The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is using every avenue to reach potential passengers with information about getting through airport security checkpoints.
They are on Twitter as @TSABlogTeam, they have a blog (Evolution of Security) and they also have a TSA YouTube channel.
I thought they did a nice job with this 1.5 minute video about traveling with kids through security (for my RSS readers and anyone who can’t see the box below, the URL for the video is here.)
As a companion to yesterday’s post on international Christmas ornaments, here are some items from our tree that hail from around the United States:
(Left photo) The most instantly-recognizable symbol of St. Louis, Missouri is the soaring Gateway Arch, designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen. The city calls itself the “Gateway to the West,” a major jumping-off point for intrepid pioneers. There’s also the excellent Museum of Westward Expansion underground beneath the Arch.
(Right photo) Our Cinderella’s Castle ornament from Walt Disney World has been dropped a few times, so some of the little turrets are suspiciously short or missing, but it still brings back memories of visits to the Magic Kingdom when we lived in north central Florida.
(Left photo) The Powell & Hyde cable car line in San Francisco, California.
(Right photo) The wintry charms of a little seaside town in Maine – Castine – where some of our friends used to live and where we used to visit regularly when we lived in Rhode Island.
(Left photo) This is from our trip to Virginia’s Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Yorktown and Colonial Williamsburg.
(Right photo) Some holiday greetings from my home state of Texas, with a nice gifty boot and some springtime bluebonnets to get us through the short but exciting Texas winters.
Thanks for joining me in a trip around my Christmas tree! Happy Holidays to all of my readers….
In the spirit of the holidays, here are some ornaments from our tree that remind me of family travel to all sorts of places outside the US (and here is the US version)
(Left photo) Ornaments depicting two parts of our lives: time spent living in Japan and time spent living in Europe (with trips to Paris, of course, whenever the budget permitted.)
(Right photo) Colorful Asian ornaments, from Hong Kong I think – the rectangular one is probably not even made for Christmas, but still works well on the tree.
When I’m traveling I always look for hang-able items that can serve as ornaments, although a lot of smart people around the world have figured out that tourists buy things like fridge magnets and ornaments as inexpensive travel souvenirs, so you’d be amazed where you can find them.
(Left photo) The Waddenzee Islands are a favorite Dutch getaway; my son and I spent time on Terschelling and my daughter and I visited the largest island, Texel.
The beaches are super-wide and good for kids, although the North Sea water temperature is pretty bracing (sorry, I’m a Gulf of Mexico/South Pacific/Indian Ocean warm-water-beach weenie.)
(Right photo) I found this in Jerusalem, and it’s heavy brass so I have to find a particularly sturdy branch each year. I like the combination of warding off the Evil Eye and the fish motif.
(Last photo, below) This is the perfect ornament for a former Navy family like ours – Santa riding a seahorse! It’s made in Germany by Käthe Wohlfahrt in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, but I actually bought it in a Christmas shop at the BX (Base Exchange) on Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Happy Holidays!
You have to really be into the Dr Pepper drink, and soda in general, to go through an entire museum devoted to the topic in downtown Waco, Texas.
For me, fortunately, that is not difficult.
I’ve been a fan of Dr Pepper since I was a kid (naturally, since both of my parents are from Texas where it started.) When the company changed the soda’s formula in the 1970s – from using cane sugar from Sugar Land, Texas to that icky high fructose corn syrup – I just KNEW that something tasted funny.
By the way, you can still get the original formula, made only in Dublin, Texas and now called “Dublin Dr Pepper.” I even made a video about it with Shashi Bellamkonda from Network Solutions during South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) last year.
Anyway, a road trip to the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco will tell you and the kids everything you could ever want to know about the origins of the drink and the history of the company.
There are even videos of Dr Pepper TV commercials to watch – you’ve never experienced such cultural whiplash as seeing advertisements from across various decades.
