tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11655978407205441142024-03-05T03:15:30.837-08:00Planes, Trains, and RunningA travel industry veteran in northern California looks at airlines, trains, hotels, car rentals, and destinations. It's more Marriott than Machu Pichu, more Amtrak than Antarctica - in other words it's everyday travel and not the exotic. And running.Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-29261789432395793702014-09-22T14:38:00.000-07:002014-09-22T19:06:38.374-07:00Rail - Capitaine TrainI have my brother Ken to thank for alerting me to a new rail booking website for Europe.<br />
<br />
Called "<a href="https://www.capitainetrain.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Capitaine Train</span></a>", it's based in Paris, and is a one-stop shop for buying tickets from some of the biggest passenger rail systems in Europe. As of now, they sell tickets on Eurostar (the "Chunnel" trains between London, Paris, and Brussels), SNCF (French National Railroads), DB (Deutsche Bahn - German Federal Railroads), three other lesser known systems (Thalys, Lyria, and Thello), and even a few bus lines.<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiKCxaRrcsfoWuMBJV8-x9m5cvO3R987K9PrsiwyLVMlCCdHdiiKLma5xfRg-uST0HbifukQIB6Yc4YJ2KLAviPqbNd0vGYaX-8kpZcVaFOiFHaQI_4pmdfnsEdtdHDrmGOLk5v-hTt3a/s1600/Capitaine+Train.PNG" height="95" title="" width="400" /></div>
<br />
It's easy to use. You don't have to get accustomed to the idiosyncrasies of each railroad's proprietary website, yet you still have access to all of their lowest rail fares. What's more, there are no booking fees (they earn commissions from the sale of the tickets), and they have real, live people at the other end of the email pipeline when questions arise.<br />
<br />
My brother used it to buy tickets for travel in France and thought it was great. Testimonials by others echo that. You can create a unique account for use on Capitaine Train, or you can simply sign in using your Facebook credentials.<br />
<br />
Heading to Europe and planning to use the trains? Click on over to <a href="https://www.capitainetrain.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Capitaine Train</span></a>. (Select the U.K. flag to get the English version - the default is French.)<br />
<br />
By the way, Americans have been conditioned to buy various flavors of rail passes for travel in Europe but unless you intend to do a lot of moving around by train, simply buying point-to-point one-way or round-trip tickets will probably be a better value and simpler.Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-44996119512658288292014-04-17T10:22:00.000-07:002014-05-13T20:53:27.432-07:00Hotels - The seasonal ups-and-downs of hotel rates in New YorkMy travel business is focused on booking hotel rooms for business travelers. In dollar volume if not also in number of room-nights, I've booked more in New York than in any other single location.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGY-7zbDYs928AgNZk13zu3S_SXcefqzVyyEWspSqTmykJhMX4thcmrj4Lgb1eRDEHyosZF2AFkx4FMZsOuNNHzYXBU1HUSG7UuMBACL4KneOMuHNnsk5lTOJVcLo3XpcHJUxdF4St73n/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGY-7zbDYs928AgNZk13zu3S_SXcefqzVyyEWspSqTmykJhMX4thcmrj4Lgb1eRDEHyosZF2AFkx4FMZsOuNNHzYXBU1HUSG7UuMBACL4KneOMuHNnsk5lTOJVcLo3XpcHJUxdF4St73n/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+015.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i>Highline Park - lower East Side</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Over the years I've noticed a distinct seasonality to prices there. For travelers to New York who want to keep the cost of lodging low, and who have the flexibility of traveling at any time, it's useful to know the seasons of lower priced hotel rooms in this remarkable city.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Here's a month-by-month summary. <br />
<br />
<b>January</b> - lowest<br />
<b>February</b> - lowest<br />
<b>March</b> - lowest but starts to rise mid-month and beyond<br />
<b>April</b> - high<br />
<b>May</b> - highest<br />
<b>June</b> - highest but drops as the month goes on<br />
<b>July</b> - lower<br />
<b>August</b> - lower<br />
<b>September</b> - after Labor Day prices zoom<br />
<b>October</b> - highest<br />
<b>November</b> - highest<br />
<b>December</b> - highest until a week or so before Christmas then lowest (except New Year's Eve)<br />
<br />
New York is a destination for all reasons, but like most big cities except for glaring exceptions like Las Vegas and Orlando, lodging demand is driven by business travel.<br />
<br />
In the winter, business travel subsides and leisure travel in New York slows to a crawl. In the spring and in the fall, business travel is very high. In summer business travel declines which leads to somewhat lower rates in New York, too. This is partly offset by increased leisure travel but these travelers aren't willing to spend as much on accommodations as business travelers are, and prices reflect that. As in other destinations driven primarily by business travel, rates are generally higher for weeknights (Sunday-Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday) and lower for weekend nights (Friday-Saturday).<br />
<br />
Let's go from the general to the specific using three different hotels as examples:<br />
- Hampton Inn Times Square South (moderately priced hotel)<br />
- New York Hilton (upscale, huge Midtown hotel)<br />
- The Plaza (luxury hotel on Central Park South at Fifth Avenue)<br />
<br />
Rates below are per night before tax for three weeknights in a standard room with king bed. The rate is what is called "best available rate". Lower rates such as AAA or senior may apply, but these discounts are taken off "best available rate". (Rates were researched on 16 April 2014.)<br />
<br />
<b>28 April 2014</b><br />
Hampton Inn: $289<br />
New York Hilton: $349<br />
The Plaza: $700<br />
<br />
<b>22 July 2014</b><br />
Hampton Inn: $269<br />
Hilton New York: $349<br />
The Plaza: $625<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>14 October 2014</b><br />
Hampton Inn: $359<br />
Hilton New York: $469<br />
The Plaza: $775<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>13 January 2015</b><br />
Hampton Inn: $179<br />
Hilton New York: $249<br />
The Plaza: $650<br />
<br />
While not as volatile as airline ticket prices, hotel rates are also dynamic. The price for a room booked three months in advance may be different (higher or lower) when booked closer to the actual date of travel. Take these prices merely as a random snapshot example of the seasonality of the rates, and not as a bronze, immovable tablet.<br />
<br />
And then go take a big bite of the Big Apple. There's no other city quite like it.Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-66903860587714505432014-02-05T13:53:00.000-08:002014-02-05T13:53:05.458-08:00USA Today articles about airline fees and Southwest’s new flights from Dallas Love Field<i>USA Today</i> recently published a couple of articles readers might find of interest. The focus is on Southwest Airlines.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2014/02/02/airlines-fees/4963825/" href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2014/02/02/airlines-fees/4963825/" target="_blank">First up is the piece</a></span>
about fees charged by U.S. domestic carriers for services such as
checked baggage, ticket changes, call-center reservations, and so on.
Certainly not to my surprise, Southwest Airlines is the only carrier
that does not resort to relentless nickle-and-diming for services which
were free not so long ago.<br />
<br />
While bag and ticket change fees get
the most attention, I think it's important that Southwest does not tack
on an extra fee in order to make reservations and pay for tickets over
the phone with a reservations sales agent. (Call center agents cannot
book internet-only fares, however.) And a further benefit that
accompanies that, is that as far as I know Southwest does not have
out-of-the-U.S. call centers, so you do not have to struggle to
understand agents with impenetrable accents.<br />
<br />
Why would you want to
book over the phone when you can book online?<br />
<br />
Complex multi-city
itineraries are complicated to complete online. Also when you are
making asymmetrical travel arrangements for different people with
overlapping but not identical itineraries, it's easier to have a pro do
it. (Example: you are traveling round-trip from Sacramento to Chicago
leaving 10 June returning 17 June but your partner is returning on 20
June.)<br />
<br />
At one time Southwest was something of a regional carrier,
but that is long past. They serve the entire country and contrary to
what some people say, they do have hubs (Phoenix, Las Vegas, Chicago
Midway, Baltimore, Denver, and others with smaller operations). If you
are planning a trip that you know runs a high risk of having to be
changed or canceled, you should strongly consider using Southwest even
if the service isn't as good as on another carrier. Why? With the
three big network carriers (American/US Airways, United, and Delta) all
charging $200 to make changes to a nonrefundable domestic ticket, you
will lose big time if you need to cancel or alter plans.<br />
With
Southwest on the other hand, you can cancel without penalty and apply
the full value of the old ticket toward purchase of a new one. You
would only have to pay the difference in fare. And you could handle the
transaction with an easy-to-understand Southwest Airlines reservations
agent.<br />
<br />
The <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/02/03/southwest-announces-15-long-routes-from-dallas-love-field/5179781" target="_blank">second article</a></span> from <i>USA Today</i> is purely about Southwest and how in October and November it will be adding flights from Dallas Love Field to many cities.<br />
<br />
For those not familiar with the subject, Love Field was the original airport for Dallas, but supplanted in the early 1970s by DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth). A law called the Wright Act, sharply limited flights out of Love Field to only intra-Texas and neighboring states. It made sense at the time, because the new DFW (less convenient to Dallas than Love Field) needed to grow its business. However over the years it became anachronistic as DFW cemented its hold on travelers in north Texas, and as the area surrounding DFW became populous and a business hub itself. (The story is quite similar to the opening of Washington Dulles Airport in 1962, and its relationship to Reagan National Airport.)<br />
<br />
So the Wright Act will pass into history and Dallas Love Field will get a lot of new nonstop flights on Southwest to points much further on the map than Austin or Albuquerque. For now only LAX, Orange County and San Diego in California are included in the expansion (on 2 November) but my guess is that Oakland will probably not be far behind. And who knows, maybe even Sacramento one fine day?<br />
<br />
Dallas Love Field will instantly become a mini-hub for Southwest connecting the West with the Midwest, East, and Southeast, and at an airport a fraction the size of other hub airports.Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-9077868269351793282013-11-20T14:22:00.000-08:002013-11-20T14:23:29.069-08:00Hotels - TrustYou.comIf you are like many other travelers, you have looked at consumer-written hotel reviews when you were planning a trip in order to get a sense of where you wanted to stay.<br />
<br />
The best known of the consumer review sites is TripAdvisor, but Google, Hotels.com, Expedia, Facebook, Yelp, and many others can be sources of guest reviews.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eztSJ1KsWpqRbtCS5JrNQHFIF4yy7aUbrNV6r1_vX6AIL6imjLLPPavQB33F7peUT67bKP1gzMY_aG-V39GguYM0gnA5TZTJoVBoGG_HdAw4DVErDrbU5tWdCdWAcm6qo6HIfyYQWjMA/s1600/TrustYou.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eztSJ1KsWpqRbtCS5JrNQHFIF4yy7aUbrNV6r1_vX6AIL6imjLLPPavQB33F7peUT67bKP1gzMY_aG-V39GguYM0gnA5TZTJoVBoGG_HdAw4DVErDrbU5tWdCdWAcm6qo6HIfyYQWjMA/s1600/TrustYou.PNG" /></a>The reviews you read can run the gamut from abysmal to stratospherically good, but the sheer volume of information can overwhelm a reader.<br />
<br />
TrustYou aggregates and crunches reviews from multiple sources, and then offers a brief, mostly numbers-driven summary.<br />
<br />
TrustYou presents an overall score (the "TrustScore") up to 100, assigns a grade (Excellent, Very Good, Good, Mediocre, Bad) and then supplies percentages (good or bad) for specific features such as location, rooms, service, food, bar, internet, etc. under a "Tops & Flops" heading.<br />
<br />
When you want detailed reviews about a specific hotel property then you'll need to read the individual consumer reviews (or ask other travelers or a travel agent), but if you are looking for a sense of a hotel's overall score on the most important features, then give <a href="http://www.trustyou.com/" target="_blank">TrustYou</a> a look.<br />
<br />
To get a sense of the difference between TrustYou and TripAdvisor, take a look at the TripAdvisor <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60713-d115617-Reviews-Palace_Hotel-San_Francisco_California.html" target="_blank">review</a> and the TrustYou "<a href="http://www.trustyou.com/trustscore/?ty_id=b26e8b7e-4d3f-4a4b-943f-e3cbb4a2011a&lang=en" target="_blank">TrustScore</a>" for the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. <br />
<br />
TrustYou makes money by providing reputation management tools to hotels.Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-14303628821741375512013-03-05T19:41:00.000-08:002013-06-16T16:30:10.640-07:00Travel - 10 hours, 3 buses, 1 train<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As a rule I don't go out of my way to ride a bus. Nothing against them, but they just don't move me in quite the same way that trains do.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNNMVsE0KELYtLGt3EmWsUZEBgyW9hXVnNs5ZXU_E3RFlxubGTXEbtRBkmXl2d3qUsmHQHzbjd-7mm4C66hgF563MWIZhFCBnAGr7wGWhDUDnO1Q2DjgsLIccatoiQ2k6LdDwQszPVm5U/s1600/DSCN0214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNNMVsE0KELYtLGt3EmWsUZEBgyW9hXVnNs5ZXU_E3RFlxubGTXEbtRBkmXl2d3qUsmHQHzbjd-7mm4C66hgF563MWIZhFCBnAGr7wGWhDUDnO1Q2DjgsLIccatoiQ2k6LdDwQszPVm5U/s320/DSCN0214.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With that said, I was intrigued when I read not long ago that <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://us.megabus.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Megabus</span></a></span> had come back to California. They dipped their toe in the water here in 2007-2008 and then withdrew, but reentered the market in late 2012. The British company has been successful on the East Coast and elsewhere in the U.S. so I wanted to see how it worked from a passenger's perspective as well as compare it with <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://capitolcorridor.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Amtrak's </span><i><span style="color: #990000;">Capitol Corridor</span></i></a></span> service which I've used many times.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The closest route to where I live in Chico is the one between Sacramento and San Francisco. Flipping back and forth between Megabus schedules and Amtrak schedules I put together an itinerary that, if everything worked as planned, would get me from Chico to San Francisco and back, in about 10 hours. (And qualify me for being institutionalized, some people may think.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Guess what? The tight schedule I planned worked well. I'll summarize the journey below, and if you want more details please continue reading past the summary.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Bus - Amtrak 3714 - Chico to Sacramento</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">leave 7:50 am - arrive 9:55 am</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Bus - Megabus - Sacramento to San Francisco</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">leave 10:50 am - arrive 12:45 pm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">(BART from San Francisco to Richmond)</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Rail - Amtrak 532 - Richmond to Sacramento</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">leave 1:47 pm - arrive 3:28 pm</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Bus - Amtrak 3713 - Sacramento to Chico</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">leave 3:40 pm - arrive 5:35 pm</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Now for the details. Read on if you dare.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u><b>Chico to Sacramento</b></u>: (Amtrak bus 3714)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">price: $25</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">schedule: lv 7:50 am / ar 9:55 am</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">actual operation: on-time departure / early arrival at 9:36 am</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVeygAq8dPZSPBszmye0pndqt8gfLMDLQu-rZXzHquwGGjuCaz7hWkG_IVOb0XjTmRpHQeUwG44z1s0CDr_gWVMbIUJjaFiVT-ON6F9s6jclKESlzBUIwv6t-7uy_piFLTockjIHShec8/s1600/DSCN0211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVeygAq8dPZSPBszmye0pndqt8gfLMDLQu-rZXzHquwGGjuCaz7hWkG_IVOb0XjTmRpHQeUwG44z1s0CDr_gWVMbIUJjaFiVT-ON6F9s6jclKESlzBUIwv6t-7uy_piFLTockjIHShec8/s320/DSCN0211.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've taken Amtrak buses so often between Chico and Sacramento that there isn't a lot for me to learn, but one novelty for me was that this was the first time I had ridden since Amtrak introduced its form of e-ticketing which is used now on all of the Amtrak bus routes in California. It isn't paperless, however.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzqXCRBrwbso11x5ZZG27dq1vzQPkO4aaZZj5BblN4-t4UoUQjRqlYeiGwtBCnow7kGD9JFuOWa70XhrcNcwjQ2URKlISdcxcYgnwIb5d_ifzlyklDkpZDYWzBf_BXCuSNE8EGU3XcNsG/s1600/DSCN0231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzqXCRBrwbso11x5ZZG27dq1vzQPkO4aaZZj5BblN4-t4UoUQjRqlYeiGwtBCnow7kGD9JFuOWa70XhrcNcwjQ2URKlISdcxcYgnwIb5d_ifzlyklDkpZDYWzBf_BXCuSNE8EGU3XcNsG/s320/DSCN0231.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Interior of an Amtrak bus</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">You do need to have an itinerary with barcode, either printed on your own printer or printed at a staffed Amtrak station or an unstaffed one with a Quik-Trak machine. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Chico is neither staffed nor does it have a Quik-Trak machine, but since I bought my ticket at Amtrak.com I printed the itinerary with barcode at home. The barcode can also be displayed on a smartphone or tablet using the Amtrak app. The bus driver scanned the barcode quickly and I hopped on the bus for a pleasant and uneventful ride. (The bus stops in Oroville and Marysville to pick up passengers.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u><b>Sacramento</b><b> to San Francisco:</b></u> (Megabus)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">price: $6.65</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">schedule: lv 10:50 am / ar 12:45 pm </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">actual operation: left at 10:55 am / early arrival at 12:31 pm </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglH0r0Yt9KyejjPyYuPTnKmy2kN-TsbL5RN5q3lY2IpybpqsN-5U7CZ7-8YLejcUwAivKG6FeaB2ABfm2eLcfJpVvEqvY_29NPgbXxLu7a4eHx8uutd_9r96R29zf_icIzKyaP31qpP2mV/s1600/DSCN0213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglH0r0Yt9KyejjPyYuPTnKmy2kN-TsbL5RN5q3lY2IpybpqsN-5U7CZ7-8YLejcUwAivKG6FeaB2ABfm2eLcfJpVvEqvY_29NPgbXxLu7a4eHx8uutd_9r96R29zf_icIzKyaP31qpP2mV/s320/DSCN0213.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Megabus stop on Front Street in Old Sacramento</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That is not a misprint. I paid $6 to get from Sacramento to San Francisco. If I'd bought it two days in advance it was only $5, and Megabus promises to sell at least a couple of tickets on each bus for a buck! Megabus competes with Amtrak and other bus operators in California and especially on the east coast, but they also compete with the car. There is no way one person or even a couple of people can get from Sacramento to San Francisco for $6 per person including gas and bridge tolls. The reason for the extra 65 cents is that there is a 50 cent booking fee for every transaction, and I opted to pay an additional 15 cents for a text-message notification in case of delays.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">All bookings are made online<i>;</i> passengers provide their booking numbers to the bus driver who checks them against a manifest of reservations. It worked smoothly for me. The bus driver also stows the one piece of allowed luggage per person after verifying the reservation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Megabus saves money by not having any terminal that it calls its own. In some cities it uses bus bays at a transit terminal while in others (including Sacramento and San Francisco) they stop at a curbside location. In Sacramento Megabus picks up and drops off on Front Street in Old Sacramento (about two blocks south of the railroad museum) and in San Francisco in front of the Caltrain Station at Fourth and Townsend.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuujy838d4wNlimj5IJtIRjl3mn-8Jh9fLq0Nxcuf_sD6_k8wWVXVgzQoyVce6PZzdCN-LNYTqrLkatOQcnc88zKHZUb8Ht3OqtgUSGl8SGimJepmcYSYLuZ_XU-LxqE4x307cKpmSv8fa/s1600/DSCN0215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuujy838d4wNlimj5IJtIRjl3mn-8Jh9fLq0Nxcuf_sD6_k8wWVXVgzQoyVce6PZzdCN-LNYTqrLkatOQcnc88zKHZUb8Ht3OqtgUSGl8SGimJepmcYSYLuZ_XU-LxqE4x307cKpmSv8fa/s320/DSCN0215.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Megabus - upper level</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The trip from Sacramento to the city went well. The ride quality of the double-decker bus was smooth, and the driver was excellent. She drove at a remarkably consistent speed, seldom changing lanes while remaining mostly in one of the middle lanes. Since this was a midday ride, there was little in the way of traffic slowdowns. But being on the highway, it would be subject to the same delays that a driver would be with the exception that Megabus can use the carpool lanes between Pinole and the 80/580/880 "Maze", and skip the Bay Bridge toll plaza with the bus-only lanes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For the better view and airy open feeling, I sat on the upper level, which is reached by a rather steep stairway. The lower level has less seating than the upper level but is also the location of the restroom. The toilet is the standard bus toilet (think porta-potty) without a flush system or running water for hand washing. However it was clean, and offered hand sanitizer.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMQFqzzcsgMXZoQ0P1xJbi-rZo1byxygVXR6grCowWJPggzp0t2PgAR3x1WdRstJGOqiXxIrtT2ccf77_0B6Z-fVB2as1hZw6799o-C-dDpXPaP3Eyxkd8t7jh14pzwlOOeBMdnzl33f2/s1600/DSCN0216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMQFqzzcsgMXZoQ0P1xJbi-rZo1byxygVXR6grCowWJPggzp0t2PgAR3x1WdRstJGOqiXxIrtT2ccf77_0B6Z-fVB2as1hZw6799o-C-dDpXPaP3Eyxkd8t7jh14pzwlOOeBMdnzl33f2/s320/DSCN0216.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i>Megabus - lower level</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Megabus advertises free wifi and power plugs. My laptop detected the strong signal and connected, though I never was actually able to get to the internet. I seldom have trouble connecting to wifi, so I wonder if it was just a one-time problem on that bus. It was not a big deal, as I was more interested in enjoying the ride.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In San Francisco the bus drops and picks up passengers in front of the Caltrain station on Fourth Street. Depending on your ultimate destination, this would either be ideal or so-so.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBIetCw6ioC2A3C1bR5jbWQx5vJ-s2XOJeNJum-gBWmEVESykDAwPSrGCNZfheR2IODPbwHMOaenCoqzcs8d5YnGLS8jR6eFDlZWJ9ldmasybIOttDIFwTxed7qsPVftWDLFMwic9zfzj/s1600/DSCN0217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBIetCw6ioC2A3C1bR5jbWQx5vJ-s2XOJeNJum-gBWmEVESykDAwPSrGCNZfheR2IODPbwHMOaenCoqzcs8d5YnGLS8jR6eFDlZWJ9ldmasybIOttDIFwTxed7qsPVftWDLFMwic9zfzj/s320/DSCN0217.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Megabus stop at Caltrain station in San Francisco</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It would be ideal if you were headed down the Peninsula to places such as San Mateo, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Jose, etc. You can walk about 100 feet and get on one of the frequent trains that <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.caltrain.com/main.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Caltrain</span></a></span> operates.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On the other hand if you need to get to downtown San Francisco you need to either get a taxi, or take <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mroutes/indxrout.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Muni</span></a></span>. The N or T light-rai lines from the Caltrain station will get you to Market Street stops starting with Embarcadero, and several bus lines can get you quickly to Market at Third Street, and beyond.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">All in all, I'd say my Megabus experience was quite positive and a flat-out bargain. I think they have a product that could catch on especially for short and medium length distances. In a little bit I'll compare it with Amtrak Capitol Corridor service.