TRAVEL HERE: FAULTY FINISH AT III FORKS

Bill and I have been holding on to a treasure. After my friend, Michael Picolo of Ebby Halliday, closed on a real estate deal we referred to him, he thanked us with gift coins to III Forks.  How’s that for a thank you gift?  This was a few months back, but if you read my blog regularly, you’ll understand why I wanted to save the treat for later.

Getting Back Into the Swing of Life

Bill’s trying to express ship me back to normal, so he insisted on an evening at III Forks.  Since our usual dates lean more towards casual dining, this really felt like a special occasion. I put on one of his favorite dresses and intended to have a good time.

We may be more burger than filet mignon in our habits, but this wasn’t our first trip to III Forks, so we knew we were in for some good food.    The denominations on our gift coins insured that we’d have plenty to eat and more to take home.  Thank you Michael.

We started enjoying ourselves from the moment we pulled onto the parking lot.  The red brick building suggests hospitality and the gold dome says opulence.  The entry way to III Forks is grand, in an elegant Texan sort of way.  The floors are covered with large tasteful rugs, but the walls are a little braggardly, sporting signed photographs of multiple celebrities.  The greeting from the host/hostess stand was warm, but thankfully didn’t resemble those gushing welcomes served with sliders and mojitos. They seated us in a side room between the patio and the main dining area, my favorite spot so far.  A lot quieter than the central space, but close enough to enjoy the fun.

Bill ordered up a great bottle of wine and then asked about the dessert menu.  This is a guy who has his priorities in order.  It wasn’t that he wanted to start with dessert, he just wanted to know how much room to leave for it.  Then he insisted we enjoy a first course, rather than going directly to the entree.  I wondered where he’d put that guy I usually go out with, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

To start, I chose the Seafood Medley, realizing full well that I’d give Bill the shrimp cocktail part.  That’s not my favorite way to eat shrimp.  When the plate arrived, I dove into the delicious crab cake first, while he raved over the shrimp.  Then I tackled the huge scallop.  The Seafood Medley is a terrific trio.

Next came Bill’s Lobster Bisque and they parceled it out into two cups.  My first two tastes were skimmed off the top and were scrumptious.  Then I dug deeper into the cup and found large chunks of delectable lobster.  Heavenly!  I could have easily stopped eating when my cup was empty, but two more courses waited for us.

With so much food coming, I chose the smallest filet for dinner.  Perfection is the only word I can think of to describe the meat.  As long as steaks like that are out there to be eaten, I will not become a vegetarian.  But I like my vegetables, too.  III Forks may be a little pricier than your average steakhouse, but I like the fact that you get something on your plate besides meat and garnishes.  The best thing is their “corn off the cob.” I swear, I could make a meal with just that.

However, you also get sugar snap peas, mashed potatoes, tomatoes and spring onions. I didn’t have any of the onions. The tomatoes were a little disappointing – pretty, but lacking in flavor.  The mashed potatoes were okay, but we’re not mashed potato connoisseurs, so don’t let my opinion dissuade you from enjoying them.  Bill adored the sugar snap peas, but I was exhausted by the time I got around to them.  Besides, I’d already filled up on beef and corn.  When we had Bill’s tenderloin tips as leftovers the next day, I knew his meal had been every bit as delicious as mine.

Next came the desserts which Bill insisted we have.  With the exception of cruises, we never get individual desserts.  We always share.  When the creme brulee and chocolate cake arrived, he revealed his plan.  The chocolate cake was for another day.  We’d just share the creme brulee that evening. I can report that both were scrumptious, but I’m partial to anything chocolate.

Were life fair, the rest of the evening would not have required any word count, but fair it’s not.  When the check arrived, Bill’s brows furrowed and he had questions for our waiter.  Now the rest of the evening, we’d had many visits from III Fork personnel, asking if everything was OK, but suddenly there was a dearth of attention.  Our waiter was nowhere to be seen and the rest of those kindly people were not within shouting distance.  We fretted and fidgeted, feeling suddenly invisible.

After what seemed like ages, the waiter reappeared and Bill asked his questions.  Come to find out, we’d been overcharged fifteen dollars for the wine.  The overcharge was not that big of a deal.  That’s the reason you’re supposed to go over your bill.  What ruined our evening was the waiter’s attitude.  He seemed angry that we’d dared to bring up his mistake and we began to wonder if it had been a mistake at all.  A guy who had been our chum all evening long was suddenly giving us the cold shoulder.  I’m still not sure what was up with that.

