Sections
Just a few short days until our honeymoon! Here’s a brief overview of where we’re headed and how we’re getting there:
Our 24,606 mile trip will take us to 10 countries (including connections) over 16 days:
Part 1 -New York
We’ll fly from Charleston-JFK to New York-JFK on Delta…
…and spend 1 night in the city to get our fill of the Christmas spirit.
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
Part 2 – Bali, Indonesia
Our award ticket starts in New York as we fly out of New York-LGA and, appx 33 hours later, land in Denpasar, [...]
Both Starwood and Hyatt promise “guaranteed room availability” for their top tier elites. I was forced to put this to the test on a recent business trip to Charlotte where I already had a few nights booked but needed to add an extra night on the front end of the stay. As a result of the conference and a Monday Night Football game downtown (thanks for nothing, Carolina Panthers), ALL Starwood and Hyatt properties in ALL of the Charlotte area (yes, including those 20+ miles from Downtown) were sold out.
StarwoodThe official policy at Starwood is “guaranteed room availability when your room is booked by 3 p.m., 72+ hours prior to arrival” with the [...]
Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead – Hyatt Category 5 3300 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30305 Award Redemption: 12,000 pts Normal rate: Varies b/t $206-$329, average around $296 Hyatt Gold Passport points return: 1.72 – 2.67 cents/points = average return
BOOKING/CHECK-INThe hotel has a rather grand entrance (quite fitting, no?), with a pull-through valet area situated pretty far back on the lot, getting you away from busy Peachtree Road. The valet will charge $32/night to park it for you; alternatively, you can leave the car with them for 15-30 mins and then park it yourself in Hyatt garage for $20/night. To access the garage, you’ll have to cross the [...]
Widespread Panic 11/12/13 Fall Tour 2013 Review – November 12, 2013 – Modell Performing Arts Center – Baltimore, MD
See below for videos, the audio quality on the camera was pretty bad so most videos are using audio from Todd’s source available for download here: http://www.panicstream.com/vault/widespread-panic-11122013-baltimore-md/. Thanks for the audio, Todd!
Widespread Panic – “Goin’ Out West”
Widespread Panic – “Tortured Artist”
Widespread Panic – “All Time Low”
Widespread [...]
Until about 10 minutes ago, I had absolutely no idea that Costco has a Hyatt discount code for members.
Now, this is not to be confused with “Costco Travel,” which is basically just an online travel agency no different than Orbitz or Expedia:
The Deal
Using Costco’s discount code can save you big when booking Hyatt hotels. A few samples:
Grand Hyatt New York (Dec 13-14): AAA $495 vs Costco $425 (14% cheaper than AAA) Hyatt Chicago Magnificent Mile (Oct 23-35): AAA $200 vs Costco $206 (3% higher than AAA) Grand Hyatt Seattle (Oct 23-25): AAA $267 vs Costco $240 (10% cheaper than AAA) Grand Hyatt Seattle [...]Widespread Panic 11/9/13 Fall Tour 2013 Review – November 9, 2013 – US Cellular Center – Asheville, NC
See below for videos, the audio quality on the camera was pretty bad so most videos are using audio from Z-Man’s source available for download here: http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=568152. Thanks for the audio, Z-Man!
Widespread Panic – Saturday (Night 2)Widespread Panic – “Love Tractor”
Widespread Panic – “Henry Parsons Died”
Widespread Panic – “From The Cradle”
The Priority Club PointBreaks list has been updated through January 31, 2014! Below is a list of all of the hotels that IGH/PriorityClub Rewards is offering for just 5,000 pts a night. Don’t forget that you can buy 5,000 points for just $35, which basically allows you to book any of the rooms below for just $35/night:
Check our tutorial on how to book rooms for $35 / night
When you’re ready to book (note, booking starts Friday November 1): Click here to go to the PointsBreaks site (the new IHG site)
Good values that I’m seeing:
Overall, the list is much better than the past few– probably the best all year. The highlights are [...]3895 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC $-$$ – Appx 15 CAD for 2 people. Sandwiches/Subs, Eastern European, Delicatessen
Without fail, everything we read pointed us to Schwartz’s Deli, as the must-try restaurant in Montreal. Sure enough, when we walked up to the deli, the line was wrapped along the outside of the building, but moved surprisingly fast – we were seated in less than 10 minutes. So, don’t let that long line fool you into giving up.
We got lucky and were seated at the only two-seater table, in the very back of the restaurant. Every other table in the small restaurant sat eight people, and different sized parties were suddenly eating [...]
Widespread Panic & Umphrey’s McGee 10/4/13 & 10/5/13 Fall Tour 2013 Review – October 4 & 5, 2013 – Family Circle Stadium – Charleston, SC
Umphrey’s took the stage right at 6pm starting their 1hr 15min set. By 7:50pm, Widespread Panic took the stage to start their first set.
Review from JamBands.com:
Widespread Panic and Umphrey’s McGee wrapped up a two night run at the Family Circle Stadium in Charleston, SC last night. The weekend featured headlining shows from Panic preceded by opening sets from Umphrey’s. While the two bands didn’t collaborate on night one, they certainly made up for it on Saturday night as [...]
