Spot the Difference

One of the very first differences I noticed about America was the public bathrooms, actually it was the toilets to be more specific. The toilets flush with such intense ferocity you almost need to step back for fear of being sucked down into an unknown world. There's none of that flushing twice because the toilet paper was left behind like so often happens with Australian toilets. 

    While in Miami I've noticed blinkers seem to be an optional extra while driving. There's no need to consistently let people know you will be turning or changing lanes. If anyone around you has a problem with it they can just beep their horn. It really is a much better system than a blinking light on the corner of your car. 

    They're also quite honest about their food. Whether they're telling you the food is gross. 

Or letting you know the food just isn't that attractive. 

Unique New York

    Brace yourselves. The long blog post is coming...

    New York is a fast paced city and there's no time for blogging if you want to keep up. So I'm sitting in my sister and brother-in-law's study in "sunny" (the sun is yet to reveal itself) Florida telling you about my adventures in New York.

 

Plane ride

    My Sydney Airport experience all began witnessing an encounter of the cute kind. A young Asian boy was waiting in the check-in line with his family behind me and then all of a sudden I hear a little Asian girl call out to the boy across the zig-zagged barriers. He then called out to her with such delight and surprise. They ran towards each other under the barriers as though they hadn't seen each other in years. They were so excited jumping, holding hands and skipping around. I later discovered they were in kindergarten at the same school and had only seen each other a few days before.

    I actually scored the most comfortable seat on the first plane. "Comfortable" compared to the rest of the economy seats. I tried to select my seat earlier online, but the website decided it didn't want to cooperate. I thought surely I would be forced into a seat in the centre, but the opposite occurred. I was given a seat that many people pay for in advance. I got myself a window seat in the emergency exit. My short legs had more room than necessary. By the time I got off the second flight my legs actually did feel like jelly, but I managed to stay upright.

 

Sisters Reunited

    Our reunion wasn't exactly like the cute reunion at Sydney Airport. As I slowly wheeled my two large suitcases with my jelly legs I saw this figure running towards me. After a few paces I realised it was my sister, but I continued at the same jelly legged speed. From then it felt as though we hadn't been separated for a year. One minute we were all laughs and then the next minute the gloves came off, but only figuratively. It was too cold for that to happen literally.

You Know You Love Me
    We had scheduled a Gossip Girl tour for our last day, but with our flight being pushed forward and staying outside the city for our last two nights we decided it was not a good idea to go. But after my GG marathon before we left, I decided we should go to some of the show's locations throughout our short NY stay. So C and A were spotted at Grand Central Terminal, at Central Park "feeding" the ducks, on the steps of the Met (unfortunately we had already eaten our yoghurt that day) and at The Palace.

Cultured Occasions
    We didn't just stop our Met visit at the steps, we also went inside. It wasn't originally on our itinerary, but the rain made sure our schedule was edited. Like the rest of NY, The Met is rather large, crowded and too big to experience in a day. Alicia (the sister), Carlos (the brother-in-law) and I each chose a section to look at. The sculptures seemed to have a lot of unhappy faces, the armour was rather fancy and the furniture provided me with some great decorating ideas.
    The Nutcracker by the New York City Ballet was also on our schedule. It seemed we weren't the only ones who had the great idea to see the show. Our good friends Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise were also enjoying themselves a bit of NY culture. Just two rows in front of us, it wasn't until intermission when the lights came on and my speechless sister punched me that our attention was drawn to the celebrities. I wouldn't believe all the rumours your hear about Suri being a brat. She sat more quietly than the children sitting directly in front of us and excitedly clapped when the curtain was raised for the second half of the show.
    We also attempted to get cultured at the New York Public Library, but our late finish of a tour and dodgy directions resulted in us arriving at the library at closing time. It was actually on our walk to the library that we discovered the recipe for the most efficient way to walk through NY city street crowds.
Step 1: Walk into oncoming crowds.
Step 2: look directly ahead with an expression that says you're important and don't believe in stepping aside.
Step 3: The crowds part like the Red Sea.

Ain't Snow Body Got Time for That
    I was dreaming of a white Christmas until the I saw the forecast for my NY stay. After the disappointment of a sunny forecast there were still very low hopes of snow, which matched the amount of snow we saw. On two separate days it snowed for approximately two minutes and we found a squared metre of snow on the footpath sidewalk that of course we posed with.
 

