Tagged With "New York Times"
Reply
Re: Boston in the fall - suggestions please!
That's good news, Mac! OK...the leaves start turning first in the north, moving south as the weather changes...but timing is always tricky because it depends on each year's combination of temperature and humidity. Here's a link to a site I've found useful in the past...it's from Yankee magazine, and includes a live map of the progress of the leaves as well as itineraries and more. http://www.yankeefoliage.com/ We haven't had a good leaf-peeping piece on Gumbo yet, so I'm looking forward to...
Reply
Re: Boston in the fall - suggestions please!
Agree with PHeymont. Plan your trips around the leaf watching. Lots of pretty small towns around New England, although many will be pretty booked. I'd leave at least 3-4 days for Boston. Lots to see and do there, including many items relating to the rebellious Yankees throwing off the ties with old King George. And great museums and restaurants and such. We can get into more details if you'd like, but you'll definitely want a good guide book. Many people find a day in Salem (famous for its...
Reply
Re: Boston in the fall - suggestions please!
Regarding hotels, Mac, I think I'd spend a few days in Boston to begin with, presuming that's where you are flying into. This will let you get over your jet lag and also give you a chance to see the state of the colors and plot out where you want to go. I would NOT go without having at least a night's reservation booked ahead because you'll waste too much time looking for a place to stay and will end up paying rack rate. Things will be busy and pretty filled up in the small towns of New...
Reply
Re: Wonders of the Modern World
The Soviets have never been completely transparent about Chernobyl, but this is the story as best as I was able to synthesize it: It seems that the alarm system was malfunctioning (going off all the time) so it was turned off by the tech monitoring the system. He had the fuel rods pulled out of their cooling chambers for maintenance work, was distracted (remember, the alarms are off), then by the time he focused back on the task at hand the rods had begun to melt and couldn't be reinserted...
Reply
Re: Wonders of the Modern World
PHeymont -- understand the Brooklyn bridge is 19th century, but I'd still consider that as modern and, especially for its time, was an engineering marvel.
Reply
Re: The Best Things To Do In Boston
From Logan Airport you can take the Metro into the City. When you've seen enough at the first stop - get back on the Underground system and come up to ground level at the next stop. Repeat as often as time will allow. Great way to spend 8 hours between flights. Only the Bostonian's would drink green beer on Paddy's Day.
Reply
Re: Edinburgh, Scotland for 2.5 days....help!
Thank you for the suggestions! I wanted to mainly see if we needed fast track tickets anywhere there could be a line. With all we want to see, I don't want to waste time standing in line anywhere. Yes, I should have added the royal yacht to the things we want to do.
Reply
Re: What's the Best City in the World to Eat in?
I won't claim any city to be the best in the world—at least not until I have time to visit them all! I'm always skeptical anyway about "the best" "the most" and so forth. That said, I'll also add that the best is not always the most expensive or famous. And I'm pleased to see that he's not pushing posh places, but rather inexpensive curry houses and a 24-hour cafe. His point seems to be that London is the best city to eat in because it is, his opinion, the best city to BE in. So, I'll...
Reply
Re: Suggestions wanted: Andalusia
I should have said, but no: no car...although I did consider taking one for a day, for the Jerez excursion. Sounds more and more, though, like we'll have to plan on returning to Andalusia another time...
Reply
Re: Is Porto worth the trip?
Much as I loved my time in Porto...it's NOT a day trip. Much too much to do there, including evening stroll along the Douro, port-wine tasting across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia and more. I'd say take the advice above and save Porto for another trip. Of the recommended day trips above, I'd vote for Sintra. It's an easy trip--trains run about every 30 minutes, more frequently in rush hours, The town itself is interesting, the Moorish Castle up on the mountain and the Pena Palace above that...
Reply
Re: Classic American Cars #5
Its 3am and still in Party Time !! Hope you get all you've wished for 2014!!
Reply
Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Staying in the UK is no more expensive than being a tourist in the USA. You wont get a month in London. Same as me travelling from the UK to New York. Silly Prices ! So decide on what you want to do over here and start planning, Have a look at the YHA web site. Youth Hostels Association. Forget the Youth reference. My Kids aren't Youths anymore. And I use them too! They are used by Travellers like yourself - and me - across Europe. They are Family groups and Ramblers ( Countryside Walkers)...
Reply
Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Getting around the UK is very easy using Public Transport. Students travel around the country all the time - going to Uni and back home for the weekend. Friends going to weddings and folks going to London. London - like big Cities in the US - is a Traffic Nightmare ! Fortunately the UK is about the same size as a US State. Maybe Florida ? So its only a few hours by road. Trains are much faster - but more expensive, You're choice. So... look at http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx They're...
