| Costa Rica Planning  Tanya's Daily Scoop CURRENTLY IN: ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Good Day Everyone! This past week has not been all that exciting and I've been perfectly okay with that. Not to say that I've been at home doing nothing, because that is simply not who I am. But I've got to say that I've had a taste of some travel frustration...as I am sure you might recall, being that I was caught off guard and had to end my previous "scoop" short and handle dealing with and deciding what to do about our upcoming November trip to Japan. Well, after some deliberation amongst myself, Dave and Dominic, it had been decided that we keep the land portion of our reservation and shop for flights! Since then I have booked our inbound tickets and still need to book our outbound, as well as booking 1-2 extra hotels. As now that I am the one booking the flights, it gives us a bit more flexibility for staying longer on the front/back end of the trip. It had already been previously decided that we would be going to Tokyo Disney and now with this flexibility, we might be staying an day touring before heading to the Disneyland of Tokyo! I will share our itinerary for Japan soon. But as for now since the countdown for Costa Rica is at:  Let's chat about my Costa Rica Plans - To begin with we will actually be starting the trip from South Florida, so that we have a day on the front and back end of the trip spent in and around Miami. Then we will be off on roundtrip flights in and out of San Jose, Costa Rica, this is also where we will pick up our rental. NOTE - This will be the first time that I am going to be driving in Costa Rica, during my last visit we had strictly relied on Tours for our transportation. So my fingers are crossed for smooth "sailing" on a bunch of bumpy Costa Rica roads!  We will then be off to the Northern Zone and more specifically the Arenal/La Fortuna area for the first few nights. Home to the iconic Arenal Volcano as well as a wide range of adventurous activities. This inland region lies to the north of San José and includes rainforests, cloud forests, hot springs. Because this is one of the few regions of Costa Rica without any beaches, it primarily attracts people interested in nature and active sports. Here we will be partaking in a volcano hike, kayaking on Lake Arenal, hiking on a Sloth tour, traversing the hanging bridges, visiting the La Fortuna Waterfall, soaking in the ultimate thermal experience in all of Costa Rica as well as Arenal's largest network of naturally flowing hot springs and then of course exploring the charming town of La Fortuna.  Flag of Costa Rica After leaving the Arenal area, we will take a scenic drive through the countryside and down the coast. The unspoiled paradise is home to abundant wildlife, secluded beaches and the Pura Vida unique Caribbean vibe. Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast is the most extensive and is characterized by a rugged though mostly accessible coastline where forested mountains often meet the sea. It’s a fantastic hideaway for sun seekers and active travelers alike, with its ruddy volcanic sand beaches, lush green rain forest and dense mountains as a backdrop. A highlight on these days will be going back to visit the gorgeous Manual Antonio National Park. Horseback riding and going to see the Nauyaca Waterfalls.  Finally, our last stop on this trip will be staying at the Central Valley Cloud Forest The Central Valley is surrounded by rolling green hills and mountains. The rich volcanic soil of this region makes it Costa Rica’s primary agricultural region, with coffee farms making up the majority of landholdings. Surrounding the Central Valley are high mountains, among which are four volcanic peaks. And three of these, Poás, Irazú, and Turrialba, are still active! Activities here will include a hike to Botos Lagoon. Seeing the animals and waterfalls at La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Doing a chocolate/coffee tour...drool drool drool  As you can see there are no dull days for me - Travelin' Tanya and our days will be full of fun, adventure, beauty and excitement! And I cannot wait to share them with you. If you have any questions or even any recommendations please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I've also got a list of vegan dining options that we are looking forward to trying. Of course the camera eats first and you will be right there along side of me as we try out some of these Costa Rican dishes. As far as the rest of my day, I'll be continuing to work on the plans for Hawaii (September) and we have a celebratory dinner tonight for Miss Chaplin who played the Amazing Mayzie in Seussical the Musical and did a fantastic job!  Amazing Mayzie (c)travelincousins.com  Seussical the Musical (c)travelincousins.com  Belting it out (c)travelincousins.com  Family pictures (c)travelincousin.com  Family pictures with Mom (c)travelincousins.com  Family pictures with Dominic, my mom, Jet and Chaplin (c)travelincousins.com Well that is about it for me today. See ya back here soon. Ciao 4 now, -Travelin' Tanya | Museum of The Moving Image Mother-Daughter Fun Day  Elisa's Daily Scoop CURRENTLY IN: LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK Howdy and a big happy Saturday! I hope your August has been spectacular so far!1 For me, the last few days have been really great. So much to tell you - now I know why Tanya and I had blogged daily in the past! Well, I'll just have to tell you all the fun details from the past few days in one blog post. I know I mentioned to you that I have a growing list of local destinations in an around the NYC outer boroughs to which I plan to visit over the course of the next 6-12 months. Well, this past week wound up being all about Queens destinations. First