HOW TO END VACATIONS WELL

Even before I came across a column by Erin Geiger Smith (WSJ, 8.24) entitled "Own the Last Day of Vacation," I have always paid particular attention to how any vacation comes to an end -- whether that be allocating time to do "nothing" for a day, or reserving a particular restaurant for our "last meal" (hopefully not in the literal sense).  There is some risk, of course, that plans go awry -- say you've planned for a baseball game that gets rained out or someone gets sick.  The point is, planning at least gives one a shot a savoring that vacation aura for as long as possible.  Erin's tips are listed below, and my comments are below hers (if I may be so bold): HOW TO MAKE THE LAST DAY COUNT Do pack early, perhaps even as you go along. I pack as we go along -- particularly on the long trips.  In fact by week 3, I don't even open one of the suitcases as it is dedicated to bags of laundry collected along the way. No, I'm not bothered by it at home. This is what you don't want to happen Do book a special meal or excursion. As I've written before, we've ended two long trips with incredible dinners at L'Atelier Joel Robouchon (London and Hong Kong).  Highly recommend this practice wherever you are ... Do ask locals where they'd go if they had a last day in town.   If you're at a good hotel, USE your concierge to weigh in on what you should not miss. I'll admit to asking a random concierge some questions if we're out and about in a city, even if it's not our hotel, but only a few questions.  It is their livelihood.  And we like engaging locals at restaurants ... you can learn so much.  Do catch the final sunset, perhaps with a cocktail in hand. The Four Seasons, Kuda Huraa Maldives, happened to have a sunset cocktail party while we waited for our transport to the airport.  It was a perfect ending. Do talk about what you loved about the trip. This drives the kids crazy.  But I persist and the hubby goes along.  Called "High Point/Low Point" Do find some alone time if you're traveling with children, even if just a short stroll. This applies to traveling with adult children -- they want their alone time as well. Do save something you're looking forward to for the last day. Shopping! Unless obviously you see something you can't live without and don't want to take a chance that it's the last one on the planet.  Yes, I've used that logic.  Don't choose something weather-dependent. See my opening comments. Don't check work email on the last day. If you're fortunate to really get away, congrats.  The hubby and I are both sole proprietors of our businesses so checking work email while we travel is just part of the equation.  We manage to compartmentalize pretty well ...  Don't choose an activity that requires lots of transportation-save that for the trip home!

Couldn't agree more -- get out and walk around, even if it is at the airport.  You have lots of sitting ahead of you ...

VISITING ATLANTA & MIAMI HOTSPOTS .. LITERALLY

Baseball -- specifically visiting new parks -- is the ONLY reason to go to Atlanta & Miami in June, at least for me and the hubby who are humidity adverse to say the least.  But one must go when one can, and this relatively short jaunt fit our calendar.   In addition to exploring local cuisine, we saw some family and friends.

It is an understatement that I wasn't always a baseball fan.  Upon committing to the hubby -- your basic lifelong worshiper of the game -- I resisted for the first few years. But then the 1988 World Series happened.  I was not there for the famous Gibson walk-off, but the hubby was.  Fortunately at the time I didn't know what I didn't know; and, by the time I did, it was too late to feel bad about missing that historic home run.

Not that I have been deprived, mind you.   I witnessed the heyday of Bruin basketball, led by the Wizard of Westwood, and attended every game.  I was at every home Lakers game my senior year of high school. I was at the Jerry West 63-foot shot.  I went to Rams games and the 1984 Olympics.   In short, I was a raised as a lover of sports.  Just never baseball.

Flash forward, and this trip represents visits to my 36th and 37th MLB stadiums. Not only am I willing to go, I look forward to this!   My only requests (which the hubby knows well): good seats that are out of the sun.  

First up was Atlanta's brand new Sun Trust Park, located in the suburb of Marietta, in it's inaugural season.  No one could provide an answer as to why Turner Field was shuttered after just 20 years (it will now be the home of Georgia State football), but the new stadium "hits it out of the park" for many reasons.

Baseball fans find each other -- especially when wearing gear that gets one's attention (O's in this case)

It is easy to get to, particularly via Uber.  The food choices are really pretty vast, and delicious.  The scoreboard is incredible.  And there are sunscreen stations liberally located throughout the park, a nice touch considering there is no roof.  We particularly enjoyed their ode to years past with tons of memorabilia, an appropriate tribute to Hammerin' Hank Aaron, etc. This is a storied franchise and the longest by years running in baseball history. Now, if only they would get rid of the annoying Tomahawk Chop, all would be well.

Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz trifecta

Hank's historic #44

The game wasn't interesting -- the Braves got clobbered by the Brewers -- but we encountered many who were there for the same reasons as we were, to see what the Park is all about.

Beautiful sentiment by the Braves, leaving a seat always unoccupied.	Excellent bbq
Worth the wait??	Without a doubt?

While in Atlanta, we had a terrific meal at Rathbun's, one of four restaurants from local premier chef Kevin Rathbun.  And I highly recommend the downtown Ritz Carlton where we got a terrific weekend rate.  By the way, the decision to rely on Uber instead of renting a car was a savings -- not just on the rental itself, but not needing hotel parking which can be pricey.   

Dinner at Rathbun's:  trout above

Excellent lamb

Sunday night baseball at the hotel bar -- the Dodgers come from behind to win!

