You’ll see plenty of Mosques in Old Town, but it feels like they’re part of a bygone era and act more as tourist attractions than religious institutions. Among them is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, more commonly known as the Blue Mosque. Grand Hyatt Istanbul Istiklal Avenue Istanbul Hagia Sophia Istanbul Topkapi Palace Istanbul Old Town … Read more
Somebody at Safeway Gas Rewards has been hanging out on the miles & points forums lately. It’s great enough that you can earn gas rewards and double miles with certain credit cards. Now Safeway is sweetening the deal with 4x Gas Rewards Points per $1 on gift card purchases. If you’re a Safeway shopper, use … Read more
Since Taksim Square was a short walk from the Grand Hyatt, we went there on our second day. Grand Hyatt Istanbul Blue Mosque Istanbul Hagia Sophia Istanbul Topkapi Palace Istanbul Old Town Istanbul (at night) Doubletree Istanbul Old Town KLM Business Class Istanbul – Amsterdam – San Francisco 5 Things I Love About Istanbul A … Read more
A new points blogger is born every week. They all give more or less the same response about why they started a blog: “I wanted to share this hobby with my family and friends,” “I’d like to share my obsession with others so they can travel free,” etc. The question is: Is it necessary for … Read more
Getting a cab at the airport was quick and we managed to negotiate a flat rate beforehand. If you let them run the meter, your $30 cab ride could double thanks to creative routing on the driver’s part. To my amazement, the driver made good on his promise to fit all of our bags into … Read more
A couple of weeks ago, I sprained my ankle and had to visit the emergency room. Thankfully I have health insurance through my employer, so all I was liable for was a $50 co-pay. On my way to the emergency room, I was conjuring up ways to maximize my point earnings. The problem is that … Read more
Our flight from Dubai to Doha was only an hour long. There, we would have a 1-hour stop-over and then continue on a 4 1/2 hour flight to Istanbul. Introduction Admiral’s Club Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris British Airways Business Class Lounge Heathrow Airport British Airways Business Class London – Dubai Safi Airways Dubai – … Read more
Shortly after my trip to Dubai, I watched a documentary about the human rights abuses guest workers are subjected to. Guest worker may be an inaccurate term to use – some of these workers are treated more like slaves than guests. Every country has issues with human rights – unless you’re Dick Chenney and don’t consider waterboarding … Read more
Living Social is selling four-month CLEAR memberships for $18 – a 76% discount over the usual $75 rate. This deal is valid only in Dallas, Denver, Orlando, San Francisco, and Westchester. For those who are unfamiliar with CLEAR, it’s a program similar to Global Entry that allows members to bypass regular security lines at the … Read more
We checked out of the Hyatt and headed to the airport. If you book a Club room or a Suite at the Hyatt Regency Dubai, you get complimentary car service to the airport. This time they actually took into account the number of people and bags, and provided a Mercedes GLK. I had to deal … Read more