The Days Off - Travel Guide

Introduction
Subways are an excellent way to get around town in New York City. Some of the railcars (for instance the 4,5,6 line) are made by Kawasaki  which are  similar to the train cars in Japan. They have LED signs that tell you which stop you are heading toward, etc. One of the train cars we went on was completely covered with Boss cologne advertising, making the entire car a cool waterlike blue. The North/South trains go in two directions:  Uptown (north) and Downtown (south).  The S train connect between Grand Central and Times Square — very useful in case you want to visit both sides of Central Park for instance.

Unlimited Metro Card
Each trip on the subway or bus is $2. You can offset these costs by purchasing an unlimited Metro Card. The 7 day is a good value for $25. That makes it about $3.50 per day, which you can easily recoup in a 1 week trip. The only downside to the unlimited card is: It cannot be used again at the same subway station or the same bus route for 18 minutes. This means you can’t leave the station you just entered unless you want to wait 18 minutes.

Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard
Buy as many rides as you want from $4 to $80. Put $7 or more on your card and receive a 15 percent bonus. For example, a $20 purchase gives you $23 on your card. 11 trips for the price of 10, with $1 balance. Refill your card to use the balance. This would make sense if you only occasionally use the subway/bus on the trip.

Some useful links
Subway Map:
http://www.lirr.org/nyct/maps/submap.htm
http://www.lirr.org/nyct/maps/subwaymap.pdf
 

New York is known for great food. We decided to try out Wolfgang’s Steakhouse on Park Ave. from all the great reviews on Yelp. Its currently ranked in the top 5 in New York.

Review:
We got the “Steak for 2″ on the menu cooked medium rare. I wouldn’t say it is the best steak I’ve ever had, but it was up there. The meat was perfectly seared where the outside was crisp and the inside was really tender. I like the fact that the steak arrives in a really hot plate with a spacer underneath so that all the juices pool to one side. Supposedly it is cooked in a broiler at 1200 degrees! It was a lot of food for us — generous portions.  The service was excellent and the atmosphere was really nice. Our waiters were very helpful and professional. The waiter even sliced the steak for us which was a great touch.

As for side dishes, we tried the creamed spinach, bacon, and german potatoes. The BACON is the best Ive ever had. Its a thick piece seared in probably the same 1200 degree oven. Definitely worth getting. The german potatoes were very tasty, a nice change from the usual garlic mashed potatoes. Creamed spinach was ok.  Onion rolls were good, and they were generous in giving extra to take home

Price is typical for a high end New York Restaurant:
~$80 for steak for two, $30 for the bacon, spinach, german potatoes, plus drinks and tip.

Overall, it was a great dining experience in New York. If you decide to go, make sure you get the bacon!

We decided to do a quick tour of the Statue of Liberty as opposed to going through the Statue Cruise. Here’s the link for the Statue of Liberty National Monument. If you want to visit the Statue of Liberty monument (go up the pedestal area), you will need to make reservations via the website so make sure you do that before your trip.

You can get a good view of the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry for free of charge. The view is probably a few thousand feet away, but with a good zoom lens you can get some nice photos. Its still a great view of the statue nevertheless. On the way to Staten Island, go to the very top of the ferry on the LEFT side. I believe on the way back from Staten Island, you also will need to get on the left side to view the Statue of Liberty. The way this works is that the ferry boards though one side and exits through the other. Once you reach Staten Island, you will need to leave the ferry and re-board onto the ferry back to Manhattan. The entire trip takes around 1 1/2 hour. I will be posting photos soon ….

Here are some tips on getting to Manhattan from JFK.

Airplane Flight
We took advantage of some great prices on flights to JFK Airport in New York. The airport is about ~1 hour drive into Manhattan depending on traffic. Note: In case you want to do the red-eye flight, many hotels in New York do not have early check-in around 7 a.m. Thats something to consider. Make sure you sleep well the night before if you decide to do the red eye flight.

Getting into town. You have a few options on getting into the city.

Taxi is the easiest and cheapest if you have more than 2 people. It’ll run you about $50 + tips via cab. Cabs charge by the car so if you have a group of 3 or 4 it will be the cheapest way.

