Major League Baseball

On Friday night we attended a Chicago White Sox baseball game at US Cellular Field on Chicago’s South Side. US Cellular Field, like many ballparks in America, now offer multiple veggie friendly dining options, such as veggie burgers and veggie dogs. Peta recently released their top ten list of veg-friendly ballparks. Though Cellular Field didn’t make the top ten we didn’t have a problem finding plenty to eat. Before you head out to the ballpark this summer check out Soy Happy. Soy Happy promotes veg friendly concessions at major and minor league parks as well as other venues. On their site they maintain an up to date ‘venue reference guide‘ that shows which teams and ballparks have veggie friendly snacks.

Harry takes a Holiday

Where would we be without Florida? The Sunshine State is America’s top vacation destination, home to NASCAR, Disney World and St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States. The place where Ponce de Leon and Jack Sparrow, and millions of Americans have searched for the Fountain of Youth. Daytona Beach, Cape Canaveral, SeaWorld, the Florida Gators, the Everglades, the Keys, South Beach, Hemingway, Tom Petty, Jimmy Buffet, Crockett and Tubbs…

It would seem then, like the perfect place for the Boy Who Lived to have a theme park dedicated to himself. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter features remarkable recreations of Hogwart’s Castle, the Three Broomsticks, and Hogsmeade Village. It’s as if various pieces of the Harry Potter universe disappeared into a Vanishing Cabinet and were magically transported to Orlando, Florida. The attention to detail is striking. Though you might be roasting in the Florida sun, and surrounded by more muggles than you can shake a wand at, when you step past the Hogwart’s Express and look up at the crooked and snow capped rooftops of Hogsmeade you do feel like you’ve been transported somewhere else, right down to Moaning Myrtle chatting away in the lavatories.

Jenni and I and the boys spent the better part of two days walking around Harry Potter, which is inside Universal’s Islands of Adventure, clutching frozen Butterbeers and buying Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bots Every-Flavour Beans. We purchased wands and t-shirts in Dervish and Banges, sent post cards from the Owl Post to our friends back home featuring Hogsmeade postmarks, and ate breakfast and lunch at the Three Broomsticks. While there my son Jack didn’t hide his disappointment upon discovering his Elder Wand didn’t allow him to cast spells on his brother. We toured the castle and took the exciting and nauseating Forbidden Journey, rode the family-friendly Flight of the Hippogriff around Hagrid’s Hut, but skipped the daunting Dragon Challenge.

I can say as a Harry Potter fan that the park was absolutely stunning, if a little small. There is no end to the number of attractions that could be added if JK Rowling ever needs the money. How about a ride that features the Night Bus or a roller-coaster that takes you through the Department of Mysteries. Instead of fireworks they could project the Dark Mark into the sky at the end of the day. I couldn’t help but wonder while listening to all of the British accents around me why they didn’t build a Harry Potter theme park somewhere in London, or Blackpool. But I suppose even Harry Potter needs a holiday once in a while.

Review: Scandic Sergel Plaza Hotel, Stockholm Sweden

For our family trip to Sweden, we chose to stay at Scandic Sergel Plaza in the heart of Stockholm. I had researched Stockholm hotels on the web, looking for something family friendly, and knew I would choose a Scandic. Their Sergel Plaza location was recommended by Frommer’s, and Frommer’s has never steered me wrong, (except for that time in Monterey, CA many years ago…)

Since we had four in our party, two adults and two children, I booked a family room. This includes what they call a double bed, (which I thought was near the size of a queen bed in the States), a pull out sofa, chair, desk, satellite tv, two armoire type cabinets, a stocked (and wired for purchase) mini-bar, and a full bathroom. Breakfast was included, as well as a special gift for all children on arrival and a play area in the hotel specifically geared for younger children.

After we arrived at Arlanda Airport in Sweden, we took the Arlanda Express train to Stockholm’s Central Station, (which I highly recommend.) Since we were half crazed from lack of sleep, (Brad and I can’t sleep on planes), we opted for a taxi to the hotel. It was only a couple of blocks away from the station. The check in time was 2pm, and it was around 10:30am when we arrived, so we checked our luggage in their baggage room and went exploring.

First impressions: Great location! This Scandic is not only located in the heart of Stockholm, but it’s also in the midst of the shopping district. Across the street is a Gallerian shopping mall with over 80 stores – enormous! H&M, Ahlens and NK are also nearby. Almost everything is within walking distance; a metro station (tunnelbana), Central Station, several ports, City Hall, tons of restaurants, parks, bus lines, the tram line and ferries.

The lobby is large and bright. Near the reception desk, there is coffee available, along with all sorts of snacks, sandwiches, salads and drinks for purchase. They also have what they call a “store”, but really it’s just small items to purchase on a few shelves. The items for sale are handy though; personal care items like toothpaste, deodorant and shampoo as well as toys for kids and souvenir items. The staff was friendly, efficient and spoke English very well.