It's Christmas Time in the City
    NY really goes above and beyond with the Christmas spirit. The window displays, oversized street decorations and Christmas trees scattered throughout the city rivaled anything in my imagination. SantaLand at Macy's is stunning, or so I hear. The minimum three hour wait prevented us going inside. The Rockette's Christmas Spectacular was as spectacular as the rest of the city. Our seats were literally front and centre so it felt as though we were high kicking along with the intensely rehearsed dancers. We spent Christmas day out of the city with Carlos' friend, wife and one year old child on Long Island. We were treated to a delicious feast, which included prawns shrimp and thousand island dressing, so it felt a little more like home.

People of New York
    We came across a few characters in our travels, most notably Candy Girl and Mr Oh-Hell-No. My sister and I saw Candy Girl while in Central Park. She was about one year old, sitting in a pram looking like a pink marshmallow in her outfit to keep out the cold. Her facial expression was the direct opposite of her bright outfit. It said "Really Mum Mom? The park? Again? But we come here so much." But then as soon as her mom came over to take a photo of her she discovered a huge smile and suddenly pulled out a candy cane and started posing with it.
    Mr Oh-Hell-No stumbled upon us during our tour. We had just exited the Grand Central Terminal and crossed the street. We were in the process of condensing our group so we weren't in the way and then we hear "Oh! Heeeelll No! How am I gonna get through this?" This being us. The tour guide responded, "Just say excuse me and go around." The answer to that? "Oh no! I said 'Oh heeeeell no!'" He conveniently arrived right after the tour guide was talking about the characters of New York.

Stay tuned to later posts for photos and videos of my NY adventures.

Coming to America

    It's the post you've all (all zero subscribers and about 30 readers) been waiting for... It's finally the day I leave for my grand adventure. It's been years in the making and here it is.

 

   Before I leave I offer you my blogger's guarantee. I solemnly swear to update my blog as often as I can whilst avoiding excessive global roaming data charges. I also pledge to continue my promise of including words in my posts. And I vow that not all included photos will be selfies.

 

    Yours sincerely,

Your favourite blogger (assuming you only read this blog, but that would also make me your least favourite blogger), 

Clary

Sleepless and I'm Not Even Going to Seattle

    The sleepless night I predicted has arrived. I was feeling tired so as any other tired person might do, I went to bed. But then it began. First the headache, which led to getting out of bed and then the realisation that even though it's after 1am, I'm not at all tired anymore. Perhaps it's because my body clock is already so conveniently adjusted to New York time. What did I do with my newly discovered vigour (other than update my blog)? Well I packed some more things into one of the suitcases I bought yesterday. Yes, it is true, the dreams of creating The Sisterhood of the Travelling Suitcase have indeed been shattered with the purchase of a second suitcase in Australia. Requests for Aussie essentials like Tim Tams were just too much for one poor little suitcase. I will deny all accusations that my clothes, shoes and other items are the reason for needing to travel out with a second suitcase.

    And now I would say goodnight, but let's face it, it's morning in both Australia and New York. Plus goodnight kind of implies the intention of sleep, which I don't see happening just yet. So for now I will say (or sing) so long, farewell...

All The Small Things

    In the lead up to my BIG adventure, it's about the little things.

 

    Upon checking the weight allowance of my suitcase I was pleasantly pleased totally excited to discover I have a two piece luggage plan, which means I can bring home an entire suitcase full of shopping. I'm not saying I will, just that I can. And even better? My sister said I can have one of the suitcases she took over, which actually used to be our mum's. I guess it'll be like The Sisterhood of the Travelling Suitcase. I've never seen The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, but based on the title it sounds like a bunch of girls share the same pair of pants.

 

    At the moment it's also about the finer details, like double checking flight times. I'd hate to miss a flight or have an awkwardly early airport arrival. It's standard that I'll arrive far earlier than necessary which will be somewhat awkward, but I'd like to avoid extreme awkwardness. I've also been checking what I can take on the plane. According to the websites I've visited, aerosoles are not okay in my carry on, but are okay in my checked luggage. Explosives and deadly chemicals, on the other hand, are not okay in any of my luggage. Looks like I'll be leaving the fireworks at home.

 

    It's also about the small number of days until I leave - 6.58333333 days if you want to be exact.* Small talk this week could go a little like this...

Friend/Acquaintance/Frenemy/Relative/Colleague/Customer: "Are  you doing anything next week?"
"Oh, you know, just going to America," I will casually (yeah... completely casually) reply.

 

Questions like "What are you up to next week?" and "Got anything on next week?" would also elicit the same response.

 

    It's also about my smalls. Yes, literally my underwear. I can't forget to pack a sufficient amount like when I went to New Caledonia. There I go blogging about my unmentionables again.

