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Always Packed for Adventure!

It's the destination and the journey.

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San Diego Zoo- 2019

In our last months of living in California, we went on several weekend trips to make it easier for our realtors to sell our house. In reality, it was easier for us, because we didn’t want to live in a constant state of “keeping everything perfect” as we waited for prospective buyers, so we hit the road and made the most of our time in California.

One of our weekends was to San Diego, where Dan splurged on annual passes to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. At that point, we thought that we would be moving from Big Bear Lake, back to the Los Angeles area. We had no idea that life would soon take us to Colorado and that it would be the only weekend that we would use our passes.

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I have fond childhood memories of visiting the San Diego Zoo with my amazing Godparents ( Aunt Lee and Uncle George), who lived in San Diego for many years. Among my most cherished possessions are the Christmas ornaments that Uncle George used to send to me every year, and among those are two from the San Diego Zoo Association, which he specifically sought out when I started volunteering at the Los Angeles Zoo as a teen.

We arrived when the zoo opened, on a cloudy, humid day in late September.

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The San Diego Zoo is massive, but we didn’t encounter huge crowds during our visit. We able to really enjoy the animals without excessive noise, which is always better for both visitors and the residents. One of my biggest pet peeves is noise at the zoo, as a child I was always taught that visiting a zoo is like visiting a library, whispers only.

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Our first stop was the koalas. In my experience, usually the koalas ( or as Dan calls them “drop bears” from his years of living in Australia) are usually in the trees resting. Like this…

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But we encountered one very active koala. He was racing around his enclosure and scratching on the door, all in anticipation of food from his keeper. We had a nice chat with his keeper as she was prepping his food. Apparently, this guy is the only koala who is extra eager in the mornings.

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It was early and I had not had any coffee yet, so a nap was in order.

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On the African Rocks we saw Hamadryas Baboons.

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We continued around the zoo to see several smaller exhibits, including our favorite animal and world’s largest rodent, the Cabybara!

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Elephant Odyssey is one of the most popular areas of the San Diego Zoo.

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The llamas provided the crazy moment of the day. They were all very calm until a visitor walked by with a service dog, which caused them to respond aggressively, bucking, growling, and running wild. The dog, a sweet golden retriever, was clueless at the chaos that it was causing. We researched and learned that llamas are very territorial, guard animals with regard to perceived threats, including dogs.

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Next, it was on to big cat territory.

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The last time that I visited the San Diego Zoo was back in the late 90’s, when I was taking an animal biology class and I had to complete an animal observation project. I really wanted to study Bonobos, which are a species of great apes that we did not have at our local Greater Los Angeles Zoo. Bonobos are the closest living relatives to humans and they walk upright, on two legs for sustained periods. They are incredible to watch. My mom, who was always very supportive, drove with me to San Diego ( 4 hours each way) and read a book, while I spent the entire day with the bonobos. It was a long day and one of many memories of my mom always supporting my goals and education.

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I was absolutely delighted to discover that the zoo has a popular orangutan named Karen! Coincidentally, I also love to twirl on bamboo polls and roll around on the ground.

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One of my all-time favorite zoo encounters was with the hippos at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I was scheduled to take a behind the scenes tour and employees allowed me to enter the park prior to opening. I had about an hour before my tour/ park opening, to observe the hippos, watching a mother and baby play in the water. They were so active, including the baby giving me curious looks through the glass. I was alone with them. A truly magical moment on my Disney vacation. The hippos are always a favorite stop, even when they are napping.

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When I was part of the behavioral research department at the Los Angeles Zoo, I had the privilege of contributing observation hours towards an international polar bear study, which the San Diego Zoo and Sea World, were also participants. Visiting the polar bears is always a must.

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One of the non-animal highlights was a ride on the skyway. The zoo is vast. It has both the skyway and a tram system to help visitors navigate the terrain. Of course, these both come with a small extra fee. The skyway has beautiful views of both the zoo and San Diego.

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This sign feels very personal.

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And finally, those damn flamingos. For those not in the know, I spent over 2000 hours observing flamingos at the LA Zoo and I have a love/hate relationship with the birds.