Reply
Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
I frequently fly from NY JFK to Manchester UK. With Delta ! I know you are in Chicago but will Delta do you a thru Ticket ? We'll sort your Visit to Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields and The Cavern Club nearer the time!
Reply
Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Wow, this is turning into a real education!! I checked with my uncle and yes, I can fly Chicago to Manchester and return from either London or Paris to Chicago. The ticket is free to him and he said he would cover any fees as a "graduation gift to me" (he's a pretty cool dude!), but I don't want to burden him with a heavy departure fee, so maybe Paris would be the way to go. I'd like to leave about Friday, May 9th and return 4 weeks later, June 6th. A few days later and returning a few days...
Reply
Re: Christmas in Arizona--what to do?
Originally Posted by EyeWonder: Thanks everyone. I have to ask you more questions! My friends have come up with two more suggestions. One is Sedona, and the other is the Navajo reservation that Tony Hillerman wrote all his books about and that has some big canyons. Is that area too far north for warm weather? Navajo country is too far north and too high up for a warm winter break. But if you bring a warm jacket, it will be magical that time of year. Sedona will be nice, but with cooler days...
Reply
Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
That's helpful too, Rob. So with your guys advice, I'm thinking of the following plan, which still has holes I need to fill. I actually like the idea of Paris more than Scotland for this trip, plus I worry about the cost of travel to Scotland back so unless I can get a really cheap plane ticket or train ticket to Edinburgh, I think I'll drop that and focus on eastern UK and then on to Paris. So this is where I'm at now: 1) Arrive in Manchester. Maybe ??2 days 2) Travel Liverpool. 3 days 3)...
Reply
Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Hank, While you're in London you can get a Coach (Bus) Tour that will show you Stonehenge and Bath and The Cotswold Villages - very pretty and very old. Leeds Castle (not in Leeds, close to London). Stonehenge is not an overnight stop - remember what I said about distances in the UK being smaller? If you need to fill a gap take the Train (or Bus) to York. Very old - lots of History and a Museum that will take you back 150 years walking the streets of Victorian England. Go into Old Shops and...
Reply
Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Everyone's been very helpful! I can't tell you what a great welcoming and helpful group of people you are. My uncle is an employee of Delta, so he has some kind of free ticket that requires me to fly on Delta only (no partners). I will have him check into the dates. I like the idea of flying up to Manchester, slowly working my way to London then returning from Paris. I think going to Amsterdam is more than I can bite off now, plus I want to spend the time seeing stuff, not traveling all the...
Reply
Re: Renting an apartment in Europe
Hi Dreamer I can only tell you about my experiences... 1) How long? It depends. Apartment rental have been around in Europe for a long time. It used to be mostly for a week from Saturday to Saturday, but mostly anything goes now. 2) Buyer beware - It will be up to you to research the neighbourhood. You can do that many ways. Perhaps the easiest is using google streetmaps 3) There is no one way to check in. Sometimes you meet the owner or manager and they will give you the key. Sometimes...
Reply
Re: Renting an apartment in Europe
Those are good tips, JohnT. Need to look into an apartment next time I'm in Paris. Not exactly sure how you check out a neighborhood? Where do you go for that?
Reply
Re: Renting an apartment in Europe
Originally Posted by Theodore Behr: Those are good tips, JohnT. Need to look into an apartment next time I'm in Paris. Not exactly sure how you check out a neighborhood? Where do you go for that? Well, the maps and pictures really won't tell you about safety, no, aside from seeing if it looks like a busy residential or commercial area with people on the street, and so forth. It helps you avoid areas that have boarded-up buildings and the like. But mostly you have ask people here or somewhere...
Reply
Re: Safe to fly on New Years?
So Waterloo what you're saying is that the space-time continuum would be disrupted by this flight?
Reply
Re: Safe to fly on New Years?
The space-time continuum will only be interrupted if this flight does not land at its scheduled time at New Year's midnight p;us a few. What are the chances of that ?
Reply
Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Hi everyone! I'm back. Just arrived at my parents home for Thanksgiving. Not had a lot of time to work on this trip since I last visited TravelGumbo, but some progress to report. I have a firm ticket reservation for Manchester, returning from Paris, though a few days off the dates we talked about. But 29 days in Europe! Whooppeee!! I have a guidebook from the Library which I'm going to go through this long weekend (one by Fodors). I think this will help. Anyone know of a good pocket size...
