Since, like thousands of others, we couldn’t get tickets to see “Hamilton” on a recent trip to NYC, we decided to take the A train to the site of “In the Heights,” Lin Manuel Miranda’s other show, (which we had no problem finding, thanks to the lyrics).
‘Well you must take the A Train Even farther than Harlem
To northern Manhattan and maintain
Get off at 181st, and take the escalator
I hope you’re writing this
Down, I’m gonna test ya later’
Disclaimer: We didn’t fully follow these ‘directions.’ We actually got off at the Washington Heights stop at 168th and walked up to 181st, but we made it regardless.
Washington Heights, Manhattan’s highest ground, was named after George Washington, who led troops into an unsuccessful battle here against the British in 1776. Today, Washington Heights waves a flag of American diversity, with many of its inhabitants hailing from the Caribbean – especially the Dominican Republic.
A few years ago, my sister moved to Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China near Hong Kong, to teach. Knowing I now had a free place to stay, Macau quickly made its way to the top of my “Must Visit” travel list. I arrived not knowing a whole lot about the country besides that it’s full of casinos and was a Portuguese colony for years.
Wandering around, it was very interesting to see the meeting of Chinese and Portuguese cultures, languages and food, mixed in with big, elaborate casinos. Definitely an interesting place to visit.
Here, I highlight a few of the not- to-be-missed sites found in Macau.
Nestled amongst the concrete and bright lights of Manhattan, Central Park is a wonderful escape from the city’s hustle and bustle.
This sprawling 843-acre masterpiece was designated New York City’s first scenic landmark in 1974 and has become the most famous and beloved urban park in the world.
Central Park has something for everyone. Grab a hotdog and sit by one of the ponds or rent a boat and row around the lake after lunch at the Boathouse. Do a scavenger hunt seeking out the park’s numerous statues. Grab some friends and play a game of baseball or volleyball. Pay tribute to John Lennon in Strawberry Fields, take a ride on the carousel and then head to Central Park Zoo. With all this and so much more, Central Park will keep bringing you back for more!
While I enjoy the park year round, it’s particularly nice on a sunny day in spring as everything is starting to bloom. On a recent trip to the city, I spent a day wandering though the park, stopping for a hotdog, before finding a spot in the sun to sit, read and people watch.
One of the beautiful ponds in Central Park
Strawberry Fields, created in memory of John Lennon
“Imagine”
Bethesda Terrace
The fountain in Bethesda Terrace
Stopping for a Central Park hot dog
Intricate designs on the steps heading to Bethesda Terrace
Trees in bloom around Bethesda Terrace
Rowing around the lake in Central Park
‘Alice in Wonderland’ Statue
Hans Christian Andersen Statue
Central Park Carousel
Taking a ride on the one of the 57 horses
One of the many beautiful bridges in Central Park
Good to know-
Central Park is free and open to the public from 6 am to 1 am every day.
The Dairy, a Victorian Gothic building houses the park’s Visitor Centre. Here, you can buy souvenirs, get maps and sign up for guided walks of the park.
Carousel Rides are $3 and can be purchased onsite.
There are numerous snack vendors and several restaurants located throughout the park.
Let me start by saying that I’m a beach girl. I love the sand, the sun and the heat. Although I grew up in small-town Canada, where as a kid, snow meant days off school, snow forts and tobogganing, I have long since outgrown my love of winter. Even though I spend my time shivering and wearing multiple layers as soon as the temperature starts to hover around the freezing mark (and trying to stay indoors as much as possible once it goes below -10), this year, I decided that sleeping on a bed of ice sounded like a great idea!
The magnificent Hotel de Glace in Quebec City, Canada.
I’ve seen photos of the Hotel de Glace in Quebec City for years and always wondered what it would actually be like to stay there. So this year, I booked a room and set off to find out.
Of course, the day before we arrived, Quebec City had been hit with a major snowstorm and the temperature was sticking between -20 and -23 degrees celsius – perfect weather for sleeping in a room made of snow on a bed made of ice….
