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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Top 5 Airports to get Stranded in over the Holidays

Not that anyone, in particularly me, likes to get stuck in an airport at anytime. Nonetheless, we know if does happen. Therefore, I was intrigued by the list that SeatGuru.com released today -- a list of their Top Five Airports to get stranded in over the holidays. Chosen among other things because of amenities like massage spots, play areas for kids, free WiFI, upscale shopping and dining choices, here they are:


San Francisco International Airport (SFO). SFO's highlights include the famous Boudin's Bakery (and their sourdough bread), upscale shopping at Burberry, Coach and Gucci, XpressSpa services including massages and facials, museum exhibits throughout, shower facilities and a play area for children.

Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). Among other offerings, SLC offers free Wi-Fi throughout the airport, views of the Wasatch Mountains, numerous restaurants and has won awards in pollution prevention, recycling and as the best on-time airport for departures in the past. --

Portland International Airport (PDX). Named Nation's Best Airport by Conde Nast Traveler three years in a row, PDX is eco-friendly (new solar panels produce electricity and the Best of Nike store is powered by 75% solar energy), has free Wi-Fi, no sales tax and local restaurants have a strong presence with eateries such as Pizza Schmizza, Rose City Cafe and Laurelwood Brewing Company calling it home. --

McCarran International Airport (LAS) (Las Vegas). In addition to countless slot machines, LAS also has aviation museum, massage locations, free Wi-Fi, the Jose Cuervo Tequileria, storage lockers to stash belongings, an oxygen bar, hotel souvenir shops, room check in for the MGM Grand and for long delays, it's just 5 miles from the strip. --

Miami International Airport (MIA). At MIA, travelers can get manicures, pedicures, massages and even spray tanning at the JetSetter Spa, view ongoing art exhibitions, enjoy a hair cut at the salon, rent a mobile phone, and for members of the U.S. military, there's an Armed Services center for personnel that serves food and refreshments. There are also 30 dining choices including cuisine from Cuba, the Caribbean, Japan and more.

These all sound good. But, honestly, I am not into pedicures or massages at airports. But here's what I am looking for:
  • Better much more comfortable seating... someplace I can dose off if need be -- pod to rent might be nice
  • Solid good restaurant choices and healthier food spots
  • Places to walk -- get some exercise (I usually walk back and forth across the terminal..but this doesn't always work in crowded airport)
  • Some interesting local cultural displays : exhibitions of local art, history
  • Shopping, shopping.... shops where I would really want to buy something or need to
(Free WIFI is a given, and I won't even put this one on the list!)


Sunday, November 15, 2009

Lake Orta -- A Travel Story Best Told in Images



Our trip to Lake Orta, a mystical journal to one of the sub-Alpine Italy lake districts, is, like many travel stories one best told in flickering images:

A dog sitting on the ancient stone floor of a shop. An island floating in the middle of the lake lit up like the flickering candles on a cake in the mist. Strains of an opera and soft tolling of church bells. Views down an ancient medieval passageway. Glimpses of a flower decked garden descending to the lake. A tiny 16th century church oratory built to honor deliverance from the Black Death. Narrow streets with ancient arches and tower homes. And always the Island from the shore, from the water always beckoning you like Bali Hai. And ultimately the voyage to and around that silent, sacred and enchanting place.

Images haunt forever and draw you back to this special place --


Arriving at the upper town of Orta San Giulio, I was reminded of many resorts in the mountains in the states. It was only when we descended on the circuiteous road to the San Rocco Hotel that historic Orta San Giulio began to reveal itself. The lobby and most of the hotel was formerly an 18th century convent, but our room was in the more modern, and recently renovated Villa Giseppi section of the hotel, which provided an extremely comfortable accommodation within this stunning historical setting.

Surprisingly untrodden for a destination within reasonably easy reach from Milan Airport, once the daytrippers who arrive early in the morning depart, Orta becomes amazingly quiet and serene -- at least it did in late August when we visited. While one of the best kept secrets among the northern lakeside resorts, it's cobbled streets have been walked by many famous travelers, including Honore de Balzac, Friedrich Nietzsche and Robert Browning, the later who described it as "Alp meets heaven.."














Truly a place to wander with it's traffic free center, you can easily get lost in time as you meander Orta San Giulio's streets and courtyards past 16th and 17th century frescoed buildings that now house unusual shops, gelaterias, and restaurants. We stopped to buy soaps from an ex-pat American lady who ran a shop on the Piazza, then spoke with the proprietor of a pasticceria and bought souveners at another shop tucked away in a charming courtyard. At the waterfront off the Piazza we watched as a bride posed for pictures with a backdrop of the Isola San Giulio.

















