To Nomadic Matt

Dear, Nomadic Matt. I am just a small travel blog inspired by the internet to start my blog. I may not be a large blogger but I do have some tricks up my sleeve that can help other travelers through their issues. I am going to be blogging posting about how my blog relates to yours and why if you chose to should follow my blog.

My name is Whitney, I live in a small town, but have the urge to travel far and wide. I have two dogs, and a loving family who help me achieve my goals of flying all around the world. On my blog I love to talk about where I have gone in the world. Some places I have gone, you have too! I like reading about different places around the world and hope to go to them. I have been to 4 continents so far and 18 different countries. I also love to talk about travel tips for flying all around the world. I have a post on packing for long trips on my blog too.

Nomadic Matt (Photo Courtesy of Nomadic Samuel)

I admire you so much because you inspire so many people! You help people reach their travel goals and I would love to do the same. You have thousands of people that look at your blog every month. Also traveling is your job, who wouldn't love that! I also admire you for keeping up with a blogging schedule of basically once a week. I wish I had the time and effort to do that.

I have a hope that you will come and read my blog just to maybe see a blog from another travel bloggers perspective. It would be a dream come true if you did. I could possibly teach you some new tips with packing, traveling, and flights. Maybe I could even recommend some places for you to visit on your next trip there. I hope you could come back every week or two to catch up on a new location and I could tell you some great eating spots, tourist attractions, and even some architectures. If you decided to keep up and maybe even follow my blog I would be so excited to share some of my travel knowledge with you and you could share some knowledge with me.

Thank you so much Nomadic Matt if you read this. I am a huge fan of yours and would love it if you could look at my blog every once and so often. You are a huge inspiration to the traveling community and never stop what you do because it is perfect. Thank you to all of the rest of my viewers for reading this blog and travel healthy, safe, and smart. See you in the next blog!

The New Park City Mountain Resort. (11.21.15)

 A few weeks ago the largest resort in the United States, Park City Mountain Resort, owned by Vail, opened up for a new season. I decided to go on opening day. The runs were packed, the snow was not that great, and the lines were horrendous. Over all it actually was not as bad as I anticipated. Once they open up more runs I am hoping for a powder and smile filled year.

Park City Mountain has had major improvements over the past few years. For example, this is the first year they are connecting The Canyons, another resort opened by Vail for the holidays, and Park City Mountain to create the largest resort in the United States. I can not wait to explore both resorts this season and other seasons too. In addition to combining the two resorts they have also done some expanding. One of the lodges, Snow Hut renamed miners camp, has gone through some major expansion and remodeling. They tore down the old restaurant and rebuilt a brand new restaurant in place of it.

 The new Miners Camp! (Photo Courtesy of Park City Mountain Resort)

Another new improvement to the resort is the food. Before Vail bought Park City Mountain the food was pretty horrible. I did not like the food at all and it tasted like it was microwaved in my opinion. However, once Vail bought Park City Mountain there was an instant change in the food.Now the food is much better and really tastes fresh. I recommend going to any of the restaurants to try some of their food first hand. The photo below shows a meal at Summit House with the improved food. The taste and presentation is much better than it used to be!

Food! (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Ski Club)

The final improvement I would like to address are the improved chairlifts and new gondala. The Kingcon chairlift has expanded to fit six people instead of four people. The Motherload chairlift has expanded to fit four people instead of three. The chairlifts are now high speed and have detachable seating. The Quicksliver has been made to connect Park City Mountain and Canyons. It holds eight people and will unload at the base of Silverload lift. When conditions allow there should be another drop off point at the top of Pinecone ridge to ski down to Thanes chairlift. At Canyons the drop off point will be at Flatiron to ski to Dreamcatcher and Tombstone.

Thank you so much for reading this blog and looking at the new improvements at Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons. I hope you learned something about the mountain and/or planning a trip to visit Park City too! Have safe travel too!

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is one place you need to stop by in Europe. It is one of the most amazing places I have been in my life. We stayed there for four days and had an amazing time. There are many famous buildings made by Ghaudi in Barcelona including The Sagrada Familia. I am going to talk about today what we did in Barcelona, what we ate, and what we saw so sit back and enjoy the ride!

On the first day we were in Barcelona we went on a tour bus system. It took us all around the city of Barcelona, Spain. The bus was called the Hop on Hop Off Bus. The bus had many different stops that you could get off at or stay on the bus. If you found a place you wanted to check out you just get off at that stop and wait for the next one to come and pick you up at. We did this a numerous amount of times. The bus route takes you to the famous parts of Barcelona, Spain like, Ghoudi's house, The Segrada Familia, and The Copper Fish.

