Travel Archives

Long Driving Essentials

March 12, 2016 No Comments

Happy Saturday Lovelies! I know it is the weekend, not my usual day to post on the blog. I will resume regular posting schedule next week. Today, I will be sharing all the long driving essentials you need to take with you on your trip.

If you have been following me on Instagram. You know that we went on a quick trip to Chicago. We actually drove from Maryland to Chicago it was a total of 748 miles supposed to be 12 hours drive but it took us 13 hours including all the stops at the rest areas. Here are the list of the things you will need to survive the long drive. Thank you ANKIT for providing me some of the essentials I needed during our long drive like the HEADPHONES, MASON JAR BANK, CAR CHARGER.
1.) WATER It is a no brainer, we all need to be hydrated.

2.) GOOD PLAYLIST with GOOD HEADPHONES (this is just extra) I need because some of the songs I listened to are not kids friendly. Having good music will keep you sane especially when the road becomes just a straight line. It will make you feel sleepy, having it will keep you awake.
3.) SNACK this will also keep you awake and will save you until you come across next rest area to get some real food to eat.
4.) MAP/GPS – nowadays most cars and smart phones have this. But if you do not have these technologies, map is still the best option of them all. Make sure to look at it before hitting the road so you can plan your route.
5.) EMERGENCY KIT like first aid kit just in case and car kit like jumpers and other car tools in case you encounter car trouble. (Have your insurance Roadside assistance number handy).

6.) CASH Even though credit/debit cards are widely accepted in the US we still have some areas that will require you to pay cash. Just in case bring some with you.

7.) TOILETRIES to keep you fresh and clean when you stop at a rest area.
8.) CAR CHARGERS to keep you technology working for you like your kids ipad, your ipod, cellphones etc.

9.) PODCAST AND BOOK if you are not driving and just a passenger this will give you company too, and if you are the one driving podcast is really helpful keeping you company.

All of this we take every time we do go for a long drive. Another one, if you know you will be going to pay tolls. If you buy their RFID kit (like EZ PASS) ahead that will save you time lining up and will also give you discounts.

I hope you find this post helpful and do share it to those people you think will benefit from it.

Thank you so much for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Simply,

Christianne

Photos: Novel (my better half)

Outfit, Travel

Where to go in DC, MD, VA (DMV area)

February 25, 2016 No Comments

Where to go in Dc, MD, VA or the DMV, as what we call it around here?

National harbor (Maryland)
A very nice place to visit when in the DMV as they have a lot to offer. Everything in just one place! They have best hotels, restaurant, shopping places and other fun activities for everybody. You don’t need to drive far! I am just so lucky to be living just a few miles away from this place. If you are a fitness junkie and you do brisk walking, biking or running, this is connected to Old Town Alexandria via the Bridge! Gorgeous view of DC and the Potomac river along the way.

My Recommendations: (I only recommended the places I have tried that I like)

For Happy Hour:
McCormick and Schmick $$
Red Stone American bar and Grille $$

Dine in:
Rosa Mexicana
Nando’s Peri-Peri

Places to stay:
Gaylord hotel ($$$)
Marriott ($$)
Hampton Inn ($$)

FB_IMG_1455943690775 — The White House at Night

FB_IMG_1455943729812 — Jefferson Memorial

FB_IMG_1455943750839 — Washington Monument

Washington, DC

It is just so gorgeous to visit this City as it has all the important places here in the United States. Of course it is the US capital that is why it is so special. We always get to visit this specially when we have visitors, we tour them here. Great tourist destination, specially this coming Spring for the CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL.

Visit all the monuments (District of Columbia)

Lincoln Memorial

White House
House of Congress
Jefferson Memorial
Washington Monument

I suggest use the hop on hop off bus to get to all these stations if you don’t wanna walk. They are all strategically placed and very easy to navigate. Another way to get around the city is use the train system, but not during the rush hour or use Uber to get around.

