Planning our ten-day trip to Puerto Rico this winter, we knew we’d be trying to cram a lot of activity into a short jaunt: the history of Old San Juan, the bioluminescent bay, lots of lechon, the rainforest hikes of…
7 Tips for Booking a Vacation Rental Instead of a Hotel
I first started exploring Airbnb.com, VRBO.com and other vacation rental sites when we were plotting our trip to San Diego – it fell during ComicCon, and hotel pickings were slim and pricy, so I thought there might be a way…
6 Reasons to Celebrate Thanksgiving At Disneyland
It’s been just about a year since I confessed to being quite ambivalent about the idea of celebrating Thanksgiving at Disneyland — sans Masala Turkey and the boisterous Charaipotra and Bhambri clans. This time last year, I was seven months…
Plotting Puerto Rico — And Tips for Planning a Family Vacation
Since the beginning of September, Kavya’s had the whole house practicing Spanish as she does her dual-language Pre-K program. She’s picked up a remarkable amount in a short month — and she’s definitely faster at it than her mama, who took Spanish for five years in school and still can barely get by. So we decided it was time for some immersion.
We had a few specific criteria: not too far away (read: cheap tickets!), not too expensive (read: cheap tickets), yummy food, warm weather, and a Spanish-speaking culture that’s fun to explore. A beach and old school architecture? Bonus! With that wish list in place, it quickly became clear that we had one really solid option: Puerto Rico. And we wouldn’t even need our passports!
Sona and Shaiyar Survive (and Thrive!) On Their Solo Trip Cross Country
It’s funny how different things go the second time around. When we first flew with Kavya, who was all of three-months-old at the time, I fretted for days. Planes are death boxes. They’re filled with germs. People get annoyed with…
Vacation Envy: How Come Everyone’s Traveling Except Me?
I know what you’re thinking. We’ve been living it up at Revel, chowing down on tacos and Vietnamese food, lounging by the pool, cozying up with hot cocoa and tiramisu as we play Bonopoly (as Kavya likes to call it)….
Finally! Some Cheap Eats at Revel in Atlantic City
The first few times we went to Revel, the newest resort in Atlantic City, we knew we’d have to find some alternate options, food-wise. The posh and super-stylized resort is as fancy-pants as you can get on the strip, with…
Photo Friday: Two Little Bellies
We’re in the thick of a particularly chilly winter — unexpected after the last few winters’ warmth (thanks, global warming!) — so today’s throwback is a lovely reminisce about warmer times. One of our weekend jaunts in September, Navdeep, Kavi and I were taking a stroll through Union Square, where she likes to play in the sandbox and on the swings at the park before taking in the Hari Krishnas’ chants, a street musician’s busking or an impromptu free yoga class.
Kiboshing Greece: How Having Kids Changes Travel
In 2009, about two years after our big India adventure, Navdeep and I had settled into a groove. We were both busy with work — him teaching English and creative writing at local universities, and I freelancing for places like…
Denying Disney: Why I Resisted Our Turkey Day Trip
I don’t mean to be Scrooge. Really, I don’t. But the timing was never right for me on Disney. Not then. Not now. When Meena, Tarun and I were young, we’d beg to go. Dopey the Dwarf was my favorite…
Cocoa Loco, Or: The Hunt for Hot Chocolate at Revel in Atlantic City
“Mama, can I have some hot cocoa?” Bleary-eyed but happy, Kavya spoke those words to me just as I was about to sneak out to grab some coffee. It was 8 a.m., and we were on holiday. We’d taken Kavya down…
Chole Without Piaz and Other Acts of Culinary Sacrilege in India
We ate A LOT of fabulous food in India — from panch paani gol gappe to those fabulous alu ki tikki burgers that the street stall guy served up just outside of the Golden Temple. (And sadly, I can’t get…
