Category Archives: Senior Citizens

San Francisco, California

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Golden Gate Bridge

Golden Gate Bridge

When I travel I like to visit places I have read about in a book or magazine. I become the ultimate tourist. My intent is to take the words off the page and experience them in real life. San Francisco is a prime destination where you can do just that.

For one thing, a lot of stuff you’ve read about is within walking distance of each other. You can visit the sea lions, listen to their loud grunting, and watch them splash and play off the end of Pier 39. Other things the Pier has to offer: a marketplace, restaurants, street performers and loads of shops.

You won’t want to miss Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s only one or two blocks away from Pier 39 and the walk along the Bay is lovely. You’ll see picture perfect views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Just seeing the Golden Gate Bridge will give you a warm, fuzzy feeling. It’s a man-made phenomenon.

Tours. You want to take a tour? There are all sorts of tours: Seqway Tours, Motorcoach Tours, Bay Cruise Tours, Double Decker Trolley Tours, Culinary Tours, Alcatraz Tours, Submarine Tours, Chinatown Tours and Ride the Duck Tours. If you can dream it up–San Francisco’s got it.

So, right about now, you’re wondering how you can ride a duck, aren’t you? Well, the Duck is a W.W. II style amphibious landing vehicle, so you tour the city by land and by sea. Pretty neat.

Of course, you can’t visit San Francisco without riding a cable car or trolley. They’re everywhere. Hop on.

And by all means, never visit a city without sampling the local cuisine. In San Francisco, the sour dough bread is not to be missed. Make sure you eat some in every restaurant you visit, because you’ll never taste anything like it ever again (unless you go back to San Fran).

If you’re traveling with the kids, there’s an aquarium at the bay and a carousel smack dab in the middle of Pier 39. The kids will also love the live entertainment and the street performers.

San Francisco has all the other things you’d expect to find in a big city: museums, theater, opera, symphony orchestra and sports.

It’s all good!

Orlando, Florida

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Orlando By Night

Continuing on with fun cities to visit in the United States. Try Orlando, Florida.

Yeah, you already know it’s about Disney, Universal and Sea World. That’s all good, but it is also about nightlife downtown and restaurants galore. One of my favorite restaurants is Vito’s Chop House on International Drive, a steak house with an Italian flair. But that’s only one of many delightful places to dine.

I’d venture to say no matter when you visit, you’ll always be able to find a live concert to attend. There are great venues: Amway Arena, House of Blues, and Hard Rock Live, to name a few.

If you prefer golf, look no further. While the kids are at Universal for the day, you can pick up your clubs and head for any of the Grand Cypress Resort’s Courses, Bay Hill, Shingle Creek or the Hunter’s Creek Golf Course. Again, this is a partial list. There are many more.

If the kids want to see something a little more off the beaten path, try Gatorland or Wet & Wild or Silver Spurs Rodeo.

Most visitors to Orlando aren’t usually looking for cultural pursuits, but if you’re happiest at the theatre, you’ll be pleased to know Orlando hosts a ballet company, opera company, a philharmonic orchestra, a lineup of live plays and it even has a thriving Shakespeare Theatre.

For sports, there’s always the Magic and if you visit at the right time of year, you can see the Citrus Bowl Parade, which kicks off another exciting Citrus Bowl Game.

Gosh, what more could you want?

New York, New York

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The Big Apple

big-apple-ny

When you read that title, New York, New York, tell the truth, didn’t you automatically hear the lyrics in your head? I can almost picture a line of dancers kicking up their heels in unison at the Radio City Music Hall.

New York City is the next city on my countdown for vacationing on a budget and where to do it in the U.S. To be absolutely honest, New York City is pricey, but when compared to hopping a plane abroad, it’s a real bargain. It has everything, including the most diverse cross-section of ethnicity in this country.

How does one describe the city that never sleeps?

I’m just going to tick off  “some” of the things you will find in NYC.

  • Central Park, which encompasses the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, (2) Ice-Skating Rinks,  and an outdoor Theatre in the Park. (If you’re a birder–Central Park is your own personal heaven.)
  • Statue of Liberty
  • Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center
  • Chinatown
  • Harlem
  • Broadway (You haven’t experienced a play until you’ve seen one on Broadway)
  • Museums (My favorite–Metropolitan Museum of Art– you can spend days there and still not see it all) There are loads of other museums, though. Another popular museum is MoMA, Museum of Modern Art
  • Times Square (If you visit, be sure to grab a burger at the McDonald’s at Times Square. You won’t believe your eyes.)
  • Greenwich Village
  • The Garment District

There’s more, but the list would go on and on into infinity. Suffice it to say, every neighborhood has something new and different to offer and you can see it all because cabs are at your beck and call day or night.

