Punta Cana Part II

^View from the main lobby deck.

When we arrived at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, I think the consensus was that we were all blown away by the sheer size of this resort.  Guarded gate and walls, an 18-hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus.  1,790 rooms, 9 restaurants, 15 pools, ½ mile stretch of beach, tennis courts, basketball courts, spas, gyms.  And last but not least, the casino.  You name it, it was there, so it can feel a little overwhelming when you first arrive.  I encourage you to take a lap around the resort to get a feel for the place. We quickly realized that we were the only people who were at the resort for 7 days.  At an all-inclusive resort, that’s like running a marathon, and tacking on an additional half marathon just to be sure you’ve really wiped yourself out.

We timed check-in just right in the early afternoon on a Saturday.  The friendly staff greeted us by asking us what we were drinking.  Chris Brown (all the staff members have a celebrity “doppelgänger” name) gave us a brief overview of the resort credit that came with our rooms.  We booked two rooms and each room had $1,500 in resort credit, in other words, each person had $750 to spend in extras such as golf outings, spa time, and merchandise.

^Room service every day is a must.  The papaya was incredible.

On the second day the fun really began.  We all had breakfast and met on the tennis courts for a quick set.  After breakfast, Chasen, Hunter, and I headed to the beach and Sebastian went to grab a bite to eat before joining us.  It turned out to be a fatal mistake.  He ate at The Market buffet and had the seafood paella. By the time we were supposed to go to dinner that night, we had a soldier down.  I’ll spare you the details of the food poisoning.  Things escalated quickly.

I got in the ambulance with Sebastian and they kept assuring us that we were going to “the private hospital,” with purportedly better service than the public hospital.. I guess?  After arriving at the Hospiten, as it was called (should have been called Hospifive because it was only half of a hospital), we had a nightmare trying to get Sebastian’s insurance company to authorize the payment.  Thank god Chasen is nearly fluent in Spanish because they literally would not treat him until they received payment.  Poor Chasen dealt with the payment team at the hospital until 6 in the morning.  And Hunter and I made friends with Carlos, the guard on duty in the lobby.  That turned out to be a mistake.  Carlos liked hanging out with us and apparently wasn’t used to that much excitement during the graveyard shift.  So to keep himself entertained he would turn the lights on while we were trying to sleep on the wooden benches in the waiting room and make all kinds of noises.  I’ll let you use your imagination.  The scary part was that Carlos had a loaded gun.  You don’t leave the Hospiten until you pay your bill.

Finally.  Finally, the payment got authorized, but they wouldn’t let Sebastian go until the follow day, so Hunter, Chasen, and I went back to the resort and slept for a while.  We salvaged the day with golf in the afternoon.  Things got a little rowdy on the golf course.  A cart may have been jumped, and I may have lost my phone by the end of the round.  That evening we ate at Los Gallos, the Mexican restaurant.  It wouldn’t have been a proper dinner without telling the wait staff that it was Chasen’s birthday, even though it certainly wasn't.  Birthday song, chimichangas, sombreros; these are the three essential ingredients for success at Los Gallos.

^Chasen's birthday dinner.

The next day, Sebastian had come back to us and the team reassembled.  We were wounded but not out of the race.  We assumed our positions and I walked over to a group of about 6 girls to say hello.  30 seconds into the conversation they tell me that they go to school in Washington, DC and sure enough, we were all GW students!  They were all Latin American fireballs from Mexico City, Caracas, Bogota, and Panama.  Sparks flying, drinks flowing, and a sunset on the beach, we stayed in the pool until almost 10pm.  The rest is history.  Nicole and Joanna became two of my best friends when we got back school and I still talk to them regularly.  I hope to visit them in Paris when they study abroad in the Fall.

^Sebastian back in action, wearing his "flippers" as he liked to call them, the slippers that the hotel provides.

We managed to make it to a late dinner before going out that night.  We played a few hands at the Casino while we waited for some other friends to arrive, who had two tables at Oro, the flagship club at the Hard Rock.  Spring breakers from all the other resorts flock to this club in droves.  As if this wasn’t enough, we went to Imagine, another nightclub the following night.  My ears are still ringing.  I’ve never been to a place that plays more obnoxiously loud music.  The club is underground in a cave so the music echoes down at you in the worst way.  Go with the all-inclusive option at Imagine.  You’re going to need a bottle of water at the very least since it’s so hot.  The alternative is to pay close to $10 for a bottle of water.