And that little episode reminded us of our other visits to III Forks.  Hands down they have some of the best food in Dallas, but the service tends to fall short.  Our first visit came along right after they opened.  The suggestive selling was so overwhelming that my husband called the next day to complain about it.  Asking if you’d like a crab leg with your steak is one thing, but our first waiter at III Forks behaved as if we were insulting him personally because we didn’t want a sample from every course offered and the most expensive of each course at that.  (Hint for waiters: If your suggestion for every course is always the most expensive item on that section of the menu we think you’re more worried about the size of your tip than our enjoyment of the meal.)

Then we moved away to California for a number of years.  We’ve been back for a while and not too long after we returned, our nephew took a group of us out for a special evening.  The service was so bad that evening that my nephew disappeared with a thunderstorm on his face. He was gone for a while, but when he returned, it was as if half the staff had been pulled off their other assignments to be sure we had what we needed.

After that III Forks fell from the top of our favorites list, but when Micheal presented us with the gift coins, I forgot all about the service issues and imagined how delicious the steak was going to be.  It was only as we waited forlornly to settle the check that we were reminded that the service at III Forks doesn’t always match the quality of the food – and that’s really very sad.

Should you go to III Forks?  Of course, if you’ve referred business to Michael and are using gift coins.  I’d say the food is worth at least one visit – it’s really that good.  However, be ready for service that’s a little less amazing than the food. I wish you better luck than we had, but the trend we’ve experienced suggests you might have to be somewhat patient with the help.

TRAVEL HERE/TRAVEL THERE: CHRIS HARRISON ON ROMANCE & TRAVEL AT THE DALLAS TRAVEL & ADVENTURE SHOW

Here’s how out of it I am. I didn’t know who Chris Harrison was. His face looked familiar, but I didn’t know why. When I read that he was the host of The Bachelor/Bachelorette, I contemplated not hearing him. The few times I’ve channel-surfed past the show I wanted to either throw something at the TV or throw up or both.

The Bachelor Host Talks Travel

I was pleasantly surprised when he kicked off his talk with sagacity. The question he’s most often asked is what’s been his favorite destination.  He pointed out that each of us has to find our own way to travel.  What works for Chris Harrison is not one size fits all.  In fact, when he told us what worked for him, I knew I’d be better off not traveling with him.  Not that what he prefers is bad, it’s just not my way.

He plans zilch and likes to wander aimlessly out of his hotel room to discover what might happen.  That always sounds so romantic, but for me always ends up so disastrously.  To begin with, I’d lose all the fun of planning.  Researching my destination is almost as much fun as going there.  I know that sounds weird, but as Chris pointed out, different strokes for different folks.  Then, if I showed up unprepared it would be the day the entire city closed down for something or it would be pouring down rain and I’d be stuck in the hotel room.  Worst of all, I’d get home only to discover that I’d been in the same town as some amazingly wonderful sight and didn’t get around to seeing it, which would break my heart.

Favorite Places

So given that we’re all different by design, what are Chris’s favorite places of those he’s visited with the show?  Bora Bora is at the top of his list, but he warns that there is absolutely nothing to do in Bora Bora and that’s the whole point.  Next on his list of “get naked and do nothing” places is Sugar Beach on St. Lucia.

If you actually want something to do, he recommends Prague.  He says it’s a wonderful old city with lots of young people.  By day it’s an ancient city, but by night…PARTY!  And the list goes on:  Istanbul, Iceland, Panama, Munich. In Chaing Mai he recommends Muay Thai Boxing, which is sort of like Broadway’s version of Bruce Lee.

What’s Up at The Bachelor

Then the audience began to move to the edges of their seats, because he started sharing snippets of the upcoming season with Juan Pablo.  They’ll be in Asia for much of the show and Chris has fallen in love with the Intercontinental in DeNang.  That’s in Viet Nam, in case you didn’t know.  He’s crazy about the beaches and the golf.  Viet Nam is no longer a war zone.

