Archive for the ‘Family Vacations’ Category
Monday, September 1st, 2008
(An early morning view of the beautiful Mission San Jose in San Antonio’s Missions National Park.)
Thank you, Hurricane Gustav. We are sitting high and dry in one of the loveliest cities in North America, San Antonio. We are supposed to be in New Orleans. But thanks to a little convincing by Gustav and American officials, we changed our plans.
On the day we were set to arrive in NOLA, evacuation orders forced nearly two million folks to leave the southern seaboard. We had planned a holiday riding the rails, the Amtrak rails, but the trains were needed to take people out of New Orleans, so Amtrak cancelled our reservations.
We were in Houston (another area slated to be hit by Gustav) so we had no choice but to rent a car and head north to San Antonio. In fact, on our way, we passed a convoy of 2 dozen buses that were heading south on a rescue mission. Later, on TV, we watched as an endless line of buses, filled with those folks escaping the storm, headed away to safer zones like Dallas and Houston.
Now we are watching as the eye of Gustav makes landfall — the good news, maybe, for New Orleans, is that the eye will be passing farther to the west than expected.
But in the meantime, we are in San Antonio, where we have rented a comfortable house, we have walked the famous Riverwalk, we have ridden the canal boats, we have paid homage to the Alamo, and we have made an early morning trek to the old Spanish missions. What a joy!
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Tags:hurricane gustav, mission conception, mission espada, mission san jose, mission san juan, Missions National Historical Park, San Antonio, spanish missions, Texas
Posted in Adventure Travel, Family Vacations, San Antonio, Texas, Tourist attractions, Train Travel, Travel photography, Tropical Destinations, United States, Variety | Comments Closed
Friday, August 22nd, 2008
I felt a pang, no, a pain, that swept through me in an instant as I beheld the old decrepit building with its weathered facade and its old-fashioned architectural detals. The pain was one of nostalgia, a yearning of things long gone, things that made my childhood magical, things that most children will never understand in today’s fast food world.
Except for my grandkids.
As long as I can walk and talk, as long as I can get into a car, and pack them along with me, my grandchildren will be introduced to my past, my heritage — a heritage in danger of disappearing altogether under the pressures of weather, urban sprawl, industry, and . . . time.
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Tags:abandoned buildings, Alberta, alberta heritage, farm houses, highway trips in Canada, northern Alberta, prairie farm history, preserving our heritage, rural landscapes, teaching grandkids, travel with children
Posted in Adventure Travel, Alberta, Canada, Disappearing Heritage, Family Vacations, Travel Destinations, Travel with kids | 2 Comments »
Friday, August 1st, 2008
My husband and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary yesterday. Our formal plans had us dining at a very cool eatery called “The Bootlegger Italian Bistro,” in South Las Vegas. We had eaten there when we first arrived in Vegas and thought it would be a nice place, with its classic old gangster ambience, to have our anniversary dinner.
But our plans changed. Vegas has a way of doing that to plans. So, we cancelled our reservations in favor of another place. And we are so glad we did. We had one of our best times yet in Las Vegas.
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Tags:downtown las vegas, fremont street experience, las vegas nevada, neon museum in las vegas, old hotels in las vegas, old Vegas, roller derby, the boneyard, vintage neon signs, where to photograph neon signs
Posted in Adventure Travel, Art Galleries, Family Vacations, Las Vegas, Tourist attractions, Travel - General Advice, Travel Destinations, Travel photography, Travel safety, Travel tips, United States, Variety | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
There are almost no words to describe traveling an authentic portion of Route 66. If time machines exist, then this is one of the finest.
There is an ambience of days gone by, the good old days, when Mom and Dad packed up the old Chevy with 3.5 kids, a dog, a cooler, Dad in his best driving hat, and Mom in her finest traveling clothes, and hit the road in search of adventures, or maybe a new life on the other side of Amercia.
The atmosphere, the sense of nostalgia along “The Mother Road” is so poignant, so acute, that it will bring tears to your eyes. At least, it did, to mine.
My husband and I set out yesterday in search of Americana history. We left Vegas about 7 AM and reached Kingman, Arizona about 3 hours later. With a few stops in the desert along the way, we had set up the perfect photo safari. But we had no idea just how perfect our day was going to be. Because the adventure that is Route 66 still lay ahead of us.