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We had a wonderful day at the San Diego Zoo. It’s a stunning park that does so much for conservation, education, and animal welfare. I was disappointed that we didn’t have the opportunity to use our passes more than once, but it was also a good feeling that the money spent on the passes went to a great organization.

tags: San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo 2019, Best Zoos in the United States, Best Zoos in the World, Selling Our House in California, Tips for Selling a House, Godparent Traditions, San Diego Zoo Koalas, San Diego Zoo Golden Lion, San Diego Zoo Statues, Our Visiti to the San Diego Zoo, Tips for Visiting the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Christmas Ornament, San Diego Zoo Annual Pass, Karen the Orangutan San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, San Diego Zoo Flamingos, San Diego Zoo Elephants, San Diego Zoo Skyway, San Diego Zoo Arial Tram, San Diego Zoo Tram, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Polar Bear Research, San Diego Zoo Annual Passes, Koala Sculpture, elephant odyssey san diego zoo, Our Trip to San Diego, Things to do in San Diego, San Diego Attractions, Family Attractions in San Diego, Llamas and Dogs, Llamas hate dogs, Don't Feed the Squirrels, I Hate Flamingos, Best Views of San Diego
categories: Eat, Life, Visit
Tuesday 08.03.21
Posted by Karen Lea Germain
 

Summer 2021- Las Vegas Resorts World

It has been over a decade since a new resort has come to the Las Vegas Strip. In early July, we had the opportunity to stay at the three-week old Resorts World.

We used to be frequent visitors to Las Vegas, which was just over three hours from our home in Big Bear Lake. We eloped at the Aria and even my Swedish step kids have been to “Sin City” several times. It was our home away from home. However, a move to Colorado and covid meant that nearly two years have elapsed since our last visit.

This was a spur of the moment idea, as we decided to trade one of our planned nights in Palm Springs for the opportunity to stay at the Conrad in Resorts World.

This is a view of the Conrad, as we pulled up to the property. On the lower half, you can see some the Circus Circus building, which is an unfortunate trashy neighbor for Resorts World.

This is a view of the Conrad, as we pulled up to the property. On the lower half, you can see some the Circus Circus building, which is an unfortunate trashy neighbor for Resorts World.

We were expecting the property to be busy, but we walked into the lobby to find it dead. The lobby is both serene and whimsical. In particular, I liked the pink elephant artwork behind reception.

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Reception is where we encountered our first disappointment with the level of service. My husband waited several minutes without being acknowledged, as staff chatted amongst themselves, clearly having seen him. Throughout our stay we encountered slow waits at the valet and the phone line to call to have our vehicle pulled up for us, was not working.

In fact, their system for calling staff simply didn’t work. It relies on leaving messages on a phone line, rather than speaking with a live operator. We left many messages and never received replies. It was frustrating.

The employee at reception gave us bottles of branded water and escorted us to the elevator bank. This was a nice touch, although his attitude was aloof, rather than welcoming. We felt a bit odd at tipping the guy for showing us the elevators, especially as his service at check-in was less than stellar, but did it out of expectation.

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Here is the big mirror by the elevators, perfect for vacation snaps.

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And the hallway.

The halls smelled like fresh paint and chemicals. It was definitely still new, but I prefer the fake floral scents that the Bellagio mists everywhere. The chemical smell was overpowering.

The halls smelled like fresh paint and chemicals. It was definitely still new, but I prefer the fake floral scents that the Bellagio mists everywhere. The chemical smell was overpowering.

Our room was well appointed and comfortable. I like the fragrance of the bath products called Mojave Ghost. I also loved the plush hotel robes. Hotel robes are one of my favorite ammenities.

The room had a few problems, the biggest being that we could not connect to the internet. It was like we were in a dead zone of the hotel. Although we had two queen beds, we were not give enough towels for everyone, the body wash dispenser in the shower had not been refilled, and several items were missing from our mini-bar, although we were not charged. Normally, we would just call the front desk for help, but as mentioned above, their system for calling employees was also broken.

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We had views facing the Stratosphere and Circus Circus, so not lovely, but also, technically a “strip view.”

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Since we only had one evening, our main goal was to hit the pool complex. The pool area was nice, with separate sections for young children and adults. The adult area had a cool infinity pool, unfortunately, the view from the infinity pool was a dusty construction zone. When the construction is complete, it might be an awesome view. The main pool is a long, rectangular shape, making it easy to find sun beds just a few steps from the water. It also featured lounge chairs in the water, which I very much enjoyed.

The pool was good, but we were again, disappointed in the lack of service. There was no poolside cocktail service, walk-up bar only. Also, we were out for a few hours and saw no employees cleaning up the piles of trash and used towels that had been abandoned by people finished with their pool day. The area was a mess and kind of gross. Even the kids commented on the lack of cleanliness.

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Later in the evening, we briefly stepped inside the shopping/dining part of Resorts World, as my husband had to hunt for an ATM. We only scratched the surface regarding the things to see and I was very impressed with this portion of the resort. Whether or not I ever stay here again, I will certainly return to dine, shop, and play! The enormous globe with projections was mesmerizing.

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I loved the whimsy of the casual eatery “Sun’s Out Bun’s Out”, which had egg shaped chairs!

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We didn’t have a chance to visit it, but Resorts World also has a large food hall with stalls featuring fancy asian street food. I want to go back with an empty stomach.