The Bachelor/Bachelorette began as a low budget reality show in LA and out of desperation for some variety they went to Aruba. Almost overnight Aruba became the go-to spot for romantic travel.  As soon as that happened every destination in the world started knocking on The Bachelor/Bachelorette door.  Now the show’s producer pretty much gets to write his own ticket, anywhere he wants to go.  Chris’s warning?  Don’t think you can duplicate what happens on the show.  In order to score a spot in a season, the destinations really have to pull out all the stops, so you and I wouldn’t get the same sort of access.  We’ll have fun and it might be romantic, but we won’t be transported to Fantasy Island.

Come to find out, Chris is a Dallas boy.  Grew up in Lake Highlands.  And his true favorite travel destination?  Austin.  You can take the boy out of Texas, but not the Texas out of the boy.

TRAVEL HERE: A PERFECT LUNCH AT PAPPACITO’S

October is the perfect month to live in Dallas, Texas. The weather is amazing and there are so many things to enjoy. Things like a margarita on the patio at Pappasito’s!

Meeting Halfway

Living in Far North Dallas with so many restaurants just around the corner, I have a tendency to stay in my ‘hood.  However, a good friend who lives in Southlake suggested lunch, so I needed something a little more geographically friendly to the Mid-Cities.  Since she has a tendency to eat a whole lot healthier than I do, I gave her the choice of either Pappadeaux or Pappasitos, but when she threw the choice back to me, you know I went for Tex-Mex.

I used to work on the west side of Dallas back when Composite Drive was known as Restaurant Row.  The whole area was rife with great places to eat lunch and party after work.  The general area is a lot seedier than it was back in the day, but that little triangle between I-35 and Loop 12 still has some great places.

You’ve Been Here How Long?

I was forced to recall the good old days when I walked into the restaurant and saw balloons tied to chairs throughout the dining room.  When I commented on them, the hostess told me they were having their 30th anniversary.  My mind rebelled.  I remembered when they developed the area.  Wasn’t that like last week or something?  That couldn’t have been thirty years ago…or could it?  (Let’s see, I’ve been married to Bill for almost twenty years and when I met him, I’d already left AIS for a year or so.  And I’d put in at least ten years there, so I guess it could have been thirty years ago.)

OK, so I’ve been going to Pappsito’s since it opened and those thirty years have been good ones.  As I glanced around, I realized that not much had changed in those years.  The funky border town decor was just as funky as it had been the first time I visited the restaurant.  I do believe the dining room has a lot more light than back in the day and I think they reconfigured the bar area and maybe added that TV room. But all in all, it’s the same place I visited when my skin was tighter and I was thinner.  Oh how I wish for that body of thirty years ago!

But I don’t have to wish for the food of thirty years ago or the margaritas.  It was such a gorgeous day we opted for the patio.  Then we ordered up margaritas and the table-side guacamole.  How do you spell “bliss”?

Patio Time

Catching up with my friend, behind what you read on facebook, was a pleasure.  She’s one of the good ones.  Eventually, we turned in a food order.  We both selected flautas from the lunch menu and they were delicious.Way more food than I could eat – considering the guacamole and chips I’d been devouring – so I stuck to the flautas themselves and let the kitchen have everything else back when I was through.

I’ve been through some tough days in the previous months, guiding my mom through her last days, but I’ve chosen to make that visit to the Pappasito’s my line of demarcation.  Out with the old and in with the new.  Things are going to get better – but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up an old favorite like Pappasito’s or the joys of old friends.

TRAVEL HERE/TRAVEL THERE:  TIPS FROM THE AUTHOR OF 1000 PLACES

Patricia Schultz, author of 1000 Places to See Before You Die, is a conservatively dressed lady who wears her hair up. She wasn’t who I was expecting.  I sort of thought she’d stroll in wearing a sari or sporting a beret.  She proves that anyone could be a world traveler – even you.

Traveling Alone and Along

She didn’t learn travel trailing along behind a vagabond parent or as the companion to an eccentric aunt.  As a matter of fact, the only place she ever went on family vacations was Atlantic City.

The first moments of her presentation were devoted to traveling alone, which seemed an odd place to start.  I’ve had few opportunities to travel alone, but I can attest to the point she was making, traveling alone doesn’t mean you’ll be lonely.  People everywhere are dying to meet you and share their story.

From solo travel she moved on to an Asian proverb, “It is better to see something once than to hear about it for a thousand years.”  On that, she and I agree completely.  I love travel and travel shows and travel channels – in fact anything that has to do with travel.  However, I do think that far too many people think they know someplace because they saw it on TV.  You really do need to go, to know.

