New York Traveler.net

Just Dreamin’

Sorry I haven’t blogged much. We are all in high gear trying to finish up the school year, and the gasoline prices have kept me homebound for a while. However, we do have some hopes to do some traveling this year! We have some things in the making, in particular a camping trip in the Adirondacks, and perhaps a hike up one of it’s mountains. We love the “strenuous life,” as fellow New Yorker called it (Theodore Roosevelt). We are very fond of TR, having read several of his biographies and seen many documentaries of him. We also have a neat computer game where you go on an expedition through the Amazon jungle and bump into him there, in the midst of a safari. It’s a pretty cute game and the kids love it.

TR made the African safari famous, too. Would you ever go on an African safari? I think I would! If you love safari (or love reading about it and looking at photos), check out the T. Jeffrey Safari Company website. They offer exciting Namibia safari hunting trips. My sons absolutely love the website. I’m sure they’d love for us to all go, but I can’t hit the backside of a barn anymore (I wasn’t too bad a lass with a gun, however). The gallery of photos at T. Jeffrey Safari Company are amazing. The best glimpse I ever got of Africa was Marlin Perkin’s Wild Kingdom; I’d love to see Africa for real! Imagine, roaming 200,000 acres on a family farm in central Namibia for a safari, or hunting for a week in the Kalahari Desert! Talk about the strenuous life! If you are into safaris, take a gander at the website. It’s an adventure in of itself.

What an Xperience!

Oh man. This is an amazing thing. If you like wild and different things to do, you have got to check out this website, the Xperience Days. I think it’s amazing that you can actually do some of these things! You’ll have to see the website to soak everything in, but these things would make terrific and unqiue gifts for an adventuresome dad for Father’s Day, a crazy mom for Mother’s Day, or even for yourself! There’s a ton of stuff for the New York tri-state area, but there are locations all over the United States. Cool!

Basically, this company offers once-in-a-lifetime experiences. For example, take a helicopter ride over the Manhattan skyline (and affordable $110), be a virtual combat fighter pilot (more expensive at $1,900) complete with lessons and video of your exploits, or get a chef for a day in a wine and cheese tasting meal ($400). Those are the things that jumped out at me– there’s a ton more things! Surfing, hot air balloon rides, culinary classes, hang gliding, and culinary experiences are some other things available. Some things are rather pricey, but some things are very affordable! And if you’ve got a group of siblings all willing to pitch in for a Mom and Dad anniversary gift or something- WOW! It could be amazing.

Check out the website! It’s an amazing experience in of itself!

A Drive to Hinckley Reservoir

Early last week, we had a dentist appointment north of where we live, and decided to take a little car trip further to the lovely foothills of the Adirondacks. Spring is just coming to the area, and the tree lines are a mixture of still-scraggly limbs and little green buds. The air was fresh and invigorating. I like to think that the Adirondacks are the epitome of Upstate New York life: austere and slightly acidic, but independent and noble. The Adirondacks is no place for soft living!

I really didn’t have any particular place to go. I just drove for the pleasure of driving. I enjoy the view on Route 365, so we followed it, north. We stopped at a parking area along the West Canada Creek. The view of the creek is lovely.

Further down the creek we could see two majestic loons swimming and diving for fish. Every once in a while, one of the loons would stretch open its wings and expose its enormous wingspan. They were too far away for my zoom-less camera, unfortunately.

North of us, we could see the peaks of the Adirondacks. How they beckoned us to come see them!

We had to resist them. We did putter up north >>> Read more of ‘A Drive to Hinckley Reservoir’

The Cannonball Run!

Growing up in a house with four brothers, I am very familiar with football, boxing, Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and the Cannonball Run. We always had dreams of being able to travel the country by car (just a little bitty bit slooower than the people in the race, however). Someday I expect we shall.