Places to eat:

Food trucks!! Need I say more? Inexpensive, fast and mostly good food on every corner of those tourist Spots plus the souvenir stores.

Restaurants:
Coco Sala – The Best! $$

Capital Grille $$

Oya $$

Zaytinia $$

Tosca $$$

Masa 14 $$

FB_IMG_1455944174056 — George Washington Masonic National Memorial

Old Town Alexandria (Virginia)
Another lovely place to visit and stroll around is this place specially at King street as they have a lot of boutiques, shops, restaurants and …. It feels like You’re in Europe when you walk around that area. They also have a tram where you can ride and really feel like a tourist. It is very easy to get around this area, everything is wlaking distance.

Restaurants:

Zento Sushi ( Japanese) and Pines of Florence (Italian) is our go to restaurant, the best!!

I hope this was a very helpful post to all of you if you will visit this winter. These area are close to the river so letting you know it will be cold so dress appropriately and wear comfy shoes.

Here is an outfit idea for you when you visit in the winter.

DETAILS: all similar styles MANGO SWEATER/ ZARA COAT / H&M JEANS/ NIKE SNEAKER/ MK BAG/ SCARF/ SUNGLASSES

This is my personal preference for an outfit to wear strolling DMV, and this winter is you have been following this blog I have worn a lot of black and red. It has been my favorite Winter color combo. It just looks so elegant and for me wering black in the winter makes me feel warm. I chose to wear scarf and Wool coat as weather and temperature are unpredictable, it is better to be overdressed than under dressed. Do you agree?

Do visit our area as there are a lot of nice area and things to do for everybody.

If you find this post helpful, I will appreciate it so much if you will share it to give ideas to other people who might be interested in this topic.

Thank you so much for stopping by and for all your comments.

Simply,

Christianne

Photos: Novel (my better half)

If you plan on visiting DC, check out Eventbrite for cool events to do while you’re there!

Travel

Staycation Tips and Benefits

February 18, 2016 No Comments

IMG_20160214_154547 — It was a super cold Valentine weekend.

20160213_200904 — Adi having fun with the soft beds.

20160213_205500 — The cold outside didn’t stop us from swimming.

IMG_20160214_094811 — Adi in her Vday PJ’s and Aidan still in his Christmas PJ’s

20160213_222500 — As you all noticed, I was the camera woman here. Hubby had a day off.

We stayed at Courtyard by Marriott in Fairfax Virginia. I highly recommend stay at Marriott hotels they are simply the best!

Happy Thursday! I hope all is doing well today. I just want to share how we celebrated our valentines day as a family. We did “staycation” and OMG! it was fun and relaxing. Specially with the brutal cold weather we had here over that Valentine weekend. It was really a good idea to just stay inside. But we wanted to breath a different air so we stayed in a hotel near were we live.

Benefits:

1.) It’s Relaxing! It says it all 🙂 as you can get away from household chores,
2.) Less travel time, less stress
3.) Cheaper than a vacation
4.) you get to explore the things to do in your area like (bike trails, museums etc.)

TIPS to really enjoy your stay:
1. book a hotel that has free breakfast – it saves time and money.
2. If you’re a fitness junkie – book the one that has a fitness center
3. Hotel that has a swimming pool is a good idea, it is like an outing (really a getaway) in our area since it is always cold during the winter. We always book a place with indoor pool so the kids and the whole family can enjoy taking a dip.
4. Take some board games with you. What took the dominoes with us and Adi really enjoyed it.
5. You can get coupon book from the rest areas for hotels around your area and get good discounts.
6. If you are staying at home, try activities within your area.

I hope those tips and ideas help you in your upcoming staycation. It is very easy to plan. And in case if you are wondering where I got my Winter coat, It is no longer available as it is old but I linked here similar styles.

