Disney California Adventure: Flo's V-8 Cafe takes you back to the 1950s Read Post

Disney California Adventure: Flo's V-8 Cafe takes you back to the 1950s

Where's the best place to fuel up at the new Carsland in Disney California Adventure. We loved Flo's V-8 Cafe, that's inspired by the drive-ins along Route 66 and takes you back to the 1950s. We tried the roasted citrus turkey breast and chocolate Ugly Crust pie.






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What's the hottest-selling souvenir at Disneyland this summer? Read Post

What's the hottest-selling souvenir at Disneyland this summer?

Goodbye mouse ears! Hello tire hats.

This year Disneyland fans are walking around the park wearing Luigi Flying Tires hats for sale at $24.95 at Sarge's Surplus Hut in the new Carsland.
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The day I surprised my kids with a trip to Disneyland Read Post

The day I surprised my kids with a trip to Disneyland

 The plan was to not tell the kids we were going to Disneyland for the day. Instead we told them that we were meeting a work friend of my husband's. His friend had two toddlers and their assignment was to watch the children who we named Aidan and Emily. We told our kids that if they behaved at the meeting, we'd buy them ice cream.

They were obviously annoyed but perked up after I told them about the ice cream. We were living in a Southern California mountain town at the time. The kids were attending an art camp and my husband and I were working remotely. It was a two hour drive into Los Angeles, where we were supposedly going to meet my husband's work friend.

But instead we turned off the freeway into Orange County.

My kids have only been to Disneyland once when they were young so they had no clue where we were going. We drove in a back way to avoid signage but when we turned onto Disneyland Drive and the Matterhorn was in sight my son asked, "Mom, is that the real Disneyland?"

I told him, "Yes."

And then he asked nonchalantly, "Can we go?"

My husband and I broke out into joyful screams, "We're going to Disneyland!!!"

My kids looked at us absolutely dumbfounded. I thought they'd be screaming too but they were too surprised to make a sound.
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3 reasons my kids love Best Western Hotels Read Post

3 reasons my kids love Best Western Hotels

Any time our family is driving down the highway and my kids spot a blue and yellow sign they shout out BeWe—in our family that means you've seen a Best Western hotel! These kids, ages 7 and 9, have fallen in love with the hotel chain. It makes sense. I work for Best Western and my kids have stayed in BeWes all over the country. But there are three main reasons why this hotel chain continues to win over their hearts.

1) Swimming pools. Over 90 percent of Best Western hotels have swimming pools and my kids are always excited to jump into the water. Parents might have grand plans for all sorts of vacation activities, from hikes to museum visits, but let's face it, kids just want to play in the pool.

2) Fresh waffles. Many Best Westerns serve free breakfast and many have waffle-making machines. Pour in some batter, wait a couple minutes, and presto, you've got a piping hot, perfectly crisp waffle. Pass the syrup, please!

3) They're everywhere! From New York City to Memphis, Tenn., to the Grand Canyon. Best Westerns are all over the United States, not to mention the world. Paris? Yes! Budapest? Of course. My kids love the consistency of staying at the same chain (and I love racking up the rewards points). They like screaming out BeWe every time they spot one from the freeway. First one to see the BeWe gets bragging rights for the day in our family!

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Hey, that's me sharing budget family travel tips on WXYZ-TV, Cincinnati Read Post

Hey, that's me sharing budget family travel tips on WXYZ-TV, Cincinnati

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Ohio River road trip: In full focus Read Post

Ohio River road trip: In full focus

Our best photographs from our nine-day journey along the Ohio River.
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Here's how we traveled on $200 a day—and we did cool stuff like go to the Andy Warhol Museum Read Post

Here's how we traveled on $200 a day—and we did cool stuff like go to the Andy Warhol Museum

We visited the Andy Warhol Museum on a Friday night when admission was half-off.
This summer our family spent nine days driving the length of the Ohio River from Pittsburgh, Pa., to Cairo, Ill., and we spent $1,674.45 on food, gas and lodging—that's less than $200 a day. No, we weren't pitching tents. We ate well and stayed in comfortable hotels every night.