On and off bus (isango)

On the second day we went to a shopping street right behind our hotel, The Four Points.  We walked down it and ate at a few places. One place was a bakery. It had one of the best muffins I have ever tasted! Another place had amazing pasta and soup. My mom even got a giant jug of sangria for the price of one glass in the U.S. Another restaurant that we went to was a tapa restaurant. We ate so many dishes there, but the only issue we had was that the service of drinks were really slow.

While we were in Barcelona we got to see some structures. One of the more famous structures we saw was the Segrada Familia. It has been in construction for 131 years. On one side of the building it depicts Jesus as being born while the other shows him dying. The side of Jesus's birth is the side that Ghoudi originally started to build. The side of Jesus's death is the side that is being built today. It is one of the largest structures you will see in Barcelona. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Spain today. The Sagrada Familia actually holds church sessions every several months.

Sagrada Familia (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

I hope you learned something about Barcelona, Spain. If you have any questions about Barcelona comment below and I can get back to you when I can! Thanks so much for reading and have safe travels where ever you go!

Rome, Italy

One of the most magnificent city's in the world, Rome, Italy. We were able to go there on a cruise ship for a day. While we were there we booked a tour guide and got to see all of the famous buildings, and places in Rome. Today I am going to be talking about what we did and saw in Rome. Sit back and enjoy the ride!

 One of the first things we saw in Rome was the Roman  Coliseum. It is still one of the coolest things I have ever seen today. While it is hard to get in, and very crowded,  I highly recommend putting it on your list of things to see. When we were inside there were people trying to restore the Colosseum to its former glory. On the side of the Colosseum there is a gift shop that you can go to and get a trinket or two. I got a miniature Colosseum when I was there, and my mom got a mug. On the inside of the Colosseum it has the many levels that were once used. It is truly amazing what you will see in the Colosseum.

Roman Colosseum at Dusk (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Another place that we went to is actually a little bit outside of the city, Vatican, City.  The Sistine Chapel is the main thing that you have to see while you are there. A few things to take notice about is that they don't allow shorts and hats in the Sistine Chapel if you end up going inside. If you do go inside I would get a tour guide. The Sistine Chapel is so large and hard to get in, it is just way easier if you have a tour guide with you. Inside there are so many rooms that you can explore, one of my brother's favorites was the map room. The map room is composed of maps from long ago displayed for the public.  Finally, there is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It was painted by Michelangelo in 1508 and was finished in 1512. The ceiling was painted in the Renaissance period. One of the main panels on the ceiling is the creation of Adam.  It depicts God touching Adams hand. 

Creation of Adam (Courtesy of History.com)

Finally, I am going to be talking about the Pantheon.  It is a church build in 118-128 AD.  It starts out as a rectangle in the front the circles in the back. The church is still running today and is also a tourist attraction.

Thanks so much for reading my blog today! I hope I could help you decide if you want to go to Rome someday. See you in my next blog!

  

Beaches in Los Angeles

For my final post about Los Angeles I would like to talk about three beaches I recommend. I have been to all 3 of these beaches and love each of them.

The first beach I would like to recommend is Santa Monica Beach. It is the state beach in California. We went there a while ago, but I can still remember the famous boardwalk and ferris wheel.  The ferris wheel is $12.00 to ride and it is the first solar powered ferris wheel. This ferris wheel was the first one I had ever been on so it is really special to me. There is also an amusement park on the pier with an arcade, but you can't forget about the beach! The beach is always flooded with people.

Photo Courtesy of Discover Los Angeles

The next beach I would like to talk about is Venice Beach.  Venice Beach is famous for its "Ocean Front Walk".  On one side of the walkway there are vendors and stores and on the other side is the famous beach. On our first trip to Venice, we met the famous singer/roller skater, Harry Perry. He is a roller skating, guitar playing legend at Venice beach.  He has been featured in many movies and is even on Wikipedia.  When we went to Venice, we did not have to look too long to find Harry Perry. We spent time talking with him, listening to his music and buying his souvenir items and CD. Another thing to check out are the stores.  You can also rent bikes, skates, and scooters. Sadly, my family never got the chance to ride on the rentals, but we saw many people having a good time on them.

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

Finally, I would like to talk about Malibu Beach. You may have seen in my last post about the restaurant, Paradise Cove. Paradise Cove in Malibu is one of my favorite beaches. This beach is not as crowded as normal beaches because if you don't eat at the restaurant, it costs $40 to park there.   I've also been to Zuma Beach in Malibu.  Zuma is famous for its surfing.

