Tag: USA

Categories
Book Reviews Philosophy USA

My top US road trip guidebooks

Although significant travel events have been a bit scarce around here lately, mine is a road-tripping family at heart.

Whenever it’s time to plan one, there are a few guidebooks that I turn to again and again, because they are well-edited, accurate and it’s easier to skim through them than it is to plow through a jillion websites of dubious vintage.

You’ll notice that none of them are kid-specific;  I like the unusual, unknown and offbeat, and my children usually do, too. Plus, hey, I’m driving, so I get to pick.

Other than my other favorite tips (see my earlier post on how to plan a tailpipe-kicking road trip) here are my favorite references….

***  Road Trip USA – This is a top reference for me because Jamie Jensen’s Road Trip USA finds the most wonderfully obscure stuff. The book covers 6 major routes, and if my trip area isn’t included it doesn’t do me much good, but I always check it first (and the Road Trip USA blog, of course.) The series now has books for certain routes, like the Pacific Coast Highway.

***  Off the Beaten Path travel guide by Reader’s Digest – Yes, the old fogies at Reader’s Digest have one of my favorite guidebooks. Off the Beaten Path is packed with useful information about unusual sights that I don’t find anywhere else; I always check it for each state that I’ll visit.  Worth tracking down a copy, along with Most Scenic Drives in America and See the USA the Easy Way (great loop tours.)

***  Insiders’ Guide: Off the Beaten Path – from Globe Pequot Press, these are easy to find in the travel section of any bookstore. Super-detailed and usually written by locals, the Missouri and Kansas versions were invaluable to me when I drove from Texas to Chicago and back for BlogHer a few years ago, exploring the “Square States.”

***  1,000 Places to See Before You Die – Overly dramatic title, but I do find good things here, arranged by state.

***  Anything Frommer’s – my favorite general guidebook. I always have the current edition for wherever I’m living (currently Texas.)

***  RoadFood by Jane and Michael Stern – because, well, food. Must have. Preferably not from yet another Chili’s, although they’re fine in a pinch.

***  For any particular city where I’ll spend significant time, I look for the TimeOut guides. Very British, very detailed, very thorough. Can read them over and over during subway rides and never be bored.

My biggest guidebook surprise over the last decade?

The quirky and detailed Lonely Planet Guide to Louisiana and the Deep South, used to death during our Great American South road trip from Florida to Arkansas and back. At the TBEX travel blogger’s conference recently, I had the pleasure of telling the US Lonely Planet editor, Robert Reid, how much I used and adored this guidebook.

What are your road trip planning favorites? Please let us know in the comments.

Categories
Texas USA

Summer Family Fun in Austin, Texas.

In honor of my soon-to-be new home, I have a collection of fun things to do with kids in the “Live Music Capital of the World,” Austin. If you want a searchable calendar of upcoming events, click here.

(Please forgive my less-frequent blogging this week and next as I’m in the throes of moving; I hope to return to a more frequent posting schedule on Monday, 19 June. Until then I’m shooting for about every 2-3 days.)

Anyway, it’s always an all-American good time with the AAA baseball team based just north of Austin in Round Rock — the Round Rock Express playing at Dell Diamond. Go on a Friday to see the fireworks at the ballfield.

Summer baseball too hot and “boring” for your teenager? How about heading for “SoCo,” the newly-hip South Congress Avenue area for some shopping and people-watching. The Austin Chronicle has a comprehensive guide as well. Your Goth can shop at Blackmail, where everything’s, well, black, and those wanting color just go next door to see the rainbow of clothes at Vivid.

As long as you’re in South Austin, grab some French crepes at Flip Happy. Even New Yorkers seem to have gone ga-ga for Texas food.

If you’re an indoor kinda family, the Paramount Theater has a spectacularly great summer film series; how can you miss seeing the classic Texas flick Giant, in Texas, on the big screen? (It’s scheduled for August 12 & 13.) You know what’s really depressing? The Paramount is also highlighting the 25th anniversary of the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark this year. Sheesh, seems like yesterday that I saw it for the first time, then went right back out and bought another ticket to see it again!