Looking to plan a similar budget trip? Here are some penny-pinching tips:

1) Leave the SUV at home. We drove an economy compact car (Ford Focus) that got 35 miles to the gallon. If we had taken an SUV, we would have spent about $100 more on gas.

2) Lighten your load. We packed light--bringing only a few changes of clothes and doing wash along the way. Carrying 100 pounds in the trunk reduces a typical car's fuel efficiency by 1 to 2 percent. If you do have cargo to haul, use the trunk instead of a roof rack or carrier, as using these can decrease mileage by as much as 5 percent.

3) Water only. No iced tea, no apple juice, no beers, no way! At restaurants we stuck with water. Well, actually we made a few exceptions. In Louisville, we couldn't resist the Mint Juleps and beers at the German Hoffbrauhaus in Cincinnati.

4) Split entrées. We always started by ordering one entree for two adults and one children's meal for two kids. If we ate everything and were still hungry, we ordered more. We never wasted food.

5) Carry refillable water bottles. A family of four can easily spend $20 a day buying water in plastic bottles. We purchased eco-friendly Klean Kanteens, which don't leach chemicals, toxins, or funky flavors. We refilled them at hotels, restaurants, and public restrooms.

6) Find free and cheap fun. We visited went to the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh on a Friday night when admission was half-off and spent an afternoon at the Cincinnati Art Museum, which doesn't charge admission. We also spent a lot of time hiking around state parks.

7) Go for hotel freebies. Bed down at places that offer great value: free breakfast, Wi-Fi, and parking. For example, you’ll receive free Internet access at all Best Western hotels (bestwestern.com).

8) Dive into the hotel pool. Take a break from the amusement parks and shopping malls, and hang out at the pool, where you don't have to pay admission. Ninety percent of Best Western properties have swimming pools.

9) Load your iPhone with apps. We used CheapGas to pinpoint the lowest priced gas stations and AAA Discounts to alert us of money-saving opportunities. You can download both applications for free on iTunes.
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We met our budget: Ohio River Road Trip Read Post

We met our budget: Ohio River Road Trip

We made it! We drove the full length of the Ohio River in nine days, starting in Pittsburgh and reaching the end of the river in Cairo, Ill., and then driving along the Mississippi to Memphis, where we spent our final night.

Did we successfully meet our budget? Yes! We gave ourselves $200 a day, a total of $1,800 over the course of nine days. We spent only $1,674.45—and had $125.55 leftover.

Photo: imelenchon
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Day 9: Paducha to Memphis Read Post

Day 9: Paducha to Memphis

Our journey came to end today. From Paducah, Ky., we continued to trace the Ohio River to Cairo, Ill, where the river we've been following for the past week meets the Mississippi. We stood at the confluence of the two mighty rivers, feeling excited, accomplished and a little sad. Our trip was nearly over...but first we needed to make it to Memphis where we planned to see the famous Peabody ducks. Huh, ducks? Read on to find out...

Budget
We went well over our $200 a day budget in Memphis—but we came in under budget on so many other days that it didn't matter.
Total: $269.39


Highlights

1) Cairo, Ill.
Cairo is the southernmost city in Illinois and sits on a skinny strip of land at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.


Six hours down I-57 to the southernmost tip of the state, where the Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet, is yet another pocket of Illinois poverty: Alexander County and its county seat, Cairo. There, amid crumbling 19th century mansions, a history of segregationism and steady economic decline have conspired to make Cairo one of the most impoverished places in the state. The city’s population has dwindled every decade since 1920 — from a high of 15,205 to the current low of 3,632 — prompting the principal of Cairo High School to advise the 1990 graduating class to leave.

In downstate Cairo, 47 percent of children live in poverty, according to the 2000 Census. Alexander County’s poverty rate of 26.1 percent was the highest of any county in the state, and its infant mortality rate of 15.4 percent from 1998 to 2000 was the state’s second-highest.  

 
 The Elias Ace Hardware in Cairo is open, but the Shell is closed. The Washateria is open, but the CutMart has closed. There is no McDonald’s, no Burger King, no Arby’s. There is no recreation center, no bowling alley, no movie theater. The Spirit House — for liquor — is open, but the Christ Temple — for souls — is closed. Churches are for sale, prices reduced. The Martin CME Temple on Poplar Street is available, its public auction sign nailed to a dead tree stump.





