ADVENTURES WITH ANDRE
WELCOME TO ADVENTURES WITH ANDRE: EVERYTHING ADVENTURE
Hawaiian Birthday
Here's a late post about my birthday trip to Hawaii back in 2023. I had a blast. Even though I couldn’t find anyone to join me, that didn’t stop this adventurer. I booked my flight and hotel and journeyed solo. Even though I was alone, it was one of my funnest trips yet. you always hear the generic phrase, "there's so much to do" when listening to someone describe a city they fancy, but nowhere have I been that vibes with that sentiment truer than Honolulu. Besides the mundane (shopping and restaurants) there's snorkeling, surfing, hiking, moped rentals... The list goes literally, on and on. I'm a "physical activity" type of person so this was right up my alley. I went surfing, parasailing, and snorkeling all for the first time. Surfing was a lot of fun. I was able to stand up on the board and ride my first wave, but only succeed a few times after during the one hour session. What I enjoyed most about surfing was floating in the troplical blue water and taking in the scenic view. Parasailing was breath taking. Definitely a sight to behold. Snorkeling opened up a new underwater world, but my lung capacity wouldn't allow me to dive as deep as I would have liked. All and all I had an amazing time. If you have been dreaming of Hawaii, let this be your sign to book that flight. I'd recommend staying near Waikiki beach if you want to be close to all the action. I promise it will be an Adventure of a lifetime!
NEW YORK TRIP
This March I took a trip to New York for a few days. I had never been to the big city before, flights were cheap, so I booked a flight and hotel and checked another box on my bucket list. San Francisco to New York is about a 5 hour flight, so I made sure to stock up my laptop with downloadable movies from Amazon prime. Upon landing I grabbed my checked bag, and asked for directions to Manhattan. Once figuring out how to take the subway to Manhattan, I had arrived. The big apple. From the subway it was about a 15 min walk to my hotel at the Yotel hotel near 42nd and 10th. The hotel boasts being on the cutting edge side of technology, but the rooms are actually quite small.
The first day was spent unwinding and relaxing from my day of traveling. The next morning I would begin my day of exploration. Equipped with my recording gear, I was off to Times Square. The buildings were huge, even bigger than we have in San Francisco. I Visited some big brand retailers like GAP and Levis and caught some street performances that are a part of the NYC tourist attractions. I even took some pictures on the famous red steps. It was all a lovely day until I ran into the famous street hustlers along Times Square. Ashamed to say, I was hustled out of $1,500 playing this game with three bottle caps and a tiny red ball. I’m not even a gambler. One of my least proud moments to say the least.
After being hustled, I felt pretty crappy and spent the rest of the day in my hotel room sulking. The next day I woke up with the determination not to allow my New York trip to be ruined, and shook off negative thoughts the best I could. I decided to head to Central park to get some filming in. Central Park was beautiful and definitely helped to raise my spirits. Later that day I would return to visit The Metropolitan Museum. The Met was huge, and the exhibits ranged from Egyptian, to medieval, to the Harlem Renaissance. Although I love a good museum, the museum staff wasn’t too happy about me recording, so I didn’t get to see the entire museum.
The next couple of days were spent skating around Times Square and recording as much as I could. If you are thinking of visiting New York in late March or early April, I would say to bring a nice heavy jacket, and even an umbrella. Although there was plenty of sunshine, it rained a couple days and was pretty windy everyday in the afternoon. The winds were even stronger than those I felt in Chicago in September of 2023. Dedicate a day to Central Park. There is so much to see and so many activities to be had in the park. Since the Met is at the edge of the park, you can also plan to make a visit once you have finished touring the park. Although the Yotel was cheap and accommodating, I would definitely opt for a hotel with more space if you are traveling in a group larger than 1.
If you want to hear more or have any questions about your upcoming trip to NYC, feel free to send me a message, or add your email to our mailing list below. Thanks for reading.
SKATE & PAINT:
GOLDEN GATE PARK SAN FRANCISCO
Everyday I am grateful that I get to live in such a beautiful city like San Fancisco. Golden Gate Park is a beautiful place to spend a sunny California afternoon, and being that I am an avid inline skater, I often come to enjoy the outdoor skating rink at the 6th street entrance. This skating rink has been a staple in Golden Gate Park for many years. Come out on a sunny Saturday or Sunday around 2 P.M. and you are sure to find a hustling and bustling group of roller skaters and inline skaters zipping up and down the rink. If you are not a skater, you can always join the large crowd of people lounging around in the near grass area, admiring the vibe and sounds of the rink while catching some well needed Bay Area sunlight.
To the south of the skating rink is the main path through Golden Gate Park, where you can find city goers and tourists walking, jogging, biking, and more. The diverse number of attractions in Golden Gate Park make it a culturally rich experience. Everytime I visit I find a new hidden pathway that leads me to something new and exciting. One of my favorite stops is the beautiful courtyard that is home to the De Young Museum and the Academy of Science. This beautiful courtyard is always busy. I just so happened to visit during a pop-up exhibition, tastefully placed around the water fountain that is the centerpiece of the courtyard. These seemingly impromptu mini events are a great staple of many San Francisco neighborhoods.
You can definitely spend an entire day in Golden Gate park and still not experience all that it has to offer. From the panhandle to the beautiful waterfall and botanical garden, Golden Gate park is a must visit destination in San Francisco. I will cover more on Golden Gate Park soon, but I hope you enjoy this short video I made of my day in the park.