Halloween in New Orleans

Halloween Parade

My husband is a huge Pittsburg Steelers fan so we try to watch a live game every year. We live in Arizona so often times we have to travel to a different state to watch the Steelers play (unless they play the Arizona Cardinals). We have been doing this since we began dating so decided to make it a family tradition. We usually discuss different cities that we would like to visit and their various teams. I have always wanted to visit the Big Easy so when my husband heard the Steelers were playing the Saints; we decided to take a trip down South.

We flew Southwest Airlines. It was my first time flying Southwest Airlines so I wasn’t aware of the first come first served policies. Next time, I will check in as soon as I can and try to board as early as possible so that I can ensure better seats. Overall, we had a good flying experience. We had a short layover in Houston, Texas and then arrived in New Orleans. We stayed at Whitney Wyndham Hotel which was a pretty good location within walking distance of Bourbon Street, the cemetery, the River walk. We didn’t have to take any cabs except for traveling to and from the airport.

Musicians-French Quarter

New Orleans is one of the best cities to visit in the United States. It truly does have a lazy feeling to it. You just feel like sitting by the River, having a drink, and relaxing. There is a lot of culture in New Orleans. People are just very easy going, relaxed. It is a big party everywhere. I loved it! Phoenix (where we reside) is the opposite of New Orleans. People don’t sit around and have a drink. People rarely leave their houses in Phoenix; the city looks deserted most of the time. My son loves music and he loved all the musicians on every corner. We were there for the big game and Halloween so it was a big party the whole weekend.

Aquarium of the Americas

Our son was a little over a year and a half so we did activities that were age appropriate for him. We went to the Louisiana Children’s Museum and the Aquarium of the Americas. Both of them were fun for our son. He had fun playing with the exhibits at the Children’s Museum. Many of the exhibits were based on New Orleans themes. The Aquarium was large and had an extensive collection of different fish and sea animals- including penguins, sharks, and a white crocodile. We took a walk down River Walk. We visited the cemetery and rode the Cable Cars. Of course we visited Bourbon Street and the French Quarter. We ate delicious beignets at Café du Monde and took a carriage ride down the French Quarter. We also visited the Louisiana State Museum Katrina and Beyond and learned more about the terrible effects of Katrina and how the city has tried to recover from it. We took our little guy to the Halloween Parade which was a riot. They were throwing toys, beads, candy; it was really child friendly and fun. My husband and I wanted to party down Bourbon Street so we hired a nanny that was recommended by the Wyndham hotel. It was about $100 with tips for four hours. The nanny stayed in our hotel. It worked out well for us. We had an opportunity to let loose and celebrate Halloween on Bourbon Street.

Family at the Parade

Most people don’t consider New Orleans as a top choice for a family trip but we loved being there. New Orleans has great energy and it was a great family experience. The food is so unique and tasty. The people are very laid back and open. Cheers to the Big Easy!

9 days in Italy

We arrived in Rome in the morning, very exhausted. We took an airport shuttle to our hotel. March is also low travel season in Italy so our trip was fairly affordable considering our accommodations. Our hotel was conveniently located by the Roman train station and a 10 minute walk from the Coliseum. We checked in to our hotel but they told us that our room was not ready so we went out for breakfast at the first restaurant we could find. The food was pretty good- spaghetti with mozzarella cheese, ham and eggs. We finally checked into our hotel and fell asleep. We were too tired and exhausted to do anything. We woke up a few hours later and walked down to the Coliseum. We stopped by for some gelato on our way. We were mesmerized by the magnificence of the Coliseum. 

The next day we walked to the train station to purchase hop-on hop-off tour tickets in Rome. As I mentioned before, I find those tours very practical when traveling with young children. They may not be the most informative but they are definitely convenient. While at the train station, the lady at the hop-on hop-off booth stated that the Roman’s had gone on strike and everything was closed so she suggested that we visit a different city. 

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Based on the lady’s suggestions we purchased train tickets to Florence since it was only a two hour train ride. While on our train ride to Florence, we met a nice Italian guy who suggested that we visit Pisa. But upon hearing how unprepared we were on this trip, he exclaimed “Wow you guys are so adventurous (in other words: disorganized). You guys have no map, no clothes, a baby, and just hopped on this train? Do you have water? No water?” He finally resolved his anxiety about our travels by stating “Well, go to Pisa, and then Florence, and just see what you can. Well you have to just see what you can. You have no other options. Good travels.” Based on his suggestions, we bought a train ticket to Pisa. We visted the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We returned to Florence and the visited The Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David. We walked around Florence. We visited the Cathedral and climbed up to the top of the Dome. We obviously were not thinking before we did that but needless to say, "we were adventurous," as the nice Italian gentleman on the train described us. After the Dome, we went shopping at the leather shops. We eat spaghetti and pizza and took the train back to Rome.

