Category: Stories
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Travel Tip-Negotiate!
One of the most important tips that I’ve learned over the years to receive travel discounts can be summed up in one simple word-Negotiate! I know that to many of us negotiating may seem very intimidating, especially with big chain hotels, major airlines, high end restaurants, and popular attractions. But if you don’t try, you’ll never find out that, for example, by using…
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Chris Burch’s C Wonder Bus
A few weeks ago I had a wonderful time spending the day at the New York City headquarters of Harper Bazaar Magazine. I’ll discuss this great experience in another post. As I was about to enter Hearst Tower, I saw a bus parked in front. At first I thought that this was just a tour bus ready to unload a group of visitors, but…
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Most Pet-Friendly Airlines
Rachel Lee Harris of the New York Times reports that Petfinder.com has named Pet Airways as the most pet-friendly airline over all in North America and the best for large animals. Why? Petfinder.com says the fact this airline flies even large animals in the main cabin was a big factor. Other recommended pet-friendly airlines: Jet Blue’s JetPaws program-best…
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NYC’s High Line: Expansion and Inspiration for Other Cities
Last month, Robert and I revisited the High Line, a public park built on a 1.45-mile-long elevated rail structure in Manhattan. The second stage of this multi-million dollar renovation has been completed so that this structure now runs from Gansevoort Street to West 30th Street on this city’s West Side. The Friends of the High Line says that, this summer only, it…
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House Tour at Saratoga Spring’s Yaddo on September 17th and 18th.
For the first time since 2003 and, for only the fifth time since its opening in 1926, Yaddo, the famous artist retreat located in Saratoga Springs, New York, will be open to the general public for guided tours of its Tiffany windowed Mansion and other sites on the private portion of its estate. Through the decades, Yaddo has…
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Classic Planes, Air Shows and Biplane Rides: Great Time At Nearby Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome!
With gas prices rising and long distance travel becoming less and less enjoyable for some of us, I’ve been looking for fun and unusual places that are relatively close to our Capital Region area. So when I heard about the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, with its extensive collection of nearly 70 classic planes from the 1900-1940 period, its air shows, and its exciting biplane rides over…
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How To Pack Light
With all of the hassles in bringing a suitcase on a trip including luggage fees, problems with overhead storage on planes, and just plain room in the trunk of my car, I like looking for tips on how to pack better. Years ago, I spoke to a man who constantly traveled the world for a pharmacutical company. His big packing tip?…
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The Taconic Parkway – Exits for Gas, Food and Rest Rooms
My husband Robert and I drive on the Taconic Parkway from the Capital Region to the NYC area alot – for business, to visit family or friends, or because I spotted some NYC event we need to go see. It’s a remarkably beautiful drive. Over the years, through trial and error, we got to know…
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Five of Emeril Lagasse’s Favorite Restaurants From Around The Country
Emeril Lagasse shared with the James Beard Foundation five of his favorite restaurants from around the country: The Berghoff Restaurant in Chicago The Apple Pan in Los Angeles “Busy Bee Cafe in Atlanta Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco and Il Vagabondo in New York Click here to find out why Emeril picked these particular food establishments.
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Nice Getaway To Nearby Poughkeepsie, New York
If you’ve read my posts, you’ve learned that I enjoy traveling from my native Albany, New York area to New York City. But as many of us know, there are a lot of terrific places to visit between those two venues. So a few weeks ago I was delighted to be invited by Dutchess County’s Tourism Bureau and…
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Travel Gal Kim Swidler 