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEY74tuqYaTOJTBg1w3dvPDvnkTwueZvBqI1U6ULxnwh6I7zbOGkqxqgCrYNDa8EEty-lEEJg-O0kQwgdcTJoR7QuwGAOi2cwLXnLo9S6rs-J2O7ZXFzFoiX1P09k5F4g5dRXiogwMwRax/s1600/DSCN0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEY74tuqYaTOJTBg1w3dvPDvnkTwueZvBqI1U6ULxnwh6I7zbOGkqxqgCrYNDa8EEty-lEEJg-O0kQwgdcTJoR7QuwGAOi2cwLXnLo9S6rs-J2O7ZXFzFoiX1P09k5F4g5dRXiogwMwRax/s320/DSCN0220.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">South Park neighborhood - San Francisco</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My schedule calculations for making this work (without getting back at a late hour in Chico) required that I get myself to the Montgomery Street BART station to make a train that would get me to Richmond in time to connect with a Capitol Corridor train at 1:47 pm. (BART and Amtrak in essence operate out of the same station in Richmond. Get off BART, go downstairs, pass through the fare-gates, then go up to the Amtrak platform.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Because Megabus was early I thought I'd walk instead of taking Muni to Market Street. I didn't know how close I was cutting it!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetBbhfpkbLOkdKb6ajCTZn7lyKAmjv__i2UOd55bt2VlkEQYQaHc266VSPadElVU1Ri1G3CuXFvO6_2Q_dLaQ2NxP1j0q3Lb3tPVNsVkr-aQb8xgP0LktVii1lD-NSRSG-lQhUPEZLJd7/s1600/DSCN0221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetBbhfpkbLOkdKb6ajCTZn7lyKAmjv__i2UOd55bt2VlkEQYQaHc266VSPadElVU1Ri1G3CuXFvO6_2Q_dLaQ2NxP1j0q3Lb3tPVNsVkr-aQb8xgP0LktVii1lD-NSRSG-lQhUPEZLJd7/s320/DSCN0221.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Montgomery Street BART</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's not that short a distance, and I took a little bit of the scenic route detouring via the picturesque South Park neighborhood and snapping a picture of a brewpub (21st Amendment) for friends who like that joint. I got to Montgomery Street BART at 1:00 pm, got the slightly late (thank goodness) Richmond train at 1:05 pm (scheduled for 1:01 pm) and got to Richmond five minutes before Amtrak 532. Train 532 was on-the-dot at 1:47 pm. If I'd missed that train, my ultimate arrival in Chico would have been 3 hours later than it was.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u><b>Richmond to Sacramento</b><b>:</b></u> (Amtrak 532)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">price: $26.00</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">schedule: lv 1:47 pm / ar 3:28 pm </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">actual operation: on-time departure / early arrival at 3:12 pm</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRzUdGqnLbWOBCE5YL1GLPqoIGgpUhaj-9hGWVVFWFmy0H4tm2KTiIsobw2l2wttpsV42Bv3ydYY1P8c_L1nhJaTD4qpeKGXkHLpSbciLO63MDvSS1qCsvOnM3MqHq5W0tAKwKwmuxjLD/s1600/DSCN0225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRzUdGqnLbWOBCE5YL1GLPqoIGgpUhaj-9hGWVVFWFmy0H4tm2KTiIsobw2l2wttpsV42Bv3ydYY1P8c_L1nhJaTD4qpeKGXkHLpSbciLO63MDvSS1qCsvOnM3MqHq5W0tAKwKwmuxjLD/s320/DSCN0225.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Interior of an Amtrak Capitol train</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've been on these trains often and know the drill well, but as with the Amtrak bus out of Chico it was the first time I'd used Amtrak's e-ticketing system. The friendly female conductor scanned the barcode and it was done. Being as the system is still fairly new, I'm sure that problems arise, but from my limited and rather elementary experience it seemed to work well. As a travel agent, I know it will be useful when Amtrak expands e-ticketing to travel agents. Amtrak reservations made and ticketed by travel agents through their GDS (global distribution systems) continue to be paper tickets. Some Amtrak issued tickets with special circumstances remain paper for the time being.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDmXpx3NRHDlIBThEpj0JGRRjnPOUzlcYPB-P6cWJX0ft6Bnq16uGUATblQj9Y7g2v55QDKAKDN7Vk9wM83lJIcpZc1rvzkb3T6kyV7F64WiBqjneW2TNYoJWWKM4Im97uMXIcaXafgEo/s1600/DSCN0227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDmXpx3NRHDlIBThEpj0JGRRjnPOUzlcYPB-P6cWJX0ft6Bnq16uGUATblQj9Y7g2v55QDKAKDN7Vk9wM83lJIcpZc1rvzkb3T6kyV7F64WiBqjneW2TNYoJWWKM4Im97uMXIcaXafgEo/s320/DSCN0227.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>New platforms in Sacramento</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The train made the usual stops in Martinez, Suisun-Fairfield, and Davis, before pulling into Sacramento about 15 minutes early. It was a pleasant, unremarkable trip, which they usually are. Anytime you can get between the Bay Area and Sacramento and <u>not</u> be in a car it's pleasant.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As part of the massive (and not yet completely planned out) railyards project in Sacramento, brand new platforms and below-ground walkways have been built for Amtrak. They are <i>so much better</i> than the old ones, however there is a considerably longer walk to the station than before. Still the new platforms are bright and clean, and the underground walkways spacious and user-friendly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u><b>Sacramento to Chico</b><b>:</b></u> (Amtrak bus 3713)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">price: $25.00</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">schedule: lv 3:40 pm / ar 5:35 pm </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">actual operation: left at 4:03 pm / late arrival at 5:50 pm</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0Al5jv8nT6-nI5nyyUlAwoHAtlG-urLlYMCm2l6G_ncIhEkNkmh7JhSM3QZpfbMvHgRyjo6O4PJA2Sws4r1xeKiZDSTMBo2ZtRv8eASZN_W5bJAEftZo3fQ1W-fO22s6oYYCkzmuTpWx/s1600/DSCN0232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0Al5jv8nT6-nI5nyyUlAwoHAtlG-urLlYMCm2l6G_ncIhEkNkmh7JhSM3QZpfbMvHgRyjo6O4PJA2Sws4r1xeKiZDSTMBo2ZtRv8eASZN_W5bJAEftZo3fQ1W-fO22s6oYYCkzmuTpWx/s320/DSCN0232.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Back in Chico ten hours after I left</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This was the only leg of the trip that ran slightly late. In its defense, the bus in fact operates from Stockton to Sacramento (and then on to Chico), and it serves to connect passengers from the northbound San Joaquin train 713. That train was 22 minutes late into Stockton so the bus was delayed in its departure for Sacramento. As with the morning's southbound ride, the bus was clean, comfortable, and the driver very competent.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As a final note, it's clear from this ride and the many others that I've taken that Chico is by far the most important stop on the Sacramento-Redding bus. Except for a few that got off in Oroville, and one staying on for Red Bluff or Redding, all other passengers disembarked in Chico.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>Comparing Amtrak's Capitol Corridor with Megabus</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>Price</u>: Hands down it's Megabus. Amtrak's not even close.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>Frequency</u>: Right now Amtrak's the winner with 15 trains weekdays between Sacramento and Emeryville (bus connections to SF) and Oakland. (7 of these trains continue to/from San Jose.) Megabus operates 4 buses each way between Sacramento and San Francisco.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>Comfort</u>: Amtrak seats are considerably bigger and there is more legroom, though Megabus is good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>Ride quality</u>: Amtrak has a slight edge in smoothness. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>Speed</u>: Megabus schedules are 1:55 to 2 hours. Amtrak (with the bus connection from Emeryville) is 2:05 to 2:20. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>Amenities</u>: Amtrak is the clear winner here, since you can walk around the train, there is a well-stocked snack bar, and the bathrooms are far superior. (The accessible bathroom is huge, and the toilets are flush toilets and there is running water.) In my one experience with wifi on Megabus, it didn't work (and Amtrak's worked surprisingly well) but I'd have to give Megabus another chance on that. Amtrak will likely remain more attractive to the many business people who commute on the train because of the higher level of amenities.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>Other factors</u>: A nice feature of Megabus is that there are no stops between Sacramento and San Francisco. If you use Amtrak to Richmond (and then BART to the city), you will make 3 intermediate stops. If you take Amtrak to Emeryville you'll have 5 intermediate stops, plus the Amtrak bus over the Bay Bridge. On the other hand, Megabus is subject to the same traffic jams that drivers are (except for being able to use carpool lanes), while trains obviously don't have to deal with that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>Conclusion</u>: I'm a train guy and I'm inclined to use the train, but I really thought Megabus has a good product and I'd love to see them expand their system. I would definitely ride them again. Isolated Chico where I live, would be a great market to add, particularly with its large population of college students. Megabus already serves Reno and Sparks from Sacramento. How about adding some one-stop buses that operate Chico-Sacramento-San Francisco? I think Amtrak will remain the non-automobile mode of choice for the many business people that commute by train between the Bay Area and Sacramento, but Megabus may become the preferred choice for students and others on a tight budget, and even more so if they add additional destinations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Useful links and info:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://us.megabus.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Megabus</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">- <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://capitolcorridor.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Amtrak's Capitol Corridor</span></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">As of the writing of this post (March 2013) Megabus operates in the following markets in California and Nevada:</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">- San Francisco-Sacramento-Reno-Sparks</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">- San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose-Los Angeles</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">- Los Angeles/Riverside-Las Vegas </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;"> </span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-39737004762150606102013-02-13T16:46:00.000-08:002013-02-13T16:50:25.217-08:00Airlines - Hawaiian Airlines to Asia with a free stop in paradise<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When you think of travel to Asia, <a href="http://www.hawaiianairlines.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Hawaiian Airlines</span></a> doesn't normally come to mind. After all, there is a lot of water between Hawaii and the islands and mainland of east Asia.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yet Hawaiian Airlines has been slowly but surely adding service to Asia (and Australia) and now offers a nice array of destinations served nonstop from Honolulu including Tokyo (Haneda airport), Osaka, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Seoul, Manila, Sydney, and Brisbane. Service to Taipei begins in July.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfh7ROB6Q3TmgSGP926yFh63uzIxaa1PrFiOJv3IYIR0ps61qH6rGHgbKDuEzG0iCRgyvLelqBCSgF89HCNwNIdm4Tc2KIPmjLk530P2REKR8Xq5FMzpVyGGdcgHo_B9miBwjMJX0qljs/s1600/Hawaiian+Airlines+route+map.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314.4" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfh7ROB6Q3TmgSGP926yFh63uzIxaa1PrFiOJv3IYIR0ps61qH6rGHgbKDuEzG0iCRgyvLelqBCSgF89HCNwNIdm4Tc2KIPmjLk530P2REKR8Xq5FMzpVyGGdcgHo_B9miBwjMJX0qljs/s400/Hawaiian+Airlines+route+map.PNG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hawaiian Airlines route map (<span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://hawaiianairlines.homeandabroad.com/hawaiian/map.ha" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">link</span></a></span> to map on airline's website)</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">From the mainland, Hawaiian offers flights to Honolulu from all major cities on the west coast, plus Sacramento, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and a very long nonstop flight from New York Kennedy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Nonstop flights from the west coast to Asia and Australia are very long, ranging from 11 to 14+ hours. On the one hand it's nice to get to your destination in one big bite, but for many people it is simply too long to be cooped up in the air. Breaking the trip into two pieces, results in two smaller bites: 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours to Honolulu from the west coast gateway airports, and then 9 to 11 hours from there to Asia or Australia.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hawaiian Airlines sweetens what for some would be a disadvantage in having to make a connection (or in some cases a forced overnight due to flights from the mainland not scheduled to connect with flights to Asia), by allowing a free stopover in Honolulu both coming and going.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For those of you who haven't read my <i>Airline Fare School</i> chapter about <span id="goog_174298756"></span><span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.norcalblogs.com/transportation/2009/09/02/airline-fare-school-5-connec/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">stopovers</span></a></span> this means that instead of paying two separate fares (for example: San Francisco to Honolulu and then Honolulu to Seoul) you would pay the through fare (San Francisco to Seoul). This is good, because breaking the fare into two pieces often results in a higher total price.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Normally for international travel, a stop of more than 24 hours means that the fare must be broken, but with the free Honolulu stopover it won't matter. (You will incur some small additional cost in extra tax, however.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Think about how nice it would be to break a long trip with a stop in Honolulu. Or maybe you have a business trip to Asia that on the return you would like to cap with a Hawaiian vacation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One limitation to be aware of is that the fare <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.norcalblogs.com/transportation/2009/08/03/airline-fare-school-1-the-ba-1/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">routing</span></a></span> only allows for travel through Honolulu. If you wanted to go to Maui, Kauai, the big island, etc., you would need to fly in and out of Honolulu, and purchase separate inter-island connecting flights.</span>Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-51219436903341251062013-01-29T14:30:00.000-08:002013-01-29T14:30:40.290-08:00Rail - The Man in Seat 61 (my go-to website)<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For most of the people I know, I am the guy to ask when it comes to questions about Amtrak, having worked there as an employee and as a consultant, as well as being celebrated/notorious/ridiculed (pick your adjective of choice) for being fond of trains.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Though my knowledge of Amtrak does not translate to in-depth knowledge about other railroads in the world, I still get questions from friends and clients about trains outside of the U.S. (especially in Europe), which, except for some general knowledge, I seldom can answer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So where do I recommend that people go to do their research?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b><u>Always</u></b> to <a href="http://www.seat61.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">The Man in Seat 61</span></a>!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXEBL9ICFY1WtOUGoPu0BGsX_vUmz9rP08WvCXJ1CVjDdzq5uyZxs_uci_OQx4urHNQMc4D_FszFZYfCh7HfqIrIlKZR9qQ4sQAfLvHMzf_tomWjsEUIgfCD6PEBuQARlWVCKg6MRkxHJ/s1600/Seat61.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXEBL9ICFY1WtOUGoPu0BGsX_vUmz9rP08WvCXJ1CVjDdzq5uyZxs_uci_OQx4urHNQMc4D_FszFZYfCh7HfqIrIlKZR9qQ4sQAfLvHMzf_tomWjsEUIgfCD6PEBuQARlWVCKg6MRkxHJ/s400/Seat61.PNG" title="" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Man in Seat 61 (henceforth simply called Seat 61 - the URL is <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://seat61.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">seat61.com</span></a></span>) is simply the most comprehensive compendium of rail travel information I've ever seen. What makes it valuable is that it is aimed at ordinary travelers, not folks that are already train-crazy. It's been years since I first ran across it. For anyone who is train-crazy, or has tendencies that way, it is a dangerous place to drop in - kind of like quicksand that you don't really want to get out of.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For example, as I began writing this post and was looking at Seat 61, I got trapped looking at information there about riding trains in <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.seat61.com/Cuba.htm#.UQhEF2ekupA" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Cuba</span></a></span> and <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.seat61.com/NorthKorea.htm#.UQhEEmekupA" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">North Korea</span></a></span>. Yes, it gets that esoteric.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Recently a friend asked me for information about buying tickets for travel from Budapest to Prague. I checked Seat 61, and as I hoped and expected, there was detailed information about that very subject.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Seat 61 began in 2001 as a personal project by <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.seat61.com/aboutme.htm#.UP3onmekupA" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Mark Smith</span></a></span>, a train-loving Brit. But Seat 61 grew and grew, and eventually he left his day job in the U.K. Department of Transport to devote himself full-time to Seat 61. (Seat 61's origin reminds me a little of <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://imdb.com/"><span style="color: #990000;">imdb.com</span></a></span>. imdb.com was created in the late 1990s by Col Needham a British movie fan.) Seat 61 does not charge for access, but makes money selling advertising, so click on a few links while you're there. Over the years, Seat 61 has garnered many "best travel website" accolades, and most deservedly so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Many Americans (and American travel agents) use Rail Europe to book train travel in Europe. (Rail Europe is jointly owned by SCNF [the French railroad] and SBB [the Swiss railroad].) Nothing wrong with that as they make it easy to buy both passes and point-to-point tickets from the U.S. and Canada. But they do not offer access to most of the bargain rail fares that you can buy in many instances on the websites of the individual national rail operators in Europe, and the price differences can be astounding!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For example, on a trip to Germany in 2008, I booked point-to-point tickets from Munich to Leipzig, and then on to Berlin on the German railroad <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.bahn.de/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">website</span></a></span> for far less than it would have cost via Rail Europe. (Keep in mind that Seat 61 is not a travel booking site. Rather it supplies the information and provides links to websites where you can buy rail tickets.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But it's not just about getting deals on rail tickets. Because Seat 61 was created by a rail travel enthusiast, you get the deep drill-down into many useful subjects that you won't necessary find even by looking at the individual railroad websites. For example, take a look at <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.seat61.com/Paris-metro.htm#How%20to%20cross%20Paris%20by%20metro" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">this information</span></a></span> about how to get from one station to another in Paris using the Metro. Or how about <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.seat61.com/ChannelIslands.htm#.UQhBVWekupA" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">this page</span></a></span> with details on using trains and ferries to get from the U.K. to the channel islands of Jersey and Guernsey?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">An interesting feature of Seat 61 is providing ways to get from Point A (usually in the U.K.) to Point B (on the continent of Europe or beyond) by means that do not involve flying. That might include combinations of train, ferries, ships, buses, etc. Check out <a href="http://www.seat61.com/Malta.htm#.UQhCbWekupA" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">this page</span></a> with detailed plans to get you from the U.K. to Malta, the island in the Mediterranean between Sicily and Libya.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">While the sharpest focus of Seat 61 is on rail travel in Europe, it includes trains worldwide. Mark Smith covers what I know best - Amtrak - in excellent detail, and I would highly recommend his chapter about <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.seat61.com/UnitedStates.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Amtrak</span></a></span> to anyone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Rather than go on and on about <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.seat61.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Seat 61</span></a></span>, I invite you to look for yourself. But I caution that you, too, might get pleasantly trapped on the site daydreaming about the train rides you could take.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-2974881508497246942013-01-15T16:45:00.001-08:002013-02-19T09:48:27.688-08:00Airlines - United introduces bag delivery service<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Other than situations where an errant suitcase is delivered to a passenger, the airlines do not get involved with shipping bags beyond the airport baggage carousel.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYosZRLS5_ljZsMFPrQBn1DZi-5fU2XBoxO4mrfLY1GCo7wsCXEYvYJs5epX-VUhFrzevwbqBBMt7TwL9aQWLF5Zg1yoJxM5ckyQVE5a5XIMCQ-SzqExN2v7odII9SqQmyGxwtWuqKQtZ/s1600/woman+with+suitcases.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYosZRLS5_ljZsMFPrQBn1DZi-5fU2XBoxO4mrfLY1GCo7wsCXEYvYJs5epX-VUhFrzevwbqBBMt7TwL9aQWLF5Zg1yoJxM5ckyQVE5a5XIMCQ-SzqExN2v7odII9SqQmyGxwtWuqKQtZ/s200/woman+with+suitcases.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Image courtesy of sattva<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / Free<span style="font-size: x-small;">DigitalPhotos.net</span></span> </span></span></span></i></span></td><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br /></i></span></td><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></i></span><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">But now United is going to test a third-party service in which your checked bag is delivered directly to you at your destination. For now, the service will be limited to five U.S. airports: Boston (BOS), Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Honolulu (HNL), Houston Intercontinental (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), and Orlando (MCO). One's originating city may be any U.S. domestic city, however. (Example: flying from Chico to Boston on United connecting in San Francisco.) (Author's note added 19 Feb 2013 - the initial test of this service must have been successful because as of today the service is now offered at 36 airports.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">For delivery within 40 miles of the airport the cost is $29.95 for the first bag, $39.95 for two bags, and $49.95 for up to 8 bags to the same location. Beyond 40 miles an additional fee applies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Lest you think that this would be a way to avoid paying United's own fees for checked baggage, it won't be. But if you have a United Explorer VISA card like I do, or are a high-status Mileage Plus traveler, or are flying first-class, you don't have to pay to check the bag - you just pay for the delivery service.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Airlines are getting heat for adding fees for services previously provided for free, but this is not the same; it's a brand new service that has real value for passengers who are checking luggage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here are a few situations that occur to me where this would be of great value.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">You're a business traveler headed to Chicago who has to go directly to an important meeting but you do not want to schlep luggage around all day. You arrange for your bag to go directly to your hotel.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Your family of five (and five pieces of luggage) are going on a trip to Disneyworld and the last thing you want to do is ride the car rental shuttle with the Gang of Five and the Gang of Five Suitcases. You arrange for the Gang of Five Suitcases to have their own ride to the hotel where you are staying.