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Every Parisian neighborhood, if not every Parisian street, has its own brasserie – the warm, bubbling croque monsieurs (ham and cheese open-faced sandwiches) are consistently tempting! But sometimes the adventurous traveler goes in search of something more – seeking a truly special dining experience with food of a more uncommon sort, or atmosphere beyond a simple Parisian street. Here are five places to have an unforgettable meal that doesn’t require breaking the bank.
1) Le Fille de L’O, off Quai St. Michel
It should be touristy – a restaurant on a boat overlooking Notre Dame cathedral, but somehow the clientele remains predominantly French, and the quality consistently local. Fresh fish – the “fantasie de saumon appetizer in particular is highly recommended” – and exciting side dishes (ie, black rice) abound here, but nothing makes this restaurant as special as the view: the boat is an oasis of calm overlooking the cathedral and river. Best of all, it’s not particularly expensive, either.
2) La Buvette des Marionettes, the Luxembourg Gardens
This inexpensive mostly outdoor cafe benefits from some of the best scenery in all Paris – the elegantly colorful Luxembourg Gardens. But the vistas are rivaled by the crepes – the delicious “Simple” – with ham and egg or cheese- and decadent “Complete” – all three! -are staples of a good Parisian diet. Order a bottle of rose and spend the day in this idyllic spot.
›Continue reading Five Unmissable Parisian Restaurants
- The Magic of Paris
A city with an almost mythic image, the city of light, love, and leisure conjures up dreams of romantic walks along the Seine, delicious food in charming cafes, the elegance and mystery of centuries l... - Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel
A recent visit to Bally's Las Vegas.
Upon arrival at check in time, the line was long and I was called over to the Platinum member desk even though I was not a member. An available employee was makin... - Splendor in Versailles
Versailles, a ritzy Parisian suburb, is the location of what was once the capital of France, even if not officially. You may have heard of this city, as it is world famous for the magnificent Chat... - The Feeding Frenzy
- Italy Tips and Quirks to Know
There are some portions of a vacation that are simply unforgettable. For most people, a walk among the treetops in a tropical rainforest would certainly make the list of vacation highlights.
Kakum National Park, located in the Central Region of Ghana, is home to the Canopy Walk. The Canopy Walk is comprised of seven bridges that connect from treetop to treetop over a length of more than 1000 feet.
 Kakum Canopy Walk - Photo by Stig Nygaard Visitors walk – one at a time – across these bridges, which are suspended up to 130 feet off of the ground. Made of wooden planks and netting, a walk on these bridges provides a look at some of the plants, birds and other wildlife that would otherwise be impossible to see in the dense rainforest of Kakum National Park
›Continue reading A Walk in the Treetops
- The Ideal Roman Walk
The City of the Seven Hills is one of the world's most walkable cities - although this is perhaps by default rather than a proper value judgment; driving, cycling, and the metro are all equally inconv... - Free Things To Do In Las Vegas
There are expensive things to do in Las Vegas. Those are easy to find. There are cheap things to do in Las Vegas but the numbers are dwindling. And there are completely free things to do in Las Vegas.... - Upper West Side Guide
New York's Upper West Side, home of Lincoln Center and Seinfeld alike, is one of the most diverse and exciting neighborhoods in New York City - with sub-neighborhoods from the trendy Lincoln Center di... - Snake Population Explosion
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The historical city on seven hills has centuries’ worth of delights, from ancient ruins to Renaissance palazzos to modern nightclubs right out of La Dolce Vita. But Rome’s charm can be elusive – the chaos of contemporary city life, the roar of motorcycles, the madding crowds – and difficult to pick out from a sea of tourist traps and lookalike vendors. Here are five moments, streets, and places to go to capture Rome at its very best.
1) Caffe della Pace
This art nouveau cafe near Piazza Navona has been Rome’s arty elite’s hangout for decades, and it shows no sign of slowing in advanced age. As eternal as the city itself, the ivy-covered exterior hosts beautiful young (and old) things under a starry sky, while the wood-paneled interior fills up as the night crowds on. Cocktails aren’t cheap, but when you can sit, see, and be seen for hours, the drinks (and attending free snacks) are well worth their price.
