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TRAVEL WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

http://psix.uscg.mil/vesselsearch.asp 
Vessel Search
The Port State Information Exchange (PSIX) system contains vessel specific information derived from the United States Coast Guard's Marine Safety
Information System (MSIS). The information contained in PSIX represents a snapshot of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) data compiled within the MSIS
database. Information on unclosed cases or cases pending further action is considered privileged information and is precluded from the PSIX system.

WHERE'S JOHNNY JET ?

What a week this has been! First of all, my computer has been on the blink for about a month now. It finally conked out last week. I called IBM parts at 4:30pm PST for a new AC adapter, which I thought was the problem. The lady says, "Only emergency parts are available since it's weekend hours and they will be shipped out right away." I said, "Great! It's an emergency," thinking they will charge an extra $20 for Fed Ex. She says, "Ok, it's $60 for the part and $399 for emergency shipping." I stuttered, shuttered, shrieked... "FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS, what you crazy?" I said, "How about you just send it snail mail?"and she responds, "Sorry, you will have to wait 'till Monday then." I asked, "Where are you located?", she said, "Colorado." I said, "How about I go to your warehouse and pick up the part myself. " (I know I can do it for less than $400 and, at least, I will get airline miles.) She said, "Sorry, it's still $399." What a joke! I waited until Monday, got the part on Tuesday, and after all that, the part wasn't the problem. Nothing is ever easy. My computer is still dead, and instead of relying on IBM, I went out and bought a phat new laptop. Yeah baby! The only problem is I can't figure out how to get all my old emails, hence you are getting the newsletter late and with a new design.

Oh, by the way, not only did I have computer problems.... While I was in Santa Fe last week, I bought one of those tourist magnets for the fridge for $4 and stupid me put it in my camera bag. Well, it messed up my digital card, so almost all the pictures I took from New Mexico were lost :-(.

I left you last week from the Albuquerque airport. I wandered around the ABQ airport for 1.5 hours waiting for the last shuttle of the night to Santa Fe, which departs at 10:45pm. The cost for the 55 mile, 1 hour 15 minute trek is $21. Not bad at all. When I arrived to the Eldorado hotel, Frank, my brother, was in bed. He warned me before I went to sleep on the pull out sofa that I better put a glass of water near by. I said why? He said you will see. I should've listened because when I woke up in the middle of the night, it felt like someone placed cotton in my mouth while I was sleeping. I felt like the guy from the "Got milk" commercial, I couldn't even swallow. Being 6,500 feet up with little humidity will do wonders to a person's mouth. I woke up in a panic and it was pitch dark. I must've knocked my shin and knee into the bed a 100 times. I went feeling around for the minibar key and finally said forget it. I stumbled into the bathroom and settled for tap water, which never tasted so good. When I returned to bed, I could hear Frank snickering across the room, "I told you to get some water." Ha Ha Ha.............. Santa Fe was cool, well actually hot. Frommers Guide Book described it the best: "After visiting Santa Fe, Will Rogers reportedly once said, "Whoever designed this town did so while riding on a jackass backwards and drunk. You, too, may find yourself perplexed when maneuvering through this, the oldest capital city in the United States. The meandering lanes and one-way streets can frustrate your best intentions. That's why people call it a walking town. Truly, that is the best way to get a feel for the idiosyncrasies of the place."

There's lots of restaurants, shops, art galleries, and museums to keep you busy. Frank and I had an awesome breakfast burrito at Tia Sophia's and then walked around town with our stomachs bubbling. We visited the Loretto Chapel home of the "Miraculous Staircase", The Georgia O'Keefe Museum. (It's closed on Wednesdays, which was the day we were there, but we told the security dude we were art students and it was are only day in town.) We also walked the streets, checked out the tourist shops and the jewelry the Native Americans sell under the roof of the Palace of the Governors. There's only so much to see and do in Santa Fe, especially if you are not a huge art fan. We're not, so we decided to take a drive North near Los Alamos to Bandelier National Park. This place is amazing, really. It costs $10 to park your car and the mile hike is free, but I recommend spending a buck to buy the trail guide. It has the 411 on all the ancient ruins and the park. Frank and I checked out the caves and the ruins.

When we got back to our convertible, we both noticed there was no license plate. I wasn't paying much attention, but Frank said there definitely was one there to begin with. We acted like the guys from Dude, Where's my Car, I mean, Dude, Where's my license plate? Great, we thought, we still have a 70 mile drive to Taos and we have to do it without a plate, the other option: call the cops who will probably make us return the car to Enterprise which will take way too long. After all, we only there for a few hours. We told the guard that someone stole our plate just for backup in case the cops pulled us over. He thought for sure we were smoking peyote. We drove about 20 miles to a minimart/Church's Chicken. Frank went in to buy supplies to make a temporary plate and the lady behind the counter said the same thing happened to her yesterday. Frank comes back to the car and puts the makeshift plate on, which says Stolen Plate....and all the info. He screws it on the car and when we were pulling out of the lot I said, "Frank, it's getting chilly out, can you put the top up?" That's when we see the real license plate, it was on the back window. The people in Church's also thought we were puffing on the peyote. We laughed and drove up to Taos The drive was awesome especially seeing the Rio Grande, but Taos was a big disappointment. It just seemed to be some dirty little ski town, with nothing going on. We drove around town and then decided not to stay there. We drove all the way to Albuquerque (about 95 miles) following the sunset. Now that was a marathon day, wasn't it?

