travelwriter

Christmas and New Orleans – two of my favorite things! 

The city of New Orleans has so much style and je ne sais quoi to begin with, it can only be complimented by the holiday spirit of Christmas.

Meet up with some historical figures of the past as they gather to tell stories through music and dance.  These historically correct guests will roam the streets of the French Quarter and stroll along into hotels and restaurants along the way.  The educational strolls will take place between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. from Thursdays to Sundays only; it’s a great photo opportunity not to be missed.

What would Christmas in New Orleans be without a cruise down the Mississippi on the historical steamboat, Natchez?  Just imagine tasting the asparagus and crabmeat, chicken in monter au beurre sauce, pecan cornbread stuffing and double fudge chocolate bread pudding.  Not to mention live jazz music, festive holiday decorations and the authentic 1800’s steamboat; reservations are a must for this family fun Christmas Eve treat.

The Royal Sonesta Teddy Bear Tea takes places at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street on December 13 & 14 and December 17 to 23, 2008.  The first seating for tea is at 11:00 a.m. with an afternoon tea at 2:00 p.m.  Teddy Bears are invited to enjoy the parade and holiday treats like chocolate dipped strawberries.

Upcoming:  Christmas New Orleans Style – Part Three

If you’re heading up north prior to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), Canada, brush up now by sending for your Free Whistler Blackcomb Winter Guide 2008-2009.

With the slump in the Canadian dollar again, this will be the winter for our US neighbors to come stay and play.  According to Whistler representatives, ski and stay is currently less than $100 CAD per day – or $80 USD per day for lift and hotel accommodations.

Residents from Canada and Washington state are eligible to purchase an EDGE card which guarantees the lowest rate on lift tickets.  An EDGE card comes pre-loaded with your choice or 1, 5 or 10 days and valid now until June 14, 2009.

How’s the snow right now in Whistler?  Check it out and see. 

Travel the world, learn foreign languages, What would any travel writer do without this book? 

A good English dictionary is a must have for every writer and the Collins Pocket Dictionary is the one for me. 

I love the flexibility of the soft vinyl cover and the compact size of this paperback.  I’m a visual person and so I love the color feature of the book – the main entry words are displayed in red with their meanings in black – which makes for an easy scan of the page.

Sure, I can use spell check just as good as the next person but unfortunately spell check doesn’t seem to recognize the difference between ‘angles’ and ‘angels’ but apparently my potential editor did.

We both laughed but really, I can’t believe I did that!  I apologized profusely as this in one of my pet peeves – spelling.  Correctly.  After this incident, lesson learned – spell check, re-read, spell check, re-read, repeat.  Oh, and then repeat again, just to make sure.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) recently reported that an estimated 41 million people in the United States will travel a minimum of fifty miles this coming Thanksgiving weekend.

Are you travelling with kids?

Bring an assortment of small activities to keep them busy – travel size games like Battleship and Magna Doodle are great.  If you’re travelling by car, you can also bring an assortment of snacks – carrot sticks, bananas, granola bars and juice.  If you’re travelling by plane, your selection is still limited for carry-on luggage but some airports now have a designated family lane for airport security checks. 

Remember to stay hydrated throughout the trip and take a few things along to make a strange room at the relatives, or a hotel room, look more like home.  A favorite stuffed animal, a framed photo of a family pet or that special blanket can go a long way in making a child feel welcome.

O’hare International Airport in Chicago: the cost for the new runway, 9L/27R, was over the $450 million mark.  O’hare is expected to get another runway plus a new terminal by the year 2014.

Washington, D.C. at Dulles International: the cost was approximately $350 million.     The runway, also known as 1L/19R, is the first new runway since the airport’s opening back in 1962.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: the new runway, 16R/34L cost over $1 billion to complete - five times over budget in comparison to the initial cost projection. 

With the completion of these new runways, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has more airport projects in the works for next year.  There will be a runway extension in Philadelphia, a new centerfield taxiway at Boston Logan and Charlotte, NC, will be getting a new runway in 2010.

Irish authorities have just released a report describing events as they took place onboard Air Canada flight 848 from London, England, to Toronto, ON, in January 2008. 

With only one hour left in the flight, the co-pilot became distraught and was “asking for God.”  He then began crying, shouting and became belligerent.  He was forcibly removed from the cockpit and was handcuffed to one of the aircraft seats.

With 146 passengers onboard, the pilot checked to see if there were any off-duty pilots onboard.  There were none but a flight attendant did hold a commercial pilot’s license and took the co-pilots seat.  The Air Canada flight made a safe emergency landing in Shannon, Ireland. 

The co-pilot was hospitalized for 11 days before returning to Canada for further treatment and care.  The British Pilots Association (BPA) stated that all of their pilots are required to be tested twice a year which involves physical and psychological testing. 

The report also gave much credit to the crew for being professional in an unusual situation.

Elfriede Kuemmel was an 83-year-old passenger flying from New York to Tampa with US Airways this past Monday.

Kuemmel was issued her boarding pass to Tampa but the flight required a connection in Philadelphia.  Kuemmel waited in line but it was the wrong line.  Flight attendants then boarded her onto the flight – bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico.

US Airways admits to making the mistake and apologized to both Kuemmel and her family who was waiting for her arrival in Tampa.  US Airways paid for a hotel and food in San Juan and provided a first class flight back to Tampa.

Seemingly very distraught, Kuemmel was asked if she had ever been to Puerto Rico before, she replied “No,” followed with “and I’ll never go again.”

PS. I will not be posting a photo of Kuemmel with respect to her embarassment & distraught condition.

This great city has so much to offer on its own, now with the upcoming Holiday Season, you could make your trip to New Orleans just that much more special.

Reveillon Dinners are part of the traditional French holiday season.  New Orleans takes that a little bit further by offering a list of 37 restaurants that specialize in the Creole holiday dinner.  Prix fixe menus are offered consisting of four to five course dinners with that authentic New Orleans flare.

Seeing the Christmas light decorations on homes is a highlight of the season and what could be more extraordinary that seeing these lights on the historic homes along St. Charles Avenue.  It’s as easy as hopping aboard the St. Charles Street Car on Canal Street and riding up past the mansions and universities.  For only $2.50 return, it can’t be beat.

Another way to get into the holiday spirit in New Orleans is at the ‘Miracle on Fulton Street’ located at Harrah’s Casino.  This free family event provides is a festive holiday experience complete with Santa and his reindeer.  And the best part?  Starting at noon, it snows every hour on the hour.  Now how cool is that?

Upcoming:  Christmas New Orleans Style – Part Two

Monday night, upon arrival in Vancouver, BC, an Air Canada flight that had just arrived from Montreal, QC, was boarded by Health Canada officials.

It seemed to be a routine flight except for the fact that 20 passengers and 3 crew members became sick during the flight.

Air Canada reported that these passengers and crew were feeling nauseous and feverish throughout the flight.

Speculation from the ill passengers suggested that they started feeling sick shortly after the aircraft went through the de-icing process in Montreal.  Air Canada would not speculate towards the cause of the multiple illnesses.

It took Health Canada officials 2 hours to check and deplane all of the passengers onboard.  Air Canada and Health Canada are still investigating at this time.