 Piazza Navona - Photo by David Paul Ohmer 2) The view from the Gianicolo
Not technically one of Rome’s seven hills, the hill leading to the leafy residential district of Monteverde Vecchio is nevertheless one of its most beautiful. The park leading from Via Garibaldi on one side to the children’s hospital on the other offers statue-studded walkways, verdant greenery, and best of all, lush views of the city sprawling out beneath you in all its colorful glory.
›Continue reading The Magic of Rome
- Ancient Rome in a Day
The magic of ancient Rome - its imperial magnificence, its imperious architecture, its proud and ultimately tragic history - is still ever-present in Rome. The awareness of Caesar's footsteps, Sulla's... - Five Dishes to Try in Rome
Classic romanesco fare can be challenging - in the case of some of the tripe dishes and organ meat famous for their savory sweetness and the adventurousness required by outsiders to eat them - or alte... - Understanding the Magic of Vienna
To understand Vienna is to come face to face with an ideal. All cities have their postcard backdrops, their colorful cliches. Paris has cafes and pensive faces and couples kissing on the Seine; Rome h... - The Ideal Roman Walk
- The Magic of Paris
It’s been called a hundred names, and deserved all of them. New York is everything and nothing at the same time – a city that changes so constantly that few generalizations can be applied to it, blazing with an indefatigable and indefinable energy no other city can match. Once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker, the saying goes, and this city’s denizens are well aware of the unparalleled vitality of their city. Although the line between New Yorker and Non New Yorker is difficult to traverse, here are five ways to experience New York as a New Yorker would.
 Photo by Jim Linwood 1) The Central Park Bike Loop
There’s much to see in Central Park, and walking or biking past the main “Lower Loop,” passing the Metropolitan Museum, Alice in Wonderland Statue, Sheep Meadow, and many more park icons, is the best way to see it. From hardworking bikers and joggers struggling to stay in shape to compete in the city’s cutthroat beauty arena, to ladies who lunch walking diminutive dogs in colorful leashes, the Park is a fascinating cross-section of uptown and midtown Manhattan life. While the West Side’s Riverside Park has a bit of rebellious urban bohemia mixed into the bourgeoisie, Central Park is New York’s mainstream at its finest. The lush flowers, tranquil meadows, and placid ponds, however, provide an escape from the madding crowd outside the park walls.
2) Take a Cab Up Madison Avenue
You may feel that death is near, but it really isn’t. For a New York experience you won’t find recommended in the guidebook, get one of the city’s signature yellow cab mid- or down-town (we recommend Union Square) and demand an uptown destination with the implication that you’re in a hurry (we suggest Mt. Sinai Hospital, on the north end of the upscale and charming residential neighborhood Carnegie Hill, if you’re brave). You will then be subject to a ride more intense than anything you can find at Coney Island – weaving in and out of other cabs, playing chicken with headlights, and otherwise risking your life for the sake of a high tip and quick turnaround fare. Even if you don’t plan on making a ride out of it, be sure to catch a cab at least once in your time here. Just make sure you haven’t eaten an enormous meal first…
›Continue reading Magic of New York
You’ve probably heard of midtown, the West Village, SoHo, Broadway, and other prominent sites on New York City’s tourist trail – and with good reason! These destinations are well worth seeing, and represent much of the heart of New York’s historic and cultural treasures. But for an alternative look through New York’s many enclaves, here are five Manhattan neighborhoods worth spending a morning or afternoon wandering about.
1) Morningside Heights
 Morningside Heights - Photo by katmere While the Union Square area is far more well-known as a student hangout, located as it is near the New York University campus, but this subtler district around Columbia has a far less commercialized charm. A bit out of the way, to be sure, the West 100s around Broadway nevertheless are filled with beautiful architecture, funky bookstores, and legendary cafes. Visit the Gothic St. John the Divine cathedral, the writers’-haven cafe The Hungarian Pastry Shop, and famous Columbia haunt The Labyrinth, one of New York’s best used bookstores.