2) Steele, Missouri
The stretch of highway between Cairo and Memphis is a food desert. As my husband drove, I sat in the passenger's seat searching on my iPhone for a highly recommended greasy spoon, a hamburger stand, an old-school diner with great pie. Nothing. I kept browsing the options using my favorite restaurant-finder app Urban Spoon. Nothing. 

And then at 2 p.m. my husband said he was starving and pulled off the freeway in Steele, Missouri, which looked to be absolutely nothing. I quickly looked up our options on Urban Spoon, my favorite app for finding restaurants. 

Steele Family Restaurant? We're a family...why not. We parked the car and walked in. 

Everyone in the restaurant, which was about 10 people, looked at us and continued to stare as we found ourselves at the soda fountain counter. I felt as if we were aliens from another planet.

A woman working behind the counter broke the ice with a big smile and said, "What can I getcha?"

And then we went onto to enjoy the most memorable meal of out trip. We enjoyed bowls of homemade steaming vegetable soup served with grilled cheese sandwiches while chatting with the woman behind the counter who was named Ms. Kim. She is originally from New Orleans but she evacuated during Katrina and drove for 17 hours with her kids and mother in search of a hotel. The only place they could find a room was Steele, Missouri. "And I've been here ever since," she told us.

By the end of the meal we were friends with everyone in the restaurant and we listened to their stories about their town that was once booming and is now dying. "We used to have clothing stories here in town on the main street," one woman told me. That woman was originally from Steele and after college she returned to become a teacher. "I wanted to give back to my community," she told me. She's now retired and helping run programs for troubled youth. "We have a lot of drugs."

The kids with Ms. Kim.

3) Peabody Hotel, Memphis

Our goal was to make it to Memphis by 5 p.m. to see the famous ducks at the Peabody Hotel. Ducks? Yes, this grand and historic hotel in the middle of Memphis is known for a family of ducks who swim around in a fountain in the downstairs lounge during the day and then at 5 p.m. the duck master leads the flock in a march down a red carpet and into an elevator, which takes the ducks to the hotel roof deck where they sleep for the night. We were in Memphis a few years ago and missed the ducks by about 10 minutes. This year we were determined to make it!
And we made it! When we arrived at 4 p.m. the ducks were swimming around in the fountain. People gathered round snapping photos and taking video.
The duck master gave the crowd an overview of the history:
Back in 1932 Frank Schutt, General Manager of The Peabody, and a friend, Chip Barwick, returned from a weekend hunting trip to Arkansas. The men had a little too much Jack Daniel's Tennessee sippin' whiskey, and thought it would be funny to place some of their live duck decoys (it was legal then for hunters to use live decoys) in the beautiful Peabody fountain. 
Three small English call ducks were selected as "guinea pigs," and the reaction was nothing short of enthusiastic. Soon, five North American Mallard ducks would replace the original ducks. 
In 1940, Bellman Edward Pembroke, a former circus animal trainer, offered to help with delivering the ducks to the fountain each day and taught them the now-famous Peabody Duck March. Mr. Pembroke became the Peabody Duckmaster, serving in that capacity for 50 years until his retirement in 1991.

And then the procession began! The ducks were like celebrities strutting down a Hollywood red carpet and we were the paparazzi. 
On the roof deck we met up with the duck master.
Views of Memphis from the Peabody roof deck.

4) Rendezvous, Memphis
Our evening ended at the Rendezvous, tucked away in General Washburn Alley just across the street from the Peabody. Many say this institution, originally opened in 1948, serves the best ribs in town. All I can say is they're the best ribs I've ever had in my life. Dry-rubbed, hickory smoked, and falling off the bone. We were fighting over them.

Up next? Home! We've officially reached the end of our trip!
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Day 8: Dale, Ind., to Paducah, Ky. Read Post

Day 8: Dale, Ind., to Paducah, Ky.

