncheon and a party in the evening.  

Lots of Stone cousins (and an uncle!)

So what's the first thing unique about this?  The synagogue's roots date back to 1849, more than 110 years prior to the founding of the one my family has called home since 1986 -- LA's Stephen Wise Temple.  LA has one nearly that old -- founded in 1862 as Congregation B'nai B'rith -- which over many years (and in different locations) ultimately became Wilshire Boulevard Temple.  But back to Providence ..

We used the time between events to do a bit of exploring around Providence, and the first stop was at Brown -- one of our country's oldest colleges and the third smallest of the Ivy's.  Downtown Providence is bustling as most state capitals are, with a fair share of shopping and food complexes along the banks of the Providence River.

From top left: An Urs Fischer untitled sculpture (other than Lamp/Bear) on the Brown campus; Providence River; main quad; welcome sign; metal sculpture (artist unknown)

The party was as it should be -- mostly friends of the "man of the hour" Ben Stone.  The music was loud and lively and everyone had a terrific time.  And since it was at our hotel, it was a fantastic commute -- i.e., none!  We likewise gathered the following morning for a lovely brunch and a chance to say our goodbye's.  We headed back to Boston for a few more hours of sightseeing before going to the airport.

Ben's priorities are in order:  sports, family and lots of dessert!

Oh, would that the trip home had been as pleasant as the rest of our stay.  I will spare you the utterly disastrous experience courtesy of Virgin America for another post.  For now, we'll savor the 3-1/2 days of family fun and New England sights as they aptly deserve! 

After parking in the underground garage at the Boston Public Garden, we exited into the Garden and quickly found out we were smack in the middle of a weed festival ... like we'd entered Woodstock (I guess!)  Groovy, man .. 

                     Picture-perfect weather made for a terrific afternoon.