Free Museum Admission This Weekend Only!

I got this press release yesterday– it’s a great way to enjoy some of New York City’s finest museums for free this weekend! Here’s the scoop:

KICK OFF THE FALL SEASON WITH A TRIP TO YOUR LOCAL MUSEUM

THROUGH MUSEUMS ON US®, BANK OF AMERICA AND MERRILL LYNCH CARDHOLDERS IN NEW YORK CITY AND NATIONWIDE RECEIVE FREE ADMISSION TO MORE THAN 150 MUSEUMS ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1 AND SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2

EVENT: Bank of America’s Museums on Us offers free access to New York City cardholders

DATES: Saturday, October 1, 2011 and Sunday, October 2, 2011; the first full weekend of each month through December 2011

TIMES: Check participating museums’ days and hours of operation

LOCATIONS:

Bronx Zoo
El Museo del Barrio
International Center of Photography
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum**
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museum of the City of New York
New York Aquarium
New York Hall of Science
Staten Island Children’s Museum

DETAILS:

On October 1-2, Bank of America is helping its customers kick off the fall season with Museums on Us, giving bank cardholders free admission to some of the most exciting cultural venues in New York City.

As part of Museums on Us, more than 150 leading U.S. cultural institutions, in 87 cities across the country, open their doors to bank cardholders on the first full weekend of each month. Participating institutions include museums, historical sites, botanical gardens, science centers and zoos.

Now in its 14^th season, Museums on Us – a national program – includes some of the country’s premier cultural institutions like the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA, The African American Museum in Philadelphia, PA, Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center in Millville, NJ and Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, CA.

The offer is valid the first full weekend (Saturday and Sunday) of each month. Photo ID and a valid Bank of America/Merrill Lynch credit or debit card must be presented. One free general admission limited to cardholder at participating institution, excluding fundraising events, special exhibitions and ticketed shows. Not to be combined with other offers.

For more information about Museums on Us, visit: http://museums.bankofamerica.com.

** Program not available on Sundays

Outstanding Travel Tips and Discounts

I had the opportunity of researching airline fares for a trip to Indianapolis (decided to postpone my trip until my home renovation is completed). Holy cow! Airline fare is pricey! I haven’t been on an airplane since 1988… I’ll bet a lot has changed since then. The prices certainly have changed. For a round-trip to Indianapolis, it would cost me $650, with one layover. Egads!! I nearly freaked.

By the way, I found a gem of a resource for airline travelers: the Transportation Security Administration has a good website called Travel Assistant that I found helpful. And the U.S. Department of Transportation has Safe Travel Dot Gov, which has the latest news and security news about traveling by air. I found these excellent resources in preparing me on what to expect when I travel.

Anyway, I did a little digging into discount airfare and other travel accommodations, and discovered a veritable jackpot at http://savings.com. I’ve perused the site before for promo codes for Home Depot and Dell computer coupons. Savings.com has a huge section devoted to travel discounts and codes, including but not limited to: Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, Cheap)Air, Rail Europe, Hotwire, and others. Excellent! Some discounts and promo codes offer exceptional deals. It would certainly pay to keep an eye on airline and hotel specials there.

The Internet is an incredible resource for travelers. Don’t pass up such excellent opportunities to save money! It costs nothing to use the codes and coupons at Savings.com.

This post is brought to your by your friends at Savings.com.

Great Hampton Inns Giveaway

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine.

Been chewing at the bit to take a vacation, but the money is a little tight these days? Hey, I hear ya! Well, I have some great news for you– it’s the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes going on right now. The Grand Prize is staggering- win 100 rooms for 2 nights! The 100 daily first prizes are great, too– win a hotel stay for for a weekend for you and three friends. I think it’s perfect for a small family getaway or get-together, or for one of those blogger meetups I’m hearing about lately.

The contest is very easy to enter: go to the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes webpage. Enter your name, address, and contact information. You also have the option of signing up to receive emails for special offers on Hampton Hotels (the emails are very helpful during the summer months, believe me).

Hampton Hotels are beautiful. I have found them to be clean, and the service good. It’s also nice to go to a hotel chain when you are in an unfamiliar area; it makes being away from home a little less shocking– like a “home away from home.”

The giveaway began on June 1, 2010, and is going on until September 4, 2010. There is no purchase necessary to enter, but you must be 18 years or older. It’s a terrific opportunity– and it’s open to residents of the United States, DC, Canada (excluding Quebec), UK, and Mexico!! Check it out!

Terrific British Airways Airfare Deal

The world is on sale! Here’s an outstanding promotion if you’ve been in the wings, waiting for a good deal on airfare and travel deals, particularly for the “Metro Twins” of New York and London. It’s from the illustrious British Airways, and it’s stupendous! However, this promotion is ONLY until November 19, 2009, so do not delay.

Here’s the scoop:

British Airways, one of the largest airlines in the UK, and one of the finest in the world, is offering special deals and packages on world travel, called the November Seat Sale. Prices are incredibly low; moreover, British Airways is upping the ante by offering an “upgraded” travel experience, including:

• World-class superior service from the U.S. and Canada to cities all over the world in India, Europe, the Middle East, and more.
• Complimentary cocktails and food on all flights
• Over 200 on-demand entertainment options
• Ergonomic seating with accessories for a super-comfortable flight
• Destination guides and an elegant online community site called MetroTwin (more on that later)
• and more…

It’s a great sale. And if you are a New York City-to-London and London-to-NYC traveler, there’s a terrific online community called MetroTwin that will be of interest. It’s designed as a free guide full of useful, helpful, and fun tips and articles for people living in or traveling to the two cities. It’s a beautiful website, powered by British Airways specifically for their numerous travelers flying to and from the two cities; and it’s a great resource for all NYC and London travel. Bookmark this site if you intend on traveling through these two cities– it’s full of reviews and information from other travelers (I always consider advice from other travelers very resourceful).

So, here’s your chance, you world travelers! The November Seat Sale has special flights and packaged hotel/car rental deals for destinations worldwide, including such popular destinations as Johannesburg, Dubai, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Rome, Tel Aviv, and more. I’ve seen flights listed as low as $205 to Madrid from New York, $229 to London, and hotel packages as low as $599 for 3 nights stay and round-trip ticket. Flights to Rome and Paris are under $250, and Istanbul is $280. Very nice! The package deal to London looks so scrumptious; that would be my top pick!

See the British Airways website for more information. This offer runs only until Thursday, November 19th, 2009; don’t delay!

Best Time for Deals

The travel season is finally here! I really don’t think we’re going to get any more snow (hurray!), so I’m making my plans early this season. One of the first things on our preliminary travel list is getting some camping gear, and getting new clothing for the kids. This is the perfect time to grab deals on last autumn’s and winter’s apparel. This is the time of year that I usually buy up last season’s winter clothing and footwear, for next season. My kids have been growing like weeds, I tell ya! Sears is currently running a fabulous clearance sale, not to be missed. Hold on to your hats: the Sears clearance is offering 75-80% off all original prices on their fall and winter apparel.

Look at these jeans I found at the website. Original price is $31.99. Do you see the clearance price on these quality Levi jeans? $1.99! And that is not a typo!

The deals are phenomenal. It includes savings on women’s, women’s plus, kids’, infants’, men’s, outwear, workboots, and loads more. Excellent deals– and Sears is, of course, a store with a solid reputation for quality and for selling durable goods (I only get my large appliances and tools from Sears). Check out the clearance sale- it’s going on now until April 18th, which will be here before you know it!

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