Downstairs is the family breakfast area. I have to say, the star of the show was the breakfast they offered each day. What a selection! Here are a few things that were included: several kinds of yogurt, with dried fruit and nuts to add in, fresh fruit, several kinds of fresh bread and rolls, pastry, scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs, jams, jellies, applesauce and cottage cheese, green salad fixings, cookies and biscuits, and finally Swedish pancakes with cream and lingonberry jam. Yum! Drinks offered include coffee, many types of tea, milk, juices, chocolate milk and the ever-present sparkling water. We couldn’t believe that they offered so much for the “included breakfast.” And here’s some video Brad took on our last day showing some of the offerings…

http://www.youtube.com/get_player

Our room was larger than we expected, and we found it clean and comfortable. This hotel has a lot of “green” initiatives, so we found no toiletries in the bathroom. (Actually this has been the case at most of the European hotels we’ve stayed at.) There was a hand soap dispenser on the wall near the sink and a “Shampoo/Shower Gel” dispenser on the wall of the shower/bath tub area. I expected this ahead of time and brought our own soap and shampoo/conditioner. One note: For those not used to European hotels, bring your own washcloths from home. They do not provide any. From what I understand, they consider it too personal an item to provide at hotels. I brought some cheap kitchen dish cloths from home. This worked out great because we each had our own color so always knew which was ours.

On arrival, a large platter was brought to our room. It had a mountain of fresh fruit, two bottles of Coke, two small boxes of chocolate truffles and two bags of Swedish candy. I can only assume this was the special gift given to children on arrival. It was a great surprise and we ate every last bit!

Our room was promptly and thoroughly cleaned each day, and the hotel staff was receptive to our request for more pillows and towels. The television had several channels (in Swedish and English) and had children’s programming including the Disney channel (which was dubbed in Swedish – but our boys didn’t seem to mind) and two Disney movie channels that ran a continuous loop of “Wall-E”, “Bolt”, and “Ratatouille” – all dubbed in Swedish. The boys were thrilled that they could see some of their favorite movies, didn’t care it wasn’t in English, and even picked up some Swedish words. 🙂

We stayed nine nights, in August, and our cost was 11,160 SEK or at today’s exchange rate, $1,548.72, which costs out to $172.08 per night. (I booked early from Scandic’s website and received the Early Saver rate.) Considering the location, amenities, and especially the free breakfast each day, I think we received a good deal.

Overall, I highly recommend this hotel, especially for families. For more information, please see their website.

Review: SAS, Scandinavian Airlines

We just returned from our trip to Sweden (obviously, per previous photo posts…) and flew via SAS both ways. We had a direct flight from Chicago to Stockholm, Sweden, which took a very long 8 hours (with two 4 year old boys.) I have to say, SAS seriously impressed us.

First of all, the flight crew were nice (shocking!) Everyone we encountered on board was professional, friendly and efficient. We were in Economy class, which usually is the pits, but considering how many people they had jammed in that section, we were made quite comfortable. Each seat had a seat-back screen with Movies, Music, Games and Flight Information. Our boys loved the fact that they could control what they did to pass the time. I think all aspects of the entertainment system were utilized. Each seat was provided with a bottle of water, which was also a nice touch. After take off, a flight attendant came around and gave each child a small toy. We didn’t expect this, so the boys were very excited. They both received a Lego vehicle to build.

The drink service was similar to others I’ve experienced except they allowed Economy class customers to have one alcoholic beverage for free. (Brad took advantage on the way back home and had some red wine, which was very good.) The meal also surprised us… It was edible! Being vegetarians or vegans, you don’t expect much from airline meals, but Brad and I both agree that SAS provided the most tasty vegetarian meals we’ve had on an airplane. We had ordered Lacto-Ovo Vegetarians meals for all four of us. Our entree on the flight to Sweden was roasted asparagus, potatoes and red pepper with a mild tomato sauce. There was fresh fruit, a green salad and two kinds of bread rolls with butter and brie. Brie! Can you believe it?! After dinner, we were offered coffee or tea and they came back for multiple refills. Between meals, they came through with water and a large basket of wrapped candies to choose from. Our snack before landing was a tomato and cucumber sandwich with yogurt and juice. Brad liked the sandwich, but the boys and I preferred the yogurt.

On our return trip, we had a similar experience. The meal was good; an entree of roasted vegetables in a light tomato sauce on a bed of wild rice, fresh pineapple, green salad and two pieces of bread with margarine. The snack before landing was a cheese sandwich and a fruit juice. As a treat, during the long period between the meal and snack, each child was offered an ice cream treat. Nice touch! Considering the flight back to Chicago was 9 hours, (yes, NINE hours), that extra treat perked up the boys considerably.

All in all, we give SAS a big THUMBS UP! Their staff were great, the amenities were plentiful, (even in Economy class), and the food was edible, and dare I say it, tasty.

Our trip to Sweden was wonderful. I hope we go back again some day – and if we do, we’re definitely flying SAS.

http://www.flysas.com/en/us