My wife and I were giving thought to our upcoming vacation plans.  Would it be Guatemala, Peru, Mexico, or Belize.  Or perhaps we’d stay on U.S. soil and go for the Pacific Northwest, Cape Cod, or maybe Alaska?  While considering this my thoughts went from the news of drug cartels and their abductions and killings of innocent people, to the Swine flu, cholera, or malarial sicknesses which seemed to dominate the news south of the U.S. border.  For a moment, I felt a pang of panic.  To stay in the U.S. is probably the safer choice.  Okay, but wait a minute!  What about terrorist attacks on U.S. soil; that could happen anywhere.  And certainly drug trafficking, car-jacking, and senseless acts of violence are not limited to Mexico and Central America.  For that matter, neither is the Swine flu. 

About then, I saw a television commercial where the mother was waiting for her child to board a school bus for the first time.  A pang of fear swelled up, again, as I thought of child abductions, school house shootings, or playground sexual assaults; how can parents endure the threats facing their children in today’s world?  When I was younger, I’d go off on my own without giving much thought of the dangers involved;  make my plans, gather my gear, make sure I was well outfitted, and go – even if by myself.  Now we’ve become a society of fear and loathing for anything that might put us in unreasonable jeopardy.

While I realize there has been an overall increase in crime in general, our awareness of these crimes have increased in recent years predominantly because of the media and the Internet.  Hardly an event can pass without the news channels exploiting the fear and anxiety of the senseless crimes; movies depict extremely violent acts because, that’s entertainment; video games are becoming more and more hostile and marketed to young teens and children without consideration of their innocence.  We’ve been led down a path of social hysteria due, in large part, to media sensationalism.  Violence sells.  That’s what we’re really facing.  What is marketable?  The media further compounds our fears by emphasizing the threat of death from prescription drugs, the inevitable cancer from mother’s breast milk, and brain damage from watching too much TV, oh and let’s not forget carpal tunnel syndrome from too much Internet porn.  We’re becoming a society that embraces apprehension rather than optimism.

Perhaps what is really needed is to take a step back and look at our society .  Should we really dread walking outside for fear the rain might contain acid, or should we embrace it and let it lighten our spirits.  My wife, Cara, of Choctaw decent, is a glorious exception to the prevailing fears that encompass our society; she, resolutely, fears nothing.  She takes her action without giving consideration to global events.  She’ll face off a person who throws trash on the street until the person relinquishes and tosses the trash back into their car.  Before she retired as a school teacher, she would routinely stand up to gangster wannabes demanding they adhere to the rules or suffer the consequences.  It was her look at me when I frowned about our vacation choices that made me wake up to the realization that I had allowed myself to be drowned in the stigma of irrational fear.

I need to thank Jon for reminding me to do this. A few months ago I reported to you about public golf courses ranked 13-24 according to Golfer’s World magazine and since they’ve finally posted their top 12, I’m ready to pass them over to you. I find it strange that there are no New England golf courses represented on this list. In fact, the only one from the East Coast at all is number six, Kiawah Island Ocean Course in South Carolina, which I’ve been to, and which truly is worthy of it’s placement there. I’m just surprised there aren’t more East Coast chart toppers.

Anyways, enjoy the list, and hopefully I’ll make it to all of these, one day so I can give more first hand experience…

1. Pacific Dunes – Bandon, Oregon
2. Links at Spanish Bay – Pebble Beach, California
3. Pebble Beach Golf Links – Pebble Beach, California
4. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort & Course – Bandon, Oregon
5. Whistling Straits Golf Club – Kohler, Wisconsin
6. Kiawah Island – Ocean Course – South Carolina
7. Shadow Creek – North Las Vegas, Nevada
8. Kauai Lagoon Golf Club – Kiele Course – Lihue, Hawaii
9. Reflection Bay Golf Club & Course – Lake Las Vegas, Nevada
10. Spyglass Hill Golf Club – Pebble Beach, California
11. Troon North Monument – Scottsdale, Arizona
12. Red Sky Ranch – Wolcott, Colorado

Looks like I need to start planning some vacations to Vegas ,  Pebble Beach, and Bandon, Oregon

• Hudson Valley fall foliage
• New Hampshire fall foliage
• fall foliage cruises
• Romantic Getaways
• Car Rental Drop Off Blog Post
• Landscape Blog
• Florida Blog Post

We decided to give our readers a promo for JFK long term parking. Try it out, post your feedback and tell them we sent you! Here is what SmartPark JFK has to say about JFK parking to the TLV2JFK community:

How smart are you? Pay less for JFK Airport Parking and get more.

