Holo Holo Blog

Free Magazines (02.28.14)

There are several free magazines up for grabs today.

Better Homes and Gardens (1-Year Subscription)

Ebony (11-Issue Subscription)

Bridal Guide (2-Year Subscription)

Oregon Coast Getaway Part 5: Astoria

We drove from Cannon Beach to Astoria which took approximately one hour. The wind and rain had picked up and our hotel check-in time wasn't until 4pm. We had a lot of time to kill and ended up at the Columbia River Maritime Museum.

There was an interesting array of fishing boats, sail boats and a Coast Guard display.

I was fascinated by this ship model that took someone 5 years to build. I don't have that kind of patience.

If you peek through the window, you get a glimpse of the Lightship Columbia which you can also tour.

The Kid did not like walking up the metal ramp which moved with the motion of the boat. I didn't get a chance to take photos of the cramped quarters below because I hate closed in spaces. I could never live on a ship.

You can't visit Astoria without stopping at the Goonies House! I was, of course, the only one excited about seeing the house. It started to rain harder as I trecked up the hill to the Goondocks. A group of other Goonies fans walked down and I asked "Is it as exciting as it seems?" They laughed and one of the girls answered "I want my money back!" to which I replied "Hey, at least it's something to do."

So, it wasn't as exciting as I had hoped but it was still a fun 5 minute jaunt.

We finally made it to the Cannery Pier Hotel which sat on a pier. Go figure. All the rooms had a view and a balcony with a bigger view.

Our stay in Astoria was short and we headed back to Portland where we came across the Danner Outlet.

At the back of the store you can view workers resoling boots. I walked out with a pair of hiking shoes. They weren't on sale but there was no sales tax and no shipping fees.

Our Oregon coast trip was short, sweet, cold, wet and fun. Goodbye Oregon winter, hello Las Vegas sun!

$5 for $10 at Whole Foods Groupon

Hurry up! This deal won't last forever and you may never see it again. Groupon is offering a Whole Foods deal. Get $10 worth of Whole Foods for only $5!

Oregon Coast Getaway Part 4: Cannon Beach

On the way to Cannon Beach we saw ocean, rocks and a herd of elk in someones backyard. We flipped a U-e (is that how you spell it?) and saw another guy taking photos of the herd. By the time I got out of the car, they had disappeared down the hill. Bummer. No pics to share.

We made it to Cannon Beach and see the famous Haystack Rock. I am a Goonies fan so I had to ask where the pirate ship was.

Can you imagine waking up to this view everyday? Pretty awesome.

The wind was picking up and it was brrrrr....cold. It's a good thing we had only a few more minutes to kill before Mo's Chowder opened for lunch. We were told that they had the best clam chowder.

Lunch also came with a view.

We watched people walk by and dogs playing fetch in the surf.

Then our lunch came. The clam chowder was as good as it looked.

I had the crab melt while The Kid had Grilled Cheese. The Mister had a Blackened Cod Sandwich which looked and tasted delicious.

 Total cost of lunch: $30-ish (Hey, I was on vacation and lost track of our spending by this time!)

Mo's Restaurant - Cannon Beach
195 Warren Way
Tolovana Park OR
(503) 436-1111

Oregon Coast Getaway Part 3: Tillamook

I didn't really have a large list of things to see and do for this Oregon coast getaway except for the Tillamook Cheese Factory tour. I heart cheese, grilled cheese, cheesecake, cheese bread, cheese sticks and more cheese.

My travel companions weren't as excited about the visit. But who cares? For once it was all about me. And cheese.

And cheese on wheels.

The first thing that you notice when you enter the building is the smell of (sniff, sniff) waffle cones. Did I see my travel companions perk up? I think they did when they saw the ice cream cases.

Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the cheese making process. There are benches situated in front of a television and wall of cheese and dairy fact charts. 96 lbs! Poor cow.

Walk up a flight of steps and watch the magic of cheese preparation and packaging.