We ended up staying across from the airport at the Wyndham hotel for $85. We needed to cut this trip short because we had to go home and get our tuxes for the weekend because it was Derby time!

Next week pictures from the 128th Kentucky Derby .

JET MAIL: Very funny newsletter this week. I just flew home yesterday with my daughter who's just under two. We were also picked for secondary search. They almost made my baby cry by taking her little bag carrying her new Little People Circus Train that was a birthday gift from my brother. They inspected the entire thing, looking at the little elephant as if it was about to explode in their face. Come on! Luckily they only did the wand on me. - Katie

TRAVEL TIP OF THE WEEK (FROM COOL TRAVEL MAIL)

Sunday is Mother's Day. And in this over-commercialized society of ours, any day with a capital "D" is a good reason  for special mileage offers. So tune in, and take advantage...
Flowers? How about these mileage offers from 1-800-FLOWERS...
Delta Skymiles members can earn double miles (20 miles for per  $1 spent) by calling 1-800-FLOWERS or visiting
http://www.1800flowers.com and using promotion code "DEL." Offer valid through May 31, 2002
Members of American AAdvantage and Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles can earn 200 bonus miles in addition to the
normal 10 miles per $1 spent. Call 1-800-FLOWERS or visit http://www.1800flowers.com and use promotion code "AA2" for
AAdvantage or "HAM2" for HawaiianMiles bonus miles. Offers valid through May 22 and May 31, 2002, respectively.
Jewelry? Earn 10 Marriott Rewards points for every $1 spent at SkyMall (http://www.skymall.com/marriott) on a wide range of
merchandise, including jewelry for Mom. (Not that it's in my price range, but the $695 gold-plated mousepad caught my eye!)
And if sweets are on your shopping list, OnePass members can earn 1,000 miles or 10 miles per $1 spent -- whichever is
greater -- for online purchases of $50 or more at Godiva Chocolatier. And while supplies last, they'll throw in a
complimentary picture frame for Mom with orders placed through May 12, 2002.
The above are just representative examples. Whatever you choose to give your Mom, and whichever program you participate
in, there's probably a way to tie the two together and earn extra miles for gift-giving.

SUNDAY TRAVEL SECTIONS

CHICAGO TRIBUNE


LOS ANGELES TIMES

NEW YORK TIME


USA TODAY

WASHINGTON POST

TV TRAVEL

ABC

CNN

MSNBC

TRAVEL WEBSITES

BESTFARES.COM

SMARTERLIVING.COM

YAHOO.COM

GOOD TO KNOW

Five Things Families Flying This Summer Need To Know (FROM BEST FARES.COM)
Families traveling this summer may not be prepared for a change in boarding procedure. Several airlines, including American and Delta, no longer announce first boarding for families traveling with children and other passengers needing assistance. They still allow it (in fact, gate agents are supposed to tell you its available), but formal announcements are not made. If you're traveling with children and want early boarding, approach the agent at the entrance to the jetway as soon -- or just before -- boarding is announced.

Be prepared for extra security checks that seem to defy logic. Even if you do not fit any implied or actual profile of a suspected terrorist, you and/or your carry-on items, can be singled out for extra inspection. It's happened to Ray Charles. It's happened to Debbie Reynolds. No one is excluded from the possibility.

Our third reminder may seem unnecessary but, as witnessed by the thousands of knives and scissors still confiscated each week at U.S. airports, it merits mention. You cannot board a plane with any sharp object or even objects that very loosely fit the definition of sharp. This includes children's scissors, nail scissors, sewing scissors and screwdrivers. When items are confiscated, they are not returned.

A complete list of banned items can be found at www.tsa.dot.gov , but be aware that each security checkpoint worker interprets the rules as they deem proper. Sometimes they err on the side of caution. And bear in mind that toy weapons -- of any kind -- are not allowed.

You can ease passing through security checkpoints by dressing and packing appropriately. Avoid wearing excessive metal-content jewelry (you can place it in your carry-on and put it on after passing through security to avoid using the little plastic bins). If you're wearing a jacket -- even a light sweater, remove it while you're in line so you can quickly place it on the conveyor belt. Also have your laptop, cell phone and any electronic toys in hand. They must pass through the x-ray machine separately. Make sure they are in working order, batteries charged, in case you are asked to turn them on to prove their authenticity.

And, in the "A New Taste Of Travel" category, The Transportation Security Administration now requires airport screeners to ask passengers to take a drink from beverage containers to ensure that a liquid being carried on board isn't hazardous. This includes baby bottles.