Category: Stories
-
New York Botanical Garden: Holiday Train Show and Nearby Little Italy
Planning a getaway to NYC during this unseasonably warm weekend? Consider attending the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden. Located in the Bronx, I love this annual exhibit because it displays so many wonderful natural reproductions of NYC’s iconic landmarks. Getting There: Robert and I took an early Amtrak train to Penn…
-
Staycation at MGM Springfield
Snowstorms, wind gusts and floods: Our recent winter weather hasn’t been making air travel to far-off destinations that much fun. So I’ve been searching for some good staycations, one or two-day getaways that are located close to our Capital Region. Robert and I were recently invited to revisit the MGM Springfield in Springfield, Massachusetts. We’d…
-
Amtrak CEO at NYC’s SKIFT Conference: What’s on Your Improvement List?
Earlier this year, Skift held its annual two-day NYC event at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall. This was the third time that I had the opportunity to attend this amazing travel conference. Moderated by members of Skift’s executive and editorial teams, each day consisted of several 20 minute “Ted Talks” provided by…
-
Cruise Virgin No More: Wonderful Time on the Newly Modernized Celebrity Summit
For almost ten years (yeah, it’s been that long!), I’ve been telling you about my travels around the world. Whether it’s been flying in a biplane over the Hudson River, traveling via a dugout canoe in Panama, or taking a beautiful train ride through Ecuador’s avenue of very active volcanoes, I’ve been lucky to have…
-
New Orleans Prepares for Mardi Gras
What comes to mind when you think of traveling to New Orleans, Louisiana or NOLA? Its unique three hundred year old French and Spanish history? Its cool jazz performances and vibrant art scene? Its delicious Creole and Cajun cuisines? Along with the warmer weather, these all were considerations when Robert and I decided to take…
-
New Orleans: Winter Weekend Escape During Mardi Gras Season
Earlier this year, Robert and I planned our escape from our area’s bitterly cold weather. We wanted to travel to someplace warmer but not too far away from our Capital Region. There were quite a few quick travel destinations to choose from but New Orleans, Louisiana, also known as NOLA, turned out to be a…
-
NYC’s Hudson Yards: New Neighborhood of Shops, Restaurants, and Entertainment Near Penn Station
So many of us from the Capital District region and beyond travel each week to and from Manhattan’s Penn Station. However, Penn and its immediate surroundings have often been viewed as a crowded and noisy necessity to otherwise avoid. But those experiences will soon be greatly improved. On March 15, 2019, Hudson Yards, a new neighborhood that’s…
-
Catskills, NY on Lonely Planet’s List for Best Travel Regions in 2019
Lonely Planet has unveiled its annual collection of the best travel destinations, trends, journeys and experiences to have in the year ahead. The experts at this leading travel authority reveal the top 10 countries, cities, regions and best value places to visit in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2019 (lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel). Each year, Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel lists start with nominations from LonelyPlanet’s vast…
-
NYC: SKIFT Global Forum 2018
The SKIFT Global Forum was held last September at NYC’s Jazz at Lincoln Center . This amazing two day event brought together the leaders in the travel industry with over 1,000 professionals to discuss the future of my favorite subject. Delta Airlines: Ed Bastion, CEO of Delta, spoke about how his airline is launching the first…
-
Japan’s Beautiful Mum Displays
Robert and I recently came back from a fun trip to Japan. During our travel to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, it was clear to see that, although we were thousands of miles away from home, there were some similarities between our two cultures. This included the tradition of growing Chrysanthemums or “mums” in the fall.…
Travel Gal Kim Swidler 