What's Your Favorite Place?

 

This makes the top ten boat toys list easy. We get asked this all the time and it's impossible to name one, or two, or even three. But it does make you think. So, we'll give a stab at it and would love your comments and personal favorites.
We are going to divide it up into a few categories and of course, we will write about what we know. We have sailed up and down the east coast from Maine to the Bahamas and then down to Trinidad, through the out islands of Venezuela, the ABCs, Columbia, and Panama, and back again. Most recently we sailed south from Florida to Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala. All these places were visited on this trip and in the boat (extended land travel excluded).

Favorite Island or group of Islands/Country/State
Bonaire
Saba
Ranguana, Belize
San Blas, Panama
Les Saintes, Guadeloupe
Bahamas
Out islands of Venezuela
Maine, USA
Georgia, US
Dominica

Favorite Bar
Nippers, Bahamas
Foxy's, BVI
Yoli's, Placencia, Belize
Ranguana Cay Bar, Belize
Jive City, Bonaire
Fantasy Island Marina, Roatan, Honduras

Happy Island, Union, SVG
Club Nautico, Cartagena, Columbia (torn down 2009)
Marina Paraiso, Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Favorite Anchorage/Moorings
Coco Bandares, San Blas
Hope Town, Elbow Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Placencia, Belize
Guaraca, Five Bays, Columbia
West End, Roatan
Deshaies, Guadeloupe
Tenant's Harbor, Maine
69th St., NYC
Isles of Shoals, NH
Wardrick Wells or Allen Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Salt Whistle Bay, Mayreau, SVG

Favorite City
Cartagena, Columbia
Savannah, Georgia
Placencia, Belize
Newport, RI
Annapolis, Maryland
Willemstad, Curacao
Charleston, SC
Portland, ME
NYC, NY
Beaufort, NC


Favorite Meal/Restaurant
Dasheen, Ladera Resort, St. Lucia
Hector's, Antigua, Guatemala
Bistro 45, Savannah, Georgia
Pooch's Front Porch, Charleston, SC
Bake & Shark, Richard's, Trinidad
Breakfast at DeTach, Placencia, Belize
Bistro Le Chocherd, Curacao
Manolo Caracol, Panama City, Panama
Olivia's, Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Favorite Beaches
Los Roques, Venezuela
Los Aves, Venezuela
Los Testigos, Venezuela
Nippers, Abacos, Bahamas
San Blas Islands, Panama
West End, Roatan, Honduras
Harbor Island, Eleuthera, Bahamas
Queen's Cays, Belize
North Beach, Isla Mujeres, Mexico


Favorite Marina
Tortugal Marina, Rio Dulce, Guatemala
Crew's Inn, Trinidad
Marina Paraiso, Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Club Nautico, Cartegna, Columbia (now torn down)
Brunswick Landing Marina, Georgia
New River Marina, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Beach House Marina, Surf City, North Carolina
Curacao Marine, Curacao
Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Brown's, Glocester, USA

NYC Briefly

Scott and I with grandsons Uzi and Daniel

Michal sandwiched in between Uzi and myself in a selfie

We wish we were able to stay longer visiting our oldest son and family in NYC. We had to sandwich 3 nights between doctor visits. They live in the upper east side and with some rearranging have room for us to stay. Driving into NYC and parking is a chore so we took Amtrak down from Rutland. There is one departure every day 11:06 AM that gets into Penn Station at 4:30 PM. The one return trip leaves at 2:19 PM and arrives around 7:30 PM.  It's $95 to NYC and $69 back. That's a lot cheaper than driving and parking. There is some pretty scenery, especially along the Hudson river too. 

Josh and Cookie

Josh and Michal have 5 children ranging in age from 23 to 13. All but one were there and the missing one, Maya, had visited us the week before. Three of the five are in medical school and the other two in high school.  Hopefully a few of them will come up for Thanksgiving 

Daniel making his famous chocolate
chip cookies!

We mostly hung around the house and visited but we did have a couple of outings - walking around Central Park, lunch at a great restaurant and a visit to the Metropolitan Museum. We wandered through a number of galleries with Uzi and Daniel and then Scott and I saw the Costume Institute Exhibit, everything from the macabre to the gorgeous.. 

Michal and several of the kids love to cook so we made some delicious meals. Michal specializes in Sephardic cuisine taught her by her mother.  I generally sous chef her but I also had fun with she and Shira making puff pastry Danish.  

Shira and I make blueberry cheese danish

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Lunch outdoors at the Cafe D'Alsace and it was amazing.

The view over the pond at the Central Park near us. As you can see one of our days we had lovely weather - warmer than Vemont.