›Continue reading Five Great New York Neighborhoods
When planning a vacation, one of the decisions that must be made is whether to drive or fly to the destination.
Obviously, there are some locations to which driving are not an option. There are also some people who say they will never set foot on an airplane and others who think a road trip to the grocery store is too long. In these situations, the decision is easy.
For others, however, the decision whether to drive or fly is more difficult. Here are some things to consider.
1.   Cost
There are websites that will help you calculate the exact amount that will be spent on gas based on the length of the trip, the make and model of the car and the current gas prices. Using this tool will make it easy to compare the cost of driving vs. flying.
Remember that in addition to the cost of the airline ticket, there will be other expenses when choosing to fly. These may include parking at the airport and the cost of a rental car. When driving, consider the cost of eating meals on the road.
2.   Time
Figure out how much time will actually be saved by flying. In some cases, it might take less time to drive than to deal with the airlines. For example, a woman who lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia wanted to visit her family in Boston. She learned that the flight would take between 3 and 6 hours, depending on how many stops the plane made. The airline recommended arriving two hours early for check-in. Add to that the time waiting in baggage claim and in the line at the car rental counter and she figured the whole trip was going to take between 7 and 10 hours. She could make the drive in 10, so, even in the best case scenario, flying wasn’t going to be a big time saver. ›Continue reading Driving versus Flying
To understand Vienna is to come face to face with an ideal. All cities have their postcard backdrops, their colorful cliches. Paris has cafes and pensive faces and couples kissing on the Seine; Rome has boisterous laughter and late-night dolce vitas over wine and cigarettes. But more than any other city, Vienna holds to those moments and landscapes that create its ideal: Vienna clings to its courtly past, conveniently forgetting the horrors of two World Wars, and sees its future not as a chance for innovation, but as an opportunity to recapture what it has lost. These five “aspects” of Vienna – moments, landmarks, dishes – are just a small sampling of Vienna’s obsession with the past.
1) Palaces….in the Middle of the Street
Unlike Versailles, Schloss Schonbrunn does not require a lengthy train ride into the country. A mere ten minutes on the metro, and the landscape suddenly changes from urban sprawl to sprawling palace: once home to Hapsburg royalty, including the notorious Empress Sissi. Belvedere Palace, located in the staid residential district of Landstrasse, is even less rural. Vienna’s remarkable architecture accommodates palaces as a natural part of the city landscape, as expected and unheralded as one of the city’s numerous sausage-selling “Wurstelstands.”
›Continue reading Understanding the Magic of Vienna
- Vienna’s Wurstelstands
Vienna is known for its inventive cuisine, from wienerschnitzel - bread-encrusted veal - to decadent whipped-cream-coverd coffees and cakes, including the apricot-flaked chocolate Sachertorte. Vienna'... - Pub Grub: A Love-Hate Relationship
From the wood-paneled bars to the ye-olde-timber to the copious amounts of ale, lagers, and gin and tonics being passed through the bar on an hourly basis, the English pub is a place to go for a "pint... - 36 Hours in Vienna
Vienna's beauty is so hypnotizing that it is difficult to imagine leaving after such a short time. But the city's small size, efficient transportation system, and compact nature mean that, should it b... - Travel Makes Children Smarter
- The Magic of Paris
I updated my Mexico travel warnings page to include the latest information on the swine flu and CDC updates. I will expand the information and separate it here if it becomes a larger problem outside of Mexico. At this point and it is changing by the hour now, cases in New York, South Carolina and Kansas are confirmed to have ties to people who traveled to Mexico, specifically Cancun. The majority of Mexico’s’ states have confirmed cases so it is widespread and not just Mexico City.
View a large map (in a new window) of all current reports of the swine flu.
