jenjoy

Shortlist for BEST JOB IN THE WORLD

Alas, I didn't make the  50 for the Best Job In The World but make sure to check out the shortlist
and vote.  Help somebody's dream come true.

Thanks to all of you that viewed my video and voted for me.

BEST JOB IN THE WORLD

I spent all of last weekend in the editing bay with my friend Nate, creating my video application for THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD.

Here is the link to view the video and vote on it:

BEST JOB IN THE WORLD

They received over 34,000 applications.  On March 2 they will announce a shortlist of 50.

I will keep you posted on the listings.

2008 Revisited

I worked a lot in 2008.   Many people in the film industry were not that lucky and then when the economy took a turn this past fall, the rest of the country fell into the same predicament.  

Even though work took a front seat this year, I was still able to get in a lot of small trips, work on my blog, and publish some articles.

La Paz, Mexico
January
I began my new year in this quaint Mexican town in the Baja with Jill and Paul.  A three hour drive from Cabo San Lucas, La Paz hosted mostly Mexican tourists.   The picture at the top of my blog is from La Paz.

The Grand Canyon
February
Andi and I decided to take a winter driving trip to the Grand Canyon.  We had perfect weather while we were there and seeing the canyon rimmed with snow was spectacular.

Scottsdale/Sedona
March
My cousin Heather flew in from wintry Minnesota for a rest and relaxation weekend away from the snow and her family.  We stayed at the luxurious Phoenician Hotel and Resort and enjoyed their spa.  We also drove up to Sedona for the day to enjoy the red rocks and see if there was a magical vortex!

San Francisco
July
I flew to San Francisco to attend a travel writer’s workshop.  I really enjoyed spending time exploring the city and was thrilled to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Vancouver, BC
September
Visiting my friends Andi and Paul in Vancouver was a heck of a good time.  We ate at the world famous Vij’s restaurant, visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge and shopped at the Asian Night Market.  

New York City
Thanksgiving
Sharing the Macy’s Day Parade experience with my dad was worth every penny of the plane ticket.  Getting to stay in a five story walkup apartment and visiting with old friends made the trip priceless.   Experiencing the Rockette’s Christmas Spectacular, the top of the Empire State Building, Central Park and the Staten Island Ferry just completed the magic of the city.

Belize
New Year’s
Waking up on the first day of 2009 in a country that teaches me life lessons every time I visit will inspire me for the entire year.  

I hope that each of you enjoyed the adventures that you had in 2008.  I wish you love, laughter and happiness in 2009.

IHW: Incredible Hotel Sale

In 1928 The Leading Hotels of The World opened the doors on its first hotel.  To celebrate their 80th anniversary, they are rolling back prices at select hotels around the world to $19.28 a night.

On October 1st at 8A Eastern Standard Time (that is 5A here in LA) on line reservations will be open for 80 minutes to confirm hotel availability and take bookings.   There is a two night limit and  you must stay between November 1 and December 15.

To be eligible for making reservations you have to pre-register at their website, IHW sign up. Its a good idea to browse the website and become familiar with it, so that when the time comes you can move quickly.  As with any sale, quantities are limited.

Good luck. 

 

San Francisco

I met a gold miner on my recent trip to San Francisco.  What are the odds?  He and his lovely bride were heading to the city from Northern Nevada for their honeymoon.  An honest to goodness gold miner!

Traveling from the Burbank airport (a small regional airport close to my house) is always a nice beginning to a trip.  Walking from the terminal to the tarmac and up the stairs into plane always energizes me, makes me feel like I am really going on a journey.  For most of our air travel we move from the airport, down the ramp, into the plane -- like hamsters in a habitat being herded from one destination to another.  It is part of the disconnect that I feel in my everyday life as well, the insulated bubble that I walk around in.  Many people complain about the Burbank airport for the very reason I love it.  The fresh wind on my face, the weight of my luggage up the stairs, the smell of jet fuel and roaring engines from neighboring planes.    I feel like I am participating in my own travels.

