PicaJet Blog

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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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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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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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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Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Cheers,
Sheree Zielke

No, not all the airlines are charging for the first checked bag, but will they hold out for much longer?  We may as well get used to traveling lighter now in anticipation of even higher fees down the road.

Those fees will really add up at $15-$25 per checked bag EACH way when flying to that dream destination.

But do you really need the extra baggage?  Probably not.  If you choose an appropriate carry-on bag and pack more efficiently, you’re likely to find that you don’t miss hauling around all those extra suitcases. 

There are great travel sites with clever tips designed to help you beat the airlines at their own game.

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It’s all over the news.  Increases in airline tickets.  Increases in airline handling fees. 

In Europe, Ryanair is charging for everything from booking your ticket with a credit card to simply showing up at the airport.  Cruise lines are upping their prices, too, and all in an attempt to offset the rising price of fuel.

But should the increased fees mean less travel?  Or maybe it’s just time to get really creative when booking or packing for our travel adventures? 

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This is a typical sight from an Alberta highway.  A quiet little pond, so innocuous, so charming.  But many countries, many lands have similar vistas - sights which look perfectly safe, including those sights in some of the more questionable areas of the world like Egypt and Africa. 

How can a traveler know if a decision to explore a new world is a smart decision? 

Luckily, there are many web sites that can help you make an informed decision.  Some even have links to other travel tools (like currency conversion charts) that make travel to a foreign land a whole lot easier.

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There’s “adventurous” travel and then there is “dangerous” travel.  Since neither my husband nor I are members of the CIA, nor are we navy seals, we have placed limitations on our travel experiences.   Those limitations recently affected one of our travel decisions: an end-of-summer trip to Belize.

Having reviewed a recent Canadian foreign affairs travel report, we have decided that Belize is not the place for us - at least not this year.  

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