Today we drove about three hours from Dale, Ind., to Paducah, Ky. We loved passing through this pastoral part of the country with rolling bluegrass hills and fields of corn. And we were thankful to spend more time in the car because the temperatures increased to a sweltering 90 degrees. It was actually amusing because our first stop was in a kitschy Christmas-themed town called Indiana and my son said, "Mommy, I thought Santa lived in a cold place!"

Budget
Breakfast: free at hotel
Snacks: $9.10
Lunch: $37.33 (Moonlite Bar-B-Q)
Gas: $33.08
Dinner: $42
Hotel: $91.86
Total: $213.37

Highlights

1) Santa Claus, Indiana
In the middle of Indiana farm country, we found Santa Claus. The jolly man in a red suit was standing in front of a herd of grazing cows and a beautiful old red barn. Huh? We had stumbled upon America's Christmas Hometown.
"Mommy, I thought Santa had reindeer, not cows!" my son said.
In the winter, this town puts on a spectacular Christmas festival, or so we've heard, but in the middle of summer the only sights to see are the Christmas-themed businesses. 
Every business, whether it's a golf course or a campground, has a Christmas theme.
 We later saw a police man getting into this car. No his uniform wasn't red and green.
A Santa statue stands outside City Hall holding a big bag of presents. My daughter asked, "Do kids here get presents every day?"
 Who knew? Santa shops at Dollar General. No wonder he can afford to give so many presents.
This town is home to the world's only post office with the Santa Claus name. The post office receives thousands of letters addressed to Santa Claus every December and volunteer elves respond to answer each one, a tradition that has been going on since 1914.
 
Ornaments in the middle of June? Yes, they're sold year-round in Santa Claus, Indiana.
 Have a Coke and a Santa.
By the time my kids and I bumped into this Santa outside the grocery store, I was singing carols—and they were shouting at me "Stop! You're embarrassing us!"


2) Moonlite Bar-B-Q, Owensboro, Ky.
Jennifer Reese who writes the Tipsy Baker blog recommended this spot for barbecue. She sent a few suggestions for restaurants along the Ohio River but this is the one place where she said we MUST stop—and so we did and we were not disappointed. 
Owensboro, Ky., calls itself barbecue capital of the world and the Moonlite is its most famous establishment. In fact, this town probably gets its title from this restaurant.
We arrived at lunch when this big and busy restaurant rolls out a spectacular buffet: macaroni and cheese, green beans and bacon, buttery mashed potatoes, creamed corn, and lots and lots of barbecue...
Barbecued ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and beef brisket—all of it cooked perfectly over hickory coals until succulent and tender. And there's also the restaurant specialty: chopped mutton, which is mature sheep and has a richer, meatier taste than lamb. Mutton has been popular in the area ever since Welsh settled this area and raised herds of sheep.
So much to choose from...
The macaroni drowning in cheddar cheese and butter and sprinkled with paprika was my son's favorite.
We piled our plates with food...

and somehow found room for dessert. How could we resist?



3) Route 60, Indiana
From Owensboro we crossed the river over to Indiana and stumbled upon this plaque indicating that Abraham Lincoln had made a speech here.

We stopped at the Marion Cafe in Marion, Indiana, because my husband needed a cup of coffee. Cute place but completely deserted.
Someone had fun decorating their garage with old signs.

4) Paducah, Ky.
Paducah is a pretty town that sits on the banks of the Ohio. It's known for its art galleries, performing arts scene and the National Quilt Museum. One local told us that if it weren't for the 1937 flood that swept this town into the river, Paducah would be the size of Nashville today.
In Paducah we reconnected with the Ohio River. That meant more rock skipping.
Paducah has a vibrant art scenes and several theaters, and we found this entertainer, pretending to be Marilyn Monroe, on the street.
This is a photograph of Cynthia's, a restaurant that we couldn't afford—but we decided to photograph it anyway because the outdoor patio looked lovely. On a warm, Friday evening the Paducah restaurants were overflowing with people. We ended up at Max's Brick Oven Cafe and were lucky to get in without a reservation.
We spent the sweltering night cooling off in the town's public swimming pool and watching the movie Hook on a giant inflatable screen. 


What's up next? We're driving to Cairo, Ill., where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi.
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