June 9, 2009 was the official launch of SmartPark JFK website. The answer to all your airport parking woes.

Easy as 1… 2… 3 to locate at: 123-10 South Conduit Avenue, South Ozone Park, NY 11420, only minutes from JFK Airport. No nonsense, service with a smile to meet all of your 24/7 airport parking needs.

Bringing back the concept of the way it used to be. At our facility you will be received immediately by a member of our highly trained staff on an interpersonal level.  At SmartParkJfk, our priority is for you to be our guest not just another number.

In a rush? No problem. We will expedite all of your forms and paperwork for you and you will be on your way within minutes. A 5-7 minute ride door to terminal. Tired of the old broken down shuttles, no worries, our new, state of the art, plush shuttles and skilled valet drivers will have you riding in style.

As of late, the surrounding parking facilities along with the port authority are raising prices. In this time of economic hardship, we here at SmartParkJfk want to work with you.

We are on a separate road (pun intended) and have lowered our pricing via our “Smart Summer Stimulus Special” from $14.00 per day to a low $12.00 per day, adding only NYC (10.375%) parking tax. Stay with us for 6 days and every 7th day that you leave your vehicle with us, it is a FREE parking day for you.  Go to SmartparkJFK  and make a regular reservation then click here for Special JFK2TLV Coupon for every 7th day free rate.

Running late, flight delays, no worries, we have No late fees for arrival within 5 hours of your confrimed scheduled vehicle pickup.

The 5 Hour Grace period

Online Reservation:

If you make a FREE online reservation, please note that the check in time chosen online will almost always differ from your “Actual” check in time. So, your 29 hours starts from the “Actual” check in time at the SmartPark JFK airport parking facility.

Walk-in Reservation:

A walk-in reservation confirmed check-in time starts your 29 hour clock.

We are here for you and with you to make the anticipated, mundane and usually stressful travel experience, stress free.

Do you own a GPS navigation system; even better, your car will drive you right to our door, just look up to see our Signature cartoon smart, Einstein logo.

Our facility offers an all inclusive service from drop off to pick up with your baggage handling to the terminal if you so choose.

Also added for your convenience is our colorful, yet simple, user friendly website with the easy to see “reserve”, it is as easy as click and reserve, done!

Look for the signature cartoon Einstein logo.  Why Einstein logo you may say, Einstein was intelligent and smart and so are you for using SmartParkJfk.

Enjoy your beach vacation in NY or Israel!

• New England vacation ideas
• Places to visit in Boston, Massachusetts
• New England Romantic vacations
• Road Trip Blog
• JFK and NY shopping

Kathleen Pender from the San Fransico Chronicle reminds us that posting your cottaging plans on social networking sites is not a good idea.  Read the full story here.

No – El Al is not using stealth technology on their planes, but they are trying to use  stealth sneaky shady methods to steal poach the competition’s frequent flyer data. And they were not very shy about this disgraceful business tactic.  From the Jerusalem Post:

El Al reached out to the travel agent community last month, requesting hard information on the frequent fliers of several airlines.

Their request was simple: “Send us your list of frequent fliers on the following airlines: British Airways, Continental, Delta, Lufthansa and Turkish Air. Send us their ID number, mailing address, cell phone number, email address, and birth date. Send us their complete travel plans rom 2008, indicating to where they flew with dates and cities.”

Now to be fair to El Al, the airline made it a competition among the travel agent community. The agent who sent the most names could win big money – $1,000.

The story was picked up quickly by international frequent flyer community.  The general sentiment was that El Al was “Doing business the Israeli way”. And that link went out to 190,000 FlyerTalk subscribers. Just when our PR machine was recovering from an accused rapist President, a war that BBC did not find to their liking and a Prime Minister under investigation for more shady dealings than Spiro Agnew and Richard Nixon put together.

I guess the marketing guys forgot to ask the lawyers for their opinion beforehand (hey, at $300/hour can you blame them?) but the lawyers did put an end to this plan.

