My First Uber Ride!

It's about 3:20 am and I just completed my first Uber ride! I was wondering what all the hype was about because I have seen their advertisements on the sides of buses and have friends that request an Uber pickup after a late night outing in Manhattan. I never really asked questions about it because I don't frequently call a cab. I normally call a local car service to get to work in the wee hours of the morning when you are more likely to see sketchy people roaming in the streets. Unfortunately I've had a lot of disagreements with the local guys because they are rude when I call and normally cannot give me an ETA. Worst yet they beep the horn and wake up the neighbors. Then I get stressed about having enough cash on hand to pay my cab fare. So I had a great painless experience using Uber. I didn't have to talk to anyone, I knew the name of the person coming, type of car to look for, when they would arrive and how much I would pay. I fee the service is very personalized and safe. They were reasonable compared to taking a yellow cab. I liked being able to get in the care and say "Good Morning Malek, thanks for coming to get me so quickly."  Malek and I had a nice conversation in my 10 minute ride and I learned that anyone with a drivers license can become an Uber driver and make a nice income. The best part of this experience was I rode for FREE! I had a coupon for $20 off my first ride and my estimated fare was $15-$21 dollars. If I had paid, that ride would have cost me about $5 bucks more than the local guys but it was a lot less stress. I also received a coupon code to send my friends to get free or discounted rides! (Use my coupon code for your free ride today "angelaw2640ue") Sharing is caring!!!  When you download the app we both can earn free rides! Here I thought this was just another expensive black car cab service; boy was I wrong! So let me give you some general information on Uber.

It is a 6 year old international transportation company that started in San Francisco and has been spreading from city to city like wildfires. Uber allows the customer to request a taxi, private car or rideshare from their app which you can download on most smart phones. The app is free to and it will connect you to a driver in minutes based on your GPS location. 

You can use Uber in a few easy steps once you have downloaded the app. 

First you need to set up a payment method using your credit or debit card or google wallet. Uber runs a cashless operation. Your fare is automatically deducted once you reach your destination. I have read their policy is no tipping because you don't need cash to ride with Uber. 

Here are the steps when you are ready to request a ride...

1) login to the app

2) choose the type of service you need (i.e. uberpool, uberx, uberxl, uberblack, or suv, etc.)

3) tap to set pick up location (make sure your GPS is turned on) 

4) tap plus sign next to pick up location to enter destination (you may request fare estimate or use promo code at this time) 

5) tap request uber...(whatever type of vehicle you had previously selected) 

After step 5 you will see cars on the map on the screen closest to your location. Once an Uber driver accepts your request  you will receive the name and photo of your driver, make of car and an estimated time of arrival (ETA). Once you have been picked up you and the driver will get the same route so you may follow along from your phone. There is even an option to share your ETA with your friends and family.

Go ahead and download the app and make sure you use my coupon code angelaw2640ue for your 1st ride free! What do you have to lose? Nothing right? So what are you waiting for? #UBER

Swizzle Inn Bermuda

Besides the beautiful beaches and the friendly people Rum Swizzle, Bermuda's National Drink will keep you coming back to the island! Rum Swizzle is made from Bermuda's own Gosling's Black Seal and Gold Rum mixed with various fruit juices.  Click here to learn to make your own!
Today I stopped by The Swizzle Inn a very Historic Pub and Restaurant on the Island which opened their doors in 1932. The building was a homestead from the 1600's. It is located in Bailey's Bay at 3 Blue Hole Hill, about a stones toss from the Airport. They have a second location in Warwick the west end of the island. You can buy Swizzle by the cup, half a jug or full jug. They also carry  coke products and milkshakes. The menu is quite extensive so it was hard to decide what to eat. After a chat with our server Megan assuring me everything was excellent, I ended up choosing the Wahoo Burger, it's a Swizzle Inn original recipe!!! Wahoo is a type of fish found in Bermuda that I tend to refer to as Yahoo fish as my friends laugh at me for never saying it properly. The burger is made of fresh ground wahoo seasoned with cilantro, lime and ginger topped with lettuce and tomato, served with salad or fries. I chose seasoned fries.  Wahoo is a mild white fish.  I'd recommend it for someone who's not really into fish but would like to try something different. The food was delicious and  Megan was a great server! All the staff was friendly and welcoming! You are welcomed to leave your card on the pub walls. There are thousands of cards on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. They also have a gift shop called Swagger Out on the second floor where you may purchase souvenirs.
If your in Bermuda make sure to Swizzle Inn and
Swagger Out...that's their motto!!!

KOBE Japanese Grill

I had the most wonderful dining experience at Kobe House Japanese Steak and Seafood in Miami at the Dolphin Mall. Their staff provided excellent customer service. Our waiter was very attentive and very patient.

