Visit New Orleans: Jazzy Pass

Disclosure: Our Jazzy Passes were hosted. 

For a convenient mode of public transportation throughout New Orleans, with frequent stops and the elimination of any parking hassles, get your Regional Transit Authority Jazzy Pass.

The Jazzy Pass allows you to hop on and hop off RTA buses, streetcars, and even ferries. You can buy 1-, 3-, 7-, and 31-day Jazzy Passes, which activate at first use.

A 1-day pass is just $3!  Think about how much time and money you would save without having to search and pay for parking each time you went to a restaurant, went shopping, or visited an attraction along or nearby one of the routes that the buses, streetcars, or ferries stop on.  

We took the St. Charles Avenue streetcar, which took us along this main thoroughfare in New Orleans.  

We stopped in the Garden District, where we walked around the neighborhood and were in awe with the many grand mansions.  

It was neat to see all the different styles of architecture - you won't see these types of homes in Hawai`i!

Mardi Gras took place a few weeks before we visited, so it was fun to see homes and trees decked out in beads galore!

St. Charles Avenue is actually a parade route for several festivities during Mardi Gras season.

After exploring the neighborhood a bit and gazing at all of the stunning homes, we hopped back on the St. Charles Avenue Street Car.  We rode all the way to the end of the line, and along the way, we saw all sorts of historic buildings, statues, and iconic landmarks. 

At the turnaround, we hopped on another Street Car heading back to the French Market, and got off near the Milton H. Latter Memorial Library.  We visited this former mansion turned library to browse through books and sit in some air conditioned comfort before our lunch reservation.  

We had lunch at Superior Seafood, which is right on St. Charles Avenue, and just a short walk from the Milton H. Latter Memorial Library.  I highly recommend a meal there - it's a fantastic, family-friendly restaurant!

After lunch, we walked to Lucy Boone Ice Cream for a sweet, cool treat, then walked back to St. Charles Avenue to hop on the Street Car back to the French Market.  

There is so much to see and do at the French Market, as you can imagine!

 

The Street Cars arrive every 30 minutes, and although they were sometimes pretty full, we never had a problem finding a seat (the seats are pretty cleverly designed, with the ability to adjust the back so you can sit facing forward or backward).

I highly recommend taking the Street Car to explore New Orleans and getting around with ease.

The Jazzy Pass makes it so convenient for anyone to explore the city.  From parks and casinos, to world-famous eateries, the convenient and efficient transportation options will make your New Orleans adventure a breeze.

You can buy your Jazzy Pass online or via various retailers.  

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Visit New York: Public Transportation

One of my favorite things about traveling to New York was the public transportation system.

No need to drive in that (VERY CRAZY) New York traffic... no getting lost... no getting honked at.

New York Metropolitan Authority Transportation offers a 7-day Unlimited Pass that (kids under 44 inches tall can ride for free), which is good for unlimited subway and local bus rides until midnight, 7 days from day of first use.

We were not in New York for a full 7 days, but even if you're there for less than 7 days, you should do the math to see if an unlimited pass will save you money vs pay-per-ride.

Catching the subway and buses was quite easy (thanks to Google Maps!), and there were many friendly employees, and even strangers, who helped us out whenever we weren't sure about which platform to go to or which stop to get off at.

For the most part we always felt safe on the subway, buses, and at the stations.  There was only one instance when a very drunk individual came on the subway screaming his head off, but other than that, there were never any issues.

One day we even encountered a singer who got the entire subway car singing to Hey There Delilah!

For more information, visit http://www.mta.info/.

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Visit Tokyo: Public Transportation

One of the things I love about visiting Tokyo is the public transportation system.  It is very easy to navigate and you never have to wait very long for the next train to pull up.

Tokyo Monorail

While in Tokyo, we used the Tokyo Monorail to get to and from Haneda International Airport, Yurikamome to get to Odaiba (an automated transit system), the Keio Line, and the Tokyo Metro.

Yurikamome

Yurikamome

The primary mode of transit for us, however, was on the JR-East.  We used the Tokunai (Tokyo Metropolitan District) Pass frequently, which allows for unlimited rides on local and rapid JR East trains (excluding reserved seats) within the 23 Special Wards of Tokyo.

The Tokunai pass made it extremely easy and cheap to get around Tokyo!

Most of the lines have one- or multi-day passes, so if you plan ahead you can save a lot of money! Buying tickets at the kiosks at the stations was quite easy, since there is an "English" option on the menu. And if you have any questions on how to get to a certain station, the employees are extremely helpful (they will use their best English or point to maps or in certain directions to guide you).

But thanks to Google Maps, it's so easy to figure out which line to catch!

Elevators are few and far between at the train stations, which meant strollers were a rare sight as well. Parents would often be seen using baby carriers to hold their infants.

Although we loved catching the trains, I admit it was quite exhausting walking up and down the stairs to get to and from the platforms (if I saw an escalator nearby I went straight for it!). Because the trains show up frequently, seats near the platforms are rare, and if you're lucky enough to get a seat on the train, the rides are usually very quick so you won't be sitting very long (although I welcomed even a few minutes of sitting to rest my tired and aching feet!).

And yes, the train stations can be very chaotic, especially during the week when riders are commuting to and from work.  I had some anxiety thinking I'd get separated from my kids in the chaos or that one would get stuck on the train after the rest of us disembarked, but everything went smoothly!