Note: There are some people driving regular cars looking for people to drive into town. I wouldn’t recommend this. Don’t go outside of the terminal unless you find a legitimate cab driver.

Van/Shuttle:  I wouldn’t recommend buying van tickets ahead of time since they usually have to fill the van before they can leave. We tried the Go Link since they had a van ready to go and the slightly cheaper rates. $19 into Mid-town, front door service. The driver was nice, so I can’t really complain for the money. They have to drop everyone off across town so its not recommended if you are in a rush.

Airport Service Bus: $15 each way or $27 R/T. The bus is the cheapest way into town with suitcases. They have a few stops (Grand Central Station, Port Authority, and Penn Station) http://www.nyairportservice.com/   Its a bit slow getting back to the airport since they stop at each terminal. Ours was one of the last terminals so it took around 1.5 hours from departure.

Train: This is probably the fastest way into town during rush hour if you are light in luggage (either a small bag or backpack) The train is not convenient if you have a lot of luggage since there really isn’t much room on the train. There is the Air Train which will take you to Penn Station for around $12 total.

Pony Express Haleakala Crater
I had a great time with Pony Express Tours. Our guide was knowledgeable and patient with our novice riding skills. http://www.ponyexpresstours.com/ If you love horses, this is a great opportunity to ride for about 2 hours down the crater, eat a nice picnic lunch, and then ride another 2 hours up the crater.

If you go for the morning sunrise, it will be about a ~1 1/2 hour to 2 hour wait before the horses arrive.

From the website:

Ka Moa O Pele
Junction Ride

This ride descends Sliding Sands Trail to the Crater floor 2500 ft. below where a well deserved picnic lunch is served featuring our delicious croissant sandwiches! Round trip is 7.5 awe inspiring miles taking around 4 hours. Prior riding experience is recommended. Check in first at the ranch office, then continue up to the Visitor Center Parking lot just past mile marker 20 to meet your guide. Reservations required.

$182.00 + tax
8:30 AM

Activities
The great thing about Maui is the wide range of activities — whether you like to snorkel, hike, sunbathe, bike, or even shop. Certain activities book early, such as horseback riding and biking down the volcano.

Snorkeling trips
The Kai Kanani was good for $49.88 early morning snorkel including a continental breakfast. They leave from Wailea so its a shorter boatride (less seasick) http://www.kaikanani.com/ Molokini was much better than Turtle Town. Its a good intro. to Molokini if you haven’t been there before. The Kai Kanani offers continental breakfast (muffins/coffee/soft drinks) along with snorkeling equipment. The crew was friendly and we even saw some dolphins along the way to Molokini. I plan on going for the all morning trip next time.

Free Snorkeling
Black Rock is a nice place for beginners since its on a sandy beach. You’ll see a nice variety of fish when you swim towards the “Black Rock” side where coral is still abundant. There is limited parking available next to Whaler’s Village (left side of the shopping center) You can park at the Whaler’s Village for 3 hours with a minimum $10-$15 purchase (ABC store is great for that)

Another good snorkeling spot is Kapalua Beach. Its a little tricky to find though, you have to drive through Kapalua Bay resort in order to reach the small parking lot. Access to the reef is a little more difficult since the beach has a lot of rocky areas along with sand. Stick with the lighter areas (sandy) and you will be able to venture out to the shallow bay. We saw a wider variety of fish here than Black Rock. As for the beach, the sand was very nice. If you aren’t a snorkeler, this beach would be nice place to relax. This beach is rated one of the top 10 beaches in Hawaii, so its definitely earned its rating.

Snorkeling gear:
If you prefer to buy your own gear, Costco has great prices for a full set (mask, snorkel, and fins) for ~$40. They usually have the snorkeling set either by the front entrance or in front of one of the aisles.

Kmart has more variety for snorkeling gear, while Walmart has better prices. If you need a life jacket, Kmart has a good selection.

Anti-fog: You can use baby shampoo mixed with water as an anti-fog for the mask.

