Take a trip to fantasy land..

Here is what I mean by short trips being extremely theraputic. My wife's boss planned a belated Christmas party at a very funky, and fun place called Teatro ZinZanni (in Seattle). This is a amalgam of a caberet show, vaudeville comedic acts, live music and singing, sprinkled with a little Cirque du Soleil or Broadway, oh and there is also dinner (a 5 course meal that was excellent). I must admit I was a bit unsure what to expect because their website doesn't really tell you much (they don't want to ruin anything). This show was amazing and well worth every penny. What I found to be really great was that it was well performed but it had some mistakes. The table in front of us (right by the stage) had a juggler pin accidentally dropped on it getting everyone wet, and in the grand finale my wife got meringued (you just have to go to see what I mean).

So here are the nuts & bolts for us mobility impared folks. It is an older building but they have nice ramps to get in, and there are ramps throughout the inside of the building. You will need to book the main floor and it probably would be good to let them know a wheelchair is coming. The mens room had one accessible stall for when you need to use the restroom (and you will the performance is long), and I have been told the ladies room had much the same layout. Overall it was great and it was nice to be right down in front instead of shoved off in the corner like wheelchairs so often are.

Bottom line: hilarious, tons of fun, great food, and somewhat awe-inspiring. Check it out!

Wordless Wednesday

Wish I were here.

Sick day

Well folks, here I sit in my recliner thinking about getting away. No big trips recently but I did do kind of a cool day trip. The Seattle Science Center was hosting the Lucy exibit (I am kind of a geek so I thought this was fun). It was linked with the Hidden Tresures of Ethiopia. There was so much about that Country I didn't know. The reason I bring this up is because I am in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. This means I will also be traveling to that country. I do not have to say that it is not very wheelchair friendly but I will do better at keeping you involved in trips.

Viva Las Vegas BABY!!!

Happy New Year everybody!! Today I was out doing errands and I saw a sight that gave me a short vacation flashback. I saw a jet over Bellingham Bay headed of to Sin City for what I am sure was a respectable and quiet weekend (yeah right). You see folks I was married in Vegas and I have some great memories there. Before you say it, NO it wasn't one of those "Vegas Weddings" (not that there is anything wrong with them. My wife had the big white dress, I had the suit and we wed in the Paris Hotel and Casino. I really have to say those folks know what they are doing at the Chapel du Paris, as we have referred to them. All we had to do was pick the package, the flowers, and whether we wanted photos or videos or both. Alas this is not my wedding blog it is travel so on to the nuts and bolts. The Paris Hotel has very nice accessible rooms we stayed in a moderate priced one so we didn't have any view. The bed was comfortable, the bathroom was maneuverable and we were not to near the elevator to be hearing foot traffic all night. The chapels are all accessible for those of you wondering, as well as being very pretty.

We hit the buffet at the Bellagio, Paris, and the Aladdin and even though I am kind of a foodie both the Bellagio and Paris had great food (pricey but great) and the Aladdin was pretty good also. Here is something to note if you are in a wheelchair going to the buffet. It is helpful to have someone with you to negotiate these places as they are very large and really full of people.

We went to Circe du Solie (sp??) where we had some of the best seating in the house, right in the middle and away from the creepy clowns (clowns freak me out). AWESOME SHOW!! a must see if you can swing it. We also saw the fountain show a couple of times at the Bellagio. Just a tip get there and find a place early. It is not like the ending of Ocean's 11 where they are virtually alone. Loads of people were there to see the water fly. There are some wheelchair areas but people park strollers there and there are no people enforcing wheelchair seating.

Making your way up and down the strip is not as easy as you might think. Look at a map and you think I can walk/roll it is all straight lines. Lies!! These casinos are giant and there is NO SUCH THING as a direct walkway. They go in and out of Casinos and attractions, and over catwalks or through tunnels. My wife and I walked from Mandalay Bay to the Paris and it took about an hour. Plus my wife who is very fair complected got burned. There are cabs that are wheelchair accessible that can get you from one place to another and are not terribly expensive all things considered.

I must give props to the guys at the Art of Shaving where I went to get a straight razor shave before my wedding. These guys didn't even blink when I needed a hand into the barber chair. Also the folks at the Spa in the Paris were great helping my wife get her sunburn to go away the day before we got married. (sure it cost us but she really looks great in our wedding pictures).

The bad side. I had some awful customer service by a Limo service on the way home. The driver was a very high maintenance lady who kept snapping her fingers at the wedding party when she was suppose to be putting the bags in the trunk. She also dropped my chair in traffic at the airport. Mandelay bay also needs to get a brush up in the customer service area. I asked for help at their help desk in getting a cab and they looked at me like I was a Martian.

On the whole though I would recommend this city as very accessible and a ton of fun. Worth a visit. Until next time!!!!!

Cool links

Hey everybody,

I just thought I would share some very cool links I found with the message that just because you need to know your own limitations. Those shouldn't stop you from trying new adventures. Keep in mind I have not used nor do I endorse either of these companies. I am just stoked that there are options for areas I thought were to difficult to travel. With that said, enjoy the sites...

www.accessible-asia.com
www.rollontravel.com
www.rollingrains.com

Happy Holidays!!

Few More Kauai Pictures

Top Picture: Me at Wiamea Canyon known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

Bottom Picture: Poipu Beach.

Winter makes me want to go.......

Well my friends. I am back after a lengthy hiatus, and as I am sure you are all well aware, winter is coming. This always makes me think about going somewhere really warm. Hawaii comes to mind. I went to the beautiful garden island of Kauai 2 years ago and I found that, despite what some said, the island was fairly acccessible.

I started planning the trip by visiting with my travel agent to ask what hotels were might have good facilities, and be wheelchair accessible. Also what city we would like to stay in. This is important because it is where you will be leaving in the morning and coming back to at night. We chose to stay in Lihue which is the largest city and most centrally located city on the island. It is very accessible and has the hospital, community college, airport, and shopping centers.

Once I had settled on the accomodations and location, I then started planning the rest of the trip. I rented a nice convertable so we could get around the island. If you call far enough in advance you can get a car with hand controls.There are many great places to check out and a ton of great beaches that must be visited. There is a great thing about Hawaii's public beaches. Most of them have sand wheelchairs on loan from the county. Also talk with the life guards because nobody knows the beaches better than the people who work at them. I met some very nice life guards while there and got some great dining suggestions and where the snorkeling was particularly good that day so definately ask questions and make friends. You can never have enough friends in tropical places (more couches to crash on for quick escapes).

Finally (and this will seem like planning backwards) I booked my flight. Now you can get a direct flight from Alaska Airlines straight to Kauai. But when I went you had to fly to Honolulu and transfer. I will let you in on a secret though, don't wait for the disabled shuttle if you can walk short distances. The inter island flight gates are not that far from the international gates. And to be real honest you could die waiting for a shuttle. There really is a difference in time (island compared to the rest of the world). I would recommend flying Hawaian Air their seats are bigger and the service was great.

Well I am going to stop daydreaming and go get my puppy some food. Stay warm and keep traveling.