In San Francisco, after checking into my hotel, I boarded an electric streetcar heading towards the Embarcadero. For those of you that don't know, the Embarcadero is the section of the waterfront from the Ferry Building down to Golden Gate Park.  I explored the old Ferry Building (which now houses shops and restaurants), had a late lunch of fish and chips and began to meander down towards Fisherman's Wharf.   I  noticed all the fast paced tourists, maps in hand, hurrying from Pier 39 (Fisherman's Wharf) to the Ferry Building or visa versa.  Some were riding bikes, maps tacked onto their baskets, weaving in and out of pedestrians.    In their hurry to go from one shopping experience to another , they were missing out on all the beautiful San Francisco in between.

I found a spot out of Pier Seven with a wonderful view of the Bay Bridge and a collection of San Francisco characters.  I wrote a little article about it and submitted it to a magazine called Everywhere.  You can check out the posting on their website here  along with some photos.

Kauai Souvenirs

If your upcoming travel take you to Kauai I have a travel tip that will save you some cashola.
Don't buy your souvenirs from the big tourist traps...go straight to Wal-Mart in Lihue.  You'll find everything you need at a discounted rate.  Keep in mind, these are the normal travel keepsakes and gifts.

Brave New Traveler Article

I thought this article in Brave New Traveler, Why Do We Crave Escape From The Modern World , did a good job addressing our desires to travel.  Check it out and make sure to read the comments at the end.

Trip Around the World

To celebrate his 50th birthday, a co-worker and his best friend are taking a month to go around the world and see all the sights left unseen on their "list".   The Great Wall of China, Petra, the Pyramids and Machu Picu to name a few.   Why is it that so many of us wait until we feel time marching past us to do and see the things that are important to us?  Are we so caught up in the moments of life; picking the kids up from school, the promotion at work, global warming,  that we lose sight of the other things that are important to us?  Or is that the choice that we make?  Why do we have to make a choice?

It seems these quests are for the young and the old.  Those who have yet to step into responsbility and for those that have lived past it.

I am fascinated by the prospect of this kind of grand travel and, while 50 is fast approaching, I don't want to wait.  But how do we balance the requirements of our life with our desires and dreams?  In many aspects I am lucky to have the opportunity to travel extensively.    My job allows me months off at a time, with an income to support it.  And though my heart desires a family, I have not been blessed with  one.   I only have a commitment to two loving and furry cats.  And yet, I find myself at work more often than in travel.  Worried that the next job may not come, or the money will run out, or saving for retirement.  What is the compromise?

Until we figure out the perfect combination of life, fun, travel, family and obligations--let us dream.  Of private jets, world cruises, cultures we have yet to experience and sights that take our breaths away.  Read this article from MSN  or check out the decadence of Starquest Expeditions .

Costa Rican Vacation

"Describe your most memorable vacation or travel moment and how it changed or affected you.”

Costa Rican Vacations  has challenged me and in return, if my entry is the best, will reward me with a week long trip to Costa Rica in September, worth $3,000 (airfare not included).    How do you pick one moment or vacation?  Each trip is unique and has it own special experiences.

Ultimately I chose to tell the story of me and David and a mountain in Belize.  Some of you may remember the day from my email blogs.  The day after I broke my rib horseback riding, the day we explored the amazing cave on top of the mountain.  What I didn't tell you about was the journey up that mountain and how it lives with me everyday.  How hiking that jungle trail was a defining moment for me and the insight of my guide, the way he saw into my soul, still travels with me today.

Please, check out my entry, "Heart of a Mountain".   Give it a rating, and comment on it.

I will let you know if I win.

More Luggage Tags

Look at what I found this weekend while I was in Phoenix.

Fun, colorful luggage tags.

One of my favorites, that I didn't buy, was "Does this bag make my butt look bigger?"