We saw a Black Eyed Peas ad immediately followed by Garth Brooks, then B2K plus Smokey Robinson immediately followed by an ad with Leann Rimes and Reba McEntire. Another had a kid doing a Saturday Night Fever impression; my own kids didn’t “get it” at all!
The museum has exhibits about soda creator Dr. Charles Alderton and his Corner Drug Store, displays of old-fashioned bottling equipment, original bottles and containers and dispensing machines from across the decades.
A small “Free Enterprise Institute” on the top floor extols the values of, well, free enterprise….with a “minimum of government interference or regulation.” Given the current disastrous economic situation, I had to chuckle at that particular brand of rah-rah.
We finished up in the Museum’s snack bar/sweet shop, and ordered Dr Pepper floats made at a real soda fountain, with syrup and carbonated water hand-mixed by a person who used to be called a “soda jerk.” I’ll bet the current young man would prefer a different title.
Here’s my suggestion – unless you want your family’s teeth blown away from the combined sweetness of original Dr Pepper and vanilla ice cream, back off a little and just order the soda itself. That will be plenty of authenticity for you!
(….and my apologies for not announcing this on Friday, December 12, 2008 as promised in the original Hawaii guidebook review/contest announcement post….hey, at some point my family HAD to deal with things like laundry, getting the Christmas tree and all that….)
Er, anyway, the winner as selected by the Sequence Generator at Random.org is Kara/Mountain Mama from the Traveling Mamas. 🙂
Remember that fun audio interview I did with 3 of the 4 Mamas when we were all in Kansas City together?
I am glad that Random.org picks a comment number for me (it picked 3 and Kara left comment #3) because I always feel bad that I can’t give the book to everyone who stops by.
One more Pauline Frommer guidebook is up for grabs, though – swing over to the Perceptive Travel blog before the end of the day on Tuesday, December 16 and leave a comment for a chance to win Pauline’s “Spend Less See More” guidebook to Italy.
The Nauticus National Maritime Center in downtown Norfolk, Virginia is a family-friendly travel destination for anyone who is interested in seafaring.
An interactive history, science and technology center, it features hundred of exhibits, including deep ocean exploration, US Navy history and NOAA’s “Science on a Sphere” weather display.
There is also a shark petting lagoon and a 2000-gallon touch tank (with a new horseshoe crab family!) that is quite a hit with young kids.
A zippy AEGIS Command Center lets visitors see a narrated, simulated engagement using much of the display equipment that is currently installed aboard Navy AEGIS destroyers and cruisers.
The 887-foot-long battleship Wisconsin is permanently docked adjacent to the main Nauticus museum building, and you can climb around on a lot of it, both topside and below decks.
There are often special events and exhibits, and on January 21, 2009 there’s a day of educational programming just for homeschoolers.
The city of Norfolk (adjacent to Virginia Beach – the whole region is called Hampton Roads) has a promotional right now called “Half-Off.” Family travelers can get 50% off of admission to many popular city attractions (including Nauticus) and some restaurant discounts by booking one night at participating hotels, until January 31, 2009.
I’ll bet you anything that given the current economic client, they’ll either extend that offer or come up with a similar one, so contact the Norfolk CVB at (757) 664-6620 or click here for info on tourist special offers and packages.
Remember that this is a heavily military area, with lots of bases and Department of Defense facilities, so military families may have options available in temporary lodging. For more details, I like the military recreation facility books by retirees Ann and Roy Crawford: Military Living.
Update: I forgot to include a link to this excellent article by Budget Travel on other things to do and see in Norfolk VA.
As I mentioned in my last guidebook giveaway (for Pauline Frommer’s New York City – the winner was Heather On Her Travels) I received 3 guidebooks to review and then launch to lucky readers.
Next up is Pauline Frommer’s Hawaii: Spend Less, See More.
As I’ve written before, I’ve always been a fan of the various Frommer’s travel guides, because they are budget-friendly, full of helpful details and info-packed sidebars, and they make a big effort to show people how to find local experiences and atmosphere.