My husband did speak with the manager to express our disappointment at check-out. I kept thinking that the problems were from lack of staff due to covid, but the manager confirmed that it was new hotel teething issues.

We felt liked we had made a very bad choice leaving the magnificent Waldorf Astoria in Palm Springs for the Conrad in Vegas. We are very loyal to the Hilton Brand, spending many weeks ( if not months) a year on Hilton properties, and left the Conrad feeling even more disappointed that the manager acknowledged the many problems, but didn’t offer any apology or compensation. Something small on his part, even a warmly expressed apology, would have gone a long way.

I think my husband summed it up best when he stated that the Conrad is a convention hotel. It’s located directly across from the convention center and would be a perfectly adequate hotel if you came for business. It reminded me of The Palms. It’s a trendy, mid-range hotel on the strip. The Conrad is pitched as a luxury hotel, but the true high-end property at Resorts World is Crockfords, which we didn’t realize until we had already booked the Conrad. We might be enticed to stay at Crockfords, but we would likely wait a year or so, to allow them to settle in.

tags: Resorts World Las Vegas, Pictures Resorts World Las Vegas, Review Resorts World Las Vegas, Conrad Las Vegas, Conrad Las Vegas review, Conrad Las Vegas Pictures, Conrad Las Vegas Pool, Conrad Las Vegas Restaurants, Resorts Worlds Restaurants, Where to Eat at Resorts World, Our Visit to Resorts World Vegas, Newest Las Vegas Resort, Hiltons in Las Vegas, Best Vegas Hotels for Conventions, Vegas Hotels That Need to be Demolished, Circus Circus, Stratosphere, Crockfords Las Vegas, Fanciest Hotel at Resorts World, I Stayed at Resorts World, My Experience at Resorts World, Hilton Diamond Member, Hilton Diamond Member Resorts World, Sun's Out Bun's Out Resorts World, Resorts World Globe, Resorts World Theme, Resorts World Food Hall, Resorts World Location, Resorts World Parking, Impressions of Resorts World, Conrad Las Vegas Lobby, Where to Stay in Las Vegas, Resorts World July 2021, Our Summer Vacation 2021, Resorts World with kids, Where to Stay in Las Vegas with Kids, Hotels with Teething Issues, Mojave Ghost, Views from Conrad Las Vegas, Infinity Pool Conrad Las Vegas, Infinity Pool Las Vegas, Children's Pool Conrad Las Vegas, Family Road trip 2021, Las Vegas Hotel Review, Las Vegas Hotel Tips
categories: Eat, Sleep, Visit
Thursday 07.29.21
Posted by Karen Lea Germain
 

Yachting Adventure!

Back in September 2019, our friend’s Bryan and Valerie invited us on an afternoon of yachting that they won in a charity auction. Our friend’s Greg and Susan were also invited. The six of us definitely equal trouble!

I’ve been on many different types of boats, but this was my first time on a yacht.

It was a warm, early fall day in Long Beach, California, where we set off from the marina for a three hour tour. You’re welcome for getting the Gilligan’s Island theme stuck in your head!

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Our vessel was the Connemara.

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I don’t remember the names of the two co-captains/ co-owners, but they were very welcoming and even prepared a picnic style lunch for us. Sub sandwiches for the win!

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We sailed past the iconic Queen Mary, which I have had the pleasure of visiting many times. It’s truly a historic landmark in Los Angeles.

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Here we all are enjoying the salty air and sparkling sunshine.

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A few shots of the yacht, including the interiors.

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Our day was lovely and relaxing, until the wind picked up and the yacht leaned so dramatically that I was certain that we were going to capsize.

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We did not capsize, but it was tense for about twenty minutes.

We headed back as the sun was starting to set.

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Back at the marina.

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We ended our day with cocktails at the Shoreline Yacht Club, which is for exclusive use by members of the club, so it was a special experience to be guests of our captains. The drinks were strong and we drank too many!

We had a beautiful day on the ocean. A big thanks to Val and Bryan for including us in this experience. It was a bit extra special, because just over a month later, we would move to Colorado, far away from my beloved Pacific Ocean.

tags: Shoreline Yacht Club Long Beach, Long Beach Marina, First Time on a Yacht, Yachting in Long Beach California, Connemara Yacht, Queen Mary Pictures, Queen Mary Long Beach, Review of the Queen Mary, Owning a Yacht in Los Angeles, Moved from California to Colorado, Pacific Ocean, Picture Long Beach California, Los Angeles Landmarks, Pictures of Long Beach Marina, Special Moments with Friends, Yachting with Friends, Missing California, September 2019, Exclusive Club Los Angeles, A Three Hour Tour, Gilligan's Island Theme, Queen Mary Review
categories: Eat, Visit
Tuesday 07.20.21
Posted by Karen Lea Germain
 
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