    Right now life is also about those small moments of clarity on stage. Hidden beneath the intense make-up, the performance face and practised choreography at my dance concert yesterday was the realisation I get to experience the same immense and unique joy of dancing on the other side of the world.

    Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest difference.

*The figure stated was not even exact at the time of posting because the post took a little longer to write than previously anticipated.

For a Small Fee in America

    Tipping etiquette is some tough terrain to navigate. There are a number of issues to consider. How much to tip? Exactly when do I tip? Do I even need to tip? Will I get the tip at the restaurant this time and then you can pay next time? Should I try to be a bit fancy and transfer the tip through a discreet handshake? That maneouvre sounds fun, but requires more fine motor skills than I have to offer. All this may just tip me over the edge.

 

    And then there's the whole tax not being automatically added thing, which gets kind of irritating at restaurants. I remember last time I visited America we would spend so long working out the tax and tip we almost needed to order more meals. You might say it was a taxing experience.

 

    My previous trip also taught me a few lessons. One of the biggest? Completing a task yourself just to avoid tipping someone is an example of bad tipping etiquette. It was the last night at our hotel in New York and the last night of our adventure. Cash supplies were dwindling and we required money for our taxi to the airport, so we elected to forgo the bellboy and transport our own bags. 

 

    Our mission went a little like this. We assessed our situation: 3 girls, 10 suitcases, 1 elevator, several floors to descend and countless staff to avoid. We monitored the hallway until the coast was clear, then transfered our luggage onto one of those carrier things (this is its new name because I can't remember what it's actually called or be bothered to Google it). Once our luggage was on the carrier thing, we had to ensure our selected elevator was clear. It was. We were in the clear too, but only inside that elevator. Upon the doors opening on the ground floor we were greeted with the judgmental eyes of the staff we had previously avoided. We immediately regreted our decision. We played "dumb tourist not knowing we shouldn't have taken our luggage ourselves", but what we really were was "poor tourist on the last leg of our trip and money". It was the quickest way to offend people without having any interaction.

 

    I still experience slight twinges of guilt about my scandalous tipping evasion and have certainly learnt my lesson. I could list my current concerns about tipping, but that already happened in paragraph one.

Holiday by Numbers

0: My bank account just before I leave.

 

1: The number of sisters I will be visiting. I will also be visiting one brother-in-law and meeting up with one dance studio.

 

2: The number of times I will be dining in Cinderella's Castle with a few of the princesses. Because one time is not enough for breakfast with fellow royalty.

 

3: The number of things I will forget to pack. So I'll do what sisters do best and borrow some of her things. And of course I'll do it without asking so that she feels like she's back home in Australia. I'm such a considerate sibling.

 

4: The number of times I've genuinely considered creating a list of things to pack. I'm sure I'll get to that list at some point.

 

5: The number of weeks I will be in America. It also happens to be the number of plane seats I'll never get comfortable in.

 

10: The number of minutes it will take to do the braid in my hair for the dance performances. I will then realise that one unruly strand of hair escaped the braid and need to spend another ten minutes doing it again.

 

25: How old I'll turn at Disney World, but highly unlikely to be how old I will look.

 

38: The number of "sleeps" until I leave. I'm sure the last week will consist of nights full of anxiety about things like items I should be packing and excitement about, well, everything!

 

40: The number of times I will need to ask for directions at LAX.

 

5000: My level of holiday excitement, on a scale of one to ten.

Prevention Better Than a Cure?

    I've previously experienced the post holiday blues, but in the lead up to my big American Adventure I have unexpectedly been struck down with a serious condition. It was previously referred to as the Holiday Planning Virus, but the abbreviation for that is already being used by another type of virus. Now known as Vacation Preparation Fatigue (VPF), all holiday planners are at risk of developing the disease.
    Just a short time ago some might've said I was a little too enthusiastic about my holiday planning. I took advantage of my insomnia to create itineraries and conduct copious amounts of Disney research, including the analysis of menu items that won't be consumed until next year. But now VPF has struck me down in my holiday planning prime.

    The most prominent symptom of VPF is diminished motivation to complete activities related to vacation preparation. There are forms to fill in, a visa waiver to obtain, another Disney dining reservation to make and I still haven't compiled that list of things to pack. I'm not saying I'll never do those things, but right now I really can't be bothered. 

    Research into the cause of VPF has been inconclusive, but it is suspected the completion of all uni assignments could be a contributing factor. Holiday planning can no longer be a form of procrastination. The cure for VPF is currently unknown and the only obvious preventative measures are to avoid holidays or have someone else do all the planning, but where's the fun in that? The expected duration of the illness is also unclear, so if you have previously been afflicted with VPF feel free to share your advice for overcoming the condition in the comments below.