For additional air-conditioned options, there’s the venerable Book People book store (you can search their Calendar for kid’s events and kid’s authors making appearances) and of course you should pick up a copy of the new book The Tao of Willie….Willie Nelson, that is.

Really.

Categories
Trip Soundtracks USA

More Road Trippin’ Part II: Cross-Country Jaunt & More USA Trip Tunes.

I’ve made the southern route drive back and forth across the U.S. a few times; some of it is kinda dullsville (Deming, New Mexico anyone?) and other sections are great (Tennessee.)

A recent article in Budget Travel highlights a couple moving from Boston to Los Angeles driving through the southern U.S.; it gives some good ideas for things to see and do along the way in Louisville, Memphis, New Orleans, Austin and points west.

As a follow-up to my previous post on road trip ideas and U.S.-flavored tunes/music & musicians evocative of the U.S. to go with it, here is the playlist for the rest of the CDs that I burned:

American Music CD Four
1. Punahoa Special Led Kaapana
2. La Bamba Los Lobos
3. Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? Paula Cole
4. Jet Airliner Steve Miller Band
5. Walkin’ After Midnight Patsy Cline
6. Graceland Paul Simon
7. Hammer Song Peter, Paul and Mary
8. Wichita Lineman Dwight Yoakam
9. Fanfare for the Common Man Aaron Copland
10. Don’t Be Cruel Elvis Presley
11. 1999 Prince
12. Inner City Blues Marvin Gaye
13. Bye Bye Blackbird Carmen McRae
14. Brick House Commodores
15. The Entertainer Scott Joplin
16. Old Time Rock & Roll Bob Seger/Silver Bullet Band
17. Too Young to Go Steady John Coltrane Quartet
18. Ventura Highway America
19. Born in the U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen
20. The Kiss (Last of the Mohicans) Trevor Jones
American Music CD Five
1. Jolie Blond The Balfa Brothers
2. La Pistola Y El Corazon Los Lobos
3. Born to Run Bruce Springsteen
4. The Thrill is Gone B.B. King & Tracy Chapman
5. Cash on the Barrelhead Dolly Parton
6. All Along the Watchtower Michael Hedges
7. Bandera Willie Nelson
8. Suspicious Minds Elvis Presley
9. Lily of the West Joan Baez
10. Appalachian Spring 4th mv. Aaron Copland
11. Ramblin’ On My Mind Robert Johnson
12. Take the “A” Train Duke Ellington
13. Boy From Tupelo Emmylou Harris
14. Control Janet Jackson
15. Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues Dwight Yoakam
16. Rock & Roll Band Boston
17. A Change is Gonna Come Aretha Franklin
18. Stardust Artie Shaw
19. Texas Flood Stevie Ray Vaughan
20 A Pirate Looks at Forty Jimmy Buffett
21. Maple Leaf Rag Scott Joplin
American Music CD Six
1. Zydeco Boogaloo Buckwheat Zydeco
2. One Time, One Night Los Lobos
3. Thunder Road Bruce Springsteen
4. Chicago Frank Sinatra
5. Big Ball’s In Cowtown Asleep at the Wheel
6. Streamlined Man Michael Hedges
7. Guitars, Cadillacs, etc. Dwight Yoakam
8. Do Right Woman – Do Right Man Aretha Franklin
9. “Buckaroo Holiday” from Rodeo Aaron Copland
10. Burning Love Elvis Presley
11. The Dance George Winston
12. Pride and Joy Stevie Ray Vaughan
13. The “In” Crowd Ramsey Lewis
14. Saturday in the Park Chicago
15. You’re My Funny Valentine Miles Davis
16. An American Band Grand Funk Railroad
17. Talkin’ About a Revolution Tracy Chapman
18. Viva Las Vegas ZZ Top
19. Just As I Am Willie Nelson
American Music CD Seven
1. Les Flammes d’Enfer Jo-El Sonnier
2. Oye Como Va Santana
3. Waltz Across Texas Emmylou Harris
4. American Pie Don McLean
5. Ain’t Nobody Chaka Khan
6. After the Goldrush Bob Taylor
7. What a Cryin’ Shame The Mavericks
8. I Loves You, Porgy Miles Davis
9. La Grange ZZ Top
10. Moonlight in Vermont Frank Sinatra
11. Corine, Corina Asleep At the Wheel
12. Rhapsody in Blue George Gershwin
13. Jessica Allman Brothers
14. Angel of the Morning The Pretenders
15. Life By The Drop Stevie Ray Vaughan

