Photos originally shared on Instagram, now collected here with short write-ups about where they were taken.
Our first West End show in London: Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the stage prequel to the Netflix series, playing at the Phoenix Theatre.
The show is known for its ambitious stage effects and illusions. The photos show the theatre’s exterior with the show’s signage, plus a few moments from the evening.
The Phoenix Theatre is on Charing Cross Road, close to Tottenham Court Road and Leicester Square stations, right in the heart of theatreland.
Originally posted on Instagram.
Trying out Snapple, received complimentary from Influenster in exchange for an honest post.
Snapple has been a staple of American convenience-store coolers for decades, known for its fruit-flavoured teas and juice drinks and the “Real Facts” printed under the bottle caps.
The photos show the bottles that arrived in this Influenster box.
@influenster #complimentary @snapple #snapple
Originally posted on Instagram.
A Seattle Kraken game at Climate Pledge Arena, the home of Seattle’s NHL team since it joined the league in 2021.
Climate Pledge Arena sits at Seattle Center, right next to the Space Needle, and was rebuilt inside the historic roofline of the old KeyArena. The photos show the ice with the Kraken logo at centre ice.
Seattle Center is easy to reach on the Monorail from Westlake Center downtown, which saves a lot of hassle with parking on game nights.
Originally posted on Instagram.
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Back at The Golden Tiki in Las Vegas in December 2024, this time for the holiday season. The tiki bar sits on Spring Mountain Road in Chinatown, a short ride off the Strip, and is known for its over-the-top decor, strong tropical cocktails and late hours.
At Christmas the whole place gets a festive makeover: Santa hats on the shrunken heads, lights everywhere, and a dedicated holiday cocktail menu alongside the regular tiki list. (I also wrote up an earlier visit in November 2023.)
The bar is packed with skulls, carvings, pufferfish lamps and themed nooks – the photos and video below give a sense of the atmosphere, along with a few of the drinks.
The December 2024 holiday menu ran alongside the usual tiki classics. A few highlights:
Tips if you go: it gets busy on weekend nights, so reservations are worth making through the bar’s website, and the shareable Kuuipo pineapple and fishbowl drinks are built for groups. Prices and menus change, so check what’s on before you go.
More tiki: Kahuna Tiki in LA and my round-up of Disney bars and tiki lounges.
Planning a Vegas food trip? See Three Days of Eating in Las Vegas from our November 2023 visit.
If a trip to a tiki bar gets you hooked, here’s what we’d start with for a home bar. The full list is on our Tiki Bar Gear page.
The Seattle Seahawks hosted the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field in November 2024, part of a run of NFC West games late in the season.
Lumen Field is known as one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL, thanks to its roof design and the famous 12s. The photos show the view of the field and the stands, with the downtown Seattle skyline beyond.
Lumen Field is within walking distance of Pioneer Square and the International District, and the Link light rail stops right next to it.
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Five days in Orlando in September 2024, split between Universal and Disney: shrimp at CityWalk, an all-you-can-eat lobster dinner, tiki drinks at Trader Sam’s, Iron Chef Morimoto’s Disney Springs restaurant, the Hogwarts Express and a Portillo’s stop on the way out.
We started at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. at Universal CityWalk with a cold beer, a bucket of peel-and-eat shrimp and a shrimp plate with rice. Afterwards we found a huge scale model of a theme park on display at CityWalk.
Dinner was the all-you-can-eat Boston Lobster Feast on the Kissimmee side of town, with whole Maine lobster and snow crab legs.
A lighter day: flatbread pizza and wings at CityWalk.
In the afternoon we went to Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. It’s a tiny, packed tiki bar with carved figures everywhere and a porthole window effect, and the drinks come in collectible mugs and a glowing nautilus.
Dinner was Morimoto Asia at Disney Springs, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s pan-Asian restaurant. We had shumai, sushi rolls with tempura shrimp, lettuce cups, crispy glazed wings and a bowl of ramen.
Our last morning was at Universal Studios Florida, starting on the London street with its red phone box and then riding the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade. Lunch in the park was a burger with curly fries.
On the way out we stopped at Portillo’s for an Italian beef and a Chicago-style hot dog.
We stayed at Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando. It’s a short walk or water taxi ride to CityWalk and the parks, and hotel guests get Universal Express Unlimited, which saves a lot of time in line.
See more tiki bars in our guide to Disney’s tiki bars.
Planning a visit? See our Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto guide for the walk-up list, hours and which drinks set off the effects.
A stop at Portillo’s during a September 2024 trip to Orlando.
Portillo’s started as a hot dog stand in the Chicago area in 1963 and is famous for Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches and its chocolate cake. The chain has since expanded beyond Illinois, including several locations in Florida.
The photos show the meal, including the classic Portillo’s cup.
Portillo’s was our last stop of a September 2024 Orlando trip. See the whole trip in Five Days in Orlando.
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Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is Walt Disney World’s version of the famous Trader Sam’s tiki bar from the Disneyland Hotel.
Like the original, it serves themed cocktails in collectible tiki mugs, and ordering certain drinks sets off effects around the room. The photos show the bar’s sign along with drinks from this visit.
The Grog Grotto is small and fills up fast, especially in the evening. There’s also an outdoor area, Tiki Terrace, if you can’t get a seat inside.
More from inside the Grotto on the same visit. See the whole trip in Five Days in Orlando.
If a trip to a tiki bar gets you hooked, here’s what we’d start with for a home bar. The full list is on our Tiki Bar Gear page.
Planning a visit? See our Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto guide for the walk-up list, hours and which drinks set off the effects.
Dinner at Boston Lobster Feast in Orlando, an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet where whole Maine lobster is the main event.
Along with the lobster, the buffet typically includes snow crab legs, shrimp, mussels and a range of other seafood and sides. The photos show the lobster from this visit.
It’s a popular spot with visitors staying in the International Drive area, so check current prices and hours before you go.
This was day two of our September 2024 Orlando trip. See the whole trip in Five Days in Orlando.
The Seattle Mariners hosted the New York Yankees at T-Mobile Park in September 2024, one of the Mariners’ last homestands of the season.
T-Mobile Park opened in 1999 (originally as Safeco Field) and is known for its retractable roof, which covers the field but leaves the sides open, so it keeps the rain off without feeling like an indoor stadium. The photos show the view of the field from the stands.
The ballpark is in SoDo, next to Lumen Field, and is easy to reach on Link light rail or the Sounder train.
