|
|
|
TodaysAdvisorTraveli __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TodaysAdvisor's Directory of Luxury Hotel Chains Click here ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Orient-Express Hotels, Ltd. Much more than just the train Pictured above are three major parts of the Orient-Express Collection; the Orient-Express luxury trains, The "21" Club in New York, The Orient-Express. The name itself evokes romance, mstery, intrigue and luxury. It lives on, forever immortalized by the great mystery writer Agatha Christie in her novel "Murder on the Orient Express." But, today, the Orient-Express company, formally known - curiously - as Orient-Express Hotels, Ltd, is much more than just the trains. Yes, there is the original Venice Simplon Orient Express, the most classic route, which today runs just once a year from Paris to Istanbul, stopping in such exotic cities as Budapest and Bucharest, and the more common Venice to Istanbul route, but there is much more. There are other routes that will take you through different great European capitals including stops in Prague, Rome and Krakow and other routes on other trains that depart and arrive in London, taking you through the UK and into Scottland. There are other routes in the Far East and even North America (along the eastern seaboard departing from New York). But the Orient-Express are also hotels and restaurants such as the venerable New York eatery "21" and the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa. The Orient-Express company operates trains, hotels and restaurants on all continents including Australia. A favorite in Buenos Aires, Argentina is the La Cabana steakhouse, one of the most famous in Argentina and the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Yes, the words Orient-Express conjure up many images, but today, first and foremost, they must stand for a world-wide collection of luxury hotels, tains and fine dining establishment the world-over. You can go on your own personal mission of discovery by visiting their expansive and descriptive website, www.orient-express.com. See below for a complete listing of the Orient-Express Collection. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The World's Greatest Passenger Ships The World's Greatest Cruise Ship: Royal Caribbean's The Oasis of the Seas After encountering some very rough seas and 40-foot waves on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic, it is encountering good seas now, as it heads for its home port in Florida, from where it will cruise the calmer waters of the Caribbean. Afterall, this ship is a cruise ship and not an ocean liner. As for its size, lets just say there is nothing like it. Her 16 deck height is just the start. Want to take a cruise and get on-board to see for yourself? Booking a cruise package is actually quite affordable. Click here The World's Greatest Ocean Liner: Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 Speaking of Ocean Liners, this one is the one making the legendary grand "crossing" in the grandest of style. This ship still makes a regular crossing from England to New York across the Atlantic. Be careful not to call it a cruise ship. This ship was constructed to take on the routinely heavy seas of the north Atlantic, in stride. And thanks to its sturdy ocean-going construction, this is no problem for the Queen Mary 2. Hence the term, Ocean Liner. Like the Orient-Express, the travel itself is the destination. Both the Orient-Express and a crossing on the QM2 harken back to a more romantic, more luxurious time in the annals of travel history. Want to book passage on the Queen Mary 2? Well, lets just say it not a cruise like on the Oasis. This will cost a pretty penny, similar to the Orient-Express, but hey, like we said, what you're buying here is not the desitination; its the romance, the history, the luxury and the travel itself - and that, my dear fiends, comes at a price. Click here ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Summer Travel Tip: New England: The Cape Cod Baseball League Home of the Wareham Gatemen The Chatham A's This summer, if you're in New England, check out the Cape Cod Baseball League. Most every main town on the Cape has a team and they play through about mid-August. Teams are made up of the very best talent from major university programs. It is the most selective and most competitive of all summer baseball leagues; many majors leaguers played here while in college, too many to mention in fact. But, if you're looking for future pedigree for Cape League alums, look no further than this years Major League Baseball All-Star Game where no fewer than 12 of the participants are all former CCBL players. And we're not talking about the Home Run Derby, we mean from the actual All-Star Team rosters. 