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Hot? Head for the Slopes
July 28, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Ski slopes in summer? Yep. Top skiing sites are spots of spectacular year-round beauty, much of it inaccessible or unnoticed when everything’s covered in snow and ice. Ski areas also have increasingly made the most of their locations to develop year-round recreation opportunities, and, of course, their mountain locations mean the days are comfortable and evenings are beautifully cool.
Enchantment in Western New York
As most New Englanders know, the Holiday Valley-Enchanted Mountains area has fantastic skiing and winter sports. It’s also a great cool-off destination in the summer. Holiday Valley is just an hour from Buffalo in Ellicottville, where average summer temps in the 70s make wandering through the laid back village a relaxation delight. The eight-acre Nannen Arboretum, with its flowers and Japanese Meditation Garden, will help complete your chill-out experience.
If you want more active adventures (now that you’re actually cool enough to enjoy them), head just 12 miles south to Allegany Park’s gorgeous hiking, biking and blading trails (home of the 3rd largest skate park in the U.S.). Newly opened midsummer 2011, The Sky High Adventure Park’s Aerial Park at Holiday Valley is part Ewok village and climbing course, with eight series of platforms connected by swaying bridges, coded to different skills levels.
Ellicottville holds several weekend events, too. True road warriors will want to be in town September 16th-18th for the Rock ‘n Roll Weekend, featuring classic old cars, as well as oldies performances in the town’s pubs and on the Main Street stage.
Rocky Mountain Cool
Within 1-2 hours of Denver, you can find several popular Rocky Mountain skiing spots—notably Vail and Breckenridge. Both of these spots offer a full range of outdoor activities during summer, including mountain-biking, hiking, rafting and kayaking, rollerblading and golf.Classic music enthusiasts can enjoy Vail’s many music festivals, including the August Soul Festival (19th-20th) and the Summer Jazz Series (June through Labor Day. Another top winter skiing spot, Breckenridge, is a historian and shopper’s delight, with specialty stores and historic Victorian buildings lining Main Street. And both towns include gourmet restaurants, day spas and other pampering spots for a bit of indulgence.
Other nearby ski parks that offer great summer activities include Copper Mountain (check out the climbing wall, bungee jump and bumper and paddle boats) and Beaver Creek (great golfing, rafting, fly fishing and more).
Sierra Summer Scene
You might not think of Nevada as a get-out-of-the-heat location, but Reno (summer high 80s-low 90s) is within an hour or less of a number of Sierra ski parks, many of which (e.g., Northstar, Heavenly Valley, Diamond Peak) are open for summer hiking, biking, boating and horseback riding. The Truckee River is also nearby and great for fishing and kayaking, and the entire river basin is beautiful for walking, picnicking and hiking. Lake Tahoe, one of the most beautiful spots in the country, is only a 30-minute drive with all its outdoor—and evening—activities.
Cool and Affordable
Of course, popular ski resorts—even in the off-season—can be very pricey. To make these mountain getaways affordable, be sure to check out the Extended Stay Hotels within easy reach. The roomy suites make a great “home base” for daytrips up into the cool green hills without having to schlep along all your belongings. Because they are located in major cities, the hotels also give you more dining options than you’ll find in most of the charming but small ski-towns. Additionally, with a fully-equipped kitchen, you’ll always have the option of staying at the hotel, relaxing on the sofa, eating in and reliving the day’s highlights.
Weekend Nights from $30.99 - Extended Stay Hotels
July 27, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Last minute deals for new bookings this weekend (stays 07/29 through 07/31) and next weekend (stays 08/05 through 08/07) at select Extended Stay Hotels(sm) locations. Visit our Weekend Deals section by clicking here. From there, you can book and save at least 20% on stays this weekend or next at your favorite destinations, like Los Angeles, Sacramento, Orlando, Atlanta, Boston and many others.
For Arrival Dates 07/29/2011 and 07/30/2011
* Los Angeles, CA - Rates from $47.99/night
* Sacramento, CA - Rates from $33.99/night
* Orlando, FL - Rates from $43.99/night
* Atlanta, GA - Rates from $34.99/night
* Boston, MA - Rates from $63.99/night
* Houston, TX - Rates from $31.99/night
* See all locations >
For Arrival Dates 08/05/2011 and 08/06/2011
* San Jose, CA - Rates from $51.99/night
* Denver, CO - Rates from $31.99/night
* Miami, FL - Rates from $47.99/night
* Chicago, IL - Rates from $47.99/night
* Dallas, TX - Rates from $30.99/night
* Washington, DC - Rates from $43.99/night
* See all locations >
Locals’ Picks in Chicago
July 22, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Chicago is up at the top of travel destinations for business and for families, and for many obvious reasons: the Field Museum, baseball (White Sox and Cubs!), Millennium Park and much more. You certainly don’t want to miss those highlights, but there’s more to what makes Chicago a great place to visit than what is obvious and in the guidebooks. Whether you’re there for only a day or for longer, here are some off-the-beaten-path suggestions from those who know and live in the Windy City.