This was a first time experience for my friends and I to sit around the grill and have our food prepared hibachi style. We asked a lot of question and the waiter took his time to answer them all. He was very knowledgeable about the menu items and sensitive to our needs based on food allergies.he even let me sample sake to see if I would like it before I place an order for. I ended up not liking it so he helped me save money. The staff truly made me feel welcomed like a guest at a friends house for dinner. Kobe's cocktails were delicious and they did not hold back on the alcohol! 

The most impressive part of my dining experience was the chef's performance. He was charismatic, personable funny and talented! The food was good but his presentation was phenomenal from him singing, making an onion volcano and shaping the rice into a heart shape and saying " I give you a piece of my heart"! I wanted to stand and yell encore to the Chef! 

I ordered the Hibachi Salmon which came with house soup, salad and vegetables. My meal cost about $20 bucks. In my opinion it was worth every penny. My friends and I enjoyed our drinks, food and wonderful ambiance of Kobe at Miami Dolphin Mall!

Rockefeller Plaza for New Years 2014!

Hey Lovies, I couldn't resist telling you about how exciting NYC is during the holiday season! Being away from my home, family and friends made me more of an Ebenezer Scrooge than I have ever been! I still hold close to my heart the real reason for Christmas but unfortunately New Beginnings can cause you to miss out on those times we all look forward to each year! Believe it or not I'm pretty much over the tourist type stuff in NYC. I'm ready to work and see dreams become realities! But I made it my business to catch the tail end of the holiday rush on New Years Day in Midtown Manhattan!

So I ended up at Rockefeller Plaza where you would find Radio City Music Hall, NBC Studios,The Rink at Rockefeller, Top of the Rock Observatory deck and the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree!

This is one of the largest tourist attractions in New York during the holidays.The Plaza is located between 49th and 50th streets between 5th Ave and the Avenue of the Americas. Saks 5th Avenue has a projection light show going about every 5-10 minutes featuring the Yeti that has been rumored to live on Saks roof and make snow! I caught it on camera  Click here to see the show! It was an exciting time with thousands of people enjoying the Tree, ice skating, the light show, shopping and other attractions in the area! Click here to see what I saw that night! I hope you all had a Happy Holiday Season and I wish you all the best for 2014 until next time Toodles!!!

With Love From New York!
Anjera

I Still Love New York...MTA Public transportation fares!

It's been a month and a few days since I moved to New York! I still love it! However it has been quite an adventure!!! I am a city girl but you never realize how spoiled the country can make you just doing day to day activities. Some might say life in the north (east) is just harder life. I'm going to say it's just different! I now catch the bus and train as opposed to driving a car. This was a choice because the public transportation is readily available here and the insurance and gas costs are high. I bought a metro card and every week I load $20 dollars on it to help me get around. There are many options for to pay for the bus or train. The first is by change, yes I said change and not cash because you must pay with coins bills are not accepted. The bus/ train for a single ride with a transfer costs $2.50. Could you imagine how heavy your pockets would be if you have to constantly have to carry change around?

Most people purchase a metro card and there are four ways to pay for it. Pay per ride where you can buy as many rides as you need starting with a minimum of $5. Unlimited ride where you get unlimited rides for a fixed price either for 7 days regular fare, 7 days express bus plus; 30 days regular fare; JFK Air Train 10 trip card or JFK Air Train 30 day unlimited ride card. When you first purchase a metro card there is a $1 service fee. You can go to the MTA Website to evaluate prices and determine which option would be best for you. I decided pay per ride works best for me I can add time and value to it at the MTA Vending machines or at the Station booth at anytime. When you spend more than $5 you also get a 5% bonus plus you get a free transfer with every ride.

 I've decided I don't like the bus but prefer the train. My reason is that if I get lost and I'm walking down a street looking for a bus, chances are I look lost and that could make me susceptible to crime. I have heard many people say just the same about taking the train especially considering the numerous amount of homeless people loitering in and around train stations. A couple tools that have helped me is my android phone's GPS and a free app called NYC Bus and Train. When you are using GPS remember that once you are underground you will not be able to plot a route so do it before you swipe your metro card. The app I mentioned allows you to download a train map and you can download bus maps. These maps work without the use of internet or GPS. 

One day I went shopping in Brooklyn and was headed back to Queens after dark. I forgot to pull up my route. I had a moment of panic because I was on a train route I was unfamiliar with and I couldn't connect to the internet from inside the train station. I had bags in my hand and I'm standing in the train station feeling like everyone knew I didn't know how to get home for all of 60 seconds. I re-grouped looked at the map and plotted my way using the NYC Bus and Subway Maps app. I was able to figure out from the Barclay Center I needed to take the R train to Jay street, transfer to the A train towards Canal st and then the E train towards Jamaica Center. The rule of thumb is to always pay attention to your surroundings, be armed with information, be prepared to defend yourself and know when to call for help. Happy Travels! 
Until later Toodles! 
With Love from New York!
Anjera