Next month we will be visiting Geneva, Switzerland. The trip is more business than pleasure, but we’ll have a couple of days to explore the city.

I love these cute bags made from recycled tire inner tubes. They have the look of leather without the environmental impact. In addition to bags in a variety of sizes, the company also makes wallets and belts. I personally really like the small Beetle, pictured above.

English Retreads

Ever wonder what the world’s top selling beer is? It’s called Snow Beer and you’ve probably never heard of it because not only is it made in China, but it’s also rarely sold anywhere else. It’s light and foamy and often the drink of choice to accompany spicy meals. Why is it so popular? Probably a combination of China’s huge population and rapidly growing economy but, if you ever find yourself in China, give it a taste and decide for yourself!

It took 27 years but, on August 22nd, the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial opened to the public in Washington D.C. Standing 27 feet tall, it’s carved into a slab of granite on the National Mall. Next to the statue there is a stone wall inscribed with quotes from King. The memorial has been met with a variety of accolades and criticisms, but that is not uncommon when a new museum or statue goes up. At the end of the day, it’s fitting that King is a permanent fixture on the Mall and hopefully he’ll inspire visitors for years to come. An official dedication ceremony is scheduled for October 16th on the 16th anniversary of the Million Man March.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

On our recent trip to Europe, Will and I were fortunate enough to travel in Continental’s BusinessFirst cabin which was complete with their new flat bed seats. This was the first time we experienced a fully flat bed seat and it is so much nicer than the typical angled flat seats. I always slip down the angled seats and they usually leave me with sore knees, but being fully flat actually allows you to sleep comfortably. Currently, all of Continental’s 777s and 757-200s are fitted with the new seats and they will roll them out on their 767-400ERs next year. In addition, all of their new 787s will be built with fully flat seats. I might have to fly Continental more often!

Continental Flat Bed Seats

There is something magical about a lighthouse, even a little one. Located in Kingsland Point Park in Tarrytown, NY (otherwise known as Sleepy Hollow) the 1883 Lighthouse guided boats along the Hudson River from 1883 until it was decommissioned in 1961. The inside of the lighthouse is only open to group tours by appointment, but anyone can walk around the outside once they gain entrance to the park where parking is $8 for non-residents. Next to the lighthouse is a stone wall which resembles the Berlin wall and has been partially covered in artwork. The park itself is small but quite nice and includes a dog run.

1883 Lighthouse

Next time you stay at a Westin hotel, you may be able to rent workout clothes and New Balance shoes. The program is currently being tested in 10 properties and it’s been so successful that there are plans to roll it out to more locations over the next few months. I’m not sure the germaphobe in me could do this, but it’s an interesting offering. Of course, the clothes are washed after each use and the sneakers come with brand new socks and disposable insoles.

Westin Workout

Recently, Will and I drove up to the Hudson Valley to visit Hyde Park, NY. The town is famous as the location of the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt which is now open to the public along with his presidential museum next door. The FDR Museum, opened in 1941, was the very first presidential museum and library in the United States and although it lacks the glitz of some of the newer museums, it’s really a national treasure. It’s also a glimpse into a very relevant part of our history as Roosevelt served as president during part of the Great Depression and implemented programs to help bring recovery. A big part of the museum is devoted to media footage and clippings from this time and it’s a sobering and somewhat familiar picture.

Nearby, we visited the Vanderbilt Mansion, small by Vanderbilt standards but still very impressive. It was built by Frederick Vanderbilt and is considered one of the last houses of the Gilded Age. The tour is run by the National Park Service and is very informal. Basically the guide tells you a bit about each floor and you can ask any additional questions as you wander around on your own.

The Culinary Institute of America is just a few miles away and makes the perfect lunch stop. There are five student run restaurants on campus, 4 of which are semi formal and require an advance reservation and the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe which is casual and has walk in service. We decided to visit the cafe and the food was delicious. The menu had a great variety of small and large plates and many unique desserts. We liked the food so much, that we ended up bringing home a loaf of fresh cheddar jalapeno bread, a box of truffles and some macarons for later!

After a great meal, we drove 20 minutes to the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie. It’s an old railroad bridge that was converted to the world’s longest pedestrian bridge at 1.28 miles. It offers beautiful views of the Hudson River and a great opportunity to watch trains and boats pass by.

Last year I added pages to a passport. I just mailed it in and got it back a few weeks later free of charge. Unfortunately, when Will added pages this month, we found out the state is now charging $82 for the service…as much as a brand new passport!! This is crazy to me!! There’s no new printing involved…all they do is tape the extra pages in. I could understand if they charged a small fee, but this seems excessive. If you are a frequent traveler, you can actually request extra pages when you get a new passport for no extra charge. I wish I had done that when I renewed my passport earlier this year, but I didn’t know they were going to start charging to add pages later. I guess the moral is, if there is any chance you might need extra pages, get the bigger passport.