coast to coast

yesterday i arrived home from a 33 day trip across 15 different cities.  here are the places i visited:

1. New York City, NY
2. Secaucus, NJ
3. Mount Pleasant, DC
4. Arlington, VA
5. Baltimore, MD
6. Portland, OR
7. Vancouver, WA
8.  Tacoma, WA
9.  Seattle, WA
10. Ketchikan, AK
11. Juneau, AK
14. Skagway, AK
15. Victoria, Canada

what an amazing adventure!  with so many new things and places to see i took tons of pictures (over a thousand) but i decided to narrow it down to my top 10 to give you a glimpse of my trip...in a nutshell.

lady liberty standing tall

9/11 memorial...never forgotten

arlington national cemetery - though these veterans were all in wheelchairs, they were determined to stand to salute as the trumpet sounded to taps.

WWII memorial, DC

mount st. helens, wa

the cassler pup, wizard (this was pre-haircut)

ketchikan, alaska

my mom in skagway, alaska

juneau, alaska - dog sledding w/ alaskan huskies.  these dogs were so much fun!
some of them are even training for the iditarod!  it was interesting to learn that
most of them are not purebred huskies.  they are mixed with other breeds to increase
strength and speed.

just an appetizer of one of our decadent meals on board 

 the last week of my vacation was spend aboard the Princess Star cruise ship where we visited various ports in alaska as well as victoria, canada.  let me just say that if you've never gone on a cruise before, it's a must do!  the ship experience in itself was amazing.  i was afraid of getting seasick because i'm pretty sensitive when it comes to motion but with the help of seabands, i didn't feel a twinge of sickness (hooray!)  

everyone on board from the stewards, to the wait staff, to the entertainers were all so hospitable!  many were also international so i got to meet people from all over the world...Philippines, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, France, England, Poland, and the list goes on and on.  these workers worked so hard and always had a smile on their face.  in chatting with a few of them, we came to learn that many of them are on a 6-9 month contract and they work every single day...no days off.  they were amazing       


besides all of the friendly people. the boat itself was fabulous.  it's pretty much a floating city with an amazing view.  there was so much to do on board.  there was a fitness center, spa, theater, numerous restaurants, casino, and shops.  the crew staff also puts on different shows (comedy, talent, musical, etc.) and hosts trivia games.  each night we got a copy of "The Patter."  The Patter was basically a newsletter laying out the next day's events...it was exciting to read.  the food was also very memorable.  we ate at what would be the equality of 5 star restaurants for almost every meal and it was all inclusive in the cruise fare which made it even more amazing!


then, in addition to all of the wonderful-ness of the ship, there are all of the ports that we got to visit.  alaska's ports were cute little towns sprinkled with colorful wooden buildings and much history.  at each port we took an onshore excursion.  in ketchikan, we saw a lumberjack show and walked through a totem pole park.  in juneau we got to meet alaskan huskies and ride on a dog sled.  in skagway we took a train ride on the white pass railway.  finally, in victoria we visited butchart gardents (it was beautiful!)


if you've never done a cruise before, i highly recommend the alaskan cruise! :)

if you like my photos, please "like" my facebook page! :)

https://www.facebook.com/sachiphotography

for my fellow foodie bakers, i also got to try some amazing cupcakes :)  i'll blog about them soon!