Nicole "The Other Nicole" B.'s Profile

Staying at a hotel in St George is a bit of a crapshoot. A lot of the hotels in the area were in their prime decades ago, especially on St George Blvd. I asked a few friends on Twitter for recommendations of a place to stay under $60 (had to keep my trip cheap this time). A friend said he always stays at the Super 8, and I checked prices. The rate for the night was $68, but if I booked right then, they dropped it to $60. Score.

The man at check-in was nice, if not a little over-flirtatious.  I had booked a room with 2 queens, and since I was alone, he begged me to take a room with one king. He said that I got such a good deal on my room, and he could rent a double room to someone else for a lot more. Whatever, I was alone, so I let him switch my room.

The room itself was a little dank and outdated, but I knew it would be as soon as I saw the exterior of the motel.  The bed however, was comfortable, as were the sheets. The thing that really bugged me about the room though, was that there was a big crater/sinkhole in the carpet. It was like room had hardwood under the carpet, but they took out a few planks. At a glance, you can't tell there's a problem with the floor, but when I tripped and fell flat on my face, it was pretty obvious from a floorview perspective.

The place is pretty noisy, at least my room was. I was fairly close to the pool, and kids were constantly screaming and loudly splashing into the water. I can't fault the hotel too much for the noise of the people in the rooms on each side of me, because I didn't complain, but both rooms were watching the Jazz game and had it cranked up. It was like listening to the game in stereo, except my tv wasn't on. The wifi was reliable, so I was able to distract myself on my iPad.

The continental breakfast is a little disappointing, but better than some places. I'm on a very restricted diet, and the only thing I'm able to eat that they offered is peanut butter. I took a clean plastic spoon and got a spoonful of peanut butter. Immediately after, an older couple started harassing me for being "rude and unsanitary."

I had just enough little issues with the place that I could not justify three stars, it's a solid two in my book.

Who doesn't love gorgeous jewelry in a pretty light blue box?

I'd never been into a Tiffany & Co store until the City Creek Location, despite hearing of their charms for decades. They have a very classic but elegant motif in the store, and employees are very knowledgeable about the jewels they sell. I'm particularly in love with the Tiffany Garden line, and spent a lot of time gazing through smudgeless crystal-clear glass. The store was crazy busy through the first few weeks of City Creek's opening, but Tiffany's was well-staffed.

Now if only I could eat Breakfast there....

O Glorious Sephora!

I'm a beauty product junkie, and Sephora and Ulta stores are my favorite. I'm a regular at the Fashion Place Sephora, and it's nice to have another option in the Salt Lake area. It's in a nice location within the Nordstrom side of City Creek Center near Main Street. Just a few steps off the escalator from the parking garage.

The store is new, clean, and staffed with friendly and helpful people. The products are the same from store to store, but the layout was a little more user-friendly than Fashion Place. I love their selection of Philosophy products, and they had lots of the fun gift packs I like to give out for birthdays. Make sure to get a Beauty Insider card, which gives you a free birthday gift and discounts through the year.

I travel often, and a lot of the time I have to rent cars. I'm always trying to find a bargain, and Dollar often has the lowest prices (as well as Advantage, Fox). But I always return my car with a bad taste in my mouth.

The rental shuttles are the real downfall in my opinion. I've waited upwards of 30 minutes to be picked up from the curb at LAX on two occasions, while I watched Enterprise, Hertz, and Alamo shuttles flying by every 5 minutes. It's nice to be able to pick out your car in the rental class you've selected, but they seem to consider 5 different colors of the same make and model a " wide selection."  I'd like something different than 5 Hyundai Accents, thank you very much.

Last time I rented, I had a very tight timeframe to make my flight when dropping off my car. I arrived 80 minutes before my flight was to leave, which is usually enough time to return the car, hop the shuttle, and get through security. Unfortunately, I had to wait for 35 MINUTES at a peak time for a shuttle to take passengers to the airport. There were people packed onto the bus shoulder to shoulder, the driver was driving erratically, and someone started vomiting....which made someone else vomit. It was a nasty chain reaction, which could have probably been avoided if shuttles ran regularly and people weren't packed on so tight.

Remind me to avoid Dollar next time I'm renting from LAX.