Money Makes the World Go Round

     How am I able to afford a 5 week American holiday with only the limited savings of a full-time uni student? My bank account currently disagrees that I can, but with a few money saving tips I have almost paid for my holiday.

     Here is just some of my money saving advice...

 

Number One (and Number Two) Tips

    Use public toilets or a friend's toilet when you can. You'll save money on toilet paper and water.

Food for Thought

    If someone offers you free food, take it. (Obviously keep stranger danger advice in mind.) Even if you're not really hungry or don't actually want the food, just take it. You can keep for later or use it as a bargaining tool to swap with someone who has more desirable food.

 

Don't Buy, Borrow.

    So there are these like things called libraries where you can like totes borrow stuff for free. This is especially useful if you are a uni student and have been told to buy a stack of expensive textbooks you will be lucky to even look at during the semester. Just borrow the textbooks from a library. Although, you should make sure you renew things or return them on time so you don't receive an $84 fine. That amount, is totally random, and I definitely did not receive an $84 library fine 2 years ago.

 

Too Tired

    Right now I'm too tired to think of any more money saving advice, which conveniently brings me to my final point. It's Saturday night and I'm too tired to do anything other than update my silly little blog. Aside from being a totally lame Saturday night activity, I'm not out and so I'm not spending any money. Basically, if you tire yourself out at dance practice and work during the day you too can be too tired to spend any money.

 

    And now I'm going to go to bed, which means turning off all the power. Hello saving money!

Packing It

   Packing was not something I was particularly concerned with until a few weeks ago when I had a bizarre nightmare. I was running late for my plane to America because I'd spent too long deciding what to eat for lunch at a random bakery that was nowhere near the airport. In the nightmare it was only on that day (the day of the flight) that I realised packing would be a good idea. Needless to say much panic ensued and I woke up feeling utterly compelled to create a list of essentials to pack.  Also, some of the ladies I will be at Disney World with have been discussing what to pack. And of course there was that time I went to New Caledonia (in real life) and forgot half my underwear and a razor to instill a bit packing fear in me. This is all too much. I'm "packing it" a little.

 

     My American Adventure will be my longest overseas holiday. It will span two states with wildly contrasting climates. There will be so much more to pack than for the other numerous (ok, actually only two) overseas trips I've been on. So not only am I concerned about what to pack, but how to pack. Enter "The Fine Art of Packing". I can't remember exactly where I saw this piece of advice, but one tip is to pack things like rolled socks and underwear inside your shoes to save space. My shoes are quite small so I'm not sure how much space that will save.

 

    Another trick I've tried before is to wear as many layers of clothing as possible on the plane. This will prove handy when I arrive in freezing New York, but not so handy when travelling from Miami into the middle of an Australian summer.

 

    If I happen to do a bit more shopping than anticipated and run out of room in my suitcase I'll just leave things I don't necessarily want anymore, like socks, behind. Or I could donate them to my sister as a little "thanks for letting me stay with you" gift.

 

    I still haven't created that packing list and I do not even want to begin thinking about which articles of clothing and shoes I will have to leave behind. I'm not a big fan of the whole buying things in a foreign country that you already own in your home country. But there really is no need to panic just yet. I'll start some serious panicking if it gets to the day of the flight and I find myself in a random bakery having done no packing.

Growing "UP" with Disney

    The following link provides some insight into why I'm so completely, totally, ridiculously and utterly excited to go to Disney World! Yes I've been to Disneyland before. But this time it's not just a "land" of Disney, it's "a whole new world" of Disney!

 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/signs-you-grew-up-with-disney

 

    I just have to say in relation to number 14, I didn't think the 'D' was a 'G'. I did, however, think the 'y' was a 'p' and thought it should be pronounced "Disneep" even though everyone seemed to say "Disney". I could never understand why there was a 'p' on the end.

 

    Finally, I must confess I'm not so sure I actually grew up with Disney. I recently put a Finding Nemo poster accompanied by a Nemo plush toy in my bathroom. I guess you could say I'm still growing UP with Disney.

Airport Attire

    This image floated into my Facebook newsfeed recently courtesy of Marchesa with the caption: "Now this is what we call airport chic! The stunning Miranda Kerr wearing Marchesa Voyage at JFK Airport yesterday."

 

 

    My first thought was, "I'm going to that airport. Maybe I'll see a celebrity!"

