BYO Blankey

So, bringing some kind of extra neck pillow is a luxury that may or may not be essential for one to survive a long flight. A regular little pillow and blanket aren't luxuries though, they're something to be taken for granted when we get on a flight right? Apparently not anymore. We've all been on planes when they don't have enough pillows to go around, and now it seems some airlines are charging extra for pillows and blankets, just like headphones, booze and even food. So, while we try to puzzle out exactly what we ARE paying for apart from jet fuel, we can whip out our own pillow and blanket and settle in for the flight while our seat mates look on with envy. Pillow and blanket sets are available at a variety of sites, pb travel products has a nice looking set that you can slide over the handle of your carry-on. I have to say I think that their website is ugly and more than a little awkward but they have some neat products at reasonable prices. Even if your airline does provide blankets, there is something to be said for BYOB (blanket that is), I have heard a nasty rumor (I have no proof of this mind you) that blankets are not always washed before they are used again on the next flight, eeeeww!

Closed Loop

This post is about a little local travel that I did a week ago. Local meaning in my very own town. New York is a place where you can really get stuck in your daily rut, so a trip off the beaten path, even if it's only a short walk, can feel like a real accomplishment! While I was at the gym one day, on the elliptical machine, I saw a piece on TV about the Science Barge. This is a barge, built and operated by NY Sun Works, that is a completely self sustaining floating greenhouse that will be roaming around the NYC water ways all summer.


It seemed like it would be a cool thing to see, so I made my way down there (for details about where it's at and when it's open click here). The only thing connecting it to the land are big nylon ropes, all electricity is generated on board from solar panels and a bio-diesel generator (for shady days) and all water is either collected rainwater or filtered from the Hudson river by a process of reverse osmosis. The staff are very informative and charming in their dorky dedication to the project. It was a beautiful sunny day when I visited so all the colors were saturated and vibrant. Inside the greenhouse they showcase a variety of growing systems that minimize water use and maximize space. They are growing herbs, lettuces, cucumbers and the like. The verti-garden of herbs (vertical garden towers) were my favorite.



There is definitely a focus on educating kids, but the information is just as interesting for grown-ups and anyone who is interested in sustainability and dreaming for the future of our cities. The barge itself has obviously been re-incarnated into this new eco-friendly state, the office building on the barge is made from a refitted shipping container and painted electric green. They are also showcasing some other types of recycled materials in the decking and picnic tables on board The wind turbines on top of it are really just for exhibition since there isn't really enough wind to generate serious amounts of electricity, they make a cool noise though when they do get going.

Zip and Go

You know when you're packing your suitcase and you are trying to decide which extra purse or bag to bring, one that will show off your design sense, look good with different outfits, and isn't going to take up too much space in the bag... Well these two bags by designer Josh Jakus are exactly what the travel doctor ordered.


The Um Felt Tote and the Um Felt Carry are each made up of a single, ingeniously cut piece of industrial felt and a zipper. They have a clean, modern look and they can be unzipped and laid flat right along with your best travel duds. The grey felt is standard on all the bags but you can choose your zipper color to add a hint of fun color (the orange or yellow are my picks). So, go ahead, zip it up!

Ooooo Barracuda

And so I come to the last Isla Mujeres post. It's so so hard to let go, reliving the trip has been really fun, a trip back in the future is inevitable. A few last important things to note:

Snorkeling and Scuba diving, you have to do one or the other and ideally both while you are there. We snorkeled right out in front of the hotel, mostly seaweed but there were some spotted flounders and other small fish, and down on the Garrafon Reef (even though the park was closed we could still swim along the protected reef). Down there we ran into some snarl-faced barracuda and saw parrot fish that must have weighed 150 lbs (not kidding, they were giant and purple and biting off big chunks of the coral reef), along with many other types of marine life. We went Scuba diving with Cruise Divers, and we had a really good experience. My parents were avid divers when I was a kid and we lived a short drive from a coast crowded with incredible reefs. Consequently I spent most weekends snorkeling on top while they dove down below and then using the last of my dad's air to dive a few feet down on the reef to practice. My better half learned to dive in the murky and frigid waters of a Connecticut lake, and moving back to the States put a cramp in my diving style, so we were excited to have a chance to dive in Isla Mujeres. Since neither of us had been in a while, we signed up for a refresher lesson where we joined by a couple of German guys who had never been diving before. If you've never done any diving you can take a brief lesson and go out for a shallow open water dive with the guide/instructor so you can see whether or not it's really for you. They are used to people who just want to test the waters and they offer several levels of certification as well, so you can do whatever your time, budget and psyche allow. We only did one dive but it definitely whetted my appetite for the next time. It was on the Manchones Reef and the water was about 40' deep, with giant coral outcroppings that you could swim along and over and in between. The water was warm and clear as glass, I was sad to return to the boat when our air got low. The tranquility of the underwater world and the rhythm of my own breathing relaxed me to my core.

