Travel+Experiment

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For this month also, my husband and I were invited to attend a wedding of for Brandon Tan and Sarah Bereza in Cincinnati, Ohio on May 10, 2015. Brandon is the first cousin of my husband. Our final plan was going for a road trip from Fayetteville, NC to Cincinnati, Ohio.

Day 1

So we decided to leave Fayetteville on May 8, 2015 (Friday) around 9:00 AM. Cincinnati is a nine hour drive away from Fayetteville, NC where we live. While it’s a very long hour drive however, we enjoyed the view of the mountains, hills, houses, farms, bridges and highway tunnels.

We stopped for a short break in West Virginia, had our lunch around 3:00 PM then we continue our drive.

We arrived in Cincinnati around 6:35 PM, had our dinner at Korea House Restaurant and stayed in Hampton Inn in Blue Ash city from Friday night to Monday morning.

Day 2

Its early Saturday morning (May 9, 2015) and we had our breakfast in the hotel. The hotel offers a free complimentary breakfast. They had variety of breakfast meals, drinks, desserts and fruits. We decided to visit Cincinnati downtown to have a view of the city. First, we went to the Cincinnati Art Museum.

Cincinnati Art Museum is one of the oldest art museums in the United States. Its collection of over 60,000 works and has paintings by several European Masters, including: Master of San Baudelio, Jorge Ingles, Sandro Botticelli ("Judith with Head of Holofernes"), Matteo di Giovanni, Mattia Preti, Bernardo Strozzi, Frans Hals, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ("St. Thomas of Villanueva"), Peter Paul Rubens ("Samson and Delilah") and Aert van der Neer. The collection also includes works by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet ("Rocks At Belle Isle"), and Pablo Picasso. The museum also has a large collection of paintings by American painter Frank Duveneck ("Elizabeth B. Duveneck").

Then we visited the Hyde Square Park. It was not crowded and it had a nice weather during the time of our visit. Hyde Park is a neighborhood on the east side of Cincinnati, Oh

io. The heart of Hyde Park is Hyde Park Square; the square features a park in the center surrounded by retail shops and restaurants.

We tried Mexican restaurant for our lunch. We went to Mazunte Taqueria Restaurant in Madison Cincinnati. We ordered tortilla chips, buttered fried fish tacos, chicken enchiladas and tostadas. The food here was so delicious.

We went also to Carey Crew and Observation Deck building. It has a 360 degree view of the city. We were so amaze of the city for the first time we went to the roof deck. We took a lot of pictures of us from the roof deck.

After the Carey Tower, we walked to the riverfront downtown. It was great to see the Blue Bridge, the stadium, the park, restaurants in one location. There were families who enjoyed strolling along with their kids and pets. We were so glad we toured and saw the beauty of the city.

As part of the wedding, we headed to the rehearsal dinner around 7:00 PM. All of the families, close friends and relatives of the bride and groom were all there, joyously celebrating with the bride and groom. During the dinner also, they celebrated the Mother’s Day specially dedicated to the groom’s grandmother and all the mothers who have attended. The sons of the grandmother gave a special message to her. A very touching and loving message to their mother, made us cry as we listened.

After dinner, we decided to have a bonding time with the entire family and headed to Buffalo wings sports bar around 10:00 PM to have a small talk and catch up with each other. We went back to the hotel around 12:00 AM.

Day 3

As early as 9:00 AM in Sunday morning (May 10, 2015), the family decided to have breakfast at First Watch restaurant for the mother’s day celebration. We enjoyed the family get together, chitchat and the restaurant has very good servings of food plus they gave assorted chocolates as their mother’s day gift.

It’s the wedding day; the ceremony will start at 3:30 PM at Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church ceremony is different from Catholic Church. It is a 45 minute wedding ceremony. First is the Introduction, The exchange of the rings, The Procession, Declaration of intent and lighting of candles, the crowning, the gospel, Removal of the crowns, and the last is the greeting of the couple. It was my first time to attend a wedding here in United States.

The bride and groom were looking good and looked so happy. The pictorial with the bride and groom was up next right after the ceremony.

The dinner and dancing was held in the Little Red School House reception hall. The food was great and everybody was happily enjoying the simple festivity.

Day 4

Early in the morning around 7:00 AM in Monday morning (May 11, 2015) we ate our breakfast and went drive back home to Fayetteville, NC. Thanks for the awesome experience Cincinnati, Ohio. Till next time..

Happy Travels!

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Welcome to Travel+Experiment!

My husband lives in Fayetteville, North Carolina for fourteen years. This was his first duty station in the 82^nd Airborne Division as an airborne aviation mechanic. During his stay, he started his auto shop business specializing in import performance with a dynamometer as his tools for tuning for ten years. After his completion of his military commitment for six years he continued working in Fort Bragg.

