As it turns out, I didn't have any plans for Presidents' Day weekend, so I quickly researched how far I could fly without spending any more than I would've spent had I stayed at home. So, I found San Antonio for a $7.50 round-trip fare... and some miles. I had never been to San Antonio but the weather forecast predicted a warm weekend. Sold! I arrived Saturday evening and stayed at the Crockett Hotel, adjacent to the gardens of the Alamo. Since I didn't have a guidebook (last minute trip!), I figured all I had to do was follow the signs [View Full Entry]

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After having spent three days in the metro Phoenix AZ area to catch up with old friends, tour the Glendale area, run the PF Chang Rock N Roll 1/2 marathon, and watch the Giants defeat the Cowboys, I looked forward to my first flight on Southwest for my first visit to San Diego. Upon arrival, I approached the airport information center for easiest way to get to the Little Italy part of downtown. The lady behind the counter not only told me which bus route to take, but walked me to the bus stop to make sure I got on [View Full Entry]

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I lived in the Philippines from late 1997 to early 1999. Forever grateful to family hospitality, I initially stayed with relatives in Alabang, then with cousins in QC, before ultimately winding up in Sta Maria, Bulacan - home base of my mother's side of the family. My father's side is based in Bigaa, now Balagtas. Bulakenos (natives/residents of the Bulacan province) are known for their linguistic knowledge of the Tagalog language. Like any other area of the Philippines, you can tell who has more money than others. Yet, the ones who are not as well off are smiling just as much [View Full Entry]

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Credit for all photos posted in this entry shall go to my brother, Andrew. Thank you to ABS-CBN, among other media, for keeping us informed. It's impossible to write about my recent Philippines trip by including the "siege" experience in the same breath, so I've decided to remember it separately once and for all. I was a guest at the Manila Peninsula on Thursday morning, November 29 - registered to room 913 with my two youngest brothers. My parents were down the hall in room 921. Scheduled to stay three nights, we only stayed one. Given my previous visits to the [View Full Entry]

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Trying to book flights from Newark to Manila is hair-raising, especially for one who chooses to keep his hair cut short! Instead, I opted for a nonstop flight on Thanksgiving Day 2007 to Hong Kong for a weekend stopover before ultimately reuniting with family in the Philippines Sunday afternoon. A favorable exchange rate is one of many nice things about traveling from the US to Asia. Regardless of how expensive shopping can be in HK, one can still enjoy the city without dropping a lot of coin. Upon arrival, I traded in some extra Euros and Canadian dollars I've accumulated [View Full Entry]

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Every visit to Richmond, VA has been a unique adventure. This trip's mission: Run my first marathon. Status: DONE! We flew in Fri morning, Nov 9 in order to settle in with friends well before "game time" and to gauge the atmosphere of downtown Richmond. After lunch at Ukrop's, we headed to the Omni Hotel to join other marathon participants on a guided 2-hour bus tour of the course. Then, we went to the expo itself to pick up our bib number, t-shirt, and free literature. The race organizers offered no free swag whatsoever, but I did get a free green [View Full Entry]

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"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." I've visited Las Vegas so many times in the last 6 years, I cannot possibly offer any new stories with you. On Friday morning, I jogged 5+ miles from Venetian, past Mandalay Bay, to the I-15 entrance and came back. We dined at Bouchon in Venetian (though the foie gras was good, everything else was overrated) on Friday night and T-Bones Chopshop (excellent rib eye steaks) at Red Rock Casino (20 miles from the strip). My most enjoyable part of the weekend came on Saturday morning where 8 of us had arranged to [View Full Entry]

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Memorial Day weekend was all about one of my best friends getting married - a destination wedding in New Hope, PA. Wonderful wedding aside, I had not realized New Hope was so near where I used to live in Somerset County, NJ (barring traffic, it's only a 30-minute ride... go figure). I stayed at the New Hope Inn, off Rte 202 (formerly Best Western). If you go to other travel review sites like Trip Advisor or Virtual Tourist, the former BW was panned by many users. Thus, I came prepared by bringing my own pillows and beddings. In the end, [View Full Entry]

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And, I thought my latest adventure to Richmond, VA was all about completing my longest race ever - Ukrop's Monument Ave 10k... hardly an adventure considering my success running the Shamrock Shuffle 8k in Chicago the previous weekend. Pre-race, I had other worries. We all agreed beforehand to dress as superheroes. That meant purchasing or borrowing adult-sized costumes. At first, I chose to be Spiderman, but feared I'd faint if I were to run while covering myself with a skintight outfit from head-to-toe. I ended up exchanging costume ideas with another friend so I could "dress up" as the I [View Full Entry]

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I've lost track, but I'm certain I have now visited Chicago as often as I have visited Las Vegas. After 6 trips to Chi-town in 2006, I finally made my first trip there for 2007 arriving late Friday evening 3/23 and departing late Monday afternoon 3/26. More recently, my trips to Chicago had been to visit and catch up with my youngest brothers, Justin and Andrew, as well as with my friend, Travis, who happened to be celebrating his birthday this past Sunday. In addition, I had scheduled this trip so that I could run in the LaSalle Bank Shamrock [View Full Entry]

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