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">You are traveling by yourself to spend a month in Boston. You are not renting a car and you do not have someone to meet you at the airport. The idea of lugging two giant suitcases on the Boston subway system to get from the airport to your lodging doesn't charm you, so you arrange for the bags to be delivered to you after you arrive.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">If you can afford to pay a little money to make a problem go away, then you should do it, and this service can really make some travel problems go away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I hope the service is so successful that not only United expands it to many other airports, but other carriers copy it. It's an idea whose time has come.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Useful links:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">- <a href="http://www.frequentbusinesstraveler.com/2013/01/united-airlines-to-deliver-baggage-to-hotels-and-residences/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">article</span></a> from <i>Frequent Business Traveler</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">- United Airlines <a href="https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/products/travelproducts/Pages/Baggage-Delivery.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">website page</span></a> with complete information about the service</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-35721018200584534902013-01-03T19:12:00.000-08:002013-01-03T19:14:25.893-08:00Rail - A ride up the coast and back in time<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.goletadepot.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">South Coast Railroad Museum</span></a></span> (in Goleta, adjacent to Santa Barbara) is sponsoring an excursion on Saturday, 19 January 2013, from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo and back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">They are chartering two restored classic passenger club lounge cars which will be attached to regular Amtrak runs between Santa Barbara (SBA) and San Luis Obispo (SLO). The train leaves SBA at 10:22 a.m., arrives in SLO at 1:00 p.m., and then leaves less than an hour later to return to SBA at 4:32 p.m. (Passengers may also board and detrain in Goleta.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The two cars are the <i>Overland Trail</i> (from Southern Pacific's <i>Overland</i>) and the <i>Acoma</i> (from the Santa Fe's <i>Super Chief</i>). As I write this it appears that seats on the <i>Acoma</i> are sold out, but space remains on the <i>Overland Trail</i>, though it no doubt will sell out soon, too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The cost of the excursion is noteworthy for its reasonable price: $79-86 roundtrip depending on which of the cars you book. (The regular round-trip fare on Amtrak is only slightly less.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBaXygqOEp66EsUTVUnlevVKfWR3ibgDcLX-xqtIUCjStSgq4-XUwlb_lfu_e2kxIrWNumRnD4Wcuzb9-2fuyB2FuntFFB3LH-f6NxAD1cyiexGTFI9tMipDPUPa1tziK8k2bQL1Jgelv/s1600/Coast+Starlight+by+ocean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBaXygqOEp66EsUTVUnlevVKfWR3ibgDcLX-xqtIUCjStSgq4-XUwlb_lfu_e2kxIrWNumRnD4Wcuzb9-2fuyB2FuntFFB3LH-f6NxAD1cyiexGTFI9tMipDPUPa1tziK8k2bQL1Jgelv/s320/Coast+Starlight+by+ocean.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i>Amtrak photo of Coast Starlight along the coast</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The South Coast Railroad Museum operates this type of excursion often under the <i>Central Coast Flyer</i> name; two more are on tap for 16 February ("Sweetheart Special") and 23 March. Check out their <span id="goog_555275218"></span><a href="http://store.goletadepot.org/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1819" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">website</span><span id="goog_555275219"></span></a> for future trips if you would like to coordinate a trip to the area in conjunction with one of these excursions. They also operate the <i>Santa Barbara Vino Train</i>, a round-trip day excursion from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara using the <i>Overland Trail</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In case you are not aware, it is this portion of the route between Los Angeles and Seattle that puts the "Coast" in Amtrak's <i>Coast Starlight</i>. From Santa Barbara to Grover Beach, most of the trackage is in sight of the ocean and includes beautiful vistas you'll never see otherwise, because U.S. 101 runs inland. It's considered one of most scenic train rides in the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><u><b>Useful links:</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">- <i>Trains Magazine</i> <span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2012/12/Restored%20Super%20Chief%20car%20to%20make%20inaugural%20run.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">post</span></a></span> about the excursion<u><b> </b></u></span>Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-4240829203037417122012-12-20T15:20:00.000-08:002019-09-09T09:52:44.476-07:00Hotels - El Encanto arises<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There is only one hotel with which I have had an emotional connection since I was a very small child: the El Encanto in Santa Barbara. To say it is a special place for me, would be an immense understatement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Though I'm not certain of the exact years, I figure my association with the El Encanto began around 1957 or 1958. My mother took me and my brother on the train (Southern Pacific's <i>Coast Daylight</i>) from San Jose to Santa Barbara, where we would spend a week at the El Encanto with Aunt Minna. (This also was the beginning of my fondness for trains.)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HjVG4n3lmz2dr1aZ6uBC4AunVCHWj2jeJ_bZUpExwbPHP4lfSZXM9BjoOhyphenhyphencKgrT1dvzPrsNZFpOw2p5QTFlSXuXhBNgv9wOTBCF89mHhJJz2pc2SqpJ9UoQuIthgYY1U-1Geygzkz0b/s320/Minna+and+Greg.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Aunt Minna and me at the El Encanto, circa 1958</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">You see, my mother's Aunt Minna lived in Los Angeles and every summer she would come up to Santa Barbara to spend several weeks at the El Encanto.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">My brother Ken, nine years older than I, came with us until he was around 14 or 15. At his age, he got more liberty to roam Santa Barbara on his own. (He remembers catching the city bus that stops right below the hotel - and still does - to get down to Stearns Wharf and go fishing.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My guess is that this week away from responsibility for my mother (other than keeping an eye on me) was a gift from Minna to my mother.<br />
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We would either take the train back to San Jose, or if my father could get off work, he would come down for a day or two and then we would drive back.<br />
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How my Aunt Minna became familiar with the El Encanto I don't know, but I wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that at that time it seemed to be popular with Germans. My recollection is that hearing German there during this period was not uncommon. Minna's English was heavily accented, and she occasionally switched from German to English midsentence. No problem for my mother who was also German, but it could leave my father, my brother, and me scratching our heads.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQbFyd0SQTBzAF1FpAmbCbjPG7f29puqhBNRU-P7YXwd1NHSV_ucE1tEJSnWSw1vWSdTPQkFWAFnQr5s_pGmBWE3QUlXdJf0YedU7eTms4sbnYq7ccp6fQTGwjTNTJ3mF57RLIcyOBnZk/s1600/scan0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQbFyd0SQTBzAF1FpAmbCbjPG7f29puqhBNRU-P7YXwd1NHSV_ucE1tEJSnWSw1vWSdTPQkFWAFnQr5s_pGmBWE3QUlXdJf0YedU7eTms4sbnYq7ccp6fQTGwjTNTJ3mF57RLIcyOBnZk/s320/scan0001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">1950s postcard (this pool no longer exists)</span></i></div>
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I<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">'m pretty sure that our last trip to Santa Barbara and the El Encanto was in the summer of 1963. Aunt Minna died in the spring of 1965, and the connections with the hotel then became sporadic. I remember staying there once in September 1975 prior to attending UC Santa Barbara, and then bringing my partner Keith there for a tour of the grounds and a drink in early 1998. It's always been a place to come back to and reminisce about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Let's skip a few decades to the 2000s. Ownership of the hotel changed hands numerous times over the years, but in 2003 then current owner, local resident Eric Friden, died in a polo accident. El Encanto was acquired by <a href="http://www.orient-express.com/our_collection.jsp" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Orient-Express</span></a>, the owner of luxury rail services and hotels mostly outside of North America.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">After operating El Encanto for two years, Orient-Express closed it in 2006 to embark on a what would become a major project of renovations more extensive than even they foresaw initially. It turned into a saga involving disputes between the hotel's owner and the neighbors over the extent and nature of the renovations, and then financing issues. After an injection of capital late in 2011, the project was back on track, and construction has been proceeding rapidly ever since. (A note about nomenclature. Orient-Express dropped use of "the" prior to "El Encanto" so from here on out I am doing the same. It makes sense considering that "el" means "the" in Spanish.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Because I have mostly worked in the travel industry, and because I love Santa Barbara, and this hotel for its own sake and for its personal memories, I have kept a close eye on it for many years including during the long period of its closure. I was excited to read earlier this year that the hotel was at last planning to reopen in 2013.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4GQ0EOjbTabTwehTdob8E-KeH1pL7rJQRAd3ZNqjEvmI_604DozGg6-0Rw0LM1pLVjiSHm294kUrLXc62q-ANXbMcF2H_g6QIZkzL1iJjjO5VSJwhbGqN8ZPb2j6Dx7ZHOZWjR5DUz41/s1600/El+Encanto+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4GQ0EOjbTabTwehTdob8E-KeH1pL7rJQRAd3ZNqjEvmI_604DozGg6-0Rw0LM1pLVjiSHm294kUrLXc62q-ANXbMcF2H_g6QIZkzL1iJjjO5VSJwhbGqN8ZPb2j6Dx7ZHOZWjR5DUz41/s320/El+Encanto+7.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Me about 54 years later on my hard-hat tour</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Ellen Thornton, director of sales for El Encanto, was kind enough to give me a very extensive inside/outside hard hat tour of the property when I visited Santa Barbara in mid-October. In many ways, the hotel will be brand new when it reopens, but nearly all of the buildings - both the bungalows and larger buildings - will be intact.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The interiors of the rooms and bungalows will be stunning in a way that is technologically contemporary, yet in keeping with the classic period when El Encanto was constructed. It will not be not over the top and trendy, and thus consequently out of date in fifteen years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">One thing that so impressed me about the project is how Orient-Express addressed the main building. One of the first buildings of the original El Encanto, the intention was to simply renovate it along with the other buildings. They quickly realized that the bones of the building just would not permit them to do what they needed to do to bring it up to current standards. What they did is design and erect a new main building that from the outside looks identical to the original.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXFC5x18gtbqNH_2Hce0I6EgEIxTbLku5bxsDHwtDcKyxf6VrSJ_Cbj-aDYS6bJf7vPxTwwJTHZzM3knGEkPTii66AdNOF0FKq-U1k2fbiBnRMsNTwIbU7U3SjGgPrMDSxg3Rzt-hQBXe/s1600/El+Encanto+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXFC5x18gtbqNH_2Hce0I6EgEIxTbLku5bxsDHwtDcKyxf6VrSJ_Cbj-aDYS6bJf7vPxTwwJTHZzM3knGEkPTii66AdNOF0FKq-U1k2fbiBnRMsNTwIbU7U3SjGgPrMDSxg3Rzt-hQBXe/s320/El+Encanto+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>The El Encanto's new/old main building</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The day before my tour with Ellen, I went up to El Encanto and drove the adjoining city streets that surround the property.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">While I knew in theory that the old main building had been torn down and a new one built in its place, I found it difficult to believe because it looked so much like the original.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">It was kind of like meeting someone who is supposed to be a twin of someone else you know, but you think perhaps that your leg is being pulled and that in fact there is no twin at all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">On the tour, Ellen took me into the main building so I could see what was old and what was new. The main level's floorplan is also remarkably similar to the original, especially reception, the dining room, and common area. I think Aunt Minna would be delighted to see that the light airiness of the dining room made possible by large landscape windows, is utterly indistinguishable from the original building. For me it felt like a walk back in time. On the other hand the lower level and the second floor have been transformed by a spa and extensive meeting space respectively.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Why is El Encanto such a remarkable place?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Location. Grounds. Ambiance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>View from the main building of the El Encanto</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><b>Location.</b> Unlike the rest of Santa Barbara's hotels which are found mostly close to the beach or in the downtown area, El Encanto is perched high above the city in a neighborhood aptly named the Riviera. (Santa Barbara markets itself as "<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span style="color: #990000;">the American Riviera<span id="goog_451780307"></span></span></a>".) It is nearby, but at a higher elevation than the beautiful <a href="http://www.santabarbaramission.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Santa Barbara mission</span></a>. No hotel in Santa Barbara comes close to offering the view that El Encanto does, taking in the city, the Pacific Ocean, and the Channel Islands.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHe9mR009-2J-VFHwUX2d8FqLBpgysLqqcYn-x3rMZ9MP4_wdYK6o1-ukQl-i9EsPclEVMVMPEVae79PSKsDqC3GSFQ3NTsBSRnw9IoIyIFyUJC6zfqHuxpYg0BHNkFPZiF5NfP_yIHM29/s1600/scan0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHe9mR009-2J-VFHwUX2d8FqLBpgysLqqcYn-x3rMZ9MP4_wdYK6o1-ukQl-i9EsPclEVMVMPEVae79PSKsDqC3GSFQ3NTsBSRnw9IoIyIFyUJC6zfqHuxpYg0BHNkFPZiF5NfP_yIHM29/s320/scan0002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>1950s postcard of the lily pond</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><b>Grounds.</b> From the time of my first recollections of El Encanto as a child to many years later when I saw it again as an adult, what changed the least were the grounds. There is one large lawn close to the main building, and then all over the rest of the property are trees, cactus, flowers - you name it; anything that will grow in coastal southern California's ideal climate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">And then there's the lily pond. As a kid, I was fascinated by the big goldfish or carp, and especially by the large turtle, that called the pond home. Over the years the turtle passed on, but perhaps Orient-Express will reintroduce another one. The pond is rectangular, and framed with a brick-and-wood trellis-work. Romantic doesn't begin to do justice to the setting, and I can guarantee you it will be the site for many weddings. (Orient-Express dismantled the trellis-work, replaced the beams, and then reassembled it brick-by-brick to make it structurally sound.) On the other hand the 1950s era swimming pool was removed, and a new pool and fitness complex constructed near but not on the same footprint as the old pool. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomh-AjLdWDHFlWeqQ5VzvZhmo2hUFOp2Cp9ay1qXm2WlxsdYkQ8w6-hrzry0t46sysE6oBGhBlfy414m0TbNTKt9KxPq3IIRfXinimznlv8B1p2bpO58g9OvwwB6-w7DZedx4eCZ8NEuT/s1600/El+Encanto+from+Orient+Express.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomh-AjLdWDHFlWeqQ5VzvZhmo2hUFOp2Cp9ay1qXm2WlxsdYkQ8w6-hrzry0t46sysE6oBGhBlfy414m0TbNTKt9KxPq3IIRfXinimznlv8B1p2bpO58g9OvwwB6-w7DZedx4eCZ8NEuT/s320/El+Encanto+from+Orient+Express.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Photo courtesy of Orient-Express</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><b>Ambiance.</b> The ambiance is linked closely to both the location and grounds, but it merits its own section. In the 1920s and 1930s, California underwent a period of rediscovery and myth-making about the pre-American era. The mission revival style of architecture was part of the era, and most of the buildings except for the main building at El Encanto are in that iconic style that is so closely linked to southern California. Both the original buildings in that style, and the completely new ones built during the current renovation, are outstanding examples. The combination of mission revival and the richly landscaped grounds sets a tone that is subdued and beautiful, with the view adding a touch of the spectacular. But finally a hotel is more than just these physical elements. Orient-Express will recast the hotel with an updated take on luxury that will include a lavish spa, gym, a new pool, and significantly more meeting space than the old property had. But the feel will remain the same: it will be quiet and understated, and meant largely for couples and families to cocoon, with the occasional small corporate meeting. This will not be a place to see and be seen, anymore than it was prior to Orient-Express taking ownership. As it was before, I expect that for Santa Barbarans it will resume its position as a place to celebrate or just to have a drink on the terrace and watch the sun set.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">When the hotel reopens on 18 March 2013, it will not be something that the 99% can book on a whim. It will take its place with the Four Seasons Biltmore and the San Ysidro Ranch among Santa Barbara's most expensive lodgings. In the off-season a lower cost room might run in the low $300s midweek, and in summer way beyond that. But if the occasion calls for it - a honeymoon, an anniversary, a memorable birthday - I haven't any doubt that what you will remember afterward will be the wonderful experience you had, and not how much money you spent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><b><u>Useful links:</u></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">- <a href="http://www.independent.com/news/2011/nov/16/el-encanto-gets-45-million/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">article</span></a> from the <i>Santa Barbara Independent</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">- <a href="http://elencanto.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">El Encanto website</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">- earlier post "<a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2012/10/destinations-santa-barbara-one-thing.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Santa Barbara: one thing well known and two things obscure</span></a>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">- earlier post "<a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2012/11/destinations-santa-barbara-west-beach.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Santa Barbara: West Beach and East Beach hotels</span></a>"</span>Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-67556466022545052042012-11-17T12:56:00.005-08:002012-11-17T15:35:02.549-08:00Destinations - Santa Barbara: West Beach and East Beach hotels<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Santa Barbara, like most California beach cities, can be a challenging place to find reasonably priced accommodations. However if you pick your dates carefully, and consider some of the less splashy properties in the West Beach and East Beach areas, you may be surprised.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwMpAZfhvIc43dLTbRuC6m4HDCGkAJUnrenXN0L720QrBqyJjNv_s3vDbT2C8Muu65lMLAnHYZ3nkrC8SScHxUgWlK7krc9CA8qM70RM-nxfsjQ9yMugKyjTaQI_0tDkeQnRm8YZnBc8E/s1600/looking+from+EB+toward+harbor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwMpAZfhvIc43dLTbRuC6m4HDCGkAJUnrenXN0L720QrBqyJjNv_s3vDbT2C8Muu65lMLAnHYZ3nkrC8SScHxUgWlK7krc9CA8qM70RM-nxfsjQ9yMugKyjTaQI_0tDkeQnRm8YZnBc8E/s320/looking+from+EB+toward+harbor.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Cabrillo Boulevard runs along the beach in Santa Barbara. It's a beautiful, palm lined promenade. State Street, downtown Santa Barbara's main drag ends at Cabrillo, though in a sense it continues over the water to become Stearns Wharf.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">To the west of State Street is the area known as West Beach. To the east of State Street is East Beach.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The greater number of hotels is found in the West Beach area, both along Cabrillo Boulevard and on the side streets behind Cabrillo. But two of the largest are found in East Beach: Fess Parker's DoubleTree and the Hyatt Santa Barbara (known for decades and up until recently as the Hotel Mar Monte).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>East Beach Grill</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Prices run the gamut, but in general those on Cabrillo Boulevard (and therefore facing the beach) are more expensive, than the ones on the side streets behind Cabrillo. For example, the original Motel 6 (which I wrote about in my <a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2012/10/destinations-santa-barbara-one-thing.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">previous post</span></a>) is a tidy affair located one short block behind the Hyatt Santa Barbara.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here are links to two Google Maps I created that plot the locations of most of the hotels and motels:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=210031764296480987487.0004ccff884109fbc5b57&msa=0" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">West </span><span style="color: #990000;">Beach</span></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=210031764296480987487.0004cd3a6e952eadca3cc&msa=0" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">East </span><span style="color: #990000;">Beach</span></a></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Now reasonable prices are a relative thing in Santa Barbara. Even the Motel 6 on a summer weekend can set you back $200 per night. But weekday nights (Sunday-Thursday) are nearly always less expensive than Friday and Saturday nights, and the non-summer months will be lower priced than peak season.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">What many people forget, even Californians, is that the weather on the coast is at its best in autumn, yet prices can drop sharply after Labor Day. If you want to keep costs in check yet enjoy lovely weather, you should think about a midweek visit in September or October.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayfmnQ3A1pVtDHxPUFfBGmuLfsfEFWGrrlB5c_cGkuQODD7fZn0CiirZkn9cTBbjWI-O3bjzLwE288DyBqGzfZNJXN0GFbxAxwIGmRk5UnOO2ELOHHb7Iyqa8QnhMQ8H-U6znv7AL20j-/s1600/WB+Franciscan+Inn+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayfmnQ3A1pVtDHxPUFfBGmuLfsfEFWGrrlB5c_cGkuQODD7fZn0CiirZkn9cTBbjWI-O3bjzLwE288DyBqGzfZNJXN0GFbxAxwIGmRk5UnOO2ELOHHb7Iyqa8QnhMQ8H-U6znv7AL20j-/s320/WB+Franciscan+Inn+6.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Franciscan Inn</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">On my mid-October trip I paid about $100 per night at the Franciscan Inn for a small but very nice room in an exceptionally quiet area. All of the other motels on Bath Street where the Franciscan Inn is situated, are similarly attractive. Even the Days Inn on adjacent (and busier) Castillo Street is well-kept.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">For visitors coming to Santa Barbara by train, the West Beach area is walking distance close to the Amtrak station. If you have just one wheely-type suitcase per person, you can easily walk from the depot to any of the West Beach hotels in 5 minutes, 10 at most. (To East Beach hotels you'll need to take a taxi.)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogedU4SRWygdMkse7Gjl4HQsZxJRajbwOPBEJdH9EzsnAInNw3iDdtFfF2vXrnPLQNgHml6G2UyNn-u2WC-pbhpJJISbLwPz-uW3WnA1jhqURnrFim4nBfJI8yrfWn_jvKGyrWAwdgIC6/s1600/DSCN0188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogedU4SRWygdMkse7Gjl4HQsZxJRajbwOPBEJdH9EzsnAInNw3iDdtFfF2vXrnPLQNgHml6G2UyNn-u2WC-pbhpJJISbLwPz-uW3WnA1jhqURnrFim4nBfJI8yrfWn_jvKGyrWAwdgIC6/s320/DSCN0188.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Train 777 leaving Santa Barbara headed north</em></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Speaking of transportation, Santa Barbara is a city that is pretty easy to get around without a car, and they promote it at the <a href="http://www.santabarbaracarfree.