Thursday, February 04, 2010
Historic Biloxi Lighthouse Re-dedication
Symbolizing the resilience of Biloxi and the Mississippi coast, the
Biloxi Lighthouse stood tall following the wrath of Hurricane Katrina.
After
an extensive six-month renovation, the Biloxi Lighthouse will have a
two-day re-dedication ceremony this month, including a re-lighting and
four hours of free public tours.
A lighting ceremony will take place
Friday, Feb. 19 at 5:45 p.m., and free public tours will be available
Saturday, Feb. 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Read
more about our previous visit to the Mississippi Coast in our
destination feature.
The Biloxi Lighthouse as it appeared in 1909.
Categories: Attractions, Destinations, Travel News
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The bustling city of Houston
We will be featuring the contemporary hotel - Hotel Derek and the fine dining Italian restaurant Valentino. Both are located in the Galleria area and near the Uptown district.

There is plenty to do in this vibrant city, the 4th largest in the county.
Check out the Houston CityPass, offering a range of attractions including:
Space Center Houston
Downtown Aquarium
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Houston Zoo Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
and more!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Save 50% with Ramada - Limited Time Only
Wanted to let everyone know about Ramada offering a special rate of 50%
off their hotel rooms for a limited time.
Reservation
must be made via this special
Ramada link from now till Jan. 26th, with stay completed by April
30th.
Categories: Accommodations, Travel Specials
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Friday, January 15, 2010
Top 5 Low Cost Improvements Hotels Can Make
I realize these are tight times for many hotel chains. The key
ingredients that will differentiate a hotel property are attention to
the basic details. What makes your hotel memorable over the others?
Have
seen many hotels spend countless millions making architectural
improvements yet still be lacking in the basics of how to impress their
guests. Here I offer a few simple low cost impovements which would go
far in a hotel reaching its' goal of attracting positive word of mouth
and buzz (and adding to their bottom line).
1. Be Unique.
So
maybe you are part of a chain of hotels that offer vanilla services.
That may satisfy someome looking for a cheap room to sleep or do
otherwise for one night. For the discerning traveler, that is not the
case. They want a place to talk about where they've been, to remember
about their trip, whether it is on business or part of a vacation about
where they went. Spice it up some. Paint the walls an appealing color.
Name each section something different that is tied to the history of the
local area. Open a section of your lobby with old local ads and
memorabilia of the area. Offer daily fresh cookies, produce, or locally
made soaps/shampoo. Always emphasize locally made.
2. Parking.
If
self parking is not available and valet parking is the only option,
state it clearly (and give pricing on your website). If self parking is
included then by all means list it on your website.
3. Be
Thoughtful.
Have been to many hotels where it is a challenge to
find an available electrical outlet. Many times these outlets are all
being used by appliances in the room or behind bulky furniture. Consider
having a power strip in every room for guests to hook their electrical
devices to (iphones, cell, laptop, etc.). On checkin, provide guests
with a map of your hotel with a map of the local area on the other side
with restaurants and attractions noted that you recommend.
4.
Everything In Its Place.
The TV remote control needs to be
attached by velcro on top of the radio/CD player by the bed where it can
be found easily. An extra measure, have cleaning people check the remote
control to make sure the battery is good as part of their daily routine.
5.
Offer Reliable Free Internet Access.
A hotel having reliable and
free Internet access is a given in today's market unless you are in some
remote mountainous region. And speaking of the Internet, make sure it
works. Nothing frustrates more than hooking in after a long day and
watching pages take forever to load or not at all.
I will add two
final suggestions. Have friendly staff. It should be obvious, but I have
been to some hotels where the staff acted as if they were bored to death
and had no interest in their guests. And lastly, be hooked into social
media with Twitter/Facebook and encourage guest interaction and feedback.
With
these small simple steps, a hotel can think further outside the box and
garner more guests and positive buzz.
Edited on: Friday, January 15, 2010 10:57 PM
Categories: Accommodations
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Thursday, January 07, 2010
Saying Goodbye to a New York City Landmark
For those who have traveled to New York City, a stop at the artist lined
walls of Tavern on the Green has been a must see. The famed restaurant
began serving customers back in 1934. The building itself goes back to
1870 and is a perfect example of architecture from that era. Up until
1934 it housed a shephard who had a shearing business for his 200 sheep
(believe it or not). The restaurant has impressed many patrons over the
years with opulent chandeliers, artwork, and interesting dishes. Read
more about in this WSJ
article.
Edited on: Thursday, January 07, 2010 11:11 PM
Categories: Restaurants, Videos
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Monday, December 07, 2009
Remembering December 7, 1941 - 68 Years Ago Today
I talked with Quinton Pyle when visiting the National
Museum of the Pacific War in the popular small town of
Fredericksburg, Texas.
An unassuming man, one knows little that Quinton Pyle was eyewitness
to a world and life changing event. On that fateful day on December 7th,
he saw up close as the USS Arizona exploded as it was hit by Japanese
torpedos on that fateful day at Pearl Harbor that led us into WWII. His
ship, the USS Bagley, was the first to return fire and down a Japanese
plane. He showed me his arm where the wounds from that day can still be
seen. I pray that he is still alive for others to hear his story and
others like him who are our Greatest Generation.
Read
more.
Categories: Attractions, Destinations
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Monday, November 23, 2009
Wild West Trip: Day 10 Part II - Colorado National Monument
While
in Grand Junction we took a quick trip through the Colorado
National Monument, home to a spectacular display of red sandstone
and formations covering 23,000-acres.
There were several tunnels
through the rock that were blasted out by workers during the Great
Depression who felt fortunate to even have a job. This road took much
back breaking work to make. A sign in the park commemorates several
local men who died when a rock formation above them collapsed while they
were working on the road. The road was completed in 1937 by the Civilian
Conservation Corps. The overlooks and guardwalls were all stonework done
mostly by hand.
We
were quite surprised at the many scenic views and formations created
from the great forces of nature along the 23-mile stretch of Rim Rock
Drive. Ranchers used to use narrow passages to for cattle to reach the
green highland pastures above.
Photo
of Independence Monument, a good example of the steady advance of
erosion on the rocks as the surrounding walls around this monument have
worn away.
Old
twisted trees. I love to take photos of them... Image of monuments with
rooflike capstone rocks on their peaks.

