Top 5 New Years Destinations

     Happy New Year everyone. I hope all of you had a happy holidays, whatever holiday you celebrate. I appreciate all of you for following my blog and hopefully I am encouraging you to go out and follow your dreams and be inspired by my travels. For this blog, I am going to be discussing some top New Year's destinations and, much like the top Christmas destinations blog, I will explain why these destinations are worth checking out.

                     

                                  HONOLULU, HAWAII

    This Hawaiian capital is surprisingly a good place to spend New Year's. One reason is the warm and lively beach weather. Much better than spending it in some East Coast city. Fireworks explode over both Waikiki Beach and Aloha Tower Marketplace. This is an excellent place for families to visit for New Year's. An excellent New Year's event is The Kaka'ako Waterfront Park, which contains a beer garden, carnival rides, food trucks, and a lot of entertainment. This city is also a nice place to lie on the beach to deal with a hangover.

                           LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

     This divided city from West Los Angeles, Downtown LA, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley, has a lot to offer on a reasonable budget. Some of the events include black-tie affairs, street parties, and all-night clubbers. One way to do it would be to buy a club package, which allows access to multiple clubs. Some big events in Los Angeles include Cleopatra's New Year's Eve Bowl at the Egyptian Theater, which has a DJ playing the newest releases, LED light show, and a balloon drop. A free event that one should do is Grand Park, which has entertainment and food among the streets. Both Grand Park and Hollywood are accessible by Metro stops.

                                   CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

     There are lots of things to do in the Windy City, including dinner parties, firework cruises, and family-friendly events. One should explore Navy Pier to see an amazing firework show that bursts over Lake Michigan. A fun place for mingling and dancing is the Chicago Resolution Gala. That is the highlight for New Year's in Chicago, containing 30 bars, buffet stations, and access to the Grand Ballroom and Lakeview Terrace. Another excellent activity would be to go to one of the hotels for one of their parties.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

     Sin City, particularly the strip, is an excellent place to party with over 300,000 visitors who check out all the themed hotels all on one boulevard. All traffic shuts down and the strip transforms into a big block party. At midnight, the casinos put on a firework show that makes Times Square look bad. Party goers dance the night away. The Skylofts at the MGM Grand give one a superb view of the strip during this party season.

                                NEW YORK, NEW YORK

   
     This is the destination of all destinations to visit for New Year's Eve. People head to Times Square to watch the ball drop, and all the networks play New Year's there. There are over 100,000 places to drink and ring in the new year. Many people brave up for Times Square and purchase a party pass for open bars. Other amazing activities for New Year's include STK Rooftop, where a DJ spins the hottest tracks and the bar overlooks the Hudson River. Or Monarch Rooftop Lounge, which offers a view of the Empire State Building. No matter what you do in the Big Apple, it will be epic.

    I hope I gave you an idea of places to visit for your New Year's. From the beach to a city in the desert to the Midwest to two coastal cities, there's no shortage of fun places to check out for your holiday. I look forward to taking YOU to more destinations in 2019, and thanks for reading.

     

Top 5 Christmas Destinations

                                      

     Happy holidays readers. It's Stephen Gaiber: The Autistic Traveler again. As it is that special time of year, for this blog we are going to talk about Christmas destinations that one should visit. These destinations are uniquely special for Christmas time, providing the holiday feel. Let's explore the top 5 Christmas destinations and I hope I will inspire you to visit these places.

                                REYKJAIK, ICELAND

     What better place to spend Christmas than a snowy country called Iceland. This isolated country in Europe contains amazing landscapes and liquid-green aurora borealis illuminate the nighttime. There are statues of the 12 yule lads, which is the equivalent of Santa Claus, all around the city. One restaurant to visit would be the seafood restaurant Vid Tjornina to eat Icelandic cuisine.

                                               

                                  SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA

                                      

       California cities are great for the holidays. The Santa Barbara County coastal cities combine New England-style charm with California elegance with holiday touch. In the town of Montecito, the San Ysidro ranch is the equivalent of a Vermont hunting lodge, but just 20 minutes from the beach. One place to have a drink is the Summerland Winery.

                                        

                                              BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

     

     Boston: This New England city already feels Christmasy by the fact it snows a lot in the winter. Some Christmas activities include Beacon Hill streets covered in snow and 'Believe in Ghosts' at Harvard's Sanders Theater. If one wants to warm up during the cold winter, XV Beacon Hotel is perfect because there's a gas fireplace in every room. One place to eat is No. 9 Park, which showcases French and Italian cuisine, as well as rich desserts and artisanal cheeses.