On the other hand, I arrived and stayed here in Fayetteville for a year with my husband. This is the first United States city since I arrived from the long flight from the Philippines. Then, we got married by July 2014. I am living here for almost a year now just then my husband decided to pursue his college education in Florida. Sad to say, we will be leaving soon this place. I will miss you Fayetteville NC.

For some of you who are not familiar with Fayetteville or just newly moved in here, this place has been very good to those who work in government contracts. It has a very lucrative high paying income when it comes to contracting jobs. It is very rich in military culture as right next door to Fort Bragg and Pope Army Airfield, Fayetteville and is military oriented. And people who got out of military stay here for that reason. It is also a growing city because of the military population that was consolidated from other closed bases. Some of the people here nickname Fayetteville as Fayetnam because there are a large portion of Vietnam era soldiers veterans living in Fayetteville. The location of the city is also the middle of Florida and New York. It is located in the I-95 corridor.

Our apartment has a nice strolling area and it has great and modern amenities from saltwater pool, clubhouse, 24hr fitness center, Dog Park, children’s playground, poker tables, game room, billiard room, basketball court, tennis courts, to outdoor grill.

Every afternoon when it’s warm outside we love walking around the neighborhood with my husband. We will definitely going to miss this place and our very own apartment.

Places to Eat: These are highly recommended establishments and these are the places we frequented while on a budget. If you happen to be around Fayetteville, we suggest to visit one of these.

1. Asian Express Restaurant

This restaurant offer authentic Thai and Chinese cuisines. They have a small quiet place and their service is fast and they have a nice and friendly staff too. Their food menu prices are inexpensive and especially when you are on a budget you can buy at a very reasonable price at a large portion. Before you order the food, make sure you inform the server to not put MSG and ask the spice level of the food they will serve. The restaurant is quiet and clean. There are three Asian Express stores conveniently located here in Fayetteville and all are in the same family owned restaurant which belongs to one of the Saephan family.

My husband and I love to order the Thai soup which is the tom yum chicken, spring rolls, pepper steak and the panang chicken. The soup is very good and healthy. We just love their food and its one of a kind.

Three convenient locations:

· Address: 528 S Reilly Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28314

Phone Number: (910) 864-5556

Business Hours:

Sunday-Saturday: 11:00 AM – 08:00 PM

· Address: 2622 Hope Mills Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28306

Phone Number: (910) 426-9828

Business Hours:

Monday-Friday: 11:00 AM – 08:00 PM

Saturday: 01:00 PM – 08:00 PM

Sunday: Closed

· Address: 5066 Yadkin Rd Fayetteville, NC 28303

Phone Number: (910) 868-5559

Business Hours:

Sunday-Saturday: 11:00 AM – 08:00 PM

2. Vietnamese Restaurant

We love also this restaurant because they offer healthy food menu and at very affordable price. They have friendly staff, fast service, the ambiance is clean and the place is filled mostly with families and couples. They serve a very delicious, healthy dishes and pho soups in huge servings. They also serve fresh vegetables in a large platter that are crunchy and taste palatable. The meat is so tender and the pho is absolutely flavorful.

One of our favorites is the Pho, spring rolls; their flounder is so huge serve in a platter, C42 combination, and P10, one of the highly recommended dishes.

· Address: 5352 Yadkin Rd, Ste 104, Fayetteville, NC 28303-3293

Phone Number: 910-867-1108

Business Hours:

Tuesday-Sunday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM

3. Sapporo Restaurant

We have been here in this place for several times with my husband. We always love their sushi, jap-chae and sashimi. The service is fast and they have friendly staff too. Their menu prices are at affordable price. We always love their free miso soup with two cubes of tofu and few shreds of seaweeds. They have also free slices of orange as dessert at the end of the meal. They also offer catering services.

· Address: 649 N Reilly Rd #103, Fayetteville, NC 28303

Phone Number: (910) 867-8884

Business Hours:

Monday-Saturday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Sunday: 12:00 PM – 09:00 PM

4. Big Apple Restaurant & Sports Pub

People living here called this place “a premier night life hotspot” in Fayetteville. This restaurant offers a variety of menu from American, Italian, Asian cuisines. It has a nice atmosphere, great food, good drinks, big TV screens, pool tables, dance, play poker and lively music. A great place to visit with a group of friends. Guests who often visit here are usually the military people.

· Address: 5066 Yadkin Rd Fayetteville, NC 28303

Phone Number: (910) 868-5559

Business Hours:

Monday-Friday: 11:00 AM – 02:00 AM

Saturday-Sunday: 12:00 PM – 02:00 AM

5. Mellow Mushroom

We went to this place for the first time when we were invited by mu husband’s relatives. We highly recommend the Holy Shiitake Pizza which Olive oil and garlic base, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and mozzarella cheese. Garnished with fresh chives and shaved Parmesan, calzones and pretzels. The food was delicious and great tasting pizza. The place was packed a lot of TV screens. The service is good and friendly. This place is a great for families and friends.

