TRIP - Niagara Falls & Buffalo

Labour Day long weekend

Friday

• Tzu Chi event - big crowd

Saturday

• IKEA
• Hotel - Four Points by Sheraton Fallsview (3000 SPG points vs. $500+ cash rate)
• Walked the falls - it was like raining, cold
• Took the incline back to hotel, drove out for dinner and drove by Clifton Hills

Sunday

• Used the swimming pool and arcade in hotel
• Drove to USA, hotel (15K Marriott points), Cheesecake Factory ($50 USD)
• Visited Walmart - it's huge

Monday

• Frand Lloyd Wright Martin Complex
• Forest Lawn Cemetary - it's big, peaceful, and beautiful
• Elmwood Village - meh
• Buffalo Naval & Military Park - Groupon $24 USD/1-year membership. Spent good 3 hours here on the 2 ships & 1 submarine

TRIP - Buffalo for March Break weekend 2015.03

First March Break (sort of) for Ella and Chinese school, so we decided to go somewhere - Buffalo (it was initially Detroit, but Buffalo was closer & easier)

Saturday

• IKEA Burlington
• Lunch - $20
• Butterfly Conservatory with $20 Niagara Pass (+WeGo bus 48 hours)
• Dinner - $45 USD @ Teton Kitchen
• Hotel - TownePlace Suites Buffalo Airport - FREE, courtesy of Chase Marriott credit card

Sunday

• Explore & More Child Museum in East Aurora, NY (3 hours)
• Cheesecake Factory - used up $25 gift card and 2 free Cheesecake slices
• Crossed the border with NEXUS, paid the toll with EZPass
• Journey Behind the Falls - only upper deck viewing area is open, cool but meh
• Walk around, took the WEGO Blue line back to Fallsview Casino ($5 parking) and head home

TRIP - Washington DC (#2)

Yes, it's another Trip Report, back to Washington DC again with 2 kids and no help (First time in Dec 2011 with Ella & Jason).
Overall it was a lot of walk for wife & kids and probably not as "packed" as we'd wish, but lessons learned for future - DC is a walking city, come prepared!!

Saturday

• Drove to Buffalo, using NEXUS to cross Peace bridge in 5 minutes, but the officer forgot to return 2 (out of 4) cards to us :(  Home->BUF in 2 hours though
• BUF->BWI on Southwest Shamu 737-700. BWI -> DC on B30 ($7) then Green line, then RED line (construction)/shuttle to Noma
• Lunch - Sala Thai
• Nap at hotel
• Union Station-DC Circulator-long walk to Lincoln Memorial. Crazy UberX back to hotel
• Dinner - Five Guys Burger
• Hotel - Courtyard Washington, DC/U.S. Capitol (free night)

Sunday

• Smithsonian Castle, walk to the White House
• Lunch - Taco, neat place
• National Gallery of Art
• Dinner - Five Guys, McDonald's
• Hotel - Courtyard Washington, DC/U.S. Capitol (free night)

Monday

• Pack and check-out
• Lunch - Union Station, crepes & pizza
• Walk to The Capitol
• MARC train to BWI
• Dinner - BWI & Buffalo Cheesecake Factory

Expenses

• Flights - $100 x 3
• Hotel - Free
• Gas - $50
• Credit Card (Food and Transportation and misc.) - $300