Getting What You Want Out Of Your Credit Card

Last summer - I took my girls on a Mom/Daughters trip to the East coast from California. My airfare and rental cars were covered... I did not have to pay one red cent to fly or drive! You know why? I had earned points using my Chase Reward card and racked up enough points to cover all three of us. It's FREE money!

Not many people know where to look to get a credit card that is best for them. There's a site that takes the leg work out of calling every credit card company out there. CreditCardCity does ALL the work for you. They are an on-line unbiased company that gives you all the information you need to find the card that is just right for you.

CreditCardCity gives you credit card advice on all you need to know about Airline cards -Cash back cards - low interest cards - no interest cards -cards with rewards - gas cards - any kind of card you can think of - it's there. All you need to do is answer a couple of questions on what you are looking for and click the button and there you go - All the cards that fit your criteria pops up. It's so easy.

I think it's great when you can use a credit card to buy your everyday needs and at the end of the month - you have free stuff... My card took me to Washington DC and back. What has your card done for you?

Mom and Daughters' Trip - Salem

Our East Coast Adventure had been spectacular thus far!!! We decided to take a day trip from Boston to Salem - I reserved a car at Hertz several months prior to our arrival and I have to say I was really mad that we had to wait over an hour for a car to arrive - apparently they had accidentally given our car away.... The upside was I got an upgrade with a GPS... the downside - I did not listen carefully enough and missed a turn -ended up in an underground tunnel under the ocean going in the opposite direction of our destination... To top things off - Massachusetts drivers are INSANE... Later someone told me that they call Mass. drivers "mASS Hole" drivers for a reason....

In Salem we had three (3) tours lined up - The first one 'Grave Matters' at 1:00, 'Witch Walk' at 3:00 and later in the evening - We had a paranormal ghost tour... Because our car was late getting to us AND I got lost - we were a few minutes late - thankfully - we were the only ones on the tour and all was good... except for the fact that the only reason we were alone was because Salem's temperatures hit the record for that day... 105 with 60% humidity... We were dying...

Grave Matters - a tour of the 2nd oldest graveyard in the nation - The tour showed us the different etchings and what they mean - We saw an original pilgrim's tombstone - a few of the witch trials judges...

2nd Oldest Graveyard in the Nation

A Mayflower Pilgrim's tombstone - the case around is to protect

Very cool tree in the graveyard

The Witch Walk - this tour showed us many of the locations relating to the Salem witch trials - this horrible injustice that took the lives of 19 innocent people.

The Witch House - Original home of Witch Trial Judge Jonathan Corwin

Nineteen innocent victims were killed - 18 hung - 1 pressed

We had some time to kill after our 2nd tour - It was so very hot outside so we had a very long lunch in a cold restaurant... Then went to a very cheesy wax museum - shopped a little - had some ice cream... The heat was also bad for the small town - several of the shops closed early... very early for a Friday...


Finally the time arrived for our paranormal ghost tour... Ghost tours in Salem is very big business... And it seemed ALL the tour guides hated our guide... Our guide was a self described ghost hunter and Voodoo practitioner ... She had been on several ghost hunting shows and was very arrogant - She was known to bash the other tours as fakes... She cracked me up.... She did take us to some places that even freaked her out - There was this one place The Joshua Ward House - that is supposedly the most haunted building in Salem - She said that she did an investigation there and put a tape recorder in the basement and recorded a voice saying "I want to keep you".. Another story about this building is that there was a real estate party and pictures were taken and one picture of a young woman realtor turned up to show a scary/creepy image in front of the woman - the woman was not seen in the photo... We saw copy of it- if it is a true photo - I would have been creeped out too...

Above is the Joshua Ward House - it is believed to be haunted by the Sheriff from the Witch Trials - he would take accused "witches" to his home and torture them to confess.. People have been pushed downstairs - Also - it is said that Giles Corey the man who was pressed to death haunts this location... The guide refused to get close to the building...

Above is the original Salem Jail - this place is supposedly extremely haunted - it was vacant for many years but was bought by a Boston company and has been converted into a restaurant and condos - if I remember right... Several prisoners were hanged in this building - where the kitchen is today...

Above is Howard Street Cemetery - this is right next to the old jail. This cemetery is reported to be haunted and many ghosts/orbs have been caught at dusk.. Giles Corey is supposed to haunt this cemetery as well as the Joshua Ward house.. Giles was crushed to death in the alley behind the cemetery...

Our drive back to Boston was not so bad - I wasn't in a hurry and the girls were a great help... The next morning we went on our final leg of this wonderful journey - We traveled to my sister's home..

Mom and Daughters' Trip - Boston

So far on our Mom and Daughters' East Coast Adventure - We have visited Williamsburg, Jamestown, Washington DC, and New York City... I'm too lazy to create the links for each destination but if you missed the posts - you can scroll down - so much has been seen and enjoyed...

We hated to leave New York - We absolutely loved our stay there - I have a strong suspicion that NYC has not seen the last of us!!!!.. We left NYC via Penn Station (the most crazy train station on the planet - in my very limited experience) The train ride from NYC to Boston was beautiful - breathtaking - I loved the sightseeing so much that I did not bother to nap or read a book in our four (4) plus hours journey.... There was this sweet home right on a lake - no other homes around - I picture that scene in my mind today - my "calm" place.... so peaceful...