Urgent: Visit Now or Else

Then she embarked on a list of the most urgent places one should visit from her wider list of 1000 destinations.  She did just update the list, so there’s a new one.  She said the main difference, beyond cleaning off the places that were no longer accessible to the public, was more destinations in the once Soviet landscape.  And where does the author of 1000 Places To Go Before You Die think you should see first?

She began in Scotland with Edinburgh, which I’d visited, and the Hebrides Islands, which I hadn’t.  Then on to Paris, the most visited city in the world and I have been one of those visitors.  Then she veered away from places that I knew.  Bruge, Belgium with its chocolate and beer is a favorite of hers, as well as Gdansk, Poland.

Her next tip was Guatemala, a bit of a surprise and by chance, later in the day Pauline Frommer underlined it as an up and comer in the travel world.  I haven’t been, but my ambassador, Mr. Bill went there on a mission trip.

She wanted us to know that Scandinavia was not a country, but a region.  Of the region she said Norway had gotten all the good looks and drama, but Denmark was the friendliest, not just of Scandinavia, but of the world.

Don’t stay home for Christmas she urged – instead see the Christmas markets of Europe.  She showed a slide of Vienna, but embraces the markets wherever they are found. Vienna I know, but I’ve never been there for the Christmas markets.  Then she moved on to Venice and told us that you haven’t been there unless you stepped away from the main sites and allowed yourself to get lost.

She said that visiting St. Peterburg was like visiting a colder Italy, because it was built by Italian artisans.  Her favorite building is the Winter Palace with the Hermitage, which owns the largest art collection in the world.  Another must see in the old Soviet world is Ljubljana, Slovenia in what used to be Yugoslavia and while you’re in the neighborhood, visit Croatia.

On the African continent she recommends Marrakesh, Morocco and as she described a nighttime food market there, I decided to add it to my bucket list.  She’s quite fond of Ethiopia and the huge churches there, carved three stories down into the ground in solid stone.  She also loves safaris and touts them as life-changing experiences.  She said if she could only recommend one thing, it would be the safari.  Her helpful hint was just to go and not worry about which country to go to or which safari to take – just go! South Africa she called a one-stop-shop.  You want it, they have it.

She mourned the loss of Syria as a tourist destination and recommended Jerusalem. It was apparent that she really likes Jordan.  She loves the young feel of the ancient place and recommends Petra.

Moving on to Asia, she loves Shanghai, the New York of Asia and recommends Tokyo, especially since they are about to get the Olympics.  Mongolia was a surprising item on her list and even more surprising that she said it was very much like Montana.

She confessed to loving India, but warned that it’s a country that one either loves or hates, which reminded me of one of my favorite movies, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  She didn’t mention the movie, but it certainly exemplified her point.

Finally, she arrived at Istanbul, but then admitted that she had other places on her list, but had run out of steam.  That’s OK, this list should keep me busy for a while.

RAVEL HERE: ENTERTAINMENT BOOK APP

Just when I thought I’d had all the APP-y fun I could have, I opened up my new edition of the Entertainment coupon book and found out the fun had only begun.  See I’ve been a faithful Entertainment coupon-er for a long time.  I’m on their automatic renewal list and the book shows up every year without me having to do anything.  It gets here weeks before it’s effective date, giving me plenty of time to mull over the offerings and get my coupons all organized for the coming year.

Entertainment Goes Mobile

The latest edition had been sitting on my desk for a few weeks, so imagine my joy when I ripped off the mailing label and plastic covering to discover Entertainment had gone mobile.  They’ve had an online presence for several years.  then for a couple they sported a key fob feature, but since I couldn’t remember all the places I was supposed to be using my key fob, it wasn’t getting much action.  My Entertainment Book looks pretty much the same as it always has – lots of dining, activities, shopping and travel deals for me to clip and save on – but going mobile has taken things to a whole new level.

See, there was this reoccurring scenario in our lives.   We’d be out and about when Bill would turn to me and say, “Let’s grab a bite.  Where should we go?”  I’d invariably be stuck.  I’m pretty good at knowing where I am and in a lot of places around town I’d have a multiple choice answer.  However, I wouldn’t necessarily know what I might have a coupon for and in some areas I’m just not encyclopedic.  So, I’d fumble around for my portable coupon file or I’d realize I’d left home without it – again!

