Archive for the 'East Coast' Category
Statue of Liberty is on Twitter and offers insider’s e-tours
July 4, 2009 1:37am
How hip is this for a 122-year-old lady? The Statue of Liberty is tweeting on the social networking site Twitter.com (@statuelibrtynps) and giving e-tours of her innards, just in time for the Fourth of July, when the icon’s crown opens for the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
So far, the tweets have been pretty tame, but they give useful tips, such as how to get through statue security (cleverly titled: “No bag ladies allowed” ). Tweeters include rangers and “associated staffers,” said Mindi Rambo, spokeswoman for the National Parks of New York Harbor.
The “Statue of Liberty National Monument eTour” is a good ride, with videos, 360-degree panoramas, ranger talks and fun facts. (This link sends you to a page that offers high-speed and dial-up options for downloading the “Virtual Tour” and tells how to navigate the tour.)
Do good, get 50% off at 2 Washington, D.C., hotels
June 30, 2009 1:54pm
Proving it can pay to be nice, the Savoy Suites Hotel and the Carlyle Suites Hotel in Washington, D.C. are cutting room rates in half for guests who sign up for community service programs. For every five hours that you volunteer, under the “Serve America and Stay in D.C.” deal, you get 50% off one night’s bill.
What’s the catch? Well, the hotels say the deal is nonrefundable (meaning your charge card is charged immediately), and availability is limited. The offer is also timed for summer, when the nation’s capital can get steamy.
Theme park news: Animatronic Obama, Battlestar Galactica dueling coasters, Hong Kong Disneyland expansion
June 27, 2009 7:33am
A roundup of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
* Prowler wooden coaster construction time-lapse video at Worlds Of Fun in Kansas City, Mo. 70,000 images, one per minute over eight months.
* First official POV video of iSpeed coaster at Mirabilandia in Italy. (Parksmania)
* Journey to the Center of the Earth 4-D movie starring Brendan Fraser coming to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., from June 12 to Aug. 2. (Screamscape)
* Scale-model pictures of Battlestar Galactica dueling coasters at Universal Studios Singapore. (CoasterForce)
New York City — 8 Luxe hotels offering 3rd night free this summer
June 24, 2009 5:27pm
The thought of taking a breezy summer escape at a luxurious New York City hotel might make some folks bitter in the mouth. Just this morning AAA suggested that the slight decline in leisure travel for Fourth of July weekend is “mainly due to ongoing uncertainty about the strength of the economy, especially rising joblessness and sagging personal incomes.” But for those who are still taking quick getaways or downsizing their holidays from international trips to domestic vacations, New York City is doing its part to appeal to you. Think value travel instead of budget travel.
Deal: Book and stay two consecutive nights at any of the eight participating hotels from New York’s “The Signature Collection” and get the third night free. Travelers can choose between these eight hotels:
- the Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel
- Jumeirah Essex House
- Loews Regency Hotel
- the London NYC
- the New York Palace Hotel
- the Plaza Hotel
- the Sherry-Netherland
- the Waldorf Towers
Be my guide: New York hipsters have soul
June 23, 2009 1:51pm
Being the first stop on my two-week, reader-guided road trip across the country, New York didn’t seem promising. Sure, it’s the Big Apple, “the city that never sleeps” — but believe me, on a Monday, New Yorkers sleep.
Fortunately, a reverend from Fresno, Calif., would arrive to rescue me. More on that later.
New York and El Paso were the only cities where readers didn’t send me any solid suggestions of places to go. OK, I get El Paso, but come on, New York?
Failing my go-to social media sources, I turned to another option—ads. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex has plastered Manhattan with posters promoting its new “John Lennon: The New York Years” exhibit, put together by his widow, Yoko Ono.
Metrobus shuttles and alternative routes available for D.C. Metro commuters
June 23, 2009 9:51am
The Washington Metro Transportation Authority has asked D.C.-area commuters to avoid the Red Line after the collision Monday that left at least seven people dead and injured more than 70. The crash took place between the Fort Totten and Takoma Metrorail stations. Metro has provided alternative routes and metrobus shuttles for passengers. The MARC Brunswick train line is also closed today.