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Tags:driving the mother road, great photography day trips in the united states, hackberry arizona, kingman arizona, old highway signs, photography along route 66, Route 66, seligman arizona, the best road trip in the united states
Posted in Adventure Travel, Arizona, Car shows, Family Vacations, Las Vegas, Route 66, Tourist attractions, Travel Destinations, Travel photography, Travel tips, Travel with kids, United States | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008
There is a place in Las Vegas that very few visitors know about. Even fewer will ever see it. It is a place called, “The Boneyard,” and it is a photographer’s dream, even if all you can get is a glimpse through the thick mesh and wire fence surrounding the compound.
The Boneyard is aptly named as it is a sanctuary for old Las Vegas neon signs – the bones of historic Vegas, if you will.
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Tags:americana, las vegas history, neon musum in las vegas, old neon signs
Posted in Family Vacations, Las Vegas, Tourist attractions, Travel photography, United States, Variety | 3 Comments »
Monday, July 28th, 2008
I’m jaded when it comes to variety acts. I have owned an entertainment company for more than a quarter century, and there really isn’t much out there that turns my crank. I have had my fill of jugglers, magicians and comedians. I am married to a magician, and I still teach interactive comedy theatre, so, it is with great pleasure that I can say I have found a really good variety show in Vegas that’s not only fresh and exciting — it’s actually fun.
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Tags:best shows to see in Vegas, miracle mile shops, planet hollywood las vegas, ultimate variety show, v theatre, wally eastwood
Posted in Budget Travel, Celebrities, Family Vacations, Las Vegas, Tourist attractions, Travel tips, Travel with kids, United States | No Comments »
Monday, July 28th, 2008
It’s all over for another year in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The race has been run – the IndyCar race, that is, since Champ Car merged with the Indy League earlier this year. It was the debut IRL race for Edmonton, and by all accounts, it was a success. Especially for at least one driver.
The big winner? Scott Dixon, of New Zealand (It was Scott Dixon’s 5th win for 2008.) He was followed by “Dancing With the Stars” champ, Helio Castroneves, then Justin Wilson, and finally, Canadian Champ Car driver, Paul Tracy, who had fought his way up from his 16th starting position.
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Tags:danica patrick edmonton, edmonton alberta indycar race, Gene Simmons, paul tracy indycar edmonton, rexall edmonton indycar 2008, scott dixon fifth win 2008, who won the Edmonton IndyCar race
Posted in Adventure Travel, Alberta, Canada, Car shows, Family Vacations, Sports | Comments Closed
Monday, July 14th, 2008
Harry Smith, from the CBS Early Show, referred to this zoo as a “zoolet.” And he’s right. New York’s Central Park zoo is a very tiny animal sanctuary, but it does prove the old adage that “Good things come in small packages.”
The Central Park zoo is the perfect destination if your time and your cash are a little short. The admission price is tiny, and it’ll take only a couple of hours to look around, but the animals are very exotic, and the little haven has a very inviting ambience.
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Tags:delacourte clock, emerald boa, new york city central park zoo, polar bears
Posted in Family Vacations, New York, Tourist attractions, Travel with kids, Zoos | Comments Closed
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
If you have never taken the train, or you haven’t ridden the rails in some time, then check out the nearest Amtrak station. Especially when exploring a new city. That’s the Philadelphia Amtrak station showing above.
With the high cost of rental cars, gasoline, insurance, and with the irritation of battling traffic in a strange city, travel by Amtrak train is like a gift from heaven.
My husband and I have just decided to include at least one Amtrak day trip while traveling, and we are very glad we did. We took the Amtrak between New York City and Philadelphia, and loved the trip.
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Tags:Amtrak train options, catching a train in the United States, taking a trip on Amtrak, travel by train across North America
Posted in Adventure Travel, Canada, Family Vacations, Train Travel, Travel - General Advice, Travel photography, Travel tips, Travel with kids, United States, Variety | Comments Closed
Sunday, July 6th, 2008
Tags:city of brothery love tourist attractions, john king boy pirate, liberty bell, Philadelphia, philly cheesesteak, pirate folklore, real pirates at the franklin institue, rocky steps, whydah ship
Posted in Adventure Travel, Family Vacations, Philadelphia, Tourist attractions, Train Travel, Travel Destinations, Travel with kids, United States | Comments Closed