We would recommend this place to any pizza lover.

· Address: 301 N McPherson Church Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28303

Phone Number: (910) 779-2442

Business Hours:

Monday-Saturday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Sunday: 11:00 PM – 09:00 PM

6. Wendy's

Choosing fast food restaurant can be tasking ordeal especially when there are numerous selection to choose from. The restaurant that we choose was Wendy’s because the latest consumer report always state that this establishment is better than the rest of the fast food industry. The combination selections are enough to which you are not confused on which to choose what to eat. The double cheeseburger combination is the first time we ordered when I got here. The meat with its dressing has a mouthwatering flavor, it taste delicious and savory. The square patties burger made with fresh ground beef is so tender and moist. We keep buying their burgers, French fries, and frozen desserts and these are all in affordable prices especially when you are on a budget.

· Address: 5740 Yadkin Rd Fayetteville, NC 28303

Phone Number: (910) 868-5410

Business Hours:

Monday-Sunday: 10:30 AM – 12:00 AM

7. Mellow Mango

This is a frozen yogurt store that has a 16 yogurt flavors. The Mellow Mango features low-fat, non-fat and no-sugar-added (NSA) choices, as well as non-dairy premium frozen yogurt. These are all tastes yummy and delicious. This is a self-service which you can choose in your own and customized your ice cream and yogurt combo exactly the way you want it to be. Their toppings are available in fruits, candies, chocolates, nuts, whipped creams and syrups. The price is based on the weight of the cup so choose the toppings to those you love. The place is quiet and clean. They have fast service and friendly staff. Plus free Wi-Fi.

My husband and I love this place. We dated simply here once in a while.

Address: (The Highland Centre) 2800 Raeford Rd, Suite 3 Fayetteville, NC. 28303

Phone Number: 910-433-0770

Business Hours:

Monday-Thursday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Friday-Saturday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Sunday: 02:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Address: (Traemoor Plaza) 3007 Town Center Dr. Fayetteville, NC 28306

Phone Number: (910) 223-9656

Business Hours:

Monday-Thursday: 11:00 AM – 09:00 PM

Friday-Saturday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Sunday: 01:00 PM – 09:00 PM

Address: (Ramsey Commons) 4401 Ramsey St, Suite 108 Fayetteville, NC 28311

Business Hours:

Monday-Thursday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM

Friday-Saturday: 11:00 AM – 01:00 AM

Sunday: 02:00 PM – 12:00 AM

Asian Market Store: If you are planning to buy for some Filipino products then this is the best available store you need to go.

1. Sun Asian Super Market

This Asian Supermarket is a Korean owned store. The store has a high volume traffic in which their product is always rotating and never have a problem with expired merchandise like those around town. They have meats, seafood, fresh fruits, vegetables and wide varieties of ice cream from Magnolia, Selecta. We always buy our Filipino food here because of their vast variety products from the Philippines. The place is a medium size supermarket.

· Address: 404 Santa Fe Dr # 100, Fayetteville, NC 28303

Phone Number: (910) 868-9954

Business Hours:

Monday-Saturday: 09:00 AM – 09:00 PM

Sunday: 12:00 PM – 07:00 PM

Tool Warehouse: Affordable tools what you are looking for, visit Harbor Freight!

1. Harbor Freight

This store has a wide variety of affordable repair tools, car & maintenance tools such as vehicle repair kits, house & industrial tools such as compressors, paint tools, heavy duty drills, welding & machine shop tools, quality tool storages, electric power tools, battery powered & maintenance tools, industrial wrenches, saws, and all other types of machineries. They have also a website which you can also purchase with them. They distribute their weekly newspaper ads with coupons and sale discounts in their store and also to those who subscribe online. We always love to buy here especially we are on a tight budget.

· Address: Eastside Shopping Center, 1330 Clinton Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28301

Phone Number: (910) 484-2180

Business Hours:

Monday-Saturday: 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM

Sunday: 09:00 AM – 06:00 PM

1. St. Ann Catholic Church

The things we love about this church are the friendliness of the church members, church goers and as wells as the traveling visitors. The atmosphere is very welcoming feeling the moment you enter the church. There are mixtures of demographics who attended to this church from newborn, children, teenagers, young adults and older people. This church has a nice homage with the Filipino culture that dedicates their service with Filipino mass presiding in Tagalog. They have also a weekly church leaflet that is sent to all members and church goers of the church every Sunday. It is a short written report that tells about the recent activities, plans of the church and also the homily for that day.