Reply
Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
England is only as big as Florida ! I haven't seen a Guide book that sub-divides us! Wales is full of Castles, Mountains and Lakes. Tourists often divide England between the North and South. The North is often cooler and wetter than further South. But your Dollar will go twice as far up here in the North! And we're much friendlier. Have a look at places you'd like to visit. York (the old one) will keep you busy for 2 days. Train or Bus from Liverpool. Or a day or two in Europe from Liverpool...
Reply
Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Hi guys, hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It was good to be with my family again. Visiting and catching up with everyone took longer than I'd thought, but did do a little research into the trip and came out with this plan. Basically, with GarryRF's advice, I think I'll focus my time in the north to save money cause my budget is limited. After that I'll finish my vacation in London and Paris. I need to find places to stay but more important now just to frame the trip. The details I...
Reply
Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Thanks for the info on Snowdonia, GarryRF. Sounds like just the place I'd like to be heading towards the end of my stay in Liverpool, to clear my head a little in nautre after all that history and culture I'll be absorbing. Trip planning is coming along fine. I think I've got most everything I squared away right now that needs doing, and need to focus on completing my last months of university and my thesis. Will post again if I have any questions before I go and will give some feedback when...
Reply
Re: Bye Bye Sky-High Rental Car Fees
This is very much great and hope fully nice blog. Every body can easily found her need able information. I am visit first time but I fond many use full article. I will back again when get time.
Reply
Re: Minneapolis in the winter
The Mall's more interesting than you might think - besides the shopping there are the restaurants, amusement venues, and events going on. Here some info about stuff to see at the Mall http://www.mallofamerica.com/attractions To get to the Mall of America you Take Metro Transit (easy and clean) From Minneapolis Hiawatha Light Rail (Route 55) - The Hiawatha light-rail line offers fast, frequent service from downtown (5th Street) to Mall of America. Hiawatha light-rail trains leave every 7.5...
Reply
Re: Minneapolis in the winter
Hi Theodore! I am a Mall of America fan. You can easily spend an entire weekend (or many evenings) at the Mall of America. First of all, the mall is very easy to get to by train from downtown (CICAK did a wonderful job explaining that), and fares are quite cheap (fares go for about $1.75 to $2.25 one way depending on what time of day you ride). As CICAK also mentioned, there is something for everybody at the mall. If you just want to find a warm dry place to walk and people watch, I believe...
Reply
Re: Doctor List for Traveling
SueZee, I'm sure there is but, as I mentioned, I just don't think you need to worry about it. As a last resort you can call the embassy if the first line of defense, hotels & pharmacies, can't help. Very unlikely. Tell your cousins only rank beginners and sick people spend time worrying that could be enjoyed planning their trip.
Reply
Re: Doctor List for Traveling
Here's another resource that might help you: The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers. It's a non-profit, it's been around a long time, and you can join for free. IAMAT provides a directory of doctors around the world who speak fluent English and have been checked out by the organization for standards and certification. You can read more about them and join here: http://www.iamat.org/
Reply
Re: Doctor List for Traveling
SueZee, wherever you travel in the world your hotel will find you a suitable doctor who will speak enough English for your needs - just like Dr.F says - and Italy will have plenty. Don't bother with lists as they will always be out of date by the time you might want to use them, plus it will no doubt not list a great doc that the hotel knows is just around the corner! At the worst the hotel will have an English speaking staff member sit with you to help translate. Conversely, I do think that...
Reply
Re: Tour in a BMW Isetta?
TRob It would be fun to watch a demo derby with only the Imperial and Isettas. What do you think would happen ? One Chrysler takes out - boom boom bam bam - 4 Isettas and makes for the infield ?! Look at the bomber roll ! She's gunning for another isetta, a red one this time.....Ooooh ! That makes it 5-0 !
Reply
Re: Bye Bye Sky-High Rental Car Fees
Thanks, that was a good article. I got some ideas from it! I always get confused about whether I need to take insurance from the rental and it's always sky-high. I have some credit cards that say they cover it, but I hadn't realized that a lot of time my own car insurance would cover me with the rental. Boy, have we wasted a bunch! The other idea I liked there was taking pictures of the car before you leave their office so you can show them if they try to say you scratched up the car. Feels...
Reply
Re: Bye Bye Sky-High Rental Car Fees
My Friends lend me a Toll EZee pass. Saves so much time when you see the queues (lines) at peak time traffic !
Reply
Re: Traveling in the USA in the 1930s and 1940s
Wow! I missed this the first time around...and while the scenics are great, it is the touching close-ups and groups of "ordinary" people that are truly outstanding; they remind me of the work of Louis Hine and Beatrice Abbott...but in color. Speaking of color...I'm also reminded of how much better early Kodachrome was at reds than at blues and greens...
