Archive for "Travel"
Our Go Cats on the Water Boat Tour
Posted on May 7, 2026 by Ching under Travel.
I mentioned JT and Go Cats on the Water in the previous blog so I thought I would talk about that adventure now. We were walking around our hotel on Sunday morning when we came across JT who was prepping these two-person catamarans for a tour. He asked if we were part of his group that morning and we told him no but were very curious about it. He gave us some info, along with their brochure. It seemed like a fun thing to do so Brian and I booked an excursion for Tuesday.
I actually found this same tour on Trip Advisor and Viator but the tour was going for around $180 per person. When I went to the website that JT told us (which was also listed on the brochure), they had a different booking platform that listed the same tour we wanted for only $155. I think I also found a $10 off coupon so our excursion only came out to $145 per person before taxes and fees. Even with the $50 gratuity, we were still well under the Trip Advisor/Viator price. I was really proud of myself for that. Anyway, that’s the first tip I’m going to share about this – try booking directly through the tour operator’s website (rather than using a third party like Trip Advisor or Viator) because you’ll probably get a better deal since you’re avoiding middleman fees.
Our excursion that morning was so much fun. Not only was JT he friendly and accommodating, but he also took the time to stop at several spots to tell us about the area, animals, etc. He was very informative. While we didn’t get to see any manatees, we did find some dolphins which we followed around for a bit. It was amazing! One of the best parts about our excursion was that it was only Brian and I booked that day so we got one-on-one attention from our tour guide. I feel like if there’s a line of catamarans, it’s hard for the guide to spend time with every single person. This leads me to my second tip – booking on a weekday is probably better because it’s going to be less busy than a weekend. You could get lucky like we did and turn a group tour into a personal tour without the extra up-charge.
Here are some of my favorite pics from the excursion:
Brian did a great job of following JT through all the twists and turns as we were going through the mangroves.
We stopped at a private island and explored for a bit.
It was here where we encountered another couple who arrived at the island via jet ski but their jet ski was stuck so they were having troubles trying to leave. Brian was a good Samaritan and help push the jet ski into the water so they could take off.
This is us cruising past our hotel at the tail end of our adventure.
Hands down, this was probably our favorite part of our trip to Naples this year. We really enjoyed having some down time to explore and be tourists instead of spending all of our time at the tournament (which we did quite a bit of as well). I’m looking forward to returning to Naples again next year and checking off some more items from our list.
No Comments
Hyatt House – Naples
Posted on May 6, 2026 by Ching under Travel.
We really enjoyed our stay at Hyatt House last month. It’s a much better (1,000 percent) than the La Quinta that we stayed at down the street from it when we were at the US Open four years ago. We were grateful to have enough points to cover our hotel stay because this place isn’t cheap. It’s around $250 a night, before taxes and fees. Even so, our stay wasn’t completely free. We had to pay $29 per day for parking. After eating dinner at the onsite restaurant one night and our parking fees, we got out of there paying a little over $300, which I thought was pretty good. It cost way less than our stay at La Quinta and that place was terrible.
Here’s the location of the La Quinta that we stayed at in 2022 relative to Hyatt House. They’re literally down the street from one another. There’s also a Holiday Inn Express next to the La Quinta, which also probably would have been better. The entire time we were at the La Quinta we were wishing we were at either Hyatt House or Naples Bay — or literally at any of the other hotels nearby. It’s soo freakin’ expensive to stay there, though, specially in April and specifically during the month of the US Open.
Brian, who is bougie as bougie can be, hated the La Quinta and practically banned me from choosing a hotel on my own from then on. But, since we were staying for like 8 or 9 days, I had to find a reasonably priced hotel. We really would have been better off staying at an AirBnB but Brian was super anti-AirBnBs back then. So a cheap hotel was my only option. I remember being proud of myself for finding a hotel that was around $85 a night (after staying there, we now know why). Even so, it was only that price because I booked it almost a year in advance. I looked at the price of the hotel per night during the week of our stay and they wanted almost $200 per night. It would have really chaffed by ass to pay that much for such a crappy room/hotel because it hurt my heart to even pay $85. Friends, it was not great. We vowed never to stay there again.
The following year in 2023, Brian and I got a 2 bedroom and 2 bath AirBnB near East Naples Community Park. It was actually really nice. We split the cost with mom and dad so it ended up coming out to be about the same as the La Quinta but the accommodations were way better.
Brian still prefers hotels to AirBnBs though, so for our most recent trip last month, we were back to staying in a hotel. We chose a much better one this time and we used credit card points to help cover the cost of our stay, which kept our lodging expense more manageable.
The pool at Hyatt House was way nice than the one at La Quinta and the view was so much better. We were next to the marina and, while our room only had a street view, at least we could enjoy views of the bay when hanging out at the common spaces of our hotel. There was no view whatsoever at the La Quinta.
There was also a boardwalk on the back of the hotel which led to the marina next door. We really enjoyed walking around the property.
The hotel breakfast (included) was also decent. So we saved a bit by eating breakfast at the hotel each morning (except on departure day because we had to be at the airport super early).
Latitude 26, the onsite restaurant, was not cheap but it was convenient. We ate there one night when we didn’t feel like walking or driving to dinner. They also have live music on some nights which was quite nice.
Here are some pics of our dinner.
I had crab cakes, which were fantastic (some of the better ones I’ve had – definitely way better than any I’ve had in Wichita), and Brian had a flatbread pizza.
Here’s a pic of Brian at dinner.
