We met some interesting people in Times Square in New York City and we got some pretty interesting answers to the question, “What’s on your Bucket List?” Here’s our Bucket List. Leave a comment and let us know what’s on yours.
Recipe For Success: Rachelle Lucas, a.k.a. @TravelBlggr, a freelance writer, videographer and spokesperson with a focus on travel, food and social media who believes the best way to learn about a destination is through its flavors.
This week #NUTS spotlight shines brightly on Roni, Weiss, a travel industry connector, social media consultant and travel/events blogger.
He is the organizer of the New York Travel Festival, a new consumer travel event, a co-founder of Destination Accelerator (education and networking for destination marketers) and Travel Talk on Twitter (the world’s biggest Twitter travel chat).
He’s spoken about social media in a variety of places, including a roundtable at NYU, Africa Travel Association‘s World Congress in Victoria Falls Zimbabwe, and Miracle Corners of the World‘s youth leadership retreat in Vermont.
Roni was born in Oceanside, Long Island, New York and grew up in Snohomish County, Washington. He was active in sports and music, with his sports emphasis being ice hockey and his musical focus being the trumpet.
At the ripe old age of 10, Roni began attending Edmonds Community College, receiving an Associate’s Degree with Honors in 1996 at the age of 12. He graduated from Lynnwood High School in 1999 at the age of 15.
From 1999-2002, he attended the University of Washington, graduating with double degrees in English (with a Literature emphasis) and Drama. During his time in the UW School of Drama, he was highly active in acting, writing, directing and producing. Roni’s “Big Idea” festival was a week-long, multiple-venue festival in which he served as the Executive Producer.
In 2004, Roni began what became a series of global trips. Over the course of less than a year , Roni visited 6 continents. He has taught English in Italy, Taiwan, France and Chile and has visited 70+ countries, including every country in Europe.
The inaugural New York Travel Festival weekend will take place April 20-21, 2013. Tickets are now on sale.
On Saturday, they’ll be at Bohemian National Hall, featuring an array of speakers, panelists, tastings, and other experiences. On Sunday, there will be a variety of opportunities to experience local and international culture by venturing out into New York City’s varied neighborhoods and boroughs.
The goal of the NY Travel Fest is to reinvent the consumer travel show for a crowd seeking more interaction and a better sense of NYC and beyond.
While at Guy Fieri’s closing party at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, we ran into one of our favorite Travel Channel celebrities, Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizarre Foods, eating of all things, a cupcake.
Are you on Santa’s Nice List? Since he’s drinking from a Midlife Road Trip coffee mug, we’re hoping that’s a sign that we are:)
TAhhh the childhood memories! Wonder Bread and Twinkies were a staple in every baby boomers home. There was a time when eating all things white was what we did. Putting something sweet in your child’s Flinstones lunchbox was not call for alarm but an acceptable practice. Of course this was before the days of seat belts and car seats. Wonder Bread .. It was a staple growing up, we thought “it did a body good.” Everyday from kindergarten through high school I brought a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich to school. EVERY day, I kid you not. It always was followed up with something sweet (as if a PB & J on white bread wasn’t sweet enough). Somehow I survived. I wasn’t an overweight kid, partially because my parents sent me out of the house “to play in traffic” soon after sunrise, only to return for dinner. It was a time of innocence, when small things had a big impact, like the joy of treat in your lunch box.
Hostess Twinkies have spanned generations. In recent years they have made a resurgence, Deep Fried at State Fairs. So popular throughout the years, their was even a Twinkies Cookbook featuring recipes like Twinkie Sushi, Twinkie Burrito, Pigs in a Twinkie and the holiday classic Pumpkin Twinkie Bread Pudding. While I have never personally been a fan of the “Twinkie” I feel like another piece is being chipped away from my childhood. The goofy commercials and the silly grocery store displays were all part of growing up in the boomer generation.
We visited The Catch, just across from Angels stadium in Anaheim, California where Rick witnessed the making of the famous “OMG” – an enormous eight pound cheeseburger!
With just a few hours notice before the MidLife Road Trip teams arrival, Watertown, NY the 1st small town on our Most Patriotic route jumped into action and we were whisked away by a police escort as we drove into town & were taken to the Army’s 237th Birthday Ball!
What an honor it was to meet Medal of Honor Recipients Kenneth Stumpf and Don “Doc” Ballard on our trip to Gainesville, Texas. We had a wonderful guided historical tour of downtown, visited the Home Grown Hero Walking Trail, watched the Pedal for the Medal Bike Parade on Medal of Honor Boulevard, and were guests of honor at an ice cream social where we visited with locals and learned what patriotism means to Gainesville.
These pumpkin pie pinwheels are a great alternative to pumpkin pie
Midlife Road Trip co-hosts Rick Griffin and Sandi McKenna were each included in Thompson Reuters list of the Top 10 Travel Experts on Twitter! There seems to be some benefit to a twitter addiction.
Just a short drive from Baton Rouge, Louisiana you’ll find The Crown Jewel of Louisiana’s River Road, the Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, a 16 room grand antebellum estate filled with period antiques, Louisiana artwork and spectacular gardens. Beautiful inside and out, we got lost in the history and the amazing landscape. The tour guides are amazing and transport you back to the hay day of the Houmas House.
Sandi goes behind the scenes at Battle of the Dance in Anaheim, California where she learns a step or two from some of the best in the business. Is she ready for Dancing with the Stars? You be the judge! Either way, she got to check something off her Bucket List.
So how does one get from making a quick Pasta Primivera to a Pasta Bar with all the Fixin’s in under 30 minutes? When initially faced with the #SundaySupper challenge to create a quick, easy and flavorful dinner in under 30 minutes I settled on making Pasta Primavera, but as often happens in our house, no two people like the same thing. With that said, I quickly shifted gears and decided to do a Pasta Bar. Everyone could create their own meal in a matter of minutes. It was such a hit I think it’s going to be a regular in our dinner rotations!
There’s no better place to learn how to surf than Hunting Beach California, a.k.a. Surf City USA … and there’s nothing more fun than watching Rick wipe out… time and time again… and again as he checks “Learning to Surf” off his Bucket List.
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