Anyone who knows my husband, Ken, knows what a train-i-ack is. So, it was no surprise that he wanted to go on the Canada Rail Rocky Mountaineer trip across the Canadian Rockies. Not one to pass up a trip, I did a bit of research and found out I could finally get to Lake Louise on this train trip. I’ve heard of the incredible beauty of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau for decades.

We did a few things correctly on the trip, but also had a few screw-ups. Here is our itinerary complete with suggested changes to make for the perfect trip.

We flew from Gainesville on the new American flight to Dallas and changed there for a flight to Seattle. We found the flights quite nice, with plenty of time to grab a bite to eat in Dallas. We stayed two nights in Seattle, but if you have never been there before, I’d suggest at least three nights. We have two favorite hotels there, the Alexis and Inn at the Market, where we stayed on this trip. It is a block away from Pikes Market and an easy four blocks to Nordstrom’s.

We spent the afternoon walking around Pikes, bought some fish to ship home and had a nice lunch at the Athenian in the market.

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Tip No. 1: Rent a car to get to Lake Louise

The next morning, we flew to Calgary. We planned to spend three nights at Louise and figured we would avoid a horrendous drive thought the mountains and hire a driver to take us to Lake Louise from the Calgary airport.  Cost was $350. The road was a beautiful 4-lane road and the route so easy a child could drive it. We quickly realized we should have rented a car and driven ourselves for a lot less money.

Tip No. 2: Don’t stay more than one night at Lake Louise.

Not wanting to be stranded for three days, we were lucky to find a Hertz rent-a-car desk at the hotel and arranged to hire a car for a day. We drove to Banff — about 45 minutes away — and had lunch, wandered around the town which is chock full of shops and cafes and visited the Banff Springs hotel. Turns out the Banff Springs hotel— also a Fairmount hotel— is older than the Lake Louise hotel and has a lot more to do. Prices seem about the same. We talked with a number of folks who had spent a few days in Banff and then a day at Lake Louise. That is probably the right choice. Banff seems to be geared more towards tourists and there are galleries, shops, and many restaurant choices.

When we got to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, we found out there wasn’t much to do there other than hiking. With the ground covered with snow and ice, hiking was out.

You really do need to go to Lake Louise to see the lake and the mountains. It is one of those famous geological sites that does not disappoint. All the service people at the hotel are young and 85% are from Ontario — fresh out of school and recruited to work for three months or so. We were told they have a 70% turnover rate. Our trip was in April and we got snow and a frozen lake. But we were told that June, July and August are so busy you can barely see the lake because of the mobs of people. Although it would have been nice to see the lake unfrozen, I don’t think I would have been crazy about being there with the masses. Fall is another good time to visit. When you stay in Lake Louise, you are pretty much stuck with eating all your meals at the hotel, as there is nothing much nearby. Even if you don’t stay at Lake Louise, eat lunch at the lobby-level bar/restaurant – which has amazing views of the lake. An hour or so taking in the scenery should do the trick.

From the Lake Louise hotel we were picked up for the train ride. Luggage had to be transported by truck, as there is no room on the train for luggage. I wanted to sleep in, but had to pull my toilet articles out of my roller bag, so I could get dressed without my bag. This is one of the reasons I generally don’t like group travel. Those early morning calls are a bitch when retirement has gotten you used to sleeping in.

We were bussed to the train station in Lake Louise – a location used in numerous films including Dr. Zhivago — a quaint spot where we wound up spending a couple of hours since the train signal in Banff had frozen over and delayed the train from getting to us.

I must admit the staff was more than accommodating. They had coffee, hot chocolate and pastries laid out to feed us and one of the staff gave a talk about the area, the trains and the wildlife in the national park (this area is all part of the Canadian Park system).

When the train arrived, we were shown to our car and hopped onboard, walking over a red-carpet and greeted by all the team who would serve us throughout the two-day journey.  We had purchased the gold service, which put us on double-decker car. The top of the car was where we sat and it had a huge plastic dome so we could see all the sights. Underneath were the dining room (where we ate breakfast and lunch every day) and washrooms. (Not restrooms in Canada!)

The train trip was spectacular – complete with more food than you could eat. Snacks of wine and cheese and nuts and trail mix were served all day long. The train car was divided into two meal servings. On day one, we were in the second serving. On day two, we were switched to the first serving – so everyone had a chance at both servings. Breakfast offered a choice of six items – the same menu for both days. Lunch was a hot meal and the menu changed from day one to day two. Wine was served throughout the day and a limited cocktail menu was also available. The dining room was beautifully appointed and we sat with several different couples. For train food, it was pretty good.

The days were long on the train. We didn’t get into Kamloops the first day until after 7:30 pm. We had been warned that hotels there were moderate at best. We would up in a Doubletree which was a lot like an old Holiday Inn. Clean and dreary colors, but fine for one night. Nothing you would want to stay in for any length of time, however.

The second day started with bus boarding at 7:15 and ended in Vancouver at 8:00 pm. Since the Rocky Mountaineer travels on tracks owned by the two Canadian rail companies, freight trains have first priority and we often had to wait for another train to pass by. The Rocky Mountaineer travels at about 30 miles per hour, so you are not clipping along. But you do have plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, relax and eat and drink. The staff gives a steady explanation of the sights, locations and general information.

We had booked our own hotel in Vancouver and stayed at the Metropolitan, a small hotel in downtown, where we stayed on our last trip to Vancouver. We liked it and found plenty of shops, museums and restaurants nearby. Vancouver does not have Uber or Lyft, so we used regular taxies to get around.