Playing in Palatine Hill

The next day in Rome, we walked to the Coliseum. We did the Coliseum walking tour; visited the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps. Our toddler was enjoying all the sight-seeing.  He had fun running around Palatine hill in the grass. 

Birds at St. Mark's Square

We visited Venice the next day. We got lost in Venice and walked from one side of the city to the other. Venice is super romantic and beautiful. We visited St. Mark’s Square and then rode a gondola. Our little guy had fun chasing the pigeons. The Venetians were very friendly. As soon as our toddler fell asleep in Venice we took the train back. The train ride is 4 hours long and we wanted him to sleep during the train ride as much of it as possible.

Vatican City

The next day after our day trip to Venice, we did a city tour in Rome. We visited Vatican City and the major attractions around there. Of course we went inside St. Peter’s Basilica. No strollers are allowed inside St. Peter’s Basilica so our toddler walked. He was pretty excited being inside and wanted to run around. But as my husband says “we kept it moving” as soon as our little guy showed signs of becoming fussy or disrespectful.  We walked to the Vatican Museum and saw the Sistine Chapel. Our toddler slept the whole time so we were able to absorb all the beautiful paintings while he slept. 

Pompeii

We took a train to Naples the next day. At the train station, a gentleman approached us and offered to take us on a tour around Naples to Pompeii and Sorrento. He would be our personal driver. The price sounded reasonable so we agreed. Pompeii was a lot of fun for our toddler. He walked much of it which was nice for him to burn some energy and exercise. We ate pizza in Sorrento which was delicious. Our driver dropped us off at the Naples train station. By this time our toddler was getting tired of all the train rides but did well on the short ride from Naples to Rome (about an hour).

Sleeping on the train

It was not too difficult traveling via train with our toddler. We tried to travel during his naps. It was funny because he would always let us know that we were at the train station. He would say “Mama, choo choo.”  He would even point out the trains while we were riding on the train. I don’t think that he realized that he was riding a train because he would really get a kick out of seeing the trains through our window. We would let him walk around the train to burn some energy. He liked to point out the sheep every time he saw them through the window.

On our last full day in Rome we took the city bus to Vatican City and visited Castel San Angelo. We also went shopping around the Piazza de Popolo. 

Making a wish at Trevi Fountain

We returned home the next day. It was exhausting and to make it worse the employees at the Philadelphia International Airport were very unfriendly. Our son became fussy and none of the employees bothered to accommodate us. Most airports have a family lane or will let families with toddlers and infants cut the line, especially if the child is fussy. It is better for everyone involved including the passengers. Most people do not want to hear a baby or toddler crying and allowing that one family to cut is not going to slow anything down. Moreover, if they are going to allow toddlers and babies to fly, companies need to accommodate the developmental needs of those passengers. We paid full price for our toddler’s ticket and expected better treatment. This was not the case in Philadelphia. Our toddler was very thirsty and was crying for water. We waited over an hour in various lines (customs, customs again, check-in). Their treatment to families was disappointing but needless to say, we arrived in Phoenix, safe and sound.

Los Cabos

As summer approaches, many people like to travel to beach destinations. I love going to the beach. However, I have found that traveling to beach destinations with toddlers is more challenging than traveling to locations that provide more sightseeing.  

For Fourth of July last year we took our son to Los Cabos, Mexico. We booked an all-inclusive package which included four nights, five days at Melia Cabo Real and roundtrip tickets. Our son was about a year and a half old so we only had to pay 10% of a ticket for him to board the plane and sit on our laps. Los Cabos is very close to Arizona- it’s only an hour flight. We had some issues with our flight running late and then being told that because we checked-in last (not the night before like most of the other travelers); we did not have seats on the plane. The airline overbooked their seats which is a very common practice. The airline offered a $250 roundtrip ticket and a compensated night in Phoenix to anyone willing to give us his or her seat so that we could board the plane. No one really wanted to give up their seat and it was looking as though we would have to board the next morning at 6 am (and that was not guaranteed either). Finally, a nice young man took the offer.

By the time we landed in Los Cabos, we were exhausted. Our toddler became very fussy. Keep in mind that we had sat in the airport waiting for the delayed plane for six hours with no assurance that we would even have a seat. The young man that took the offer waited until the last call to take it. Of course when we landed in Mexico, like most travel destinations, we were bombarded with people at the airport trying to sell us timeshares. We finally secured a shuttle that dropped us off at our hotel. Our toddler looked like he was going to have a fit from all the hassle.