The other thing we liked about our hotel is that it’s the home base for Go Cats on the Water in Naples. We found this out while walking around one morning. We ended up booking a tour, which was amazing and definitely a highlight of this trip. More on that next time. Bottom line – we really enjoyed our stay at Hyatt House, even if we didn’t get VIP treatment like our friend Michael Cheung. More on that next time as well.
Come back next time for more stories from our trip. Have a fantastic day!
No Comments
K-Rico Mexican Grill
Posted on May 4, 2026 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
Bayfront Plaza is a cute hub across the bay from our hotel. We decided to walk over there for early supper on our second evening in Naples.
We chose K-Rico Mexican Grill because Brian said it had good reviews.
Brian was a tad grumpy until he had a bottle of beer in his hand.
I opted for a refreshing glass of sangria.
We sat at a table outside with a view of our hotel in the background.
Here are some food pics.
Dinner was good but also expensive. We decided we needed to find some cheaper dining alternatives for the rest of our stay in Naples. LOL. The experience was good overall all, though, and we were glad that the restaurant was within walking distance. We had a lovely walk to and from dinner. More on the rest of the food we enjoyed while in Naples, Florida on the next post. Until next time!
No Comments
Franklin US Open Pickleball Championships
Posted on April 29, 2026 by Ching under Pickleball, Travel.
Yes, you read that right. The Minto US Open is now Franklin US Open Pickleball Championships – at least this year, anyway. To get a recap from previous years, read this and this.
You can’t go to the US Open and not take a picture in front of this wall. It is iconic. I love how they add every single year so it’s easy to tell what year you were there. They’re starting to run out of room, though.
|
Some key differences between this year and previous years – besides the obvious absence of two major sponsors (Minto and Margaritaville) – the player goody bag was just a basic string bag and not as nice as past year’s bags, and there was not much in it this year in terms of swag. You still got a tournament shirt, though, which was nice and always appreciated. Since Franklin is the title sponsor, players also got a commemorative Franklin X40 ball this year. Brian and I ran into a few people at the tournament such as Ramon’s friend Johnny (whose last name I forget) and William and Rosti Sobek (below). |
 |
We also had a fun Lunar sighting. This young kid named Nicholas from California is sponsored by Lunar.
The usual suspects were there – Kyle Yates and Rob Cassidy.
We got to see Rich Lively, a senior pro who we met through our friend Susie Ternes because she hosted him one year.
And we got to watch Jack Oxler play several matches throughout the week.
And, of course, we also watched our favorite pro Jay Devilliers. He got to partner with Anna Leigh Waters in mixed doubles which was amazing!
My friend Laurie Adams and I played together in 3.5 women’s doubles 40-49 age group on Thursday. I can’t believe I didn’t get a picture of us in our matching Chicken N Pickle team uniforms!
Then on Saturday I played 3.5 mixed doubles 40-49 age group with Michael Cheung. We played in our matching Lunar shirts.
I actually got accept for 3.5 singles 40-49 age group as well but the event was on Saturday, April 11, the day we were flying in so I had to withdraw. At least I withdrew early enough that I didn’t have to pay for the event that I couldn’t play in.
I was a bit more subdued this year and didn’t hound people for pictures. Something I deeply regret because I love looking back at photos and there’s not as much for me too look back on from this last trip. However, I did get participate in the iconic US Open flag ceremony this year.
Brian didn’t want any part of it so he just stayed in the Fan Zone while Michael and I walked with the Philippine contingency. It was so cool. The flag ceremony is one of the most unique and distinctive features of the US Open tournament and I was grateful to be part of it. I want to bring the Wichita flag next year.
Besides spending time at the tournament, Brian and I got to eat some good (albeit expensive) food and do some touristy things while we were in Naples. I’ll share more about those activities in the next post. Stay tuned!
No Comments
Good Eats, St. Louis
Posted on December 26, 2025 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
Recalling some of the food we ate while we were in St. Louis a couple of months ago… The first place we tried was Truck Norris in Ellisville because it was close to both MPC Ellisville and our hotel in Chesterfield. This place originated as a food truck, which ended up getting wrecked so then they had to find a brick and mortar. Thus, Truck Norris, the restaurant, came to be.
Brian found this place while googling restaurants nearby with good reviews.
They have lots of beers on tap but are most known for their “totchos” – short for tater tot nachos, which ironically we did not have. We should have tried it but we only found out after we had already ordered our food.
Here are some pictures of the food we did have…
The next day we had lunch at a place called Ukraft in downtown St. Louis after checking out the Gateway Arch. It was highly recommended by one of the employees we met at the Arch. It was also just a short walk so we didn’t have to move our car.
I honestly don’t even remember what we ordered but we both enjoyed our meals. The chips were homemade and they gave you a generous helping. Our sandwiches and my side of slaw was good. My favorite part, however, was the brunch punch. It was alcoholic but tasted like fruit juice.
Later that evening we met up with my friend Christie Pink and her partner Travis at Billy G’s, a local restaurant chain.
Here are some pics of our dinner.
After dinner, we went to check out this place called the District which is an entertainment area with a music/event venue (the Factory), and several restaurants and bars.
We walked around and checked out a couple of places including a local brewery. It was a little bit chilly that night, which I wasn’t quite prepared for, so we didn’t get to enjoy much of the outdoor space but overall I found the District pretty cool. Will have to return to check it out over the summer or some other time when there’s better weather.
Anyway, that was pretty much the dining we had during our quick St. Louis getaway. The dining was mostly a side thing, though. Our main mission that weekend was for me to check off the St. Charles Chicken N Pickle location, which we accomplished. Five more locations to go!
No Comments