Pauline Frommer is the daughter of Arthur Frommer, who launched the original Europe on $5/Day back in 1957. She’s also a mother of two, so her books tend to carefully include family-friendly attractions in addition to the “usual suspects” at a destination.
Hawaii is a soft spot for me since my first Navy ship was homeported in Pearl Harbor. I also want to put in a plug for the folks who work to support Hawaii tourism; I’ve met Michael Ni (@michaelni) and Nathan Kam (@nathankam) on Twitter (plus Michael in person!) and I also follow @DavidHTA who markets his beautiful state worldwide.
Here are particular highlights from the Hawaii guidebook:
If all this sounds like your kind of book, here’s what to do to win my copy:
Thanks for participating, and thanks to Sarah Gorback at Wiley Publishing for sending me a review copy.
Good luck!
The winning comment for my copy of the Pauline Frommer New York City guidebook (chosen by a Random.org application) is….Heather from HeatherOnHerTravels!
She lives in Bristol, UK, but I certainly appreciate my international readers so of course I’ll ship prizes like this anywhere in the world.
Thanks to all for reading the post; the next one will be for Pauline Frommer’s guidebook to Hawaii.
I’m also going to review/give away Pauline’s Italy guidebook on the Perceptive Travel blog next week. Woo-hoo!
Such a deal….I have copies of three of the newest books in the Pauline Frommer guidebook series “Spend Less See More” including New York City, Hawaii and Italy.
This week I’m going to post reviews of all of them, and give Family Travel Logue readers a chance to win each one. I’m an independent operator, but I use guidebooks extensively, especially when I travel with kids. My time is unfortunately limited, and I want a guidebook to show me how to spend it wisely.
We’ll start with the New York City book, which I used during my recent trip to Gotham to live-tweet the Readers’ Choice Awards for Condé Nast Traveler.
I’ve always been a fan of the various Frommer’s travel guides, because they are budget-friendly, full of helpful details and info-packed sidebars, and they make a big effort to show people how to find local experiences and atmosphere.
Pauline Frommer is the daughter of Arthur Frommer, who launched the original Europe on $5/Day back in 1957. She’s also a mother of two, so her books tend to carefully include kid-friendly attractions in addition to the “usual suspects” at a destination.
Each of the “Spend Less See More” guides is well-organized, and includes alternative accommodations to “US$300/night chain hotels,” interesting places to eat, sights and attractions (including “gems most visitors miss”) and “Insider’s” info, like how to attend a TV show taping in New York.
The books are written with a friendly, frank voice that has plenty of strong opinions; I prefer that to bland assessments even if I ultimately disagree.
Other NYC book highlights:
If they come out with a Pauline’s guide to Chicago for my possible trip to the July 2009 BlogHer conference in the Windy City, I’m buying it – no question.
If all this sounds like your kind of book, here’s what to do to win my copy (which is only slightly worn from my own NYC trip:)
Thanks for participating, and thanks to Sarah Gorback at Wiley Publishing for sending me a review copy.
Good luck!
I want to call your attention to a worthy project that four of my travel blogging colleagues are spearheading this holiday season.
Passports with Purpose seeks to raise awareness of the travel blogging community and its generosity towards the places we travel.
You might know some of the organizers:
Over coffee (in their home base of coffee-crazed Seattle, the lucky dogs!) they decided that this would be a great time of year to harness connections and make a difference.
To that end, they’ve started Passports with Purpose, a travelblogger-driven fundraiser for Heifer International, a worthy micro-funding organization that improves people’s lives worldwide.
What’s the scoop, you say?
Starting Monday, 1 December 2008, you’ll be able to buy raffle tickets to support the cause (they’re only US$10 a pop, and keep in mind that US$20 buys a flock of baby chicks to provide eggs and income to a family.)
Pam said a few days ago that the prizes are super-fab, and they’ll all be listed here starting 1 December.
We believe in in the power of travel. Help us harness it. Thank you!