From the waterfront, taxis whiz back and forth from Isola San Giulio with it's ancient basilica, on the site of a primative church founded by St. Julius in the 4th century ( the saint apparently chased snakes from the Island, sounds like the St. Patrick legend--no). Arriving on this isolated piece of land, you are immediately engulfed by its tranquility and sacredness. Meditative signs dot the short, silent walkway around the perimeter of the island blurting walden-like messages..."Every Journey Begins Near to You," "When You are Aware the Journey is Over".. (I think the author had the traveler in mind.) The steps to the the Basilica of St. Julius, which has been modified over the course of centuries, steer you to the church as soon as you disembark from the launch. As are many of the ancient churches of Italy, it is extraordinary and definitely worth exploring. We stopped for a coffee at a bar/restaurant-- Ristorante San Giulio. While the formal dining room looked inviting, we decided to return later and descend the steps to the terrace restaurant which juts into the Lake. Another one of those amazing places where we frittered away several hours watching the boats parade back and forth and the people come and go while enjoying the tourist meal -- 3 courses for 16 euros.

Our time at Lake Orta was too short. As I reflect on our visit there , I can easily see why it has been referred to as a "star in a galaxy of sub-alpine lakes." Orta quietly entraps you --- drawing you back to visit again and again.


There is a Lake Orta Tweep www.twitter.com/LakeOrta but not many tweets yet.

Also be sure to pick up the marvelous little booklet published by the Associaione Turistica Pro Loco Orta S. Giulio at via Bossi 11 in Orta S. Giulio. (Christmas on the Lake looks lovely with a parade of Christmas trees, lights and decorations.) Information in English can also be found at www.orta.net.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Nixon Library hosting Holiday Train Exhibit -- Reflection of a President with Many Interests

While living only a few miles from Yorba Linda, California for most of 2008, I was a frequent visitor to the Nixon Presidential Library there. After my first visit, the serenity of the place and my interest in exploring a bit more of that period in US history kept drawing me back. Nixon, no matter what else history might say about him, was not boring. His story, which winds its way through both some of the darkest and disgraceful periods of US History and some of the most glorious periods, has both a Dickensian and Shakespearean quality to it, as he rises from a poor, lower-middle class family to become President of the United States, only to fall from power in the Watergate scandal.

The Library now also showcases the multi-interests of the man who brought it into being. For instance, Nixon was a decent pianist and loved music, especially piano. (Below is a youtube video of his playing the piano on the Jack Parr Tonight Show.) He is also known to have jammed with the band at the Grand Ole Opry, and accompanied Pearl Bailey at a White House performance. And the music lives on at his library with free concerts every Sunday.




Another of his interests was trains. Trains run everywhere through Yorba Linda and Orange County California where Nixon grew up, carrying cargo and passengers east and west, north and south. It's no wonder he developed a fascination for them. Nixon reflected in his memoirs, "In the daytime I could see the smoke from the steam engines. Sometimes at night I was awakened by the whistle of a train, and then I dreamed of the far-off places I wanted to visit someday."


This holiday season a special exhibit at the Library and Museum will take visitors on a magical journey through the world of miniature trains. One of the largest such collections ever assembled, A Holiday Festival of Trains features a landscape of toy trains, many whistling through tiny snow-covered turn of the century villages, a 1890 Bavarian castle, and forested mountain passes with over 5,000 miniature trees.

A Holiday Festival of Trains will be on display from Monday, November 16, 2009 through Sunday, January 10, 2010, and is included with museum admission. The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is located at 18001 Yorba Linda Boulevard, Yorba Linda, California 92886. The Library is open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $9.95 adults, $3.75 children 7 to 11, free for children 6 and younger; $6.95 for seniors 62 and up, and students; $5.95 for active military.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Failure to Launch -- Researching My First Cruise -- Some Tips I have Learned

Yes, I have to admit it...other than charters in the BVI, small river tours, and self-cruises, I have never taken a cruise on one of those big cruise ships. I have travelled all over the world many, many times, been just about everywhere, been on cruise ships many times, but I have failed to launch. I can't explain why...or maybe I can but... Anyhow, I think it's time I tried a cruise especially since right now the prices are right.

