Feeling Safer During Your Next Trip to Hawaii

Frankly, I don’t see what all the fuss is about. For those of you who plan to travel to Hawaii in the near future you might be interested to know that dozens of surveillance cameras will soon be installed in Waikiki and on various spots on the Big Island. County officials say the new cameras are part of an effort to reduce crimes against tourists. Good news, right? Not according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which objects to the cameras over privacy concerns. ACLU attorneys say the cameras divert taxpayer money away from other crime reducing measures such as … Continue reading →

Paradise Found

This is a follow up to a blog I recently wrote bemoaning the fact that finding affordable airfare to Hawaii is next to impossible these days. A few days ago I received an email informing me of an outstanding package deal to Maui that is being offered for a limited time during Hawaii’s low season. The offer is good from August 18-December 8, 2008, but you must book a spot by July 13, 2008. For $645 per person you can fly round-trip from L.A., San Francisco or Seattle ($1,119 per person from Chicago) to Maui on United Airlines and stay … Continue reading →

“Sex and the City” Hawaiian Style

And you thought New York City was the only hot spot for “Sex and the City” travel deals. Think again… the Aloha State is also getting in on the big screen action as well. Numerous lodgings in Hawaii are offering “Sex and the City” travel packages, including the Waikiki Parc Hotel. The popular hotel is celebrating girlfriend getaways with the launch of its 2008 “My Place – Waikiki Escape Package,” which offers an array of stylish pampering, shopping, dining, spa and leisure activities. Guests who book the travel package will receive a “Cheers” welcome basket featuring a bottle of the … Continue reading →

More Ways to Save on a Girls-Only Weekend in the Big Apple

Who says you have to mortgage your home to afford a girls-only weekend in New York City? You can save a bundle by taking advantage of the creative deals some Big Apple lodgings are offering female guests. The following bargains allow you to live large with your gal pals in the city that never sleeps. Take a look: SEX AND THE CITY PACKAGE The Muse in New York’s Time Square is joining dozens of other Big Apple lodgings to offer a deal inspired by this summer’s massive “Sex and the City” movie launch. In honor of the film’s fabulous four, … Continue reading →

Saving on a Girls-Only Weekend in the Big Apple

With the hype, and now success (at least during its opening weekend) of the summer movie “Sex and the City” dozens of lodgings in the New York area offering travel deals that allow ordinary women to live like their sassy on-screen idols—-Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha. Even if you haven’t seen the movie (or watched a single episode of the now defunct series) you and your best gal pals can live fabulously in the Big Apple—if only for a weekend—without going broke in the process. Take a look: SHOPPERS’ PACKAGE The Fitzpatrick Manhattan Hotel is offering a delightful deal called … Continue reading →

Chicago on a Shoestring

This is it. The countdown to my favorite event of the summer is on and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Soon I will enjoy an entire day where I don’t count a single calorie or contemplate what a combination of deep-fried pickles, Pad Thai, a Flintstones-sized BBQ turkey leg, alligator nuggets, and chocolate-dipped strawberry cheesecake on a stick will do to my digestive tract. If you too dream of experiencing the epicurean delight, also known as The Taste of Chicago, but your budget is far smaller than your appetite, check out the following Windy City travel deals: A Taste of … Continue reading →

More Reasons to Visit Rhode Island and New York

RHODE ISLAND If you are looking for a way to light up your life then look no further than Providence, Rhode Island. This summer Providence’s WaterFire will once again set the city’s rivers aglow with massive bonfires. Event organizers say this year there will be 11 full bonfire lightings (with the possibility that two more will be added) and four partial lightings for the free arts event. That’s the good news. The bad news is that due to sponsorship cutbacks the live jazz concerts that are a huge part of WaterFire will only be offered three nights during the popular … Continue reading →

Educational Programs for Kids in Hawaii

In a previous blogs I mentioned that you would regret traveling all the way to Hawaii and not visiting the state’s most famous tourist attraction–Pearl Harbor Naval Base. The base is home to the USS Arizona, the USS Utah, the Battleship Missouri, the USS Missouri Memorial, and the newest addition to the area, the Pacific Aviation Museum on Pearl Harbor’s Ford Island. What I failed to mention in those blogs is that youngsters (age 5 and up) have the opportunity to get more out of their visits by enrolling in special summer programs. Pearl Harbor’s Educational Summer Programs are designed … Continue reading →

Summer in New York—-Family Friendly Cultural Choices

Mention to your children that your trip to New York is going to include “cultural experiences” and you can bet that you’ll be met with eye rolling and some groans. Well, stand tough parents because once your offspring are immersed in the Big Apple’s cultural offerings you might be surprised by their reaction. Melodious summer fun begins and ends in Manhattan. It’s music, music and more music at Central Park’s SummerStage. The series of free concerts gets underway on June 13th with a salute to gospel and soul. Artists including Mavis Staples and Stephanie McKay will kick off the summer … Continue reading →

Summer Travel: Tourism Heats Up in New York

Summer is typically the time of year when New Yorkers leave the city in droves and tourists take over the streets of Manhattan… and the Bronx… and Brooklyn… and Queens. I can’t say I blame the city’s residents… or the tourists. Each summer my family would fly from our home in Hawaii to New York to spend time with my grandparents in the Big Apple and at the Jersey shore… and we weren’t alone. Millions of other families did the same and are still doing so to this day. With an extra hundred thousand clueless travelers congesting city streets on … Continue reading →