And there is actually one freebie in NYC. The Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museums are free on Friday evenings. Not bad!

I’ll close by reminding you that shopping in New York is phenomenal. Bring some extra cash.

Philadelphia, PA

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Sculling on the Schuykill

If you’re vacationing in the U.S., Philadelphia is a good choice. It’s got a little bit of everything: history, art, sports, Broadway-caliber theaters, nightlife and great food.

It’s an historic city. Just a handfull of sites you can visit: Independence Hall, Betsy Ross House, the Liberty Bell, the Mint, although they don’t give away any of the money.

It houses some great art: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rodin Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Norman Rockwell Museum, and the little known, Mutter Museum. They call this museum “disturbingly informative, heh, heh–the kids will love it–skulls and body parts.

Speaking of kids, a visit to Philadelphia isn’t complete without a trip to the Franklin Institute. Actually the adults enjoy it, too. A little bit of science about every conceivable subject, even sports. And the Philadelphia Zoo is a must.

If you’re into sports, Philadelphia is a real sports town. Their professional teams: Phillies (baseball), Eagles (football), Flyers (ice hockey), and 76ers (basketball). If you’re more interested in water sports, go down to Boathouse Row along the Schuykill River. On weekends, you can see the scullers practicing on the river and if you’re lucky enough to be in town for one of the big regattas, all the better. You can even take a sculling lesson or two yourself, if you have a mind to.

If you plan to visit, the best places to stay are in Center City. South Broad Street has the best hotels and they’re all a short cab ride to all the trendy haunts, theaters and tourist spots.

And NEVER, NEVER visit Philly without sampling an honest-to-goodness cheesesteak. Lord, that’s something not to be missed.

San Antonio, Texas

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Photo From

In keeping with my suggestion that you vacation in the good ole’ USA, here is another suggestion.

If you want to visit a city that has something for everyone, San Antonio, Texas fills the bill. When I visited, I stayed at a hotel located on the RiverWalk, so I could exit the hotel and stroll along the cobbled path that winds along the San Antonio River. There are lots of shops and restaurants along the way.

My best experience while in San Antonio included a stop at the IMAX Theatre to see the story of the Alamo. Next I walked across the street and toured the Alamo. If you happen to visit in the month of March, a reenactment of the battle is performed on the Plaza.

Other attractions include: SeaWorld, Six Flags, McNay Art Museum, Tower of the Americas, Loads of Golf Courses, and while I was there I found some interesting Antique Shops.

Like I said, something for everyone.

Vacation On A Budget

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If you’re like a whole lot of other people, you can’t afford to go abroad for a vacation. Getting there is expensive, even if you’re able to find a decent group deal. Worse, the dollar exchange is really, really bad at the moment.

Still, you’d like to get away for a little while, maybe in the spring or summer. The answer is simple. Travel in the good ole’ U. S. of A. If you happen to live close enough to any of these locations, you can plan a road trip. Best of all, you’ll be helping our economy while you enjoy yourself.

I’ll give you a short rundown of cities I’ve visited that didn’t disappoint. I’ll start with my two absolute favorites.

  • Niagara Falls, New York. Whether it’s daytime or nighttime, the Falls are the main attraction. They’re awesome, to use a word which means, “Go see for yourself.” They are lit at night with colored lights–truly a delicious sight. Then take a day-trip across the Rainbow Bridge into Canada. Experience the Falls close-up on a short boat trip aboard the Maid of the Mist. How does it feel to be so close to the Falls: surrounded by rainbows, mist splashing your face, (you’re given a raincoat as you board the boat), the deafening roar? For an all too brief moment, your senses go wild: Seeing, Feeling and Hearing. Even the smells are memorable. There are loads of other things to do and see. This is a “must see” destination.

  • Grand Canyon, Arizona. I was in Las Vegas a couple of years ago (not a place you want to go when you’re on a budget). I had never been to Las Vegas before, so I thought I should see it at least once.  My real reason for going was because it got me smack-dab around the corner from the Grand Canyon. Before my feet ever hit the airport in Nevada, my Grand Canyon bus trip had already been booked and paid for. I’d seen pictures of the Grand Canyon hundreds of times, so I figured I knew what to expect. No! There is no way you can conceive its vastness, or its beauty. The only way I can possibly explain its size is–after spending several hours at the Canyon (which was not enough time), I returned to the bus for my return trip back to Las Vegas. The driver handed out pamphlets of the Canyon. On the inside of the four-folded pamphlet extending from one edge to the other, was a photo of the Grand Canyon. I asked the driver where we were exactly. He pointed to a tiny speck and he said, “That’s where we’re at and, actually, my stubby finger is too wide for this map.” That probably doesn’t explain it very well. Suffice it to say, if you haven’t already seen the Grand Canyon, put it on your Bucket List.