Outfit, Travel

Reasons Why You Need to Visit Philippines

February 1, 2016 No Comments

Happy Monday my loves! Today I will be sharing some places to go when in the Philippines and the reason why you should visit. First of, for those who have not heard of that country. It is located in the southeast Asia close to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and also a neighbor of China, Japan, Korea and many more.

I had to post these outfit because these Tom’s are my companion most of the time. Very comfy shoes to walk around town. I guess if you are flat footed it my not be the same comfort for you. These I wore when we went to Tagaytay where you can see the beautiful view of the Taal Volcano. Click >>> TAGAYTAY for more info from this blog.

Philippines is close to the equator that is the reason why it has 7,107 beautiful islands. We have a lot of beautiful beaches with white sand and crystal clear water. Check out those post below by my fellow bloggers. You will also love and enjoy the Filipino hospitality. When you visit you can see for yourself.

Click this >>>PALAWAN by Aimee of songofstyle.com

Click this >>>BOHOL by Paula Ordovas of mypeeptoes.com

My own experience of Bohol from my previous post here and Boracay island here.

Why am I blogging this topic? I want all my readers to get to know the country where I grew up before moving here in Maryland, USA.

When you are in the City and around it, These are the places I recommend you visit. Click those links below to check out some more.

Kidzania (for family with kids, kids get to role play)

Resorts world (for people who wants to gamble, party, dine out and a lot more.. It is like a mini Las Vegas)

Manila Ocean Park (If you like big aquariums and sea lion shows this is the place for you)

Ocean Adventure (This is outside Manila but few hours away only and from the name itself it is on the beach and you’ll get to see an play with the dolphins)

Zoobic Safari (This is close to Ocean Adventure and here you see different animals, it is like an open zoo)

I was only a few places I was able to talk about but please do check out the Philippine tourism page >>> ITSMOREFUNINTHEPHILIPPINES to see more.

I hope this post made you go for your next adventure in Asia.

Thank you for stopping by and for all your comments. Have a great week ahead!

Simply,

Christianne

Outfit Photos: Novel (my better half)

Outfit, Travel

Best View of NYC

November 2, 2015 No Comments

Hello and Happy Monday Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I just all of you to know that to see the beauty of the whole Manhattan is to be on the other side. That being said is to be at Jersey City, New Jersey. As you can see from the picture below.

We already planned to visit NYC for the nth time since we were already close by. If you have been following me on instagram @simplychristianne then you would know that we attended my cousins wedding on Halloween. It was at Somerset, NJ which was an hour and 15 mins to get to the Big Apple, but it was bad timing. They had the New York Marathon so there were a lot of roads closed. That being said, I just thought about getting the best view so I asked our relatives to join us at Exchange Place, still in NJ to get the best shot of Manhattan.

Exchange place is also a nice area, it also feels like NYC but not as crowded. They also tall buildings and you’ll get to see lady Liberty from a far when you’re at the pier side. So if you plan to get the best view of the City when on land then this is the place for you to go. They also have restaurants around the area and they have this path train you can take which connects to the NYC subway.

As for the weather, it was really gorgeous as it was in the 60’s so I just wore jeans, OTK boots and this cute pink sweater from Target. The whole family actually wore the same except for my so girly girly daughter who requested if she can wear a dress.

Shop the look below:

Dress Gymboree (similar here), Boots Gymboree (similar here)

Shop the look below:

Sweater Target (similar here), Jeans Forever 21 (similar here), Bag Kate Spade (similar here), Boots Off Broadway shoes (similar here)

Have a wonderful week ahead Everyone!

Simply,

Christianne

Photos by: Novel

Travel

Shenandoah Valley, Virginia

October 21, 2015 No Comments

Good morning everyone! I hope you are all having a good day. Just sharing our recent trip to the Mountains of Shenandoah Valley National Park in Virginia. We really enjoyed the trip because we were with our family and friends. I have included our friends picture and it was taken per family. We were like kids playing with the foliage.

What to do?

