One Busy Bee

We have just arrived in Melbourne and are currently sitting at the café at the Jasper Hotel. The reception desk for our hotel doesn't open for another forty minutes. Here, we are able to sit with our four pieces of luggage, use Victoria region's complimentary wi-fi and stay connected. We were also able to Coconut and Macadamia Nut Waffles and an Avacodo Smash post our first flight on Qantas . My roommate, Kim, and I safely flew for 15-hours from San Francisco. An exciting video is posted on my personal Instagram at @bappletree . SFO was easy to get thru via security. Having Clear helped (let me send you a free month), but I am most likely going to get global entry when I return to the states. We ate at Gott's pre-flight and did some yoga while our phones charged until we were ready to board. We waiting just past our boarding time as there's no need to wait in line just to sit down. It was nice to see that there was no longer a wait when we finally reached our...

Two months down for 2019. How would you say your year is going for you so far? February was full of travel for me. March, I’m headed back down. Down under, that is. Have you been? What are you down for? What downs have you come up from?  Like a basketball, you’re bound to come up. TRAVEL Almost a year after I completed the Princess Academy with Princess Cruises, I have selected my graduation gift: a free 13-day cruise from Melbourne, Australia and around New Zealand. My roommate is pretty excited. We both haven’t been down under. We will be flying direct on Qantas, thank goodness. We will spend at least one full day in Melbourne on both ends of the trip. She wants to hold a koala (still working on that). I want to go to their rooftop bars and eat at their nice restaurants. I am glad we both agreed to a spa day before we head back in time for our return flight to San Francisco. Then again, my roommate is down for anything. We have ran across the below articles on...

I have damn near close to 10,000 photos on my phone. The intentions are to do write-ups on these locations but I have clearly fell behind! So here’s some randomness to try to delete these from my phone so they can live on the internet forever and available for your drooling pleasure. Paella in Barcelona Dinner at Scala’s Bistro at Union Square, San Francisco Tacos in Cabo San Lucas, México. Breakfast special at Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe in Emeryville, California with some Mighty Leaf green tea. Fish and chips from Pier Market at Pier 39. Their clam chowder is way better. Get a 10% off coupon from me! Honored to have the Michelin star Belford’s Savannah Seafood and Steaks re-post my photo of their peach and avocado soup and cocktail.  The best carbonara I have had in the United States. Restaurant name to come but it’s in Santa Cruz, California.  Red meat and potatoes from Be Our Guest at Walt Disney World.  Mud Pie at Chart House at...

Speeches from The Academy Awards last night were filled with inspiration. Lady Gaga called out to fight for a dream, Spike Lee's urge "to make the moral choice between love versus hate," and Rami Malek says "part of my story is being written right now." These Oscar winners faced challenge, rejection and overcame. They deserve to be rewarded for their hard work. What do you deserve? TRAVEL I have seen several articles online of Californians not taking advantage of their earned PTO (paid time off). They are looking to get ahead, they do not want to be seen as someone that doesn't make their work a priority and they fear being replaced. If you can work for yourself or find an employer with an unlimited vacation policy, take it! If you are a hard worker and get the job done, you deserve it. If you're like me, you'll be checking your emails anyways en route or maybe a few times while you are at a beautiful resort in Fiji. This particular resort h...

I was waiting to board my American Airlines flight in Chicago to get to Albany, New York. The layover was three hours long. Snacking on my Garrett cheesy popcorn, I get a vibration in my back pocket. I look around me to find a disappointing look on the faces of my fellow travelers. I looked at the screen above the desk. CANCELLED I must have had great travel luck as I have never had a flight cancelled on me. Then again, it's not very often that I travel in snowy conditions like the East coast was experiencing. It was almost 8 PM. I had already eaten, I was automatically booked on a 9:24 AM flight the following morning and I was actually happy I get to spend the night in Chicago. Unfortunately, the airport wasn't too close to downtown. The discounted voucher with a phone number to get a hotel room for the night didn't have an appealing option. I decided to find myself a hotel near The Bean. Uber there was about $30. Not bad. Not being familiar with Chicago, I selecte...