1. They want to go to the beach – and I completely understand why – but they do it in August? I’ve never been to the UK, but it seems like August is a month I actually want to be in the British Isles. January, however, I want out.
2. They only take 1 week. I thought all the Euros took multiple weeks off every year? Isn’t that what all the “Europe has a better quality of life” people tell us?
3. They’re all about the all inclusive deal. I’m wondering if this is just a function of the world economy or the fact that people from the UK want to drink their arses off without paying per drink…

Anyways, enjoy.

Data courtesy of travelmatch. Data based on searches conducted through travelmatch‘s travel discovery engine.

Iowa?

Yellowstone?

Canada?

Estes Park, Colorado?

If you guessed Yellowstone, then you’re right. We were there before all the snow melted, before the grizzly bear attacked and killed a man, and before Exxon managed to tick off thousands of environmentalists and locals. It was a nice way to kick off the summer.

The best part? We got to see family.

And we also got to see all those things mentioned in the headline.

Bison

Black bear

Surprisingly, we didn’t get any shots of elk or cowboy hats…they were everywhere! But if you want to see a camouflage ball cap, see the first image above. (There were definitely more camouflage hats than cowboy hats. We know because we really did count!)

The wildlife viewing opportunities in Yellowstone are out of this world. Really, you can’t visit without seeing something amazing…right outside your car window. Just expect to spend a lot of time in the car since the park is massive. You should also bring your walking shoes, because the trails around the geysers and to the waterfalls are well worth it.

Few other Yellowstone travel tips:

• Make everyone in the car promise to make only one fart joke during the trip. It DOES stink. Well, it smells like sulfur and some people (usually men) can’t help but comment.
• It might be cold! Yellowstone in June is brrrrrrr. Wear layers.
• Bring hand sanitizer. There aren’t many facilities up in ‘em hills, so you’ll be using these fancy porta potty type things. No sinks…or at least not very many.
• Pack a good picnic lunch. Again, there aren’t many facilities. Thankfully, my sister thought ahead. She brought sandwiches, chips, sodas, and all the other things you need for a good picnic.

Thanks, Jen!

So…instead of wasting anymore time, I thought I’d make a fun video. Congrats to Betsy and Kris!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

We’re already thinking about all the places we’d like to visit over the next few years. Florida, Wisconsin, California, Mexico, South America, Iowa, Texas, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Belize, New York, Massachusetts…man, maybe we should buy an RV now instead of later.

None of our travel plans are set yet. Business is booming, and we agree that we’re pretty darn lucky to be hanging out here in Colorado. The mountain views are amazing, and, slowly but surely, we’re learning to breath at high altitudes again.

Our new place is quite nice. It’s about twice the size and has about three times the light than our New York apartment. On top of that, our landlord, RJ Kern, is a nice guy. No more impersonal corporate management company.

RJ also happens to be a photographer and runs his own photography business, Kern Photo. He graciously took our photos, so that we could use them as professional head shots. Here are few…don’t you think Jason looks handsome?

In New York, Moe loved the buildings, the smells, the excitement, and, most of all, he loved his friends. Meet Lucy. She’s a cute lil’ beagle we met at the dog park who came over to play once or twice.

Click here to view the embedded video.

When the time came for us to pack up and leave New York, Moe knew something was amiss. He was sad.

To our surprise, though, he did great in the car back to Colorado. He slept the whole way, except when we stopped at the beach, truck stop, or in Iowa to visit our family. Here’s a fun video from our stop in Manasquan, New Jersey, and a few photos from the road trip.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now that we’re in Colorado, Moe’s life has changed. He has three times as much space, there is grass within 10 feet of the front door, and, for goodness sakes, he’s finally gotten a window…and with mountain views no less!

The great thing about living in our new Colorado neighborhood is the nearby hiking and dog park. Moe’s got at least 10x more dog park to run around in and nothing tuckers out this guy like a nice Saturday afternoon hike.

Moe has a Facebook page! Connect with him there for more pics and fun updates. Become Moe’s friend.

But…I thought it would be good to wrap up our NYC stay with a list of the good and the bad.

30 Things I’ll Miss About New York

1. The smell of flowers outside the bodegas
2. Meeting all the different dogs on the street
3. Running through Central Park and getting lost
4. Subway musicians
5. Chicken Festival
6. Having so many visitors!
7. Brownstones
8. Being a tourist (does her arm ever get tired?)

