North Conway and Woodstock NH School Vacation Week Review

My wife Carol and I had the experience of heading up to North Conway, NH during School Vacation Week.

We experienced a few days with family. We had fun skiing, exploring the seasonal Ice Castles, and discovered some great places to eat.

SKIING


We put three kids, 4, 7, and 9, into the Cranmore Mountain Resort Ski School. They all loved it and were skiing up and down as much and as long as they could.





OUT TO EAT
May Kelly's Cottage North Conway

I love a good turkey dinner, and May Kelly's Cottage had one of the best turkey dinners that I've ever had.

Zip's Pub and Grill at Cranmore Mountain Resort North Conway

The hand cut potato fries were amazing. It's hard to believe, but these hand cut potato fries were some of the best I've ever had. I was on a roll.



Also, the boys loved the giant pretzels. If you don't like a lot of salt, you might have to brush some off. Good local beer list here and a huge fireplace to warm up in front of after a day of skiing.



Woodstock Inn Brewery Woodstock

20 plus years ago we began with a seven-barrel system, added a 30-barrel production facility and lab that visitors will discover on the premises today. Visit the brewery, take a tour, eat, or stay with us at the Inn

Here I ordered adult grilled cheese which is made with brewery spent grain bread, Pigs Ear Cheddar, Pecanwood smoked bacon and tomato. Guess what? It was one of the best grilled cheese ever.

ICE CASTLES
Ice Castles, Woodstock New Hampshire

Ice Castles is an award-winning frozen attraction located in six cities across North America. The experience is built using hundreds of thousands of icicles hand-placed by professional ice artists. The castles include breathtaking LED-lit sculptures, frozen thrones, ice-carved tunnels, slides, fountains and much more.

AIRBNB
Airbnb: The Treehouse (Luxury Home in N. Conway/Cranmore)

This was the first time I'd stayed in an Airbnb. Everyone in the family had their own room, and Carol and I had the Yves Saint Laurent LOVE room!

Perfect vacation paradise. Walking distance to Cranmore Mountain, North Conway Village, attached to Whitaker Woods. The main floor's open layout, wood walls and beamed ceilings, 2 gorgeous stone fireplaces - perfect spot for appetizers & drinks while watching the sunset! 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, full basement, washer/dryer (linens/towels included). New (seasonal) heated pool! (New) shuffleboard & games for kids, cable...kitchen is brilliantly equipped (enough to host a big Thanksgiving dinner!)

Not on Airbnb yet? Join Airbnb via this link and you'll get $55 off your first trip—and once you complete your reservation, I’ll get up to $30.

Travel Tips: Palm Springs and Palm Desert

Carol and I recently went to Palm Desert, California after the Podcast and New Media Expo in Ontario, California.

Here are some of the highlights in case you are ever in the area.

Where To Stay?



We stayed at the Marriott Palm Dessert. The hotel recentl;y had a multi-million dollar make over of the lobby and spa. Too bad we didn't get to sleep in the lobby or spa. the rooms and hallways are in need of updating. Seriously. The hallways are in pretty bad shape. If you are considering it, call and ask if any rooms have been updated.

The lobby has a few bars including a sushi bar. We had a nice pizza and a few beers and watched the Red Sox from a couch in front of a nice sized big screen tv.

Where to Eat and Shop?

El Paseo is known as the Rodeo Drive of Palm Desert. It's a lot nicer than the main stretch of road in Palm Springs. Palm Springs wasn't that impressive. Kind of run down.



For breakfast we went to Sherman's. It's a great Jewish deli. The first time I had the usual eggs and toast and the second time I had the challah french toast. Amazing!

Cafe des Beaux-arts was a nice place to go for lunch.

We had dinner at Pacifica Seafood Restaurant, Palm Desert one night. Great bar to have a meal and some drinks. Fun staff.

There's a Tommy Bahama's here that also has a restaurant on the top floor. We enjoyed it so much, we went there twice. The first time we ate out on the rooftop deck and the second time we ate at the bar.

The Chop House, Palm Springs was really great for a nice steak dinner. We split the meal and had some nice wine. There's also a Chop House in Palm Desert.



How can you pass up a restaurant that has the world's largest selection of draft beer? We went to the Yardhouse one night. Although they have the largest selection, a local place here in Boston has a larger selection of belgian beer. Good place for a burger and a beer. It's HUGE.

For shopping there's the Desert Hills Premium Outlets.