Hats off to:

1. The lawyers

2. The travel agents for not cooperating (they would have lost their licence)

3. Turkish Airlines (and others) for not making a shwarma out of ElAl’s management.

4. The Jerusalem Post for reporting this, and

5. You, for reading my blog and for using TripCart’s Road Trip Planner to pick up some New York City family vacation ideas for the summer.

• San Francisco Bay Area places to visit
• Orlando, Florida casino cruises
• New England vacation ideas
• places to visit in North Carolina & Virginia
• Recovery Spas
• Fashion Blog
• Summer Exhibits at New York City Museums

Yes, you read that right – contributed by an avid reader who just bought 77 days of disney!

Getting discounts on Disney Orlando tickets are almost impossible. Prior to this post we knew of two ways – 1) Be a Florida resident and 2) Spend a day in a time share presentation (and a lifetime getting out of it). Now the third:

BUY TICKETS ON THEIR UK SITE WHEN THE EXCHANGE RATE IS FAVORABLE!

Example:

Seven Day park hopper adult ticket is $328 on their US site and 219 GBP on their UK site, which is equal to $306 at the pathetic rate of 1 GBP = $1.40 ( a few weeks ago). So, monitor Forex 24/7 and save yourself  some money in these recessionary times.  No need to monitor the Euro or the Canadian Dollar – they only sell tickets in dollars and pounds (maybe Yen, also).

Also note that not all types of passes are offered on both sites.

• Holidays Blog
• Top Ten Summer Picnic Spots
• new york city family vacation ideas
• places to visit in Manhattan, NYC

ElAl just GRU! (GRU is code for Sao Paulo, Brasil)

Starting May 2, ElAl flies 3 time a week non-stop to Sao Paulo.

Through interline agreements, passengers can continue on to most main South American destinations. That means you have one ticket and your bags are checked all the way through. It is not a code share.

SCHEDULE - Flights leave Israel on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings arriving early the following morning. Returning flights leave Brasil on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evening (715p) arriving in Israel the next day at 310p. (Schedule is similar to TLV-JFK-TLV).

COACH PRICE – $1000 to Rio and Sao Paulo, $1100 to most other destinations.

FREQUENT FLYER MILES -120,000 American Airline miles will get you an economy seat to Sao Paulo, Chile or Peru on ElAl.  ElAl Matmid members flying economy class earn between 65 and 250 points one way, depending on type of ticket.  That’s the same as flights to Los Angeles.

The flight is one of ElAl’s longest at 14.5 hours. The following will be the route in the New Middle East – but until Libya and Chad are willing to have us  in their airspace the routing is a bit longer, via Spain.

Finally – it is interesting that the flight is aimed at the religious pilgrim market originating in Brazil. Another notable entry in this field is Travelujah.

• Luxury hotels Houston Texas
• luxury hotels San Antonio Texas
• new york city family vacation ideas
• Northern California coast hotels
• places to visit in Manhattan, NYC
• Poconos, PA spas
• Exhibitions Blog
• Family Travel Blog
• Summer Fun with your Pup
• Support our nation’s zoos

Let’s go somewhere with electricity.

There are not, to my knowledge, places actually called “Recovery Spas”, but if you’re like me, you know what it means intuitively. First let me tell you what a recovery spa is not:

• A recovery spa probably does not exist in Las Vegas. Or probably not in any other city filled with noise and bright lights.
• A recovery spa is probably not a part of a chain with commercial elements to its décor.
• A recovery spa is definitely not ugly, noisy, dirty, or any other adjective that elicits stress.

So what is a recovery spa?

• A recovery spa is a place where when you walk out the front door, you find yourself still in a place of peace and serenity.
• A recovery spa might be privately owned, rustic, quiet, beautiful, and health oriented.
• A recovery spa makes sure that guests get the attention they need, while simultaneously giving them space to contemplate, drink tea, relax, and recover from whatever stresses led them to recovery in the first place.

Sound like your cup of tea? With the holiday season already in full action, the idea of “stress” becomes more and more a part of our everyday reality. Who are we going to invite? What are we going to buy? How am I NOT going to gain 10 pounds this month? And lastly, how am I ever going to afford all this stuff? Seems like most of us need a break after winter break.

Believe me, being in the travel industry, we at TripCart know what it feels like to need a vacation from the vacation. So book a day or two at one of these stress-free spas, leave the holidays behind you, and recover. That’s what they’re there for.