So now, when Bill says, “Let’s grab a bite.  Where should we go?”, I’ll say, “Let me check my Entertainment app.”  How cool is that?  On the app, you can search the locale by category, be it shopping, eating or going to the movie. Then all these little crowns come up to show you where you can save.  I felt very empowered when I test drove it.

Still a Coupon Clipper

I’ll still clip the coupons I am most likely to use and file them as I always have, but now I’m not out of luck if I leave the file at home.  As an added bonus, Entertainment is getting new deals all the time that aren’t in the book.  I did get emails about them, but you know how that is.  About half the time you don’t even look at the stuff and the rest of the time it goes in one eyeball and out the other.

Now, if I could just get Shopkick, Entertainment and FidMe to talk to each other.  I could walk into a store, get my kicks, use an Entertainment coupon for my purchase and show my FidMe loyalty card – all from my smartphone.  Now how much fun would that be?  I’d really be digital then!

(BTW- I now have thousands and thousands of Shopkicks points.  Aren’t you at least curious about how you could get some and start earning points for stuff like walking into Target or scanning a few products in Walmart?)

TRAVEL HERE/TRAVEL THERE: THE TRAVEL & ADVENTURE SHOW

Going solo to the Travel and Adventure Show gave it a different flavor.  In the past I’d gone with my husband or my bestie, but when travel is the subject at hand, I don’t need a wing man.

Flying Solo

I arrived as the doors opened and set right to visiting booths.  At the first few I tested out an app they were promoting which allowed you to scan a box code at each booth, but that didn’t last very long.  There was no real benefit to me that I could figure out and it was a real hassle.  I could just envision laying down my smartphone and never seeing it again, not to mention the juice I was sucking out of it.  Besides, I was there to get brochures and I didn’t have much time. The forty-five minutes between the opening of the show and the first presenter disappeared much more quickly than you can imagine.

I dragged my armload of brochures to the Travel and Adventure Theatre (their spelling, not mine) and tried to condense my burden while the radio personality introduced the first celebrity, Patricia Schultz, author of 1000 Places to See Before You Die.  I’ll share the gist of all the presentations in the coming weeks.

When she was through, I realized I didn’t want to tote all my tote bags and brochures around, so I whipped down to my car and dropped off a load.  I saved out one of the larger bags and hurried back to the show to gather up more brochures before the next speaker, Chris Harrison of The Bachelor.  I enjoyed his talk, but the Q& A session was all about the TV show, not travel. So I grabbed a bite to eat and hit a few more booths requiring yet another trip to the car.

Next up was Pauline Frommer of the Frommer guides.  She’s always a fount of knowledge and I took copious notes.  After her talk I hightailed it over to the Global Beats Stage.  I might not have needed a wingman, but I could have used a clone.  As much as I enjoyed visiting the booths and listening to the celebrities, I knew I was missing some great entertainment.  The first performers of the day were from Japan and it would have been easy to plop down in a chair and enjoy their performance.  The costumes alone would have been worth the time invested.  Who knows, next year I may go both days!

The Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico were stomping out a Latin beat when I arrived.  I’m a huge fan of folklorico in general and of this troupe in particular.  Just one more reason I love my city.  Next up were the belly dancers.  This year there were three troupes sharing the Middle Eastern Dance hour.  I enjoyed Na’Di El Raks which I’d seen here before, as well as at the fair.  They exemplified the bare midriff that makes belly dancing so popular with the guys.   Next up was Banat Misr with a less provocative form of the dance.  As the picture shows above, they’re modestly covered from neck to toe.  I didn’t stay for the third troupe, because Bert Kreischer of Trip Flip was about to start over at the Travel and Adventure Theatre.

For those of you who haven’t seen Trip Flip, Mr. Kreischer is a comedian who recruits average folks to go on mystery trips.  Then he takes them on some adventure that’s just outside the average person’s comfort zone.  It’s a fun show to watch, but since I’d rather go to a museum than bungee jump, his presentation didn’t resonate with me.  I do think everyone should be out in the world experiencing what it has to offer.  If jumping off of and out of things intrigues you, then you should definitely pursue those opportunities.  Me, I get my giggles without risking my neck.

