How to Choose an Airline Alliance

By Lee | January 19th, 2012 | 3 Comments »

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 30 years you are undoubtedly aware of frequent flyer programs. Frequent flyer programs are airline loyalty programs that reward you with miles that can be redeemed for free flights or other rewards. Every airline on Earth has one in some form or another. Some airlines have taken this a step further and have created airline alliances. There are three major alliances globally. These combine the resources and routes of other participating partners in the alliance for maximum exposure for the customer to fly anywhere in the world. In theory, it is supposed to be seamless and make life easier for the customer. The three major alliances are Star, OneWorld and SkyTeam. How do you choose the right alliance to affiliate with? Which airlines participate? Which gives me the most value? Here are some answers…
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5 Great Greenwich Village Bars

By Lee | January 17th, 2012 | 11 Comments »

If you’ve ever lived in or spent any amount of time in New York City then you’ve undoubtedly become well acquainted with some of your local watering holes. There are more bars in New York City than any other city in the United States and most of them are pretty good. Some are more locals, some more tourists, some college-ish, some suits, some pick up joints, some dives but almost all have some character; especially downtown. If you live in Greenwich Village as I do, then you become territorial about what bars (and restaurants) you go to. It takes a lot to get a new one into your rotation. In New York, if you live downtown you almost judge people by what bars they like and where they like to eat. So tread lightly and while I love many local spots, here are 5 of my favorites in the Village.
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11 Cheap Eats Under $20 in NYC

By Lee | January 12th, 2012 | 10 Comments »

Finding good value for food in New York City is not easy. You can always grab a slice, a sandwich or a salad at pretty much any of the new $1 pizza places, bodegas or delis along the streets but you are not necessarily getting good food or value. So after 11.5 years of living in Manhattan, I have a few recommendations. I think I know what I’m talking about since I eat out every single meal. It is cheaper than cooking if you know what you’re doing and certainly in my case; it’s better! Here are my top 11 cheap eats under $20 in New York City.
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Australia Travel Tips

By Lee | January 11th, 2012 | 3 Comments »

Australia can be a daunting place. It is really far from everywhere. It is really expensive. It is really big and there is so much to do that you might go crazy trying to figure out what to do. There are also so many different ways to travel around the country and so many destinations, that if you only have 2-3 weeks then you might go nuts trying to plan. I have spent a ton of time in Australia and it is always my default “what’s your favorite country” answer. So I am here to quickly tell you what to do, where to go, when to go, how to go and how to save money traveling in Oz.
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A Big Day in Sports

By Lee | January 10th, 2012 | 3 Comments »

If you love global sports then yesterday was a hell of a day. A new national champion was crowned in American college football. Major League Baseball added a new Hall of Famer. FIFA gave out its annual awards and in North London a guy named Thierry Henry made a historic and triumphant comeback for Arsenal. Now you may or may not care about all of these events but I love sports and I wanted to give my quick take on these events. I will pare down my Hall of Fame vote and BCS playoff rant as I could write 10,000 words on that alone but here we go.
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Tebow 3:16

By Lee | January 9th, 2012 | 10 Comments »

po•lar•ize [poh-luh-rahyz] verb, -ized, -iz•ing.
1. to cause polarization
2. to divide into sharply opposing factions

The most polarizing athlete I have ever seen is Tim Tebow. For those who are not American or live under a rock, he is the second year Quarterback of the Denver Broncos, an American football team. He is the wildly controversial and exciting player that has America scratching their heads after an incredible season where he has been the talk of the league all year. The head scratching results from a season of inexplicable last second and overtime victories that were both improbable and unbelievable. Tebowmania, as it’s being called, has gripped America. Love him or hate him, you can’t help but watch and go one way or the other. He is currently the most polarizing man in America and truthfully the most polarizing athlete I have ever seen, anywhere.
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What’s Next?

By Lee | January 5th, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Happy new year everyone! I hope everyone had a good holiday season and made it through all the family time without losing their mind! So 2012 is upon us. It will be an interesting year in travel with much going on; and on the horizon ahead. For me, it will be an interesting year as well. I have some big decisions to make about what I will be doing and where I will be traveling with only 20 destinations left on the TCC list. The only generic question that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up more than “what’s your favorite place?” is “where are you going next?” So instead of answering the same question a million times I thought I would map out my potential travel destinations for 2012. While everything is obviously subject to change as anyone who knows me knows, but here is a rough draft of my thoughts on what I may be up to.
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Social Media and I

By Lee | December 23rd, 2011 | No Comments »

Ok so I am attempting to embrace social media and what it has to offer. This stuff is all new to me but I see that it has a lot of value and can help me reach many people. I am already on Facebook and learning Twitter, Tumblr and a few others and I hope you guys who read my site can follow and LIKE me on those sites. Perhaps recommend then to your friends as well. I hope to have many new and cool things in the early new year including more Youtube videos and a new look to my site that is easier to use and search all the content that I’ve added over the past few years. Thanks and happy holidays!

Bond, (Not) James Bond

By Lee | December 21st, 2011 | 3 Comments »

Bond, James Bond. That simple and legendary line has only been uttered by six men on screen and is possibly the greatest one liner in cinematic history. James Bond is the iconic British secret agent and is the epitome of cool. James Bond is the one guy that all women want to be with and all men want to be. He is smart, witty, tough, adventurous, slick, well spoken and always gets the girl and the bad guy in the end. No wonder why it’s the most successful franchise in the history of Hollywood. The six men who have played Bond are part of a legendary fraternity that will last forever. However, Mr. Bond has taken on lots of changes in the past several installments and I believe for the worst. Now I hear that the current Bond, 43 year old Daniel Craig, is in negotiations to sign on for another five Bond films after the current film wraps. This is a mistake.
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Problems with Travel Blogs

By Lee | December 19th, 2011 | 13 Comments »

I went to bed really early last night and was up really early this morning, well before sunrise. So I was surfing the Internet and did something I never really do. I read other travel blogs. I often get people asking me if I follow this blog or that or do I know who this blogger is. No, I have no idea in general. I believe travel and blogging to be a personal thing for me that I am happy to share with those who want to read. It acts as kind of a personal journal for me and if it helps others for reference or inspiration then that makes me feel great and makes posting online well worth it for me. But I don’t read other travel blogs and here’s why.
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