Hilton Garden Inn Rockaway, NJ

This Hilton Garden Inn  Rockaway, NJ is right next to the Rockaway Townsquare Mall and the AMC theater. Just across the street is a busy Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant with a happy crowd. The inn has a lap swimming pool and small workout room with some weights, an elliptical machine and tread mill. 

If you work out, consider running the loop around the mall. It is a 1.5 mile circle of busy shopping traffic, but very accessible in the early mornings. The lap pool is large enough to provide a challenging swimming event.

It is close to the Quietman Irish Pub at http://www.quietmanpub.com/Quiet_Man_Pub/Welcome.html. This restaurant has steaks, seafood and vegetarian meals. The carrot cake is not to be missed.

Hilton Garden Inn, Annapolis

Twice in one week? Can it be? Yes, hopped to another hotel to earn those Hilton Points. Just down the road from the DoubleTree, the Hitlon Garden Inn Annapolis is in a very good location with great rooms and wonderful service.

The rooms are spacious and feature WIFI, remote printing, 32 inch flatscreen TV with DVD player, coffeemaker, refrigerator and microwave.

The Hilton Garden Inn is just 20 minutes from the Annopolis City Dock and the Naval Academy. Beautiful city worth checking out. I recommend the Federal House Bar and Grill for their great food and drink selection and friendly staff. I was in a light food mood and got the Crab Mango Salad, AWESOME! This meal consisted of fresh white crab meat, chunks of delicious mango, strawberry, greens and dressing.

DoubleTree Annapolis

The Doubletree Annapolis hotel is just 3 short miles from Naval Academy, state capital, and historic waterfront. The drive from Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) is not very long unless you arrive during high traffic times. It's centrally located in Annapolis, MD, between Washington DC and Baltimore and very close to major corporations and a shopping mall.

I chose to eat at nearby at Union Jack's British Pub. Monday nights feature the popular trivia game where the whole crew can get involved. The questions are tough and the fun is easy. If you go there, be sure to have the 1/2 price burgers during happy hour. The One Eye Jack on an english muffin or the regular hamburger on Challah bread are both filling and AWESOME.

The hotel has a large swimming pool for lap swimming and spacious rooms for relaxing. Since the area is well developed there are sidewalks for those fitness walks or jogs. The area is safe and easy to get around in. Again, most places are within walking distance, or you can take the courtesy shuttle operated by friendly drivers. A tip of a couple of bucks should cover a night out.

Homewood Suites by Hilton, Tukwila, Washington

Homewood Suites by Hilton is an excellent hotel in a very nice Tukwila location. It is nestled almost in the bend of the green river, next to small businesses and a fitness trail.

A very friendly staff welcomed us, but our rooms were not yet ready as we arrived just before check-in time. They offered to care for our baggage while we went sight seeing. That night they hosted a social with free dinner and drinks.

However, I chose to go out for dinner and drove to the neary by Stellar Pizza  in Georgetown neighborhood of South Seattle. This was described to me by a local as a "biker chick" place. The ambiance was very nice and the service warm. The wait staff and cooks really knew what they were doing. I enjoyed the chili and antipasta served with Italian bread and sweet cornbread.

I had time for a good workout outside as the very small fitness center was completely packed with three people. The fitness center did have two treadmills and an elliptical machine. Though there were no weights, they did have several medicin balls.

Staying in a hotel doesn't mean you can't exercise. Just make sure you prepare with the proper clothing before you travel.

Bring moisture wicking clothing...it dries faster

Hang them up on clothes hangers in the show...they will dry even faster

Spread a towel on the floor so you don't get hotel germs

Take advantage of local trails, but be careful while running in traffic

Get the weather forecast

Don't get lost

Watch your intake. Even healthy food in restaurants is saturated in fat stuff to make it taste better

When all else fails, take advantage of the hotel fitness centers.

Here's a good workout:

Stretch

20 push-ups

20 sit-ups

Run 3-5 miles

10 Jeffreys (burpees with 2 push-ups)

10 burpees with 1 push-up

10 burpees with 1 push-up

Plank for 2 minutes

Side plank for 2 minutes on each side

Stretch

Savannah Georgia

I spent the weekend of 19-23 July in the wonderful town of Savannah, Georgia. It was a rather unique gettaway as fellow veterans of HHC, 3ID arrived for our first annual reunion. This of course our first reunion since the 80's. During the time we served, the 3ID was headquartered in Wurzburg, GE. This time, we decided to meet in Savannah, GA, the new home of the 3d Infantry Division.