Like Chris’ Q&A, Bert’s audience was primarily interested in behind-the-scenes scoop on the TV show, so I slipped away to visit the rest of the booths and make sure I had every possible brochure.  I see lots of travel dreaming in my future.

TRAVEL HERE: USING SHOPKICK & CARTWHEEL AROUND DALLAS

With my Ulta disappointment turned to triumph, it was time for further investigation into the whole Shopkick experience. I’d browsed through enough online catalogs to unlock a whole bevy of walk-in points.  If you don’t know what I mean by that, then you need me to invite you to Shopkick.  How else are you going to earn your shopkick points and get your reward?

Earning Shopkick Points

I’d had my first Shopkick experience at Best Buy, but I was still a long way from the 75000+ points I needed to earn my Coach bag.  Since I was out doing other errands, it made sense to stop by the Galleria and get my kicks.

My first walk-in was Macy’s and it just didn’t work.  Shopkick told me how sorry it was and asked for a few details, but I was crestfallen.  Next stop, American Eagle Outfitters.  It took some effort, but I finally got that work. Now I was getting worried.  Had the ease of my Best Buy experience been a fluke?

Apparently, not.  I zipped into Old Navy.  Ding! I got my kicks.  I cruised through Sony.  Ding! I got my kicks!  I was a happy apper!  Feeling very cocky, I strolled into Godiva, whipped out my phone, accessed Fidme and asked for my chocolate of the month. That’s the perk you receive for being a member of the Godiva Chocolate Rewards Club. (Hello Godiva, you need to start Shopkicking.)   However, it was fun to get my phone scanned and walk away with a free chocolate.  SCORE!!

I haven’t had so much fun shopping in years! Next on my list was Target.  I had 50 Shopkick walk-in points waiting for me there and I needed to pick up a few things.  I love Target.  It is my Big Box store of choice and with my REDcard, the Target Debit Card, I get 5% off everything.  And DING! I got my kicks.

Discovering Cartwheel

Feeling all app-y, I mentioned my 50 kick coup to the cashier.  “I don’t know about Shopkicks,”she said, “but do you know about Cartwheel?”  That’s Target’s own shopping app.  I promised to check it out and since it was a day for apps, I searched for it on my phone – right there in the store.  BANG.  There it was.  When I downloaded, I already had a Cartwheel Badge, because one of my facebook friends also Cartwheels.  How’s that for APP-y?

Here’s the drill with Cartwheel.  You browse through their online coupons and load as many as eleven of them per transaction.  Then you go to the store and do your shopping.  At checkout, you hand your phone to the cashier.  Most of the discounts are 5%, but I did find one coupon for 10% that I could use. When I pay with my REDcard, that’s another 5% – so the savings start to add up.  I’d like to invite you to Cartwheel and see what happens on my end, so let me know if you’d like to Cartwheel, too.

Non-APPy Shopping

I had one more shopping errand: Charming Charlie.  They don’t give you a loyalty card, so no FidMe was necessary and there were no Shopkicks to be had, just a $5 reward to spend.

You may not think $5 is a lot, but if that’s the case, then you haven’t been to Charming Charlie.  I bee-lined to the clearance area where they were having two-for-one on all clearance items.  I got these two bracelet sets with a coupon and a buck.

To start getting Charming Charlie awards just give them your phone number and email address. From then on, they’ll ask for your phone number when you check out and the coupons show up in your email.

It was time to go home.  Mr. Bill had already called once to see if I was still alive.  We made some dinner and hunkered down on the couch, but I couldn’t keep my mind on the TV.  I found Cartwheel and selected coupons for my next visit.  Then I moved on to Shopkick where I eventually went through every online catalog available.  I loved it – every time it dinged I fist-pumped.  I’m still a long way from my Coach Bag, but with new points added everyday, I’m getting closer and closer.

TRAVEL HERE/TRAVEL THERE: TRANSPORTED BY BROCHURES

I’m all about the next place I’m going.  I’ve usually got several trips I’m planning at any given time, but that doesn’t keep me from wishing and dreaming about other places.  When I’m dreaming, I travel by brochure.  In this digital age, it’s easy to google up pretty much any destination, but for me that feels a little bit like work.  I don’t mind researching on the internet when I have an estimated date of departure, but when I’m just dreaming, give me a brochure.