we had the Queens County Farm Museum in Floral Park last Sunday, and then the other day, Thursday, we traversed to Astoria, Queens to the Museum of The Moving Image. The weather report had said rain for Thursday, but it turned out to be a very sunny (and hot!) day, which was a bonus for our visit. But first, I need to share with you the story of mine and Kelsey's most frightening Lantern Fly Encounter!! I think it's best for you to watch the short video to hear about this event which preceded our drive into Queens, for which Kelsey and I nearly had nervous breakdowns. ELISA'S LANTERN FLY ENCOUNTER STORY  Spotted Lantern Fly Ok, so once we got past this little traumatic event, Kelsey and I got on the road . It's no surprise that any and all destinations almost always include a foodie experience as well. This visit was no exception. Kelsey found a very cute place within blocks of the museum called Seva Indian Restaurant, where we enjoyed a yummy lunch prior to going to our museum visit. We were thrilled that we found a spot right across the street, since the parking situation in Astoria is usually a nightmare. Of course, it couldn't just be that simple. Yes - a rant is coming -- ever since they installed these meter machines, it just makes everything a super pain in the but! They couldn't leave well enough alone with the old fashioned meters. Now, not only do they never work when you put your credit card in, which then means you have to pay on the app (yet more time used up in our lives!) - but to really give it to the working man (and woman), they now charge a surcharge on top of the already criminal charge of $5 for 2 hours!!! Yes. an additional 20 cents per transaction. This city has some freaking nerve! Needless to say, we got ripped off twice today with meters, costing us close to $12 to park on the street! But I digress.  Seva Indian Restaurant - 34-11 30th Avenue, Astoria (c)travelncousins.com The restaurant was adorable and relaxing and the service couldn't have been better!! We partook in their lunch special which included an appetizer and entree for $15 - I thought that was great. The naan and any additional sides were extra, but I was very impressed with how reasonable their a la carte menu was.  (c)travelincousins.com Kelsey and I both started off with a vegetable samosa and for our respective entrees, Kelsey got Butter Chicken, which is her go-to Indian dish; and I got Chaana Masala (chickpeas). The rice was cooked to perfection and the naan was sooo good.  Interior of Seva (c)travelincousins.com  Yummy and spicy Vegetable Samosa (c)travelincousins.com  Butter Chicken (c)travelincousins.com  Chaana Masala (c)traveilncousins.com We were both quite full at the end of the meal! Getting back in the car to head about 5 minutes away to The Museum of The Moving Image, I realized, "Ugh I have to go through the meter payment nonsense again. But, Kelsey reminded me that it would be easier this time since we were already set up on the app. Praise God for small miracles. Of course, it was another $5 to $7. In the spirit of what I coach - I'm going to raise my vibration and be grateful for the amazing time we both had at the museum!! Here is a little intro as we were about to enter the museum: ELISA IN FRONT OF MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE Upon entering, we were greeted by the most friendly young lady and were told to go right in since Thursdays were always free! So, as I said in the video, I had not been to this museum since...well, a long time ago when I was quite young. Boy, have things changed. Lots of new exhibits, expansions and changes.  (c)travelincousins.com  (c)travelincousins.com  (c)travelincousins.com We started in the museum shop which was right at the entrance and I couldn't resist taking a picture of this one! The Museum has 3 levels - the first level is where you'll find the cafe, bookstore and a small theatre. Kelsey and I made our way to the second floor for a few of the exhibits. From mock-up facades of old movie theaters, to hand written letters from celebrities, to make-up and mask making, models of movie sets. It was a joy to watch the 11-minute silent film, The Great Train Robbery from 1903. Directed by Edwin S. Porter, this film is acknowledged as the first narrative film to successfully establish continuity of action, which is the process of combining related, but noncontinuous, shots into a cohesive sequence. Everywhere you looked there was information, photos, props and memorabilia from different aspects of film making from production, editing, sound, lighting and the various technology and items used throughout history. This included the motion picture cameras used throughout history, sound technology, editing equipment and other inventions utilized "behind the screen" Honestly, we could have stayed another hour, but the museum closed at 5 lol and we left a few minutes prior!  (c)travelincousins.com  (c)travelincousins.com  (c) travelincousins.com  (c)travelincousins.com  "Drive-In" Movies Speakers (c)travelincousins.com  Vintage Movie Theater Usher Uniform (c)travelincousins.com  Star Wars toys from th 1970's (c)travelincousins.com  (c)travelincousins.com The Jim Henson Exhibition was huge and is a permanent exhibit at the Museum. It was super fun seeing the muppets puppets, the old Muppet Shows playing and so much more from this great creator!  (c)traveincousins.com  (c)travelincousins.com  Movie posters from films made in and about Queens, NY (c)travelincousins.com I can assure you that Kelsey and I will be going back here again soon since there was so much more for us to see and photograph. (BTW - I left my camera home by accident so I had to rely on my phone and unfortunately did not take as many as I would have liked), That's all folks for today! -Travelin' Elisa |
