Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Automotive History in Boca
By Linda Tancs
From 24 to 26 February the cognoscenti from the motor world will gather in Boca Raton, Florida for the sixth annual Concours d’Elegance at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. Amidst gourmet food, fine wines and cocktails presented by South Florida’s finest restaurants, motor enthusiasts will revel in exotic cars (including the collection of Michael Fux), custom motorcycles, spectacular boats, private jets, vintage aircraft, and luxury motorcoaches. On 26 February an expert panel will judge a selection of the finest automobiles and motorcycles. But perhaps best of all is the tribute to the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Aston Martin and the 50th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra, featuring a large collection of Aston Martins, original Shelby Cobras and Mustangs. Start your engines and motor over.
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Horsing Around in Norco
By Linda Tancs
The City of Norco in southern California promotes itself as Horsetown U.S.A. That would be an apt description, considering that there are more horse trails than sidewalks. A central part of residents’ lives is the George Ingalls Equestrian Event Center, featuring an assortment of equestrian events and rodeos. Of course, they celebrate National Day of the American Cowboy at the Center (this year on 28 July). This got me thinking about equestrian terms found in everyday English. Here’s a handy list.
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Racing Around the Caribbean
By Linda Tancs
Nelson’s Dockyard is the only Georgian dockyard in the world and is the largest tourist attraction on Antigua. In its midst is The Inn at English Harbour, a relaxing location from which competitors in today’s Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Caribbean 600 have been gearing up for the fourth annual yacht race around 11 Caribbean islands. The RORC Caribbean 600 features over 500 hundred competitors from at least 24 different nations taking part in this high-speed yacht race. The list of nations represented includes Australia, Austria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Croatia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United States. The largest yacht competing this year is Hetairos, the world’s largest carbon composite sailing yacht and the favorite to win.
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Skating Race in Norway
By Linda Tancs
The Norwegian Skating Festival is a long distance skating race on Lake Mjøsa in Moelv, between Lillehammer and Hamar. Taking place on 18 February this year, the competition is open in all classes from 8-80 years over distances of 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 km. For those prefering a more leisurely pace, the festival also offers a celebration of all things ice, including figure skating, curling and ice fishing. Moelv is reachable in approximately 25 minutes by train; the closest airport is Oslo.
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Monaco Ballet Comes to New York
By Linda Tancs
Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, the official company of the Principality of Monaco, features 50 dancers and has performed in more than 25 countries around the world. Debuting today at New York City’s Joyce Theatre is the company’s production Altro Canto I, followed by Opus 40. Altro Canto I is an energetic piece that premiered at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco as part of the 2006 Spring Arts Festival; Opus 40 is an ode to youth with beautiful sets and costumes. See it now through 19 February.
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A Palace in Miami
By Linda Tancs
A National Historic Landmark, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami, Florida promises visitors the opulence of Buckingham Palace in a subtropical setting. The European-inspired estate was built for industrialist James Deering and features a Main House, ten acres of formal gardens, and a native forest. You’ll enjoy a spectacular view of the Main House from the Italian and French inspired gardens. Inside, royal pomp is conjured by the ornateness of the dining room, Cathay bedroom, library and enclosed loggia. The estate is just one mile from downtown Miami.
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Phoenix Rising in London
By Linda Tancs
The Phoenix Artist Club is a members’ club located in the heart of London’s Theatreland at 1 Phoenix Street, a haven for professionals from the performing arts and media industries. Transformed into a theatre bar in the 70s, the site is located in the original dressing and rehearsal rooms of the Phoenix Theatre where Laurence Olivier made his debut on stage in the 30s in “Private Lives” with Noel Coward and Gertrude Lawrence. Although a private club, visitors who retain any theatre stub or museum ticket can obtain a day pass to take in the nostalgia. Membership is required after 8 p.m.
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Tale of a City
By Linda Tancs
Stranahan House Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is more than just the old homestead of the city’s founding family. Built in 1901 by Frank Stranahan, the oldest surviving structure in Broward County also served as a trading post, post office, and town hall. Named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, the museum located at the New River is the eastern anchor of River Walk downtown. Tours are given daily at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. with an admission price of $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, and $7 for students and children. If these walls could talk, what tales they would tell.
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Air Pricing Rule Provides Transparency
By Linda Tancs
Under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s recently adopted consumer rule that enhances protections for air travelers, carriers and ticket agents have been required to include all government taxes and fees in every advertised fare since 26 January. The airline price advertising rules apply to both U.S. and foreign carriers as well as ticket agents. Agents must ensure that airfares quoted to customers include all applicable taxes and fees, including transaction fees, when first communicating the price of the desired itinerary. The following mandates apply directly to airlines:
- Baggage allowances/fees that apply at beginning of customers’ itineraries must apply throughout their entire journey.
- Airlines must allow reservations to be held at the quoted fare without payment or cancelled after purchase without penalty for at least 24 hours after the reservations are made.
- Once full payments are made, airlines are not allowed to increase mandatory fees (baggage, fuel surcharge, etc.).
- On all e-ticket confirmations, one of the following must be included: (i)standard free baggage allowances and/or fees for carry-on, first and second checked bags, along with a note stating that additional discounts may apply depending on flyer-specific factors (e.g., frequent flyer status, military, credit card used, etc.); or (ii) a direct link to the applicable airline’s baggage allowance and fee information.
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A Dickens of a Celebration
By Linda Tancs
Today marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Britain’s beloved author Charles Dickens. To mark the event, a wreath laying ceremony will take place in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey, at 11 a.m. Dickens is buried in the South Transept of the Abbey. The ceremony will include readings from his novels and his other writings by actor and director Ralph Fiennes, author Claire Tomalin and two of Dickens’ descendants. Events will take place throughout the year. Don’t miss the re-opening of the Charles Dickens Museum, based at his only surviving London home. The Museum of London is also hosting an exhibition, complete with the desk and chair where Dickens wrote some of his greatest works. The best of times await you.
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