My Travel Brochures

Because I routinely attend events like the upcoming Travel and Adventure Show (more about that next week), I actually have a files full of travel brochures – like two feet of files with travel brochures.  These have several uses.  One is purely visual. All I have to do is catch sight of the piece of furniture with the files in it to be reminded there’s a lot of the world that I want to see.  I don’t even have to open up the files.  I know what’s in there.

Then there’s the trip planning function of the brochures.  Often times I don’t need to go to the internet and click for more information.  I have everything I need at my fingertips. Going to San Antonio in December?  Pull out the San Antonio file.  California in March? Ditto.  Arizona in May?  Not a problem.  Idaho in October?  I confess, I don’t have any Idaho brochures, but I’ll be ordering them soon.

But sometimes, I just want to think of the possibilities.  Considering the budget I have for travel, Malaysia is not exactly on my short list.  In fact, until a couple of years ago, I’d have been challenged to point out Malaysia on a world map.  However, there they were at a travel show I attended.  They gave me several brochures, a gorgeous tote bag and a stick pin.  I still can’t afford Malaysia, but I’m working on it.  The pin sits next to my computer monitor and I love using my totebag.  It makes me feel all international.

TRAVEL HERE: I’M CUCKOO FOR SHOPPING APPS

Shopkick-ing at Best Buy

OK, so I’ve just collected my first walk-in points with Shop-kick and at pretty much the same time, I discover if you look through the online catalogs there, you get Shopkick points. I was in App Heaven.  As Bill talked to the salesman about modems and routers, I browsed Best Buy’s catalogs on Shopkick.  Among my surprise points I found a catalog page that said I could earn points for buying things at Best Buy and it sounded like Bill was going to buy enough stuff to take me to the maximum number of points.  I was still in the skeptical mode, but I wasn’t going to ignore the possibility.

When Bill made his decision, he asked about price matching.  The clerk said they were happy to match internet pricing.  I hadn’t said much during the transaction, but being uber aware of shopping apps right that moment, I piped up and said, I’ve got Red Laser.  Sure enough, I saved Bill $10.  I asked about the Shopkick points and found out it was as easy as giving my phone number to the clerk.  I’d arrived at App Nirvana.  It would take a whole day to find out if it had worked, but I was already hooked.

Unhappy at Ulta

Next stop on our errand list was a return to Ulta.  Now Ulta is not on Shopkick. (Hint, hint Ulta!)  We were returning something that I’d bought for Mom and she’d never gotten the chance to use.  I’m not much on returns, because I always run into some kind of problem and this trip was no different.  First question:  Do you have an Ulta Club Card?  Yes, I belong to “the club at Ulta,” but quite frankly, I got tired of hauling around the wallet with all those loyalty cards and I certainly didn’t want them hanging from my keychain.  I didn’t have my Ulta card with me and I’m pretty sure I didn’t have it the day I bought the terry turban for Mom.  They put in my phone number, but apparently my card’s not linked to my number, because the results were nill.

Now in the clerk’s defense, she was really trying to help.  She didn’t like putting me through the third degree.  I’d already told her the circumstances of the purchase and she was very sympathetic. So next, she asked me if I’d charged it.  I didn’t think so, but she tried to look it up anyway.  Eventually, I decided that I’d either paid cash or written a check from Mom’s account.  Neither of those helped in the least, but they could refund sixty cents.

Anyone else would have been mad at Ulta, but I was mad at Bill.  I hadn’t wanted to return the thing in the first place.  Not that I wanted it.  I just wanted it to disappear.  I didn’t want to deal with it.  If it equals money, Bill expects me to deal with it.

I went home, found the check I wrote to Ulta from Mom’s account and my Ulta Card.  Now I was loaded for bear.  Of course, the nice girl who’d helped me earlier was long gone and I had another nice girl, but it meant going through the whole thing again.  See this was all my fault.  I’d bought it at another Ulta.  I didn’t have my receipt.  I paid for it with a check.  And worst of all, I hadn’t used my Ulta card.  We soon arrived at the same sixty cents I’d been facing earlier in the day.  She meekly suggested I could speak to the manager.  After all this, you can bet your booty that I was speaking to the manager.

