Happy Thanksgiving!

I will be spending the rest of the week in New Orleans with my family, so there will be no posts this week. Hope everyone has a fantastic holiday week! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

PS -- This picture was by far the best (ie. most ridiculous) one I found when I searched Thanksgiving images through Google.

Ti Kaye Village

Last weekend was my husband and my 4th year wedding anniversary (cue the "awwws"). Remembering that day made me nostalgic for our honeymoon on St. Lucia and the wonderful resort we stayed in -- Ti Kaye Village in Anse Cochon.

Ti Kaye is an adorable little resort situated on the coast of St. Lucia high above the ocean. Everything about this resort just screams honeymoon. Each "room" is actually a small cottage. Ti Kaye translates into "Little House" and the resort is basically a village of little houses. All the little houses face the ocean and have huge French doors. Each cottage includes an outdoor shower, a hammock and a large balcony. Our cottage also had a plunge pool. It was relaxation paradise.

The grounds are lovely. Each cottage is spaced far enough away so you do not hear your neighbors' conversations, but close enough that it does not feel like you are alone in the jungle. The main house includes a small gift shop, the front desk, a bar and a restaurant called Kai Manje. The bar and restaurant were awesome. They are covered, but had no walls, so you were protected from rainstorms but were able to soak up the beautiful weather. The bar specialized in a rum punch dusted with nutmeg that was just awesome. The drink menu as a whole was crazy -- it was huge and all of the drinks were so inexpensive. It was a little dangerous to tell the truth! We ate dinner at the restaurant every night and every night we were thrilled with our dinners. The food is continental with an island twist and also includes some St. Lucia specialties. They even have a pretty good wine list. Since the resort was fairly secluded, they entertained their guests at night with various bands and other fun surprises. Even though I am usually a big fan of variety, I did not mind eating at their restaurant every night!

Next to the main house, there is a small pool for those not interested in going to the beach. But, really you go to the Caribbean to go to the beach. As I said earlier, Ti Kaye is basically located on a large cliff. You have to take these kind of old scary steps down to the beach, but once you get down there you don't want to leave. Ti Kaye has a private beach that is only interrupted by the random snorkeling excursion. They have chairs and umbrellas for their guests to use along with snorkeling equipment and kayaks. My husband and I took advantage of all those items! The snorkeling at Ti Kaye is great because you do not need to go anywhere, you just step off of the beach into the ocean and there are reefs right there. Pretty cool stuff. In addition, you can take the kayak out to see a little shipwreck. Also, pretty cool stuff.

On the beach, Ti Kaye also has a casual restaurant called Ti Manje where you can go for lunch (and mid-afternoon drinks of course). They will also schedule excursions for you around the island, including scuba diving. There is actually a dive shop -- Island Divers -- on property. There is even a spa now named Kai Koko, which they didn't have when we went there.

I had a wonderful honeymoon at Ti Kaye and I would highly suggest honeymooners or other couples to go there. Heck, they even have a little song "Ti Kaye honeymoon...fly me to the moon!"

Ti Kaye Village Resort
P.O. Box GM 669
Castries
St Lucia
Telephone: 758-456-8101
Fax: 758-456-8105
General Information: info@tikaye.com
Spa enquires: spa@tikaye.com
Diving enquires: diving@tikaye.com
www.tikaye.com

The Aububon Institute

I spent last weekend in New Orleans at a wedding event. As is often the case in New Orleans, we spent most of the weekend eating and drinking. I often find that most (if not all) of my New Orleans recommendations are food and drink related. However, there is so much more to New Orleans than food and alcohol. So, this week, I am focusing on a different type of New Orleans treasure -- the Audubon Institute and the great attractions it runs in New Orleans. The Audubon Institute (named after naturalist John James Audubon) is focused on conversation and education and it really is a fantastic organization.

The most famous Audubon attraction is the Audubon Zoo in the Garden District. This is consistently rated one of the best zoos in the United States and you can see why as soon as you step in. The Zoo is huge! Even adults get tired trying to walk around the entire area. There is a little train that runs through it now, though they definitely did not have that when I was a kid! There are tons of different types of animals and each one lives in its own specialized habitat. The Zoo itself is separated into different areas based on habitat, which is a really great teaching tool. Speaking of teaching tools, there are always great learning opportunities for kids scattered throughout the Zoo. I remember riding elephants and camels there when I was a kid! Some of the highlights include the Asian elephant exhibit, Monkey Hill (which rumor has it is the highest point in low-hanging New Orleans), the Louisiana Swamp exhibit and the Dinosaur Adventure. All of this is situated in the middle of the beautiful Garden District, a far cry from the hustle of the French Quarter.