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Santa Barbara Car Free</span></a> website. And if you arrive car-less like I did, but want to rent a car just for a day or two it's easy: Avis is located close to the train station, and Hertz (which I used) has an agency at the DoubleTree Hotel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">There aren't a lot of restaurants in the immediate area but the lower part of State Street (on the other side of 101) has plenty, or if you have a car you can drive a short distance up to the residential Mesa area for a good selection of non-tourist eats. And two blocks staggering distance from the Franciscan Inn is the <a href="http://brewhousesb.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Brewhouse Santa Barbara</span></a> with a large selection of its own brews and pub food. (I enjoyed a tasty IPA during their happy hour.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Santa Barbara is justly renowned for its high-end hotels. And in fact, my next post will be about one of those that is soon to reopen after years of closure. But if you pick your dates and hotel wisely, you can visit this most beautiful of California destinations without spending a fortune.</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">What follows is a selection of photos of some of the West and East Beach hotels.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bONGQC95Eeg8GbHi47FUU1ROpTpw3ytovFpznuhuaAp3GGdJwjXhIz5d1RbLVyBibgcog6_CMiV0zntioy0R4oWgksUUYrb_F7g0OPrK9OthSrYUNhyphenhyphenkUzuk6a1TRwnBwmCZwHCtsryE/s1600/WB+Casa+del+Mar+Inn+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bONGQC95Eeg8GbHi47FUU1ROpTpw3ytovFpznuhuaAp3GGdJwjXhIz5d1RbLVyBibgcog6_CMiV0zntioy0R4oWgksUUYrb_F7g0OPrK9OthSrYUNhyphenhyphenkUzuk6a1TRwnBwmCZwHCtsryE/s320/WB+Casa+del+Mar+Inn+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Casa del Mar Inn (West Beach)</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Hotel Oceana (West Beach)</em></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8URGb15yhkwckd1eXk2P4h0rAppz6pTnsIM8vZ9wQoL9OFhtVql95HWR7Uy9cB2s79Xa9Q6vRP7YYwezy46WrCJTDifFpnjeHnkUBh-R5rBuAhCNGv7NN_egWkwizvIvEQN4lCcGsw8o_/s1600/WB+Beach+House+Inn+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8URGb15yhkwckd1eXk2P4h0rAppz6pTnsIM8vZ9wQoL9OFhtVql95HWR7Uy9cB2s79Xa9Q6vRP7YYwezy46WrCJTDifFpnjeHnkUBh-R5rBuAhCNGv7NN_egWkwizvIvEQN4lCcGsw8o_/s320/WB+Beach+House+Inn+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Beach House Inn (West Beach)</em></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbFdpHx9AdLqOA_q9SW0oCNnnEKpTDnpndW4Ou7qmPdsr5tv-jAAe0gYDb68saP_zxIlJQ2suUBSS_z_FXOpNgBg9SmQ3TeoUeAq5EYktJ9Js2oWcumac66xWV75ypAiE3MgghdlbYsSS/s1600/EB+Blue+Sands+Motel+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbFdpHx9AdLqOA_q9SW0oCNnnEKpTDnpndW4Ou7qmPdsr5tv-jAAe0gYDb68saP_zxIlJQ2suUBSS_z_FXOpNgBg9SmQ3TeoUeAq5EYktJ9Js2oWcumac66xWV75ypAiE3MgghdlbYsSS/s320/EB+Blue+Sands+Motel+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Blue Sands Motel (East Beach)</em></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdabZkVXJZqmSf-00LLom24dnCmCar0Hv8-Ggp4LJEqOFui5H80YTYlhzuMB-RNr4q1bIrVEB_SIOpAJ1qeIIACXYSsNgIYQ1EtGnhcNwzRKu-QX8-YQ4Zbg9vf_sZ51YErcPmhgRUZUo/s1600/EB+Santa+Barbara+Inn+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdabZkVXJZqmSf-00LLom24dnCmCar0Hv8-Ggp4LJEqOFui5H80YTYlhzuMB-RNr4q1bIrVEB_SIOpAJ1qeIIACXYSsNgIYQ1EtGnhcNwzRKu-QX8-YQ4Zbg9vf_sZ51YErcPmhgRUZUo/s320/EB+Santa+Barbara+Inn+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Santa Barbara Inn (East Beach)</em></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcW0HpvdKJHLK2NxZZJKveyYRYZV3xtDhE0gGp57cjIRLljFwQij1L-yhYO0qp4eZ_DwY7OQdGdThboS7PvU_MCcFBpkzJUcGzRTROSNYLADui7XtxBnjhfbUXYFe56EcbGmfyKQY6sMbF/s1600/EB+The+Cottages+at+East+Beach+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcW0HpvdKJHLK2NxZZJKveyYRYZV3xtDhE0gGp57cjIRLljFwQij1L-yhYO0qp4eZ_DwY7OQdGdThboS7PvU_MCcFBpkzJUcGzRTROSNYLADui7XtxBnjhfbUXYFe56EcbGmfyKQY6sMbF/s320/EB+The+Cottages+at+East+Beach+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>The East Beach Cottages (vrbo.com property # 79543)</em></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2B5C4KsedNkay2PYhkK-qb8BmSd8VA-E2M8J8_unggJkEOal_H1y6IT8x2w8HebImmfYS7lxNKlOYxenFPSCATZEzc_zQDJlvebZumXDr7WGe9QtJiLCTDczJyrbhk3eo-xfsIst2LKU/s1600/WB+Harbor+House+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2B5C4KsedNkay2PYhkK-qb8BmSd8VA-E2M8J8_unggJkEOal_H1y6IT8x2w8HebImmfYS7lxNKlOYxenFPSCATZEzc_zQDJlvebZumXDr7WGe9QtJiLCTDczJyrbhk3eo-xfsIst2LKU/s320/WB+Harbor+House+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Harbor House (West Beach)</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Hyatt Santa Barbara (East Beach)</em></span></div>
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Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-19727332762063582582012-10-29T09:50:00.000-07:002012-10-29T09:50:24.705-07:00Destinations - Santa Barbara: one thing well known and two things obscure<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A trip this past week to Santa Barbara will provide fodder for a few blog posts. It was a mix of transportation: train from Chico to Santa Barbara, Hertz car rental while in Santa Barbara, and then United Airlines (well, United Express) from Santa Barbara back to Chico via SFO. Everything went smoothly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The reason for the trip - if one really needs a reason to visit Santa Barbara - was to get a tour of a grand hotel that is in the latter stages of renovation; I'll address that in a subsequent post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">But as the title of this post sets forth, I'm going to write about one feature of Santa Barbara that is quite well known, and then two other less known things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;"><strong>Santa Barbara County Courthouse</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The courthouse competes with the Mission for the title of most photographed landmark in Santa Barbara. Completed in 1929, it replaced an earlier courthouse destroyed in the devastating <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1925_Santa_Barbara_earthquake" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">earthquake</span></a> that took place in June 1925 and leveled most of downtown Santa Barbara. In the aftermath of the earthquake, the city intentionally rebuilt in the Spanish Colonial Revival style.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Not unlike Yosemite where you can just point your camera and shoot, knowing that any shot will be spectacular because of the subject, the same is true of this manmade structure landscaped in a commensurately beautful way. I never tire of <a href="http://www.santabarbaracourthouse.org/sbch/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">this building</span></a> and its surroundings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here is a selection of exterior and interior photos I took. Is it Spain or is it California? - you decide.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">From the El Mirador tower looking to the Santa Ynez Mountains</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">An interior stairway</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Two obscure things about Santa Barbara</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">From the sublime courthouse we'll switch the light on to illuminate two major enterprises that began in Santa Barbara. One of them is no longer major, but the other one remains so and continues to grow. Both of these are American commercial cultural touchstones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;"><strong>Sambo's</strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNO0hxE2icjpK5Q6caagpm-W0ppZaKO2HUCToEGtJ_JKRDVbJI3IluP6YQ84ulW7wLg1jwsKQNKnc285VKkcZJQp2AO_FMZOSVL3swLrq3QUg5pT2tNBqP9j24MFWLOWQnUDYG6VBCgljE/s1600/Sambos+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNO0hxE2icjpK5Q6caagpm-W0ppZaKO2HUCToEGtJ_JKRDVbJI3IluP6YQ84ulW7wLg1jwsKQNKnc285VKkcZJQp2AO_FMZOSVL3swLrq3QUg5pT2tNBqP9j24MFWLOWQnUDYG6VBCgljE/s400/Sambos+2.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Coming of age in the mid-1970s, my crowd's hangout in late high school and early college years was the Sambo's in Los Gatos, Calif. I remember little about the food, but I do know </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">that the 10<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: PMingLiU; mso-fareast-language: ZH-TW; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">¢</span> coffee was the big draw. (Yes, younger readers, even in the 70s ten cents wasn't much money.) Most of the waitresses were around our age, and familiar in dealing with vexatious, loudmouthed teens. It was a fun place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Sambo's began modestly in Santa Barbara at one beachfront location in 1957.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9m59JJNOUUtavU4DoKPlNAuC2PVfKJpNBvIf8lbue1eRkvUbbmV7xD2nufvqiUCKZbf-89dMoVSwyFsKdFygI5DGY-E2eJaB6MVBU0-pRO8r5OhUdxVxNFAq8MN01mvVQtPKXxffLbfi/s1600/Sambos+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9m59JJNOUUtavU4DoKPlNAuC2PVfKJpNBvIf8lbue1eRkvUbbmV7xD2nufvqiUCKZbf-89dMoVSwyFsKdFygI5DGY-E2eJaB6MVBU0-pRO8r5OhUdxVxNFAq8MN01mvVQtPKXxffLbfi/s320/Sambos+3.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Drawing on the <a href="http://www.sambosrestaurant.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Sambo's website</span></a>, I learned that by 1981 the chain had expanded to 47 states with 1117 restaurants. But a year later, all but the original location in Santa Barbara had closed. (A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo%27s" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Wikipedia article</span></a> gives background on the chain's demise.) Thirty years later, the first and last Sambo's is going strong under the ownership of the grandson of one of the original Sambo's founders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Located on Cabrillo Boulevard in the West Beach area of Santa Barbara, it is the last surviving outpost of what once was a huge chain of restaurants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;"><strong>Motel 6</strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01SXRj-TOhNsgKJhoE6MS2XReLWIr0Szk5BNzt7JSSEWfk4zJjlI8GWTH0weBoslUrBz3Z3YL_HyQzXOvjv6OyD6vYCu0BkLSX6xAtw3hS719oPeHADJ-z_UhN2TOYkc4xGILdAl_SsxI/s1600/EB+Motel+6+-+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01SXRj-TOhNsgKJhoE6MS2XReLWIr0Szk5BNzt7JSSEWfk4zJjlI8GWTH0weBoslUrBz3Z3YL_HyQzXOvjv6OyD6vYCu0BkLSX6xAtw3hS719oPeHADJ-z_UhN2TOYkc4xGILdAl_SsxI/s320/EB+Motel+6+-+2.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Santa Barbara is known for its upscale hotels. The Four Seasons Biltmore and the San Ysidro Ranch quickly come to mind. Even modest to midscale motels and hotels in this town go for higher rates than in other locales. So it will come as a surprise to learn that the nation's best known budget chain, <a href="http://www.motel6.com/about/corpprofile.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Motel 6</span></a>, began in Santa Barbara in 1962.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The original Motel 6 was built in the East Beach area of Santa Barbara. While not on oceanfront Cabrillo Boulevard, it is set back only one short block from the beach. Its original $6 per night rate (and reason for the chain's name) is history, victim of inflation and high-demand.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYTxmXu60PfPirLXFLbW3_l-etlZyBOrH2eP_QmGKvJNCkJ1X1ksKg0PLxLQExb43LA-KYelbWr9M9KO9v9i5mL2FFOs2a1YTtYRStuRlxfwqZQ5kYMQfXz8uL0Qc0GGy0TKwmiQqMiku/s1600/EB+Motel+6+-+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYTxmXu60PfPirLXFLbW3_l-etlZyBOrH2eP_QmGKvJNCkJ1X1ksKg0PLxLQExb43LA-KYelbWr9M9KO9v9i5mL2FFOs2a1YTtYRStuRlxfwqZQ5kYMQfXz8uL0Qc0GGy0TKwmiQqMiku/s320/EB+Motel+6+-+3.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">For many years the headquarters of the Motel 6 chain was in Santa Barbara. It was acquired by the French hotel giant Accor in 1990, but sold this year to The Blackstone Group. It is now run by G6 Hospitality based in Carrollton, Tex. Fifty years after the chain's founding, it consists of about 1100 properties in the U.S. and Canada. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><br /><br />The original property has held up well over the years, and sports a kind of Polynesian effect what with its palm trees. Quite appropriate for a motel that opened in 1962.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motel_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Wikipedia's entry</span></a> includes a good history of Motel 6's development and ownership changes over the years.</span></div>
Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-8811417361609132592012-09-20T17:25:00.000-07:002012-09-20T21:31:40.234-07:00Destinations - San Antonio's River Walk and a margarita recipe<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm finally getting around to writing a post about a trip to Texas taken back in May. As was the case in '09, this was a trip to meet up with the Glass family, whom my partner Keith has known since his Dallas boyhood. The '09 trip was to <a href="http://www.norcalblogs.com/transportation/2009/04/destinations_austin_texas_aka.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Austin</span></a>, but this one was primarily to San Antonio, where the y</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">oungest Glass, Robby (son of Keith's childhood friend Rob), was graduating from St. Mary's law school.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Keith and I stayed in downtown San Antonio at the <a href="http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/SanAntonioLaMansionDelRio.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Omni La Mansion del Rio</span></a>. This hotel backs up to the River Walk - more about that later - but in fact bears a connection with our visit to the city: <a href="http://www.historichotels.org/hotels-resorts/omni-la-mansion-del-rio/history.php" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">the hotel was adapted</span></a> in the 1960s from what was the original St. Mary's School of Law. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">It's an attractive downtown hotel with a strong Spanish/Southwest feel to it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">San Antonio is a huge city and its outer suburban areas are as unmemorable as any other American city, but the downtown core is outstanding. Perhaps because of some great art deco architecture and the fact that the San Antonio River winds through it, I kept thinking of Chicago.</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><br />
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<a href="http://www.thealamo.org/visitors/overview.php" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The Alamo</span></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">, a justly famous place in Texan, American, and Mexican history was just a few short blocks away from the hotel. As I'd read before, it is a surprisingly small building considering its fame. Time did not allow for us to do this landmark justice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Most of what we saw was on our morning powerwalks largely along the <a href="http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">River Walk</span></a> both south and north from the core downtown where most visitors stay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/images/uploads/MuseumReach_Map-web_1.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Go north</span></a> and you will reach the <a href="https://www.samuseum.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">San Antonio Art Museum</span></a> (located in a former Lone Star Brewery) and the former <a href="http://atpearl.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Pearl Brewery</span></a> complex with shops and restaurants. (A place I'd really like to go back to is a Mexican restaurant called <a href="http://www.lagloriaicehouse.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">La Gloria</span></a> just above the River Walk and on the Pearl Brewery property.) There are numerous locations where you can cross the river.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">If you don't want to walk, an effortless and cool way to explore the north end of the River Walk is use the <a href="http://www.riosanantonio.com/?page_id=20" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">water taxi</span></a> that runs as far north as the Pearl Brewery complex with many stops. You can buy single ride tickets, or 1 or 3 day passes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Go south and you'll pass by the King William neighborhood, the <a href="http://www.guentherhouse.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Guenther House Restaurant</span></a> (at the historic and very much still active Pioneer Flour Mill owned by the <a href="http://www.chg.com/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">C.H. Guenther & Son Co</span></a>.), and further along the <a href="http://www.bluestarbrewing.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Blue Star Brewery</span></a> and <a href="http://www.bluestarart.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Blue Star Contemporary Art Center</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Every single one of these I've mentioned deserves a longer exploration. The King William neighborhood is noteworthy. It was originally settled by Germans (as in C.H. Guenther) and named for King Wilhelm I of Prussia. (Wilhelm became anglicized into William.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Most visitors to San Antonio probably don't leave the downtown area of the River Walk, and that's a shame considering how much else there is to see, but understandable. Downtown offers a wealth of history and architecture, not to mention restaurants and bars of all sorts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Which brings me to the margarita part of the post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The Omni La Mansion del Rio is renowned for its housemade margaritas. (No mixes, please.) The picture below is of Keith conducting research on these famous margaritas on the outside bar of Las Canarias Restaurant at the hotel overlooking the River Walk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The following evening after we returned to the hotel, we stopped at the small, poolside bar and chatted up the young bartender as she concocted our drinks. While she didn't provide the amounts of each component, she told us what went in while we watched. For safety's sake, the pool bar margarita went into a plastic cup instead of a festive cocktail glass, but it tasted just as good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here's the margarita recipe inspired by the hotel, which I developed after I got home. This makes drinks for 2 persons. The ingredients are expensive so you might not care to make this your everyday margarita!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">good standard tequila such as Sauza: <strong>1.5 oz</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">better quality reposado tequila: <strong>1.5 oz</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">fresh squeezed lime juice: <strong>1.5 oz</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Cointreau: <strong>1 oz</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Grand Marnier: <strong>1 oz</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">agave nectar: <strong>1/2 teaspoon</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I found that this makes a fairly sweet margarita and if you, like I, prefer your margarita a little more on the tart, limey side, then you might reduce the agave nectar by half and increase the lime juice by 1/3. (In the recipe for 2 drinks above, this adjusted dosage would be a 1/4 teaspoon of agave nectar, and 2 oz of lime juice.) Play around with the measurements and see what you think.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">A final libation-related note about San Antonio. Though not originally from San Antonio (the original is in Fort Worth, Tex.), <a href="http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Flying Saucer</span></a> is a Texas-sized emporium of good beer. Around 200 - yes, 200 - beers at any one time are on tap. Robby Glass, the newly minted law school graduate, took Keith and me to the incredibly popular San Antonio outpost while we were there. (This is not located in the downtown area.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">They have their own loyalty program ("UFO Club") that rewards regular customers who try lots of different beers. Flying Saucer hasn't currently been spotted anywhere near California, but UFO sightings have been reported from Texas to the Carolinas across the southern midwest and upper south.</span></div>
Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-64627779793620385992012-09-14T15:41:00.000-07:002012-09-14T15:45:09.620-07:00Amtrak Service and Fares - # 17 - Passenger type discounts<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here and there during the fares part of this series, I've included an example or two of applying a passenger type discount.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In this chapter I'll go through the various discounts systematically.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">To start with, let me briefly repeat a point I've made numerous times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Passenger type discounts <u>only</u> apply to the coach fare, also known as the rail fare.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When passengers occupy upgraded accommodations such as business class, first class, or sleeping accommodations, the passenger type discount is applied to the underlying rail fare, but the extra charge for accommodations is almost never discounted by passenger type.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I wrote <i>almost</i> in the last sentence. Some years ago I saw a AAA member discount for sleeping accommodations. And there probably have been a few other isolated instances over the years where a passenger type discount was permitted during a promotional period, but these are the rare exceptions to an otherwise ironclad rule.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Another limitation is that none of the passenger type discounts currently apply for weekday travel on Acela Express. This is Amtrak's solid gold service for business travelers so all passengers regardless of age or affiliation pay the full adult fare. Amtrak does offer discounts for government travelers and high-volume corporate travelers, however.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In this post I will cover the most commonly used passenger type discounts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><b>Children</b>, ages 2 through 15. Discount: 50%. Two children per adult passenger are entitled to the discount. (If one adult were traveling with three children, the third child would have to pay the adult fare.) Children traveling alone do not receive the discount. Children under 2 not occupying a seat travel free.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><b>Seniors</b>, age 62 and above. Discount: 15%.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><b>AAA members</b>, adults and children receive a 10% discount. This is the one instance where there is a double discount. Children of AAA members pay 50% of the already discounted AAA adult fare. There is no AAA senior fare, so AAA members who are 62 or above do better using the senior discount. One important restriction that applies for the AAA discount but not for the senior or regular children's discount is that reservations and ticketing must be done at least 3 days prior to departure. A AAA member making reservations less than three days prior to departure would pay the regular adult fare.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><b>Military</b>, adult and children is identical to the AAA discount but without the 3-day advance reservation restriction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Various other less common membership discounts also apply. See <a href="http://www.amtrak.com/discount-train-fares-for-kids-seniors-military-students-and-more" style="color: #990000;" target="_blank">the page</a> at Amtrak.com that covers passenger type discounts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Let's look at how Amtrak applies the discounts. In the first example, which we'll play with in several different ways, two passengers are traveling one-way from Portland, Ore. (PDX) to Whitefish, Mont. (WFH). We'll look at the results that Amtrak.com would serve up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The lowest <em>available</em> fare for coach travel is the BOF1, at $115 one-way, sold in YB inventory. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Two regular adults: (2 x $115 = $230)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_ZIqLSSIh80NuFCAt5DKkmXuEv427LsOYoMGPIcklMnmNuHIwpYz4kHNhTvB1riOKJTQGp-5pYe3thqMx9ySPgyNPs_J4EgWdKJxr5UwB555hgHE5H4fyhTeQDygT4205B-bGMgkZSXE/s1600/Chap+17+-+001.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_ZIqLSSIh80NuFCAt5DKkmXuEv427LsOYoMGPIcklMnmNuHIwpYz4kHNhTvB1riOKJTQGp-5pYe3thqMx9ySPgyNPs_J4EgWdKJxr5UwB555hgHE5H4fyhTeQDygT4205B-bGMgkZSXE/s320/Chap+17+-+001.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here's the same example, but in this case it is one adult and one child: (1 x $115 + $57.50 = $172.50)</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAc4kC2S7SCKXUK1r3OEncPnfp4zi_c9UKgPbrsl9aoEWlSbvw3f09ozpHeQMa5Ooxyh-pJzJhxtfrrfIhoY3T71uqzQchxCcJkuAuN6FKBT_Sn7OTQ2Ud7f8G21_PiepfNyzDst26-HK_/s1600/Chap+17+-+002.