Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
Happy 2022 to all my readers. Sorry for the delay in writing about anything for the past month. Work got the best of me and COVID finally caught up with me after two years of being super careful. Inevitable I suppose when you and your family work at he…
Author: Grab a Mile
Don’t miss out on visiting this Texas “town”
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
I’ve lived in Texas for about 20 years now (five of those years were in the Metroplex), but never have I considered Forth Worth as a destination ‘worth’ visiting. Part of it is because I live over here in Dallas and Fort Worth is 40 miles away (more th…
Could this be the finest hotel in Texas? (A Marriott Annual Free Night Stay)
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
Background: After about 2.5 years of virtually no stays at Marriott Hotels (or many chain hotels for that matter), the annual free nights I get from my holding various versions of the Marriott credit cards really started adding up and inadvertently ex…
My Favorite Place in Portland: Washington Park
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
As I said the Hyatt House Beaverton is located down the street from the Beaverton Central MAX Rail Station. It was a beautiful day in Portland so I decided to head out to the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. A day (24 hour) pass on th…
Hyatt House Portland/Beaverton: No Hassle Access to Downtown Portland
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
I checked into the Hyatt House Portland/Beaverton for my last night up in the Pacific Northwest. The Hyatt House Beaverton is a brand new category 2 Hyatt property and costs 8,000 points for a free night. The hotel was inaugurated back in February and …
A Walk in Downtown Seattle: A lot has changed?
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
After checking in to the Hyatt House, my sister and I headed out for some lunch and a roam around the city on this Monday afternoon. Our first stop was this hole in the wall Mediterranean place near the hotel called “Eggs and Plants.” The interesting p…
Review: Hyatt House Seattle/Downtown
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
I booked the Hyatt House Seattle/Downtown using my annual Hyatt free night certificate for 1 night. The hotel is a category 4 and normally costs 15,000 points per night. The hotel is located literally across from the Seattle Space Needle and is about a…
Our “Wonderful” AA Flight to Nowhere and DFW’s New D Gates
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
My sister graduated college back in May (both masters and undergrad) and wanted to go on a road trip out in the Pacific Northwest for her graduation trip. It seemed like a good time to make a trip because travel hadn’t totally restarted yet and flights…
Pictures from the Week: Flower Moon over Dallas Skyline
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
I’ve finally started getting out of my house more often with COVID-19 rates falling off and the weather being quite pleasant throughout the spring. I have to admit, I’m in a psychologically better place as things get better in the U.S with the pandemic…
My Top 10 Must-See Places on Maui (A Pictorial Journey)
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
Since 2009, when my parents bought an ill advised timeshare with Starwood Hotels (now Vistana owned by Marriott), Maui has sort of become a second home to us. Though we don’t go back to the island as often as we would like (there are far too many place…
Review: Westin Nanea Ocean Villas – Maui (PANDEMIC Edition)
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas are located on Maui’s western coast along Kaanapali Beach. I booked two 2 bedroom suites for 10 nights at this hotel using my parents’. vacation rental weeks which we haven’t used in ages due to the pandemic. It’s a long s…
Traveling to Hawaii during the Pandemic: My First Flight in 400 days
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
It’s been over 400 days since I last boarded a flight to anywhere or left the state of Texas for that matter. I know many of you have kept on traveling throughout the pandemic, for work or other purposes. While your bravery certainly made me want to ve…
My Moderna Vaccine Experience (After the Second Dose) and FAQs
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
Disclaimer: I am not a physician, please do not take my experience or advice as a prescription on how to handle your situation. Contact your PCP for any health related issues or questions. It’s been a while since I last wrote on here and that’s been …
An Emotional End to 2020 for me: I got the shot!
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
2020 has been a roller coaster of a year for everyone. No doubt one story overshadowed everything: COVID-19. It’s also a year where you guys haven’t seen very much of me in terms of blog posts or social media posts. There is good reason for it. I’ve tr…
Direct Link: AMEX 100k Platinum Offer (REFERRAL OFFER)
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
So I know this deal has been beaten to death, but I just noticed when I opened my American Express account today that the referral link from my account is now to the 100,000 Membership Points Offer for the American Express Platinum Card. I just signed …
My take on the state of air travel…….
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
Let me start of by just saying that despite all the bad news, the majority of us are taking the proper precautions and safeguarding the people around us. If we were just a minority, the virus would already have killed millions of Americans. With that b…
My Citi Thank You Points Finally Posted! (Pandemic Extension Story)
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
So I have some good news from my end. Citibank kept its end of the bargain and finally gave me the 60,000 points I was owed for reaching the spend limit on my Citi Premier Card. I just checked my latest points balance after my last statement and there …
My Favorite European Hotel: Best Western Plus Berghotel Rehlegg
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
This post has been pending for too long on my blog. I never could get this done with all the craziness that was happening last year with work, my grandfather’s cancer, and all the travel. Hopefully it’s not too late to write about what I re…
DEAL ALERT: Get $30 for Spending $30 Through Rakuten
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
I’m sure many of you by now are aware of Rakuten, the shopping portal which allows you to get American Express Membership Rewards Points or cashback on purchases made at various online vendors. Well Rakuten is now or has been offering a $30 new m…
My Favorite Air Show in the World
Written by Grab a Mile @ BoardingArea
After freezing out in the snow for the greater part of the morning to capture the image of the year (in my mind), I began to wish for some hot chocolate and the warmth of a fireplace. Nevertheless we (my cousin and I) waited out in the cold for a …