^The team's all here.

The next day brought a much-needed detox.  We spent the morning at the spa getting massages and rotating through all of their different rooms and baths.  The circuit included an ice room, where they give you a bucket of ice to hold and spray you with cold water, a clay room, where you rubbed clay all over your body, a sauna, and a steam room.  All the while, they were serving these delectable oatmeal raisin cookies, and chlorophyll water, which I couldn’t get enough of!

Though not necessary in the slightest, Sebastian wanted to thank us for our efforts at the hospital, so he surprised us with dinner at Simon Mansion, the one restaurant at the resort that is not included in the all-inclusive package.  We enjoyed quite the spread of lobster ravioli, steaks, and salmon.  They also made a fine Manhattan with Stanton bourbon whiskey.

^Thinking about purchasing a Fender guitar?  You can test one out at the Hard Rock for free!

From the high of being up several hundred dollars on the blackjack table to the low of losing it all on one gutsy round of roulette, and from the high from beautiful weather and people to the low of knowing you ate and drank too much; we had an incredible week.  As we all gathered for one last cappuccino and Kahlua at the end of our 8-day journey, we agreed it was one to remember.  We went out with a bang.  We missed our shuttle to the airport, and held up the plane on the tarmac.  We dashed up the stairs to the plane, they closed the cabin door, and we flew back to reality.

Punta Cana Part 1

^This is where it all started.  Spring Break 2014.  From left to right, me, Chasen, Sebastian, Hunter.

Have you ever booked your plane ticket for one day before you’re scheduled to check in to your hotel?  Well this was Hunter’s, Chasen’s, Sebastian’s, and my last Spring Break in college, so we had already blown all of our money booking 6 nights at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  We booked the plane ticket a day early because we could save like $200 or $300 on the flight, and we all agreed we would rather put that money toward a day on the beach.  So we needed a place to stay the first night we arrived in Punta Cana on Friday, March 7th..

I had a novel idea: ask the Hard Rock if they could offer us a free night (or simply stick us in a closet somewhere and let us take advantage of their all-inclusive bliss).  After all, I thought I made a strong case for Hunter’s and my social media reach and how we would write raving reviews of the Hard Rock if they could just help out a few college students on a “budget.”  I emailed the Director of Customer Relations (naturally you go for the top dog, I mean who else would you email if you were asking for a free night), and I respect him for even entertaining the idea of putting us up for a night at a discounted rate.  He wrote an eloquent email back to me explaining that, “In case that we should have availability, we will not be able to offer you a complimentary night.” Basically, I think he meant to say, “This is a hotel (you moron).  We are in the business of having people pay us to stay here.”  He was real gentleman about it though and was kind enough to ask about availability and get us a quote.

Well, all they had left were Presidential Suites and while that would have been cool, no one had nearly enough money to pay for it.  So Plan B was to find another place to stay for the night.  We toyed with the idea of a hostel for a night, but ultimately decided that we had already broken the bank, and went with the Vista Sol Hotel.  This was a great little all-inclusive resort (if you were with your middle-aged spouse and two kids).  They did have beautiful beaches with volleyball and soccer.  They also had incredible cappuccinos, which was a saving grace because their all-inclusive bars and snacks were not exactly luxurious.  And to eat at the only decent restaurant, we found out the hard way that you need to call between 9 and 10am for dinner reservations.  But for one night, the sand was white, and the beer was cold.

^They had peacocks at the Vista Sol.

I should also add that something tragic happened to me while I was there.  In Jamaica in January of 2012, I visited a Fraternity brother, Sam, with another Fraternity brother Joe.  While in Jamaica, I found a safari hat in Sam’s dad’s car.  It was a little beaten up, but as soon as I put it on, I found my alter-ego.  It became my travel mojo.  I would put the hat on and in a growling voice tell everyone that, “There’s a newwwww sherriff in town.” That hat went on several trips to the Caribbean with me.  And I lost it at the Vista Sol while playing beach volleyball.  I took it off to play and after the game, the hat was gone.  I haven’t fully recovered emotionally, but may the person who found it enjoy all the ridiculous antics that come with it.

^As you can see, I was still unhappy about losing the hat on the first day.  Hunter had a serious face on in solidarity of my loss.