1.) You can go up the skyline drive by private vehicle, motorcycle or by foot if you want to hike. You can drive up and stop to those different scenic spots to take pictures and see the amazing view.

2. ) Hiking – they have hiking trails for you to try.

3.) Camping – they have nice camp site, you will love the view.

4.) Picnic – they have this picnic area, that’s were we stayed the most and took all those family pictures.

What I wore?

Always check the temperatures before you go so you can dress up appropriately. I actually had another coat to put on if the temperatures drops even more. The scarf I was wearing was really a big help, it kept me warm.

Shop the look:

Jacket – North Face here

Jeans – Target

Boots – Aldo (similar here and here)

Scarf – Forever 21 (similar here and here)

Simply,

Christianne

Photos by: Novel

Travel

7 Fall activities for the families

September 23, 2015 No Comments

Happy First day of Autumn! I just want to talk about fun ideas for you and your family in the Fall. Go Try out these cool activities because you only get to do them around this time of the year. If you leave here in the USA you probably experienced doing this but for my other readers outside the USA who doesn’t have Autumn. These activities is a must if you intend to visit around This season.

I have added the places to see around DC, Maryland and Virginia and the links to their website.

1. Visit a Pumpkin Patch – check out Montpelierfarms.com they have a lot of things to do for everybody. (Hayride, corn maze, go karts, feed the animals and a lot more..)

2. Taking pictures in the foliage – Place to go is visitshenandoah.org

3. Apple picking – Butlersorchard.com

4. Carve a Pumpkin

5. Do a bonfire at your backyard

6. Fright fest – check out sixflags.com

7. Trick or treat

Have A good day friends.

Simply,

Christianne

Travel

Eagle Rock Resort

August 24, 2015 No Comments

Eagle Rock Resort

We had a wonderful weekend together with our family and friends. We were so Ockham to have a perfect weather for this mini getaway. This is actually an annual thing for our family and relatives in NY. We always get to enjoy nature and the good company.

This weekend was the first time have been in Eagle rock were they have a special event. It was a summerfest, it was a family day event. They had free food, face painting, hay ride, balloons and moon bounce for the kids. The kids really enjoyed their stay, and of course everybody did!

At the pool, they had games for the kids by diving to get the gold coin underneath the pool. It was so much fun! Adi really enjoyed that one.

It was also the first time, my daughter Adi was able to try swimming by herself. My husband and I was so excited. We had her enrolled on a swimming class last year, but after the first day when the instructor asked them to submerged in the water. We couldn’t get her to come back to the class the next day, she was crying.

As for our little boy Aidan, he was enjoying everything from the pool, moon bounce and just by running around, taking his slippers off. We couldn’t get him to wear it.

This time also, we got to go to the lake that they have. It was so gorgeous! Since we have known this resort we never tried coming to the lake. We had been missing a lot. It was never too late. They have paddle boats, row boats, canoes and pedal boats for the whole family. The weather was just so perfect! So we decided to try the row boat, when we got to the middle of the lake my husband and our friend decided that they wanna jump off the boat. The water temp was just right so I joined them. The funny part was we couldn’t jump back in to the boat. So what happened was we just swam from there to get back to the shore. Tiring!

We also had a lot of food to share, we stayed at the picnic tables they had at the side of the lake. When it was getting dark, we decided to check out the clubhouse to see what they have there.

At the clubhouse, they have a lot of activities for people of Ll ages. There was an activity room, room for toddlers where they can play with toys. There billiards, Xbox, arcade, lounge where they show movies, air hockey, foozball, lounge where you can watch a movie, basketball court. On the outside they have another outdoor pool.

I wish we can be there for a week, maybe next time we will plan it that way. As for place to stay, they have the Inn, sugarloaf townhouses, and hotel, but we prefer to stay on an outside hotel like the Marriot Residence Inn. Which is like a mile or 2 away from there.

Positive vibes friends!
Have a nice day everyone!