Categories
Trip Soundtracks USA

More Road Trippin’ Ideas, Plus USA Travel Music.

Now, I know I’ve already had a recent post on road trip planning, but you know you can never have enough.

There are tips aplenty at Travel With Kids, and if you travel on some of the main US Interstate highways you can check out the sightseeing options here. I found this great site called TurnHere.com, with quirky video guides to many cities (great visuals for your kids.)

You know I think good eats are key….here are 10 highway exits with yummy food at the offramp. The International Herald Tribune takes the tough job of travel across the country eating only fast food (and somehow the author does not die in the attempt.)

But here’s the important stuff — music for the road. Some great options are listed here and here, and there’s always my current favorite Sirius satellite radio (Blues Channel 74, please) but let’s go further….

When I lived overseas, my daughter attended an International School. For a festival booth at her school, I made up 7 CDs of background music that I thought was evocative of everything about the U.S.; all of the different cultures and major immigrant groups and the open road. The set rapidly became my kid’s favorite for road trips, so I’d like to share it with you.

Here are the first 3 playlists; I’ll post the rest later this weekend once I finish ranting about Richard Petty and writing up NHRA drag racing articles.

(Sorry in advance for some strange formatting from the copy/paste.)

American Music CD One
1. Great Grampah’s Banjo Pura Fe’
2. Cuban Pete Tito Puente
3. Wouldn’t It Be Nice Beach Boys
4. Hound Dog Elvis Presley
5. America Simon & Garfunkel
6. Big Rock Candy Mountain Harry McClintock
7. Leaving on a Jet Plane Peter, Paul and Mary
8. Appalachian Spring 2nd mv. Aaron Copland
9. You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling Righteous Brothers
10. Georgia On My Mind Willie Nelson
11. Respect Aretha Franklin
12. The Beat Goes On Patricia Barber
13 For Once In My Life Dionne Farris
14. It Don’t Mean a Thing (…. That Swing) Duke Ellington
15. Fortunate Son Creedence Clearwater Revival
16. Summertime Miles Davis
17. Sweet Home Alabama Lynyrd Skynyrd
18. Miami Will Smith
19. Dubuque George Winston
20. My Prerogative Bobby Brown
21. American Girl Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
22. Time of the Preacher Willie Nelson
23. Amazing Grace Dean Shostak

American Music CD Two
1. Go Hiroshima
2. La Feria de las Flores Flaco Jimenez
3. Sloop John B Beach Boys
4. Fly Like an Eagle Steve Miller Band
5. Homeward Bound Simon & Garfunkel
6. I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow The Soggy Bottom Boys
7. All Shook Up Elvis Presley
8. XXX’s & OOO’s (American Girl) Trisha Yearwood
9. Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright Peter, Paul and Mary
10. Music Madonna
11.“Hoe-Down” from Rodeo Aaron Copland
12. Unchained Melody Righteous Brothers
13. Wide Open Spaces Dixie Chicks
14. Red Headed Stranger Willie Nelson
15. I’m Every Woman Chaka Khan
16. Why Can’t This Be Love Van Halen
17. California Dreamin’ Mamas & Papas
18. Take (Another) Five Grover Washington, Jr.
19. What’s Going On Marvin Gaye
20. Miles Ahead Miles Davis
21. Jack and Diane John Mellencamp
22. Shenandoah Dean Shostak