• Sanctuary Spa – Camelback Mountain Resort – Paradise Valley, Arizona
• 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa New Moon – Eureka Springs, Arkansas
• Carneros Inn & Spa – Napa, California
• Spa at Torrey Pines – La Jolla, California
• We Care Spa – Desert Hot Springs (Palm Springs), California
• Norwich Inn and Spa – Connecticut
• The Lodge at Molokai Ranch Spa – Maunaloa, Hawaii
• The Martha’s Vineyard Inn & Holistic Retreat – Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts
• Birdwing Spa – Litchfield, Minnesota
• El Monte Sagrado Living Resort & Spa – Taos, New Mexico
• Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch – Woodbourne, New York
• Red Mountain Spa Resort – St George, Utah
• Daufuskie Island Resort – Breathe Spa – Hilton Head, South Carolina
• Rosario Resort & Spa – EastSound (Orcas Island), Washington
• Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa – Stowe, Vermont

Last but not least, try not to let the holidays get you down—it’s supposed to be a joyous and exciting time, not stressful!

• Yoga and Meditation Resorts in the US
• Top Luxury Resort Spas in the U.S.
• More meditation retreats
• Wine spas in the U.S. (mainly California)
• Real Men go to Spas
• Top Destination Spas in the U.S.

There has been a lot of buzz about a new service offered by Yapta.com. Yapta stands for “Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant”. Most of the buzz seems to be regurgitation of their press releases.

Besides their basic (airline site only) meta-search, they offer a airfare tracker. Not a predictor, like farecast. They claim that millions of $$$ can be saved. You bought a ticket (on the airline site), the price went down and you get a refund. Sounds great, and it may even result in a refund to the very lucky traveler whose price went down, and tracked it and acted fast enough and did not lose the refund to change fees. Definitely worth a shot – BUT, this post is not about that.

This post is about the little check box they added that says:

“include award tickets”

So, if an award ticket opens up on the flight you want to book – BINGO!

But, we all know that you are more likely to win the lottery. Anyone using free tickets these days has to be very flexible with dates of travel, destination, airlines, # passengers, award type, etc. It has become an art form that few can master. It a great idea – a tool that will find you free flights. So is cold fusion. Let me know if I am wrong and Yapta really does find people free flights. Until then, I will be on my Vonage with Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago and Bangalore trying to find out how I can use my half million miles.

---

Related Topics:
• Shopping in Lake Tahoe, Reno, Yosemite in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains
• Shopping in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Padre Island and Southeastern Texas
• Shopping in New Orleans, Louisiana, Biloxi, Natchez, Mississippi, Mobile, Alabama
• Shopping in Roanoke, Asheville, Smoky, Blue Ridge, Shenandoah and Southern Appalachian Mountains
• Shopping in Phoenix, Tucson, Scottsdale, Tombstone and Southern Arizona

The other great colonial communities (other than the one in Plymouth, that is), was in Virginia. Jamestown and Yorktown were two of the first settlements in the New Country, established as early as 1607. For an authentic Thanksgiving experience, head out to these famous landmarks in Virginia. (Quiz your kids—they should definitely be able to talk about these!)

• Jamestown National Historic Site – Yorktown, Virginia
• Colonial National Historical Park – Yorktown, Virginia
• First Landing State Park – Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Yorktown Battlefield – Virginia (The Yorktown Battlefield is a Revolutionary War site, but once you’re in the area, you should definitely visit, even though it’s really post-Colonial times.)
• Yorktown National Cemetery – Yorktown, Virginia
• Colonial Williamsburg – Virginia

• Cool and Fun Things to Do in Richmond and Virginia Beach
  
• History of Richmond, Jamestown and Virginia Beach
  
• Places to Visit in Richmond and Virginia Beach
  
• Top 10 Places for Fireworks in Washington, D.C.
• Thanksgiving shopping in North and South Carolina
• Literary Travels with Lacee Low… The Literary South

• Cost on Expedia $350 to $400
• Cost on Airline site is the same, broken down to $125 NY to LA and $250 L A to NY. It turns out that Dec 24 is an expensive day to fly out of LA.
• A few minutes of research on the airline site showed that flights on Dec 24 from Las Vegas were $125. So, we save $150/ticket = over $1000 overall and get to spend time in Las Vegas as well. We were able to find a one car rental from LA to Las Vegas with no extra fees. But that is a different post.