Enjoying ice cream

The hotel was very nice. As soon as we arrived, they brought us margaritas and the staff was very welcoming. The room was spacious and clean. They had very nice restaurants with very tasty food. The hotel also had complementary baby-sitting. At that age, our son didn’t want to be left in the daycare room so he hung around us the entire trip. We mostly played in the pool and played a little bit in the beach. The waves in Los Cabos are high due to the high winds and many places are not swimmable. Our hotel had a swimmable beach. We were able to splash around in the beach on our last few days. The hotel also provided some day activities (rock climbing, zip-lining, water volleyball, etc) but we didn’t really participate in many of them. We just wanted to relax and did not want to follow a schedule. 

Beach

We enjoyed the hotel's city tour. We visited “downtown Los Cabos” and then took a boat to Los Arcos (the Arc). It was one of the best parts of the trip. The boat had a crystal bottom so that we could see the fish. Our little guy was tickled seeing the fish and loved that the boat rocked with the waves. After the Arc, we walked around and went sight-seeing. 

 Los Arcos

The trip was fun overall but traveling with a toddler is not a very relaxing. Our little guy wanted to run around everywhere and had a short attention span so we found ourselves working harder than we had expected or wanted. Like my husband says, “We had to keep it moving.” If you are going to travel to a beach location with a toddler, be aware that there won’t be too much downtime to lay by the beach or the pool. It is worth the experience to expose your toddler to the beach and pool to teach him safety.  It is also worth the experience to create memories with your growing toddler. Happy beach travels!

New York City???

 On our return to Phoenix from Paris, the French air traffic controllers went on strike so we missed our flight from London to Phoenix. British Airways accommodated us by compensating us with a flight into NYC, a hotel night in NYC, food (dinner in London and breakfast in NYC), and an airport shuttle from the hotel to the JFK airport.

We landed in New York City during the night and our flight departed the next evening. We were placed in a hotel near JFK Airport in Queens. After eating breakfast, we took the airport shuttle and checked in our luggage so that we could spend the day in NYC. Checking in our luggage allowed us to take a cab from the city to the airport without carrying our luggage around the city. After checking in our luggage, some nice ladies who worked at the airport suggested that we take the airport shuttle into Times Square instead of paying for a cab (comparably cheaper and no significant wait). 

Happy baby in Soho

We arrived in Times Square and decided to do a 2 hour tour that looped around all the major neighborhoods in New York City and Harlem. I told my husband that I really wanted to eat in Little Italy. I had visited NYC before and I loved the Italian food in Little Italy. Keep in mind that I live in Arizona where there is a lack of good Italian restaurants. We got off the tour on the Chinatown stop and walked over to Little Italy to eat lunch. After eating lunch, we walked around the Soho District. We looked at some of the shops and then got on the tour bus again. We ended our tour in Times Square. We walked around a little bit and then took a cab to the airport. We boarded the airplane and baby passed out. Thank goodness!

Times Square

We spent a short amount of time in NYC but it was still fun experiencing some of their culture. Arizona is so different from NYC that our son immediately realized that he wasn’t home. He enjoyed observing the hustle and bustle of NYC and all the lights in Times Square. Had he been older, we might have gone inside the Museum of Modern History or hung around Central Park instead of walking around Little Italy and Soho. Regardless, it was too cold to play in Central Park. It was a great experience for our little guy to observe an environment different than home.  If an opportunity comes up where you can travel with your baby or toddler (like our trip to NYC), I suggest that you go for it. Happy travels!

A Day in London

Buckingham Palace

While we were in Paris, we took a day trip to London. Although we landed in London, we did not stay there but instead took a tour up to London. London and Paris are only two hours away on the Euro rail (train). We booked the tour on Expedia.com (under Activities) prior to leaving. The tour included transportation to and from our Paris hotel, round trip train tickets, and several guided tours. On the day of our tour, the trains were running behind and our tour guide in Paris said we would probably not be able to board the train to London. We explained to him that we were returning to Arizona the next day and would not be able to go on the tour in the future. Our tour guide took us to the front of the line and the two train workers in Paris let us cut the line when they saw our baby. Thank goodness for our little guy.  