Those are huge blocks of cheese being sliced into smaller blocks.

We weren't sure what was going on here. I suppose we could have found out if we watched a few of the videos.

Unfortunately, we were on a time schedule and a choice needed to be made between educating ourselves or sampling cheese and visiting the Tillamook cheese store. Guess which activity won? Give me a toothpick and a shopping basket.

Since it was 9 am, we had the breakfast of champions. Ice cream. The Mister had Chocolat Peanut Butter in waffle cone (of course), The Kid had Cookie Dough and I had some sort of Salted Caramel ice cream. Don't worry. We saved room for lunch.

Total cost of factory tour: Free

Tillamook Cheese Factory
4175 Highway 101 North
Tillamook, OR 97141
(800) 542-7290

Oregon Coast Getaway Part 2: Lincoln City

We were starving by the time we reached Surftides in Lincoln City, our lodging for the night. Luckily, we didn't have to go far for dinner. Surftides has a cozy restaurant called MIST that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. I recommend the crabcakes as an appetizer. Delish! The Mister had surf and turf, The Kid had mac and cheese, and I had the smoked salmon pasta. Everything was yummy and the servers were extremely quick (see the menu). We watched them as they literally ran from table to table to assist their customers. Two thumbs up for great service.

We were beat and hit the hay. My internal clock insisted I wake up at 5 am and I dragged myself out of bed and took the opportunity to freeze my toes off on the balcony overlooking this view of the ocean and sounds of the surf. Pretty cool huh?

6 am. Where is the daylight? The sun is up at 5:30 am in Las Vegas. Lincoln City apparently sleeps in. However, the seagulls are awake.

Our stay in Lincoln City was very brief since we had only a few days to explore. But before we left, we had to take a stroll on the beach. It actually means the "I" took a stroll on the beach. The boys had no interest whatsoever in getting sands in their shoes or braving the cold winds on the beach.

To the beach!

Here is a view of the Surftides from the beach. Cold, cold, cold beach.

I stood and watched the foam fly away for awhile but realized the boys were waiting for me to stop playing tourist.

Goodbye Lincoln City. It was fun!

Total cost of ocean view room with two queen beds (holiday weekend rate): $159.99 + tax

If your vacation days are flexible, check out the current Surftides Storm Watchers Package: a two-night stay for two for only $250 per couple.

Surftides
2945 NW Jetty Avenue
Lincoln City, OR 97367
(800) 452-2159

Oregon Coast Getaway Part 1: Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum

We flew into Portland International Airport after a delayed flight to find lots of rain and heavy winds due to several storm systems moving through the area. The next several hours was spent fighting the rain and visibility on a winding one lane road to the Oregon coast. What should have been a two hour drive took at least three hours. I think.

Along the way, we came across this building in McMinnville, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. Unfortunately, they were closing in 15 minutes. Fortunately, the person at the desk was nice enough to let us wander around for the last 15 minutes for free. We saved $73.00 but we didn't see as much as we had wanted.

I didn't even have time to catch his name. I had to look him up on the internet. Let me introduce you to Captain Michael King Smith.

The first thing that you notice as you walk into the space is the Spruce Goose. It's ginormous. I saw it once when it was displayed near the Queen Mary in California. Howard Hughes thought this boat could fly? I don't think so.

There were so many things to see but our 15 minutes were up and were told that the museum was closing. Definitely a must-see if you are in the area.

Total cost of 15-minute visit: FREE

Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
500 Northeast Captain Michael King Smith Way
McMinnville, OR 97128
(503) 434-4180

K-Drama Binge Watching Makes Me Hungry

Lately we have been making an effort to cut down on movie rental spending. We have a monthly subscription to Netflix streaming and used it fairly often in the past. But now we are streaming movies and television shows daily with our wonderful Roku player and have found ourselves, minus The Kid, K-drama binge watching. We started with The Great Doctor (a.k.a. Faith) starring Lee Min Ho and Kim Hee Sun. The High Doctor (Kim Hee Sun) is a plastic surgeon who is kidnapped from 700 years in the future by the Choi Yong (Lee Min Ho) to save the Princess who has been injured.