• Skiing near Palm Springs, and the California Desert
• Skiing in the Poconos, Eastern Pennsylvania
• Skiing in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado
• Skiing in Salt Lake City, Park City, Wasatch Mountains and Northern Utah
• Skiing in Seattle, Tacoma, Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, Washington and The Cascades

Now there’s a concept. I only recently became introduced to the concept of the “wine spa” recently when I treated my girlfriend (who is now an ex-girlfriend, but I promise it was not spa related) to a weekend up in Wine Country that included some spa going. We discovered that it’s quite a trend to include wine and grapes in spa treatments. Apparently it’s a tradition from Bordeaux, France that made its way over to the U.S., and particularly to Northern California. Most of these spas (following) are located in vineyards or are at least nearby. I’ll list the spa and then one or two treatments offered on their spa menu that includes grapes or wine.

• The Spa at the Carneros Inn – Napa, California – Chardonnay Anti-Oxidant Wine Therapy Facial
• Bernardus Lodge & Spa – Carmel Valley, California – Lavender Grape Seed Bath
• Silverado Resort and Spa – Napa, California – Chardonnay Sugar Scrub
• The Raindance Spa at the Lodge of Sonoma – Sonoma, California Grape Seed Antioxidant Facial
• Meadowood Resort – Napa Valley, California – Cabernet Crush Body Polish
• Spa Vigne at the Fess Parker’s Wine Country Inn – Los Olivos, California – Grape Seed Body Butter Massage, Wine Infusion Wrap
• Auberge du Soileil Resort & Spa – Rutherford (Napa Valley), California – Rosehip and Grape Seed Body Masque, Warm Grape Seed Oil Massage
• Mount View Hotel & Spa – Calistoga, California – Rosemary Grape Seed Scrub
• Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa – San Louis Obispo, California – Chardonnay Anti-Aging Wrap, Chardonnay Antioxidant Sugar Scrub
• Waterstone Spa at the Lithia Springs Resort & Gardens – Ashland, Oregon – Champagne and Rose Body Scrub
• Chateau E’lan Winery & Spa Resort – Braselton, Georgia – Chateau Winery Harvest Crush, Antioxidant Winery Bath

• Romantic Getaways in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania
• Top Luxury Resort Spas in the U.S.
• Yoga and Meditation Resorts in the US
• Top Destination Spas in the U.S.

Readers may be concerned about todays reports that the FAA plans to downgrade Ben Gurion Airport’s safety ranking to level two (the official term is air safety oversight category).

According to the FAA – a category 2 rating means:

A Category 2 rating means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards, or that its civil aviation authority – equivalent to the FAA – is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record keeping or inspection procedures.

And:

Expansion or changes in services to the United States by such carriers are not permitted while in category 2.

First of all, there is no mention of this in any FAA or official site and nothing in the international press. Here is their press release for when they downgraded Indonesia. And here is the updated file not showing Israel. In fact, looking at the list the only countries flying into the US that are category 2 are:

Bangladesh, Ivory Coast, Croatia, Ghana, Guyana, Indonesia, Nauru, Philippines, Serbia and Ukraine.

Second of all, the aviation forums are think this is nonsense. Comments such as Even SQ (Singapore) would be banned … OR how are any of these small incidents any different than what every other airline experiences… etc.

So, unless this is really true (and we will find out definitively in a few days), someone is using this for some serious political spin and scaring millions of flyers and dozens of airlines in the process. That somebody just might be Shaul Mofaz, Minister of Transportation. Last year the Lapidot Committee released a report (news article) outlining safety problems at Ben Gurion (there are real ones). The report was delivered to Shaul Mofaz in Aug of 2007, who accepted all the findings and said he would implement by early 2008. I will leave it to my readers to try to guess who is willing to kill a few airlines and terrify millions of people for some personal gain.

Of course, if this report does turn out true, I apologize. And then we should be scared.