12 out of what, 30 in total? Not a bad percentage when a lot of baseballs best players are from the Carribean. Safe to say that if you're a ball player from the U.S, and and you're an MLB All-Star, chances are really, really good that you spent a summer or two on the Cape in the CCBL. All games are attended by pro-scouts looking for the next A-Rod or Johan Santana. The league is made even better by the use of wooden bats - taking away the annoying 'ping' of the aluminum bats used during the regular season. Scouts watch closely to see how the young men adapt to the more unforgiving wooden bats, many using them for the very first time. It is a good test to see how they may do once in pro-ball where they will use them every day. They will be expected to master the wood bats if they ever want to reach the majors. Pitchers dream of getting the chance to finally pitch to batters not swinging with the metal haymakers - it makes their job easier and they wind-up looking better in the process. And with all the scouts in attendence, what's wrong with that? The whole league harkens back to a past era. Little has changed since the league was formed in 1885, making it nearly as old as professional baseball itself. But there are no pro's here - just the stars of tomorrow. Sit in shirt-sleeves on balmy summer nights nights and root for the Hyannis Mets, the Harwich Mariners of the Chatham A's - or for the more whimsical, the Cotuit Kettleers, the Brewster Whitecaps, or the Wareham Gatemen. Trust me, sitting there, in Chatham's Veterans Field, as evening gently comes on, the sun sets, and the night fog eerily rolls-in, and the only thing missing is a cornfield and Kevin Costner. You half expect to see James Earl Jones sitting there keeping score and Burt Lancaster to come walking in from centerfield in his black raincoat and carrying his doctor's bag. If you know what I'm talking about, you understand - if you don't, don't worry about it, and just come and see for yourself. This is sport at its easiest - perfect for the lazy, hazy days and nights of summer. Nothing here seems rushed no matter how fiecely the young men compete. The kids play, lawn chairs abound, an occasional dog gets loose on the field, and all is right with the world. www.capecodbaseball.org ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Summer Travel Tip: Virginia: Mount Vernon, Monticello, Montpelier George Washington's Mount Vernon Thomas Jefferson's Monticello James Madison's Montpelier If you happen to be on the northern edge of the steamy south this summer check out the estates of three of our Founding Fathers, all in Northern Virginia, all within driving distance of each other. And about as easy a road trip as it gets. Fly in to D.C. From Reagan National Airport you aren't more than a 30 minutes drive, south, to Mt. Vernon. Mt Vernon is on the shores of the Potomac river. Further inland, to the west and towards the center of the state, the more mountainous part, you'll find the college town of Charlottesville. The University of Virginia, founded by Jefferson, is located there and just on the otuskirts of town, on top of a splendid hill, sits Jefferson's Monticello. Just northeast of there, less than an hour by car, in Orange County, is the home of James and Dolley Madison: Montpelier, currently under going a total renovation to restore it to the way it looked in the 4th President's day. It has just recently passed into the public trust having been a private residence of the DuPont family for the better part of the 20th century. Now a major tourist attraction for history buffs, they are busy restoring the mansion and grounds, taking it from a 20th century home to the 18th century home during the time of the revolution. Monticello and Mount Vernon have been in the public trust for many, many years - but renovation, excavation, and exploration of the grounds and the homes are forever on-going. To get to Mount Vernon from Reagan, take the George Washington Parkway north to I-395 S and go about 10 miles. Take I-395 S. to I-95 S. and go about 3 miles. Take Exit 166-A onto the Fairfax County Parkway and go 3 miles. Turn left on to Richmond Hwy (US-1) and go 2 miles. Turn right onto the Mount Vernon Parkway and just follow the signs. The entire trip is about 23 miles. To get to Charlottesville from Mount Vernon, take the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway and go 1.5 miles to Richmond Highway (US-1), take a left and go 7 miles. Take ramp onto I-95 S. towards Richmond. Go 31 miles to the Fredricksburg area. Take exit 130B onto VA Route 3. Go 13 miles to VA Route 20 and go 22 miles. Turn left on US Route 15 and go about 8 miles. Turn left on VA Route 231 and go 9 miles. Continue on VA Route 22 and go 5 miles. Continue on US Route 250 and go 4 miles