Good For The Waistline, Good For The Pocketbook, Too

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cheeseburger

It’s time to cut out some of the fast food drop-ins on your way home from work. Notice I say some, because there are days when you’re just too tired to cook, or you don’t have time to cook, or you’ve got to have a greasy cheeseburger, no matter what!

On those days when there’s no getting around it, be prepared. It doesn’t have to be a fast food burger. I buy a pound of ground beef, but instead of freezing it, I shape it into four burgers (very simple–nothing whatsoever added to it). Those individually wrapped burgers are always in my freezer. I freeze burger buns, too. Instant meal!

And if you want to make it healthier, smother every burger with tomato, lettuce, pickle, onion and a little cheese. The more lettuce, the better. It adds crunch.

Another thing you might want to consider is, once the kitchen is cleaned after dinner, put up the “Closed” sign. I don’t mean literally, but I remember my mother wiped and dried her kitchen sink. She shined the faucet and folded the towel and, believe me, you didn’t mess up her sink after that. It was her way of closing the kitchen for the night. It was a good policy. No one in our family had a weight problem back then.

And, incidentally, if you want to read a book about losing weight the fun way, try reading a book written by Janice Taylor titled All Is Forgiven, Move On. I mention her book because one of her suggestions is to close your kitchen at 9:20 p.m. every night.  My mom was doing that back in the 50’s.

Janice also has some nifty charts, some great recipes and motivation ideas for getting healthy and staying that way.

You might also want to visit Janice’s site http://ourladyofweightloss.com/ It’s an interesting read.

Ghosts, Candy & Hitting Up The Drunks

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Back in the day, Halloween was sheer delight. No one worried about razors in apples, or the safety of the streets. Parents stayed at home and gave out candy. Kids went door to door showing off their costumes. (most homemade using a bit of ingenuity.)

Every year, after the trick or treating was over for the younger set, my mother circled around to the back of our house and returned through our front door dressed as a ghost, screeching and making sounds that I guess she figured a ghost might make. My father and I  always made quite a fuss until the ghost disappeared out through the back of the house again. A few minutes later, my mother would reappear, usually coming up from the basement steps. (Sheet stowed away for another year.)

We didn’t receive mini bars of candy, either. Full-size candy bars were the order of the day.

And nobody frowned about teenagers coming around for treats later in the evening. If people ran out of candy, they dropped nickels in the bags. Neighborhood stores stayed open and gave out great treats, and when I became one of those teenagers, my friends and I always stopped in at the local bar. We thought of it as “hitting up the drunks” (My mother would’ve passed out if she knew.) But the drunks handed out some A-#1 largesse. They’d take change off the bar, usually a lot more than a nickel, and drop it into our bags. They actually liked being included in the fun and asked about our costumes and laughed and joked with us.

Those were the days.

What Does Chewing Gum & A Mental Disorder Have In Common?

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I guess I’m stuck in some frivolous time warp because this week I’m going to discuss chewing gum. Did you know that if you want to chew gum nowadays, most of the gum on the market contains aspartame? This applies to all chewing gums, not only sugar-free gum.

The reason I’ve singled out chewing gum is because if I chew gum that contains aspartame, my tongue develops small, painful cuts. After many months of wondering where these cuts were coming from, I finally realized it was the aspartame in the chewing gum. So, here’s the problem if you happen to like chewing gum. Try to find some that contain no aspartame–Chiclets and Big Red are the only ones I’ve found. That’s it!

Considering what aspartame does to my tongue, it got me thinking what it could be doing to one’s stomach.

This from a blog written by The Enlightened Homemaker

High intake of the artificial sweetener aspartame may lead to the degeneration of brain cells and various mental disorders, according to a research review conducted by South African scientists from the University of Pretoria and the University of Limpopo and published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

That is definitely a whole lot worse than my little bitty tongue problem. So, it’s time to rethink your thoughtless ingestion of aspartame. Cut back, or cut out entirely. Read the labels, even if the product is not low-cal, because my tongue problem pales in comparison to what could be happening.

There are many other scientific studies being conducted on aspartame. More than I care to list here. But in regards to chewing gum, perhaps Italian artist Maurizio Savini is making the best use of chewing gum. He sculpts with it.

chewing-gum-alligator.jpg