Tag Archives: cherry blossom festival

Cherry Blossoms Afterall

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I gave in. The temptation was too much. The National Park Service changed the prediction for peak Cherry Blossoms. It’s been too cold so the new prediction is March 19 – March 22.

I was all set to skip it but now I have another week and I just can’t stand not doing anything or going anywhere. I think the cold weather has messed with my brain. As Southwest Airlines says…”I Gotta Get Away”.

I booked everything so now I just have to get my work to approve the time off. I’m sure they will. I don’t have to bother my Pet Sitter  either because my friend Joe said he would watch the “kitty”. Rocky would love to know that he’s “the kitty”!

My Timeshare has a new perk. I can pay for my plane fare and hotel with my time share points. I book through their web site and pay for the flight and hotel. Then I authorize the number of points I want to use. 4-6 weeks after the trip is completed they send a check.  I’ve never used this perk but I’ve met people that have and they love it. So I’m going to give it a try. That’s the only way I can swing this on such short notice.

I also booked my “Dream Vacation” that I earned on my last trip to Maui. I was going to go to the Big Island but I can get a longer stay if I go back to Maui. So that’s what I’m going to do. I booked February again so I can chase the whales some more.

I guess its not safe to let me stay inside on a cold day! Look at what I’ve done! I’ve booked a quick trip to Washington DC for the Cherry Blossoms and a 5 day trip to Maui. I also renewed my Priority Pass.

You may have seen the ads for Priority Pass on TV. It’s program that lets you use exclusive lounges in airports around the world. Usually it cost $99/year but this is another perk of my Timeshare.  They pay the annual fee. There is a $27.00 charge per person each time you use a lounge but I’m told it’s well worth it if you have a long layover. We could have used it on the November trip to Maui.

Oh my, I lost track of the time. Rocky is teasing because it’s his dinner time But I’ll leave you with this last thought…I do love my Timeshare!

 

 

Cherry Blossom Time

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Ok now I’m really getting bummed out. I need to shake this cold!

I was hoping to grab a quick trip to D.C. for the cherry blossoms. I’ve been watching the news feed to find out when the festivities will start. Friends that were in the Capital have been posting photos saying the cherry blossoms are already starting. It’s this crazy weather.

It looks like the peak bloom is predicted  March 14 – March 17. It doesn’t even include a weekend.  http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/

I did a quick check of flights that would let me fly down in the morning and come back the same day, Whew! Expensive. I’m looking at around $600 round trip. Amtrak wasn’t any better and would take longer.

Staying overnight cut the price in half but then I’d have hotel and pet sitting and meals so no matter how I look at it the cost is going to be around $600.00.

I still have a few days so I’ll keep my eyes open for some deals but its starting to look like this is not going to be the year that I get to see the famous Cherry Blossoms. Maybe I should try for a week vacation and stay at my time share next year. I’ll think about that!