Month: January 2018

  • Baked Bear vs. Diddy Riese

    Baked Bear vs. Diddy Riese

    I’ve been out to Cali a few times, and on one trip I was happened upon Baked Bear (in Pacific Beach), and was in LOOOOVE!!  I returned to FL, and my friends told me I didn’t do “it” right, as I had not visited Diddy Riese (more of fan L.A. institution), which of course, made me intrigued.  This trip, I was determined to try out both spots so I can save you time and $$ next time you’re in Cali and want an ice cream-based dessert.

    What do they do?

    They specialize in making custom ice cream sandwiches.  When you walk in, you’ll see rows of cookie flavors and a tray of brownies, as well as tubs of ice cream – you mix and match and create the ice cream sandwich that you want.

    Cookies/Brownies?  Baked Bear

    This is where I have to give mad props to Baked Bear.  First off, they have more flavors to choose from, and they have more overall options. If you want just a warmed brownie or cookie in a skillet type bowl – they got you.  If you want something completely different, they even have donuts!!  Plus, in my opinion, their cookies taste better and fresher… though I do believe Diddy Riese has better brownies – they have a deeper-tasting chocolate.  Baked Bear’s brownies taste more like what I make from the box on a Sunday night – but their cookies more than make up for it.  If you don’t believe me – check out their Insta sites and even websites (you can also check out my photos below – I ordered the same item from both spots, so you can see the difference) – if you don’t think Baked Bear’s creations look more amazing, then we can’t be foodie friends, haha!!

    Ice cream? Baked Bear

    Again, Baked Bear has more flavors and toppings – you can make ridiculous creations if you want.  I’m more of a purist – so I rock with the vanilla ice cream/brownie/cookie combo – but I’ve eaten with folks that go all in, and they tended to think Baked Bear’s homemade ice cream offered more choices.

    Cost? Diddy Riese

    Diddy Riese is slightly cheaper – I believe the sandwich I “made” there was $2 cheaper than the one at Baked Bear – but again, it’s worth the extra cost, imo.  Plus, keeping it real, although I love Baked Bear’s cookies more, there is definitely a strong contingent of folks who are in love with Diddy’s Riese’s cookies – and at only 50 cents each – you can’t really go wrong…

    Lines? Baked Bear

    I’ve gone to both during the weekdays and weekends, and so far the lines have always been longer at Diddy Riese – I believe this is because Diddy Riese is considered more of a Cali institution (it has been around since 1983).  Folks are always willing to wait in line for something that tastes good, and is well known. Also, in all fairness, the line does move relatively quickly, so don’t be put off by the line if your heart is set on Diddy Riese. But to me, I’d rather not have to wait in a longer line, esp as I believe the product is better at Baked Bear.

    Also – just in case this matters to you, as I almost never have cash on me, Diddy Riese only takes cash (at least the location I tried).  Baked Bear takes cash and credit cards – which I’m grateful for.

    Ultimately, there’s room for both in our lives – who ever said “no thanks”, to having too many dessert spots? Not I!  But if time is of the essence, and you can only choose one – go w/ Baked Bear.  As usual…you’re welcome! hahaha!!

  • 6 Travel Tips That I Wish Someone Had Given Me When I First Got My Passport…

    6 Travel Tips That I Wish Someone Had Given Me When I First Got My Passport…

    Almost everyone I know is going somewhere awesome this year! 2018 will hopefully be the year of experiences/memories – as I know of folks traveling to Costa Rica, Italy, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Iceland, Japan, etc.  I absolutely love that the travel bug is spreading almost as quickly as the flu, and it got me thinking…are there any tips that I could share with my friends/readers,  and provide information that I wish someone may have told me when I first started to travel? Ummm…yes!!!  So, no more intro – here are my top 6 tips that I wish someone would have told me the first time I traveled abroad:

     

    1)Skip the currency exchange – If possible, open an account with a bank like TD that doesn’t charge foreign transaction or ATM fees.  Aside from the obvious (did you read when I said no fees?), there’s another reason this is critical.  Gone are the days where you need to stop off at the currency exchange upon landing, or make a visit to your local bank to exchange funds in advance of your trip.  If you have any account which doesn’t charge you ATM fees for using an ATM not associated with your bank, then you can literally use any ATM in the country you’re visiting and extract local currency. You don’t have to worry about fees anymore or long lines at the teller – just take out money as you usually would back home, and head out to your next destination.  We’ve been doing this solidly for about 4 years now, and I swear by this.  Just be mindful that often the accounts that don’t charge ATM fees will require you to keep a certain $$ threshold in your account.