Reply
Re: How to not miss a connecting flight
Thanks! There's a lot of good advice in there, including the factor that often isn't thought of in the standard connecting times: walking. So many terminals have gates so far apart that it can take 15-20 minutes just to walk the distance, which can eat up the time between flights quickly. And, as one of our NewsLinks pointed out last week, airports are developing more local restaurants with regional cuisine to tempt you while you wait.
Reply
Re: How to not miss a connecting flight
There are a lot of good tips in the article about streamlining your connections. While I mostly enjoy flying, travel days are busy and tiring enough that I hate to be rushed. I try to get to the airport early (often I've been grateful that I gave myself that extra time), and I don't take flights that have connections I consider too tight. I like at least 1.5-2 hours between my connections. I've been delayed on arrival often enough that having less time than that is no fun. As planes travel...
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
I can live indefinitely with 2 sets of clothes, 1 to wear & 1 to wash, 1 extra pair of shoes, all in a day pack. I wouldn't necessarily WANT to do it, but I could, rather than stop flying if, say, the airlines reduced baggage limits to 10 pounds altogether. It's the same old story, I figure, if for any reason, you can't or won't travel (time, money, fed up, whatever), you just don't want to enough. One excuse is as good as another. Good to hear about Norwegian. I repeated the exercise...
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
The AA-BA mashup is tricky, yes, but not as devious as it may seem. Between New York and Paris, for instance, AA has only two non-stops a day; BA has a half-dozen (or more, including Open Skies). And, BA has many seats LON-PAR, so availability is greater. A similar situation exists on this side of the ocean, where BA feeds many AA domestic flights. It's sometimes possible to get around better if you don't mind one stop...we've used AA to Madrid paired with Iberia to Paris (Iberia's charges...
Reply
Re: Help with mobile phone for Morocco
While I haven't been to Morocco for over 2 years, phone service for locals in non-industrialized nations all over the world tends to be cheap phone, available locally, with prepaid sim cards that you reload. It depends a great deal on what services your friend wants and can they, for instance, do without data and use the wifi in their accommodations or will they go to pieces without having it all, all the time. If that's the case, I can't help and will be expensive, all things relative, I...
Reply
Re: Help with mobile phone for Morocco
I have a Mobell (same company as Mobal) UK sim that I got years ago, very convenient, phone bills charged to my credit card, rather than having to keep track of the balance and "top up". However, calls are relatively expensive although I don't mind for the convenience and limited use when I'm in the UK. Knowing full well it would cost me, about a £ a minute because I was in Italy, I allowed a British friend who was meeting me in Italy to call me when she arrived using her UK phone and my UK...
Reply
Re: San Marino
I almost took a loop to go there when we visited Ravenna...and while there wasn't enough time, you've put it back on my radar...along with the other mini-states. Someday, this and Andorra, too!
Reply
Re: Do You have a fear of Heights?
DrFumblefinger! I love adventure and your shared photographs excite me to go there and see this beautiful scenery by myself, but I think it is not possible soon. I hope I will find some time and go there in coming up next months.
Reply
Re: London- multiple questions
You've gotten some great advice! I think that as a daytrip, Liverpool pushing the fringes of what you want to do because of the cost and travel time (total 5 hours). Maybe best to make an overnight of that one?
Reply
Re: GPS v. Sicily = WTF
Sounds like your GPS just wants you to have the most interesting trip! My wife and I refer to the GPS as Sybil, a nickname we gave after one we used in Chicago kept taking us into dead-ends and up wrong-way streets until we became skilled at interpreting her prophecies...as Heraclitus described an ancient Sybil: The Sibyl, with frenzied mouth uttering things not to be laughed at, unadorned and unperfumed, yet reaches to a thousand years with her voice by aid of the god. Enjoy the rest of...
Reply
Re: London- multiple questions
Thank you for all of the information. I am finally ready to finalize some things since we leave at the end of this month! We have decided not to do Liverpool...seems like we should come back and do that someday. I am thinking the Megabus option may be the way to go to Salisbury and catch the shuttle to Stonehenge from there. That way we can see the cathedral while we are there. Do you know if it is a short walk to the cathedral or will we need to take a taxi from the Megabus stop? Do you...
Reply
Re: London- multiple questions
I can only help with one of the questions...but GarryRF, one of the TG Gurus, lives in Liverpool and can certainly help with that part. For Stonehenge without a car, there are really two main options. There are a number of tour operators who run coach tours from London to the site; or you can take a train from London to Salisbury and take a bus from the station to the Stonehenge visitor center. The visitor center is new since I was there; it's about 10 minutes by shuttle from the stones...