Joel Frey

Giraffes, Mickey, Fabulous 40

I hate it when I absent-mindedly check my blog and realize that it's been months since I've posted. In my last missive, I incorrectly predicted a Saints victory over the 49ers in the divisional round of the play-offs. Since then, the Saints have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Smart people like Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis, and Gregg Williams should know that bounties have no place in sports. As a Saints fan, Payton's one year suspension is a punch in the gut, but from what I've read, he and his aforementioned colleagues were asking for it - big time. They are lucky, actually. How many of us could lie to the CEO and not be immediately shown the door?

Another reason I'm disappointed with my output is that I've had plenty of topics not related to the Saints to tee up: our pending move to DFW, multiple sets of twins joining our extended family and Meg's ongoing adventures at Texas A&M.

I'll touch on each of those sometime soon, but I'll start with the most momentous occasion of 2012 thus far: toasting Heather's Big 4-0. The celebration came in phases beginning in Orlando in mid-February. We spent an extended weekend at Disney World and, really, where better to begin your forties than the Happiest Place on Earth?

The highlight of the trip was the Wanyama Safari at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We joined a few other guests and one of the resort's zookeepers and drove through the four savannas where more than 30 species native to Africa spend their days and nights. If an up-close view of a giraffe, zebra, impala, antelope and/or okapi is on your bucket list and you don't want to take an ultra long flight across the globe for the experience, than this tour will be right up your alley. Afterward, we headed to Jiko for a scrumptious four course dinner featuring "traditional African dips, breads and appetizers," along with "oak roasted filet of beef with mac & cheese and chermoula roasted chicken." Heather and I both agree that it was one of the best meals we've ever eaten.

Other Disney stops included Soarin' at Epcot, the all-new Star Tours at Hollywood Studios and, of course, It's a Small World at Magic Kingdom all of which we gave a thumbs up. If you're contemplating a Disney vacation, mid-February is a good time to consider. You'll enjoy shoulder season prices, manageable crowds, decent weather and we didn't waste too much time waiting in line though Fast Pass came in handy for Star Tours, but at no extra cost.

The other discovery of this Disney trip was PhotoPass. We received a card from the photographer at the safari and whenever we encountered one of her cohorts the rest of the trip, we simply handed him/her the card, it was scanned, the shots were taken and, upon return, we had a bunch of high-quality shots to scan through. It's  quick, easy and convenient and a must-do! Below is one of those shots from the safari. Happy Spring everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

Shamefully biased travel advice

As the PR Man for Travelocity, friends and family occasionally ask me for travel advice and, unsurprisingly, those questions usually revolve around scoring a deal.

My first semi-biased tip: use a site like Travelocity to bundle your flight + hotel + rental car together and book your trip as a vacation package. Recently, I walked a reporter from the New York Times through Travelocity's vacation package shopping engine and she used the information in an article that was published last week. It's a thorough review and I recommend checking it out if you're contemplating a spring or summer trip and want to save some bucks.

My second shamefully-biased tip:  sign up for the Travelocity Rewards American Express Card. Why? The dollars you spend turn into points that can be redeemed for cash back when you book on Travelocity. One example:  20,000 points = $400 dollars. Here's a recent post with more information on how the program works.

And, yes, I take my own advice. On Friday,  I used Travelocity to book a vacation package for Heather, Megan and myself from El Paso to College Station for Meg's new student orientation at Texas A&M this summer. Within minutes, I lined up flights on our preferred airline, four nights at our preferred hotel and a rental car. Near check-out, I indicated that I wanted to redeem points. The $400 will show as a credit on our statement and, unlike airline or hotel programs, we don't have to worry about blackout dates and other fine print. Plus, we'll still earn our frequent flyer miles with the airline. And the kicker? We earn triple points on all purchases made on Travelocity so they quickly build back up after redemption.

If you have any travel-related questions, please let me know!

One reason for the recent lag in posts is because I submitted my first article to the Yahoo Contributor Network last weekend. Had my story on the three baseballs I've caught in the stands not been published, I would've have cut-and-paste it into this space, but the Yahoo! editors decided it was worth $10 and put it online on Thursday. If you missed my Facebook post linking to it, check it out here.

Final thoughts on Vegas

As a follow up to my last post on Vegas, I wanted to expound upon one instance of phenomenal service we experienced. Heather and I designated the trip as a belated celebration of our third anniversary which was on New Year's Eve. After mixing it up with a few of my co-workers on Friday night, we set up a date for Saturday evening at the Venetian.

After seeing the early Phantom of the Opera show (still delivers after all these years)  we had a 9:00 dinner date at the Delmonico Steakhouse, which is owned and operated by Chef Emeril Lagasse. When I made the reservation using OpenTable, I typed in an extra line about our anniversary. Seconds after we were seated our waiter welcomed us with "Happy Anniversary," that made us both light up.

Over the next two hours we had three gentlemen always within earshot of our table casually chatting with us, outlining the evening's specials and giving us their take on the menu. Always helpful and never overbearing or impatient, they made us feel completely at ease. After deciding on dinner, Heather closed her menu and before she could put it down, our waiter was there to take our order. Shortly thereafter, our meals were presented to us with the precision of a drill team. Both plates hit linen at the exact same moment.

Of course, this attention to detail would have gone for naught had our meals disappointed. But they didn't. One of Heather's three filet medallions would qualify as the standard filet at most restaurants. I went with the house specialty - the bone-in rib-eye - which was easily one of the finest steaks I've ever eaten. Our only regret was not taking our leftovers with us!

Cheers to Delmonico! Thanks for helping us make our time in Vegas so memorable.

 

Elvis + Cirque = Gold

Before moving to Texas in the fall of 2000, I had an ideal job for a 25-year-old single guy with a degree in journalism. As PR Manager for the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau, it was my responsibility to make sure that journalists and travel writers visiting the Bluff City saw all the best we had to offer. I ate a lot of barbecue, listened to a lot of blues on Beale Street and toured Graceland and Sun Studio more times than I can recall.

Naturally, I became a fan of Elvis over the course of those two years. I soaked up his music, read the definitive biographies by Peter Guralnick, learned to appreciate the fried peanut butter and banana sandwich and attended a couple of star-studded events that celebrated his life.

All of this was on my mind last Friday when Heather and I had the chance to see Viva ELVIS, the Cirque de Soleil show playing at the illustrious Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. I was excited to see it, but a tad apprehensive when considering the convergence of the King and Cirque.

I need not have worried. It worked - beautifully. The 90-minute performance runs through his hits while poignantly recounting key moments of his life, including childhood, finding fame, his military stint, falling in love and reclaiming his throne on the Strip in the early 70s.

The scene featuring his wedding to Priscilla is particulary touching and the finales set to "Viva Las Vegas" and "Suspicious Minds" are solid gold Vegas that left the audience clapping and on its feet. There were even souvenir scarves flying from the rafters. 

It wasn't the International circa 1969, but as we left the theater, I was reminded that there will never be another entertainer with a legacy like the King.