Manny Samaniego
Born in NYC, raised on Long Island and in northern NJ; have lived in New England, NYC, and the Philippines. Outside of the continental US and Puerto Rico, I've traveled to the Netherlands, China, UK, France, Belgium, Spain, Mexico, France, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. My favorite US cities are NYC, Chicago, Las Vegas, Austin, and Scottsdale.14 Hours in Hong Kong
Travel Blog Posts
April 18th 2010
Preparation for a long weekend in San Diego: My initial visit to San Diego was in January 2007. Stayed in downtown hotels (La Pensione; Sofia Hotel). Frommer's guidebook. No rental car. Toured the area by trolley, tour bus, or walking - missed points north of Old Town... but I remember having a good time nonetheless. But... I definitely favored a rental car next time around. First flight of 2010 - Thursday, April 15: After arriving at Orange County Airport (SNA), we picked up our rental car - a Toyota Corolla. Neither of us were aware they were safe to drive... but we had a great deal from Hertz so who are we to complain. Skipped the Hertz GPS option in favor of the map apps on our respective smartphones. The traffic on I-5 South was light ... read more
September 27th 2009
I've wanted to tour the Dogfish Head (DFH) brewery since sampling their 120-minute IPA for the first time earlier this year. When I saw an advertisement for their annual 5k/10k Dogfish Dash, I jumped at the chance to register, not only because I knew I could finish well, but also to have some time to tour the brewery and bring home some of their brews I could not find north. After making the 3.5-hour drive to Rehoboth Beach on Saturday afternoon, I checked in my hotel and promptly headed over to the Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats on Rehoboth Ave. Over the course of two hours, with dinner (of course), I drank pints of their Punkin Ale, Chicory Stout, Black & Tan (Chicory Stout / 90-minute IPA), and Pangaea. Fast forward to Sunday morning, it was ... read more
August 26th 2009
So I elected to book my flight via Continental because I'm all about piling on the MILES! Newark (EWR) - Houston (IAH) - Honolulu - Guam - Cairns. Arrived at Cairns after 11pm, then flew to Sydney at 545am. I paced the Cairns Domestic Terminal for hours, trying to stay warm. Other than a handful of airport staff making the rounds, it was quite boring. If you're staying in downtown Sydney, it's not critical to hire a car. After taking cabs between Darling Harbour and The Rocks my first two days there, I realized I could walk from one district to the other without tiring. Looking back, my reluctance to learn how to drive on the "other" side of the car and road certainly hindered my ability to explore on my own or find treasures off ... read more
A Day at the Yards
Published: September 25th 2009North America » United States » Maryland » Baltimore
June 14th 2009
During the season, I visited five MLB stadiums for the first time - US Cellular Field, Nationals Park, Citi Field, new Yankee Stadium, and Camden Yards. I traveled to Baltimore for the a Braves-Orioles game on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. After a late evening out with friends, I didn't feel up to driving so I bought a same-day Amtrak ticket to/from Baltimore Penn Station. Upon arrival in Baltimore, I transferred to the light rail ($1.60 one-way fare) for the 20-minute ride to the ballpark. Outside Camden Yards, you can find decent crowds at street vendors and food carts hawking burgers, peanuts, and beverages for very reasonable prices and/or purchase food to bring inside the stadium - quite a change of scenery for one accustomed to attending Yankees games. You can also pack your own lunches and ... read more
June 6th 2009
Another weekend out of town... left after work Friday evening, returned on the red-eye in time for work on Monday morning... I was looking forward to really hot weather in Phoenix, only to find temperatures peaking in the high 80's, low '90's all weekend. Nevertheless, I had a great time catching up and staying with friends in north Phoenix. On Saturday morning, we embarked to Sedona, about a 90-minute drive north of where we were based. This was my first trip to this resort town and we had a fun time! You don't really notice Sedona while driving on the 17 North, but once you're off the highway and you begin to see the red rocks, WOW... early on, skies were overcast and temperatures were cooler than expected... this was documented in some of the pictures ... read more
48 Hours in Los Angeles
Published: June 5th 2009North America » United States » California » Los Angeles
May 25th 2009
My friend and I decided to splurge on a last-minute trip to get out-of-town for the Memorial Day weekend. Should we fly to Los Angeles? Or, Paris? Because of the holiday and our timing, fares to Europe were cheaper than flying within the continental US not because they were on sale, but because demand wasn't as high. Yet, we opted to fly to LA for a variety of reasons and reflect back with no regrets. Our objective was to fit in as many touristy things as possible. It was my third visit to town. It was her first visit. We found a good deal to stay two nights at the Ritz Carlton in Marina del Rey. The only thing remotely five-star about the property was the plush bed (very comfortable) and the guests who kept dropping ... read more
La cuenta, por favor!