Get a Little Playtime
Did we mention Da Bears? Baseball? Of course, the Cubs’ Wrigley Field—whether you’re a baseball fan or not—is such an American classic that you don’t want to miss visiting it. But Chicago is also a great city for those who just like to be active themselves, and when locals aren’t vigorously cheering on (or bewailing) one of their teams, one of the great activities is bike rides. Even though you might not think of Chicago as a cyclists’ town, it’s become a popular pastime, both for weekend afternoon jaunts and for serious cyclists. The Chainlink is a locally run resource for biking enthusiasts, and it provides information and links for routes, themed rides and other resources. The site offers an iPhone interface, too.
Get a Little Nature
You’ll naturally want to visit both Lincoln and Millennium Parks, as well as the Field Museum of Natural History and the Shedd Aquarium, but for a more community-centered focus on nature, take a stroll through some of the community gardens, like those in the Prairie District, on Ravenswood near Foster and off Sacramento and Logan Blvd. In summer and early fall, these hidden gems are filled with vegetables and flowers, and they often have benches where you can just relax and watch the lazy butterflies and bumblebees.
And if conservation and sustainability is part of your nature appreciation, take a stroll by the Helenowski Residence on Chicago’s northwest side (corner of Ravenswood and Ainsle). The owner-remodeled home was awarded the most LEED points ever given (119.5 out of 136).
For beautiful sunsets and evening views, the city of Chicago has many harbors along Lake Michigan, especially Montrose Harbor. Regardless of where you choose to view them, Chicago’s sunsets will take your breath away as you capture images in your mind when both the city and the sky collide.
Get a Bite to Eat
Of course, the culinary part of any visit to Chicago has to include a big slice of deep-dish pizza and an Italian beef sandwich. For brunches, two local recommendations are Broadway Grill and M Henry (Argyle Street). Like most major cities, Chicago also has little gems of international cuisine, like Pho Viet and Tank in Little Vietnam (in Uptown). Lulu’s (actually just a few miles north, in Evanston, near Northwestern University) has a fantastic dim sum brunch. For your sweet tooth, try out the Guatemalan pastries at Markello’s Bakery in Albany Park. A small neighborhood shop that is open 24 hours, they make it easy to just give in to temptation. Just grab one of the metal baskets, and fill ‘er up with authentic, fresh churros, empanadas and sweet Guatemalan bread. But be warned: the challenge will be making it back to your hotel with any leftover for breakfast the next morning.
20% Off - Weekend Stays at Extended Stay Hotels
July 20, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Last minute deals for new bookings this weekend (stays 07/22 through 07/24) and next weekend (stays 07/29 through 07/31) at select Extended Stay Hotels(sm) locations. Visit our Weekend Deals section by clicking here. From there, you can book and save at least 20% on stays this weekend or next at your favorite destinations, like Los Angeles, Sacramento, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, Chicago and many others.
For Arrival Dates 07/22/2011 and 07/23/2011
* Los Angeles, CA - Rates from $58.99/night
* Sacramento, CA - Rates from $35.99/night
* Fort Lauderdale, FL - Rates from $35.99/night
* Atlanta, GA - Rates from $34.99/night
* Chicago, IL - Rates from $47.99/night
* Dallas, TX - Rates from $30.99/night
* See all locations >
For Arrival Dates 07/29/2011 and 07/30/2011
* Los Angeles, CA - Rates from $47.99/night
* Orlando, FL - Rates from $35.99/night
* Memphis, TN - Rates from $31.99/night
* Houston, TX - Rates from $31.99/night
* Seattle, WA - Rates from $39.99/night
* Washington, DC - Rates from $43.99/night
* See all locations >
Road Trip Eats: 7 Great Websites and Apps
July 13, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Some folks just eat to live, but many of us live to eat—and being on the road makes this both a challenge and an adventure. The huge number of apps and advice websites out there can mean that you spend too much time wading through and eliminating sites that are inefficient, unreliable or just plain marketing ploys. Below are seven of our top picks to help you spend less time struggling and more time savoring.
Top Choice
For not only great food but also out-and-out fun in the search, the award has to go to Urbanspoon with their website, phone apps (for iPhone, Blackberry and Android) and the new iPad app. Between the truly extensive listings (more than 800,000 all over the country), GPS and augmented reality feature and easy-to-use filters, you can find just about any type of food, cost range, atmosphere and location that you want. Can’t decide? Use the shake feature with phone or the “spin” feature on the iPad to let it choose for you (which is great when you’re part of an indecisive group!).