I just found out that the Cannonball Run is not called the Cannonball Run anymore! It’s now called the One Lap of America! I rather liked the Cannonball Run name, but I guess in this day and age of highway speeding and etc, they had to change the name. “Cannonball” didn’t quite support the concept of safety driving, did it?

For all you traveling and race fans, there are some really cool things going on this year for the 2008 One Lap of America. A “smart” car! The kids and I flipped when we saw it! Isn’t it adorable?! we want one, we want one! I’m a sucker for those kinds of cars. I’d get one if all six of us could squeeze into it…

Here’s the scoop about this gorgeous car and the race:

The Tire Rack 2008, One Lap of America (formerly named Cannonball Run), will celebrate its 25th anniversary race around the United States and Stephen Noton along with his 451 smart fortwo will be apart of this historic race.

The smart has only been on sale for a couple months in the USA and Canada but it has already sparked some amazing interest from all types of car enthusiasts. While most people see the smart as an economical form of transportation Stephen Noton is showing that a smart can also be a very cool and fun car to drive.

Stephen Noton says “The smart is like a Ferrari, it is a 2 seater, rear wheel drive, rear mounted engine European exotic and it even beats the Ferrari in one performance metric, MPG”. That is very true and with some vehicles in the One Lap of America averaging less then 10mpg the smart at 41mpg might even have an advantage during the 4,000 mile event.

Here’s the map. The route looks so good.

The car is nicknamed “forfiveone” and already has a following at it’s website. The car has been modified with “racing springs, wider tires and some nice interior enhancements.” I would love to watch this car in action, live. But I’ll have to settle for broadcasting. If you want to go see the race, entrance to most of the tracks is free! Go here for more details.

Where in the World is Tenerife?

There’s a lot of buzz, for some reason, about the ancient islands of Atlantis these days. When I was a kid, all those “unsolved” mysteries were very appealing– Loch Ness monster, Big Foot, and Atlantis, among other things. I’ve looked into Atlantis a little, and the best two ancient locations for this sunken city was either Santorini of Greece, or the islands of Tenerife.

I had never heard of Tenerife, and (as is my style), I looked it up. Mmmm what a beautiful place! Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain.

I’d love to see the beaches there. Isn’t that just beautiful? Tenerife is actually one of the biggest tourist spot in the world. I’d never even heard of it before. There are more flights to Tenerife by vacationing UK citizens than any other country, although that doesn’t count all the people from Spain who flock to those gorgeous beaches. Mmm.

The Romans gave Tenerife its name (meaning “snow”). Legends says that its snowy peaks are all that remain of the sunken paradise that was Atlantis. I don’t know if that is true or not, but I’ll bet it brings the tourists! It was on Tenerife that British admiral Horatio Nelson lost his arm, in the 1797 quest to take the islands.

Tenerife has suffered earthquakes from time to time, as has most of that area for millenia. It is a beautiful place and no wonder it is one of the number one tourist spots in the world. Perhaps when we finally get to see Greece, I will check out Tenerife, too!

Destiny USA To Lay Off Workers… Again

Destiny USA, a major shopping, amusement, and hotel attraction hailed as “saving Upstate New York” several years ago, is laying off employees again. This project, something like an Epcot without Mickey Mouse, has been nothing but a royal pain. I was surprised it got past all the hoops, hurdles, and litigation and was finally built in Syracuse, NY.

Destiny USA was regaled as the economic savior for Central New York (the poorest region yet most expensive place to live in the state, perhaps even the nation). It had its ups and downs over the years, mostly by people who didn’t want to have to subsidize another “government creating jobs” scheme. New York State economic policy has been disastrous, especially with their “Empire Zones” and “payments in lieu of taxes” deals. And so many big businesses shaft the system: they come, they build, they get the tax breaks, they leave. And they leave us residents with their vacant buildings, sprawl, more jobless people, and higher and higher tax rates.

News story about the latest layoff is here. Older news stories about the history of Destiny’s shaky project are here and here.

When will New York learn?