Shopping
Maui has various shopping locations around the island. The Queen Ka’ahumanu Center is a typical indoor mall with Macy’s and Sears anchors. Whaler’s Village on West Maui has higher end stores and good restaurants (e.g. Hula Grill) If you are renting a condo, I recommend getting a Safeway shopper card to take advantage of the sales they have. Groceries are pricey! I’ll elaborate more on the shopping experience section soon..

Scrapbooking
If you are a huge scrapbook fan like Daynah, then you need to visit Island Paperie. It has one of the largest selection of Hawaiian scrapbook supplies. They have many different paper designs not found at mainland scrapbook stores.

Photography

Hawaii is a great place to take photos. If you can afford a digital SLR, this would be a good opportunity to get one. The nice part of having a SLR is that you can purchase filters/lenses to optimize your photos.

I highly recommend getting the circular polarizer filter for getting those postcard-esque photos of the ocean. It basically filters out the reflection from the sunlight so you will get clear views of the coral/water underneath the ocean. Another filter I recommend getting is the Natural Density (ND) filter for getting nice portrait photos behind a sunset/etc.

Great photo locations:
1) On the Road to Hana there are several waterfalls (make sure you use a tripod and set the exposure setting to slow)
2) Haleakala volcano. The morning sunrise is a great photo opportunity if the weather conditions cooperate. If its not cloudy, you will have a great view of the island. I would reschedule the visit if its windy or raining.
3) Sunset on the west side of the island.

Dining Under $10 in Maui

Dining in Maui can get quite expensive. Here are some places that I have found where you can get meals for around $10 or less per person. Eating for cheap but good!

Aloha Mixed Plate
If you like Ono or L&L Hawaiian Restaurants in the mainland, you should try Aloha Mixed Plate. The teriyaki katsu was interesting — marinated teriyaki beef in a katsu coating. Its the traditional 2 scoops for rice, macaroni salad, and entree plate. Definitely worth a visit for a lower cost meal in Maui. Aloha Mixed Plate Reviews on Igo

Ko Ko Ichiban Ya
This is a great place to eat local style plate lunch after arriving in Maui. The udon noodles were tasty — chicken, fried shrimp tempura, and egg. They also have excellent unagi (eel) bowls and a wide selection of BBQ plate lunches. Seating is very limited — only 7 or 8 chairs, but you can order everything to-go. Its located at 360 Papa Pl Kahului, HI. If you are driving from the Maui Airport, it will be on the right side on Dairy Road. I’m definitely going back here a few times

Pizza Paradiso
This place has decent pizza for the money. Frommers gave it good reviews, so we decided to check it out. Their specialty pizzas had generous amounts of toppings — I suggest ordering by the slice for variety. Its a place to check out if you are in the Kahana area.

McDonalds
Try the banana pies! Instead of Apple Pies, they have Banana pies at Mc Donalds. Also, they have Fanta fruit punch.

Farmers Markets
There are a number of Farmer’s Markets in Maui. You can get fresh produce at prices lower than the grocery stores. They also have a variety of fresh fruit, coffee, and banana bread.

Safeway
Sign up for the Safeway card while you area in the store. You need to have the card in order to get the discount on the sale items. They have a decent bakery section where you can pick up bagels (baked daily) along with deli items for making sandwiches.

Costco
Its not just the $1.50 hot dog special or the $1.99 pizza.  The Maui Costco has prepared sashimi and poke in the seafood section. This is a great deal — probably enough for 20-30 pieces of high quality tuna sashimi for $15-$20. This is plenty of fish for a few meals. It comes in a package with wasabi and soy sauce included. Also try the fresh Hawaiian fruits (way better than the canned versions in the mainland) 1 gallon of POG is under $5 — passion fruit, orange, and guava juice drink commonly found in Maui. Also, if you like sweet coffee — try the 24 pack of Kona coffee in 12 oz cans for around $12-14. Back in the mainland its about $1 each, so I usually try to get a case when I visit Hawaii.

The Dry Season
Highs of 84°F and lows of 70°F
April - October

The Humid Season
Highs of 81°F and lows of 65°F
November - April
Tropical storms may occur during the humid season.

If you are on a budget, May and October are good months to visit Hawaii. Its not as hot and the airfare/hotel prices are generally less than during peak season.

