The Polite Traveler

  Simple room with no view, but I’d choose it again. My Dear Polite Travelers, You know how it is when we're traveling and tired.  Sometimes, we just want simple—a simple room with ample amenities like a television, microwave, and fridge.  Fold in a comfy bed and a clean bathroom, and it’s a travel-day win.  Well, that’s what we found at a new favorite hotel, Hampton Inn & Suites Maui North Shore.  Room W309 Since my hubby is mobility challenged, we chose an accessible room.  This one didn’t disappoint: grab bars, toiletries at chair height, a shower wand, a pull-down shower seat, and a walk-in shower.  Additionally, there were no cabinets under the sink vanity for wheelchair users.  All good. The room was comfortable, with temperature control easy to manage and ample light.  Of course, the room included a coffee maker, coffee, and tea .  The large, smart, mounted television allowed for easy streaming—great for after-...

Dear Polite Travelers, We had limited time during our last outing, so we chose to stay close to home and focused on the Santa Rosa area.  Lucky for us, Sebastopol is a close neighbor, and we were thrilled to visit, if only for a few hours.  Tucked away in an interesting set of what had been apple warehouses, is the Barlow, right off Highway 12.  We stopped in at the co-op style market, which sells only the freshest organic foods and natural products.  Besides the market, there are various other shops, breweries, and restaurants sprinkled around the property.  One exceptional example is Sarmentine , and just as its name implies, it’s all about French pastries and bread.  Yum.  Our choices were so scrumptious , that I scarfed up most of it before realizing I needed a picture.  They also serve excellent espresso beverages.  This is our new must-stop when traveling south.  I hope you do too! Happy Travels, my Polite Travelers...

  Snapshot of my latest one-day visit to Napa, including our overnight stay in the Embassy Suites, Napa.

Probably best known for its connection to Cannery Row, made famous by John Steinbeck’s novel of the same name, Monterey is a delightful blend of funky, sublime, and an ode to the working class.  Funkiness abounds on Cannery Row with its quaint, stuck-in-time business facades simmering in a cannery atmosphere.  There’s no escaping it nor would anyone wish to.  It’s just downright fun. Of course, there’s much more to Monterey than that one street with the cannery influence and that is why we chose this area of Monterey, and more specifically, Pacific Grove.  We chose Pacific Grove for its quiet and focus on nature , which excelled excellently.  As for this small portion of Monterey, well... Recently while watching Obama’s new docuseries, Our  Great National Parks , we learned that the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is the largest in the continental U.S.  It’s a mind-blowing 6,094 square miles with 276 miles of shoreline.  As a native C...

Dear Polite Traveler, I asked my favorite travel buddy—aka hubby —to please choose a less expensive hotel for our upcoming three-day Monterey excursion.  Perhaps a blast-from-the-past option one can find in historic, and extraordinarily charming Pacific Grove, which is firmly attached to Monterey.  Well, he found one.  Exactly what I suggested, and it was...interesting.  Charming?  Historic? To call this motel quaint would be kind.  Due to its decades-old appearance, it does ring that “nostalgia” bell.  Still, that bell is drowned out quickly once a person attempts to live in the rooms as one is accustomed to doing in a typical motel. Nostalgia be damned.  This Clarion is outdated, uncomfortable, and downright old .  Sigh. First, we check-in.  Stepping into the tiny, and less than charming, lobby, I look around to find the few breakfast scraps.  Optimistically, I hoped for more options in the morning as the manager arrive...

  How to Survive a Long, Monotonous Road Trip My Dear Polite Travelers, Ah, the open highway.  The wind in my face and the long road ahead full of adventure.  Traveling for business and pleasure can be exciting, but it can also be exhausting.  This is exactly what I found on my last trip.  The trip consisted of driving through two-thirds of California from north to south and then east clear across the state.  We then drove across most of Arizona to our destination of the most Northeast tip of the state.  Driving from our hometown of Davis, CA to the farthest northeast corner of Arizona can be beautiful but challenging.  This is especially true due to the many road-construction zones.  Collecting License Plates Even though I enjoyed seeing the landscape change from California fields of green to the vast, mountainous desert, I didn’t enjoy the endless road construction which contributed to even more congestion than usual. ...

Not Worth the Price  Dear Polite Travelers, Hampton Inn by Hilton is not known for luxury.  But at Sedona’s exorbitant hotel rates, one would expect a tad more than this hotel offers.  Perhaps real glasses and ceramic coffee mugs??  At least the rooms were well-appointed.  Somewhat, anyway.  The Room Below The Parking Lot Since the hotel is located directly on Highway 89A, I asked for a quiet room instead of the second-floor room with a highway view they had reserved for us.  Upon first look, it appears clean, updated, but simple.  Once we settled in, we found it was indeed clean, with the standard microwave, flatscreen television, coffee maker, and fridge.  But the place needs some maintenance.  The tub has been painted and is peeling, and the toilet makes noise all night.  For the most part, it is comfortable and has adequate free Internet.  The worst part of this room—and the entire first floor—is it is roughly fo...

Beautiful, but Too Crowded! Dear Polite Travelers, Widely recognized for its natural beauty and spiritual qualities, Sedona has always been one of my bucket-list items.  So once Covid took a break—and we’re both triple vaccinated—we hopped into our trusty Honda and drove 800 miles southeast to the land of crimson mountains.  The Drive from Flagstaff to Sedona Since we live in California, we drove Interstate 40 east to Flagstaff, AZ.  If visiting Arizona, please stop in this lovely city.  It’s greener than most of the state, the people are young and as vibrant as the landscape, and there are a couple of Starbucks just waiting for those like us.  Besides the interesting locals—and caffeinated beverages—our junction, Highway 89A/17 South, for Sedona is conveniently located in Flagstaff.  Drive Slowly & Enjoy Highway 89A South Warning, this is a winding, slow road, but one you are guaranteed to enjoy.  Still, it’s not wise to drive in th...

  Where to Stay When Traveling Through Barstow, CA Dear Polite Travelers , Since my hubby and I are...well...old, we require multiple stops during road trips.  Luckily, there are many Starbucks in California.  Yea us.  Still, with a stop every two to three hours, the time of a trip is extended quite a bit.  Consider our recent drive to Sedona, Arizona.  Due to our stops, this trip from Davis, CA requires nearly two days, instead of the non-stop 12 hours.  Our first day was lengthy, so by the time we reached the constantly windy Barstow, my body felt like it was put into a washing machine and strung up to dry in the summer sun.  So, imagine how fantastic it felt to step into a clean, contemporary, and comfy Home2 Suites by Hilton.  The Lobby Reminiscent of an open-concept home, the lobby houses a large dining room and several smaller tables, sofas, tables, and multiple televisions.  And this is just the lobby!  Once inside...