In
walking through the Colorado National Monument, the sandstone walls and
formations are witness to 1.6 billion years of natural history, with
numerous formation layers.
As
we exited the park, we saw a few large houses that blended in well with
the natural landscape.
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wild West Trip: Day 10 - Moab to Grand Junction, CO
The
next morning we took a walk around the shops in Moab. One shop included
some of the rare dinosaur bones that have been uncovered in the area
that I noted on in a previous blog entry.
See the photo below. The
large stone at left is part of a dinosaur leg. We meandered around town
for awhile then hitched up the RV and headed across the border into
Colorado.
In
Grand Junction, Colorado
we stopped in at the Junction
West RV Park for an overnight stay to check our email, and to do our
laundry. We met some nice folks who were just getting started RVing.
Besides being the largest city in between Salt Lake City and Denver,
Grand Junction is home to the Colorado National Monument, a spectacular
display of red sandstone covering 23,000-acres. We were surprised at the
many views and formations along the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive. Look for
more on the Colorado
National Monument in our next segment.
Categories: Attractions, Destinations
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Friday, November 13, 2009
Balsam Mountain Inn - Feature Accommodation
The historic Balsam Mountain Inn heralds from a golden age when travelers arrived by railroad and carried their steamer trunks down the wide hallways of all three floors.Read More

Get Tickets to Blue Ridge Mountain Events | Blue Ridge Mountain Attractions
Categories: Accommodations, Destinations
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Saturday, November 07, 2009
Wild West Trip: Day 9 Part III - Arches National Park
Over 2,000 unique arches can be found throughout Arches National Park.
We tried our best to see them all in an afternoon... These unique arches
are comprised of sandstone that have been slowly eroded by the effects
of rain, sun, and time. First, we stopped in at the Visitor's Center for
a walking stick medallion to add to my collection, and then on to
capture all the sights before sunset.
View at right is along Park Avenue Trail, with the Courthouse Towers
with the Tower of Babel formation in the distance. They have changed
little since 10 years ago when we were last here. The major change is
Wall Arch is no more. The 71-foot span fell on August 5, 2008, a victim
of the forces of time.
The sandstone and sculpted slickrock formations in Arches National Park
were formed from 100 million years of erosion and underground salt beds.
We could see the snow peaked La Sal Mountains in the distance. The
mountains were so named by Spanish explorers who thought they looked
like piles of salt when covered by snow.

If
you look closely in the second photo above you can see some teens who
climbed this spire. The park service doesn't take kindly to these
shenanigans, and the sandstone can be quite fragile. It was also quite
windy...
We drove past Petrified Dunes, which are ancient giant sand dunes
turned to stone. We stopped to walk around the Balanced Rock which
stands precariously by itself on top of a pinnacle. We hiked the Windows
Trails up to the North Window (see above).

There
are over 2,000 arches to view in this tranquil place. In the photo above
you can get a perspective of the size of Delicate Arch with the person
standing underneath. Delicate Arch is the most popular, and appears on
the Utah license plate. There are three trails which provide views of
this arch. We took the half mile viewpoint trail to get a glimpse.
Another, more strenuous three mile (round trip, allow 2 to 3 hours)
hiking trail offers a close view after walking along a rock ledge for
200 yards.

At
the Fiery Furnace, a maze of spires create an intricate array of
miniature canyons. Native Americans traveled these lands for thousands
of years, leaving evidence of petroglyph and pictograph drawings. 
As
we got back to our RV park after dark I wondered what the pioneers
thought as they traveled out West and went to sleep in their wagons
dreaming of this new frontier...
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