Tours are changing their stops. Most major airlines are allowing you to change your travel plans without fees. Each have different dates and rules, and some have already changed them more than once, so you will have to check with your airline. There is no sense in me posting the details of each airline because it will probably be wrong by the time you read this.
The Cruise lines say they are still stopping in Mexico ports but working closely with health officials. Personally, when I consider the confined space of people on a ship, I think they should pass on stopping in Mexico this week at least and wait and see how things go day by day. Insurance most likely does not cover swine flu if you cancel. What do you think?
The most common question I am getting: Do I cancel my plans to Mexico next month or months from now?
Most advice out there says to wait, keep checking, etc. Between the drug war, economy and now a virus, I say just change your plans and move on. It’s not worth worrying about your vacation or wedding all the time. There are lots of great places out there that can use your business.
For warnings on both violence and the flu in Mexico, please read the following:
http://www.allstays.com/Features/mexico-travel-warnings/
- Mexico Violence on the Border
The violence along the Mexico border with the United States has been increasing at an alarming rate since 2008. It has just been reduced in the last couple of weeks in areas where thousands of militar... - Driving In Mexico
One of the great rumors out there is that driving in Mexico is not safe. Using some of the same reasoning that I hear about Mexico, you may also say that driving in Los Angeles, Detroit, Miami or ... - Mexico Travel Warnings
April 27, 2009. I have added Swine flu warnings here or scroll down past the violence warnings.
Now the kidnap capital of the world, Mexico has become a dangerous place to travel. Although auth... - Should I Get A Flu Vaccine Before Traveling?
The country’s first national park, established in 1872, Yellowstone is the favorite vacation destination of millions of Americans and foreigners alike. The park covers an area that extends into three states, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho; it also encompasses an area full of fauna, including bears, wolves, and bison. Yellowstone, for all its magnificence, sticks in people’s heads for one main reason: Old Faithful. The geysers, paint pots, and other geology are the main attractions, but adventure is the spirit that brings people to Yellowstone.
Entering the park will cost visitors in cars $25, those on motorcycles or snowmobiles $20, and walk-ins $12. Camping in the park is relatively cheap as well, costing only $18.50 a night for a traditional campsite for up to six people. If you plan on attending the park in an RV with developed spots, you must camp at Fishing Bridge RV Park; the cost is $35 per site for up to four people and $1 more for any additional adults. Camping costs, especially when shared among a group, are significantly lower than those of hotels.
›Continue reading Experience Yellowstone National Park
If your dreams of Bridesheadian splendor, excess, and inter-war decadence have been left unfilled even after hours of exploring the hallowed halls of Oxford’s thirty-nine colleges, then spend your evening in Oxford drinking cocktails and sipping champagne at these five establishments – you’ll be sure to be stuttering, holding a teddy bear, and dining on quails’ eggs in no time.
1) The Grand Cafe
Love it or hate it, this opulent expression of Art Deco finery on the High Street is Oxford’s most visible outlet for extravagance. Its cocktails are excellent – if pricey (a 7-11 happy hour brings down the price to 3.75 GBP for most cocktails), and although the popularity of the place does mean that there’s a bit of a wait for drinks and seats later on in the week or evening, it’s well worth a stop on the cocktail-bar-crawl.
 Photo by flickr's manray3 ›Continue reading Best Cocktail Bars in Oxford
- The Magic of Oxford
Oxford is a city that revels in its eccentricity. Street-performers, gowned students punting up the Cherwell river, mad dons conversing in pubs - all of these make up the bizarre and wonderful landsca... - Five Best Aperitivo Bars in Florence
“What is aperitivo?†ask the uninitiated. The answer is, take Happy Hour, remove the Bacchanalian excess, add fresh Italian ingredients and spread the concept through all of Northern I... - The Best Bars in Hotels: Drink or Sleep
The hotel bar can make a difference in the quality of your stay if you will be out of your room in the evening. Whether for business meetings or social time with local friends, it helps to be able to ... - Tow Dollies vs Tow Bars
- Summer Camping Food
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