Local Blue Plate (and Other) Specials
Want to move beyond the tourist role? Easy-to-use LocalEats (for iPad, iPhone, iTouch, Blackberry, Android and website) tells you where the locals dine, with no chains covered and no commercially funded listings. Instead, listings are drawn from “opinions of critics and local media, trusted friends, site visitors and bloggers,” and they include menus, reviews and directions, plus dining coupons.
Another great source of local recommendations is Foodspotting. Most websites and apps include pictures, but Foodspotting is all about diners’ own opinions of dishes that are to die for. Just enter the city or region you’re in and get pages of photos that you can filter by date, type of food or even the person that is posting. Find a dish that really has you drooling, and you can search out other photos from the same restaurant. And the true road warrior will want to check out RoadFood.com’s restaurant reviews, recipes and “eating tours” guides to “the most memorable local eateries along the highways and back roads of America.”
Get More for Your Money
While Groupon, Foursquare and other deal-finding sites do include restaurants, the brand new (June 2011) app BiteHunter (for iPhone, iPad and iTouch) provides a focused, real time search mechanism for the best dining deals and specials in your target areas. This free app includes filters by food type, price and other factors.
Getting Dibs on a Table
What good does it do to decide where you want to eat and then find no tables are available? While several sites and apps offer some booking features, the best by far is OpenTable (for iPhone, Blackberry, mobile Web and free), though we have to note that its primary focus is larger cities. The app will also search out nearby dining spots and link you to menus.
Do-It-Yourself Food Adventures
Many of us foodies want to get in there and do-it-ourselves now and then, even on vacation. So if you’re staying in a place with a full kitchen, you’ll want to have access to the website Epicurious.com or their free app for great ideas. It includes shopping lists, recipes and full menus from such foodie favorites as Gourmet Magazine, so you can whip up dishes from regional delicacies that you’ve picked up from the local farmers market. Speaking of which, many areas have web pages or even apps for locating such markets (e.g., California Farmer's Market Finder), so be sure to add those to your explorations.
Bon appétit!
Rates from $27.99 /night - Weekend Stays at Extended Stay Hotels
July 13, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Last minute deals for new bookings this weekend (stays 07/15 through 07/17) and next weekend (stays 07/22 through 07/24) at select Extended Stay Hotels(sm) locations. Visit our Weekend Deals section by clicking here. From there, you can book and save at least 20% on stays this weekend or next at your favorite destinations, like Los Angeles, Sacramento, Orlando, Chicago, Boston and many others.
For Arrival Dates 07/15/2011 and 07/16/2011
* Los Angeles, CA - Rates from $51.99/night
* Sacramento, CA - Rates from $35.99/night
* Orlando, FL - Rates from $42.99/night
* Chicago, IL - Rates from $47.99/night
* Boston, MA - Rates from $63.99/night
* Dallas, TX - Rates from $30.99/night
* See all locations >
For Arrival Dates 07/22/2011 and 07/23/2011
* Phoenix, AZ - Rates from $27.99/night
* Atlanta, GA - Rates from $34.99/night
* Chicago, IL - Rates from $47.99/night
* Houston, TX - Rates from $31.99/night
* Seattle, WA - Rates from $39.99/night
* Washington, DC - Rates from $43.99/night
* See all locations >
Rates from $27.99 /night - Weekend Stays at Extended Stay Hotels
July 6, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Last minute deals for new bookings this weekend (stays 07/08 through 07/10) and next weekend (stays 07/15 through 07/17) at select Extended Stay Hotels(sm) locations. Visit our Weekend Deals section by clicking here. From there, you can book and save at least 20% on stays this weekend or next at your favorite destinations, like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Raleigh, Houston and many others.
For Arrival Dates 07/08/2011 and 07/09/2011
* Los Angeles, CA - Rates from $47.99/night
* Atlanta, GA - Rates from $35.99/night
* Chicago, IL - Rates from $47.99/night
* Raleigh, NC - Rates from $41.99/night
* Houston, TX - Rates from $31.99/night
* Washington, DC - Rates from $43.99/night
* See all locations >
For Arrival Dates 07/15/2011 and 07/16/2011
* Phoenix, AZ - Rates from $27.99/night
* Denver, CO - Rates from $33.99/night
* Fort Lauderdale, FL - Rates from $35.99/night
* Detroit, MI - Rates from $36.99/night
* Memphis, TN - Rates from $31.99/night
* Dallas, TX - Rates from $30.99/night
* See all locations >