This is what we saw on our journey to Boston...





Our hotel was not too far from the Commons - I felt it was a safe area with many conveniences - restaurants within walking distance - close to the rental car place that we would be using later - across the street from 7-11 and Dunkin Donuts.. ha.. The first night we had a ghost tour reservation - Our tour guides were 17th century grave diggers - we loved it.. Our personal guide was Mortimer with his scary little teddy bear - We also got a kick out of the most witty ghost I have met thus far Lily Winters - I have liked her on Facebook and I enjoy hearing about what's going on in Boston - If you are ever in the Boston area and want something fun to do at night - I recommend taking this tour - Ghosts and Gravestones Tour - by Old Town Trolley - You'll be glad you did...

Lily Winters (photo taken from her FB page)

Creepy Grave digger - We had to escape from... fun times

Mortimer on the right side - enjoyed him!

Graveyard at night - John Hancock and Paul Revere reside here

The next day - We met up with my sister Tammy and niece Claire to explore the Freedom Trail - I have to tell you the heat and humidity was out of control - It just sucked out all your energy.. Standing in the heat just made me A LOT kinda crabby... We did not spend as much time as we could have out on the trail - It was just too hot - we missed the Swan boats - This just gives us a reason to come back!

John Hancock

Benjamin Franklin

Old North Church

Shopping at Faneuil Hall

The cousins playing in the graveyard..

Next post will be all about Salem, MA - and our paranormal tour and much more!!!!!

Mom and Daughters' Trip - We Love NYC

So far on our Mom and Daughter' Trip - We have visited Arlington Cemetery and Mount Vernon, Washington DC, Williamsburg, and Jamestown... Well our adventure continued to New York City... We jumped on an Amtrak train and arrived in Penn Station in the middle of New York City..... And I do have to say - I planned this trip out perfectly!! Every minute was fantastic....

Before we left home - I booked two days of hop on hop off double decker bus tours and we got the third day free.... This was the best investment! For $82 per adult (that's me) and $61 per child - this is what we got... Unlimited 3 days hop on and off - downtown - uptown - Brooklyn Tours - Free tickets for Empire State Building or Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center - Free ferry tickets for Statute of Liberty and Ellis Island - $40 off for each ticket to Phantom of the Opera - Free night city tour over the Manhattan Bridge - Free Museum tour - and $10 off Planet Hollywood meal... I enjoyed this tour company so very much - plenty of buses - great tour guides - We saw EVERYTHING - we wanted... Here is a free plug for this excellent company - City Sights NY - If you ever go to NYC - this tour really is a MUST..

The hotel we booked could not have been better - We were in the theatre district - very close to Time Square - The hotel was older but remodeled and closer to our budget... We stayed at the Washington Jefferson Hotel - Loved it!

Our first day - We checked things out
Time Square - We're here - Start Spreading the News -
I want to be a part of it - New York, New York
I Want To Wake Up a City That Never Sleeps
These Vagabond Shoes Are Longing to Stay...


The first night we saw Phantom of the Opera - I had seen it in Los Angeles a couple of times and was looking forward to the girls experiencing their first Broadway play.... They loved it! Our hotel was close enough to walk to the theatre... On the way back to the hotel - we stopped by a shake shoppe and got the best malted I have ever had - at 10:00 PM...


The next day was busy from early morning until late at night - go go go was the name of the game and we definitely took in the town! We hopped on our bus at 9:00 AM - stopped off in Soho for breakfast and some shopping - walked to Ground Zero - walked to Battery Park - jumped back on the bus after visiting Lady Liberty - headed to Central Park to see Strawberry Fields and pay tribute to John Lennon's Imagine memorial - saw the Dakota (where he lived) and lost his life at such a young age. Took a pedicab through Central Park - saw the Friends (TV show) Fountain where they played and frolicked at the beginning of each show - Saw movie locations from - Elf, Home Alone, 27 Dresses, Enchanted and many more... Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock were filming a movie as we passed by... At night we jumped on the night tour bus and crossed over the Manhattan Bridge (I hate heights - scared the crap out of me AND the tour guide it was her 2nd official tour as a guide) The view from Brooklyn was amazing.
I'm a Sex in the City fan - so to see Greenwich and Bleecker Street was cool...
Macy's not so impressive on the outside but was told the inside is amazing.
On our bus - Right through the Very Heart of it - New York, New York

Nikki shopping in So Ho
The Site of Ground Zero
This fire station garage door was around the corner from our hotel - the lives that were lost from this station are remembered here
Ground Zero - a new museum was being worked on - a fire truck was being lowered into it.
Lady Liberty

View of NYC from Lady Liberty
The Dakota - John Lennon's previous residence and where he was killed - Yoko still resides here part time.
Our very very strong pedicab driver..
Central Park
Our pedicab driver and the girls - famous site in Central Park
John Lennon's memorial
The Friends' Fountain

New York at Sunset

Time Square where you can get same day play tickets for discounts



Manhattan Bridge.. Don't look down!!!

We were in New York City for 2 nights and 3 days - saw so much - But not everything - I'm thinking another Mom and Daughters' trip to New York is most definitely in our future.... Loved it here!