Your reservations are in order, your bags are packed, you’ve got money, and are ready to go. But wait! Before you head out the door — did you forget anything? Getting ready for a weekend getaway is easy, but there is a lot more to do to get ready for an extended vacation. With summer nearly upon us, a lot of people are planning for extended periods of time away from home, but sometimes getting out the door can be the hardest part. Whether it’s to that beach house for a couple of weeks, Europe for a month, or some time spent driving cross-country, there are things that need to be taken care of before you leave. Use this checklist for advance planning and you won’t worry about a thing as you close the door and head out on your […]
Read MoreUnited Kingdom is More than England
The couple sitting at the table next to me were engaged in a lively conversation and I couldn’t help but notice their delightful British accent. As travelers often do, we struck up a conversation, asking one another where we were from and how we were enjoying our travels. The couple indicated that they were from the UK, indicating a city that I was not familiar with. Following our discussion, and back in my hotel room, I realized that while I intellectually understood the UK to encompass England, Wales, Scotland, and part of Ireland, in reality when I heard UK I emotionally translated it to mean England. Adding to the potential confusion are the numerous Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man, for example) and the commonwealth countries (like Canada, my neighbor to the north) which are connected to the British Monarchy, but […]
Read More5 Extras for Your Beach Hotel
If you’re a sun-loving vacationer, you probably pay attention to weather reports, predictions, and warming trends at the destination where you’ll be. In fact, that information may be critical in deciding whether you’ll be going to a particular destination and a particular time. If you idea of a vacation paradise is to spend your time by the pool, on the beach, or picnicking in the warm sunshine, you still need plan for the possibility that it might — gulp — rain. Or be cloudy, or cold, or worse. And that means you’ve got to have plans for some indoor activities. Even if the weather is outstanding, you’re going to have to come out of the sun at some point. I hear many people say that they don’t want to spend much money on their beach hotel because they’re never going […]
Read MorePack a Portable Espresso Machine
I’m a coffee lover. I love to start my day with a cuppa joe, savoring the flavor as I check my email inbox, read the overnight news, check my RSS feeds, and plan out the rest of my day. When I’m traveling, however, I don’t always have that same luxury. I’m relegated to hotel room coffee, (usually blah tasting) or a nearby coffee shop (often not open in those wee hours of the morning, not to mention the ding it makes it my budget). But I gotta have my coffee – so it means settling for swill or ponying up the bucks. I’m giving serious consideration to the Handpresso Wild, a portable espresso machine than is small enough to pack and can be used nearly anywhere. It wouldn’t take up any room in a suit case. To use it you […]
Read MoreUS Supreme Court is Open for Public Visits
With the recent retirement announcement of Justice John Paul Stevens, the Supreme Court is getting a lot of attention. The highest court in the land, charged with ensuring equal justice under law, occupies a majestic building of classical Corinthian style, and is located across from the US Capitol Building and the Library of Congress in Washington DC. The Supreme Court, both the building and the court itself, has always occupied a special place for me. Perhaps it was those years in law school spent studying the decisions of the Court. Perhaps it’s because these are supposed to be the best and brightest legal minds. Perhaps it is because these life time appointments are steeped in legal wrangling and maneuvering the likes of which are rarely publicly seen. Whatever the reason, the Supreme Court building always instills me with a sense […]
Read MoreFlame On at Museum of Fire Fighting
If you’re looking for a short respite from intense Arizona weather, duck into the air-conditioned Hall of Flame Fire Museum and the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes for a glimpse of heat of a different kind. The museum covers about an acre, and has an impressive display of fire history exhibits. A catalog accompanies the exhibits, allowing you more detailed information. There are impressive displays of over 100 fire trucks and their apparatus, covering a period from 1725 – 1969, all of which have been beautifully and painstakingly restored. The collection also boasts over 10,000 smaller objects related to the history of fire fighting. In addition, the library has over 6,000 publications (books, journals, magazines, catalogs, etc.) and over 50,000 graphics (mostly photographs but also some paintings and other artwork). While young children may be bored with many of the […]
Read MoreThe Desert Comes Alive in Palm Desert California
Over the past decade or so, Palm Springs and the surrounding desert communities have been working hard to change the stuffy image that they have long suffered from. No longer just a haven for the retired, blue-haired geriatric set, the Coachella Valley has broadened its appeal and you’ll now see families and couples of all ages and genders. One of the great spots to visit in the area is The Living Desert in Palm Desert. Founded in 1970, it is a zoo and botanical garden based entirely on the ecosystem of the desert. The Living Desert currently occupies about 1,200 acres of land, is a pioneer in environmental education and native wildlife rehabilitation, is active in captive breeding and plant propagation programs, and sustains itself through an aggressive membership and volunteer program. When you walk around the facility it is […]
Read MoreShopping: C.O. Bigelow’s in NYC
One of my favorite parts of traveling is finding a new discovery. Sometimes that’s a quirky little restaurant, a fabulous museum, a neighborhood hang out, or some place fun for a little shopping. Sometimes the spots is something everyone knows about, and I’m late to the discovery, and sometimes it’s something special all for me. One of my favorite NYC discoveries was C.O. Bigelow in Greenwich Village. Oh sure, I’d seen their products sold in other stores across the country, but there’s nothing like visiting the original store. Founded in 1838, C.O.Bigelow’s is the oldest continually operating apothecary-pharmacy in the country. That’s 170 years! The store still fills prescriptions at the back of the store, but as you work you way back there you’ll pass through goodies galore. There’s a focus on homeopathic products and remedies, along with hard-to-find and […]
Read More6 Travel Destinations for Chocolate Lovers
Culinary and wine travel are popular travel trends, but if you want to drill down into the trends a little more specifically, how about chocolate travel? Chocolate is a universally loved flavor, and there are plenty of great spots around the world where you can give it a taste. Here are 6 Travel Destinations for Chocolate Lovers: We’ll start in my home city of Seattle, where we are no strangers to chocolate. Seattle is home to several chocolatiers, among the more notable Fran’s Chocolates (President Obama is a fan of her salted caramel chocolates), Theo Chocolate, and Boehm’s. Theo’s offers classes and tours and Boehm’s offers public tours. From Seattle, we head south to the San Francisco area, where there are plenty of great food options. Most people have heard of Ghirardelli chocolate and its namesake attraction Ghirardelli Square along […]
Read MoreUSS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor
Honolulu may be known for its sun and sandy beaches, but it is also home to one of the most sobering military history sites that I’ve ever visited — the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. The Memorial, dedicated in 1962, honors the site where World War II began for the United States, with the bombing that entombed 1,102 crew members on December 7th, 1941. The memorial was designed to span the hull of the sunken battleship, yet never touch it. The structure is 184 feet long, with two peaks at each end, and a deliberate sag in the middle. Alfred Preis, the memorial designer, sums it up like this: “Wherein the structure sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expresses initial defeat and ultimate victory… The overall effect is one of serenity. Overtones of […]
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