Miami was the next stop -- flying in and out of Fort Lauderdale -- for our first visit to Marlins Park, opened in 2012.  I rarely fly Delta, but I must say I was impressed with how well both their hub and flight were operated.  Ft. Lauderdale was quite central to seeing friends in Boca (loved Abe & Louie's), Delray Beach and provided excellent access to the I-95.

Lunch with Mark Zeidman above and dinner (right) with Stephanie & Ned Siegel, all friends from Boca.

Marlins Park to me was unremarkable.  The best thing about it? Nobody goes to the games so great seats are always available!  And the parking structures provide a short walk, so that's a good thing.  It's a shame more people don't attend, considering the team has a good roster ... but so far, this year is all about the Boys in Blue, aka our beloved Dodgers, who just keep winnin' games. This is too much fun!

Left, with Uncle Mike & Shelley Stone, who live in Boynton Beach.

Below, probably the best feature of Marlins Park is the Bobblehead Museum, where players, announcers and others in MLB are featured in a rotating (slightly shaking) display.

 

For the flight home, I was able to try Jet Blue Mint -- their premium seats -- and justified the expense because of our 7 a.m. departure. Another home run!  I scored two cubbies -- a single "compartment" on either side of the aisle, with a truly fully-flat seat and lots of other fun amenities. My one complaint was the location of the headphone jack which required a contortionist to operate.  Small concession; it was otherwise a terrific experience. 

The hubby settles in on the opposite side of the aisle, and my compartment.  Loved it!

IS INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL TOO STRESSFUL? YOU DECIDE ..

It's not a stretch that the hubby and I are pretty experienced travelers, having now gone to more than 60 countries.  That certainly helped with the series of cluster "challenges" incurred in short order on the recent trip to India, The Maldives and Western Australia.

 

The story begins with pretty straightforward transport:  Depart the Maldives via Sri Lankan Air for the short flight to Colombo (Sri Lanka), then 2-½ hours later depart for Perth via Singapore Air with a plane change in Singapore.

The flight out of Male was delayed about 30 minutes (hence a shorter transfer time). We were told that we needed to clear immigration in Colombo, pick up our checked bags and transfer them to Singapore Air for the remainder of the trip. No problem; right?

First up: Immigration will not let us enter Sri Lanka without a Visa. Well, we're not actually entering the country, other than the distance to the baggage carousel. If we can't enter, how then do we collect our bags? We were told to talk to the folks at the Sri Lankan Air transfer desk (the one with the very long line). A fellow traveler noticed my rising level of concern and urged me to go to the front of the line, which I did. I was then told, no problem -- we'll transfer the bags for you. Really?  Like American transferring bags to United?? Sounds fishy at best ..

Does this image make YOUR blood pressure go up??  Deep breaths ...

A short time later (seemed like an eternity), we were then told that Singapore Air will neither accept the bags, nor, most importantly, us, because we don't have an EVisitor Visa for Australia. What?? Since when do Americans need a Visa for Australia (we didn't when last visited in 2010)??? Oh, in the last year.  And then the inevitable words were invoked:  "Let me speak to your supervisor." Tick, tock .. we're now less than an hour from departure.

We were then told by the supervisor: "Sorry; we spoke to the Australian Embassy and, indeed, no entry without Visas. But, you can apply online for immediate approval!"  I was so frazzled at this point, I dashed to the airline lounge for wifi with tablet in hand. Get this, our passports and travel details were with Mr. Supervisor as I embarked on the rush visas. Remarkably I have entered the passport details so often I have them memorized, including issue and expiration dates, not to mention our credit card details.  Ten minutes and two applications later for $70 each ($60 of which was the surcharge for immediate processing), I dashed back to the desk with the confirmation numbers in hand!

Twenty minutes before departure, Mr. Supervisor comes back to deliver not only our passports but luggage tags and boarding cards ... well, for me.  The hubby's visa had not been approved (a vast conspiracy??).  No worries, this will get us at least to Singapore to deal with it there.   

A mad dash to the gate, where we were already "known" and immediately board. Just before take-off, we were given a handwritten boarding card for the hubby's second flight. He predicted the suitcases at best were a 50/50 shot for arriving in Perth with us, but at least we were on our way.   We followed directions to visit the airline transfer desk in Singapore so they could further track the bags and help assuage any concerns.  

As we're descending in to Perth, one of the flight crew asked me if we needed assistance on the ground with our issue. What's interesting about that?  I never shared the situation with any flight crew ... they just knew! As soon as we were off the plane, yet another supervisor was there to help, who contacted baggage personnel who indicated the bags were accounted for. And, true to his word, that gentleman was there at the luggage carousel when we happily received our stuff ...  

So we made it.  What's the moral of this story? 1) Do not acquiesce. While I was securing the visas, the supervisor said to the hubby: "You're not going to make your flight." His (calm) reply: "Yes, we will." Don't be daunted by a few inevitable challenges. And, 2), which was learned the hard way, check EVERY country for entrance requirements in advance. Who knows, maybe we'll need a visa to go to Canada soon.

Finally, a huge shout out to the folks at both Sri Lankan Air and Singapore Air (the latter well deserving of #1 airline status). They were ultimately incredible while just trying to both follow the endless rules and provide us with "how to" information, for which we were enormously grateful. Maybe, too, I had a bit more delicious Aussie wine as a result.  Cheers, mate!

All smiles, all the time .. the nicest!