Mardi Gras is an exciting celebration, known around the world for its colourful parade floats and beads thrown into the crowd. This exciting event is a great time to experience the personality and culture of vibrant New Orleans, held every February. The colourful masques, costumes and parade floats are only one of the reasons to visit New Orleans during Mardi Gras. It’s a once in a lifetime trip, and to make it happen for 2017, you need to start planning now!
For many families, Las Vegas is an inexpensive and easy destination for travel, but are there enough kids activities in Las Vegas? I believe that kids can learn and have fun in any destination as long as parents are attentive to their needs and do a bit of homework. While smoky casinos and shooting ranges may be off the activity lists, there are loads of kids activities in Las Vegas that are thrilling for the whole family.
Here are a few Sin City activities that I’ve experienced that make me itch for a family trip!
1. Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay features tropical fish, sharks and turtles.
2. The fountains with lights and music at Bellagio (you may want to watch Oceans 11 first!) Image: Flickr via Tim Parkinson
3. A gondola ride at the Venetian is way less expensive than a trip to Italy.
4. M&M’s World encompasses four floors – just make sure you set candy limits!
5. Duelling Pianos at the bar at Times Square at New York, New York if a favourite of mine and any little budding musician is sure to love it.
6. The Mob Museum is a gorgeous building filled with gangster lore.
7. The Big Apple Coaster at New York New York, and hop over to the arcade while you are there. Photo credit: Roig61 on Flickr
8. Big Shot at the Stratosphere
9. North Premium Outlet Mall – With loads of kids stores from Strasburg Kids to Juicy Couture, I never miss the outlet mall.
10. Live shark tank pool and slide at the Golden Nugget
11. Tournament of Kings, Excalibur
12. Circus shows at Circus Circus – free shows begin daily at 11am and run every half hour
13. CSI: The Experience at MGM Grand
14. Go to a Vegas Golden Knights hockey game!
We stayed at the Cromwell, which was well worth the trip!
After many jogs while training for a Run Disney event, I finally figured it out – Paradise Point Resort in San Diego, California was named after the bird of paradise flower! Because they are everywhere. And I must be blind as a bat. This expansive resort on an island across from the Sea World is perfect for families.
Paradise Point Resort is a private 44-acre island tucked away on gentle Mission Bay in San Diego. Resident turtles and ducks stroll right to your patio door and the beach around the perimeter of the property offers firepits that are ideal for the ‘S’more’ kit available at the resort store.
Direct access from the property to Sea World allows for an easy commute, but if you would rather stay on property there are plenty of marine life in the lagoons to satisfy.
The housekeeping staff has an epic sense of humour and one day when we returned to our room they had set up all of the Star Wars Lego in fighting stance on the bed. There were
Caveman Pizza Company delivers on-site via bicycle, and yet the kitchenettes in each room offer a fridge and microwave in order to appease snack-happy kids. The pools were full of life and ideal for little ones.
Disclosure: UrbanMommies was not compensated for this review.
En route home from the ROAR Retreat in Cost Rica, I did a wee stop in Las Vegas to save one flights (which was promptly negated by my trip to the outlet mall). Wanting to try a newer boutique hotel, I picked the Cromwell Hotel Las Vegas. It’s one of those warm, posh places with masculinity oozing from each view.
As with other intimate spaces, the bartender knows every name and the rich red drapery in the casino make you feel as if you’re being wrapped in a warm velvet blanket. Even The Cromwell Hotel hallways were symmetrically perfect and warm. Though I had only a few hours in Sin City, I did make it to my favourite Premium Outlet Mall. Ted Baker was beckoning, and my husband was texting with his sizes..
Though I had a phenomenally successful shopping trip, my carry-on bag wasn’t quite large enough to sustain the wardrobe additions. The Cromwell Hotel front desk manager and bellman called around the city until he found an inexpensive luggage store open until midnight only two blocks away. That is service!
The biggest ‘secret’ about the classy rooms, is that the mirror looking into the shower from the bed isn’t, well… really a mirror per say. Just a note in case you bring a friend into your suite…
Although the shopping cut into my dining time (I wasn’t able to experience Giada) and Drai’s Nightclub was closed, I loved the hotel so much that I will make more time away from the stores on my next visit!
Portland by train is possibly the best idea I could ever have had. Kind-of. Participating in the Travelocity ‘Go Seize the Summer’ challenge, I was given a credit towards travel with the family and tasked with a summer excursion. As readers know, I like to do educational trips and was in a conundrum as to what to do. My husband was away for most of August whilst climbing Kilimanjaro so I had a number of opportunities for the boys and I. In the end we decided on three nights in a Portland, Oregon hotel and we would pay for an Amtrak train and expenses ourselves. Booking the hotel was simple. We chose the city and dates, and I selected different options on Travelocity.ca to fit into our price range. It was confirmed immediately and very easy to do. (When I was contemplating a cruise for the same period I actually called and the customer service was very good as well.) With a few hours of relaxation on the train, my boys helped put together this list of 12 tips for taking kids to Portland, Oregon.