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAc4kC2S7SCKXUK1r3OEncPnfp4zi_c9UKgPbrsl9aoEWlSbvw3f09ozpHeQMa5Ooxyh-pJzJhxtfrrfIhoY3T71uqzQchxCcJkuAuN6FKBT_Sn7OTQ2Ud7f8G21_PiepfNyzDst26-HK_/s1600/Chap+17+-+002.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Now it's one senior and one adult: (1 x $97.75 + $115 = $212.75)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICuLP4Za3vPOmrJBf8ZiMvNlZXXJ3OgpWjrAQUDlPAnTlzhuzTqzsiHWPrV-NpTJjW4MwqIz8XsV3EJDWfUs4aQFx9wtMu-BY6D35GGydlcW9poiBOotfZmR5WRyFT2IiErZuTX-Fsj-3/s1600/Chap+17+-+003%27.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICuLP4Za3vPOmrJBf8ZiMvNlZXXJ3OgpWjrAQUDlPAnTlzhuzTqzsiHWPrV-NpTJjW4MwqIz8XsV3EJDWfUs4aQFx9wtMu-BY6D35GGydlcW9poiBOotfZmR5WRyFT2IiErZuTX-Fsj-3/s320/Chap+17+-+003%27.png" width="270" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And now it's two AAA adults: (2 x $103.50 = $207)</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCK4kU7MO9A48t9kakmnTO2DU48SAkEnr7VCuhsQXmOUxKNm7xgC4A2Ot5DZ6Yu0MQZFnSJqoXwDgWGhXOzM6NYtkPAYH42vEI5HSLYAx7ahbdTSukPCaQB6jZJ1RakAkCrbSesQFEEFz/s1600/Chap+17+-+004.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCK4kU7MO9A48t9kakmnTO2DU48SAkEnr7VCuhsQXmOUxKNm7xgC4A2Ot5DZ6Yu0MQZFnSJqoXwDgWGhXOzM6NYtkPAYH42vEI5HSLYAx7ahbdTSukPCaQB6jZJ1RakAkCrbSesQFEEFz/s320/Chap+17+-+004.png" width="279" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">One AAA adult and one AAA child: (1 x $103.50 + $51.75 = $155.25)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4TH2oWaNR7bUNobMkLYByDwyh99bWepk9OWrnLZjnolLAaCMi-NsITzCbqjVQd0FOUOpNTXR2-6mpx5cP754qXzxtO-83Hvdzws1xdlQgYw6RKWDPhI2zWZwtX4QhP0UMd0x7bmoxRud/s1600/Chap+17+-+005.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4TH2oWaNR7bUNobMkLYByDwyh99bWepk9OWrnLZjnolLAaCMi-NsITzCbqjVQd0FOUOpNTXR2-6mpx5cP754qXzxtO-83Hvdzws1xdlQgYw6RKWDPhI2zWZwtX4QhP0UMd0x7bmoxRud/s320/Chap+17+-+005.png" width="257" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Let's look at one final example that shows the passenger type discount and how it does <u>not</u> apply to sleeping accommodations. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In this last example we'll imagine that a senior is taking a grandchild from Sacramento (SAC) to Glenwood Springs, Colo. (GSC) and occupying a roomette. Do you remember how in <a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2012/04/amtrak-service-and-fares-16-fares.html" style="color: #990000;" target="_blank">Chapter 16</a> you learned that when passengers are in sleepers, they always pay the lowest rail fare, regardless of whether the applicable coach inventory (YD) is available?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In this example, Amtrak applies the lowest rail fare (DOF1, $120 one-way per person, full fare), discounts it by the applicable passengers type(s), and then adds the accommodation charge. In this instance, the lowest level charge available for the roomette is the EC inventory at $226 one-way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here's what it looks like from the consumer perspective at Amtrak.com:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6vJrbjP8sX8wdHrw1A7HsEASizc0t95yHrORMrfR_3hG0Jz8ugVJn9YLCCCMc1uWnLme4sUECYyfSH6A3n0GzNQDi6Z_bTrBan5YB-75GUNSv5uK7ZihbqeC32GnvfcC9Y6nH3Cl_4dA/s1600/Chap+17+-+006+-+Amtrak-dot-com.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6vJrbjP8sX8wdHrw1A7HsEASizc0t95yHrORMrfR_3hG0Jz8ugVJn9YLCCCMc1uWnLme4sUECYyfSH6A3n0GzNQDi6Z_bTrBan5YB-75GUNSv5uK7ZihbqeC32GnvfcC9Y6nH3Cl_4dA/s400/Chap+17+-+006+-+Amtrak-dot-com.png" width="340" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The total of $388 is broken down as follows:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Note: the full fare DOF1 coach rail fare is the underlying fare per person before the passenger type discounts are applied.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Senior discount of 15% = <strong>$102 </strong> ($120 less $18)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Children's discount of 50% = <strong>$60 </strong> ($120 less $60)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Accommodation charge for EC inventory = <strong>$226 </strong> (not discounted by passenger type)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Total = $388 </strong> ($102 + $60 + $226)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-TW;"><strong>Amtrak Service and Fares - navigational links</strong></span><br />
<a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2012/04/amtrak-service-and-fares-16-fares.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Backward</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> to # 16 - Fares, sleeping accommodations</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2010/10/amtrak-service-and-fares-introduction.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Intro</span><span style="color: #990000;">duction</span></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><br /></span>Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-22279889584932061132012-08-22T19:49:00.000-07:002012-08-22T19:49:53.700-07:00Destinations - East River Ferry (New York)<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is the last post inspired by the trip that Keith and I took to New York at the end of June/beginning of July.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Originally I was going to title it with something involving Brooklyn, but the more I thought of that, the more I was inclined to focus on the East River Ferry since we really saw so little of Brooklyn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">On the same day that we went to the <a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2012/07/destinations-high-line-park-new-york.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">High Line park</span></a>, we met a friend for lunch in Chelsea (at a fun, inexpensive, delicious, Cuban restaurant called <a href="http://www.ybandco.com/media/coppelia.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Coppelia</span></a>), and from there we set out to walk across the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Bridge" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Brooklyn Bridge</span></a> to Brooklyn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The walk was pleasant, but quite crowded, and at times the views were blocked entirely by plywood sheeting on either side of the walkway due to a large-scale renovation taking place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here's a view of Keith (Brooklyn in the background) in an unobstructed part of the walk. (His Cubs cab earned him friendly jibes from several folks in New York.)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JAtlUHLPVkcH5pFy4UQsK9TTbHyBLobNv-FB_a4fk8rXnA1Vexvxw85ChRELZsBtAP1WlJ5TjVPLzFaM3YBJm9X0-Ux_hhXh6pZpfFp8iT7QGRcpNTHhfLM_mXpAluYYlLmZCIXBGo2K/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JAtlUHLPVkcH5pFy4UQsK9TTbHyBLobNv-FB_a4fk8rXnA1Vexvxw85ChRELZsBtAP1WlJ5TjVPLzFaM3YBJm9X0-Ux_hhXh6pZpfFp8iT7QGRcpNTHhfLM_mXpAluYYlLmZCIXBGo2K/s400/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+032.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Below you see another view of Brooklyn taken from the bridge. Brooklyn very much has its own skyline and this photo does not do it justice.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTgsJNgezt9EsuHedLCww0iBwr5JX7PIMbTwKfdckQNgMNk-DFSRKY86Og36U7dbMUXB-GScG6O_aCVrQnuIdsAR_OAi5qmfGyUWzJfvn76aBOP6llmc2ljlw3G8v1Np-dUGqOwGd5kSb/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTgsJNgezt9EsuHedLCww0iBwr5JX7PIMbTwKfdckQNgMNk-DFSRKY86Og36U7dbMUXB-GScG6O_aCVrQnuIdsAR_OAi5qmfGyUWzJfvn76aBOP6llmc2ljlw3G8v1Np-dUGqOwGd5kSb/s320/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+029.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Once we landed in Brooklyn we walked around a little bit of the area referred to as "DUMBO" - "down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass". (Read <a href="http://dumbonyc.com/2007/05/21/how-dumbo-got-its-name/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">here</span></a> to find out how it got its nickname.) Note that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Bridge" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Manhattan Bridge</span></a> is not the same as the Brooklyn Bridge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The two bridges come to earth in Brooklyn close to each other (like spokes in a wheel) but the landing spot of the Manhattan Bridge in Manhattan is considerably north of where the Brooklyn Bridge is anchored. <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The DUMBO area is a mostly former industrial zone similar to the area around Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco or Jack London Square in Oakland consisting of brick industrial warehouses being redeveloped for residential, offices, and retail.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Keith had heard somewhere about a great place for chocolate called <a href="http://www.mrchocolate.com/news/about/locations/dumbo/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Jacques Torres</span></a> in DUMBO, which we sought and found. For me the weather was too hot and muggy for anything other than an iced coffee and a phenomenal chocolate chip cookie. Keith would not be deterred by the weather, and ordered a hot chocolate, which he declared the best he had ever had.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Now fueled by caffeine and sugar, we walked away from DUMBO toward a dock and a park I'd spotted from the Brooklyn Bridge. The dock turned out be where the <a href="http://www.nywaterway.com/erf-home.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">East River Ferry</span></a> lands near downtown Brooklyn. If it's on water and it moves people (meant for residents that is, not for tourists) then I want to ride it. This would be way more fun than taking a subway or simply walking back across the bridge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The ferry operates every 20-30 minutes daily and actually begins and ends on Manhattan: on the lower east side at Wall Street/Pier 11 and then at East 34th Street/Midown. The rest of the stops are on the East River in Brooklyn and Long Island City (Queens). A summer season extension also operates from Pier 11 to Governors Island. What's more, <a href="http://www.nywaterway.com/EastRiverManhattanBusRoute.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">a free Midtown shuttle bus</span></a> connects from the East 34th Street terminal and covers a big chunk of Midtown.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pDq7Pr4ATciPUDo8bjaQETnWF_DaYGyQuRo1BGGjQd0s0ZwVA1MEUAnUVE4StR4S8s2hTOCg3rlWV4ruPtetKZkiscg-FPjPVo9wcMF4rDtCmxjaKuHjfekov4MxxZEr3k9nKiaaMCe_/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pDq7Pr4ATciPUDo8bjaQETnWF_DaYGyQuRo1BGGjQd0s0ZwVA1MEUAnUVE4StR4S8s2hTOCg3rlWV4ruPtetKZkiscg-FPjPVo9wcMF4rDtCmxjaKuHjfekov4MxxZEr3k9nKiaaMCe_/s320/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+039.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">From the ferry dock looking north - Brookly Bridge</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">in the foreground, Manhattan Bridge behind it</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The fare - hold on, this is going to be expensive - was a whopping....four dollars per person. A bargain for what would turn out to be a wonderful ride.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Even if you don't care to visit Brooklyn, you can ride between Wall Street and Midtown on the water and get some great views of the Manhattan skyline and the entire East River. And even on a hot humid day like the day we rode it, the fast moving ferry makes for a pleasant, breezy ride.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here are some photos taken while on the quick ride from the Brooklyn Bridge Park/DUMBO terminal to East 34th Street/Midtown.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUxdA7zaVaiNJe7PQG5SARF2nO0BgCPvhxsiyVO63aOkgYjqKMXPT4S0BrntbWDU4JHJBl9NThF2Lxdr2uiFpFL1LnKLgoKXwEJbrXjrKPG6MSeWVegTouXrlMtpmLxeIdMPDO2Y1Nlp-/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUxdA7zaVaiNJe7PQG5SARF2nO0BgCPvhxsiyVO63aOkgYjqKMXPT4S0BrntbWDU4JHJBl9NThF2Lxdr2uiFpFL1LnKLgoKXwEJbrXjrKPG6MSeWVegTouXrlMtpmLxeIdMPDO2Y1Nlp-/s400/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+040.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Vroom! Looking south toward the Brooklyn Bridge</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">at lower Manhattan. Freedom Towers rising to the right.</span></em></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Approaching the Williamsburg Bridge</span></em></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcIxoRj4ejHPOprddaqQiKkvB7EGX6cyUNmNo8JDNzjJL_IW10xTcs0mnllzEVvB_Cc5G-Xd8EizEb7DhGGMt9OeEiAG0ZaW988e9gyNPJ_YqPkkP6_Ab7JKreULUQMjf5vnZxh2ZtdHN/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcIxoRj4ejHPOprddaqQiKkvB7EGX6cyUNmNo8JDNzjJL_IW10xTcs0mnllzEVvB_Cc5G-Xd8EizEb7DhGGMt9OeEiAG0ZaW988e9gyNPJ_YqPkkP6_Ab7JKreULUQMjf5vnZxh2ZtdHN/s400/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+046.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The United Nations. East 34th Street/Midtown</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">terminal is slightly to the left (south) from the U.N.</span></em></td></tr>
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<br />Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-37664297548697359182012-08-14T17:43:00.000-07:002012-08-14T17:43:35.993-07:00Destinations - a quick look at Staten Island (New York)<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On the second full day of our trip to New York, Keith and I rendezvoused with an old college friend of his, Karen, and her husband Michael. (Karen and Michael live near Philadelphia.) We met them at the <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/ferrybus/statfery.shtml#facts" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Staten Island ferry</span></a> terminal, at the southernmost end of Manhattan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">At one time a nominal fare of 25<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">¢ applied on the ferry</span>, but no longer. Perhaps it became more expensive to collect that small amount, than the revenue it actually generated. At any rate it's one of the best free rides you can enjoy anywhere as you sail across New York harbor. Though on the map Staten Island looks like it ought to be part of New Jersey, in fact the large island with 470,000 residents is part of New York state and one of the five boroughs of New York City.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">You head south from Manhattan to Staten Island with Ellis Island and Liberty Island (home of the Statue of Liberty) to the west, and the much larger but less known Governors Island to the east. (<a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Whitehall+Terminal+Manhattan+(South+Ferry),+New+York,+NY+10004+(Whitehall+Terminal+Manhattan+(South+Ferry))&daddr=St.+George+Terminal+Staten+Island,+New+York,+NY&hl=en&ll=40.675431,-74.032745&spn=0.066527,0.169086&sll=40.672827,-74.042358&sspn=0.133059,0.338173&geocode=FSQNbQId2qWW-ymZU-pCE1rCiTGRq4PTQ-IRiw%3BFUkubAIdd7-V-ykNG40J1E_CiTEWlIRHhuVy8w&oq=St+George+Terminal&dirflg=r&ttype=now&noexp=0&noal=0&sort=def&mra=prev&t=m&start=0&z=13" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Google Map of route</span></a>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">These photos aren't good, but they are of Ellis and Liberty islands along the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Karen had thoughtfully arranged for her friend Marian, who lives on Staten Island, to pick us up at the ferry terminal and provide a tour of the island. Marian proved to be an excellent ambassador for the island.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here are some of the things we saw.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">A short distance from the ferry terminal is Staten Island's own memorial to the 9/11 attacks. (Many Staten Islanders were among the victims, including a large number of firefighters and police officers.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The memorial looks north across the harbor toward Manhattan, with the new <a href="http://www.renewnyc.com/theplan/world_trade_center_towers.asp" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Freedom Towers</span></a> visible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Between the 9/11 memorial and the ferry terminal is the stadium for Staten Island's very own minor league baseball team, the <a href="http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t586" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Staten Island Yankees</span></a>. The photo below shows the back side of the stadium, with the crown like structure on the left in the distance being part of the ferry terminal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">From there Marian drove us to the <a href="http://www.snug-harbor.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden</span></a>. Snug Harbor was originally built as a retirement home for sailors in the first half of the 19th century. By the 1970s it was no longer viable for its original purpose and (severely telescoping the story) it became what it is today: a cultural center and garden. (For a better, yet still concise treatment of its history, take a look at <a href="http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/sailorssnugharbor/history" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">this page</span></a> from the New York City Parks Department.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Below are a few photos from our stroll around Snug Harbor.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Chinese Scholar's Garden</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Tuscan Garden</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Michael, Marian, and Karen seeking refuge from the heat</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>in a shady arboreal tunnel</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As Marian was taking us back to the ferry terminal, she stopped by the <a href="http://aliceausten.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Alice Austen House</span></a> on the north side of Staten Island. Alice Austen is a now famous photographer who lived between 1866 and 1952. Marian explained that she was a renowned photographer, who really was discovered only near the end of her life. Doing research for this post and reading about <a href="http://aliceausten.org/her-life/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">her life</span></a>, I discovered what a singular individual she was. The Alice Austen House could easily be an all-day destination on a future visit to New York.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Below is a picture I took looking across the lawn of the Alice Austen House toward the Verrazano Narrows bridge that connects Staten Island with Queens. Runners who have run the New York Marathon are well-acquainted with this bridge, as the race begins on the Staten Island side of the bridge as it loops through all five boroughts (Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan) to finish in Central Park.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Time to return to Manhattan. Thanks for the fine tour of your island, Marian. You left us wanting to come back. Tell the borough president that!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As we headed back to Manhattan on the ferry, the not quite yet finished Freedom Towers of the <a href="http://www.wtc.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">World Trade Center</span></a> come into view.</span></div>
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<br />Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-30105587372330928922012-07-21T15:22:00.000-07:002012-07-21T17:11:56.315-07:00Destinations - The High Line park (New York)<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As I mentioned in my <a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2012/07/destinations-new-york-june-2012.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">first post</span></a> about the trip to New York, the trip was all about Keith. I pretty much let him set the agenda once he knew where the heck we were going.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">With one exception.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'd heard about the High Line park, and knew it was something I wanted to see and figured Keith would, too. We weren't disappointed.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXhmTiFpFMU2SmqLwNjKur5gxBOaAGRwnhyphenhyphenKHB-lOEL39F1haWznYW8JYnq2KS1Df6hIcpunnz79oiyYEGq3LzpTtYnIK6jw8cyntEgAfmf6g9zCEtBlCA-t7d8sBh8ty5ImBWQt1P28D/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXhmTiFpFMU2SmqLwNjKur5gxBOaAGRwnhyphenhyphenKHB-lOEL39F1haWznYW8JYnq2KS1Df6hIcpunnz79oiyYEGq3LzpTtYnIK6jw8cyntEgAfmf6g9zCEtBlCA-t7d8sBh8ty5ImBWQt1P28D/s320/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+021.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">What's the High Line? It was an elevated rail freight line on Manhattan's West Side that was completed in 1934 in order to remove a busy and dangerous street level line. But as trucking supplanted this type of rail freight traffic, and as Manhattan grew less industrial, the High Line was abandoned in 1980.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As trains ceased using the High Line, nature asserted itself on this man-made structure, and plants took over the right-of-way. To telescope the story (which you can read in far more detail <a href="http://www.thehighline.org/about/high-line-history" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">here</span></a>) neighborhood residents initiated and the City then joined their efforts to successfully pursue reuse of the High Line as a park, instead of demolishing the structure as some advocated. The first section of the High Line opened to the public in June 2009.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The result? The High Line is now a big draw for residents and visitors alike.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">What can you do? Walk, sit, take in close-up views of the adjacent buildings, adjoining neighborhoods, and more distant vistas. <a href="http://www.thehighline.org/about/high-line-food" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Eat</span></a>. (Among a number of vendors, Oakland's renowned Blue Bottle Coffee has a seasonal operation on the High Line.) Take in the <a href="http://www.thehighline.org/about/public-art" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">art</span></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The High Line is a popular place, so if it's a nice day going early is wise in order to avoid crowds. Normal operation is daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., but you should check ahead of time to be sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The High Line <a href="http://www.thehighline.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">website</span></a> is rich with detail including images both of the contemporary High Line and its history.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here are some more photos of the High Line.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-LKtAc6vO8WLzT8Z4-PpkuHYF_mNjO-svVFuXaoJACgcTZ1gNUfZfMjSsNuk5s7K1qA-0idC0Drfp2ur8QvvB9bTkONptVKc4d8uCb-OvYejbLog1RAV7jmXLvN7szSdCOXbUYJ0aKKV/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-LKtAc6vO8WLzT8Z4-PpkuHYF_mNjO-svVFuXaoJACgcTZ1gNUfZfMjSsNuk5s7K1qA-0idC0Drfp2ur8QvvB9bTkONptVKc4d8uCb-OvYejbLog1RAV7jmXLvN7szSdCOXbUYJ0aKKV/s400/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+001.JPG" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Approaching the High Line, westbound on West 14th Street. Note how the structure goes into the building on the left. This was how it was built in the 1930s to directly serve businesses.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzR-0PwAxffIB1CAkdn3fOUp74GL2BDIVyGlrDrjzHQ4sm_icnL7tjvcl0npCy-bKRj4JaH-iDHCJkkg-oRWCAmZOA7JDfniq2bbGKz67bZyyFxh5Aepu8DjvsEIq68_3Gdlvuke2yeQeP/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzR-0PwAxffIB1CAkdn3fOUp74GL2BDIVyGlrDrjzHQ4sm_icnL7tjvcl0npCy-bKRj4JaH-iDHCJkkg-oRWCAmZOA7JDfniq2bbGKz67bZyyFxh5Aepu8DjvsEIq68_3Gdlvuke2yeQeP/s400/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+004.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Looking south on the High Line and near the "end of the line". The building under construction on the right will be the High Line park headquarters, and immediately to its right will be the <a href="http://www.whitney.org/About/NewBuilding?query=Future" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">new location</span></a> of the Whitney Museum of American Art. The High Line originally continued south of here, but the southernmost section was torn down in the 1960s.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZ5A6aksBGSkSYUoAP36_VCUw3FNd1nWJ84v7dh0dm-TIj9Rsz0j14mGYF9dKcjXIQf5I8COuIYeXQ3t-m3jybUPxbrKZqyDdzbKwK1sy4fFfdDtbGK04SrOOoQg5z0PJVRcDYpU55oyR/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZ5A6aksBGSkSYUoAP36_VCUw3FNd1nWJ84v7dh0dm-TIj9Rsz0j14mGYF9dKcjXIQf5I8COuIYeXQ3t-m3jybUPxbrKZqyDdzbKwK1sy4fFfdDtbGK04SrOOoQg5z0PJVRcDYpU55oyR/s400/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+008.JPG" width="400" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Though it's hard to tell from this picture, a hip and trendy hotel (<span id="goog_1652796407"></span><a href="http://www.standardhotels.com/high-line" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">The Standard<span id="goog_1652796408"></span></span></a>) straddles and towers over the High Line. Believe me, this place has incredible views!