So I am researching..both through twitter, blogs and with many friends who go on cruises constantly. I guess what has coaxed me into this voyage exploration are the many cruise tweeps, the deals ...and most recently Simone de Santi's (aka ARoadRetraveled on Twitter) upcoming cruise on which she will be tweeting.

Anyhow, here are some of the suggestions I've gotten so far, some obvious, some not so :
  1. After you have decided on the type and length of cruise (probably short, if it is your first) research cruises carefully including first the cruise lines and ships that fit your needs in terms of destination, price and style. Then once you have narrowed this down, review the ship's decks and cabins and decide in advance exactly where you want your cabin to be, for instance, you may want to avoid a cabin near an elevator (sound familiar) or below the ship's theatre or nightclub. If you have concerns about seasickness, I'm told the best room location to minimize the ship's motion is in the dead center of the ship. On most large cruise ships, this location is on the lower passenger floors, in the center inside cabins. Ask a lot of questions before you book. Consider using a cruise specialist who can answer your questions and help you find the right trip for you.
  2. Figure out where you are going to park (if you are driving to the embarkation point). You may, for instance, want to avoid the multiple story garage especially if you are on a large ship with lots of disembarking passengers heading for the same place.
  3. Mark your luggage ideally with the tags provided by your agent or cruise line directly...make sure your name, deck number and cabin identification are on each piece clearly. Two tags per bag have been recommended.
  4. Arrive early..even if it means waiting....better to be checked in early and have time to get acclimated. You will have to wait..be prepared for this.
  5. Bring a travel-on that has things you will need for the first few hours on the ship. Also consider what luggage you check...you may want to wheel off luggage yourself at the end of the voyage.
  6. No surprise here...there are plenty of food choices.. so you don't have to worry about food choices for the most part, but you may want to check with your agent or the cruise line if your needs are unusual
  7. Worried about catching flu or other...I'm assured that sanitizers are everywhere on ships (again check) and that cruise lines are very conscientious about heath issues ....just use ordinary precautions
  8. Consider going to shows -- everyone says they are fantastic...check with passengers on your ship who have already gone
  9. Don't expect perfection...and have patience...there will be lines.. something may be broken..
  10. Larger ships have many pools..pick the pool area that suits you. If you don't want to listen to music, find a quieter pool.
  11. Think about safey and avoiding injury,e.g.. Be careful if the decks are wet, they can become very slippery. Watch for the raised lips in some doorways especially. Of course, never sit on the railings.

There's lot of ideas and suggestions on the web and twitter about first-time cruising. I don't think I agree with a lot of it. The above seems to make sense so far. But I am still researching. Here are other sources of information that look reasonable:

Sources of Advice for First Time Cruisers:




Cruise Critic Website -- Good source of information about cruise lines and ships as well as cruise tips


Confessions of First Time Cruiser -- Day by Day Account of First Time Cruise-Taker's Alaska Cruise

Note also:



And finally here is my Twitter List of Travel-Cruise-Tweeps:






Sunday, November 1, 2009

Day of the Dead Celebrated in Mexico the US and on Twitter

A tradition believed to have started in Mexico and Latin American with similar rituals occurring in Spain and as far as New Zealand is now being celebrated throughout the U.S. as well. Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) is a holiday that blends Roman Catholic rituals with those from Mesoamerican cultures. The memory of dead ancestors is honored believing that their souls visit the living once a year. Officially commemorated on Novembers 2 ( All Souls Day), it is celebrated also on November 1 (All Saints Day).

In the US, while many of the older rituals are followed, new interpretations abound. In Chicago, for instance, Staff Sgt. Juan Arreola honored five fallen Marines when he ran in a 5K Race of Dead in a primarily Mexican neighborhood while mariachi music played and skeleton figures danced to mock death (full story). College classmates in Casper, Wyoming have decorated sugar skulls with colorful frosting and borrowed masked from the International Museum of Arts and Science in McAllen Texas (full story). In Virginia, the Latin Ballet has their own interpretation of the festival. Following ancient customs, the dancers set up an elaborate altar with candles and photos of departed loved ones, skulls and marigolds, . This is used as a backdrop for a dance in which African movement is combined with a modern interpretation of the traditional candlelight vigil (full story).

And in the social media world, tweeps around the world have begun tweeting away about this ancient tradition in their own way.


The origins of the Day of the Dead dates back to pre-Columbian civilizations. It is believed that it may have originated with Aztec celebrations during which they made colorful altars to welcome departed souls home.





The Clock at Musee D’Orsay