I was a little distraught the rest of the day, but managed to make it out that night.  We stopped by the “disco” at the Vista Sol, but only saw a few grandpas breaking it down, so we decided to find a new venue.  We got a suggestion to check out the local bar down the street from the resort.  The place was called Liquid and it was where all the locals (and Russians?) hung out.  We could not figure out the Russian thing, but the bar was pretty good.  They kept the bar well stocked and had a nice selection of imported beers.  Keep an eye on your friends though.  It was nighttime and the four of us had to stick together to avoid any trouble with the locals.  Check it out if your trip to Punta Cana ever leads you down a road you didn’t expect.  At this point, we were looking forward to what Hard Rock had in store for us.  We woke up at 10am, hit the gym, and got in a van heading to the Hard Rock.

^Palm tree chillin.

^Woah, woahhh!

^Palm tree chillin.

LA Day 3 and 4

^Surf's up dudeeee.

“If everybody had an ocean, across the USA, then everybody'd be surfin', like Californi-a,” sang The Beach Boys. And so it went.  I went down to Malibu Surf Shack to rent a suit, booties, and a long board for $45!  I wish I had started earlier in the morning because it seemed like I had missed a better set of waves.  I started out at Zuma Beach but found that the waves just weren’t big enough, so we went Chasing Mavericks, which is a great movie if you haven’t seen it.  We drove a few miles down the road to County Line Beach and found some nice 3-4 foot waves.  The water was a cool 60 degrees but with a wet suit it felt fine.  I think staying hydrated and avoiding the glare of the sun on the water are harder than enduring the cold!  After catching a few waves, we walked across the street to Neptune’s Net and grubbed out on some insanely tasty fish tacos.  You really can’t go wrong at this place.

^This guy was having fun.

I wanted a day of surf and turf so after returning the board, Chasen and I teed off in the afternoon at West Lake Golf Course.

We capped the night off with dinner at BJ’s with Chasen’s buddies, where they serve up a nice selection of cold ones.  The Pizookie desert is a must have.  The Pizookie is a freshly baked cookie with a few scoops of ice cream on top.  Total success.

By now, it was the start of my fourth day in LA, and the original plan was to stay with Chasen for half of the time and my other buddy, Hunter, for half of the time.  So here I am, out on the West Coast trying to work out the move from Chasen's to Hunter's place and sure enough, on the third day, Hunter simply said he couldn't host me.  Sick bro.  I guess the lesson learned for anyone that travels is to always have a backup plan.  Thanks for your patience Chasen!

^And Hunter, why do you have several large turtles as pets in your backyard?

So if you’re in California in the middle of winter, you may be lucky enough to catch a few 70+ degree days.  Fortunately for us, the following day we were golfing all afternoon as the ‘Polar Vortex’ was gripping the East Cost and Midwest.  Hunter did redeem himself a bit when he brought Chasen and I out to Braemar Country Club for a round of golf.  The course was by far the most challenging course I had every played on with narrow fairways and a lot of elevation changes, but the greens were pristine, and the RBZ Stage 2’s were hitting true.

^Quite the fairways at Braemar Country Club.

After the sunset, we went to the watering hole for a few libations and snacks.  Chasen and I had plans to go to Chapman University down in Orange County that night to visit a few friends that had interned in DC over the summer, Amanda and Jessica.  Chasen wasn’t happy about driving from northern LA all the way to the southern part, but after shaking his head at me a few times and me offering to buy the gas, he agreed to the trip.  For some perspective, that trip from northern LA to southern LA can be like riding through the twilight zone. Geographically, it's only a 60-mile trip, but you literally don't know how long it is going to take.  We set out at about 8pm that night and made it from Calabasas to Orange County in less than one hour.  Guiness Book of World Records status.  Arriving at Chapman, we got rowdy at a few Sorority and Fraternity parties, and amazingly, we got up at 7:30am and made it back to Calabasas in another record shattering one hour.

Along the way, I finally was able to see the Hollywood sign! For anyone visiting LA, this is a must see.

The next day, I was flying back to DC so I just enjoyed another gorgeous day in LA with a nice run, and some fresh Californian avocados. #AvocadosOnEverything

^Last dinner with Chasen's family at Woori Kalbi Korean BBQ.  Incredible.

^And in the spirit of Hunter's turtles, I saw these little guys while on a run near Chasen's house.  I think they've pioneered a new yoga pose.  #TheFlyingTurtlePose

Los Angeles Day 1 and 2

^Welcome to LA.  Picture taken on S. Hewitt Street.