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8ke6ck5YMaOCVJ6B16qD7SD44SgpOqaKGX1_aku8b5sp1rsAE-TEYhOqY7JVWh191X8K2X4uOzA5qoNFxiW3JJwpVUgCBuZCh08z2XmERweQaFjHglUcDG0AfZBE6SerwiC_GaFMVY1y/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJ1GAXAr00Uolb2xQGIIRT76Z4f1Xvnsh6leYJBXfHGV4oKfFq0-8hijxAdTt2gZsI5YzG2yuUa_LeR2UvqvMek4cgMs3sDt0hUp5W9Xm9RhpilUWzN3Xv_cOl9mqy4i17mAuuUzwyUY3/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJ1GAXAr00Uolb2xQGIIRT76Z4f1Xvnsh6leYJBXfHGV4oKfFq0-8hijxAdTt2gZsI5YzG2yuUa_LeR2UvqvMek4cgMs3sDt0hUp5W9Xm9RhpilUWzN3Xv_cOl9mqy4i17mAuuUzwyUY3/s400/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+006.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A river runs between. Hard to tell from this perspective, but the skyline in the distance (looking west) is that of Jersey City on the other side of the Hudson.</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8ke6ck5YMaOCVJ6B16qD7SD44SgpOqaKGX1_aku8b5sp1rsAE-TEYhOqY7JVWh191X8K2X4uOzA5qoNFxiW3JJwpVUgCBuZCh08z2XmERweQaFjHglUcDG0AfZBE6SerwiC_GaFMVY1y/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8ke6ck5YMaOCVJ6B16qD7SD44SgpOqaKGX1_aku8b5sp1rsAE-TEYhOqY7JVWh191X8K2X4uOzA5qoNFxiW3JJwpVUgCBuZCh08z2XmERweQaFjHglUcDG0AfZBE6SerwiC_GaFMVY1y/s400/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+011.JPG" width="360" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Most of the High Line's food stands are found undercover under the building on the left. Many sidings that lead from the main part of the High Line to adjacent buildings remain. The High Line is a window into early and mid-20th century industry in an intensely urban setting.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspqwdwgmvkM86FCczsBlv2tjO5BDtITn_5VnXYUpiS5P2SZcuu0x4rr2tk2Yeo3NyYndggrTCDsa0OTmIBaiAJV63zr8oWo5To8R_1xu6Yw-nYfdqKtSjUdeOKuAFMu71jUw_aiiHnfaW/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspqwdwgmvkM86FCczsBlv2tjO5BDtITn_5VnXYUpiS5P2SZcuu0x4rr2tk2Yeo3NyYndggrTCDsa0OTmIBaiAJV63zr8oWo5To8R_1xu6Yw-nYfdqKtSjUdeOKuAFMu71jUw_aiiHnfaW/s400/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+007.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Looking east, here is a snap of Keith against the backdrop of Gansevoort Street from the southern most point on the High Line. Note the 19th century brick buildings behind Keith.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavXY-Pyi9QrIa3Y611IQZhZ81u4ITxO_TaFHlSYFUQXscedOhKhE2Xz_k6zzXJg_gHELwWHcXQ-DGrnFrHX_zKRWhsvk8jku7MVv74A7d4MRdPv3LLer3jufp11PzAo4-vgIzAHIOXQZB/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavXY-Pyi9QrIa3Y611IQZhZ81u4ITxO_TaFHlSYFUQXscedOhKhE2Xz_k6zzXJg_gHELwWHcXQ-DGrnFrHX_zKRWhsvk8jku7MVv74A7d4MRdPv3LLer3jufp11PzAo4-vgIzAHIOXQZB/s400/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+014.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Billboard advertising an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Empire State Building off in the distance.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxX2foAJW9j5tLaVenb2Ar5UyQZxIkBda7cOzMd51sERKJWBNXro122b6RF73lDmA0VvLBHmCM3I-lkr4L6yGjkky274ubcElGN3RwP1ZiHTGJNcJ86s5WVaAxP9Sc5f9vJhp6AYQIYRH/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxX2foAJW9j5tLaVenb2Ar5UyQZxIkBda7cOzMd51sERKJWBNXro122b6RF73lDmA0VvLBHmCM3I-lkr4L6yGjkky274ubcElGN3RwP1ZiHTGJNcJ86s5WVaAxP9Sc5f9vJhp6AYQIYRH/s400/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+025.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Good advice from a billboard.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGY-7zbDYs928AgNZk13zu3S_SXcefqzVyyEWspSqTmykJhMX4thcmrj4Lgb1eRDEHyosZF2AFkx4FMZsOuNNHzYXBU1HUSG7UuMBACL4KneOMuHNnsk5lTOJVcLo3XpcHJUxdF4St73n/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGY-7zbDYs928AgNZk13zu3S_SXcefqzVyyEWspSqTmykJhMX4thcmrj4Lgb1eRDEHyosZF2AFkx4FMZsOuNNHzYXBU1HUSG7UuMBACL4KneOMuHNnsk5lTOJVcLo3XpcHJUxdF4St73n/s400/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+015.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">You might not expect it but you'll see plenty of the same plants on the High Line that you'd see here in a western garden. But with a different skyline.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJg6HRfpjEq56UfnW0qEK01bhiyYNmdXhOzM4SjmXDt4j6OzJd_wBqwbCobmeofbBMxJD1Zp1EFw0uZtGQBQZMtpRL1IjopjGPepNqs6R_arLVDizc-zR17LEwCADAq9MbQk9gLrMgbW7/s1600/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJg6HRfpjEq56UfnW0qEK01bhiyYNmdXhOzM4SjmXDt4j6OzJd_wBqwbCobmeofbBMxJD1Zp1EFw0uZtGQBQZMtpRL1IjopjGPepNqs6R_arLVDizc-zR17LEwCADAq9MbQk9gLrMgbW7/s400/NYC2012+-+02JUL+-+024.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is where the High Line ends now at West 34th Street at the West Side Rail Yards. <a href="http://www.thehighline.org/about/rail-yards" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">The goal</span></a> of the High Line organization is to acquire the remaining structure that crosses the West Side Rail Yards as far as West 30th Street, and incorporate it into the High Line park. In this picture what you are looking at is a remaining and abandoned spur to a business. It is not part of the existing park or of the West Side Rail Yards. Its overgrown state is how the entire High Line looked prior to its rebirth. By the way, the High Line was not a "market solution". It took a community and city government working together to revitalize a privately built structure that no longer served any purpose. Many adjacent private property owners subsequently benefitted from the creation of the High Line park.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-50168108069432418032012-07-13T13:03:00.001-07:002012-07-14T13:01:59.499-07:00Destinations - New York, June 2012<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Two weeks ago my partner Keith and I headed east for four nights in New York.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The occasion for the trip was to celebrate Keith's 60th birthday. Back in March, he'd read a review of the show "End of the Rainbow". It had gotten rave reviews especially for the actress, Tracie Bennett, who played the role of Judy Garland trying to stage a comeback in London in 1968. I said nothing, but took note of this, and proceeded to assemble the trip without his being aware of it. (I jokingly told him were going to go to Klamath Falls, and by the time I told him where we really were going, he actually thought that Klamath Falls was our destination.)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Vpc01XaDwU_7L2BCu36XeeX8ii1LXP9Ag3_oh-rsFObO-olfK93UCmp5or-gcUsUoLPSVVks6FeJu_cV0WujETPCi-L156opJ-cShqx2jHk918d4sZ1aW67BuVoEz15B61W5ijB30WEv/s1600/NYC2012+-+30JUN+-+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Vpc01XaDwU_7L2BCu36XeeX8ii1LXP9Ag3_oh-rsFObO-olfK93UCmp5or-gcUsUoLPSVVks6FeJu_cV0WujETPCi-L156opJ-cShqx2jHk918d4sZ1aW67BuVoEz15B61W5ijB30WEv/s200/NYC2012+-+30JUN+-+010.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">New York in June won't win the award for being the most climate-friendly destination, but other than that the trip came off perfectly. (The good thing about going to New York in the summer is that it makes Chico's summer heat seem <em>almost</em> tolerable since it's seldom muggy here.)</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'll follow this post with three more posts about Staten Island, the High Line park, and our visit to Brooklyn, but here are a few items to fill out this post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Running in Central Park</strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHttrPW1YWaxBwJ774IYUf_aT-WZv5W8LRmI7UwrjRtKfU7COcRSNt8Y5Jfu15oyC7qByudBFcc1HhjrErypeL8hw9fVJnXNPAz__HfciOBkwJhwk2EG98_xsrKufQNDXrOuapFHiZ3fS/s1600/Central+Park+map.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHttrPW1YWaxBwJ774IYUf_aT-WZv5W8LRmI7UwrjRtKfU7COcRSNt8Y5Jfu15oyC7qByudBFcc1HhjrErypeL8hw9fVJnXNPAz__HfciOBkwJhwk2EG98_xsrKufQNDXrOuapFHiZ3fS/s640/Central+Park+map.png" width="148" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Our hotel was just six short blocks from <a href="http://www.centralparknyc.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Central Park</span></a> so we ran or powerwalked everyday on the loop that runs in the middle of the park from north to south, up one side and down the other. (We entered the park where the red arrow is at the bottom of the map at left.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The distance was a little over six miles - slightly less than the full loop in Chico's lower Bidwell Park. But tougher.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In part it was the heat and humidity, even fairly early in the morning, but it was more than that; the hills were substantial and frequent. Know that if you go for a run in Central Park it is not flat at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We saw runners and cyclists galore. On weekends cars are banned altogether from the streets within the park. During the week we were told that they are allowed in the park until 10:00 a.m., but on Monday we saw only a few (mostly taxis) and on Tuesday virtually none except park service vehicles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">While I never saw a sign indicating it was a requirement, it seemed customary that most runners ran counter-clockwise on the loop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">A run in Central Park is a Big Treat. And while this is the nation's biggest city, many of the runners know each other and shout out greetings just like anywhere else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The park is huge, beautiful, with great views of the city coming into view whenever there is a break in the trees. What's more, it's spotless. New York banned smoking in its parks and it clearly is enforced in Central Park. I saw exactly one cigarette butt in four days of running, and no defacement (graffiti).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">What a treasure this park is, and I've barely scratched the surface as a runner. I can't wait to come back to run in the spring or autumn when the weather is milder.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">For more info about running in Central Park see <a href="http://centralpark.org/index.php/sports/running/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">this</span></a> from the park's website.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>The 9/11 Memorial</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The site of our nation's worst modern tragedy is still in many ways a vast construction site, but the memorial itself is complete. No pictures to show here, but please take a look at the <a href="http://www.911memorial.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">9/11 Memorial</span></a> website for photos and information about visiting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In the footprint of each of the twin towers is a fountain, where water flows down all four sides from ground level, to then flow out through a smaller square at the bottom of the fountain. It is an effective and solemn tribute to those who lost their lives that awful day. The names of the victims are inscribed on the railing that surrounds each of the fountains.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>"End of the Rainbow"</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">This was the catalyst that sparked our trip, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it was outstanding. Tracie Bennett, the actress who played Judy Garland, couldn't have been better. Astoundingly, this was her Broadway debut! She is a British actress, and played the role in London where the show was first produced.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Judy Garland prints in lobby of the Park Central Hotel</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Ben Brantley's <em>New York Times</em> <a href="http://theater.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/theater/reviews/end-of-the-rainbow-on-judy-garland-at-belasco-theater.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">review</span></a> from 2 April 2012 summed up the show magnificently, and this line from it is perfect: "After watching Tracie Bennett's electrifying interpretation of Garland in the intense production that opened on Monday night at the Belasco Theater, you feel exhilirated and exhausted, equally ready to dance down the street and crawl under a rock".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The Belasco Theater was just the right venue for this show. You could imagine you were in the Talk of the Town nightclub where Garland performed, as the Belasco Theater is quite intimate. The show's <a href="http://www.endoftherainbowbroadway.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">website</span></a> currently is selling tickets through early January 2013. If you're headed to New York between now and then, don't miss it. (And good news: if you can't go to New York, an <a href="http://www.playbill.com/news/article/165998-End-of-the-Rainbow-With-Tracie-Bennett-to-Launch-US-Tour-in-Los-Angeles" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">article</span></a> reports the show with Tracie Bennett will come to the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in 2013.)</span>Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-43142721851063673872012-06-11T20:27:00.000-07:002012-06-12T10:07:18.924-07:00Running - Reno-Tahoe Odyssey 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKkVzwtPp6gt_aBMXfmq5d67CkCG02laEg2aKprL3Q056oOAu7wLUEp0d0hNh-45WYTBwm2vgGRu8FdA20ORUIJDoJOmrTaOaLk9_dtO0H9bth8aIQMEvg841q1x3Kswo9banR-KtxuJ_/s1600/024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In my <a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2011/06/running-reno-tahoe-odyssey-2011.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">account</span></a> of last year's Reno-Tahoe Odyssey (RTO), I opened with the observation about how smooth the lead-up to the event was for our team, called "DNR". No injuries or last minute emergency drops. I'd love to be able to write that this year was a repeat of last year, but that would be false.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We've never had a team carry over intact from one year to another. (You could knock me over with a feather if that ever were to happen.) Prior to sending in our registration, we replaced two runners from 2011 with DNR alumni from previous years. That's to be expected.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">But after our team's registration went in, things got interesting. We lost three runners due to pregnancy, injury, or schedule conflicts, and replaced them with three more alumni. Then after a two month injury that showed no signs of healing, I decided I had to replace <em>myself</em> in Van 2. Then less than two weeks before the relay, Jessica Souder, an excellent runner and 4-time RTO/DNR veteran in Van 1 had to drop out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Paul Smith, my co-captain, and I decided we wouldn't fill Jessica's position, and Van 1 would backfill the missing legs by having some runners run an extra leg. (We've done this a number of times over the years for both vans when it would have been too late to find replacement runners .) I also thought it might now be possible for me to run a couple of Van 1's shorter and easier legs if need be, even though I was injured.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">All of this was before we stepped up to the starting line.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhjQItG3pa51AayY5aLElzygTDOm3QXVFmT9uAz79KIkN0DauZl0L8-HaA88Bi_4cCtSsmE5hOKiPq8oxhHulQuOXY0idmRwtvJ7q059mML7J9SFJuBE6AdaBe2sXrtN_Qw9DyE9ouZJY/s1600/RGJ+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhjQItG3pa51AayY5aLElzygTDOm3QXVFmT9uAz79KIkN0DauZl0L8-HaA88Bi_4cCtSsmE5hOKiPq8oxhHulQuOXY0idmRwtvJ7q059mML7J9SFJuBE6AdaBe2sXrtN_Qw9DyE9ouZJY/s320/RGJ+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Trish, Tiffany, and Erin at Wingfield Park prior to the start</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">(Photo courtesy <a href="http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=J7&Dato=20120601&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=206010801&Ref=PH" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Reno Gazette-Journal</span></a>)</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I've never run with Van 1, but I was the one who was at the start to run Leg 1 of the 2012 RTO. <a href="http://www.norcalblogs.com/transportation/2009/06/running---eric-lerude-creator.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Eric Lerude</span></a>, the man who created the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey who has become a good personal friend, high-fived me prior to our team's 1:30 p.m. start with five other teams. (See below)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbkcZu4pnh1rrpoInrOPJt6HFoaU-b2f65WQSAEPiUG0nreTp-Qq-bQ-rCzvelEtt_eqqs4mxogp-5xMjZ1br9lpwtptwj9iLXPY1mDpxKOUazavi6LzFw7f55cqAfvJKbngeNxpDDvkW/s1600/RGJ+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbkcZu4pnh1rrpoInrOPJt6HFoaU-b2f65WQSAEPiUG0nreTp-Qq-bQ-rCzvelEtt_eqqs4mxogp-5xMjZ1br9lpwtptwj9iLXPY1mDpxKOUazavi6LzFw7f55cqAfvJKbngeNxpDDvkW/s320/RGJ+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">(Photo courtesy <a href="http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=J7&Dato=20120601&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=206010801&Ref=PH" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Reno Gazette-Journal</span></a>)</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In addition to our team's "staffing issues", we had to deal with a challenge that every other team faced: heat. Most years the temperature has been pretty mild at the start, and last year it was unusually cool, changing to downright cold in the Sierras.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Not so in 2012. The thermometer was in the low 90s when we began at 1:30.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Leg 1's 4.8 miles are westbound mostly along the Truckee River bikepath or on quiet suburban streets. But it was slow going for me being injured and hot. I loved the places where there was shade. As I neared the hand-off point, I saw that the runner who had paced the 1:30 group with Nevada DOT's "Chain Gang" team was down and getting assistance. (I hope he recovered quickly.) Boy, was I happy to see Trish from Van 1 waiting for the tag and before I knew it she was off blazing a much faster trail for DNR than I had done.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfu_juE984H-fEeyX_6s_hup1zKLuYWLrV0GfuFDST-BWFjxyrrwb-epSy5y-YfFvfdrbnE9z0TwbvOmkLU4w19Z4IUd2darnUN92037LPftknFrjepXqTgjJMKWtilqTFx9rxL7Faix3/s1600/EG+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfu_juE984H-fEeyX_6s_hup1zKLuYWLrV0GfuFDST-BWFjxyrrwb-epSy5y-YfFvfdrbnE9z0TwbvOmkLU4w19Z4IUd2darnUN92037LPftknFrjepXqTgjJMKWtilqTFx9rxL7Faix3/s320/EG+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Van 1: Sean Murphy, Erin Gulbrandsen, Trish Frisella</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Tiffany McBroom, Paul Smith <em>(photo by Erin Gulbrandsen)</em></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Van 2 assembled at the hotel and then made its way to the Boca hand-off, the first place where Van 1 goes off duty after the first six legs, and hands the relay wristband to a Van 2 runner. Van 2 then runs its first legs, 7 through 12.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I drove up to the Boca hand-off in my own car, since I was not going to be running with Van 2, but I wanted to see the first hand-off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Unbeknownst to Van 2 and me, Van 1 was going through its final personnel changes. Sean Murphy, a 3-time RTO veteran ran Leg 3 and suffered an Achilles heel meltdown. He finished the leg, but at the cost of not being able to run any more. On the positive side, Van 1 gained the addition of a full-time driver, a luxury that most vans lack.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0OLVnRHD7HYQ5d0mhFTvvqX-N76lQrFySm9fXXuYaa-NkCp_p9hgZLUReyb9Fe2jQF6nkVN3lp_SOTNb0VI-qoXCLJ_S7SXjF3wQ3h9OuyJjF3ZX3p_G3ajaX9sLXG1O1GOVqNkEy0_T/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0OLVnRHD7HYQ5d0mhFTvvqX-N76lQrFySm9fXXuYaa-NkCp_p9hgZLUReyb9Fe2jQF6nkVN3lp_SOTNb0VI-qoXCLJ_S7SXjF3wQ3h9OuyJjF3ZX3p_G3ajaX9sLXG1O1GOVqNkEy0_T/s320/012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Van 2: Sarah Montez, Laurel Hammang, Bryan Bear,</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Lisa Duke, </span></em><em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Chris Miller, John Maretti (and me in front)</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Erin Gulbrandsen ran Leg 6 into the Boca hand-off, passing the wristband to Sarah Montez who took off like a shot on this tough leg. Van 2 being fully staffed at six runners, proceeded to finish off its first set of legs before handing off again to Van 1 at Homewood along the west shore of Lake Tahoe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Van 1 now with four runners and a driver tackled its second set of legs. Erin ran leg 13, Tricia Leg 14, and then </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Paul ran legs 15 and 16 and Tiffany ran 17 and 18. Whew!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Sarah, the only person in Van 2 running all three of her legs in the correct order (7, 19, 31) was tagged at the hand-off in South Lake Tahoe near Stateline and did a great job on the super-tough Kingsbury Grade, Leg 19.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Meanwhile Van 1 headed straight to the next van-to-van hand-off at the Walmart in Carson City to get some rest before getting the call from Van 2.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFdyOsYPhIknxxftXumbDM4tL0DSlTrrMwPw10cxJs8l8oTbmaKSX8W8QPgRhyphenhyphenRou49nkoRksSZb70I8FVCTniKcweXcYLxc8KierINjA9GNaMdMoeeOSoGVUd4YgAlWgfGg7fA4wr0u0/s1600/LH+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFdyOsYPhIknxxftXumbDM4tL0DSlTrrMwPw10cxJs8l8oTbmaKSX8W8QPgRhyphenhyphenRou49nkoRksSZb70I8FVCTniKcweXcYLxc8KierINjA9GNaMdMoeeOSoGVUd4YgAlWgfGg7fA4wr0u0/s320/LH+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Not DNR's Van 1, but another team's Van 1 crashed out</em></span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Walmart in Carson City (photo by Laurel Hammang)</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">My experience of RTO was considerably different from years passed. Due to injury I had to replace myself, but then due to other folks having to drop out I decided to help out as much as I could.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I went back to Reno to sleep at the hotel, but set the alarm for 3 a.m. and then headed down to Carson City to run another leg for Van 1, Leg 25, the first one out of the Walmart parking lot. Happily, this was cool and dark (around 5 in the morning) and short. 3 miles later I tagged Trish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">From that point on my understanding is that Erin and Tiffany divided up the leg that Sean couldn't run. Erin ran the straight-up killer Leg 30 into the last van-to-van hand-off in Virginia City to tag Sarah for the last time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">It was Van 2's third and final time in charge while Van 1 celebrated with Bloody Marys at the Bucket of Blood Saloon in Virginia City.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Sarah ran the tough couple of miles out of Virginia City to tag John at Lousetown Road, where he continued up to the Geiger Grade summit and then down to tag Chris, who ran the </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">long Leg 33 grind down Geiger Grade. Chris tagged Laurel at the bottom of the grade, who then ran a long leg 34 through suburban southern Reno. I ran the first half of Leg 35 through business parks and then passed the wristband to Bryan who finished Leg 35 and did the last hand-off of the relay to Lisa, our stalwart anchor who ran through the attractive older part of south Reno to finish at Idylwild Park, where Van 1 was waiting to rendezvous with Van 2 to run the last hundred yards to the official finish and then the ceremonial finish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Done!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLn0ntNo4XtJVkuj9641HTUjp4I29XaTxfSGS9uXG2TDIDcFr3L4U1Slob1PwwrJTfUpMbILpLto80kuoFY2ealDi54q0ohzNo_SbdJkzTNoxiQJMUH2rjWQ23jJyNc_3Zylo-PsCNkra/s1600/EG+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLn0ntNo4XtJVkuj9641HTUjp4I29XaTxfSGS9uXG2TDIDcFr3L4U1Slob1PwwrJTfUpMbILpLto80kuoFY2ealDi54q0ohzNo_SbdJkzTNoxiQJMUH2rjWQ23jJyNc_3Zylo-PsCNkra/s640/EG+001.JPG" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">After all of the personnel changes and the hot weather challenge, the remarkable thing is just how well DNR did. (<a href="http://renotahoeodyssey.com/results2012.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">RTO 2012 results</span></a>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The final time was 22 hours 31 minutes 14 seconds (shortly after 12 noon on Saturday), for a 41 minute improvement over 2011 (23:12:13). Overall out of the 247 teams that finished, DNR came in # 11. Out of the 100 mixed (coed) teams, DNR finished # 4!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Paul Smith, as always, did a terrific job on Leg 4 the toughest in the relay, coming in fourth of all teams at 57:28. (This is not Paul's fastest. He ran it last year in 54:10, but this year's heat took its toll even on Paul.) Chris Miller, ran the other timed individual leg, # 33, the "Geiger Grinder", in 45:28, thirtieth overall. Nice going, fellows!