• Skiing in Boise, Sun Valley, and Central Idaho
• Skiing in Vail, Aspen, Telluride, Steamboat Springs and the Colorado Rockies
• Skiing in Burlington, Stowe, Rutland and the New Hampshire and Vermont Mountains
• Skiing in Lake Placid, near Lake George, Saratoga Springs, Adirondacks and Northern New York
• Skiing in Lake Tahoe, Reno, Yosemite, Sequoia, in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains

Here’s a deal from ElAl right in line with the current financial reality:

Invest $10,000,000 in a low interest uninsured bank account and get more ElAl points then you can ever use. Don’t believe me? – here is the link. I am also interested in knowing how I got on the mailing list for this offer. And if there is a connection to the 50,000 people Citicorp fired today

Oh, and yes – offer expires Dec 31, 2008 – better act fast and start emptying those piggy banks.

• Shopping in Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Cheyenne Wyoming and the Eastern Rockies
• Shopping in Richmond, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, North Carolina’s Outer Banks
• Shopping in Philadelphia, Lancaster, the Poconos, Eastern Pennsylvania
• Shopping in Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Charleston, South Carolina, Atlanta, Savannah, Georgia
• Shopping in Hilo, Kona, Waikoloa, Kohala Coast and Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii

We just reserved 5 tickets to New York via Rome (on AlItalia) for $4400! Online – and I did it myself (took 2 hours).

The key was an iterative process, hopping back and forth between the airlines websites and the Online Travel Agents (OTA’s) – like Expedia.

The airline websites offer more flexibility in terms of dates of travel (i.e. when is the cheapest time). But the OTA’s offer more flexibility in terms of who is traveling and multi-leg journeys. And of course, they compare multiple airlines. And don’t believe the price anyone quotes you until you are at the last click.

So I first entered our party details at the Expedia (or Orbitz – I forgot) and looked around to identify the airlines with the generally cheapest fares. Then I went to the websites of a few of those airlines to check out flexible dates. Alitalia won hands down, saving us about $1000, which we will now spend in NY.

So if you prefer Dunkin Donuts to Soufganiot, get yourself a nice comfortable chair, a hot cup of coffee and do the OTA-airlines-OTA-airlines shuffle …Good Luck!

---

Related Topics:
• Shopping in Atlantic City, Wildwood, Cape May, New Jersey Shore
• Shopping in Portland, Bangor, Acadia, Bar Harbor and the Maine Coast
• Shopping in Hawaiian Islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai, including Kahului and Lahaina
• Shopping in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota area
• Shopping in Kansas City, St. Louis, Branson and the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas

The Lounge Situation in Ben Gurion has never been much to write home about. The King David Lounge does not sell one day passes and is quite crowded anyway and the Dan Lounge is often standing room only (whats the point?). Anyway, many of our readers get to the airport as late as possible, with just enough time to buy a plasma TV at the duty free. And, we are not yet the hub airport of the “New Middle East”.

BUT, this may all change with the launching of a third lounge. Airsport Club has opened up its first (and so far, only) lounge in our very own airport. It seems to be an upscale combination of relaxation and workout area. Showers, use of workout wardrobe, spa treatments, salads are all available to members and for a $34 one time use fee.

Here is how you get a free pass.

1. I send a link to this post as the #1 blog for TLV travellers to the CEO of Airsport who then offers me a few complementary day passes.

2. I keep one and give away the rest to my readers. To get the free pass you will have to:

a. Describe a miserable experience in the existing lounge (or on ElAl, if you must)

b. Pass a link to this blog and to your favorite travel planning Website to at least 10 other people

c. Taste all the food they have

d. Agree to comment on the experience

All of course is on the honor system. And, I am impartial, no matter how much stuff they give me.

---

Related Topics:
• Shopping in Boise, Sun Valley, and Central Idaho
• Shopping in Nashville, Louisville and Lexington in Central Kentucky and Tennessee
• Shopping in Boston, Cape Cod, Newport, Mystic, Connecticut, Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island
• Shopping in Vail, Aspen, Telluride, Steamboat Springs and the Colorado Rockies

I was watching the news the other day and heard “lizard watch” which I thought was odd. My friend said that they had said “blizzard watch” but I dismissed that because I thought it was an impossibility for blizzards to start so early in the year. But he was right—a blizzard watch started in the mid-northwest. I don’t think there was a blizzard in the end, but there was definitely snow. And the first snowfall means…ski season is here! I would check with each of these for specific dates, but some of these places open as early as now, others not until late November or December.