Happy baby on the Thames Cruise

When we arrived in London, our guide provided us with some maps and transported us to the bus tour routes. We got on the bus but got off on the first stop when our baby became fussy. It was so cold that we found it easier to walk around London than to wait for the tour bus (given the close proximity of the major attractions). We walked from Buckingham Palace to Parliament, Big Ben, and London Eye to the River of Thames. We got on the River of Thames cruise (also included in our tour) and saw the London Towers (among a few other attractions). Our baby was so happy on the cruise. He ran around the boat and became excited when we approached the London Towers. 

Passed out baby in Piccadilly Circus

We had some fish and chips by the London Towers. The English are very friendly to children too. The waitress at the fish and chips restaurant brought complementary cookies (biscuits as they refer to them) for him and was just tickled by him.  After eating we took the bus to Piccadilly Square. We walked around Piccadilly Square during the evening (baby passed out of course) and then headed back to the train station.

We spent a relatively short time in London but had an opportunity to sight-see and experience the English culture. I recall the English being very welcoming and friendly to us, perhaps because we brought along baby. I definitely recommend visiting London from Paris, even with a 12 month old in tow. Happy travels!

Paris!

When our son was 12 months old we went to Paris, France.

We took off in February. Travel to Paris is cheaper during off season and can be the cheapest during February when it’s colder. There were benefits to traveling during that time because we were able to stay in a four star hotel near Trocadero for a reasonable price. There were also fewer tourists so we did not have to wait in long lines to see any of the attractions. We had an opportunity to see many the attractions on a relatively short trip (six days, five nights).

Sleeping baby on the plan

We booked a night flight from Phoenix to London on British Airways. I recommend that airline for families. They were very accommodating to us. The plane had bassinets where our baby slept. We were given seats with more foot space and the stewardesses were very child friendly. When our baby became fussy, they brought some toys to calm him down. Because it was a night flight, he slept most of the flight. We arrived in London the next day (10 hr flight) and then took a 45 minute flight into Paris. 

Prior to leaving, I researched major attractions in Paris through a simple Google search “top tourist attractions in Paris.” If it seemed reasonably priced, I booked the activity, tour or excursion online (try Expedia.com activities). I learned some French during high school so I was able to communicate basic concepts such as “Ou est le rue…” (Where is this street?).

Trocadero

I recommend doing a two hop-on hop off tour around Paris. It was very practical. We had a map and a list of places we wanted to see and got around on the hop-on hop-off bus. We did not bother with the subway or with cabs (for the most part). We relied on the hop-on hop-off bus. As I mentioned before, we stayed very close to Trocadero, which was a stop on the hop-on hop-off tour. During our trip, we would walk to Trocadero and get on the hop-on hop-off bus. During our first day, we visited the first four stops on the hop-on hop-off route-Tour Eiffel, Champs de Mars, Musee du Louvre, and Notre Dame. On the second day, we visited the next three attractions- Opera, Champs Elysees, and Grand Palais. I really wanted to visit Montmartre so we took cab from the Opera to Montmartre (since it was the closest location on the hop-on hop-off route). During the other two days, we visited walking locations around our hotel. Doing a hop-on-hop off tour is really practical when you are traveling with children. They are very affordable ($30 for 48 hours) and self-guided. We could ride and get on and off conveniently. I do not recall waiting for the bus to arrive.

Baby on "backpack" inside The Lovure

We took a "backpack-like" baby carrier which was also very helpful. We could get around Paris very easily and our baby wasn’t too heavy. We also took a small stroller for convenience. It is easier to travel around with a lightweight umbrella stroller. It was very cold, so we put several layers of clothing on baby to keep him warm.

Looking back, I think the baby was jet lagged during our trip. He spent a lot of time sleeping while we were sightseeing. But he also slept well during the night, so I’m not sure what was going on. He was very observant of the environment and realized that he was somewhere different. When he heard someone speaking French for the first time, he giggled. 

He ate well during the trip. We hadn’t switched him off the formula or bottle yet so we took a lot of baby formula and baby food from the United States. We did not want to cause more disruption to our baby’s schedule. I ate well too. I think my husband was the one that least liked the French food. 

Overall, it was very easy traveling with our 12 month in Paris. He was not walking well yet and did not need too much play time. He slept most of the trip and would sight-see along with us. He wasn’t very demanding. He was just happy to be with us in beautiful Paris.

