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July
18, 2001 Travel Newsletter
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IBIZA, SPAIN Web Site Of The Week VENERE Bonus Mile Offers Of The Week *DELTA / AND MANY MORE.... Special Offers Of The Week COMAIR / PAYLESS / NWA / AMERICA WEST ........ Where's Johnny Jet? CATALINA / SAN DIEGO / SOUTH HAMPTON Tip Of The Week FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS Newspaper Of The Week NY POST Chicago Tribune ARTY CITIES Dallas Morning News BEAUTY BUFFET Los Angeles Times DESTINATION: PORTLAND New York Times WHAT'S DOING IN LAKE PLACID Washington Post ADULTS AT PLAY AT HEDONISM USAToday TRIP CLICKS VINO, VIDI, VICI BestFares UNITED STILL WANTS USAIR Other News U.S. BIZ TRAVEL OUTLOOK GRIM Yahoo SWA SAYS IGNORANCE CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH AND WALLET ABCnews DELTA IMPOSES HIRING FREEZE CNN BRITAIN FACES GLOOMY TOURIST SEASON MSNBC AIR RAGE SmarterLiving TAKING THE KIDS ON YOUR HONEYMOON Weekend Specials LOOKING TO GET OUT OF TOWN THIS WEEKEND FOR CHEAP? Good To Know! TRAVEL TO EUROPE
WEB CAMS OF THE WEEK WEBSITE OF THE WEEK Venere.com Going To Europe? I heard about this website last week when a lady said she booked her whole European trip through Venere. I checked it out, and looks great! The service does not operate like a travel agent, in that specific requests for information on properties cannot be provided by IHR itself. Instead, IHR gives the user the opportunity to view pages, check availability and prices and then send reservation requests to hotels. These reservation requests arrive directly to the hotel and it is the hotel that responds to the reservation request, again via the IHR system. Essentially, the service provides an effective, secure and simple channel of communication between hotel properties and the user. Unlike a travel agency, it is the user who can search, choose and book accommodation directly with the property of their choice.
Amber
and I
took a stroll
around the island
(she had never been there before so I had to give her a feel of this special
place in a hurry). Catalina
is awesome
for a couple of days or even just for a couple of hours like we had.
It reminds me of Ischia, Italy.
It's a small island town, with a charming marina, touristy shops, great
snorkeling, and mountains. The population is about 3,000 people, but in
the summer time that increases dramatically like the hotel prices. On Tuesday
Carnival Cruise ship is moored off shore from 9 am to 5pm (so watch out for
the cruise crowd). Avalon has a downtown
with a Vons Grocery Store, gift shops, plenty of restaurants (unfortunately
they even have a KFC/Taco Bell). The restaurants out there aren't
the best, but they have great views. My advice to you is not to eat
dessert in the restaurant, just find one of the many ice
cream shops, and indulge.
Wednesday morning we drove back down to San Diego for another LMNT performance. We spent one night at the Holiday Inn. TIP: If you are a priority club member you can get a free upgrade all you need to do is ask (or it will cost you $20 if you don't want to fill out the form). Fortunately, we did get to spend some time on Pacific Beach which was great. The following day we were on Mission Beach watching the guys play at Cane's restaurant. Thursday night, and Friday we spent in L.A. Then Saturday we flew back to NYC to get ready for a long day on Sunday. The flight home went by super quick because we were lucky enough to get upgraded and enjoyed a seven (7) course meal. I was chilling like a villain! If you have never been on the other side of the curtain you need to save up your miles. Dinner took two hours. First came out this nasty Appetizer, I quickly pushed that away and downed some tasty chicken soup. A tossed green leaf salad was next on the menu, and then a little green apple sorbet to clean the ol' pallet. Umm Umm! My entree was a not so tasty filet mignon (I should've gone with Amber's chicken). As always the best part was dessert! The choices were cheese & fresh fruit and/or a HOT FUDGE Ice cream sundae. I had both of course. I was so full I just laid back, rubbed my belly, watched a movie, and fell asleep. We had a crazy night after we landed. We touched down around 10pm, rented
an SUV from Hertz. Waited 20 minutes (felt like 50) for the bus, then they
messed up my rental so I had to go to the counter and make a whole new
reservation. There was a neverlost in our Expedition and I listened
to that stupid thing instead of myself and got lost. Sat in traffic and
finally reached my apartment after midnight. To park overnight in NYC cost
$35, but if you have a large automobile or truck, you can tack on another
$15. For 5 hours they wanted $50! What a RIP! I was too tired to
argue or look for another garage because I had to be up at 5:30am (which
is 2:30am PST). I walked into my apartment to find the electricity
turned off (In the morning I found out the workman flipped the wrong switch).
