Here’s what you said:

The February question is:  How has being childfree had the most positive impact on your life? What do you foresee as future positive impacts?

To answer, click this question in the On-the-Ground section to your right!

Get this.  As the article says,  the  birth business is “worth more than $30 billion a year”–and “limousine labor,” that includes things such as total room redecoration, birth teams with massage therapists, chefs and more are not just for the Beyonce celebrity births. The 1% likes the first class treatment too, says  Ellie Miller, a co-founder of Ellie & Melissa Baby Planners.

Many hospitals have “VIP” wings with “hotel -like accommodations.” And according to the American Academy of Private Physicians, the number of “concierge doctors,” those who don’t take insurance and charge membership fees, has increased 46% in the last 18 months.

Not only does all the baby bump media make getting pregnant cool, the luxury birth business ups the ante to the rich and famous way to give birth to your baby. Better save your money though. Hospitals across the country who offer “luxe maternity”  have everything from hard wood  floors, a 24/7 personal aide, and other kinds of posh hotel amenities, and can charge around $4000 a day, which is more than most standard hospitals charge for the whole kit and kaboodle of delivering a baby thing, Time says.

Pronatalism glorifies pregnancy and the raising of children; this kind of thing adds to the glorification by pushing red carpet delivery.  And the bigger this business gets, the cooler luxury delivery will be, no matter if you can afford it or not.

This kind of thing makes hospitals profit centers. Well, I guess they largely already are, the way our health care system in the States is designed. But this takes it to a new level–the fusion of high end hotel with delivery room, and all the products and services related to each of them. And the more profit we see, the more powerful all that is pro-baby continues to be.

What have you seen out there regarding the high end birth business?

Carmel. What a charming little town, and one of the best little stretches of beaches in California, in my humble opinion. Here are just three must do’s in Carmel:

1. The obvious–walk a good stretch of the beach, or do the whole thing. It is not that long. On the north end you will have the backdrop of the famous golf course here (if you are into that). Going south, it’s backed by bluffs and big cypress trees and amazing homes.  My morning beach walks spotted very few if any kids.

2. Eat well! And it is easy to do that. I like breakfast at one of Carmel’s oldest restaurants, Em Le’s, lunch at A.W. Schuck’s (yes, it’s an oyster bar and more)  for their “ruby” chowder (an interesting blend of white and Manhattan style made fresh), and the famous Hog’s Breath for dinner. Although Clint Eastwood sold it years ago now, his spirit remains, and the food still great.

3. Do an art gallery crawl. Known for its art galleries, the north side of Ocean Ave. seems to have more of the galleries, and one I especially like is Dawson Cole Fine Art. Check out sculptor Richard MacDonald’s work they have showing there now. This guy is into the human body, does wild things to bronze to give it interesting color, and his work is world renowned.

Of course there are slews of high end shops, but find myself drifting off the main center and checking out the neighborhoods  instead.  If you are into home architecture the eclectic range will delight.  I am sure families with children do live here, but in the neighborhood near the center I get more of a feel of residents who, if they had kids, are done raising them, and are on to other chapters in life.

Visitors are from all over the world, and the lion’s share, at least during my visit-were certainly an adult crowd enjoying this fantastic spot.

What other California destinations do you know of that would tend to be less “family with kids” oriented–your experience please!

The wrap on the December On-the-Ground question to come..!

If you want to soak up the sun at Rio’s beaches, stick to Copacabana if you want to see fewer kids. It seems that this is the beach where it is happening most with more of the adult crowd.  You’ll see more kids on the weekends, but I have to say their presence did not detract from enjoyable beach touring there, or Ipanema or Lablon, for that matter.

There are lots of architectural sights here, and you won’t have kids partaking in walking tours of this kind. Now you may see kids with their parents on the streets during these tours, but here too their presence has not taken away from a great walking tour experience.

If you do the major attractions like taking the train up to the Corcovado monument or taking the gondola to the top of  Sugarloaf, expect to see kids and lots of them (unless you hike up Sugarloaf instead, that is, but they will be there at the half way point and at the top)!

Want to eat the local food with less chance of kids in the restaurant? Try the local watering holes that serve great local food. They are everywhere. Tip to knowing you have landed on one–Look at the walls–you will see lines of beer and liquor on the wall-lots of meat in the display cabinets, and a lot of local guys shooting the breeze with a cold beer in hand…I’ve seen mostly guys at these establishments, but women are certainly welcome. Think small pub like scene but in steamy Rio!

Want to avoid kids on the subway? A walking tour guide told me that each day (maybe not weekends) in the late afternoon-early eve peak hours there are trains only for women and children. No men. Now if you are a woman, you can take other trains with the guys no sweat.  The guide says it is to make room for strollers, etc. so the subway cars aren’t totally overpacked during peak hours.

You have not experienced Rio until you see the real deal when it comes to Samba dance. One great place to take in a samba performance, and not the tourist kind is “Cidade do Samba,” or Samba City. It is the cultural home of Carnival, and they have samba performances that last from 7 in the evening to 6 the next morning! I went to the Mangoeira Samba School performance, and it was an awesome childfree cultural experience. Ok, it was not technically kid free because there were 3 girl dancers performing along with performers of all ages–but in my book that doesn’t count. It is not to be missed when in Rio!

While it won’t be a totally childfree  experience unless perhaps you stay at a super spendy hotel or resort, and children do seem to be a central part of people’s lives here (it is very Catholic and “family” oriented, which means being childfree by choice is not popular, to say the least, but more on that later), I have found that seeing kids around in this big amazing city won’t really negatively impact a great visit.

More to come! Those who have been to Rio, what has been your experience?