American Music CD Three
1. Intro and Hi`ilawe Memories of Hawaii Calls
2. Sabor a Mi’ Los Lobos
3. God Only Knows Beach Boys
4. Take the Money & Run Steve Miller Band
5. American Tune Paul Simon
6. Love Shack B-52’s
7. The Last of the Mohicans Main Title by Trevor Jones
8. Jailhouse Rock Elvis Presley
9. I’ll Fly Away Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch
10. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough Diana Ross
11. Blowin’ in the Wind Peter, Paul and Mary
12. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) Marvin Gaye
13. Readin’, Rightin’ Route 23 Dwight Yoakam
14. Mexican Dance & Finale from “Billy the Kid” Aaron Copland
15. Let’s Go Crazy Prince
16. Couldn’t Stand the Weather Stevie Ray Vaughan
17. New York State of Mind Billy Joel
18. Midnight Rider Allman Brothers
19. Sweet Home Chicago Robert Johnson
20. Satin Doll Duke Ellington
21. Pink Houses John Mellencamp
22. The Claw Clint Black

Categories
Hawaii USA

Get Some Family Aloha When You Travel To Hawaii

Fun in Hawaii (Scarborough photo)For me, Hawaii is one of those few wonderful places that really lives up to its hype.

Now, I’m quite biased. My first Navy ship was based in Pearl Harbor; to celebrate my arrival to the islands, one of my shipmates took me to the Sheraton Waikiki’s famous banyan tree to drink a Mai Tai while the sun set on our Diamond Head view.

Wow.

I’ve returned with kids and continued to find that it’s a magical place. There are a ton of guidebooks that cover the islands much better than I can, but I do have some recent links that you might enjoy.

** As is my wont, I must lead off by overwhelming you with 101 Free (or inexpensive) things to do on Oahu. There are a ridiculous number of choices for visitors. I do recommend a luau (not free or particularly cheap) for atmosphere and succulent Kailua pig. As for poi….well, I did try it.

Also not cheap but worth it are surfing lessons if the kids are interested. My daughter still talks about the sunburnt, Mohawked “Coach Eddie” who got her up standing on a surfboard in one afternoon.

** Remember that there’s more to Oahu than Waikiki; check out the surfers at Banzai Pipeline and the laid-back North Shore. Kids love Matsumoto’s shave ice, or investigate Wendy Perrin’s recommendations.

** Follow the contemplative steps of early Hawaii visitor Mark Twain, particularly to the Big Island (volcanoes are very cool, no pun intended.)

** Maui is another fun and funky island to visit.

** Great news for travelers; it’s getting even easier to go from island to island. Airlines that specialize in inter-island transportation are adding routes and growing. If you don’t want to fly there is a new high-speed ferry to get you and the kids out and about.

Eat some nice juicy pineapple for me, will you?

No Respect for Del Monte Pineapples (Scarborough photo) Oahu Pineapple Ready to Pick (Scarborough photo)

Update 25 May 2006: Here’s a link just in on best places in the Hawaiian islands to enjoy water sports like bodysurfing and kayaking.

Update 30 Sept 2006: How about the New York Times, “36 Hours in Honolulu?”

Categories
USA

Family Road Trip and Memorial Day Travel: Time’s A’Wasting.

Roadside Fruit Stand, Crystal River, Florida (Scarborough photo)If you’re like me, the weeks simply vaporize into some sort of alternate universe, leaving the real world an unplanned organizational wasteland.

Sorry travelers; for the US readers the Memorial Day weekend May 27-28 is fast approaching.

Do you have a plan? Stay local? Short/long road trip? Fly somewhere?

Time for family travel planning link-o-rama….

First up (to get you in the official road trippin’ mood) is Rolf Potts interviewing Jamie Jensen, the author of the great guidebook “Road Trip USA” about the “Allure of the American Road Trip.” Makes me want to go get into the car despite gas prices. For more ideas, check out Jensen’s book and Web site.

Here are some good suggestions for drives in the Western US.

When you’re cruising the byways and getting hungry, always check out Roadfood for local, sometimes offbeat places to eat. Teresa Plowright at About’s Travel With Kids site has links to steer you to places where kids eat free.