All in all, a good trip. Ours was 12 days – but you could easily make it more or less – as your schedule dictates. The highlight of the train trip is surely the service and scenery. Be prepared for long days and sit back and take it all in!

If you’ve never been to Mexico City, get on a plane and go now. Not only is it a great destination, but we sure need to let Mexico know that all Americans aren’t crazy.

And if you have been guilty of thinking all the stereotypes about Mexico were correct, let me tell you they are all wrong.

The people are smart, friendly, kind and hard-working. And Mexico City is modern, sophisticated, safe, clean and easy to get-around. We saw no signs of Montezuma’s revenge, as the food was some of the best I have eaten anywhere in the world.

Kelly and I planned our trip to be a foodie and art experience. Here’s what we did and how you can make your trip fun and easy.

Getting there: We booked our flight out of Atlanta on Delta and got a non-stop flight that took about 3.5 hours. We didn’t really shop around for a flight deal, since we had limited time and specific dates we wanted to travel. Our tickets ran around $600 each, round trip. We left at 12:15 and arrived around 2:45 (Central time) — perfect for us. We hate early morning and late night flights. If you shop, I am sure you can find less expensive flight rates.

I had arranged to have a car pick us up at the airport — not knowing what the airport situation would be. However, don’t spend the money to do that (about $100). Just exit the airport and you’ll find a line of taxies. Grab one and take it to your hotel, which will be about a 40-minute drive. The cost will be about $20-30 US. If you use a hired car, you have to trek through the parking garage with your driver — rather than walking out the terminal door and getting right in a taxi.

Where to stay: Since I am a bit of a hotel snob, we stayed at one of my favorite luxury hotels, the Four Seasons. The rate was $250 a night — a steal for a high-end hotel. It is located in the financial district and everyone there was helpful and professional. The hotel has one of Mexico City’s best bars and believe me it was a real treat. We had a different, creative and delicious drink every night. We’re talking award-winning cocktails.  And their coffee shop has the best almond croissants I’ve ever had.

Tip: when you check in, ask for a room near the elevator. They have only one bank of elevators and it seemed like a mile hike just to get to our room.

There are a number of good hotels throughout the city. A St. Regis, numerous Hiltons, Holiday Inns and Marriotts. You can find something for every budget. Be sure to check the neighborhood when you pick a hotel. The old district is lovely, as are a number of residential areas, such as Polanco with tree-lined streets and lots of cute restaurants.

Weather: When we visited in mid-July, the weather was cool and breezy. About 70 degrees in the daytime, perfect for walking around. Bring a light jacket for the evenings and you’ll be in good shape. I brought a hat, thinking the sun would be gruesome, but I didn’t need it since it was so overcast.

Getting around: Before you leave for your trip, be sure you have the Uber app on your phone. You won’t believe how easy and cheap it is to use. We did our share of walking, but Mexico City is a huge city (21 million people) and we used Uber regularly to get around. The best part is you don’t have to speak Spanish.  Just put in your destination and you’ll get a note about how long you must wait for your driver, the price and you’re off. For most of our trips, we waited 1-2 minutes for our driver and the most expensive trip we had was a 45-minute drive across town for the huge price of $12. Most of our trips were $2, $4 or $6. The 40-minute drive back to the airport was $6.

What to do: The purpose of our trip was art and food. Kelly looked up the top restaurants in Mexico City and booked reservations using Open Table, or went to the restaurant website and booked through the Mexican equivalent of Open Table. I won’t go into the details about the food here. Suffice to say, we had wonderful food in sophisticated to cozy local settings. When Ken and I were in Mexico 45+ years ago, the big worry was getting sick on the food. Not anymore, folks. It is safe and world-class. Food in Mexico City will dazzle you and at half the cost you would pay at a nice restaurant in the US. Read Kelly’s blog for where we ate and photos of the food we had.

Tip: Be sure you plan your trip around museum opening times. Most are closed on Mondays.

After we checked in at our hotel, we walked to the city park a block away (twice the size of New York City’s Central Park). It is a great place to soak up local flavor and see vendors hawking all manner of food, toys, trinkets and souvenirs. The Museum of Modern Art is located there and we took a quick stroll through it to see a very nice collection of art. Try to have at least two hours to see everything in the museum.

On day two, we hired a car and driver to take us to see Teotihuacan, the Mayan city, complete with pyramids, about an hour outside of town. Kelly’s blog will give you the details. It was a great trip, despite the rain. If you don’t want to hire a car and driver, there are numerous bus trips and tours to the pyramids. We were happy to have the driver and car since it rained and we waited out the showers in the comfort of an air-conditioned car.

An early morning visit to the Frida Kahlo museum started day three. Be sure to get there early, as the lines can be long and slow. The day we went, the museum opened at 9:30 and we got there around 10 and had a 30-minute wait. The museum is actually the house where Frida and Diego Rivera lived, so it is a special place. See Kelly’s blog for details.

We then Ubered to Pujol for our eight-course taco tasting menu. It is worth the trip to Mexico City if you do nothing else but eat this meal. Kelly’s blog explains all the details and shows photos of what we ate. Totally amazing!

We only had time to visit three museums, but Mexico City has tons of them. And there are numerous day trips you can take from the city.

Walk around the city, shop at the markets, visit museums, listen to music at the cantinas and eat. There is so much to do, three days wasn’t enough. But we will be back. Hope you can make it there, too. I think it is a winner — and especially easy for a short hop.