I couldn't fall asleep right away, and when I finally did the darn alarm
went off. I picked LMNT up at JFK
at 6:30am, drove 85 miles out to the Hamptons for a party. We arrived early
and the guys needed to freshen up. All the motels were sold out, but when
I saw a guy check out, I made a deal with one place to give us his dirty
room for $80 (we were desperate). Believe it or not that's a good
deal. Normal nightly rate is $300, a day rate is $150, and the dirty room
rate (with clean towels) was, well you know. We were out there for the
guys to perform
for a D.A.R.E. fundraiser. The party was great, like the weather. Evan
and Jaron also performed, who were very
cool (I hooked Amber up again with a picture
for her wall).
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AND PROMOTE JOHNNY
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TIP OF
THE WEEK:
By Chris
McGinnis
Of course, the simplest way to avoid delay and cancellation situations is to fly airlines that maintain good on-time performance rankings. Or you can fly at times that the skies are not so congested. (Your chances of being delayed are greater from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m.) Airline on-time performance rankings are made public each month by the Department of Transportation in its "Air Travel Consumer Report" (also on the web at www.dor.gov). Flights are listed individually and by airline composite. NEWSPAPER OF THE WEEK: (NY POST) CHICAGO TRIBUNE
If your friends don't get JOHNNY JET....
GOOD TO KNOW!
Guidebooks offer a great selection of travel tips. Rick Steve's Europe Through The Backdoor series is close to indispensable for those who plan a stay of a week or more. The Lonely Planet series will tell you things no other guidebooks approach, from the hip to the opinionated. Still there are some things no guide book can explain. Your European experience will differ according to the country or countries you visit. Even accustomed to the difference between California and Georgia, Maine and Texas, you are apt to be surprised at how quickly close borders change the tone and how easily Europeans move from country to country. You won't go hungry on your flight across the Atlantic, regardless of the class of service you fly. The relative splendor of the food varies form class to class but, even in Economy, meals tend to be a lot tastier and more extensive than their U.S. domestic flight counterparts. If you're flying in Business or First, you will not be able to consume all of the food laid before you unless you plan to spend your first day in Europe waddling. Moving through customs has sped up considerably since intra-European travel was eased for residents of the EU, yet there seems to be about the same number of customs workers on duty. As a result, the process of entering a country as a visitor can be easier and faster. European airports double as shopping temptations. Many have arrays of shops as tempting as classy off-airport shopping areas. Some purchases are indeed bargains, but the real fun is the variety and access to items you cannot easily purchase at home. If you're traveling through an intermediate airport in Europe, you may even want to schedule a connection that gives you a minimum of two hours to get a taste of what is being offered. If you're traveling to or through one of the best shopping airports (Amsterdam's Schipol for example), you won't get bored even with several hours to pass. The language barrier is almost a figment of the imagination. Many Europeans speak several languages and English is near the top of the list. You'll see 10-year-olds as adept in their second (or third) language as you are in your native tongue. After a day or so of acclimating yourself to different sounds, different signs and menus that may as well be written in Swahili, most Americans adapt quickly, aided by the courteousness of Europeans toward foreign guests. You can book accommodations as royal as a palace or as humble as a pension. If your budget is more toward the latter, don't shed a tear over what you might be missing. Each price category offers something special about it. Choose wisely and you may end up preferring accommodations a class or two under what you can easily afford, simply for the warmth and hospitality they provide. If you stay in a hotel, forget pay-for-view movies. The experience of watching television for the first time in another country is interesting enough. Most hotels have CNN, BBC and other English-language programming, but aside from keeping up on news highlights, local programming should be your pick. Even if your local vocabulary is limited to a handful of words, you'll be entertained. If you suffer from allergies or dread the so-called "smokefree" room that was clearly occupied by previous guests who smoke like chimneys, your comfort can be eased by the fact that most European hotels have windows that open. Good old fresh air can clear the air better than some of the best human efforts. You can eat grandly in Europe without ever setting foot in a restaurant or ordering from room service. Except in the coldest countries in the dead of winter, sidewalk stands and cafes provide choice and economy. You won't see a lot of styrofoam cups and throwaway packaging. Even the most humble eateries tend to use real dishes. A real restaurant meal is nice, but if your budget (or your schedule) prohibit it, you'll still be well fed and get to experience some of the best items each city has to offer. You don't have to budget a lot of money for special events and attractions. In Europe, the cities are the attractions and they stay "open" virtually all night. Walking or riding, there is so much to see for free that paying an admission for anything is almost superfluous. Depending on the country you visit, you're likely to find easy access if you have a mobility impairment. Though some of the older buildings and sections of the cities have limitations for people in wheelchairs, the bulk of city sidewalks and buildings are relatively smooth sailing. If a few steps stand between you and a restaurant, don't be surprised if the proprietor lifts up your wheelchair and helps you inside. Add it all up and you can see that whatever aspects of intimidation
you might feel before visiting Europe will likely dissipate into minor
qualms after you arrive. Book a great deal on a ticket, pack your toothbrush
and some comfortable "exploring clothes" and set out on an adventure that
will let you know you've truly left home while providing a sense of hospitality
that will most likely make Europe a return destination.
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