Long story short, we went down the same road one more time, but at the end of it she called corporate and just for fun, they went through the same series of questions.  I have another hint for Ulta.  This was an $11.99 item.  It was obvious the package had never been opened.  It was a turban, so it’s not like they’d have to return it to the vendor like with used make-up.  Exactly how much of their payroll that week went to paying four employees to go through the same set of questions with me?  I eventually got my money back in the form of a merchandise credit, exactly what I asked for in the first place.

Finding FidMe

But I was really mad about the Loyalty Card business, so it’s a good thing I knew about FidMe by Snapp.  Before I even returned to Ulta, I searched the Play Store and found it.  I’d heard about FidMe in passing one day and couldn’t even remember the name of it or where I heard it, but I got lucky searching shopping apps and found it.  Downloading was quick and with the few tentative pokes of my finger, I was adding loyalty cards to my app.  (Ulta’s not on FidMe either.  I had to create it.  Geez Ulta, you need to get with the times!)

I’m collecting points on FidMe, too, but it’s not clear what I’m supposed to use them for.  Apparently that part of the system is still under development.  There’s also something called stamp cards that I really don’t understand and it has something to do with a code displayed at the register, so I’m keeping my eyes peeled.  Part of my confusion may be related to the fact that FidMe started in Europe and stamp cards, whatever they are, may be all the rage there.

But this wasn’t all that app-ened!  I haven’t told you about Shopkicking at the Galleria or discovering Cartwheel.  Come back next week so I can give you a few more shopping hints.

TRAVEL HERE: AN APP-Y SHOPPING TRIP

Nope, that’s not a typo. I just discovered I have an APP-titude for shopping. OK! OK! I’ll stop.

Shopping with Apps

You may be an app expert, but I arrived late to the smartphone party –  like just a few months ago. But I remember watching newscasts for Black Thursday last year, wishing for Red Laser.  Now, I’m not a Black Thursday shopper, but as a reporter demonstrated how easily you could get the lowdown on comparative pricing, right at the point of purchase – well, I got excited.

Now, almost a year later, I got my first discount via Red Laser.  (I know I’m a little slow.)  On the same day, I collected my first walk-in Shopkicks, loaded my loyalty cards onto FidMe and found out about Target’s Cartwheel.  I’m appy now!

I’d downloaded the Shopkick app a month or so ago, but with Mother’s health crisis and death you can just imagine how little time I’d devoted to a shopping app.  They mentioned Shopkick on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer’s Real Money Report.  I immediately downloaded it, because getting awarded for shopping seemed like my kind of app.  Then I tried to introduce it to a few of my friends, but obviously they were less appy than me, because they thought I’d been spammed.  With that auspicious beginning and a midnight call from my mom, Shopkick went right out the window.

But you can’t ignore Shopkick.  From time to time I’d hear a little ding and when I checked my phone I found out Shopkick had just given me a point – for nothing – for just having the app.  I liked the idea of that, because when I downloaded it, the first thing they asked me was which award I wanted.  Well, the Coach handbag looked pretty good to me, even if it took 75000+ points to get it.  If I was getting points for just having the app, perhaps if I actually sat down and looked at what it did, I could figure out how to get a few more.

My First Shopkick Walk-in

Then Bill and I were out running errands and he mentioned that he wanted to go to Best Buy.  My reticular activator reminded me that Best Buy was one of the Shopkick stores.  Don’t ask me how it knew that, it just did.  That’s the way reticular activators work and it’s the reason companies keep bombarding us with information.  We end up absorbing more of it that we realize.

I grabbed my phone and accessed Shopkick.  Sure enough, Best Buy wanted to give me 35 points just for walking in.  Since I only had a very few points, I was thrilled to claim the new ones.  As I tried to figure out how to Shopkick, I also found out that when you click on a store, you get these little digital catalogs to browse.  What’s more, if you look through the virtual catalogs, Shopkick points appear between the pages and are yours for the taking. I immediately had a new hobby!

But back to the walk-in points.  I bet you’re wondering how hard it is to claim them.  I’ll admit it doesn’t happen by magic.  Apps are good but not that good.  Once you’ve downloaded Shopkick (Please let me know if you’re interested, so that I can send you an invitation and get points.  I need that Coach bag!) then all you have to do is access it and select the store you’re about to walk into.  BANG – the points show up in a big blue bubble on your phone.  I love the sound of shopkick points at the mall.

So, how did my 35 walk-in points lead to Red Laser and my other new shopping apps?  For that you’ll have to wait until next week!