                                       

                                  DURANGO, COLORADO

     Durango: I'm going to be honest, I had never heard of this town in Colorado until I did my research for this project. This mountain town serves up an old-fashioned holiday without being in Aspen. In this amazing Christmas town, one can explore Pueblo dwellings, go skiing, or have rum at a western saloon. The Rochester Hotel explores Durango's cinematic past and each of the rooms plays a 15-minute Mexican heritage short. One can have a meal at Ken & Sue's. After learning about this place, it makes me want to explore this town during Christmas.

                                           Key West, Florida

    

     Key West: We're now going to talk about a slightly different place, yet still a nice place to celebrate Christmas. Warmer temperatures, trimmed palm trees, done-up historical inns, and four festooned blocks around the waterfront add a different yet lively Christmas atmosphere. A good place to have an excellent Christmas dinner would be Nine One Five for a Victorian dinner experience.

     After doing some research, I was able to find more places to celebrate Christmas that I normally wouldn't check out. I learned all the things these places have to offer and why they might be good to check out around the Christmas time. Maybe one day I'll check out some of these destinations, but for now I will let you do the exploring and get back to me.

Top 5 Shopping Malls For The Holidays

     Happy Holidays and enjoy your holiday shopping. It's Stephen Gaiber: The Autistic Traveler again. I'm sorry I didn't have a Thanksgiving blog as I wanted, as I was dealing with the California wildfires. With the holiday season approaching, YOU probably are doing some shopping for your loved ones. For this blog, we're going to talk about the top 5 shopping malls for the holiday season.

                                              HARRODS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

      Well if one is in jolly old London, particularly around the holiday season, a good place to visit would be Harrods. This department store was started by Charles Henry Harrod when he was 25 years old. It has evolved into a big brand in the last 200 years. WOW! It now consists of 330 departments such as clothing, electronics, and jewelry. This place is the place to go to find all your appliances from a reputable company in London. During the festive season, it's transformed into a wintry wonderland, replete with Christmas decorations inside and out and in the windows. Visitors can also visit Father Christmas and the Christmas Grotto Area.

                                             THE GALLERIA HOUSTON, TX

     If one happens to be in Houston for the holiday season, one should check out The Galleria Mall. The Galleria happens to be more than just a shopping mall. It includes two Westin hotels, Galleria Office Complex, as well as a private health club. This stuff is operated by different management than then mall. Forbes ranked the Galleria as one of the best shopping malls to visit. During the holiday season, the mall is decorated with beautiful lights and a big centralized Christmas tree to give you that holiday season spirit. And of course, Santa Claus comes to town.

                                      MALL OF AMERICA BLOOMINGTON, MN

   If one already happens to be in Bloomington or even the state of Minnesota, one should go visit the Mall of America. This mall is one of the most famous, well-known malls in the United States. It even has a little amusement park for families. Preparing for the holiday season is essential for this mall. Some of the holiday features include Santa Claus photos and arrival, Nintendo Switch, Salvation Army's Red Kettle, Holiday Flyover America, and many others. This mall should WOW anyone fortunate enough to visit.

                                           THE AMERICANA GLENDALE, CA

     This is one of two malls in the Los Angeles area I will be talking about that are good to visit for the holidays. Watch this plaza get sprinkled with snow from 7 to 8 every evening before Christmas. Also, Santa has moved into the Americana. He is here to grant your wishes. This is a nice place if one is in Glendale to visit.

                                             THE GROVE LOS ANGELES, CA

    For the last and final mall, we're going to talk about my favorite mall to visit during the holiday season, The Grove in Los Angeles, CA. From the Farmers Market to CBS to 3rd Street, this central location is an excellent place for any mall. Let me explain why this mall takes the cake compared to any other mall in Los Angeles and why I do it every year. The beautiful scenery, from seeing Santa and his house to the beautiful Christmas tree and lights, are enough to WOW you all. This is a great place for families to start their holiday season. If one doesn't want to endure traffic, one can take the 217 bus from Hollywood/Highland and save time as well as money. You can even go to Los Angeles County Museum of Art or the La Brea Tar Pits Museum if time allows.
  

  There are a lot of reasons to check out malls during the holidays, from big trees to shopping to bright, colored lights and even Santa for all ages. If you're an adult and want to believe in Santa, enjoy sitting on his lap. I look forward to sharing more adventures about the holidays and more with you soon.