How come Weather.com is forecasting rain for the entire vacation?
Weather.com doesn’t account for rainy conditions on the entire island, just one location. A lot of times, it can be sunny on one side of the island and rainy on the other side.  I would try using http://www.hawaiiweathertoday.com for weather information.

Mama’s Fish House ($50-$100)
This is the one of the nicest dining experiences in Maui. The prices are high, but its well worth it.  I recommend the Mahimahi  stuffed with lobster, crab, Maui onion and baked in a macadamia nut crust. The sashimi appetizer was VERY GOOD — so fresh. If you are a fan of fish, definitely try this place. Excellent service too. http://www.mamasfishhouse.com/

Sansei Sushi
If you like sushi rolls, this is the place to go. They have two locations in Maui: Lahaina and Kihei. The Lahaina location was booked for 6 weeks the last time I went. If you want to save money, go to Sansei Sushi between 5pm and 6pm for the early bird special (25% off). We were impressed with the specialty rolls the most, such as the Panko crusted Ahi sashimi rolls and Sansei special roll. Don’t miss out on the miso butterfish — the best entree on the menu! For dessert, try the fried macadamia nut ice cream. Its a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream in a deep fried tempura batter shell.    http://www.yelp.com/biz/sansei-seafood-restaurant-and-sushi-bar-lahaina

Hula Grill ($30 - $50)
The restaurant has live entertainment at night along with a nice selection of entrees. You have the option of eating oceanfront at the “Barefoot” area — which has tables right on the sand of the beach. The fish entrees were excellent — such as the seared Ahi (if available) http://www.hulagrill.com/

Planning a trip to Maui? Here are some tips before making the journey to Maui.

Airfare
It is important to book the airfare early for the best pricing. The best time is usually 1-2 months before departure for non-peak season. If you are travelling in a large group, the earlier the better if you plan to sit together. I suggest signing up for their e-mail list to get notification of their sales. You can get some good deals with the specials — sometimes they offer flights starting at $149 each way depending on the season. San Diego airport usually offers the lowest airfares, while LAX/Orange County (SNA) runs at least $50 more each way.
http://www.hawaiianair.com/Specialoffers/Pages/SpecialOffersWebfares.aspx

The pricing from the airline websites are usually better than online airfare search engines. You can try  
http://www.farecast.com/ or http://www.cheapflights.com/

Update: Aloha Airlines has filed for bankruptcy and stopped all flights. You will need to contact your credit card company or travel agency for a refund. ATA Airlines also has filed for bankruptcy. Always purchase your plane tickets with a credit card in the event that the airline goes bankrupt. This way you will have 60 days from date of purchase to utilize a chargeback to your credit card under the Fair Credit Billing Act.

Car Rental
As with the airfare, you should get the car rental early too. Prices nearly double if you wait until the last minute. I’ve had an ok experience with most rental companies out of OGG airport. I prefer the companies that allow you to choose any car in the lot like Alamo. Midsize cars range from the Pontiac Vibe, Chevy HHR, or Pontiac G6. If you are a Costco member, I recommend using their travel section to book the car. I’ve gotten 1 week rentals as low as $140 for a midsize car. Remember to book the car early for best pricing. If you wait until the last minute to book the car, figure to spend at least $30-$60 per day.

Travel Books
This is a good way to plan what locations you want to visit. I recommend Maui Revealed for a good overview of activities. I wouldn’t rely solely on the book for dining recomendations though, you are better off using Yelp for reviews. Most imporantly, buy a map (or better yet a GPS) for your trip. You’ll find the highway numbers change often since the state highways change into county ones. http://www.hawaiihighways.com/FAQs-page3.htm

Old Lahaina Luau
This is the best luau in Maui — best food, drinks, and show. You will need to make reservations well in advance though since it is very popular. The only downside is that there isn’t fire knife dancing (since its not a Hawaiian) but the good food makes up for it. Open bar — good Lava Flow and Pina Coladas. If you like sashimi, try the Ahi Poke. Its marinated raw Ahi tuna — all you can eat! Service is excellent — a server brings you drinks so you don’t have to wait in line at the bar.  Website: www.oldlahainaluau.com