to US Route 250. You'll be in Charlottesville and it won't be difficult for you to find Monticello from there. The entire trip from Washington's Mount Vernon is a little over 100 miles but, because this is the most direct route without a lot of interstate highway travel, the trip will take about 2 hours. To get to Montpelier from Monticello, you'll be heading northeast, and back towards Washington. Get directions to US Route 250 and go 4 miles east, southeast. Bear left on VA Route 22 and go about 5 miles, then, bear left on VA Route 231 and go 10 miles. Continue on US-15 N to the James Madison Hwy (US Route 15) and go 8 miles. The entire trip, a mere 33 miles. To get back to Reagan National Airport from Orange County start on VA Route 20, Constitution Highway, and go east, towards Fredricksburg. Go 18 miles to VA Route 3 and go east, 13 miles. Take ramp onto I-95 north and you're sailing along towards Washington. Go 40 miles. Continue on I-395 north towards DC. Go 7 miles and look for the signs. You'll be within a few miles of the airport. This last leg was 81 miles. That's it. Other historic sites abound in this region, called The Piedmont, like the battlefield at Manassas, site of two famous Civil War battles or Oak Hill, home of the 5th President of the United States, James Monroe (located in Loudoun County). For a national register of historic places in Virginia's Piedmont, and along VA Route 15, Click here ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Summer Travel Tip: Chicago: The Windy City, Chicago-Style Pizza Tour  Pizza Chicago! We Travel to the Windy City for a Pizza Tour to find some of to Find America’s Best Pizza - In Our Kind of Town By Ernie Manouse Every major city in America has it's dangers - and I am not about to list them here, but one city that is often threatening me is Chicago - not due to crime or violence - but something much more insidious - PIZZA! People often make the mistake of referring to Pizza as a single type of food - "Did you have pizza last night?" "Let's order a Pizza" - but a little time in Chicago will show you how wrong you are - Pizza is a cuisine, think "French," "Mexican," "Asian!" You could eat Pizza for dinner each night for a whole week and experience something different every time - I know, because I’ve done it! So, here now, I’ll list for you some of my favorite cheesy, saucey, doughy treats from the Windy City.
Thin Crust
No one beats "Father & Son" located at 2475 N Milwaukee (www.fatherandson.com) - Such a thin crispy cracker of a pizza (my favorite is with
sausage), but due to its thinness you could probably finish off a whole pie in no time and still want more, so I say; no matter what, order two! You can always save leftovers, and even a bit soggy, this pizza is a stand out. If you visit their website, you will find the pizza of the Month club - Sounds like fun to me!
New York Style
A little bread-ier than a thin crust, and a style loved all over the Big Apple, but Chicago has some too! I spent many of my college days enjoying
“Ranalli's” (http://ranallisonclark.com) 2301 N. Clark. Great sauce and a wonderful mix of cheeses.
Pan Pizza
Gino's East (www.ginoseast.com). 633 N. Wells St. and 162 E. Superior St. Yeah I know, very touristy, but it got to be the place for tourists
to visit by being damn good! No place else will make a deep dish pie with a distinctive cornbread crust, and when you order it with sausage, it comes with a sausage pattie that covers the entire top of the pie!
Deep Dish
“Calo's” (www.calorestaurant.com) - 5343 N. Clark. I discovered this north side treat through my elderly grandmother, who, well into her 90's,
was still ordering this deep dish treat. Again - the cheese blend and the unique sauce along with a distinctive pleasing crust makes this my favorite pizza to have on a regular basis. I have been known to eat it three or four times in one week. A medium will generously feed two adults and even give you some to take home (that is why I always order a large!)
Stuffed Pizza
“Art of Pizza” - 3033 N Ashland Ave - All over the Chicagoland area, restaurants tout their Pizza as the best in town but, let me tell you, when
you are looking for a stuffed pizza, “Art of Pizza” is the one to enjoy. I remember when I first moved to Chicago, hungry and looking in the yellow pages for a pizza to have delivered, I saw ad after ad for "Stuffed Pizza" so, I called one at random and asked "What is Stuffed Pizza?" After the woman laughed at me, she told me it was a deep dish pie, filled with cheese and then what ever other ingredients you wanted, and then another crust was placed on top and then covered with sauce. My life changed that night and I have enjoyed stuffed Pizzas all over Chicago ever since, but the best, and the one I long for, is "Art of Pizza".