Observing inside Notredame

Sleeping inside The Louvre

7 ways to keep your toddler busy during a plane ride

7 ways to keep your toddler busy during a plane ride

1. Bring a bag filled with assortments for toddler to play with such as wipes, coloring sheets, and colors or other random small toys that might intrigue your child
2. Bring a DVD player and toddler’s favorite movies- We did this for our trip to Italy- it worked well- we put different movies through our 14 hr place ride
3. Let toddler walk around a little bit
4. Bring snacks and beverages to enjoy
5. Play with ice cubes- be creative
6. Bring books or magazines
7. Talk to your toddler about what is going on- when you take off and land, hype him up

Other Considerations 

• I found that toddlers can be talked down from getting too upset in plane.  If you see signs that they are unhappy, you can cheer them up or distract them
• You can comfort him or her by hugging him or her, rubbing his or her back, and speaking calmly and gently to him or her
• Allow him or her to switch seats- let him or her to sit in his or her own seat, on your lap, or on your partner’s lap
  
• Remember that your toddler is also a paying customer and that he deserves to be treated with respect by other passengers
• Remember that your child is a toddler and understand his developmental needs
• Will he or she be perfect during the plane ride? Possibly not. Nonetheless, being a toddler is about gaining the ability to self-regulate and to self-control, what better way to teach than to actually expose him or her to practice those skills?

Italia

Our family spent spring break in Italy. It's a magical country to visit- so much history, culture, art, natural beauty...

However, what I learned most from the Italians is how fortunate I am to have a toddler in my life. After returning from this trip, I developed this strong appreciation for my son. I found that Italians as a whole value their children immensely. They will involve them and they will demonstrate affection to them. They truly showed appreciation for my little guy. The hotel front desk worker would always give my son a piece of candy, a hug, and a kiss on our way out for sightseeing. On our departure day, the hotel staff came out, gave my son a hug and gave us "a million thanks" for our stay. The front desk worker even let out a few tears when we left as he was giving my son his last hug. The respect and appreciation they showed for my toddler was consistent throughout the trip. On our train, various riders would take turns trying to comfort our toddler and would be amused with his energy. At one point, one gentleman even wanted to carry him in his arms and rock him to sleep during the ride. Of course, as a protective mother, I didn't allow it but I appreciated his offer to help us out. In Venice, while we were on the gondola ride, our toddler began to get fussy and our guide held him and let him row the gondola with him. As we were sailing through the canals in Venice, two older ladies stopped and serenaded my toddler as he was rowing the gondola. Other individuals would comment how cute my toddler was rowing the gondola. At the restaurants, they would always acknowledge our toddler and play with him while we were waiting on our meal to be served. They would bring a candy for him. In Naples, a cab driver approached us and told us that he would give us a discount for a tour around Naples, Pompeii, and Sorrento because we had a “bambini.”

It did not seem odd to any of the Italians that we were traveling with our little guy. The only individuals that would approach us about how odd it was to travel with our toddler were the American tourists. One young American female told us that she always thought that once you have a child, that’s all, you are "stuck" at home taking care of him. What a contrast to the older Italian male that was recommending that we visit India next year. He told us that he has traveled extensively with his son and that traveling with toddlers is actually easier because toddlers are just so happy to be involved. He said that once children turn five, they begin to complain about where they want to go. He added, “If you want to go to India, go now before your son can complain about wanting to go to Disneyland instead.” It was interesting that the gentleman never said, "Wait to go to India when your son is grown." He also never said, "Leave your son at home when you go to India." He was all about involving our son in our vacationing and comprising with his developmental needs.

This gentleman was very representative of the Italians that we encountered. Perhaps this is why the children in Italy seemed so happy to me. They seemed so curious and interested in life. While on school field trips to the Colosseum, the children were excited and thrilled to be there. Most importantly, the teachers and adults around them encouraged that excitement for life. I saw the children run and jump and everyone responded with warmth. I recall one little girl jumped and shouted "Coloseo" and the older gentleman around her just smiled. I saw another girl run to her teacher and shout "Maestra... maestra" and her teacher warmly hugged her and said "Bambini." I have worked with many different children in many different settings here in the United States: schools, after school centers, homes, etc. I have never observed so much appreciation for children. I told my husband while we were in Italy that I do not think that children seem as happy or excited for life in the United States. I’m not alone in my observations.

There is a famous Turkish saying, "You are not an adult until you have had a child," referring to the notion that in many cultures the mark of being a mature human being is setting aside all your own needs and ambitions for your child's well being and happiness. Michael Gurian, a family therapist who has studied thirty two cultures states that “children are the loneliest in America.” He adds, "American parents are most lonely too. Parents in America are most likely to adsorb their children into their busy lives and the least likely to say they would give up their busy lives for their child." After spending, a week and half in Italy, his findings really resonate with me. As a nation, we need to strengthen our respect for children. We would truly benefit from absorbing a little bit of the Italian culture and appreciating children.