Friday, June 08, 2007

Travel Questionnaire

One of my favorite blogs to visit belongs to Dan Renzi, who, in case you don't know, was a cast member in MTV's Real World, Miami (I think). By the time this season of the Real World came out, I already wasn't really watching it anymore, so I'm sure I caught some of the episodes, but I don't think I watched the whole thing. I have, however, watched almost all of the Real World/Road Rules Challenges, because the competition stuff is so much more fun to watch. Dan has done a few of these challenges, so I've seen him in those. At one point, I stumbled across his blog, and I really like what he writes, he's funny, he's smart, and he seems like a great guy.

Okay, all of that intro to basically say that while perusing his blog, "How Was Your Day, Dan?" today I came across a post in which he answered the NY Times T Travel Questionnaire. Since I love traveling, I decided that I wanted to answer it too. And since it is Friday and I'm not much for serious blogging on Fridays, here it is:


What was your first passport stamp?
This is a good question, because I'm not sure if I had a passport issued to me when I was 8 months old and moved from Africa to Portugal...if so, that would have been my first. Otherwise, it would have been when I moved from Portugal to the U.S. when I was 9...first U.S. Issued Passport stamp would be when I was about 23 or so and went back to Portugal for a visit.

Is there a tourist trap that you actually love?
Faneuilll Hall in Boston. Well, technically, all of Boston in the summer is a tourist trap, and I love the city...but specifically, Faneuill Hall with all the "souvenir" kiosks, and dozens of restaurants, and groups of street performers, it’s a fun place to eat and hang out for a bit.

Favorite hotel?
I don’t really have one. As long as the bed is plushy, the service is friendly, and the food is good, I’m happy.

Restaurant?
With the amount of eating out I do, picking a favorite restaurant is damn near impossible. BUT, in the spirit of the travel theme, there was a sushi buffet place in the Alladin complex in Las Vegas that I absolutely fell in love with. I’d love to eat there again.

Carry-on or check?
Carry-on if I can help it. Sometimes, for longer trips, you have no choice but to check luggage, but I HATE to do so, and almost every single time I’ve had to check luggage, I’ve had issues with it being lost or delayed…sigh

Beach or mountains?
Beach, without a doubt. The mountains are beautiful, and I have great memories of summers spent at the White Mountains in New Hampshire, but there’s nothing like the smell of the ocean and the sound of the waves.

What's one unusual item you always travel with?
I don’t think there is any one item that I always travel with…but I do always carry a pair of comfy socks in my purse, so I can put them on when I’m flying, even if I’m traveling in warm weather, and wearing sandals. There are always the ear plugs too, because I have really sensitive ears and get horrible ear aches when I fly.

Favorite airport pastime?
People watching. I mean seriously, the people you see in airports? BEST kind of entertainment.

First class next to a crying baby or coach in total silence?
Coach in silence, obviously. Babies are very cute, but not when they’re crying in confined spaces.

If you were a boutique hotel, which would you be?
I don’t even really know what qualifies as a boutique hotel, so I don’t know how to answer this question…so I’m skipping it.

When I travel, I allow myself to ______:
Eat whatever I want, diets don’t travel well. I also allow myself to wear stuff I might not wear at home, i.e. the big J-Lo style hat at the pool.

What travel-related job would you least like to have?
Hotel maid. I hate cleaning up after myself, cleaning up after others would be 100 times worse. I absolutely appreciate hotel maids.

When your final day arrives, in which hotel would you like to die?
What a weird and morbid question. I’d rather not die in a hotel, but if that’s the choice, I’ll take some beach resort in Mexico, thank you very much!

There you have it! Happy Friday everyone, have a great weekend!

4 comments:

Literary Feline said...

What a fun meme!

Sad to say I've never had a passport. I've been thinking recently of getting one even though I have no plans in the near future to travel abroad. It's just something I feel like I should have.

I know this might sound strange, but can I take the mountains in the spring and summer and the beach in the fall and winter? I'm not too fond of snow, but I really love the mountains. And I love the beach too. I always figured my dream would be a cabin on a lake. That way, I'll have the mountains and the beach. :-)

MommaBoo said...

I agree with literary feline. Mountains in summer and spring, beach in fall and winter.

I enjoy them then, I think, because it's against the "norm". Crowds are lighter, prices are cheaper, so, I'm happier.

BTW, I stopped by "Gallery of the Absurd". EXCELLENT site!

Happy Saturday!

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

This *is* a fun meme--great find :) And thank you for reminding me about Dan's blog. His was one of the first one's I'd ever read but then I lost all my bookmarks a while ago (pre-Bloglines), so now I'll have to head over there and catch up :)

FWIW, like LF and JennieBoo, I'm more of a mountain girl too. Who woulda thought there were so many of us? ;)

Karina said...

LF, glad you enjoyed the meme! I think you should get a passport, I think everyone should have one ready...you never know when an opportunity to travel might present itself, and you want to be prepared!

Jennie, I can see both your and LF's point about the reverse mountain/beach times. I do love the mountains, but I'm a beach girl at heart. For me the mountains are beautiful in the fall, when the leaves are changing, and there's hills and hills of golds and reds and oranges...oh, and Gallery of the Aburd really is the funniest site, isn't it?

Sognatrice, I'm glad I reminded you of Dan's blog. He really is a funny guy, and even though I've never met him, from reading his blog, I know we would be great friends if I ever did.

K