Pizza Pot Pie
Yup, you read it right; Pizza Pot Pie, and the only place I have ever found anything like it is at "Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder"
(www.chicagopizzaandovengrinder.com) - 2121 North Clark. No reservations, and a host who simply remembers your name and place in line. Located in a building rich with Chicago crime history (it is said to have been the look out for the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre), it can take a while to be seated, but it is well worth the wait. The "Pizza" is made in a ceramic bowl first filled with cheese, and then sauce, with mushrooms as large as door knobs (well, that’s what they say and while it’s not true, they are really big) and covered with dough. The whole thing is then backed into the oven and when brought to your table, your server flips it over, and the contents of the bowl fill the crusty dough lid that now makes the bowl itself, edible. The idea is unique and the taste is out of this world!
You should order it with the Mediterranean bread as an appetizer or one of their HUGE salads, and you will be set. Each one is individual,
and I recommend the 1/2 pound size, since the one-pounder can be a bit much (you must remember that this is Chicago, and food is not small here). I find in both the pizza, and the bread, that the whole-wheat dough has a better flavor then the white. Surprisingly, the frozen pizza’s they sell come back to life beautifully, so indulge anf take one with you. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ STORIES: Texas, New Developments in the Lone Star State DALLAS: Epic Endeavor: Step Into the Future of City Living with Dallas’ Victory Park District HOUSTON: Travelers to Houston Will Go Ga-Ga Over the New Hotel ZaZa - By Cleverley Stone SAN ANTONIO: Hotel Contessa at the Center of New Luxury Hotel Openings on San Antonio's Famed Riverwalk ___________________________________________________________________________________________ DOMESTIC FLIGHT TRACKING Waiting on business associates, family, friends, or other VIP's to fly-in from here or abroad? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 Great Hotels and Restaurants We Recommendl We're not saying that these are the 5 best hotels or the 5 best restaurants in America, or even the five best in their respective cities, necessarily. We're just saying that these 5 hotels and these 5 restaurants come highly and personally recommended. We think that idf you get the chance to extend to them your patronage, that you will not be disappointed. Hotels 
The Windsor Court, New Orleans, LA, www.windsorcourthotel.com English manor-house oppulence around the corner from the French Quarter? True enough and it houses one of the most upscale restaurants in all of New Orleans. 
The Phoenician, Scottsdale, AZ, www.phoenician.com When you imagine staying at a desert resort, you are thinking about The Phoenician. The most representative of what a Scottsdale area resort is all about. 
The Peninsula, New York, NY, http://newyork.peninsula.com/ So upscale, you may never have to get out of bed. Virtually all amentities can be controlled from your bedside. It's location in Mid-Town, on 5th Ave, just south of Central Park is ideal. The Peninsula chain along with the Mandarin-Oriental, have got to be the two best upscale, luxury hotel chains in the world. You really can't go wrong at any of them, and any of them could have wound up on this list. 
The Cloister, Sea Island, GA, http://www.seaisland.com Trust me, you're not going to want to go home. Host to a recent G-8 summit of world leaders, Sea Island, Georgia is exclusively a resort and vacation-home island (that's all that's there) making it a secluded and very exclusive sea-side destination. Always ranked among the best golf resorts in America, it was recently ranked number 1 by Golf Digest (December, 2006). 
The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA, http://www.thebeverlyhillshotel.com/ The choice of Hollywood royalty for decades. Still cool after all these years. Breakfast at the Polo Lounge is still the place to see major Hollywood deals being made, and the coffee has to be the best in the world. This may sound a bit tourist-y, but you really do see stars everywhere. Secluded bungalows (each one seems to have its own notoritety for something that happened there) provide the perfect spot for your private rendez-vous with whomever. The staff observes absolute discretion at all times, of course.
|
| |