International Woman of Mystery: elusive and mysterious. The goal of any urban mommy I would think. If this is how you define yourself and insist on introducing your kids to the funky and luxurious accommodations, you must stay at the Gansevoort Park. The new Gansevoort Park is in Manhattan’s NoMad district is the second property in the chain. The original meatpacking district location frequented by A-list celebrities who party on the roof has helped to define downtown and flanks our favourite strolling place: The Highline Park. This newer property is like an uptown oasis with a twist of sass.
Almost December and the flowers still bloom. Beds of yellow leaves cover the sheep meadow and children run through, producing whirling dervishes in their wake. It’s a blast to watch kids in Central Park on a Sunday, with families are doing what families should be doing. Memories are being made, laughter is prevalent, and the merry-go-round plays happy show-tune-inspired tunes to a full house of horses and children.
The park, totalling 843 acres in the middle of Manhattan, houses a pond, Poet’s Walk, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Boathouse and loads of spectacular trails, vegetation and street performers. Central Park runs north to south from 110th street to 59th street and east to west from 5th Avenue to Central Park West. Whether you take your kids to explore Belvedere Castle, play at one of the many playgrounds, ride a horse-drawn carriage, hang our at the Swedish Cottage Marionette theatre or do some catch and release fishing, the kids will be smiling!
Not planning a Big Apple trip in the near future? Get outside in your own city! We often take for granted the nature around us, and can easily spend more time indoors than the New Yorkers living in tiny apartments with concrete and fire escapes. Complacency is not an option when you have kids. For your health and theirs, go outside.
www.centralpark.com
Imagine your happy place. If you need one, check out the lounge at Soniat House New Orleans, a quaint and luxurious 30-suite hotel in the French Quarter of New Orleans frequented by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. (And it’s not just about the honour bar with great wine). I found myself lolling over coffee table books about the great city’s architecture, and realized the room was more relaxing than most spas. The art, many pieces loaned by the New Orleans Museum of Art is incredible, and the antique furniture throughout the townhouse hotel is exquisite. The carriageway entrance, with it’s flickering lanterns and stone walls feels like you are entering one of America’s secret treasures. Perhaps you will meet a free mason, or maybe the ghost of a US President. We did run into Nicolas Cage on the street, but he wasn’t searching for a National Treasure.
Rooms are all unique, and our suite was breathtaking. A hallway with a crystal chandelier, king canopy bed draped in lace, and.. oooh.. that ruby red silk sofa. Sitting on it was a sacred experience. The traditional windows slid up, revealing a balcony graced with wicker that overlooked Chartres Street. Gracious sliding doors separated the bedroom from the sitting room, and if the city of New Orleans hadn’t been so fabulous, I would have stayed in the room all day. I did do a mini-excursion to the antique shops nearby and found incredible mardi gras costumes (including a 20 foot silk cape handpainted with Jack and the Beanstock motifs). Of course I bought it. Did you really wonder? The room was the perfect setting to model my finds for my husband.
The courtyard provided a breakfast oasis under banana trees and sugar cane. Classical music is piped throughout, and the staff ensure that candles are lit on each table at dusk.
One of the highlights of our stay was Jessie – a 71 year-old porter, with a huge smile and kind eyes. He has worked there since he was 19, and makes the biscuits every morning. (The recipe is secret but we’ve been trying hard to replicate it). Breakfast is served in your room or the courtyard on a silver tray and the preserves are homemade.
Families traveling should request the carriage house. With it’s private courtyard, kitchen and exclusivity it would be perfect 
for the little ones who are learning about the graciousness of the south. Take them to City Park and the Louisiana Children’s Museum and they’ll sleep like kings – as will you in the softest linens you’ve ever felt.
One evening before our short trek to swing dancing and original jazz on Frenchmen Street, we spoke to a few staff members about their beloved city, and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Their southern manners combined with their passion for all affected people held us in a trance. We left the hotel, passing horse-drawn carriages and lanterns at each door thinking that there was nowhere more authentic and heartfelt than New Orleans. And if you are lucky enough to experience the warmth of Soniat House, you will be touched by the enchantment the minute you creak open the heavy doors and step into the carriageway.
www.soniathouse.com
www.slh.com
1133 Chartres St.
New Orleans, LA
70116
(504) 522-0570
(800) 544-8808
At the 2013 Honda Accord Unveiling in Santa Barbara, I realized that I am really not an auto writer. I know. Our readers have known that for ages. But as I was grilled on social media by die-hard car journalists from the LA Times and highly technical publications, I realized that as a mom, my perspective is very unique and valid. I admit, though, that I dropped a few comments like “What is torque again?” (With a valleygirl accent and a hair twirl) just to get their shocked reactions. Snicker.