I should preface this with the fact that LA is a little harder than SF to blog about and provide suggestions for anyone.  Everyone’s LA experience will be slightly different!  There is one common theme that comes to mind with LA though - traffic.  Traffic sort of defines your experience in LA.  From the airplane, I could see LA’s main arteries flowing with red and yellow lights, which could only mean one thing - traffic jams on highways.  As soon as I got in the car with my generous host, Chasen, he told me a funny aphorism to describe I-405, the main highway running through LA.  He said, “They named it the 405 because every time you get on it, it takes four or five hours to get anywhere.”  It could also be the case that the 405 was named after the four or five miles per hour that you will average when driving on it.  If you don’t have a friend to drive you around town, you’re definitely going to need to rent a car.  I was only there for 4 days and in retrospect I probably should have rented one.  There is essentially zero public transportation.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  We grabbed a few animal style burgers from In-N-Out and headed home in Calabasas.   Chasen’s family was a blast from the second I met them.  After getting settled in, we mapped out the next day.

^Shops at Rodeo drive.

In the morning we went down to Beverly Hills and walked around Rodeo Drive.  This is the glitzy shopping area where only the wealthiest actually buy something.  We met, Jessica, my friend that lives near LA for lunch and ate at Bibigo.  It was an awesome little Korean joint with delicious, yes you guessed it, bibimbap.  We ate like kings, and walked down the street a little further for green bubble tea at a staple café, Urth Caffe.  By this time, it was approaching late afternoon and my obsession with rooftops sent us searching for a place with a view.

^View from the rooftop of Sixty Hotel as the sun was setting.

^View from the rooftop of Sixty Hotel after the sun set.

As per a local’s suggestion, we found one of the only public access rooftops in Beverly Hills at the newly opened Sixty Hotel.  The rooftop lounge was called Above BeverlyHills and watching Beverly Hills transition from daytime to nighttime is a marvelous site.  After the sun sets, you don’t want to squander all the time you spent on the road to actually get into the city, so you should head to Hollywood Boulevard to have a look at the star studded Walk of Fame.  You can certainly check out a few hotels, and famous landmarks like Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.  But you can also, just do a lap and find a good place to eat.  If you want to keep it moving, walk down the strip toward the far East side, and grab a dangerously delicious hot dog from Dog E Style.  They recently opened (as of January 2014) and have an enormous selection of hot dogs from Kielbasa to snappers to various toppings.  We were still hungry after leaving there, so we had a slice of pizza at Greco Pizza, which quickly reminded me to NEVER have pizza outside of NY.

^Kielbasa with red onions, white beans, and assorted toppings at Dog E Style.

We had plans to go the Supperclub that night, which fell through, so we goofed around for a little while longer, paid some absurd price for parking and hit the road.

^They've got a point.

San Francisco Day 5?

Day 5? Well I had planned to fly out of SF and be in LA by midday. That didn’t work out because United Airlines sent me a message first thing in the morning telling me that my flight had simply been cancelled.  Thanks United, God forbid, I had plans that day.  I recently heard a news report saying that this is actually becoming an increasingly common phenomenon for the airlines, which could definitely pose some challenges for your travel plans.  Where is our recourse when we have to pay extra to reschedule a flight or lose out on a day at the beach?

In any event, I took advantage of the day by doing the one last thing on my checklist that I had not been able to do yet – climb to the top of Twin Peaks.  Throw on some Nikes and pop in a pair of headphones. Let’s get started.

^Panorama from Twin Peaks.  You'll catch a great shot of the city from up here.

^This is why they call it Twin Peaks.  I'm on top of one of the peaks looking at the other one.

From the Mission district, you can hop on the 48 bus from 24^th and Valencia and ride it up to Grand View Avenue and 23^rd Street. From there, you have to walk a little more than a half-mile to get to the top of Twin Peaks.  Google Maps might be helpful once you start walking because it’s a pretty curvy path.  When you make it the top, behold, get ready for a breathtaking view.

I simply couldn’t get enough of SF’s super burritos so I needed one more before getting on the plane.  Papalote is conveniently located at 24^th and Valencia, where I got off the bus.  Grab some of their epic sauce if you're looking for something to take with you too.  Eat one of those and we’re out! ‘Til next time SF.

^Still jealous about the way people put avocado on everything in California.  Such a plus.