Museum celebrates remarkable life of Walt Disney
June 23, 2009 ·
He’s the reason adults of a certain age can’t stop themselves from finishing the song line beginning “M-I-C-K-E-Y,” the force causing untold legions to see marching mops when they hear the rousing strains of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” But the story of Walt Disney the man sometimes gets forgotten in the telling of his legend. Descendants [...]
Parks aim to reduce visitor emissions, their own
June 23, 2009 ·
Karen Lasch and her family recently pulled over their car near a glacier-fed creek in Mount Rainier National Park, piling out for a glimpse of the snowcapped peak in the distance. But she hadn’t given much thought to the impact that she, millions of other tourists and the national parks themselves have on the wilderness. [...]
DC visitors pioneer Spy Museum’s gaming strategy
June 23, 2009 ·
An Ohio family of five recently went undercover in the nation’s capital to help foil a cyber “terrorist attack.” Their attire wasn’t very suspicious: Shorts, T-shirts and jackets tied around their waists. They were playing a new game at the International Spy Museum that sends tourists trolling through the city with handheld GPS devices to [...]
Review: ‘Unlike’ smart phone apps are hip guides
June 22, 2009 ·
A good guidebook is more than just a compilation of information. It’s a travel companion with personality, a sense of humor and usually both strengths and weaknesses. With the proliferation of smart phone guides, a new cast of travel companions is vying to join you on your travels. On a recent trip to Miami, I [...]
Vive Mexico: Swine flu down, bargains up in Mexico
June 15, 2009 ·
The last time Bud Olson visited Mexico, he ended up in a hospital with kidney stones and missed the ancient Mayan ruins in the seaside town of Tulum. So when he heard that swine flu was sweeping through Mexico just weeks before he was to return this year, the 43-year-old Seattle, Washington, resident and his [...]
Teens on vacation want to sleep late and shop
June 15, 2009 ·
There’s only one thing worse than a cranky 2-year-old when you’re on vacation, and that’s a cranky teenager. Fortunately, just as most toddlers can be pacified with naps, bottles and clean diapers, I have discovered that my teen and tween sons become charming traveling companions if I let them sleep late and take them shopping. [...]
New edition of road trip guide out with trip ideas
June 15, 2009 ·
If you’re thinking about a road trip and you need more than a map to help you plan, Avalon Travel Books is out with a new edition of “Road Trip USA” ($29.95). Chapters break the options for border-to-border and coast-to-coast cross-country drives into 11 routes: _Pacific Coast, 1,500 miles on a mostly two-lane route through [...]