One thing we didn't have time to do, that I really regret, is to take a day trip to Isla Contoy an island bird sanctuary just to the north of Isla Mujeres. Reservations need to be made in advance since only a limited number of visitors are allowed each day. Many places on Isla Mujeres can make the arrangements, we could have gone through our hotel, or other tour services on the island. There are also Isla Contoy dive packages where you visit the sanctuary and do a dive in the same day. I guess we had to save something for the next time... adios Isla Mujeres!

Huff and Puff

So, when I was a teenager, my mom bought an inflatable travel pillow, to go along with her fabulous airplane blinders, and I spent many hours next to her on airplanes being mortally embarrassed about how dorky she looked. It was many years later that I finally threw my own concerns about dorkiness out the window and broke down and bought my own travel pillow. I did it because I flew somewhere with my mom and she lent me her pillow during the flight and that was it, I was converted. I had to have one. Most of the bad things about trying to sleep on airplanes were solved by this simple yet goofy item. Issues like having your neck loll around so that you drool on your own shoulder - or the shoulder of your seat mate are solved, simply inflate, place behind head and relax. There many different variations on the travel pillow, buckwheat filled, soft squishy ones, and inflatables. My mother now has a soft squishy one by a company called Fom, but it takes up some space, so she carries it in a special bag separate from her carry-on. The buckwheat and flax seed pillows present a similar problem. I opted for inflatable to save space in the carry on but then you get to spend a couple of minutes huffing and puffing into it to blow it up. You'll forget about that once you fall asleep though! Travel pillows are available from many different stores, Brookstone carries a pretty good selection, you can also find them at Flight 001, and in the Muji section at the Moma Store. So blow up and rest easy!

Slow Food

On the first day, when we entered the Laguna Makax, we passed this restaurant overhanging the water and I resolved that we had to find it and eat there. When we passed by on the boat an atmosphere of calm and relaxation emanated from the patrons who were eating and enjoying some beers. I became even more resolved when I didn't see any signs pointing to it from the main road, so one day I proclaimed that we had to turn off the road and drive around in the general area until we found it. My boyfriend was skeptical but I was adamant so turn off we did, onto a dusty dirt road that wound around without too much purpose. Finally we saw the spot from across a lot and had to do some more driving around in order to finally pull up in front of El Varadero de Oscar. The place is tiny, there are a few inside tables and then about four tables out on the deck. The atmosphere is simple and tropical with a juke box that played old Mexican oldies and Elvis. We put money in and chose some songs, but it seemed like the box played what it wanted most of the time. The menu is fresh grilled seafood served with potatoes. We were a little late for peak lunch time so the guacamole had already run out, so we ate chips and salsa and drank Corona while we waited for our meals. I ordered a whole grilled fish and followed the examples of the other patrons and threw the bones into the water when I was done. As they sank down, fish who had been waiting under the deck swam out to nibble the leftover meat. I can't give accurate directions of how to get there but it is definitely worth the trip, exploring the back roads of the neighborhoods was fun too.


One thing that I tried to have at least once a day was a fresh coconut - coco frio. I grew up in the tropics so coconuts are are very nostalgic for me and I seek them out whenever I am in a tropical country. Lucky for me there were several roadside stands around the island where you could stop and have a quick coco to cool you off.
Our hotel included breakfast and one other meal everyday and on most days we opted for dinner. At lunch we were usually out exploring so we grabbed something light along the way, but the dinner at Restaurant Casa Rolandi was something we looked forward to. The menu was mostly Italian, and the food was very good, but there were some local options too, delicious ceviches and lots of other fresh fish dishes on the menu. The location is incredible, a deck out over the ocean overlooking the twinkling lights of Cancun after dark, and it was a popular restaurant for guests and non-guests alike. One night during our stay we had our dinner down on the sand. The waitstaff at the Hotel Villa Rolandi was really great, and they made our beach dinner beautiful and romantic, complete with a delicious flambe crepe desert while the waves lapped a few feet away.