Being at the Burbank airport is like stepping back in time. The exterior of the airport looks pretty dated, and the flight boards aren't digital yet. As I sat waiting for a flight, I watched an attendant swap out the number tiles on the Delta flight board for the next flight. There aren't a lot of dining options, but you can get basic food and drinks. The entry off of Hollywood Way to the terminals usually gets really congested, especially at peak flight times, but security is quick. You board your plane on the tarmac, just like most regional airports. Once you're off the plane and inside the airport, you're just a few steps away from being picked up on the curb.

I go to a lot of pharmacies and drug stores, and most places offer similar things - drive-thru pharmacy window, photo processing, mini-grocery aisle, health supplements, etc. The Draper Walgreens has all those features, and is my go-to pharmacy when I'm in the South end of the Salt Lake Valley. No complaints here.

I visit southern California a lot, but I don't make it to Disneyland as much as I'd like. For many out-of-staters, California=Disneyland. I usually try to stop by a Disney outlet if I'm in the area (Orange, Pomona, or Camarillo) so I have a chance to check the racks for cheap souvenirs. Of the three I've been to, the Camarillo Outlet usually has the best stuff.

The selection is  sometimes hit or miss, and a lot of the cheapest stuff is merchandise from the less popular Teen Disney shows. Want a Camp Rock shower curtain for $1.69? This place can hook you up. High School Musical keychains 4 for a dollar? Yep, those too. I bought a few licensed tees for $3-5 a piece (including a really cool Tron tee that had a regular pricetag of $39). I don't buy collectibles, nor do I wear cutesy character shirts, but I know it's a popular thing for a lot of Disneyphiles.  And there are some pretty cutesy things there. I almost picked up a pair of classic Mickey pajama pants, but they were still $20 bucks with the discount, and my suitcase was already pretty full. The merch offerings change often, so I can't make promised of what you'll find....but you just might find a Disney treasure.

Ask me what I'm going to have for dinner on a Tuesday night, and I'll probably say tacos. Del Taco is my go-to cheap Americanized taco joint that's open 24 hours. You can get two soft or crispy tacos for a dollar, or three on Tuesday evenings. I'm an avid fan of their chicken soft taco. They also have a decent American menu....believe it or not - the cheeseburger is fantastic...and cheap!

It's not authentic mex, but sometimes it's good to get away from the burger rut. But at Del Taco, you can get your Mex and burger in one spot.

I'm always on the lookout for a great breakfast joint. I love the homey local spots much more than a Dennys or IHOP. After trying the pies from Penny Ann's at an Elite event a few months ago (and winning their PieKu haiku contest), I've been meaning to visit. When a friend came into town and wanted to do breakfast, she was very eager to try Penny Ann's too.

She got the biscuits and gravy, and I got a delicious monstrosity called the "Pot of Gold" - breakfast potatoes, bacon, cheese, onions, peppers and mushrooms smothered in sausage country gravy. And if that wasn't enough, it came with a stack of "heavenly cakes," which are some of the yummiest "traditional" pancakes I've ever tried. It was comfort food gluttony at it's finest. Although I could not even finish half of it, I left feeling completely satisfied and rolled back out to my car.

The prices are reasonable, and the service is wonderful. The location is a bit odd, adjoining some kind of hotel/apartment building, but I didn't have a hard time parking. I have drooled over their dinner menu, and am sure to give it a try sometime soon.

Awesome Mexican in Anchorage? Heck yes!

I don't think I would have ever heard of this place, especially on a 4 day trip, if it weren't for the coupon on the back of the Fred Meyer receipt. We ripped the receipt in half, and drove over to Los Arcos, which is in a strip mall off Dowling.

First off....who on earth decorated this place? Strange fabric lapshades, tacky sponge painting that looks like splotchy enchilada sauce....you'll have plenty to look at once you order your food. You'll get a basket of chips with 5 different salsas....all different, from mild to spicy. The lunch specials range from $9-12, so it's not super cheap Mex, but it's definitely tasty. The cheese enchiladas may have been the best thing I put in my mouth in the nation's 49th state. The rice and cheesy beans were also fab. Our server was energetic and got our food out to us quickly.

The food was so good, we grabbed another Fred Meyer receipt and got lunch again two days later. It was just as good as the first time. Looks like I'll have to hop a plane whenever I need my enchilada sauce sponge painting fix.