• Steamboat Springs Ski Resort Area – Colorado
• Loveland Ski Resort Area – Georgetown, Colorado
• Arapahoe Basin Ski Resort Area – Vail, Coloradao
• Beaver Creek Ski Resort Area – Vail Colorado
• Winter Park Ski Resort Area – Colorado
• Wolf Creek Ski Resort Area – Pagosa Springs, Colorado
• Copper Mountain Ski Resort Area – Colorado
• Alta Ski Resort Area – Albion, Utah
• Solitude Ski Resort Area – Salt Lake City, Utah
• Snowbird Ski Resort Area – Salt Lake City, Utah
• Powder Mountain Ski Resort – Huntsville, Utah
• Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort Area – Bend, Oregon
• Grand Targhee Ski Resort Area – Alta, Wyoming
• Jackson Hole Ski Resort Area – Teton Village, Wyoming
• Mt. Baker Ski Resort Area – Glacier, Washington
• Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort Area – Bishop, California
• Killington Ski Resort Area – Killington Mountain, Vermont
• Jay Peak Ski Resort Area – Vermont
• Sunday River Ski Resort Area – Bethel, Maine
• Bretton Woods Ski Resort Area – New Hampshire

See you on the slopes!

Read More…

• Top 10 Earliest Places to Get Your Ski On
• The History of Snowboarding in 2 Minutes
• Dog-Friendly Ski Resorts in California
• Highest Rated Ski Resorts by Google
• Other Blog posts on Skiing
• Yoga and Meditation Resorts in the US
• Halls of Fame across America

In my classroom, November is Turkey Month. Why celebrate a fun and meaningful holiday for only one day when you can celebrate all month long? Besides spending a lot of time focusing on what we are thankful for, collecting charity for those less fortunate than we are, and learning about (and cooking) traditional American and Native American food, we spend a lot of time talking about the first settlers, American history, and early American geography. I simulate a Mayflower journey to America and we travel around the East Coast delving into all these subjects. Here are the highlights from our historical journey through New England. Ask your kids—they should be able to tell you the early significance of all these places (that is, if they have a teacher as good as I am!):

• Plymouth, Massachusetts
• Plymouth Rock / Pilgrim Memorial State Park – Plymouth, Massachusetts
• Plimoth Plantation – Massachusetts
• Mayflower Society Museum – Plymouth, Massachusetts
• Pilgrim Hall Museum
• Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum – Provincetown, Massachusetts
• Roger Williams National Memorial – Providence, Rhode Island
• Aptuxcet Trading Post – Bourne, Massachusetts

Happy Turkey Month!

• Cool and Fun Things to Do in Boston, Cape Cod, Newport, Connecticut, Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island
• Family Vacation Ideas for Boston, Cape Cod, Newport, Connecticut, Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island
• Historical Sites in Boston, Cape Cod, Newport, Mystic, Connecticut, Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island
• History of Boston, Cape Cod, Newport, Mystic, Connecticut, Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island
• Places to Visit in Boston, Cape Cod, Newport, Connecticut, Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island
• Places to go when you just can’t pay for gas anymore!
• Happy Halloween from Salem, Massachusetts

You don’t have to be a newlywed to go on a romantic vacation and it doesn’t need to be the summertime in order for you to get away. And last but not least, you don’t need to go all the way to Hawaii to find that special romantic spot. There are romantic getaways as close as one town over—no need to book expensive flights (though let’s take a moment to cheer for the drop in oil and gas prices!) when you can just jump in your car or take a Greyhound bus to a spa or a romantic hiking spot right nearby!

Let’s start with the Northeast Coast for today, but stay tuned for more ideas in your region!

• Maine Coast Romance – Find comfort in your lover’s arms and in small town charm in Ogunquit, Maine. Hang out at Ogunquit Beach and treat yourselves to blissful treatments at the Cliff House Resort and Spa!
• New Hampshire and Vermont Romance – Retreat to the Woodstock Inn Resort and Spa in Woodstock, Vermont and enjoy a ski getaway at the Stowe Mountain Ski Resort Area in Burlington!
• Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island Romance – Chill on Martha’s Vineyard, soak up some sun on Moshup Beach, and then head back to Boston where you can read poetry in the Public Garden after a sensual massage at the Four Seasons Hotel & Spa in Boston. Finish your trip off by heading south a bit to the Norwich Inn and Spa for a spa double whammy!

• Valentine Vacation Getaways
• Other posts on Romantic Getaways