Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for October, 2011
Dead Men Walking
By Linda Tancs
The National Museum of Crime & Punishment in Washington, D.C., a must-see for CSI and FBI fans, might be considered a frightful place on an ordinary day by those unaccustomed to its collection of artifacts like an electric chair helmet, face harness head cage, Venetian finger screws, and an ice mallet. Add Halloween to the mix and you get an eerie sense of dead men walking. As the museum describes it, the adult-only Halloween event includes low lighting, fog, intermittent, sudden and frightful noises and movements, water soluble blood, and other decor that may stain clothing or be deemed scary and morbid. Costumes are welcome but masks are prohibited. The museum is located at 575 7th St. NW.
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Alicante Hosts Iconic Regatta
By Linda Tancs
Lots of regattas are iconic, like Cowes, the longest running annual sailing regatta in the world. And the International Rolex regatta in St. Thomas, or Antigua’s Sailing Week or America’s Cup. But none can match the rigors of the Volvo Ocean Race, the world’s toughest sailing event, a marathon on the seas lasting over eight months and passing through four oceans and five continents. Beginning on 29 October in Alicante with in-port races, this edition of the event will visit Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, Itajaí, Miami, Lisbon and Lorient before finishing in Galway. The first leg leaves for Cape Town on 5 November. Visit Alicante’s Race Village before then.
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The Toilet Paper Capital of the World
By Linda Tancs
Green Bay, Wisconsin, home to the 12-time National Champion Green Bay Packers, is known as “Titletown” to football fans everywhere. They might be surprised to learn of the small city’s other title: toilet paper capital of the world. That’s because the first splinter-free toilet paper was produced there in the early 1900s. And the paper industry is still one of the area’s largest employers. Not bad for Wisconsin’s oldest little city.
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Moonlight Escape in Napa
By Linda Tancs
You’ve probably heard of the harvest moon, the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. You might have seen a red moon, caused by the particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. How about a snow moon or a wolf moon? Full moon names come to us courtesy of Native Americans. You can experience each one of them on the Napa Valley Wine Train’s Moonlight Escape tour in Napa Valley, California, one of the top wine growing regions in the world. Who could resist dinner for two in a private booth under the light of the full moon, two glasses of house wine, and the adventure of a train traveling through the night over the silver vineyards? Pick your favorite moon, relax, and enjoy the ride.
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Treehouse Dining in Northumberland
By Linda Tancs
Ordinarily you might not wish to see a tree trunk rising like a phoenix from the floor of your dining room. That is, of course, unless you’re dining in a treehouse. No doubt a unique experience, The Treehouse at Alnwick Gardens in England’s Northumberland offers farm-to-table menus, live music and a long list of beers and wines. Not to mention the bird’s-eye view. Needless to say, the kids will love it.
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The Mullet of Boggy Bayou
By Linda Tancs
The mullet of Boggy Bayou: sounds like a children’s tale, doesn’t it? In a sense, it is. It’s a place (Boggy Bayou, that is–now known as Niceville) in Florida’s Panhandle where children will gather with their families and neighbors in a time-honored tradition of consuming the local fish, the mullet. In time, those children will teach their children about mullet fishing in the former village of Boggy Bayou. This annual mullet festival, taking place this year from 21 to 23 October, is one of the best known country music events. Headliners this year are Trace Adkins, Brantley Gilbert, Jake Owen and Steel Magnolia. Get ready to make some memories.
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Tallest Nordic Hotel
By Linda Tancs
Only 15 minutes from Stockholm’s city centre, the brand new Scandic Victoria Tower is the tallest Nordic hotel, piercing the skyline at 34 floors and with enough glass to clear Murano of its inventory. The glass-clad tower with distinctive windows forming triangular patterns was created by architect Gert Wingårdh. All of the hotel’s 299 rooms are doubles, with free access to the gym, sauna and internet. This month the Skybar opens on the 34th floor. Enjoy the view.
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A Singular Concierge
By Linda Tancs
A singular service is atypical, extraordinary–of a quintessential nature. So arguably a concierge service offering 24/7/365 assistance is the quintessential valet. That’s what the folks at Quintessentially aim to be. Available worldwide, members get a host of services and customized attention, like travel services, special health and beauty offers, events and entertainment assistance, spa and health club privileges and personal shopping. You might even find youself in the best seat at that trendy restaurant. It’s all about connections. But you’ll have to join the club; sounds like it could be money well spent.
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Kids Sail Free
By Linda Tancs
Spend any time cruising and you’ll see how popular this form of travel has become with families. And why not? Several cruise lines have teamed with theme parks, movie studios and toy companies to create experiences that the kid in any of us adults would envy. In some cases, you needn’t break the bank to pay for it, either. Kids sail free on some MSC cruises to the Bahamas and Mexico. Check out the extraordinary family escapes at Orbitz.
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1066 Redux
By Linda Tancs
In the mood for a joust? If so, the Battle of Hastings reenactment on 15 and 16 October may be just the ticket for you. The annual event in Britain’s East Sussex features 400 soldiers clashing in the annual re-enactment of the 1066 Battle of Hastings, on the very battlefield where it took place. A decisive Norman victory, the battle took place between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II. The living history encampment will immerse you in medieval life. The cavalry awaits you.
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