Kaleb and I headed to the East Coast to visit family and friends for Thanksgiving, flying Southwest Airlines direct from Sacramento to Baltimore. We had used up almost all of our Rapid Rewards points, so we started dipping into the Southwest gift cards that were piling up from redeeming airline credits on our American Express credit cards. I still had the
Companion Pass through the end of 2018, so Kaleb's ticket was "free". (just paid $5.60 each way in taxes) I will miss having the pass next year!
The plane flown on this route is usually a large 737-800, with our favorite seats being the
pairs in the exit row, not having to worry about a third person. Purchasing
Early Bird gets us in line early enough to snag either pair most of the time. (not always though, since people are now privy to these) The leg room is acceptable. Southwest serves extra snacks on this cross-country flight, but we usually bring our own lunch, either from home or purchased at the airport.
The rental car was booked on the Chase travel portal, using Chase Ultimate Rewards points as payment, a value of $300. Points were collected from sign up bonus offers, such as 60,000 points with the
Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
Once in town, I couldn't resist stopping by
Evan's Candy to pick up chocolates for everyone, including myself. They are so delicious and reasonably priced. Evan's is only open between September and Mother's Day.
 |
| it smells good in there too |
The rest of the week was spent eating in and out with family and friends. Bear with me for all of the food pics - faithful readers should already know by now that eating is a top priority on this blog, next to seeing cool places!
On Wednesday, we met up with Ashley and her boyfriend Travis at
Harvest Seasonal Grill, which reminded me a lot of
Seasons 52 back home, though their dessert glasses were double in size. Their menu changes seasonally (hence the name), so what we ate may not be available today. Everything was very tasty.
 |
| seafood mix |
|
 |
| meatloaf |
|
 |
| 4 dessert glasses to choose from |
We had Thanksgiving dinner at Kaleb's dad's house with Grandma Betty, Uncle John, and the siblings. I didn't burn the turkey!
|
|
 |
| Kate printed the napkins |
|
On Friday, we met up with Ashley again, visiting
Central Market Lancaster (open since 1730), having a delicious hot bowl of ramen at
Issei Noodle, and finishing it off with a scoop of egg- and gluten-free cookie dough at
Dough and Co.
 |
| very crowded at the market |
 |
| chashu ramen |
|
 |
| spicy tan tan ramen |
|
Later that evening, we had heavy snacks at the
Square Mile Public House in Mountville on the way to visiting Kaleb's friend Meade and his family. The Philly pretzel braid was nice with the cheese dipping sauce.
On Sunday, we had another Thanksgiving dinner at Kaleb's mom's house along with Grandma Shirley and the rest of the siblings.
On Monday, we went on our annual visit to
Longwood Gardens with Jarrett and Kate and had dinner at the on-site
1906 restaurant. Their mushroom soup is the best! I love how the gardens are decorated for Christmas.
|
|
 |
| perfect for Pokemon Go |
|
 |
| yummy potted brioche |
|
 |
| this bowl of soup is the bomb |
|
 |
| duck breast |
|
 |
| crab cakes |
|
Walking through the gardens again at night brought a different perspective.
What a perfect way to end our trip! What's next? The new year begins with a visit to Secrets Silversands all-inclusive resort with friends...stay tuned!
***
If you came here from a Facebook or Twitter link, thanks for clicking the "Facebook Like" button below or retweeting!
Don't miss a blog entry! Sign up for updates direct to your inbox
here or add the blog to your
RSS feed.
Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go? Contact me at
yellowdogtravel at gmail d0t com with your ideas and I can help you plan it! Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts. I have lots of happy returning clients - references always available.
Come check out my other blog "
What in the world is Kat Kong doing now?", documenting things other than traveling...sign up for blog updates direct to your inbox
here!
Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
No comments:
Post a Comment