The transportation system is one of my favorite things about Tokyo!

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Visit Vancouver: The SkyTrain

Usually when our family travels we rent a car, but on our most recent trip to Vancouver, we used the SkyTrain to get around.

I admit that I was hesitant to rely on public transportation, but it turned out to be a great decision for so many reasons.

For one thing, it cost us less to buy DayPasses on the SkyTrain than it would have been to rent a car for two days, pay for hotel parking, pay for parking at most places we visited, and pay for gas. Because we purchased DayPasses at Sea Island (YVR Airport), the passes cost us $5 more per person (under 5 years old is free), but it was still a money-saver for us to use the SkyTrain.

The kids loved riding the SkyTrain, which is the "oldest and one of the longest automated driverless light rapid transit systems in the world."  They especially loved when they got a seat in the very first rail car, in the very front. 

The SkyTrain turned out to be very easy to use, and the Day Passes could be used on other transportation modes in TransLink, such as the buses and Sea Bus.

When we went to Burnaby Village Museum, we looked on Google Maps for which lines/buses to take, and we also were advised by one of the employees to call Transit Information to verify the route (you can even look up route information on the TransLink website).

You can use your DayPass on the SkyTrain, Bus, and SeaBus

The employees at the SkyTrain and bus were very helpful (one even helped us to determine if it would be cheaper to buy a DayPass or a regular fare ticket when traveling to a single neighborhood).

We went to Yaletown, Gastown, Olympic Village, and Burnaby via the SkyTrain over two days (we bought DayPasses each day).

We did do a bit of walking to get to various destinations throughout each neighborhood, but it was great to explore the areas by foot - and all that walking just meant we didn't have to feel too guilty about all the eating we did.

Since we were staying at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, access to the SkyTrain was easy since it stops at the Vancouver International Airport, but there are many other hotels throughout Vancouver within walking distance to various SkyTrain terminals.

The transitions between lines and modes of transportation were pretty seamless.  We never had to wait very long for to get on a bus or rail car, and it was great to not have to drive through the busy city, search for parking, or get stuck in traffic.  

Both my husband and I were quite impressed with how easy it was to get around throughout Vancouver, and the kids had fun traveling on the different modes of transportation!

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Visit Las Vegas: Las Vegas Monorail

The last time I visited Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Monorail hadn't been completed yet.  To see different spots on the famous Las Vegas Strip, my husband and I drove to different hotels, parked, walked around, and then walked back to our car, and drove back to our hotel. 

On our recent family trip to Las Vegas, we knew taking the Las Vegas Monorail would be so much more convenient.

The hotel we were staying at (the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino) was a stop along the monorail route, and with three kids, we knew it would be so much quicker to just hop on the monorail to get to different destinations versus getting everyone in the car and the kids into their car seats, driving through the busy Strip traffic, finding parking at a hotel or mall, and then doing it all over again to return to our hotel. 

And my kids just love riding monorails, so we knew not only would it be practical, but it would be a lot of fun!

The Las Vegas Monorail

The Las Vegas Monorail, which was originally anticipated to link MGM Grand and Bally's Hotel, soon developed a plan to include other spots on the Strip.  Since opening in 2004, the Las Vegas Monorail has carried over 60 million passengers, and we were excited to ride the Las Vegas Monorail ourselves.

After picking up our hosted tickets at our hotel (tickets can be purchased online, and at various ticketing offices and ticket vending machines at various monorail stations), we went to the monorail station, which was just outside of our hotel.

We never encountered any issues when inserting our tickets into the gates to get to the boarding platform, and we never had to wait very long for a train to arrive.

Depending on the time of day and the number of trains in operation, trains arrive anywhere from every 4 to 9 minutes (you'll hear an announcement at the station advising how often the trains arrive).

Most times we caught the monorail we never had to wait for more than 6 minutes.

A very handy route map at the stations and on the monorail help to guide you to your next destination.  The map details the hotels along the North and South Bound routes, and also advises which stop would be best to go to certain hotels and attractions along the Strip. 

On the way to the Harrah's/The LINQ Station

There was always a security officer at the stations who would direct people where to go and offer any other assistance. Both the stations and trains were clean, and we could always find a seat (although my kids enjoyed standing and holding on to the pole). 

My kids loved riding on the Las Vegas Monorail

The Las Vegas Monorail also provided some nice views of the Strip.

Daytime view through the train

Night view through the train

If you plan on visiting a lots of spots on the Strip during your stay in Las Vegas, and/or need to attend a conference at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Las Vegas Monorail is an ideal mode of transport. 

They offer several different ticket options, including multi-day passes.  We had a two-day pass, which allowed for unlimited travel during a 48-hour period (after the first-use, a time is stamped on the ticket which indicates when it expires). 

Thanks to the Las Vegas Monorail, we were able to go back and forth from our hotel to various points along the Strip to dine, shop, and visit attractions, without having to deal with traffic and parking.

The Las Vegas Monorail - Convenient and Efficient!

I can't imagine a more convenient, fun, and environmentally-friendly way to experience the Las Vegas Strip.

To buy tickets for the Las Vegas Monorail, click here.

For hours of operation and more information on the Las Vegas Monorail, click here.

Thank you to Las Vegas Monorail for hosting our tickets.

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