However, if you are in the French Quarter and need a break from eating and drinking, I would highly recommend a visit to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. The Aquarium is also run by the Audubon Institute and it is also fantastic. It is a huge aquarium with different rooms for the various climates represented. Like the Zoo, there are different interactive exhibits scattered throughout the Aquarium. Some of the highlights include the African penguin exhibit, animal feedings, and the Gulf of Mexico exhibit. There is even an IMAX Theatre located next door. I remember seeing a Rolling Stones concert there, though I think it it usually focused on nature-type movies. It is definitely a great place to go to escape a hot summer day!

In 2009, the Audubon Institute opened the Audubon Insectarium, which is America's largest museum devoted to insects and its relatives. It celebrates the world of bugs with 13 gallery rooms containing more than 70 live animal enclosures, 30 mounted specimen cases and a multisensory immersive theater experience. You can experience live insect encounters, discover cultural aspects of insects, sample exotic insect cuisine, shrink in size to see the world from a bug’s perspective, and enjoy the tranquility of a Japanese garden with hundreds of butterflies!It has gotten amazing reviews, but I am honestly too creeped out by the insects to go. But, if it is anything like the rest of the Audubon attractions, I would highly recommend it!

TIP: There are many different combo packages you can buy to help conserve money. The best package is
the Audubon Experience Ticket which includes one visit to each facility; ticket expires five days after first use, excluding Mondays when all facilities are closed.

So when visiting New Orleans, either with kids or without, I would take time to visit one of the Audubon Institutes's attractions in order to see a different side of the city!

Audubon Zoo
6500 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
(800) 774-7394 or (504) 581-4629 

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
Canal Street at the River
#1 Canal Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
(800) 774-7394 or (504) 581-4629

Audubon Insectarium
423 Canal Street
U.S. Custom House
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
(800) 774-7394 or (504) 581-4629

www.auduboninstitute.org

Vizcaya Musuem and Gardens

Last weekend was Halloween. I am not personally a big Halloween person -- I love the little trick-or-treaters, but the scary movies and the haunted houses are not really my thing. However, one year in Miami I did go to an amazing Halloween party at an amazing historical site -- Vizcaya Musuem and Gardens in Coconut Grove.

Vizcaya is a National Historic Landmark and museum in the heart of Miami.  Built by agricultural industrialist James Deering (of John Deere fame) in 1916, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens features a Main House, ten acres of formal gardens, and a rockland hammock (native forest). The house was intended to appear as an Italian estate that had stood for 400 years and had been occupied and renovated by several generations of a family.  It has 34 decorated rooms with 15th through 19th century antique furnishings and art objects. The house appears to be only two stories high but between the main public rooms and the bedrooms, there is an intervening level with 12 rooms for servants and service. The expansive gardens combine elements of Renaissance Italian and French designs.  Key features include the many fountains, a central pool surrounding an elevated island, the elevated Mound with its small house, or “Casino,” statuary, and several themed gardens.

Vizcaya hosts numerous events throughout the year including tours, talks and movie showings. You can even rent it for events, but you have to be pretty wealthy in order to do that!

One of the big events of the year is their Halloween Sundowner which takes place on the Saturday closest to Halloween. This party is awesome! It reminds you of one of those cool parties in a movie that you always think..."who goes to parties like that?" The grounds are decorated to the nines and all the party-goers come in costume. Very elaborate costumes usually. There are open bars scattered around the grounds and a few places to buy food, if interested. There are usually a few dance floors and the accompanying bands and DJs. At the end of the night there is a costume party where people pull out super-elaborate costumes. It is a huge party that typically sells out every year. So, if you are in Miami over Halloween, I would definitely recommend attending this event!

TIP: Take some time to plan a great costume -- you will have a much better time if you are dressed to the nines! It is the perfect time to pull out that elaborate costume you have always wanted to wear!

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

3251 South Miami Avenue

Miami, Florida 33129

Main: 305-250-9133

Fax:   305-285-2004

http://www.vizcaya/musuem.org