If you’re a BBQ fanatic like me, you’ll enjoy this USA Today article on 10 places to get the good meaty stuff across the USA. (My personal fave, not listed, is Iron Works BBQ in Austin, TX.)

At a loss for ideas? Frommer’s has a few in their list of unique summer festivals (Georgia’s Summer Redneck Games vs Charleston’s Spoleto; they’ve got you covered.) About’s Travel With Kids has a ton of ideas and links tied to Memorial Day.

Combine adventure/outdoors travel with an urban setting — Smarter Travel shows you how & where. Close to my neck of the woods in North Florida is the Florida Folk Festival, headlined this year by Rosanne Cash.

Sing Along at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame (Scarborough photo)

And (have mercy!) if you insist on visiting hot, muggy Orlando this time of year and taking the kids to Disney World, Fodor’s offers a Survival Guide here and some more tips here.

The park is too big to wander through without a plan unless you want to lose your mind.

Remember, park in the morning, hang out at the hotel pool in the afternoon, more park at night. My pick for the least-crazed-with-crowds park is MGM Studios. For me, the one to minimize/avoid is Magic Kingdom; just a freakin’ madhouse.

Finally, when you’re planning a hotel stay, consider one with a large water-play area for everyone to cool down; this article profiles a few.

Have a terrific time, and afterwards come back here to the Family Travel blog to tell us how it went!

Categories
New York City USA

New York City & Kids: Where to Stay? What to Eat?

There is so much to do in this city and its boroughs that you can return again and again, in different seasons, to check things out. Paying for it, however, is another matter.

Talk about Mission Impossible; the Washington Post Travel folks set out to give us some Manhattan hotels for under $200 a night (and yes, that’s considered a bargain rate in this upper strata of lodging prices.)

Meantime, one of my favorite travel guides, the Time Out series, gives us a long list of kid-friendly places to dine in NYC.

If you want to take your family to the Big Apple, check out their ideas.

Update 28 May 2006: The Washington Post readers submitted their own recommendations for pleasant and inexpensive NYC hotels.

Update 3 June 2006: A quick tip from Jaunted about visiting the Top of the Rock, especially if you want to see the NYC skyline with the Empire State Building in it (which of course you can’t do if you are at the top of the Empire State….)

Categories
New York City USA

Neat Dining Idea in New York City

Those savvy folks over at Jaunted have a nice NYC post, including tips on how to dine at the United Nations.

Take your kids Kofi-spotting…. 

 

Categories
USA

Family Vacation in Maine: Beach House Rentals

The folks over at Jaunted have some good guidance for towns and specifics on vacation home rentals in Maine’s coastal communities.  We’ve vacationed in Maine a couple of times (fortunately we can stay with friends in the perfect little town of Castine and snarf down the delicious berry scones at Bah’s Bakehouse) so I can highly recommend the charms of Down East.

Tug of War during the Castine, Maine 4th of July celebration (Scarborough photo)

Even LL Bean in Freeport at the height of summer was fun (once the little one fell asleep in the stroller.)

                                      Paddle Inspection, LL Bean Store, Freeport Maine (Scarborough photo)

Just remember to move quickly; the rental goodies get snapped up early.  There are lots of Mom & Pop motels as well if you can’t get your planning brain moving until late May.

Update 2 June 2006:   This article in Budget Travel gives a nice itinerary for mid-coast Maine including places to stay (and places to get the all-important lobster rolls.)

Children's Museum, Portland Maine (Scarborough photo)

Categories
USA

Get Outdoors With Your Family

For you lovers of the great outdoors (I’m there with you as long as there’s bug spray available) here’s a link to the National Parks Traveler blog, written by journalist and parks expert Kurt Repanshek.

You’ll find all sorts of ideas for taking your kids to visit places like Acadia in Maine, Mesa Verde in Colorado and Bryce Canyon in Utah, plus Kurt’s thoughts on advocacy and support for our parks system.