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Living on the Oregon Coast has been an interesting experience. There's a lot that I expected and a few things that I didn't. One thing I didn't expect is that it can be a bit hard to get into the Christmas spirit. Here it is, the first day of December and it feels like Spring. We have flowers that are about to bloom in our yard. The coldest it's been is about 40, and I've been contemplating how to make rain boots work appropriate. I want to apologize to all of you who are reading this after digging yourself out of deep frozen snow...I'm a big jerk, I know. Anywho.... There are some of us, who don't live in a winter wonderland and long for something a bit more festive for the holidays. So, here is a list of places you can go to get that perfect Christmas feeling. 1. Finland Stay in a glass thermal igloo, go on a sled ride pulled by reindeer or huskies, see the northern lights, and visit Santa's house and Santa Claus Village and finish the day gazing at stars as you warm up with a giant cup of cocoa. Bring your snow shoes and a sense of adventure! Finland is known as Europe's Christmas Capital, so you can't go wrong on this one! 2. New York City Nuremberg hosts a world famous Christmas market, and they are serious about it. There are 200 vendors and they only allow one of a kind gifts to be sold...no mass produced plastic crap here, only the best! Enjoy a hot glass of mulled wine, and ride on a giant wooden carved Ferris wheel, and stroll around this beautiful city and enjoy a one of kind Christmas experience. 4. Paris New York does everything bigger, and Christmas is no exception. There's decked out trees around every corner, ice skating, and the best shopping in the world to get you in the gift giving mood. If you like your holidays with a bit of glamor, NYC is the place to be. 3. Nuremberg, Germany It would be hard to have a disappointing Christmas in the City of Lights. Between the lights, the carousels, the shopping, and the food...you're bound to be feeling a bit more festive! 5. Santa Claus, Indiana Yes, this is a real place, a real town, and available for Christmas celebrations year round. There's a Santa museum, a Christmas Candy Castle, a holiday world theme park. Basically, they're crazy for Christmas here, no scrooges allowed. If you can't get in the Christmas spirit here, than all hope is lost for you!
Where's your favorite place to spend the holidays? With family, on a warm beach somewhere, skiing? No matter where you spend the holidays this year, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate. I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving and that you have a happy rest of 2014! Happy Travels! Skeeter
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Hi there! Skeeter here! So, I was lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving in NYC thanks to a great friend letting me crash at their place. It was my first time there and boy was it fun. A few things: 1) the subway and buses were easier than I thought they would be and less scary too 2) In fact, everywhere I went was safer than I expected it be. 3) People were surprisingly friendly and helpful 4) If it is windy and rainy, do not buy an umbrella, it will break in about 5 minutes, just bring a rain jacket and be tough. 5) there is too much to see in one week, you have to plan to go again. A few tips: 1) many museums like the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the MET do not have set fees. They only ask you to pay what you can. I was a little afraid to say, "what about $10?" worried that they were going to scoff at my cheapness. But surprisingly at both places they were still super friendly and didn't seem to mind me discounting the suggested price. 2)Do try and eat off the beaten path a bit. I saw pretty much nothing at Times Square that you wouldn't see anywhere else in the world. I did not go all that way to eat at an Applebees. A couple of my favorite places were Cent'anni in Brooklyn. They have been hand making their pasta daily for 100 years, and boy can you tell. It was amazing! Also Ippudo, on westside was fantastic. It was delicious and had a fun vibe to it too. For dessert, try Big Gay Ice Cream. They fill their cones with caramel, nutella, and other amazing whims of genius that you will want to try them all. 3) Try and snag tickets to a free show like Jimmy Fallon or David Letterman. I went to both, both were fun, but Jimmy Fallon was tops for sure! I also hit up the Macy's Day Parade. It was not as crowded as I imagined. Even my short self was able to see very well from my spot, and I only got there about 1 hour before it began. I was at the corner of 49th and 6th, which was perfect because Magnolia bakery is also there. Got there, grabbed a cupcake and a coffee...bam parade time! After I finished my cupcake, I was looking for somewhere other than the ground to leave my box (which is what everyone else did because there were no garbage cans to be found) So, I went into the Rockefeller building, and wondered around a bit. Someone asked if they could help me and I explained what I was doing. They were so shocked by my not just throwing it on the ground that they took my garbage for me to toss in their office. See...so friendly. New Yorkers will surprise you. You may find that New York is not for you. I'm not sure that I could live there long term. But it is definitely somewhere that I think everyone should go at least once...maybe more.
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Skeeter
Hi there! I'm Skeeter. I grew up moving a lot and that makes me a bit restless for travel and exploration. I started this blog with my husband Pat when we decided to backpack New Zealand for a year. We are always looking for the next adventure and are loving life. We're just your average couple with two sassy dogs and a love for travel. We're sharing our travels and the tips we pick up along the way. LIZHello! I'm Liz. Blogging is very new to me, but I'm so excited to finally write as much as I talk! Archives
December 2016
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