Our adventure took us to some rather fun and exciting adventures to include: deep sea fishing, golfing, eating, Karaoke-ing, and a ghosts of Savannah tour.

I flew to Savannah, GA using my Delta Sky Miles. It cost me 25,000 points and 10 dollars. What a deal. I was able to check my golf clubs for free proving an even better arrangement.

My flight to Atlanta proved uneventful and I relaxed anticipating the great weekend to come. Upon landing, I turned on my cell phone and met a rather urgent message about my flight to Savannah; CANCELLED.

Ugh! What to do next...I ran to the Delta help counter like the 3ID hero PFC Audie Murphy to man a blazing tank. Except my threat wasn't advancing German troops, but dwindling chances to make it in time for the next day's deep sea fishing adventure.

So, the flight gets cancelled because of mechanical problems. I can accept that. However, now I am on standby for the next three flights. Since they cancelled my full flight, so are about a 100 plus other irate passengers. The good news (they tell me) is that I'm confirmed on the 8 am flt to Savannah. I'm definitely going to miss the next day's 6am launch time.  Now what?

Post my woes on Facebook. No sooner than I did, I got a message to call my long lost Army buddy. So, I call him and he says he's nearby and will drive me to the reunion. What timing. So, away we went.

I make it to Savannah by 2330 hours (11:30 pm) and with plenty of time for reveille. So, here is how I spent my weekend:

Miss Judy Charters (http://www.missjudycharters.com/) proved an excellent shark fishing adventure. We set sail in our 21 foot boat at 0630 and moved out into the brackish Savanna waters. The boat is not covered, so if you go, wear sun screen and appropriate clothing. We dropped anchor and the captain provided fishing gear to catch our bait fish for the big sharks. I caught about 6 sharks and other 14 inch bait fish to hook the big ones with. Inspite of several good hits, including one that broke the rod, and the other one that took about 200 yards of 80 pound fishing line, we weren't able to land these huge creatures. However, I was happy with the bait fish catches as they were larger than any fish I've ever caught before.

Hunter Army Air Field's Hunter Golf Club Hunter Golf Club provided an excellent and extremely challenging golfing adventure. This is 18 holes of well kept greens with optical illusions and many par 4 and 5 holes. Since this is on an military reservation, you'll need to show a driver's license at the gate.

Golf cart and 18 holes cost $36 and club rentals are $12. I bought a bag of about 20 balls for $5.00, so it was a great deal. Check out the picture of the $18.00 golf towel.

The house from "Garden of Good and Evil"

I met Donna at Starbucks.  It was just one of those times I needed a good cup of coffee and rest after a day of golfing, river walking and sight seeing. Donna was just getting her group together for the Sixth Sense Savannah Ghost Tour http://www.sixthsensesavannah.com/. She told me that she was a ghost tour guide and gave me all the information I needed to go online and sign me and two buddies up for a Sunday night tour. A few days later we signed up and were instructed to meet at Clarys restaraunt parking lot at 1900 hours.  Donna recognized welcomed us. She told goose bump formiong and hair raising tales of murder, intrigue, and ghost hauntings during the two hour engagement. If you go, wear comfortable clothing and bring bug spray and an umbrella. You never know how the weather will turn.  Here's some tour info from the web page:

The Mercer House If we said Amtyville, we wouldn’t have to say much more! But after this story, you’ll want to add “Mercer” right in there with one of America’s most psychically overshadowing homes. It has a rap sheet as long as it is old!

Hampton-Lillibridge House
Once home to the famed “cemetery bed”, this house has seen unsolved murder, yellow fever deaths, illicit surgeries and a wide range of energy phenomenon. Looks like “The Haunted Mansion” in but this Bed & Breakfast is the real McCoy.

Colonial Park Cemetery (c.1750)
Cemeteries are famously dead but this one is rife with orbs and other anomalies. The oldest intact city cemetery was closed due to mass burial complications but has also been plagues by voodoo, root, hangings, duels and more.

The Royal Tenenbaum’s House
More than fiction and see the home where some of the characters lived. More importantly, hear about a galavanting child spirit and a Black Magic Talking Board that said too much.