Welcome to the Hotel de Glace
The grounds at the Hotel de Glace.
Upon arriving, I almost forgot how cold I was. The Hotel de Glace is incredible. I felt like I had stepped inside the Disney movie Frozen, into a palace created by Elsa herself. Now in its 16th year, the theme at the hotel this year was “Rivers.” Here, dozens of artisans work to create a truly magical world of ice and snow. Each year, the hotel opens in early January and runs until the end of March. The hotel is built in four phases throughout the month of January.
Map of the Hotel de Glace, stating when each of the four phases were completed.
The Hotel de Glace has 44 rooms, 16 of which are suites, each sculpted with a different River theme: an African river with hippos; an Arctic one filled with polar bears; a whitewater raft where the rafters have been thrown overboard and more. The rest of the rooms feature a bed made of a block of ice and a bedside ice table.
Polar Bear Suite
African River with hippos suite
The hotel also has several ice bars, where you can have a drink served in a glass made of ice.
In the centre of the hotel is an ice slide surrounded by an orchestra of sculpted penguins.
You can even get married in the chapel here, if a frozen tundra theme is what you’re going for. (Personally, once again I’d prefer a sandy beach!)
The chapel
Inside the chapel
After checking in, we set out to explore, humming songs from Frozen along the way. Before dinner, we had an orientation session. Here, we learned how to properly get into our Arctic sleeping bags and what to do to stay warm. The key lesson here was “If you sweat, you die.” While layers during the day were a necessity, at night they would most likely leave you shivering.
During the day, the hotel is open to the public, so you can only access your room after 9pm. This is also the time when the hot tubs and saunas open. After freezing all day, a nice soak in the hot tub was in order before drying off in the sauna and heading to our room to try and get some sleep, all the while chanting my mantra for the evening: “You will not have to pee. You will not have to pee.” Once I finally got myself situated in my sleeping bag and blew out the candle, I was not getting up for anything.
Our ice bed for the night
All bundled up in my sleeping bag
Sleeping on a block of ice turned out to be exactly how it sounds. While there was a mattress on top of the ice, some of the coldness still seeped through. Every time you rolled over, you’d have to re-warm the surface under you. I had the hood of my sleeping bag pulled so tight, only my eyes could be seen (and I even had them tucked inside most of the night). Sleeping like a mummy inside my sleeping bag took some getting used to, but eventually I did manage to fall asleep – at least for a little while.
I’m sure I’ve never been so excited to see daylight creep through the curtain door – I had made it through the night without freezing to death! I had slept on a bed of ice, in a hotel made of ice and actually made it through!
I made it through the night!
Canadian river ice fishing suite
What an incredible experience. I had channeled my inner Elsa (although really the cold DOES bother me…a lot) and checked another item off my travel list. I usually leave a place wanting to go back, and this is one I’d love to see again. Although next time, I’ll opt for the day trip option!
Channelling my inner Elsa
The front foyer of the Hotel de Glace
The snowy corridor of the Hotel de Glace
I always find a mermaid!
The apple tree, with actual apples frozen into the branches.
For many people, Valentine’s Day brings about thoughts of love and chocolate and memories of a special someone. For others, it’s a silly holiday that only reminds them that they’ve yet to find that “special someone.” But for me, each year on Valentine’s Day, my mind heads back to Kenya – to a day I think will be pretty hard to beat!
Whenever I glance through my passport (which is fairly often as it is a daily requirement for my job), all the stamps I’ve collected over the years come with their own stories. Sometimes they’re exciting ones, as I head to a country for the first time. Other times they’re familiar, if I’m back in a country I’ve come to know and love. Others, at times, are frustrating, as I remember the lines at airports or the struggles to figure out where exactly I need to be while dealing with a language I don’t speak. These colourful stamps that I’ve accumulated all come with many stories and I wouldn’t change a single one. It’s true – the best stories in the world are definitely found on the pages of your passport.
Tales of a Travel Addict 
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