Archive for the 'Olympics' Category
Before Winter Olympics, travel to Vancouver via 25%-off Amtrak
November 20, 2009 5:57am
If you’re heading to Vancouver, B.C. for the 2010 Olympic Games, you’ve probably (hopefully) got your travel plans in place. But if you’d prefer a quieter visit, get there well before Feb. 12, which is when the Games begin and crowds descend.
Amtrak’s Cascades service provides an especially enjoyable means for pre-Olympics travelers to reach this “freewheeling and offbeat” destination. Direct services link Portland, Ore., and Seattle — among other places — to Vancouver, but the discounts currently on offer for the route may provide Southern California travelers incentive to craft together a trip too.
Deal: Amtrak is offering 25% off coach fares for Cascades passengers traveling between now and Jan. 31, 2010. You must book by Dec. 31, 2009. Discounted one-way fares from Portland are as low as $34.50 total per person; the trip takes about eight hours. I easily found availability on certain dates at this price. Read the rest of this entry »
The 12 books of Christmas: ‘Great Caves’
December 17, 2008 6:30pm
Caves always strike me as a little creepy, the result, perhaps, of one too many horror movies where the dripping water, the bats and the bad guys all seem to converge in one dank underground spot.
But Tony Waltham’s “Great Caves of the World” (Firefly Books, $29.95) brings them into the light, so to speak.
The 12 books of Christmas: ‘Sacred Places’
December 16, 2008 12:10pm
If you want something a bit more in tune with the vibe of the season, think “Sacred Places of a Lifetime” (National Geographic, $40).
Its subtitle, “500 of the World’s Most Peaceful and Powerful Destinations,” tells you it’s a big ride, but its really the organizing principle that is fascinating.
Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics tickets go on sale today
October 3, 2008 11:12am
If China was too far (and too expensive) of a trip to take to see the Olympics, why not consider a jaunt up to Vancouver, Canada, for the 2010 Winter Olympics? Tickets went on sale today and will continue to sell for five weeks through Nov. 7, 2008. Get ready to see events in figure skating, bobsleigh, ice hockey, luge, ski jumping, speed skating, all sorts of varieties of skiing and more.
Deal: The 2010 Vancouver Olympics website reports there will be 100,000 tickets for $25 and half of all tickets will cost less than $100. You can check the price of the tickets by sport or by day.
Aman hotel to open next week at Summer Palace in Beijing
September 23, 2008 2:09pm
On Oct. 1, a new upscale hotel will open near Beijing, China, giving travelers a luxurious lodging option blissfully removed from the hustle and bustle of the Chinese capital.
The newest Aman group hotel occupies a cluster of 100-year-old courtyard dwellings just outside the East Gate of the fabled Summer Palace, about 10 miles northwest of China’s Forbidden City.
It is a testament to the attractiveness of the hotel’s Aman imprimatur and stunning location that it debuts nearly two months after the Beijing Olympics.
Read the rest of this entry »
Roundup: Book your holiday travel now; is your child’s seat safe when you rent a car? Olympic eats in L.A.
August 14, 2008 8:33am
Good morning, travelers! Believe it or not, it’s time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas travel. If you’re traveling to meet your family this fall and winter, start shopping for tickets and comparing prices.
Holiday travel | Los Angeles Times staff writer Jane Engle reminds us that it’s time to start shopping for holiday travel and that airline offerings are shrinking. “Airlines will operate 7.5% fewer domestic flights at Thanksgiving and 5.7% fewer at Christmas-New Year’s than they did last year, according to eSkyGuide.com, a global flight directory. For LAX, the drop is more than 16% for both holiday periods, the company reported.” Read: Holiday airfares: It’s not too early to shop.
Family travel | Do you use the baby car seats that come with car rentals? Delicious Baby reveals a story out of San Diego with Advantage Rent a Car sure to have you doing extra research before renting your next car. San Diego’s 10News investigated. Read: Danger for rent: Car rental agency puts infant at risk.
Google Maps & Google Earth bring you closer to Summer Olympics medal counts & Beijing stadiums
August 12, 2008 2:10pm
From where do the most Beijing Summer Olympic medal winners hail? Despite Michael Phelps being well on his way to breaking Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals at a single Games, it’s not North America that has the most gold medals so far. According to the Google Maps’ Summer Games 2008, as of Aug. 12, 2008, China has won the most Olympic gold. The United States has won the most overall medals.
Olympics travel: best bars, sports bars in Beijing
August 11, 2008 12:02pm
Time Out is one of the travel guidebooks I prefer to turn to when I’m looking for a great bar or eatery on the road. I love how accessible they are online and have hit them up for a quick fix at an Internet cafe when I was already on the road and traveling sans other guidebooks and reference material. So, for all of you traveling to Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics, check out the Time Out online Beijing city guide and its July 2008 issue: Beijing: the Best Bars.
Beijing: The Best Bars. The July issue of Time Out can be read page by page online in a magazine style format. Skip ahead to page 81 if you’d like to get the lowdown on their bar recommendations. Noted in the feature were new bars Klubb Rouge and China Doll, plus three pages of bar listings and venue details including happy hour specials, open mike nights and locations for clubbing.
Other Beijing bar resources from around the Web:
> The Bar Scene [Frommer's]
> Beijing Olympics picks: Sports bars [Beijing Boyce]
Roundup: Alaska Air canceling flights to/from Alaska & West Coast; Toronto transportation reopened; Beijing Drum Tower perspective
August 11, 2008 8:00am
Airline news | If you are flying to Alaska today, double check the status of your flight. Alaska Air has canceled 41 flights between West Coast cities and Alaska due to ash from a volcanic eruption in the Aleutian Islands on Thursday. The Anchorage Daily News reports that the inconvenience comes from a shift in the wind that carried the ash plume from the North Pacific to the Panhandle. Read: Volcanic ash prompts flight cancellations
> What to do: If you have tickets on Alaska Air to/from Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Southeast Alaska through Aug. 17, 2008, and are affected by the volcanic ash cloud, change fees will be waived if new/rescheduled travel is on/before Aug. 24, 2008. Call Alaska Air (800) 252-7522. Check your flight status here.
Beijing Olympics smog cam, stats & air-quality video
August 8, 2008 3:48pm
Air quality has been, and continues to be, a concern for athletes and tourists attending the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Is it the summer heat that’s causing thick smog conditions or is it just a haze? The air-quality levels in Beijing are measured by an Air Pollution Index. The Wall Street Journal’s “The Numbers Guy” explains the API measurements and how they compare with U.S. standards.
Here are some additional Web resources to give you a better idea of what the air quality is like in Beijing during the Olympics.
Beijing 2008 Olympics Smog webcam [camvista]
Seeing no evil (or anything else) in Beijing [Los Angeles Times]
Jay Leno’s view of the Games [LAT's Olylmpics: Ticket to Beijing]
Is Beijing’s air safe to breathe? [New Scientist Environment]