9. Cabs
10. Mass transit (a bus stop right outside my doorway!)

11. Celebrity sightings
12. People watching
13. City art

14. Street food

15. Food tours
16. The NYC ice cream walk (think of it like Sunday driving, but on your feet and with an ice cream cone)
17. Cheap manicures and pedicures
18. Living near the water

19. Our friends
20. Pizza!
21. The library
22. Urban parks

23. The knishes from the deli down the street
24. Free delivery for EVERYTHING
25. Our neighbor, the parakeet, who woke me up with a cat call every morning
26. The skyline

27. The wine shop in our building
28. Window shopping
29. PopBar (gelato on a stick)

30. Museums (this picture came from The Cloisters)

A Few Things I Won’t Miss About New York

1. The fear of bed bugs
2. Smell of trash
3. Tiny apartments
4. The grocery store
5. Scurrying mice, rats, and cockroaches

As for the ugly, there’s not too much about New York that I’d consider ugly. Well, except for those bed bugs!

On this particularly day, the sky was clear and the temperatures reached the upper 70s. We were well rested, hydrated, and the camera had batteries. We were prepared.

First stop, Lexington Candy Shop.

No, we didn’t eat candy for breakfast. We ate french toast and eggs. If it weren’t for the fact that they didn’t offer refills on the coffee and that the wait staff paid no attention to us at all, we might recommend it. But don’t be fooled by its claim to fame. Just because it’s the oldest soda counter in New York, doesn’t mean it’s worth visiting.

Next stop, the Metropolitan Museum to see the exhibit American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity. Jake and Jason couldn’t get enough of those ball gowns.

Once we’d had enough of the museum, we hopped on the subway and headed downtown to the Lower East Side by way of Little Italy. We needed some coffee and cannoli (need I remind you we were operating on only one cup) and chose to stop by Caffe Roma on a whim.

They look so happy, don’t they? Dessert before noon will do that to people.

After we practically licked our plates clean, we moved on down the road to the Tenement Museum where we learned about New York City immigrant life from the 1880s to the 1930s. The tour was great, but I think my expectations were too high. It wasn’t nearly as “fascinating” as I had hoped. Maybe it was because I had my mind on something else…

Meatballs!

Jason and I heard about The Meatball Shop on the Food Network and insisted on making it part of the tour. Between the four of us we shared spicy pork meatballs covered in creamy parmesan sauce and a classic beef meatball hero with classic tomato sauce and a side salad. Maybe it was a spicy pork with classic tomato and beef with creamy parmesan…hmmm, I can’t remember. But what I do remember is that the food was dee-lish-ous.

Side note: It was difficult not to think about calorie count at this point in the tour, which is why I made a rule that no calories could be discussed throughout the course of the tour. I’ll thank you to do the same.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yea, meatballs.

After The Meatball Shop we walked up the street to Katz Delicatessan. You know, the famous deli from When Harry Met Sally.

Word on the street is that you must order the pastrami sandwich from Katz. I didn’t think I even liked pastrami and for $14 a pop I resented the idea of it! But I’m a team player. I agreed try it as part of the Lancaster New York City Food Tour.

Turns out I LOVE pastrami. A little mustard is all you need.

Stuffed and thirsty, we needed a drink. Who knows how long those pickles sat in the brine!

We headed into Soho for Bar 89 – a nice spot Jason and I discovered last summer – for one of my favorite cocktails. Can you say “coconut martini with chocolate shavings”?

I can. I can say “yum”, too.

If you look at the top of this next pic you can see the “Bar 89″ sign. It’s a bit nondescript. I guess you need little signs and big cocktails to be considered cool in New York.

Eager to see more of the city, we headed west to Chelsea and High Line Park. If you plan to visit NYC anytime soon, I definitely recommend you visit High Line Park. The combination of a retired elevated subway line and beautiful gardens make for quite a sight. Instead of me telling you the history, I think you’re better off reading the sign.

Look! You can see two turkeys sitting on that bench.

Told you this place rocked.

Still not quite ready for dinner, we walked through Hell’s Kitchen for awhile, stopped in the Apple store to play with the iPad, and then put our name on the list at The International Grand Sichuan. To say that Jason likes Chinese food would be an understatement. He lives for it.