It’s Definitely Greek To Me

Remember how I’d said I often have dreams of visiting Greece? Someday I shall. It is one of my life’s goals. In my dreams I am on top of a small, rocky hilltop near the coast. I look down and see clumps of scrubby brush and grasses, clinging to the hillside and bending down as if giving homage to the soapy-white sands of the beach. The color of the Mediterranean Sea is what gloriously fills my eyes and makes my heart leap inside me! There’s the emerald green color of the surf as it washes onto the beach with foamy gasps, and its hue changes to bright turquoise as the water gets deeper, beyond the sea. I don’t think there is any place on earth as beautiful as the Greek coastlands, not even the fuzzy woodlands of Upstate New York. I am going to see Greece someday.

How I love everything Greek! I fervently studied Greek art and history in school and can read and write some of the language, too. And when my husband wants to bring a treat home for me, he knows to bring stuffed grape leaves, not chocolate candy! I am preparing to visit Greece someday, can you tell?

I recently visited a tourist website about the Greek island of Crete. I am completely wowed by the Corissia Group Hotels in Crete Greece and the spectacular services they offer. Just LOOK at that coastline! I’m practically packing my bags now!

That photo is taken from the western coast on Crete in Greece, from the website. The photos of the landscape are exquisite, just so beautiful that they make my heart ache. The longest sandy beach on the island is Georgioupolis, where views of the sea and mountains fill the windows of the hotels. Amazing. I love the spectacular dining room views, only a few meters from that glorious sea. The website takes full advantage of the beauty of the area– the clean and crisp colors are the traditional Greek flavors: bright blue, green, and sun-bleached white.

The Corissia Group Hotels are outstanding. I’m very impressed with the website. Click here and scroll down to watch some of the videos, to get an eyeful of the glorious beauty of the Hotels’ location and the incredible quality of service. I’ve never seen such an emphasis on quality from any tourist website. Quite impressive. You must check out those videos! Also on the site, there are very convenient sidebar widgets filled with flight information, maps, current weather, wireless internet hotspots, and many more conveniences for the Internet travel planner (like me). As proof of their emphasis on excellent customer service, the telephone numbers and hotel promo codes are very prominent on the front page. Thumbs up from this traveler! The website is very user-friendly with an available RSS feed announcing discounts and news items. Very nice!

Got a hankering to visit Greece? Or will a “virtual” visit succor your longings? Corissia Group Hotels is the place to go. I hope that someday I’ll have my own photos to contribute to the bunch.

Mr. Mecomber Goes to Washington

You don’t think he’s gonna go to Washington, D.C. without me, do you?!

We are seriously thinking of visiting the city, perhaps this year if the opportunities go as planned. There’s a good chance we may get to see it; I’ll keep you posted!

We have actually been there before, and we love the city. It is so full of history! And of politicians, but those can be ignored. It is so romantic walking around the Washington Monument at night, with the city lit up. I loved seeing it. There’s a lovely “Moonlight Night Tour” of the Monument that I missed last time, and I’d like to take it this time. There are truly so many wonderful things to do in Washington, D.C. that we could stay there for a month and not see it all. I’d looooove to go. We haven’t been to Washington in.. OMG it’s over 20 years now. And I had missed seeing the Capitol Building, which is a long-term goal of ours.

We’d love to make our stay a nice little second honeymoon… but I have no idea how we’d be able to go without taking the kids– they’d be so upset! But now that they are older, we could all go and still Mr. M and I could find time to have some quiet time together while we left the kids at the Smithsonian for a day, lol.

Because we are very historically-minded and we are keen to special deals and tours, I use Trusted Tours & Attractions to find out about what’s available. I am thrilled with their outstanding list of deals and discounts. Trusted Tours & Attractions is one of my favorite discount travel websites. Really, if you are visiting a big city and need vacation ideas, check them out. I’ve never seen such a good list so well organized and all the prices are up front. And if you sign up for their newsletter, you’re entered in a contest to win a free digital camera!