PicaJet Blog

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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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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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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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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I love my province, and I love our two biggest cities: Edmonton and Calgary.  But I hate the traffic congestion.  Monday, I went to Calgary for a Photoshop seminar.  Arriving at 5 PM was my first mistake; my second mistake was staying on the Deerfoot Trail.

The drive was perfectly normal.  3 hours from the west side of Edmonton to the edge of Calgary.  What happened after that was, in a word, ridiculous.

Read this if you want some good advice when traveling to Calgary.

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With millions of people, all eager to catch a glimpse of some of the world’s best Fourth of July fireworks, where does a visitor - or for that matter - a local New Yorker go to catch the show? 

It’ll be my first visit to New York during the 4th of July, and I wanted to do this visit up right.  I have already done Christmas and St. Patrick’s Day - so I am expecting great things from New York City on Independence Day.

But I am glad I did the research first.  Here’s what I discovered about how best to enjoy the Fourth of July in New York City. 

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