No food tour can end without dessert. Seeing how Paige turned another year older on this day, cupcakes were in order. Happy birthday, Paige!

Twelve hours and seven food stops equal one successful NYC food tour.

ps – If you like this post, you might like some of my other posts over at SaucyDipper.com where I talk sauces, dips, bacon, and recipes.

2. When shopping for an authentic Rolex in Battery Park, don’t pay more than $20 (see previous post).

3. If you are going to a Yankees game and want to tour the museum, arrive a couple hours early. The lines are long and things close before the start of the game. (Below pic: Husband, Jason and Brother, Mike)

4. Wear comfortable shoes, bring an umbrella, drink plenty of water (tap water ok), and if you can’t read a map, don’t be afraid to ask for directions. New Yorkers love to give directions (read: sarcasm).

5. Speaking of directions and maps, the Metropolitan Museum can be tough to navigate. When asking a docent for directions, ask him or her to walk you there if they can. It took us at least 30 minutes to find the rooftop. (Below pic: Me and my sister, Jen)

6. Visit Coney Island, but skip the hot dog. Corn dogs are where it’s at. (Below pic: Jason looking forward to a dog)

7. One more thing about Coney Island. When visiting the magic machines, don’t ask “to be big.” Tom Hanks had trouble with that one. (Below pic: Jen asking grandma about her future)

8. David Letterman tickets may be hard to get, but Jimmy Fallon tickets are a breeze to get. Always call several weeks ahead, if you can. We lucked out and got tix to Letterman, which proves it’s not impossible. Just know that Fallon is a good back up. (Below pic: That’s Mike again)

9. If you are out enjoying the sights and need a restroom, find a Starbucks. They’re everywhere and usually have a public restroom. If that fails, access SitOrSquat.com from your phone.

10. Don’t overlook Brooklyn. The Manhattan views are great, the food dynamite, and the parks world class. Prospect Park even has waterfalls and paddle boats (illustrated by Jason in this pic here).

BONUS NYC TRAVEL TIP: Notice the pigeons crowding on the sidewalk before you. As you approach they will scatter and fly all about. Close your mouth to be safe. I recently had a pigeon poop on my face.

My brother-in-law Mike and my wife Sara. Mike just bought a genuine Rolex from some guy in Battery Park!

Unfortunately, a by-product of her good looks is the fact that she can often use them to hide her lack of vocabulary. Over the few years that I’ve known her, dozens of words (some of which are admittedly obscure) have escaped her. One of those words is curb, as in “Curb Your Dog.”

My wife didn't understand the meaning of this sign.

The word curb owes it’s existence to the French word courbe, which refers to a curved piece of wood or iron. In the 1200′s, a courbe was used in conjunction with a chain to control the movement of the family steed (steed, just in case you’re wondering, is essentially a synonym for “horse”).

As a result of this common use, courbe came to be synonymous with control or restraint. For example:

In the old days, if you wanted to keep someone from falling into the well in the backyard, you would build a little brick wall all the way around the hole. This brick wall came to be known as a “curb” because it restrained people from falling in the well.

Fast forward to the 20th century, and instead of talking about the curbs on a well, we’re talking about a curb on a street. Street curbs are designed to keep cars from driving on sidewalks…and this is where the confusion comes in. My wife thought that “curb your dog” literally meant to make sure your dog goes to the bathroom on or near the street curb. This is definitely a common misconception, as other people I know (who shall remain nameless) were uncertain of the meaning as well.

For all of the people who don’t know, a sign that says “curb your dog” means “control/restrain your dog.” More literally, it means “please don’t let your dog poop on this thing our sign is attached to.”

Curb your dog means don't let it ruin this little bit of greenery with it's stink.

Questions?

It’s not because I enjoy days of torrential rains and gusty winds off the East River, it’s because we get to play hooky and have fun in the sunshine.

Nice swing!

Now that it’s nice outside we have lots of time to enjoy the dog parks. Jason even sports his Okoboji t-shirt – a special gift from my parents. He makes them proud, I’m sure.

After six months of winter, it’s nice to see more New Yorkers enjoying nightlife outside rather than inside. People watching is better when its 60 degrees.

Aside from play time and t-shirt wearing, my favorite part about being in New York during April are the flowers.