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Amtrak Acela Express 2168 – First Class Car Review
I needed to get from Washington-WAS to New York-NYP and had already decided I was taking the train. But, instead of a Northeast Regional train (which has appx 1 departure every hour), I wanted to try America’s one and only “high speed” train.
Value and BookingThe Acela Express train isn’t cheap, especially when considering that it’s not so much of a “high-speed train” than an “Express Train”. The Acela will typically save you about 35 minutes when compared to the slower Northeast Regional train, but tickets can cost as much as 80% more (cheapest rates on the [...]
The St. Regis Atlanta – Starwood Category 6 Eighty-Eight West Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta,Georgia 30305 United States Award Redemption: 20,000 pts or 10,000 pts +$180 Normal rate: Varies b/t $385-$485, average around $450 + tax Starpoints return: 1.9 cents points – 3.0 cents/point = below average – average return
Booking/Check-inI booked the base “Superior Room” at appx 2 weeks before check-in and received a corporate rate of $275. When we arrived, the check-in agent was very polite and extremely enthusiastic and happy to see us–a great trait to have as an employee that has dozens of check-ins/check-outs per day. He confirmed that we were in [...]
Bob Weir & RatDog 3/16/14 Winter and Spring Tour 2014 Review, Setlist, Videos and Pictures – March 16, 2014 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
This was the final show of the Winter/Spring 2014 RatDog tour. Doors opened at 6pm with a scheduled show time of 7:30pm, the band finally took the stage around 7:45pm and started off with an electric Help on the Way. I’m not sure how these guys have so much energy as they played from 7:45pm to 11:30pm with about a 30 min set break = 3 hours 15 mins of live music!
Here’s a photo album with 40+ photos from the show shot by “playindead”: Flickr – Ratdog 2014-03-16 by [...]
308 S Hunter St, Aspen, CO Lunch, Dinner $
While staying in Snowmass, CO, we caught the free shuttle bus from the “downtown” area of Snowmass to Aspen one evening. More about the free shuttle at the end of this post.
Because our stay in Aspen was very short – only a couple of hours – and it was a freezing cold January night, we decided to do some quick research and pick a restaurant near the shuttle bus stop and one with some atmosphere. After a search on Urban Spoon, we headed just down the road to La Palapa, advertised as an authentic Mexican food joint.
Because we’re from SC, we wanted to try some Mexican food in [...]
Our journey started off in Charleston-CHS on a small United Airlines commuter flight to Washington-IAD. We couldn’t have been more thrilled that the seat-back magazine, Hemispheres, featured article that was titled, “Three Perfect Days in Istanbul”–off to a good start!
…it must be a sign
We made it to Dulles from our connecting flight with about 3 hrs to kill before takeoff. I had a few United Club passes that I wanted to use before they expired, but we wanted to stay in Terminal B. Unfortunately, you’re out of luck when it comes to United Clubs in Terminal B.
Monticello, located in Charlottesville, Virginia, is the perfect escape for a morning or afternoon. You can’t beat the Virginia countryside and the tour of the home itself is a can’t-miss. The house is located at the top of the mountain, so you’ll park at the base and buy your tickets, then a shuttle will drive you the final few minutes. That being said, be sure to get there in time to park, purchase your tickets and then make your shuttle for the 10-15 minute drive … so, don’t arrive just 10 minutes before the last tour of the day at 4:10pm.
If you’re just interested in the basics, the Monticello Day Pass and House Tour is the one for you [...]
BWI — Baltimore-Washington International Airport Terminal D (Note: Also accessible to other concourses by presenting a same-day BWI boarding pass to Concourse D security) Between D10 and D12, the Delta/United terminal 4:30am – 8:00pm
As I’ve said before (The Club at ATL – Atlanta’s Newest (and best?) Lounge and JFK Terminal 4 Lounges/The Oasis Lounge), which lounge I go to is often a function of which one will let me in. However, at BWI, the Airspace Lounge is the only (domestic) lounge, so that adage is a little less relevant. Here are your entry options:
Complimentary Access for American Express Platinum Card–up to 2 guests Pay to enter — [...]1110 Vermont Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. American $$$
Jeffrey and I were in DC recently and happened to stay just around the corner from Lincoln. After doing some quick research on Urban Spoon, we decided on the Lincoln because of its close proximity to our hotel and its good reviews (92%!).
When we walked in, true to its name, there were penny’s inside the floor. Pretty cool touch for a restaurant that takes its name from the President whose face is on the penny. The restaurant had a laid-back atmosphere with plenty of people, but it didn’t seem crowded at all. And, it’s not too nice — it wasn’t quiet and you don’t have to [...]
An unusual winter storm brought snow to Charleston–schools were closed for 2.5 days and many business were as well. Check out some of the pictures we took around Charleston of the snow storm. And if you’ve got some weird thing for pictures of snow check out the photo gallery of Paris in the Snow from about a year ago.
A rare sight!
No bronzin’ going on today — from Dockside Condos over looking Charleston Harbor and Ravenel Bridge
Charleston Maritime Center Dock
Charleston Harbor Ferry leaves from the Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center at Liberty Square (340 Concord St., downtown Charleston) AND Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum (40 Patriots Point Rd., Mount Pleasant, SC) Adults $18, Adult Seniors (62 years & up) $16, Children ages 4-11 yrs $11, Children 3 yrs & under FREE Click here for ferry times.
For the history buffs out there (like me!), you’ll probably recognize Fort Sumter as where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. You won’t learn until you visit, though, the first shots were sent TO Fort Sumter, not from it. Let me back up…
First, you have to take a ferry to the [...]
