Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for August, 2011
A Golden Nugget in Nevada
By Linda Tancs
There’s more than one golden nugget in Nevada worth a visit. Just eight hours from the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas is the Nugget Rib Cook-Off in Sparks, a family friendly barbeque boasting a rib-eating tournament drawing the world’s most competitive chowhounds. Now through 5 September, this annual event claiming over 500,000 visitors features one of the largest arts and crafts fairs in Northern Nevada. The tournament is tonight at 6 p.m.; don’t worry, there will be plenty of ribs left to feast on at Rib Village, a VIP area offering unlimited ribs and drinks for up to 10 people per party.
Share this:
Vacation Rentals Just a Click Away
By Linda Tancs
Wyndham Rentals offers 90,000 vacation properties in 500 destinations through its extensive network of rental agencies. Looking for a detached bungalow in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria or the Czech Republic? How about a beachfront condo, ski-in/ski-out townhome or golf villa in North America? Is camping–or glamping–your passion? Chances are, they’ve got you covered.
Share this:
Viking Adds More Luxury for 2012
By Linda Tancs
Next year you can experience even more style on your European river cruise: Viking is adding two new Longships, Embla and Aegir, and with them comes a whole new world of luxury cruising. Like full-size staterooms combined with full-size verandas, large suites with a veranda outside the living room and French balcony in the bedroom, and two Explorer Suites with private wraparound verandas and 270° views. Aquavit, anyone? You can sample that on the terrace by the same name, an indoor/outdoor area at the bow of the ship for viewing, relaxing and casual dining.
Share this:
Doll Auction in Seattle
By Linda Tancs
A gorgeous French doll is waiting for you on 28 August in Seattle. Now, don’t get the wrong idea; this doll is of the collectible variety, along with a collection of dolls from Chicago and Germany forming the nucleus of this year’s doll auction at the Westin Bellevue. The collection includes early bisque dolls with sculpted hair, rare porcelain dolls, early wooden and cloth dolls, Kewpie dolls, miniature dolls, life-sized dolls, Teddy bears and a host of curiosities. Just a few blocks away is the Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art, a treasure trove of rare dolls that is shutting down as of 1 March 2012. Here’s your chance to get all dolled up.
Share this:
The Ultimate Reading Room
By Linda Tancs
Bibliophiles, take note. Would you like to view the only surviving copy of Benjamin Franklin’s first Poor Richard Almanack? How about the manuscript of James Joyce’s Ulysses or Bram Stoker’s notes for Dracula? These collections and more await you at the Rosenbach Museum and Library. Founded in 1954 through a testamentary gift by renowned book dealers Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach and his brother Philip, the facility is located at their 1865 historic townhouse on Delancey Place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The brothers played a central role in the development of private libraries that later became our nation’s most important public collections of rare books. The collection has since grown to include the papers of poet Marianne Moore and the drawings of Maurice Sendak. A guided tour includes Dr. Rosenbach’s rare book library, Philip Rosenbach’s fine and decorative art collections, and the recreation of modernist poet Marianne Moore’s Greenwich Village living room. As the Rosenbach is a historic house museum and research library, make an appointment with the librarian to view items from their collections.
Share this:
Perfection Evolves at Celebrity Cruises
By Linda Tancs
Celebrity Cruises made clear that it doesn’t want you thinking of its ships as a concrete and steel jungle when it inaugurated a real grass lawn aboard Solstice. With the recent unveiling of Silhouette, they’ve taken the concept of the great outdoors a step further. Like outdoor grilling in the new, interactive Lawn Club Grill. You can also rent a cabana on the lawn for a private retreat, or take art lessons from resident experts. Sailing to the Caribbean and Europe in modern luxury, the fourth ship in the Solstice class also offers sweeping veranda views in 85% of her staterooms, or take in the sights from the observation lounge. Now you’ll always have a room with a view.
Share this:
San Artists in South Africa
By Linda Tancs
Only two hours from Cape Town, the Cederberg mountains and wilderness area offers up telling rock art from the nomadic San. The 2500 or so ancient sites depict everyday hunting and gathering activities and some not-so-mundane mysteries for rock sleuths. After a day of rugged rock climbing, why not indulge in a cup of rooibos, a tea derived from the rooibos plant (Aspalathus Linearis) which is only found in the Cederberg region. Famed for its restorative properties, you just might find your fountain of youth.
Share this:
Brew Fest in Wyoming
By Linda Tancs
Wyoming’s official state microbrewery competition will be held this Saturday, rain or shine, at Kathy Glode Park from 1-5 pm. To the winner go the spoils–that is, the coveted Saratoga Steinley Cup. And that ain’t no bull. But while we’re on the subject, you can mosey on over to the Saratoga Bullfest at nearby Buck Springs Rodeo Arena. The Bullfest is an exciting bull riders-only event and will feature 30 of the region’s top cowboys.
Share this:
Hamburger Heaven in Ohio
By Linda Tancs
America’s oldest hamburger chain is White Castle, founded in 1921 by a short-order cook and an insurance executive in Wichita, Kansas. In those days, the duo’s little steamed burger sold for five cents. We’ve come a long way, baby. There’s an uncontested record for largest hamburger at 5000 pounds in Seymour, Wisconsin. You’d need a lot more burger than that to feed the average American his or her’s three burgers per week. If all this hamburger trivia is getting you hungry, then indulge yourself at this weekend’s National Hamburger Festival in Akron, Ohio at Lock 3 Park. As you might expect, there’s a hamburger eating contest or two. Try eating your way through bun and burger for 10 minutes or bob for burgers out of a kiddie pool filled with ketchup. Either way, you’re on your way to becoming burger king.
Share this:
Leave It to Beaver
By Linda Tancs
Everyone knows that beavers are industrious little creatures, prolific builders of dams to protect themselves against predators such as coyotes, wolves, and bears. Although dams can be very beneficial in restoring wetlands, they can also cause property damage from flooding. So what’s a property owner to do? How about using our furry friends’ handiwork as ceiling art? That’s what you’ll find at Beaver Lodge Cottage in Winvian, Connecticut, where a re-assembled dam adorns the ceiling above the bed. A new spin on applied art, indeed.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 