You can browse for your favorites at

Innovative Travel .

Go Local

Your hometown may be the next person's destination,  so step back and look at your city with the eye of a tourist.  Its easy to check off the obvious places.  In Memphis, you'd see Graceland and Beale Street but to get to know the locals and feel the underlying beat of the Memphis heartbeat you should head to mid-town for dinner, drive past the grand mansions on the parkways or have barbecue in a dive.

Take a closer look at the lesser museums in your area or revisit the big ones.  Its probably been years
since you have taken the time to wander through the exhibits.  Take one weekend day a month to be a tourist in your own town.

I live in Los Angeles which, in fact, is many tourist's final destination.  And I have seen/done all the "must dos";  The Hollywood Sign, Universal Tours, Mann's Chinese, Rodeo Drive and Venice Beach.   Those are things that are in Los Angeles but they don't define what makes Los Angeles tick.  In an effort to reconnect with my hometown I have made a list of things either to revisit or visit anew:

1.  Phillipe's Restaurant:  Located near downtown L.A.  and home of the French Dip Sandwich.

2.  The Museum of Television and Radio :  Now known as the Paley Center for Media, it is located in Beverly Hills (near Rodeo Drive).

3.The Griffith Observatory: New renovated, it offers amazing vistas of the LA basin.  I hope to plan my visit to correspond with sunset.

4. Nixon Library:  In Yorba Linda, California. I have already visited the Regan and Clinton Libraries.

5.  Movie at the Cemetery:  Every summer, Forever Hollywood Cemetery   shows movies outdoors.  I love cemeteries, especially this one, and I love movies.  Sounds like the perfect combination.

That is just the beginning of my list for my city.  Open you eyes.  Take another look at your town, set aside the chores and errands for a day, and go explore.

Magazines

Hi.  My name is Jennifer Blair and I am a magazine addict.  O, O at Home, Vanity Fair, More, Reader's Digest and Hollywood Life...those are just the tip of the iceberg.  Then come the travel magazines.  By far my favorite is Budget Travel but I am equally addicted to National Geographic Traveler and National Geographic Adventure.    Whenever I fly, I scour the new stands for other travel magazines, the ones that
aren't delivered directly to my door.   I fantasize about the trips listed in Islands and Conde Nast Traveler, and one of the newest travel magazines, Sherman's Travel .

 

What is your favorite travel magazine?

View From My Room

Check out my new photo album, View From My Room.  I will update this album after every trip.

In Bruges

The town of Bruges becomes its own character in the newly released film, "In Bruges"  .   Canals reminiscent of Venice, medieval architecture and quaint streets serve as the backdrop for two Irish hit men (Collin Farrell and Brenden Gleeson) sent to Bruges to hide after a "hit" gone bad.  Ralph Fiennes, who plays the hit men's boss, describes the town as a "fairytale" and, honestly, it enchanted me.

I know very little about Belgium  and hadn't even heard of Bruges  before this movie but I quickly added it to my list of "must see" places.    I can't wait to walk the cobbled streets and, maybe, hopefully, even stumble across Collin Farrell.

Travel Defined

Modern travel, even with its airport delays and highway traffic, is  easy compared to the travel of bygone days. The  South Rim of Grand Canyon, before the railway line was built, was only accessible via a twelve hour, back breaking, hot and dusty stagecoach ride.  Early travel was difficult, extremely uncomfortable and perilous.  You risked your life to journey from one destination to another.

These dangers are reflected in the origins of the word travel.  Travailler, to work hard, and travail, extreme agony, are two French words that helped formed our English word, travel.  According to Word Origins by Wilfred Funk & D. Litt, travailler "has a remote ancestor,the Late Latin trepalium, which was a device for torturing".  I am sure those early travelers considered stage coaches and wagons torture devices.

Next time you begin to complain about long lines at airport security or the price of rental cars, remember the agonies our ancestors experienced and be thankful for the relatively effortless way we now traverse.