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">What DNR did this year was the essence of relay running. Working together, being flexible, and, if need be, making it up as the event unfolds. Sure, it's nice to have everything go smoothly like it did last year, but that's not always the case. This year there were lots of curveballs before we even got to the starting line, and then another one that was thrown after the relay began. DNR took it in stride. What a great team!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Related links:</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://www.renotahoeodyssey.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Reno-Tahoe Odysse</span><span style="color: #990000;">y website</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012306020064&nclick_check=1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Reno Gazette-Journal article</span></a> (more links there to other RTO articles and photo galleries)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://www.newsreview.com/chico/daily-double/content?oid=5446677" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">"The Daily Double"</span></a> - Sean Murphy's account of his attempt to run two BQs in one day</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here follows a selection of pictures from along the way.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCtjQpSgmrSLgF9yQjAqlqhvDaf_4pY5CROGQfmMFeot54tibVFJujK1XK6bHD93eZ4_e3_J9-CNEIf9Ml4PnwTumaClznIiSL74ZQxWcaMp0A_2L6lNgUOilva6NPwkwxvQH1E4no6lf/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCtjQpSgmrSLgF9yQjAqlqhvDaf_4pY5CROGQfmMFeot54tibVFJujK1XK6bHD93eZ4_e3_J9-CNEIf9Ml4PnwTumaClznIiSL74ZQxWcaMp0A_2L6lNgUOilva6NPwkwxvQH1E4no6lf/s320/010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>"The Flying Monkeys", Van 1, at Boca</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Chico's other RTO team</em></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3O42vxUwpN1W0i2WBkhxTtOut8vCq_IFTNVc_2Hv0UmR4uPq0TNbd_-8PSe97i7DctPQ1OSl7FMFc0CPd0OkX_udVtMe1-Xs_CabpSZZLrFXG1aICB3UyMBOjTT-TBv-j-FFsd1VzexH6/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3O42vxUwpN1W0i2WBkhxTtOut8vCq_IFTNVc_2Hv0UmR4uPq0TNbd_-8PSe97i7DctPQ1OSl7FMFc0CPd0OkX_udVtMe1-Xs_CabpSZZLrFXG1aICB3UyMBOjTT-TBv-j-FFsd1VzexH6/s320/015.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Lisa and Laurel waiting for Sarah</em></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqJZygSKIwj66js5kHnaS5p7Qh6xuvfbO4Wuu7foFWHkON56wjwYexbr_JJ7kW6JSKnIHQZjhgXkrFaoHFS0r4YQPDzznZ1Emaih6991DEz6ZQVIuEpyIEbmTBNyZGQ0dkizX8bHgiYo-/s1600/PS+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqJZygSKIwj66js5kHnaS5p7Qh6xuvfbO4Wuu7foFWHkON56wjwYexbr_JJ7kW6JSKnIHQZjhgXkrFaoHFS0r4YQPDzznZ1Emaih6991DEz6ZQVIuEpyIEbmTBNyZGQ0dkizX8bHgiYo-/s320/PS+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Van 1's Tiffany, Trish, and Sean hanging out while Erin</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>is out on the road (photo by Paul Smith)</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Sarah hands off to Laurel, Leg 7 to 8</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Erin, probably running Leg 30</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-small;"><em>(photo by Paul Smith)</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Night moves: John to Bryan, Leg 11 to 12</em></span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">(photo by Sarah Montez)</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Two too fast: Erin hands off to Sarah in Virginia City</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Van 1 is done!</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sarah tags John: Leg 31 to 32</span></em></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>John starts Chris on Leg 33, the long Geiger Grade descent</em></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Last hand-off: Bryan to Lisa, Leg 35 to 36 - Go Lisa!</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Van 1's prerogative:</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Bloody Marys at the Bucket of Blood Saloon</em></span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-small;">(photo by Paul Smith)</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Last of all, here is a memory that Van 2 can take to the bank.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">John and I were driving down Geiger Grade in my car while Chris was running Leg 33 and the rest of Van 2 was in the van. John spotted a home made sign attached to a reflective paddle sign by the side of the road in a pull-out. He realized it was a Burma Shave-style series of signs and it started with "DNR". This could not be an accident. The series read: </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">"DNR - U - Look - Pretty - Run!" I could attempt to explain the significance of this, but suffice to say that it is a private joke in Van 2 that dates back to the first running of the RTO in 2005.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">John and I were mystified as to who might be responsible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We considered Van 1. Not likely. When could they possibly have done it? The Flying Monkeys? (This is the other Chico-based team captained by the irrepressible Ed Hudson.) Within reason, but we didn't think they knew about the joke. John's wife Cathy or my partner Keith? - nope, they were on the road to Reno from Chico. We called Lisa in the van to let her know about this, and she's the one who cracked the mystery. She assigned guilt to Roseann, who was in Van 2 for the last three years. She was one of the runners who had to drop out this year due to injury, she lives nearby in Reno, and this is exactly the sort of thing she would do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Nice going, Roseann. If it hadn't been for Lisa, we might never have known. And thanks for stopping by at the 34 to 35 hand-off! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here is the first photo that shows the entire Burma Shave series, followed by a close-up of each sign.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgJ234Gdic19KcOFScrxhMJngER4cvHIZrHl31udeOG3vOW_7dX2mdgmLwXIRiIA84hD23tPceafYnoCQcgCtKw_qW8fNGOf5bAzC8nq7Z_1SQuP3UQWOYENWEf8DBSbiA_B_Qo10vD7v/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgJ234Gdic19KcOFScrxhMJngER4cvHIZrHl31udeOG3vOW_7dX2mdgmLwXIRiIA84hD23tPceafYnoCQcgCtKw_qW8fNGOf5bAzC8nq7Z_1SQuP3UQWOYENWEf8DBSbiA_B_Qo10vD7v/s320/026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1n9x3WYTnhSw2LBJNe_5r70yzEUz9gaLXRkHqUZC8VxN16z5l3jsat-q-DN1UwbDntmpRWTwx8BVWYFZWoFVewoFBhkLdlwMja9JpqtUZCi56mfXatyzArXvGsRUXxBFJVNgUHpbMeYU/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1n9x3WYTnhSw2LBJNe_5r70yzEUz9gaLXRkHqUZC8VxN16z5l3jsat-q-DN1UwbDntmpRWTwx8BVWYFZWoFVewoFBhkLdlwMja9JpqtUZCi56mfXatyzArXvGsRUXxBFJVNgUHpbMeYU/s320/030.JPG" width="320" /></a>Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-35463322228425041592012-05-09T17:37:00.000-07:002012-05-09T17:37:15.107-07:00Travel - Princess Cruises to home port a ship in San Francisco<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Northern California cruise lovers should be delighted to know that starting in May 2013, Princess Cruises will home port the <a href="http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/ap/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;"><em>Grand Princess</em></span></a> in San Francisco. That means simply that the ship will sail from and return to San Francisco.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJZEt8BtE_ummHrYYjjzV2FZRCf1O5nx-yywxz6WpqdHV2RKhJWo1Ygbd3xs59p0cE9AbQxv-xbCQD2QuAI3LVZQyeTfBllBrJkuw6zqpSHdfUV4O-NhP4vAjhAmtqK0s8lze7t30QVVv/s1600/Princess+Cruises+logo.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJZEt8BtE_ummHrYYjjzV2FZRCf1O5nx-yywxz6WpqdHV2RKhJWo1Ygbd3xs59p0cE9AbQxv-xbCQD2QuAI3LVZQyeTfBllBrJkuw6zqpSHdfUV4O-NhP4vAjhAmtqK0s8lze7t30QVVv/s1600/Princess+Cruises+logo.PNG" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">For northern Californian passengers it means avoiding the the cost, time, and hassle of flying to a distant port to take one of these cruises. Cruisers can deposit their car close to the ship or even better, leave the car with Bay Area friends and get dropped off at the dock or take a taxi. (Princess's <a href="http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/travel.jsp" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">website</span></a> shows a current parking rate of $12 per day in San Francisco.)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTi4AUwaP4D-PHyLglNvTL-Ljh84xg2lly-XrPrgEFjHL1VHj2VAopLCBdqi1WYnGjzDrVajZZTRaa0YH9_U-9U8PAAqUcFlKX8YMOt1-n0tPz93DsyGlecKI6u44zco_TZRi9iR4XRRq/s1600/Grand+Princess.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTi4AUwaP4D-PHyLglNvTL-Ljh84xg2lly-XrPrgEFjHL1VHj2VAopLCBdqi1WYnGjzDrVajZZTRaa0YH9_U-9U8PAAqUcFlKX8YMOt1-n0tPz93DsyGlecKI6u44zco_TZRi9iR4XRRq/s320/Grand+Princess.PNG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In 2013-2014, Princess Cruises will offer 7 day California coastal cruises, 10 day cruises to Alaska, 10 day cruises to Mexico, and 15 day cruises to Hawaii.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Except for the Alaska cruises which include a Canadian port-of-call, the Hawaii and California coastal cruises include a stop in Ensenada, Mexico in order to satisfy the requirement that non-U.S. flagged ships must call at one international destination. (This is required by the Mechant Marine Act of 1920, better known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Jones Act</span></a>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Related links:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">- Princess Cruise Lines <a href="http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na1234" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">press release</span></a> (includes sailing dates and destinations)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">- <a href="http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2011/04/grand-princess-skywalkers-removed-/167044/1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">USA Today article</span></a> about the overhaul and redo of the <em>Grand Princess</em></span>Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-44341865426786556942012-04-26T21:23:00.000-07:002012-05-08T15:44:40.516-07:00Destinations - "1968" at the Oakland Museum<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Because my birthday falls in December, I was 12 during most of 1968. That didn't stop me from appreciating that I was living in an especially turbulent time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Even now, the year seems both distant and yet like it happened yesterday. Some events, in particular the assassinations within two months of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy, mark one of the lowest points in American history. The country has moved on, but these are wounds that scar over, never really healing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">For those of you old enough to remember living through it, as well as for anyone else interested in this pivotal year, a traveling exhibit at the <span style="color: #990000;">Oakland Museum</span> chronicles 1968 in all of its messy detail.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The largest part of the exhibit in the center of the museum's Great Hall, is a mostly chronological treatment of the year focused on the politics and protest that surrounded the Vietnam War and the continuing civil rights stuggles. On the edges are exhibits that focus on the culture - both serious and silly. There was plenty of both.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">"<a href="http://museumca.org/1968" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">1968</span></a>" runs through 19 August, along with a concurrent exhibit of political posters: "<a href="http://museumca.org/exhibit/all-us-or-none-social-justice-posters-san-francisco-bay-area" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">All of Us or None: Social Justice Posters of the San Francisco Bay Area</span></a>".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Never been to Oakland? Do you think it's only a place to nervously hurry through on your way somewhere else? Think again. Check out my <a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2010/12/oakland-marathon-neighborhood-tour.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Oakland Marathon Neighborhood Tour</span></a>, a 21 chapter blog series that follows the route of the race through many of the city's interesting neighborhoods.</span></div>Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-35941252483958112572012-04-03T16:32:00.000-07:002012-09-14T16:53:47.388-07:00Amtrak Service and Fares - # 16 - Fares, sleeping accommodations<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">How Amtrak prices sleeping accommodations is similar in one respect to how it prices business class and first class: it involves a supplemental charge above the coach fare, also called the rail fare. But beyond that, it is substantially different. Not particularly complicated - in fact, in some ways simpler - but different.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">What you learned about pricing for <a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2011/12/amtrak-service-and-fares-13-fares.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">premium seats</span></a> (business class, first class) is that that the price and inventory of the premium seat is directly tied to the availability of the corresponding inventory (or "bucket") of coach seat. For example, for the lowest priced business class seat (JD) between Seattle and Portland to be available on a given train, a YD seat would also need to be available. If there were only full fare (Y) coach seats available (or no coach seats available whatsoever), any available business class seats would have to be sold at the highest level: JY.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">For sleeping accommodations it is simpler. When a passenger occupies a sleeping accommodation, the underlying rail (coach) fare is <u>always</u> charged at the lowest possible level regardless of whether the lowest priced coach inventory is available or not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Getting more detailed, the lowest rail fare is normally booked in the YD inventory with a fare basis usually of DOF1. But it doesn't matter whether YD seats are available or not when any kind of sleeping accommodation is booked; Amtrak's Arrow system automatically applies the lowest rail fare and then adds on the additional accommodation charge for the room. (If these references to YD and DOF1 don't make sense, then you did not read or don't remember <a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2011/11/amtrak-service-and-fares-12-fares.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">chapter 12</span></a> about fares for reserved coach.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">To draw the starkest example, a train could be completely sold out of all coach seats, yet if a sleeping accommodation were booked on the same train, then the coach rail fare applied to the reservation would be at the lowest DOF1 level.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Lest you think this is too easy, what Amtrak does do with sleeping accommodations is similar to what they do with reserved coach fare inventory: they have five different levels that are yield-managed based on historic and forecasted demand. That means that the cost of the add-on accommodation charge for the room could be at any one of five prices, depending on availability.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Let's take a look at a fare display from Santa Barbara (SBA) to Seattle (SEA) for 3 May to see the five different levels of accommodation charges for each of the four different types of rooms, as well as the coach rail fares. Note that sleeping car accommodations charges are not seasonal. The same rates that apply in May would apply in September, December, and so on, however the availability of the lower prices may be scarce or nonexistent in high demand periods.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Starting from the top of the display, on each horizontal line is the range of accommodation charges for each type of room.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The first line shows ES/EA/EB/EC/ED. These are the five levels - highest to lowest - for the roomette accommodation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The second line shows DS/DA/DB/DC/DD. These are for the bedroom acccommodation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The third line shows HS/HA/HB/HC/HD. These are for the accessible bedroom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The fourth line shows FS/FA/FB/FC/FD. These are for the family bedroom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here's a long side note about the codes and the names for the rooms. Up until a few years ago, the roomette was called an economy room (E), the bedroom was called a deluxe room (D) and the accessible room was called a handicapped room (H). The nomenclature changed, but the codes for the rooms remained the same. The family room name remained the same, so the code starting with an "F" still makes sense.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Roomette and bedroom are terms that long predate Amtrak as names for Pullman accommodations roughly of the same type as these on Amtrak. When Amtrak introduced Superliner sleepers in the late 1970s, it used "economy bedroom" and "deluxe bedroom" to differentiate them from the roomettes and bedrooms that were still in use on the hand-me-down sleeping cars that Amtrak received at its creation from the railroads. This equipment has all been retired, so Amtrak can go back to using the original terms of roomette and bedroom since confusion is no longer possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">OK, lets look at the hierarchy of five price levels for the roomette starting with the lowest priced level of "ED". The application is the same for all of the four different room types.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">ED - $227</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">EC - $295</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">EB - $362</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">EA - $430</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">ES - $497</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Remember that the lowest available inventory for the room - in this case a roomette - is added on to the lowest rail (coach) fare, regardless if the lowest coach fare is available.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Look back at the fare display and you'll see the lowest rail (coach) fare is the DOF1 at $106. If you booked a sleeper from Santa Barbara to Seattle, you would <u>never</u> pay more than $106 for the rail fare. However the additional amount you would pay for the room, is subject to the lowest available inventory for the sleeping accommodation you desire.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Just for example then, if you wanted to travel in a roomette accommodation you would pay anywhere from $227 (ED) up to $497 (ES) on top of the lowest coach rail fare of $106. The latter amount does not change; you would always pay the lowest coach rail fare regardless of whether the applicable coach seats are available. (If that is confusing then just think of it this way: customers pay a handsome supplement to occupy a sleeping accommodation, so Amtrak gives them a break by always giving them the lowest coach rail fare.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">OK, let's turn our attention to the availability, because that will determine what you will actually pay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here's an availability display for 3 May from Santa Barbara to Seattle just for sleeping accommodations. (Note: that the accessible bedroom accommodations HS/HA/HB/HC/HD are not visible - these can only be booked over the phone with an Amtrak call center agent or in person at an Amtrak ticket counter.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Because you want a roomette we're looking at the availability of the E-type of inventory codes. Remember that the hierarchy, high to low, is ES-EA-EB-EC-ED.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">ED, the lowest cost accommodation add-on for the roomette at $227 shows "ED0", meaning that it's sold out. However the next lowest inventory, the EC at $295, reads as "EC2", meaning that there are 2 available. Higher priced inventories - EB, EA, and ES - all show even more rooms available.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We go ahead and sell one EC. For the heck of it, since Mitt Romney (and most other Republican politicians) professes hatred toward Amtrak, we're going to put Mitt's name on the reservation. Seems like a nice train ride couldn't make his sour disposition any worse than it already is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here's what the reservation looks like in Sabre, which is almost identical to how it looks in Amtrak's Arrow system:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1HHiqfWtoNnoBwR3b10VbxvnfmpdVjELiOaQ2l7iynBadMmD4s5IPiPYl_InK6xvDHDOFnNGLvk3tZmJsxK2qHUud1XVbYK1CCRHAjsvYtqv9GllALpu0alWZQW1yUR5CSjaL-92Ry4O/s1600/Chap+16+-+003.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1HHiqfWtoNnoBwR3b10VbxvnfmpdVjELiOaQ2l7iynBadMmD4s5IPiPYl_InK6xvDHDOFnNGLvk3tZmJsxK2qHUud1XVbYK1CCRHAjsvYtqv9GllALpu0alWZQW1yUR5CSjaL-92Ry4O/s640/Chap+16+-+003.PNG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">See how it prices? It automatically applied the DOF1 rail fare of $106, plus the EC add-on for the roomette of $295 for a total of $401.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">If you're with me this far, then you may also find this aside interesting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Amtrak instantly assigns the room and car when the room is sold. After the arrival time and date ("845P04MAY") you see "EC014 1431". That means Mitt is in room 14 in car 1431. Sleeping cars are always numbered starting with 30. The train number, in this case 14, plus the car number, so he's in car 1431. Car 1430 is closest to the diner (or in the case of the <em>Coast Starlight</em>, the Pacific Parlour Lounge), car 1431 would be two cars away, and 1432 would be three cars away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Arrow automatically assigns sleepers at the time of sale, based on a goodness factor similar to how cruise lines automatically assign cabins. Customers using Amtrak.com and travel agents using their own industry systems do not have a way to book a specific room or car. Amtrak call center agents and ticket agents also normally just sell the room and let Arrow assign it, but they have the ability to request a specific room in the unusual instances where a customer asks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">All rooms on Amtrak will accommodate at least two people, and one of the best things about how Amtrak prices sleeping accommodations is that a second person traveling only has to pay an additional coach rail fare. The sleeping accommodation charge remains the same, so in essence two people traveling split the cost of the sleeper add-on. That means that two people have their meals included in the cost of the ticket even though the add-on cost for the accommodation does not change if two people are in the room.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Since Mitt Romney has clearly become great pals with Rick Santorum over the course of the entertaining Republican primary, let's look at this same example with two people, Mitt and Rick sharing. (Just imagine how much fun they would have spending 28 hours together in a small room.) Notice how the rail fare doubled to $212 ($106 x 2), but the accommodation charge remained the same at $295.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One more modification of this example is called for to illustrate another point. In <a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2011/11/amtrak-service-and-fares-12-fares.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Chapter 12</span></a>, I touched on passenger type discounts for coach rail fares. These also apply to the underlying rail fare when passengers are occuping sleeping accommodations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Passenger type discounts almost <em>never</em> apply to the actual add-ons for sleepers. (Once in the bluest of blue moons, there will be some kind of short-term promotion that does offer a passenger type discount on sleepers, but it is very rare.) But passenger type discounts always apply to the coach rail fare that sleeping car passengers also pay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As of the writing of this post, Romney is 65 and Santorum is 53. That means that Romney is entitled to Amtrak's 15% senior discount and Santorum does not - one has to be 62 to get the discount.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here's what the same reservation looks like priced as one senior and one regular adult.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The DOF1 rail fare of $106 less 15% for Romney is $90.10, plus the full $106 for Santorum equals $196.10, plus the one-time accommodations charge of $295 for the roomette (not discounted by passenger type) produces a grand total of $491.10.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Let's look at one last example that consists of a family of four - 2 adults and 2 children (ages 2-15) - occupying the family bedroom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Below you see a reservation from Portland, Ore. to Chicago on 13 August. The FS (family bedroom, full undiscounted inventory level, $1255) is occupied by the Obama family. Barack and Michelle are each paying the full adult DOF1 fare ($159 each), plus Malia and Sacha are paying the child's half fare ($79.50 each). The total rail fare comes to $477, plus the accommodation charge of $1255, for a grand total of $1732.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">A final note about pricing sleeping accommodations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">At one time Amtrak followed the policies originally set by the railroads requiring a minimum number of railfares in order to occupy a sleeping accommodation. Amtrak no longer does that. In theory one person could occupy the family bedroom and pay only one coach rail fare plus the accommodation charge, but it wouldn't make a lot of sense since a roomette would be less expensive and a bedroom would offer more amenities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-TW;"><strong>Amtrak Service and Fares - navigational links</strong></span><br />
