2015 Travel Year In Review

Well, it's the last day of 2015, and we've had another amazing year. Click here for the 2014 recap.

Since my father's an Asian math nerd, according to his excel spreadsheet, I have:

1. Flown approximately 33,825 miles this year (vs. 51,422 last year)
2. Taken 23 flight segments (vs. 26 last year) with only 2 longer than 8 hours
3. Flown out of 14 airports (vs. 16 last year)
4. On 2 different airlines (vs. 6 last year)
5. Traveled to 4 foreign countries (vs. 6 last year)
6. Earned United Silver status

The biggest takeaways were that we really decided to stay "local" this year oftentimes driving instead of flying. Further, unlike 2013 and 2014, we only left the country a few times in 2015. Once was a spring break to Cancun. Then we had our annual trip to visit extended family Israel (stopping in Belgium on the way home). The other was our early Christmas trip to Costa Rica a few weeks ago.

On the hotel side, we have:

1. Stayed 52 nights in hotels this year
2. Across 20 different cities
3. In 14 unique hotel brands

Our most frequent brand was Westin (18 nights across Orlando, suburban Chicago, Cancun, Kansas City and Scottsdale). We re-qualified for Starwood Platinum status, and matched to Hyatt Diamond and Hilton Diamond statuses for 2016. And we didn't realize until just now that this year we went to see baseball games at the stadiums for each of the World Series teams, the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets.

 So as we close out the year, here's a photo snapshot of our favorite lapchild adventures this year.

Eating Our Way Through The North Fork - Little Creek Oyster Farm

After a relaxing afternoon visiting farms and vineyards, we decided to get find some fresh seafood for an early supper.

Thanks to my mother's Yelp! phone app, my family found a novel experiential snack in Little Creek Oyster Farm down by the port area of Greenport.

You can almost miss this place, because it's located in the back and only has the "Bait Tackle" sign. This place was actually the restaurant/retail store outpost of the Peconic Bay sustainable oyster farm.

The kitschy place is really tiny inside, but they do have several outdoor picnic tables for seating as well. The menu is even more sparse with only oysters and clams along with a variety of drinks, including a bloody mary made with beer and topped with a raw oyster ($10).

The novelty comes in when you see the menu. You can order some raw oysters that are already shucked for you (as you would in a regular restaurant) for $30 a dozen. But you can save a lot of money (almost 50%) if you opt to shuck the oysters yourselves ($16 a dozen).

Now, shucking oysters isn't for the dainty princesses of the world. But my family loves getting our hands dirty and having experiences. Plus, it's hard for my father to pass up a big deal like 50% off.

So we ordered two dozen DIY oysters ($30). Soon, we were brought a bucket of 24 raw oysters on ice and knives, along with some gloves.

They taught us how to hold the oysters (flat side up with the nob pointing to 3 o'clock).  It took a few tries, but my parents and aunt got the hang of it eventually.

It also helped using the wooden oyster holder that allowed us to push the knife in with force without fear of missing the oyster and stabbing your gloved hand.

It was all pretty safe, but since I wasn't allowed to play with the knifes, they gave me a wooden stick and small shell to practice on.

After we shucked our two dozen oysters ourselves, we showcased them proudly on the tray.

We even had one oyster with a "good luck" oyster pea crab that my aunt found as she shucked her oyster. While it didn't look particularly appetizing, my father decided he would eat it and take the good luck!

According to my father, it had a crunch and a liquid burst with little "meat" to chew on. The texture was more the dominant sensation than the flavor which has been described as "sweeter than most shrimp, with grassy, mineral notes and a little bit of sea salt." Apparently a delicacy among certain circles, my father didn't mind either way.

Eating Our Way Through The North Fork - Kontokosta Winery

No trip to the North Fork would be complete without a stop at a winery. The North Fork of Long Island is home to 38 wineries and 3,000 acres of planted vineyards. I'm not entirely sure people outside of the NYC area would recognize any of these labels, but we're not big label-whores anyway.

Actually, my family members aren't really wine drinkers at all, so we didn't feel compelled to pick the "top wineries" in the East End. Instead, we opted for the vineyards with a beautiful setting and a pleasant visitor experience. Kontokosta was a great choice.

The Greenport winery is just off Main Road along the northern side. It's the easternmost winery on the fork and has a massive open backyard that overlooks the Long Island Sound waterfront. We arrived shortly after 2PM and entered the main house through the western side.

As soon as you walk in, you are welcomed into a massive open space. The far end of the room is the tasting area bar with a long table in the center of the room to gather with friends.

The long sides of the room are floor to ceiling windows that overlook the vineyards on the southern side and the patio/great lawn on the northern side.

While the indoor bar was crowded, my family opted to head outside to the outdoor bar (a makeshift tent with coolers) down towards the cliffs overlooking the Long Island Sound. As you can see from the photo below, the grounds were massive and open. Perfect for a little 4 year old girl who wanted to burn off some toddler energy.

Towards the far end, we were able to find a shaded picnic table and purchase a chilled bottle of rosé ($20) to enjoy in the warm August afternoon. My father dozed off for a quick mid-afternoon nap while I did everything I could to prevent him from doing so.

 

I also had a chance to show off my toddler photography skills. See some shows below.

What else can I say? It was just a perfect summer day with my family.

Eating Our Way Through The North Fork - North Fork Food Truck

It was getting towards lunchtime. While we had a few morning snacks to tide us over at Briermere and Harbes Farms, we were looking for something more substantial for lunch.

My aunt had found a food truck online that was located up the road. So after dismissing a few alternative options on Yelp!, we went to the parking lot of the North Fork Table & Inn where the North Fork Food Truck was stationed.
As you can see, there was already a small line by the time we arrived shortly before 1PM. But surprisingly, the line moved as quickly as if we were at a midtown Manhattan Chipotle!

The menu was pretty diverse, including fresh Lobster Rolls, savory Grilled Cheese, crisp Bahn Mi and hearty Sirloin Steak sandwiches. They also had some less adventurous options, such as a hot dog, pulled pork and chicken sandwiches. Important to note: Cash Only.

My father and mother split a Lobster Roll and an Grown Up Grilled Cheese. They often like to go halfsies on sandwiches so they can both try two different ones.

I ordered an Artisan Hot Dog and my aunt had a Bahn Mi while my grandmother had some of the Clam Chowder.

Behind the truck, there was a shaded, grassy area with a few picnic tables for people to eat. Smart move of the day - my grandmother and mother grabbed a table while my father and aunt waited in line. It got more crowded by the time we left and there were some people just sitting/eating on the grass.

I can't say this was the best hot dog I've ever had in my short 4 year life, but it was pretty tasty. I could have done without the big roll though. A girl's gotta watch her carbs.