Simply,

Christianne

Travel

The Beach at Ocean City

July 31, 2015 No Comments

I have been wanting to go to the beach but we have been very busy, the last time we went was September last year when we visited Cancun, Mexico. Summer will not be complete without a trip to the beach. I know all of you agree with me on that one?

So last weekend was the day. We went to Ocean City since I found a good deal and it was an oceanfront hotel and it was on the boardwalk. As you can see from the pictures, our whole family had fun specially the kids. What my husband and I noticed was that Aidan was not putting the sand on his mouth anymore. Omg! When we were in Cancun, we had to be by his side all the time or else he’ll be full with sands.

And as for Adi, she used to be so scared of the waves that she’ll just rather play on the sand. This time she was enjoying the waves, she’ll ask us to jump with her when the waves comes.

We were also blessed with a perfect weather, that was the cherry on top. There were also a lot people on the outdoor pool that’s why we just used the pool float on the indoor pool.

As for the swimsuit that I wore. I have been wearing this most of the time, it is one of my favorite one piece. Good fit and gives you shape.

Details:
You can shop the similar pieces, just click shop and you can browse it there.
Swimsuit – Trina Turk
Hat – Forever 21

cover up – (here)

We had a wonderful time. I hope you all have a great summer!

Simply,

Christianne

Travel

Hot Air Balloon Festival

July 30, 2015 No Comments

It was a nice Sunny Saturday and we were so excited to go see the Hot air balloons. It was at Solberg Airport in Whitestation House, NJ and according to our GPS we should be there by 3.5 hours. It was already late when we left the house so we decided to stop by at the Hotel to leave our stuff before we head to the festival.

OMG, we hit the traffic and it was bad so there was an added ! hour before we were able to reach the hotel (Marriott Hotel at Princeton, NJ). From the hotel it was 22 miles away but estimated 45 min travel time which turned out to be a 2 hour and 45 mins drive. It was only 4=3 miles away from the event place and we hit traffic, Why? because there were a lot of people going and the worst part it was only one lane. the traffic was terrible, it would have been nice if the roads to get there has many lanes. They have people assisting guest on where to park but still, it was that single lane that made the traffic worst.

We got to the event really late we were thinking we will not be able to see then release the Hot Air Balloons, but thank God, they had waited for the wind to calm down so it will be safe for them to launch the Balloons. Right after getting of the car, we started seeing the hot air balloons being released. Oh it was a gorgeous site! We are loving all the colorful balloons.

We also noticed that there were a lot of people just wanted to see the balloons and did not want to enter the festival grounds when we were on our way to the festival entrance. They just paid the parking ticket which was $10 just for sigh seeing. That is why there were a lot of cars on the road. There were a lot of people everywhere inside and outside the festival site.

Anyways, for us who paid the General admission to enter the Festival site. We were able to see the balloons closer, they also had other things that you can do inside like playgrounds for kids, novelty stores, food trucks. They have thetered rides were the Hot Air Balloons only go up 100 ft and the ropes are still tied to the ground, it was just to experience flying for a little bit. It was $20, but wasn’t able to do it due to long lines and we have kids with us. Kids can be impatient. They also offered a walk in the balloon which was on $2 just to see what’s inside the balloon.

We took a lot of pictures of all the balloons, it was such a nice sight! the kids enjoyed running around the ground. Our daughter was able to do the high jump thing with the harness. We also went around the stores to see what they had and got the kids some souvenirs.

Overall, It was fun for the whole family once you are already inside, lot of things to see and to do. But like I said, the traffic was horrible due to a single lane roads, You don’t get to hear announcement on what is going on. We were only able to see few Glow in the dark hot air balloons (but there was a disclaimer that it depends on the wind if they will permit hot air balloons to go.

Outfit details:

Romper – HM

Belt – Banana Republic

Sandals – Target (mossimo)

Hat – Charlotte Russe

Sunglasses – Forever 21

Simply,

Christianne

Photos: Novel (my husband)

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