The killing of two Canadian tourists during an apparent botched robbery Monday does harm to Atlantic City's efforts to gussy up its image.The women, one 80 and the other 47, were stabbed with a butcher knife at the corner of Pacific and Michigan avenues near the Boardwalk. The suspect, Antoinette Pelzer, appeared in court Tuesday, where she was charged with murder and weapons charges. Bail was set at $1.5 million.The attacks on the women by Pelzer, whose relatives said in court and told media outlets that she has a history of mental illness and had been living in a homeless shelter, do not help the city's effort to portray itself as an appealing tourist destination and to staunch the flow of gaming dollars to casinos ... Continue reading →
For some road trippers, rest-stop strategy is a science. How many stops do you plan to make on your trip? Which states have the best -- or worst -- rest areas? Should you risk getting off the interstate, or stick to the state-run stops?We can't help on the best options for your trip, but if you plan to hit the road this Memorial Day Weekend, we've got a list of rest areas you may want to avoid. USA TODAY asked foursquare, the mobile app that lets travelers "check in" at venues around the world, for a list of the rest stops with the most check-ins last Memorial Day weekend. Here's the top ten:- Delaware Welcome Center Travel Plaza (Newark, Del.)- Maryland House Travel Plaza (Aberdeen, ... Continue reading →
You owe more for your room, baby! / Photo by imaqine - Flickr Resort fees fall under the category of “nuisance” surcharges because they’re usually so insignificant that they’re not worth fighting. And travel companies know it, which is one reason they keep piling ‘em on. But what happens when these extras rise to the level of a major expenditure? Timothy Williams wants to know. He’s visiting Las Vegas for 27 days while he closes on a home, and needed a hotel. So he clicked on Hotwire.com, which offers discounts on accommodations but doesn’t reveal the hotel until you’ve made a nonrefundable purchase. Williams ended up with a room at the Palace Station Courtyard, which like a lot of Las Vegas resorts has a mandatory ... Continue reading →
Reversing the holiday brain drain In the near future, travellers may be more likely to spend part of their vacation somewhere like the New York Public Library. (AP Photo/Ed Bailey) At some point, we’ve all felt holiday brain drain – that feeling that the grey matter isn't working at full capacity when you return to the office after a break away. Reportedly, going on a vacation – especially to a warm climate -- may even lower your IQ.So it makes sense that there’s a whole new industry looking to reverse that trend, where travellers will have the option of choosing destinations, hotels and holiday packages designed to keep their minds in good health.Forbes magazine reported that brain training will be the next ‘‘trillion-dollar industry”. According ... Continue reading →
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Just before our documentary film series on the history of our national parks was first broadcast on PBS in the fall of 2009, I had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to share scenes from the film with President Obama in a small screening room at the White House. It was a great honor. My wife, three daughters and son-in-law were with me, as was the family of my co-producer and writer, Dayton Duncan. Only a handful of other folks were there, and I have to confess that they blurred into the background as we showed the president highlights from our six-part, 12-hour series.It was a personal and intimate moment for the president, too, momentarily distracted from the cares of his office. After the screening, he spoke movingly ... Continue reading →