     

    2)Always do a 5 min research session – you’d be surprised how American we all are, haha.  What this means is, even in countries like the UK or Australia, where they speak English, their customs can differ drastically from what we’re used to.  This includes everything from what we wear, to what we say, and what we eat.  For example, in England, you won’t catch most folks wearing sweats and shopping – it’s a very American thing to do.  Typically, citizens from other countries dress up more formally than we do here, so if you’re looking to fit in, you may want to include some nice tops to dress up your jeans.  It’s also important to know some of the local lingo so you or the person you’re speaking to, doesn’t get unnecessarily offended.  Do you know that “fag” means cigarette in London?  Or that “entree” means appetizer in Australia?  Just do 5 min, to ensure you don’t make a huge gaffe, and you’ll be thankful.

     

    3)Bounce around – ok, this is merely a preference thing, but please don’t only visit Paris if you have a week to kill.  Sure, large(r) cities like Munich, Paris, and Barcelona have become popular because they have a lot to offer, so it certainly makes sense to spend a great deal of time there, but all of your time? No…  Often times some of the most beautiful, pristine, and natural parts of the country are just outside of the major city centers.  These are the areas that experience less tourism, and thus you will often be rewarded with more authentic experiences.  I am not saying that you won’t find a great beer in Munich, or croissant in Paris, but overall, you will find some of the best overall restaurants for a local feel and neighborhood folks in the countryside, or just lesser known cities (or even countries).  I’ll give you an example – Luxembourg is not necessarily a hot spot for visitors – when I told friends I was going there last year, I got a lot of “deer in headlight” looks…but it was one of the highlights of my trip to Europe.  The area had an extremely local feel because it wasn’t over-commercialized. I was also rewarded with the best madeleines and italian food that I have ever had…and I mean ever.  Don’t only stick to what you see on Instagram – create your own journey…I promise you your memories will thank you.

     

    4)You won’t be able to do everything – and it’s ok!  Due to rain, crowds, unplanned strikes (very popular in Italy and France), or holidays that you may not have known about (this happened to us in Germany), certain sites, restaurants, or driving routes may be closed while you’re in town. Don’t get discouraged – this happens more than you’d think, esp if you start to stretch your boundaries a bit, and don’t take pre-selected vacations through your travel agent.  When we were planning our road trip, we mapped it all via Google maps, then did a quick news search to see if there were any cities/towns we should avoid.  Then, about a week before our trip, we looked up the weather to see if it was going to be too cold/cloudy/rainy to do some of the activities that we were planning. Sure enough, it was going to rain for a few days, so we simply altered our route so we could do indoor activities (ie: thermal baths) on a rainy day, and ski lifts on the more beautiful days. Unfortunately, we missed the fact that Germany closes down essentially, the day after Halloween, so a restaurant I was interested in trying was closed – but roll with the punches! We found a local tavern that sold great food/drinks and we were able to mingle with the non-English speaking local town people, and have an incredible time!  You never know where your next amazing experience will come from, so have a wonderful time and go with whatever comes up next!

     

    5)Don’t bank on “doing nothing” – Ok, I know some of my friends have kids, so I understand that “doing nothing” may be exactly what you want to do while on vacation, LOL!  But for the rest of you…you may think, ok, I’ll get tix to the Bahamas and then do nothing for 5 days.  From experience, I just want to say, I highly doubt this will happen.  Most folks will get bored after just 1 day on the beach reading a book. Again, this is not for everyone…but on average, we need a bit more to entertain us.  For this reason, I implore you to always book an activity (not through the hotel but directly through a tour operator), or have back up sites that you’d like to see in case the opportunity arises.  I’ve even been on trips with other couples who originally just wanted to relax, and by day 2, they get antsy and start asking for suggestions – luckily I was prepared!  So put aside any feelings of – I just want to read this book and drink margaritas. You very well may want to – but not for longer than 1 -2 days.

     

    6)Souvenirs are usually a waste of money – Unless I have a friend that I know wants some cubicle decor, or is a collector of shot glasses, then don’t waste your money!  When we first started traveling, we thought we’d get something authentic from every country we visited – and eventually we stopped.  It was just too much.  Again, nothing with me is absolute – when I travel to certain more exotic countries I may want to pick up a handmade item like a rug from Turkey or a mask from Kenya because they truly specialize in something that I can’t get back home.  But a mug from Mexico or a t-shirt in the Bahamas? You’re better off getting these types of items off Amazon – you’ll pay less, and your friends will still be able to see that you’ve been to Nassau.