Metrobus shuttles: There will be free Metrobus shuttles to take passengers around the crash site, traveling between the Silver Spring, Fort Totten, Brookland-CUA, Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood and Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metrorail stations. Metro warns commuters that there could be long lines and wait times.
Working Red Line routes: The Red Line will still run between the Glenmont and Silver Spring Metrorail stations and between the Shady Grove and the Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood Metrorail station.
Closed Red Line route: The Brookland-CUA, Fort Totten and Takoma Metrorail stations will be closed to Red Line traffic.
Metrobus alternative routes: To avoid the service disruption, Metro suggests that passengers get themselves to Metrorail stations between Shady Grove and Grosvenor-Strathmore, or use the following Metrobus lines:
• Metrobus C8 line (Glenmont to White Flint)
• Metrobus Q2 line (Wheaton to Rockville)
• Metrobus C2, C4 line (Wheaton to Twinbrook)
• Metrobus J1 line (Silver Spring to Medical Center)
• Metrobus J2, J3, J4 line (Silver Spring to Bethesda)
• Metrobus L7, L8 line (Friendship Heights)
On Twitter – @mvngmomentarily and their blog MovingMomentarily, described as “a blog about the love-hate relationship D.C. has with the Metro,” are following other D.C. Metro commuter experiences on Twitter and linking to news updates related to the crash.
– Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
Photo: Wreckage of a rush-hour collision between two Metro trains in Washington, D.C., that killed at least seven Monday. Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press
Be my guide: Music-driven road trip to Los Angeles kicks off in New York
June 22, 2009 7:20am
My reader-guided musical road trip from New York to Los Angeles starts today, June 22, and already I’ve received plenty of tips on where to go. Watch for updates and photos over the next two weeks on the Daily Travel & Deal Blog and, later, a story in the Los Angeles Times Sunday Travel Section.
Nearly three dozen people posted comments on my earlier blog post. Many others e-mailed suggestions or Twittered them in 140-character, bite-sized nuggets (except for “adamstue,” who rebelled against Twitter’s length limit on messages by simply sending a series of tweets – sneaky).
A few trends emerged. Many readers were excited about stops in New Orleans and Washington, D.C. , but Houston and El Paso didn’t fair so well. And I received plenty of earnest pleas to hit Memphis instead of Nashville.
Theme park news: Underwear models on coasters, Legoland considers Florida, Disney World dumps Stitch show
June 20, 2009 1:20pm
A round-up of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
* Underwear models test “thrills without spills” bras on Alton Towers coasters in UK (SFW video and photo gallery). (The Sun)
* Photos of tightrope walker on a wire stretching from Detonator thrill ride at Worlds of Fun in Missouri. (Coaster Community)
* Building permits indicate Busch Gardens Tampa is getting a new roller coaster. What could it be? (Florida Thrills)
* New York Daily News Top 10 roller coasters of all time. I sense a New York/New Jersey/East Coast bias. (Ride Renegades)
* Bankruptcy filing indicates Six Flags plans to spend $105 million in 2010 and $110 million in 2011 on new rides and attractions. (Screamscape)
Southwest Airlines deal offers $38 fares for 12 hours
June 18, 2009 10:00am
Southwest Airlines is selling $38 one-way summer fares, today only, through its DING! desktop application, which posts short-term deals. The sale started at 7 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m., Pacific time.
The deal: It seems to beat some of the lowest prices out there. When I checked Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco (SFO) round trips for July 14 to 18 on Kayak.com this morning, the lowest one-way fare was $49. Ditto for Southwest’s own (non-DING!) website.
U.S. water park updates for summer 2009
June 17, 2009 3:00pm
Here’s a look at some of the new water parks, water park slides and water park attractions debuting this summer across the United States:
New Water Parks
* The 40-acre Schlitterbahn Vacation Village water park in Kansas City, Kan., features the world’s largest tidal wave river, an uphill Master Blaster water coaster and a hot tub with swim-up bar.
* The $30-million Wet ‘n’ Wild Phoenix water park in Arizona features dueling water coasters.
* The 80,000-square-foot Fort Mackenzie indoor water park at Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, N.C.
* The 30,000-square-foot Castle Rock Resort indoor water park in Branson, Mo.
New Water Slides
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