 

I find it funny that instead of using "him" or "her" the subtitles always say "that person". I also find it amusing that Asian romantic scenes seem extremely awkward. The actors look so uncomfortable when they hug or kiss. Tee-hee. It really does make me giggle.

We just recently finished binge watching the Rooftop Prince which had me ROFLOL half of the time. The other half of the time I wanted to reach through the television to strangle a few characters.

 

But mostly I found myself laughing...

 

And getting hungry. Throughout the show they kept eating omurice. It looked so good that we finally made a trip to Aloha Kitchen. They have a Hawaiian version of omurice called the Fried Rice Omelette. The Mister ordered the Portuguese Sausage Fried Rice Omelette and I got the Adobo Fried Rice Omelette. The Kid ordered his usual Hamburger Steak.

It was so good! We binged constantly this weekend and definitely did not stay within a budget of any sort. I guess that's why it's called binging.

Total cost of K-drama and food binge: $0.27 (Prorated $7.99/month Netflix Streaming) + $24.94 (Food) = $25.21

Aloha Kitchen
2605 S Decatur Blvd. #110
Las Vegas, NV 89102
(702) 364-0064

Public Libraries Offer Free Books, Music and More

When was the last time you visited your public library? Do you even own a library card? I typically visit the library at least once every two weeks with The Kid. The Las Vegas Clark County Library District not only lets you borrow books, but DVDs and audio books too. I know. That's not news to you. But did you know that some libraries allow you to access their virtual library online?

I love the fact that I can now borrow ebooks, eaudio books or digital magazines online and don't have to worry about late fees since I never have to physically return a book. My time expires and I don't have to do a thing.

A selection of music and videos can also be downloaded to your computer or mobile device for viewing.

What I love best about my public library? Access to Freegal Music which allows me to download 6 free MP3s each week. I went with what was popular this week:

• All of Me - John Legend
• Love Don't Die - The Fray
• Can't Remember to Forget You - Shakira feat. Rihanna
• Waiting for Superman - Daughtry
• Say Something - A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera
• I Need Your Love - Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding

Check out your public library and see what free services they provide. I heart the library (especially since my beloved Borders is no more).

Total cost of 6 MP3s: Free

Las Vegas Clark County Library District
Multiple Locations
(702) 734-READ

Braddah's Island Style - Hawaiian Kine Burritos and Tacos

We were craving Hawaiian food but definitely not the typical plate lunch. That meant only one thing, Braddah's Island Style. I have been driving by this building for a while now and it just so happens that it is located next to Nakata Market where we were doing some shopping. BTW, the photograph above is courtesy of the Las Vegas Informer since I didn't get a chance to snap a photo of the building exterior.

The first thing you notice when you walk up to the building is the smell of Hawaiian barbecue. Is that huli huli chicken I smell? Why yes, it is. So exciting!

The three of us opted for bowls. The Mister got this bowl of Pulehu Steak over seaweed rice with toppings galore.

The Kid got the Huli Huli Chicken with brown rice. Plain. So unadventurous.

I couldn't decide and got half Kalua Pig and half Grilled Fish. Uh, don't ask me why I asked for cheese. Seriously? Cheese and fish? Not one of my best decisions but I was feeling pressured and forgot I wasn't at Chipotle!

I did, however, make the great decision in purchasing a small Box of Coconut Bark. It is definitely broke da mout and then some.

The chocolate, the caramel, the coconut, the cavities...but well worth it.

If you plan to visit Braddha's, be sure to take a picture of your toes in flip flops and post it on their Facebook page. You will receive free chips and guacamole.

Total cost of food binge: $33.02

Braddha's Island Style Burritos, Bowls & Tacos
2330 S Rainbow Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 220-0767