 

    That thought was quickly taken over by, "Oh no. I'd rather not see anybody." The only sort of upmarket attire or "suit" I'll be travelling in is a tracksuit. I anticipate my eyes will be bulging out of my head from extreme fatigue. And my legs will probably feel like two columns of jelly being held together by cheap clingwrap as I attempt to walk after being stuck in a tiny seat that has been engineered with the impossibility of actually getting comfortable.

 

   Having said that, kudos to Miranda for looking lovely at the airport. And I personally plan to look damn fine as I struggle to walk with bulging eyes while wearing my most generic tracksuit.

Disney Dining

    Over the past few weeks I've had to determine which Disney World restaurants I would like reservations for in January. Yes, that's right, January, which is 6 months away! I still haven't decided what I'm going to eat for breakfast tomorrow, but I managed to look at descriptions of every single Disney World restaurant.

    After sifting through numerous blogs, hours of restaurant research and a few phone calls (thanks for footing that overseas bill, Mum) I was able to secure the Disney World dining reservations I desired. The restaurants I am most excited to dine at are the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, Be Our Guest and Cinderella's Royal Table. Many people are not as lucky in obtaining reservations at Disney World. This post offers you a few tricks you can try to eat at those restaurants where you could not secure a reservation.

 

Long Coat

    If you would like to join a dining party try the old "long coat over two people" trick. With this tip you could double the number of the dining party.

    Pitfalls: You may need to supply your own coat.

You will need the permission of the person you are sharing the coat with.

You will most likely need to sit under the table as a seat will not be supplied for you.

 

Seat Warmer

    Wait inconspicuously inside your desired restaurant. Someone is bound to need a bathroom break at some point. Now is your opportunity to pounce. As soon as this person leaves the table, sit in their seat and tell the others at the table you are a "seat warmer". Based on the average time spent looking for, being in (including sink side selfies and gossip) and coming back from the bathroom, you have about 5 to 10 minutes to get the others at the table to like you and forget about the person that just went to the bathroom. If you can successfully convince the others to let you stay at their table they may even pay your bill!

    Pitfall: If you get to the table after the bathroom person has ordered you may have to eat the dish they selected.

 

Invisibility Cloak

    Pull your invisibility cloak out of the back of your wardrobe, dust it off and wear it to your selected restaurant.

    Pitfall: You will need to remain invisible throughout the entire reservation. But this just means you can eat as much as you want without worrying about things like, "How much will people judge me if I eat a third serving of dessert?"

 

Date Night

    This idea is inspired by (stolen from) the movie, Date Night. Place yourself and your dining party in the waiting area of your chosen restaurant. Wait for the maitre d' to call out a party name and claim it as your own.

    Pitfall: Sure this idea may result in you being confused as criminals, chased over the city and requiring the help of Mark Wahlberg, but it will all be worth it.

 

Steal Buzzer

   This idea is for those of you who enjoy a spot of theft. Some Disney World restaurants provide buzzers for people waiting to be seated. If your desired dining destination is one of those restaurants then you are in luck. Just go right ahead and steal someone's buzzer.

    Pitfall: You need to deal with the anticipation (some might say "terror") of waiting for the buzzer to buzz.

 

Friendly Reservation

   If you are travelling with a number of families and are partial to a bit of dishonesty this idea is the best for you. Pay close attention to those in your travelling party as they may share the details of their dining reservations. Take these details to the restaurant and  there you go, a dining reservation for you!

     Pitfall: You will need to be organised to arrive at the restaurant well before your unsuspecting victims friends.

 

   

    Of course, if you are not convinced any of these ideas will work you can always try the less conventional idea of checking if there has been a cancellation at one of those elusive restaurants.

Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome... To My New Blog

    Welcome to my new blog! This is your exclusive (not really) invitation to stay updated as I plan and embark on my American Adventure. Please keep all personal belongings secure and hands in the carriage as you come along for the ride.

   

    I was always told to only make promises I can keep. Here are some things I can promise you this blog will deliver. Words. I promise to type some of them and then post them. My hope is that you will enjoy these words and maybe even offer some of your own in the comments.

 

    "So... what exactly does this 'American Adventure' entail?" I  hear you ask. Thank you for your question. It includes Christmas in New York and New Year's in Miami with my sister and brother-in-law, over 2 weeks at Disney World with my dance studio, followed by another week in Miami. The owner of the dance studio I attend deciding we should dance at Disney World in January next year started this whole adventure. Then my sister got married and moved to Miami with her husband in November last year. Coincidence? Yes. Convenient? Totally. I decided to turn a 2 week dance trip into a 5 week dance-and-visit-my-sister extravaganza.

 

    Stay tuned for my next post all about securing those elusive Disney World dining reservations, including some not-so-standard tips.