As a mom I look for vehicles with style and family-friendliness. The 2013 Accord comes in a plug-in hybrid, coupe or sedan versions. I drove them all, and also the manual transmission model. Wow. These things purred. Peppy, spirited and fun to drive, I think I may have to take a look at investing in Honda stock. Here’s what I loved about the new Accord.
1. Honda Link. I could go on and on. Honda Link is a cloud-based system that connects you (safely) to the web. Voice recognition, text messaging, audiobooks, digital music content, hand-picked radio stations, restaurant searches and Facebook audio feeds without having to mess with your mobile phone… perfect for kids and passengers. You really shouldn’t tweet and drive, BTW. And Honda is so safe they won’t even let you set up your Bluetooth or wireless texting sync when the car is moving.
2. The plug-in hybrid. Talk about quiet. And fast. It reminded me of driving my husband’s Jaguar. Seriously. (Except I kept forgetting the car was on and trying to restart). When it comes to recharging, Honda says the Accord plug-in can get a full recharge in an hour from a 240-volt charger.
3. Quiet. The interior is so quiet that you have to blast music so you don’t lull off to sleep. Great for babies. There are lots of reasons for the lack of interior noise – one is that the dashboard is only one piece so not as much wind gets in. The engine is coated in a sound-deafening shield-thingy too.
4. Similarly, there is little drag. The ‘sideburns’ of the car and exterior styling make it look fabulously sporty, but also improve the performance. The coupe is sportiest of all, of course, and offers parents with teens going off to University enough room in the back for visits home while helping them combat the empty-nest state with a huge amount of cool factor.
5. I can honestly say that I have never driven a car with a more responsive steering system. It made me a little dizzy, as I like to ‘bop to the music’ and tend to ‘steer’ to the beat. Another reason the auto writers were gaping at me. (And I was the only one driving in stilettos, of course).
6. Holy trunk room. We were joking that you could fit a couple of bodies in there. The trunk was easy to close with one hand if you had groceries, an infant or multiple Vuitton sachels in the other.
7. Lots of attention was paid to details such as where the stitching on the steering wheel falls as you grip it. The luxury-lover in me was pretty happy with the design elements.
8. The side mirrors could be on the space shuttle they are so technical. Not that a shuttle has side mirrors, but whatever.. To eliminate blind spots, Honda has developed a camera called LaneWatch™ that ‘sees’ into the next lane. The image flashes onto your 8 inch dashboard LCD screen so you are never blind. They’ve kind of fixed every frustration about driving, allowing you to have confidence in your ability and thereby be a safer driver. Pretty smart. If only Honda could make my hair look good when I don’t blowdry. And make all of the mirrors in the world make me look skinny. Ok. I digress.
9. There is an option to turn the Accord’s Lane Departure Warning sensor on or off. Once I figured it out, I was really impressed. And realized that I’m not a very good driver. Driving along I couldn’t figure out what was beeping at me. Every time I got too close to a line on either side without putting on my indicator signal, I thought there were birds in the car. Back to driving school for me. (Or maybe fewer riveting conversations with my drive partner Tanya Gordon).
10. The forward collision warning was incredible. And there is also a turbo-break thing that happens. When the car senses you breaking suddenly, it will put even more force into the brakes, ensuring you stop on a dime. (Which was incredibly fortunate when a distracted mom pulled over in a dangerous spot on the side of a vineyard road and her toddler ran into the street.) My heart is still racing.
11. Talking to the car was a blast. “XM Channel 72” and the sounds of Broadway filled the vehicle. Better still – it only recognizes one voice at a time so my kids wouldn’t be able to change the tunes to the Disney Channel every five minutes!
Technical Stuff:
The 2.4-liter, 185 horsepower four-cylinder engine is rated at 27 MPG in city driving and 36 on the highway. For the V-6 engine, the highway rating is 34 MPG and city rating is 21 MPG. Pretty great – especially for a vehicle that handles beautifully and can go from zero to 60 MPH in a quick 5.6 seconds (Motor Trend).
Our take? Honda enthusiasts, Moms, kids and tech-lovers will snap it up. Fast. And we’d certainly want it as a push present.
Don’t even think of leaving your stilettos at home when you visit the Morgans Hotel Group – The Mondrian South Beach Miami. And be prepared for some serious pool lounging time. The white and black and the funky female images are still riveted in my mind. Opened in 2008 in the chic Biscayne Bay neighborhood, Mondrian was envisioned by Marcel Wanders as “Sleeping Beauty’s castle.”
My room overlooked the pool area with lampshade-inspired cabanas, giant throw pillows and stunning women in maxi dresses.
Much fun was had in Sunset Lounge with its sleek shape and great cocktails. A huge black spiral staircase anchors the space. Beach Boy types in white shorts and military belts valeted my car, and Ocean Drive was a short walk away, though the room and lobby were so inviting it was difficult to leave the Mondrian.
All I can say – when I checked in on Foursquare and tweeted my whereabouts, the comments and responses certainly signaled that I had settled into very special (and well-known) accommodations.