I hope you liked this week's post and this week's theme! I also hope you learned something along the way about Los Angeles and I stroked the urge for you to go there. Thanks so much for reading this post. I hope you all have a great day and safe travels!

Dining in Los Angeles

There are over nine thousand restaurants in Los Angeles to choose from. Most are good, some are bad. I am here to tell you about my experiences with three of my favorite restaurants.


The first restaurant I recommend is Tony P's Dock Side Grill in Marina del Rey. The food is almost as good as the views! My mom lived on a sailboat in Marina del Rey before she was married, so we love seeing all the boats in the Marina del Rey Harbor. I usually order Mama's Chicken Parmesan, but the menu is huge and there is something for everyone. There is an option of sitting inside or outside on the patio.  Both have good views.  In the photo below you can see their seating on the outside patio. On Trip Advisor Tony P's is rated 20 out of 111 restaurants in Marina Del Rey.  Marina del Rey is pretty close to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), so we usually eat at Tony P's Dock Side Grill on our way to or from LAX.

Photo Courtesy of Trip Advisor

Photo Courtesy of WinelistFinder 

The next restaurant I would like to recommend is The Counter. The Counter has numerous locations in Los Angeles. The burgers there are the best that my brother and I have ever had and that is saying something because our family loves a good burger. The Counter has four locations in Los Angeles. There is even one at LAX!  We first learned about this restaurant through a hotel employee. The Counter restaurant has very high ratings on Trip Advisor and was ranked 496 out of 8,516 for best restaurants in Los Angeles. The photo below shows their deluxe lunch and dinner menu. You get to choose what size, meat, cheese, sauce, and toppings go onto your burger. Their fries are also outstanding.

Photo Courtesy of Four Letter Life

Photo Courtesy of The Odyssey Online

Finally, the last place I recommend is Paradise Cove in Malibu. Paradise Cove is our family's favorite restaurant in Los Angeles. We love to go there and enjoy dining on the beach. The outside tables are literally on the sand.  The seafood there is very fresh. The portion sizes at Paradise Cove are huge so my family usually splits a meal. I love splitting the ribs and clam chowder with my mom.  Once we finish, we go out onto the beach and hang out.  I love to practice my photography on the beach there. On Trip Advisor Paradis Cove is rated 18 out of 44 restaurants in Malibu.

Photo Courtesy of Paradise Cove

Photo Courtesy of Paradise Cove

I hope these recommendation's help you in your travels to Los Angeles. These places are my family's favorites. I have included links to their websites.  I hope you check them out when you are in Los Angeles! Thanks for reading and have safe travels!

Los Angeles, The City of Survival

Los Angeles is one place most people want to go to. There are lights, sights and more. I have been to Los Angeles too many times to count and have been everywhere you can think of in the city. Here, I will be giving you an idea on how to survive in the "City of Angels".

The first thing you should do is plan your day so you will stay off the freeways during rush hour. I have been stuck in traffic for 2 hours going 5 miles!   Rush hour usually lasts 6:00 am to 10:00 am and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.   If you find yourself stuck in traffic during rush hour, I recommend getting off at the nearest freeway exit and enjoying some local sights while you wait.

Trafic in Los Angeles. (Photo Courtesy of rtkl.com)

The second insider fact is to always be aware of your surroundings, lock your vehicle and be especially careful at night.

One of my favorite things to do in L.A. is to visit its beaches.  In L.A, there are many beaches, each with its own personality. Depending on where you are staying, I recommend Venice, Malibu, and Marina del Rey Beaches. I will recommend places to eat at each of these beaches in my next post. 

Marina Del Rey. (Photo Courtesy of Destination360 )

Another fun thing to do in Los Angeles is to try its many excellent restaurants.  Some memorable meals I have eaten in Los Angeles include the Apple Pan in West Los Angeles, Paradise Cove in Malibu, and The Counter (a burger chain in many locations).

Finally I would like to talk about hotels.  Remember, getting around in L.A. can be difficult due to the traffic, so if you are traveling all over town, you should stay close to a highway.  I recommend using Trip Advisor  to find good hotels. It will tell you locations, ratings, and it even has menus.  Its really easy to use. My mom uses it where ever we go. It also has restaurant reviews if you want to know about other's experiences.

I hope I gave you a few tips to survive in Los Angeles. My next few blogs are going to be about Los Angeles as well so stay tuned! If you are planning to go to Los Angeles soon, I recommend following my blog so I can help you plan the best travel experiences. If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comment section below. Thank you for reading and have a safe flight!