Recreation Park: A must try experience!

1. Mountain Bike/Hiking Trails/All American Trail in Smith Lake, Fayetteville NC

Bike Trails are open year round. There is a beginner, intermediate, and advanced trail, which can be ridden as individual segments or all together (8 miles total). Annual passes are $20 and day passes are $5.

The All American Trail is a ten to fifteen foot wide unpaved pathway designed for use by hikers, runners, and bicyclers. Horses are not permitted. The trail (currently eleven miles long) follows the perimeter boundary of Fort Bragg through North Carolina’s Sandhills Region and includes a 1,000 foot boardwalk that crosses Rockfish Creek and its wetlands. The terrain is mixed with sections ranging from nearly flat to fairly hilly.

The All American Trail will eventually extend through Cumberland, Hoke and Moore Counties — linking Fayetteville with Southern Pines.

Smith Lake Recreation Area Office Phone: (910) 396-5979
Location: Bldg. Q-2812 Smith Lake Road.
Entrance to Smith Lake Recreation Area (Park, Army Travel Campground and Beach) is accessible off of Honeycutt Road onto Smith Lake Road. The access road off of Murchison Road is now permanently closed. Please view Honeycutt Road Access Map onto Smith Lake Road.

Hours of Operation

§ Smith Lake Recreation Area Office: Thu-Mon (closed Tue & Wed): 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

2. Fishing in Wilmington

The distance from Fayetteville, NC going to Wilmington is 1 hour and 42 minutes. There are many options when you go fishing in Wilmington. There are fishing charters that are available all year around and fishing fish from a pier have always been an excellent way to enjoy fishing in NC. Unfortunately fishing piers have been under increasing financial pressure from real estate development and hurricanes and more are closing every year.

Wilmington Fishing Charters provides fishing excursions for the Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Bald Head Island, Southport and Topsail areas of coastal North Carolina. Learning the patterns that fish follow including depth, water temperature, types of bait they are biting and time of the year will help you catch more fish.

Wilmington Fishing specializes in near shore and off shore sport fishing. These are estimated price range when planning fishing. Sunset cruises are available, boat rides and tours also available.

1/2 day (5 hrs) $450
3/4 day (7 hrs) $650
Full day (9 hrs) $750
Rates for up to 4 passengers

It's not all just about the fishing. They can customize the trip to meet your specific needs according to what you would like to do, see, or catch and everything will be prepared. The pier also features a great tackle shop with bait and a restaurant with a great view. The pier is open seasonally from spring to fall and offers well-lit night fishing.

· Island Camping - Rates based on distance & equipment

· Sunset/Scenic Cruise - $75 an hour (max 6 people)

· Family Explorer Day

o 4 Hours- $350

o 6 Hours- $450

o 8 Hours- $550

o Rates are for 4 people, $50 for the 5th and 6th person

· Seafood Smorgasbord-$100 an hour

· Birdwatching/ Nature Tours-$75 an hour

1.) Wilmington Fishing Charters

Address: 101 Keel Street Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480

Phone Number: 910-620-7046

2.) Carolina Beach Fishing Pier

Address: 1810 Canal Drive Carolina Beach, NC 28428

Phone Number: 910-458-5518

3.) Kure Beach Pier

Address: Avenue K Kure Beach, NC 28449

Phone Number: 910-458-5524

4.) Outer Banks Fishing Pier

Address: 8901 Old Oregon Inlet Road Nags Head, NC 27959

Phone Number: 252-441-5740

5.) Nags Head Fishing Pier

Address: Nags Head, NC 27959

Phone Number: 252-441-5141

6.) Avalon Fishing Pier

Address: 2111 Beach Rd Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948

Phone Number: 252-441-7494

3. 37 Public Shooting Range Gun Club

This place has excellent varieties of weapons on sale, staff and firearms instructors as they are all certified and have many years of experience in either in U.S Special Forces or U.S Special Operations Command. They are very knowledgeable in weapons and tactics. The facility has a simulation on ambush on outside and inside of the car. They also have a gun shop for all types of firearms. They provide everything for rental equipment from pistols, revolvers, rifles to ear and eye protection. They provide training and education courses for those aspirants who want to learn fun and safe shooting experience. Although this place is pretty far from Fort Bragg area it is highly recommended for private citizen. The shooting range has multiple settings from the 25 yards to 1 mile and recommended you make appointment for the longer ranges for clearance.

· Address: 1331 Loop Road, Bunnlevel, NC 28323

Phone Number: (910) 893-9887

Business Hours:

Monday-Thursday: Closed

Friday: 02:00 AM – 07:00 PM

Saturday: 10:00 AM – 07:00 PM

Sunday: 01:00 PM – 07:00 PM

Had a Great Experience with Fayetteville, North Carolina...but we have to go..