USA Today – TamaraLoves

I did not intentionally plan a weekend getaway from NYC but it so happens that my husband wanted to visit a jiu jitsu school in Boston so who am I to say no to a road trip? As the work week went on, from the first time he mentioned the trip, I anticipated the get away more and more. I jumped onto the Doubletree Bedford Glen website to check out the hotel’s amenities and saw that there was a pool and a gym. (FYI, I still have not made it to the gym.)

I envisioned myself reading magazines, my book and sipping coffee by the pool. No tall tropical drinks here because it’s cold. I have to say, upon entry to the Doubtree, I was not let down. The hotel is clean, spacious and beautiful. There are tons of real plants that are used to decorate the hotel’s lobby which offers a feel of the outdoors while you are inside. Brilliant!

The rooms are spacious and there is enough room for all three of us to lounge comfortably.

Plenty of counter space in the bathroom and the lovely is a flat lay lover’s dream.

Old faithful. You cannot go wrong with Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries.

For a super reasonable fee, you can feast like a queen for breakfast at the hotel’s buffet. There are newspapers like USA Today and The Wall Street Journal that you have access to daily.

We definitely made it to the pool and Angelique got a chance to use her beloved Mermaid Tail. The little boys who were in the pool cried out in delight, “A Mermaid!”

There is a desk and a very comfy lounge chair area in the room.

Angelique applied some press on nails for me and now I’m feeling myself.

The weekend wind down is essential in order to conquer the many work weeks ahead.

As Brooklynites, we love to look for a great hotel deal in Manhattan and spend the weekend in the big city whenever we can. There is a wanderlust in all of us and many times you don’t have to hop on a flight to satisfy the urge to travel. We love taking advantage of all that NYC has to offer and wander about in our own backyard. If you are saving, strapped for cash or just have a new life, possibly with children, and the airport (with delays and connecting flights) is no longer appealing then look into a staycation.

Our Weekend at The Gallivant:

Your view as you enter the hotel’s lobby. It’s fresh and modern with a great, comfortable interior. Friday, Check-In.

The message in the elevator says it all. Go discover!

There is a great little coffee and computer nook in the rear of the lobby.

2) The Room. It is small, like most NYC hotel rooms, buy cozy. The bed is the focal point of the room and you have plenty of photo op opportunities with this great white headboard.

The purple chair, gold table and printed (with NYC sights) wallpaper adds great color and a modern feel.

I always check the coffee area because I need coffee in the mornings. It’s my essential. I’ve never had Wolfgang Puck coffee before and it did not disappoint.

The bathroom had great marble and glass details.

The shea butter soap lathered soft and creamy.

3) Saturday.

hoteli201702_jr0103 — Shower and then braids. She has to be sick of the same two cornrows that I do every day. I told her that it’s her signature look. Lol.

hoteli201702_jr0204 — The subway is easily accessible when you are in the city and it’s the most efficient way to get around. We took the subway from Times Square to downtown, Essex Street to soak up some sights.

We got the chance to catch the last weekend of the underground park that I’ve been wanting to see. Artificial sunlight is used to grow exotic plants underground. I’m here for it.

hoteli201702_jr0197 — Next up, lunch at San Loco. Great Tex-Mex food.

hoteli201702_jr0270 — The look of sheer exhaustion. We went back to the room after our trek downtown and then took Angelique back downtown again for a friend’s birthday. We hopped on the bus because it took our straight to our hotel’s door. There was only one other passenger with us on the bus. Thanks MTA! It was a great ride.

4) Sunday

“You came in with the breeze, on Sunday morning.” (Gwen Stephanie). How I spent Sunday morning before checkout. It was the perfect time to unwind with the paper.

Angelique dug into a book that she picked up at the Scholastic office in Soho. The bookstore has been closed for some time now but you can pick up free books in their lobby if they have them available.

Twitter: @Gallivantnyc

You cannot beat this view!

The blk/wht images by: John Ricard

How much time do you spend learning about your money? Do you spend more time surfing the web and visiting social media sites than you do trolling the market stats or The Motley Fool? No worries. You are not alone and I too am guilty but the plan is to get better. We aren’t taught much about investing, money or financial planning in school (at any level) so it is up to us as independent individuals to gain knowledge ourselves in order to see how our money is currently working and for whom it is working for. If your money is in a traditional savings account at your local bank, odds are your money is not working best for you. This is because the interest you get is such a small one that it does not truly benefit you to have your money in a bank. The benefit goes to the bank that is in current possession of your coins. Finding the right investment vehicle that works in your best interest, in the long run, and for your money is crucial for financial freedom.

One quick way to educate yourself on a daily basis about money and master the terms that you need to know is to read the “Money Section” of the newspaper. If you don’t have access to hard copies of The New York Times , The Wall Street Journal or USA Today then subscribe to them online. Your money wants you to start speaking it’s language.

Tag: USA Today

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