Dr. Corsen’s House
The Ali-Baba’s cave of haunted houses. Few to none can claim over 50 years of observing spirits but this one is 2nd to none. Ranging from a famed & feared root doctor rearing children to an “illegal” church exorcism that expunged the ghost to the next life. Not to be missed!

The Savannah Theater
America’s oldest in operation and easily one of the most haunted. Frequented by John Wilkes Booth's brother, Fanny Kemble and Oscar Wilde. We have frequent access to its interior and this place feels more like a sanctuary to the dead than the arts. A common place for our guests to have sightings.

I've got to warn you, these stories are scary and Donna acknowledged that we may see an aparition of some sort. She encouraged us to take many pictures just in case. I didn't see anything during the tour, but the stories kept me awake for a while in my suddenly scary and dark hotel room.

The reunion was a smash hit, and I would definitely go again. Savannah was a wonderful town with lots of history. Definitely a must see. I am writing this from the Delta Sky Club on a nice computer and a lot of complimentary drinks and snacks. You can get your daily membership from the Delta Airlines Website for $39.00 or pay $50.00 at the welcome center. I recommend it if you have a 3 hour layover like me. Some more good news...Delta just compensated my cancelled flight with 5000 bonus points. Thanks Delta Air Lines.

Hampton Inn & Suites National Harbor / Alexandria Area

“Mr. Bennett, you are my special guest tonight.”

I smiled when I heard those words upon check in, because I knew what was coming next.

“As my special guest, we’ve upgraded your room.”

And upgrade they did. My room was a suite and with a beautiful view of the palatial Gaylord hotel just across the street.

My suite was spacious with a nice size flat screen TV, coffee maker and microwave. The lobby store provided great snacks for the late night munchies. The bathroom is large enough to move and groom, while the bed, chairs, coffee table and desk were comfortably spaced.

I had booked two of my three business trip nights at the Hampton Inn & Suites National Harbor / Alexandria Area. This wonderful hotel is built just a few blocks from the Potomac River just across the harbor from Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. It also has easy access to Fort Belvoir just 25 minutes from our hotel. Washington, D.C. is only 20 minutes away.

National Harbor is just a few short miles from Reagan National Airport (DCA) and well worth the drive. If you can travel before and after peak traffic hours, the drive to anywhere is pretty easy. However, for vacation purposes, you might not need to leave the area. If you do, you can drive, take a water taxi to Old Town or Georgetown and take further public transportation from there.

The National harbor boasts a lively mix of shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. I ate a great Salmon meal with a Mexican twist at Rosa Mexicana restaurant. Afterward, I walked along the marina.

For this trip, I booked the National Harbor for two days and stayed at another location for the third night (will write about that later). Let's just say that this was the best hotel of the week for the value and experience. I sighed up for double and triple points and received 15,300 points for the week.

Hiltonhopper-Identifying the travelers early.

Earlier this year my wife purchased plane tickets for the five of us. She bought the tickets through an online service eight months early to save money and ensure we had the proper arrangements. She verified the ages of the children and selected options to have the entire family sit together. We were pleased to have bought early and settled in for a great experience.

The expectations were due mostly to our naiveté. I’m an experienced business traveler and tend to travel alone. The more I fly alone the better I become at flying alone. I have no idea when it comes to traveling in a group…with children. I am pretty satisfied in most situations and can pretty much control what I can control (me).  

As the months rolled by, we began to receive changes in flights and itinerary and we saw our plan unravel. Soon, our entire family is scheduled in various parts of each leg of flights. I  called United Airlines to ensure we could all sit together. I discovered that the person on the other end could not change my seating.

“May I speak with someone with the authority to make the seat changes,” I asked.

 The person on the other end told me that the changes could be made at the gate.

“Are you aware that we’ll be traveling with three children under the ages of 10?”

Silence for a moment and then, “Sir, I’m making a note about the children’s ages.”

“So, you aren’t aware.”

“No, sir,” she responded.

After making the notes, I thanked her and hung up.

Here’s the lesson: If you buy tickets using a discount service, immediately contact the airline and follow up frequently, especially when flights are changed. Make your needs known.

To wrap up, age is important as schedules change. Though we identified our children’s age at the time of purchase, the flights didn’t reflect the consideration. We bought our ticket in February for a November trip. The schedule changed many times, but our request sit sit together did not. Follow up immediately and contact the airlines frequently to ensure you and your family are taken care of.