Published: December 24th 2008North America » Mexico » Jalisco » Puerto Vallarta
December 15th 2008
December 13-15, 2008: I wish I could go to PV every weekend, but I'd have to win the lottery first! Another completely random passport stamp, many more to go! I'm one of the few who was glad that the EWR-PVR flight was on sale as the trip to/from was not full at all. On this weekend, most folks are at home shopping for the holidays and/or preparing for loved ones to visit. Barely twelve hours removed from a holiday party, I found myself in warm and sunny Puerto Vallarta walking up and down the Malecon in El Centro, where I relied on my rusty, but serviceable college-level Spanish to get me around. Most of its citizens speak fluent English, but it's always fun to try to speak the local language. I had a wonderful stay at ... read more
Labor Day weekend in Northern California
Published: October 5th 2008North America » United States » California
September 1st 2008
Two days removed after returning from Switzerland, I envisioned spending the holiday weekend in bed recovering from jetlag. Thursday morning, I was reminded that cousin Robert is visiting the gang in Cali. 50000 miles, $75, 30 hours later... I was on a plane to Sacramento (via Houston). I'm not sure why I continue to travel impulsively. One day, I'm catching up at work and thinking I'm going to chill out during the holiday weekend. Two days later, I'm eating barbecued spare ribs in Chinatown, San Francisco with my relatives from Virginia and California. The next day... I'm hiking the Mist Trail at Yosemite?!? That night... we're hanging out in Sacramento with my brother and sister-in-law... and only 6 hours before my flight home! Hah! Hanging out with my Stockton relatives was an absolute blast! Jenga! Thank ... read more
August 26th 2008
My trip to Switzerland almost became my shortest overseas trip ever... upon approaching customs, I realized I left my passport on the plane. Drama aside, my passport was found one hour later and just prior to the plane being boarded for its return trip to the USA! Thanks to Zurich airport security and staff for reassuring me everything would be okay. When I finally breezed through customs, I was slightly disappointed because its officers only scan passports... no stamp! To our slight surprise, we found the US dollar to be stronger than the Swiss franc... but prices were higher to offset the (dis)advantage. We stayed in the countryside where our gracious hosts, Natascha and Peter, spent considerable time showing us around their beautiful region... as they prepared for their wedding that weekend! We enjoyed their home ... read more
June 23rd 2008
Those who visit Las Vegas in the middle of June are there for one of three reasons: one, work-related convention or conference; two, a special occasion; or three, for the sheer heck of it. Unabashedly, I fall in the last category. I LOVE hot, especially dry weather. Being outdoors too long certainly didn't make any sense. At Mandalay Beach, I spent more time in the pool (20 minutes) than I did in the water at any other point this year. Within seconds of exiting the pool, I was already dry. The sand was hot and obviously the asphalt was hotter. Two hours and multiple applications of suntan lotion later, I retreated inside and stayed there until after sunset. On Saturday morning, we shuttled to the Black Canyon area of the Colorado River where we launched kayaks ... read more
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