<a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2011/12/amtrak-service-and-fares-15-fares-first.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Backward</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> to # 15 - Fares, first class (Acela Express)</span><br />
<a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2012/09/amtrak-service-and-fares-17-passenger.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Forward</span></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> to # 17 - Fares, passenger type discounts</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2010/10/amtrak-service-and-fares-introduction.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">Intro</span><span style="color: #990000;">duction</span></span></a></span><br />
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Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-28877608185728281892012-03-21T14:53:00.002-07:002012-03-21T17:29:08.628-07:00Car rental - Out of Arizona for five bucks a day<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is a predictable seasonal subject for my blog: super low one-way rates in the spring out of Arizona, and the reverse later in the year back to Arizona.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Hertz has bargain rates of $5 per day for economy or compact cars driven one way from anywhere in Arizona to any Hertz location in California (or Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, or Kansas).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">For just a little more per day, you can rent an intermediate, standard, or full-size car, or a mid-size SUV. Keep in mind that the only additional mandatory cost is tax; there isn't any one-way drop-off fee. And if you rent from a non-airport location in Arizona, you will avoid airport concession fees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Pick up the vehicle any day starting on 4 April but no later than 30 June. You may rent the car for up to 14 days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here are three examples. Prices include tax.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>15 April to 19 April - Phoenix airport to San Francisco airport</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">economy car: $60.54, mid-size SUV: $139.96</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>21 May to 23 May - Tucson off-airport location to LAX</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">economy car: $16.58, mid-size SUV: $50.79</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>11 June - 20 June - Flagstaff Amtrak station to Chico</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">economy car: $57.44, mid-size SUV: $203.70</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">For complete details see <a href="http://www.hertz.com/rentacar/bb-8657875/drive-out-of-arizona-for-as-little-as-$5-per-day-special-offer" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">this page</span></a> on the Hertz website.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Avis has a similar but not as low-priced offer, and other rental companies may as well.</span>Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-35715077343016318602012-02-22T19:21:00.005-08:002012-02-23T10:39:10.949-08:00Destinations - Asheville: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.'s eastern home to-be<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6bIhNSiwzxtbMyfKjqB267omLrGBT_NdAADGAZ1COM2cTuWcq4GrV2bdSV7aKzo9tbFkmjquPWxtfYnHEQ5myKackArEN4oPrpXaAyH5yRvUpwrn6NsUSdX4YippjuMnU9oXljG1Ks68/s1600/lg_white9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6bIhNSiwzxtbMyfKjqB267omLrGBT_NdAADGAZ1COM2cTuWcq4GrV2bdSV7aKzo9tbFkmjquPWxtfYnHEQ5myKackArEN4oPrpXaAyH5yRvUpwrn6NsUSdX4YippjuMnU9oXljG1Ks68/s400/lg_white9.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Photo by Del Holston, courtesy of ExploreAsheville.com</em></span></div></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you live in Chico, California as I do, or if you are a Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. enthusiast, then you almost certainly are aware that <a href="http://www.sierranevada.com/about/news.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">the brewery announced</span></a> last month that it had selected a location to build a second brewery in the eastern part of the country. The site is in Mills River, very close to Asheville in western North Carolina. Sierra Nevada hopes to begin operating the brewery in early 2014.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Now don't get me wrong. I like most of what Sierra Nevada brews. (A look in my fridge proves that.) But I don't have any clothing that sports the company's logo (<em>de rigeur</em> for many in Chico), and I know I wouldn't be interested in traveling 3000 miles to take in what I can visit only 1 mile from my house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">But as I started doing research for what was going to be mostly a "mechanical" travel post (how to get there, where to stay, etc.), I realized that the company picked a terrific location for its eastern U.S. brewery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Though I'm not acquainted with anyone who works at the brewery, I know it is considered a great company to work for. It makes sense that founder and president Ken Grossman, would select an area that reflects the company's values and provides a community similar to Chico. Though most of the people hired at the new plant will be locals, I'll bet at least a handful of Chicoans will make the move - some permanently - to get the operation up and running. Likewise I'm sure that Asheville will find the brewery an excellent match due to the company's emphasis on sustainability and promoting local businesses.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLwSeuUA9p6dRZbi5Hl7rPSEo53rKMVI7Q9bpMxhbpEV10fbOx3k2gMpTl2MI9UBh5bQKw1qseYkjlmgEuV1DJhYNXo3R2y6t-8Vb45gXF87421VrvNaFHzpvv4tAKFx1Iqfl7lEDBZUc/s1600/med_yellowskyline_big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLwSeuUA9p6dRZbi5Hl7rPSEo53rKMVI7Q9bpMxhbpEV10fbOx3k2gMpTl2MI9UBh5bQKw1qseYkjlmgEuV1DJhYNXo3R2y6t-8Vb45gXF87421VrvNaFHzpvv4tAKFx1Iqfl7lEDBZUc/s1600/med_yellowskyline_big.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Courtesy of ExploreAsheville.com</em></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">So because of the brewery's selection of the Asheville area for its expansion, it put Asheville in my sights, and my research revealed an area I'd like to visit. Still, I'll bet there are Sierra Nevada aficionados that will visit the area just to see the expansion brewery and be able to boast in the new Taproom restaurant that they're from the Chico mother ship.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I contacted Cat Kessler at the Asheville Convention & Visitor Bureau with some questions and she replied with lots of great information. I won't have the space to share all of it, but you can find the answers to pretty much any question you may have at their outstanding website: <a href="http://exploreasheville.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">exploreasheville.com</span></a>. If you can't find it there, call or email the CVB.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As someone who works in the travel industry, I would like to point out the excellence of this Asheville CVB website. Its scope and depth are remarkable, but even better, there are real people behind the website ready to answer questions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Rather than do the mechanical part of this post now, I'll lead off with some anecdotal details presented in no apparent order even to me. A lot of this is thanks to Cat, but some is the result of research including the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asheville,_North_Carolina" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Wikipedia entry</span></a> for Asheville and my own travel industry resources. Following the anecdotal details you'll find the facts about getting to Asheville and the hotels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Beer</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Sierra Nevada will hardly be the first craft brewer to call the Asheville area home. It will be # 12, though it will be by far the largest commercial brewery. For more <a href="http://www.exploreasheville.com/foodtopia/food-adventures/breweries/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">see this</span></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Weather</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Being a California weather fussbudget who absolutely positively hates humidity, I was surprised to read that summer temps seldom exceed the mid-70s. <a href="http://www.exploreasheville.com/about-asheville/weather/winter-weather/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Winter</span></a> is more rigorous but not severe. Asheville's elevation is 2130' (650 m).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Running</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Asheville has a very active running club called the <a href="http://ashevilletrackclub.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Asheville Track Club</span></a>. (Members even get a discount at one of the local breweries!) A number of races take place throughout the year in and near Asheville, including a very tough winter event called the <a href="http://www.blackmountainmarathon.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Mt. Mitchell Challenge</span></a> (marathon and 40-miler way the heck up in the mountains) A good size <a href="http://www.citizen-times.com/section/race" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">half-marathon</span></a> takes place in mid-Septmber and is sponsored by the local newspaper. <a href="http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=11835&PageNum=&CategoryID=" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Trail running</span></a> appears to be a big deal here, too. Go to <a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/?" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">MapMyRun.com</span></a> and search for Asheville and you'll find more than 400 routes. Looking at race calendars, it's clear that Asheville and the surrounding area is a lot like Chico: a great place for active people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Location</strong></span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="200" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Asheville,+NC&aq=1&oq=Asheville&sll=36.146955,-115.161009&sspn=0.033823,0.084543&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Asheville,+Buncombe,+North+Carolina&t=m&ll=35.576917,-82.732544&spn=1.34032,1.647949&z=8&output=embed" width="200"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Asheville,+NC&aq=1&oq=Asheville&sll=36.146955,-115.161009&sspn=0.033823,0.084543&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Asheville,+Buncombe,+North+Carolina&t=m&ll=35.576917,-82.732544&spn=1.34032,1.647949&z=8" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small><br />
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<small></small><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">North Carolina is the opposite of California. The Golden State is long from top to bottom (north to south) but relatively narrow in width. North Carolina is quite narrow from north to south, but wide from east to west. Asheville lies in far western North Carolina, roughly equadistant from the borders with Tennessee and South Carolina, with the Georgia border being not much further away. Charlotte, the state's largest city, is about a two hour drive east. The Atlantic coast is well over 300 miles away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Chico is a nice city, but attracts relatively few visitors. Asheville on the contrary is a real destination: it is the eastern gateway to the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Great Smoky Mountains National Park</span></a>, and lies near the southern end of the <a href="http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/index.php" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Blue Ridge Parkway</span></a>. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">George Vanderbilt, built the country's largest home here, the <a href="http://www.biltmore.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Biltmore House</span></a>, which started a late 19th century parade of the wealthy and celebrated to Asheville.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHE2d2llHCEkb8n2u0dhESK3DiBZRxGJlHsooUnKwdJkEC-O-o2obWeJdS_WN_uSBOiVb6utN2RlT450-a6tbqM8xfMUF4qZv3-a_AigPXkkzPFP1kM-OypOT8NLxNzB6UnEOENJfAi3tx/s1600/med_biltmore_estate_big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHE2d2llHCEkb8n2u0dhESK3DiBZRxGJlHsooUnKwdJkEC-O-o2obWeJdS_WN_uSBOiVb6utN2RlT450-a6tbqM8xfMUF4qZv3-a_AigPXkkzPFP1kM-OypOT8NLxNzB6UnEOENJfAi3tx/s320/med_biltmore_estate_big.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Biltmore Estate - courtesy of ExploreAsheville.com</em></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Because of its significance as a destination and larger regional population, it enjoys far more air service than Chico does, even though its distance from a major airport (Charlotte - US Airways' big hub) is only slightly further than Chico is from Sacramento. (More about getting to Asheville by air shortly.)</span><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>The city</strong></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcsg5Pot3CBTEbAj5I2Xnf32pwzQcD-h3nZv-DWCttJspntplFd7B6b3lkBfAM4fSmsQH8L6eTA6ShrVWyhSolEaVlQhvoanvP0aRTHgefoexXdbbfzDZsBBRHUpgwlbXnFRvuc5nuzW1/s1600/med_art_deco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcsg5Pot3CBTEbAj5I2Xnf32pwzQcD-h3nZv-DWCttJspntplFd7B6b3lkBfAM4fSmsQH8L6eTA6ShrVWyhSolEaVlQhvoanvP0aRTHgefoexXdbbfzDZsBBRHUpgwlbXnFRvuc5nuzW1/s320/med_art_deco.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Courtesy of ExploreAsheville.com</em></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Like Chico, it is clear that Asheville has a thriving downtown, though with more of a skyline than Chico's. The city suffered badly during the Great Depression, but the benefit it enjoyed as a result is a largely unchanged downtown that is a living museum of Art Deco architecture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Interestingly, Chico and Asheville are very close in size of population at about 85,000 each, though the greater Asheville area has a much larger population. Asheville is also home to a college, the <a href="http://www.unca.edu/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">UNC Asheville</span></a> campus, with about 3700 students.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Asheville has an interesting <a href="http://www.exploreasheville.com/about-asheville/asheville-history/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">history</span></a> that dates back to the 1790s as far as European/American settlement goes. One of its most famous native sons was the author Thomas Wolfe, whose novel "Look Homeward, Angel" was set in Asheville.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>The politics</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Chico is a light blue island in a crimson sea. Asheville is more like a sapphire blue island. According to Wikipedia, Obama got 70% of the vote here, though what the hinterland's politics are I can't venture a guess. North Carolina has given us neanderthal ogres like Jesse Helms in the past, but I doubt he did well in Asheville's precincts. I like to say that Austin is <a href="http://www.norcalblogs.com/transportation/2009/04/destinations_austin_texas_aka.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Berkeley-by-the-sage</span></a>, well, Asheville I can declare with pleasure, is Berkeley-by-the-Smokies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Getting to Asheville by air</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Asheville is fortunate in having a well-served <a href="http://flyavl.com/pages/flights-airlines.php" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">airport</span></a> for being a relatively small city. The airport is a 20 minute drive from downtown Asheville, and it so happens that the new brewery will be practically next door to the airport.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Regional jet service currently connects Asheville (AVL) with Houston (United), Chicago (United), Detroit (Delta), Newark (United), and Atlanta (Delta). Regional jet or turboprop service connects Asheville with US Airways big hub in Charlotte. Charlotte, of course, is far better served than Asheville, but a 2 hour drive follows to get to Asheville. For those flying out of Chico, a double connection would be necessary: for example Chico-San Francisco-Charlotte-Asheville. (Hint: headed to Europe from the west coast on US Airways? Make a free stopover in Charlotte, then rent a car and head over to Asheville. See <a href="http://www.norcalblogs.com/transportation/2009/11/airline-fare-school-10---secre.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">this chapter</span></a> in my "<a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/p/old-posts-airline-fare-school.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Airline Fare School</span></a>" series.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP), South Carolina, is a slightly closer alternative to Charlotte at about 90 minutes away. Its air service is similar to Asheville's, however, with one major exception: it is served by Southwest Airlines.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Getting to Asheville by train</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Asheville lost its passenger rail service even before Amtrak was created in 1971. The nearest stations are either Greenville or Spartanburg, South Carolina at roughly 65 miles away served by Amtrak's <a href="http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Route_C&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1241245668168" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Crescent</span></a> from New York, Washington, DC., Atlanta, or New Orleans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">From Greenville or Spartanburg you can rent a car to drive to Asheville. Bus service is also available. Future note: the <a href="http://www.bytrain.org/future/western.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">North Carolina Department of Transportation</span></a> has identified expansion of passenger rail service to Asheville as a goal though neither Thruway bus service nor actual rail service appears to be on the horizon now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Hotels in Asheville</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Asheville has an embarrassment of riches in hotels thanks to its destination status. The two primary areas where hotels are located are the Biltmore Village area and downtown Asheville.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShV3c0zBK_g_22dmJ6UjVhWHV6odSUWL2uHiFI3AlU5MVJTVHNXT4iWrw0hOSgzxZT_ZuDydU5Jbm3YFlT3ERFMjv44xaQDgXQDeVIX-iTRMHePZkM5QWSvJB4zIe3poNps3tRd2xLjiD/s1600/med_gpi_big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShV3c0zBK_g_22dmJ6UjVhWHV6odSUWL2uHiFI3AlU5MVJTVHNXT4iWrw0hOSgzxZT_ZuDydU5Jbm3YFlT3ERFMjv44xaQDgXQDeVIX-iTRMHePZkM5QWSvJB4zIe3poNps3tRd2xLjiD/s400/med_gpi_big.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Grove Park Inn - courtesy of ExploreAsheville.com</span></em></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">There are five AAA 4-diamond hotels in the city including the Biltmore Village Inn (more of a B&B), the Inn on Biltmore Estate, the Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park, the Grand Bohemian (an independent hotel that is part of Marriott's Autograph Collection), and The Grove Park Inn. Most other chains are represented here in the AAA 3- and 2-diamond categories, plus motels and scads of B&Bs. </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Winter is the slow season when deals abound. July and October (for fall color) are the busiest months for visitors.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8n2m4b81WVGI8nZNtLRdWvZHvP88XyIKC4OdwFTRuT0TijaSiqBWxKtXNKkscfdirHCrjH_2ogYJMSYgv-sU9GmCYBasPIHmT42qBqf2mh_2BMLrIlInuzUJ9bfJAwH9CqMkZjQe0Bopv/s1600/med_belechere_big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8n2m4b81WVGI8nZNtLRdWvZHvP88XyIKC4OdwFTRuT0TijaSiqBWxKtXNKkscfdirHCrjH_2ogYJMSYgv-sU9GmCYBasPIHmT42qBqf2mh_2BMLrIlInuzUJ9bfJAwH9CqMkZjQe0Bopv/s1600/med_belechere_big.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Bele Chere</em></span></div><div align="left"><em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Courtesy of ExploreAsheville.com</span></em></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>C<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">at told me that the biggest annual event is <a href="http://www.belecherefestival.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Bele Chere</span></a>. It's the southeast's biggest street festival, and takes place this year 27-29 July.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">She also told me that another significant event in the fall is <a href="http://moogfest.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Moogfest</span></a>. The inventor of the moog synthesizer, Bob Moog, was from Asheville, and he is honored with a mostly electronic music festival in the autumn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">For a complete list of hotel and other accommodations, see <a href="http://www.exploreasheville.com/hotels/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">exploreasheville.com</span></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">For private home and apartment rentals, <a href="http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/north-carolina/smoky-mountains/asheville" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">vrbo.com</span></a> has an impressive selection for Asheville.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It probably won't be this year, but Asheville is definitely on my future travels map. When I do, you can expect a few more posts out of it. If you've been to Asheville or you plan to go, hit me with a few comments about your trip.</div></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165597840720544114.post-23895483470807673252012-01-31T16:29:00.000-08:002012-02-01T09:04:02.354-08:00Running - 2012 Mt. Ashland Hill Climb Run registration to begin 20 March<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I recently received an email from the organizers of the <a href="http://www.mtashlandrun.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Mt. Ashland Hill Climb Run</span> </a>announcing that registration would begin this year on 20 March, earlier than before. The field has been expanded to 360 runners, up from 300 last year.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxJN7xvX30f-b8dc765I04aT74nIeSU-CbifvPAIDc7chPqp7Ll4qNsbfG-Lq9wEprpU-jfNYLOsz_RmD76jtLoeNfrzK1OXEZb7AzYyHYVZzZhqsVzas971jcewXM7RVGZS7ywyvZ1Sj/s1600/MtAshlandlogo2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxJN7xvX30f-b8dc765I04aT74nIeSU-CbifvPAIDc7chPqp7Ll4qNsbfG-Lq9wEprpU-jfNYLOsz_RmD76jtLoeNfrzK1OXEZb7AzYyHYVZzZhqsVzas971jcewXM7RVGZS7ywyvZ1Sj/s200/MtAshlandlogo2012.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I've written about running this straight uphill 13+ mile trail run in <a href="http://www.norcalblogs.com/transportation/2010/08/running---mt-ashland-hillclimb.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">2010</span></a> and <a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunning.com/2011/08/2011-mt-ashland-hill-climb-run.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">2011</span></a>, and other interested runners asked me to alert them when registration opened, You may consider this your alert.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As is traditional, the race takes place the first Saturday in August (4 August 2012).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Since it's my business, let me remind you that you should book your hotel rooms now, because August weekends in Ashland are about as high-season as it gets.</span>Greg Fischerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09635024512207188320noreply@blogger.com0