At Fells Point, Maryland ghosts reside year-round

by Jamie Rhein on

Even though it’s almost Christmas, and Halloween is long gone, it’s not the end of haunted travel. Fells Point, Maryland is one of those towns where ghosts and their stories don’t go on vacation until the next season of fright delight. In Fells Point, the ghosts are woven into the town’s lore all year long.

Located on the waterfront as a section of Baltimore, Fells Point, founded in 1763, is one of those U.S. locations that has gradually woven its historic lore into modern amenities.

The result is cobblestone streets edged with an eclectic mix of buildings that range from the pubs, to independently owned shops and eateries to museums that touch on area history.

Amid it all, ghosts wander. At the Admiral Fell Inn ghosts are embraced as an important feature.

Ranked in 2007 as the “Best Place to Stay in Baltimore” by Philadelphia Style Magazine this hotel offers ghost tours every Friday and Saturday evening. The tours are family-friendly and a chance to hear about Fells Point’s unique history. Some say that Edgar Allen Poe’s ghost is one of the area’s visitors. Fells Point is the last place he was seen alive.

The hotel which consists of seven different buildings has had many purposes over the years. Starting in 1770, it has been a ship chandlery, a guest house for sailors and a theater among other things.

There are other haunted places in Fells Point. For a guided ghost walk tour you’ll have to wait until March when the season starts. Tickets are on sale for 2010 at Baltimore Ghost Tours. The company also has ghostwalk tours of Mt. Vernon.

Here’s a preview of the ghosts at Admiral Fells Inn. If you go, ask about the ghost tour package at the hotel.

Let’s Make a Deal: Another place to win a trip

by Jamie Rhein on

In recent years, winning a Showcase Showdown on the Price is Right, and the once in awhile trip that appears on the Wheel of Fortune’s roulette wheel have been the two main ways to snag a travel experience on someone else’s dime. There is another option where trips are handed out almost like candy at a small town parade. The daily game show Let’s Make a Deal has been resurrected on CBS.

The new Let’s Make A Deal has not changed much since the show last aired in 1977. Filmed at the Tropicana Las Vegas, the new version began airing in October with host Wayne Brady fitting into Monty Hall’s role as if it was made for him.

Brady moves through the audience of people dressed up in funky, oddball costumes picking out contestants based on who catches his eye. Whether its the box on the display floor, a box on a table or curtains 1, 2 or 3, the chances that a trip is one of the wins is quite high. Trips to Prague, Hawaii, and Japan have been some of the offerings I’ve seen each time I caught the show.

To be a contestant, head to the show’s website. If you dress up in the most unusual clever way, your options of being picked are higher. One woman was dressed as a tree with a woodpecker attached. When you pulled on the string, the woodpecker pecked.

If you do go, put a wide assortment of things in a handbag to bring with you. You could win $100 if you have the item Brady calls for. Think of the obvious like a pen to the unusual like an egg timer.

To be in the audience, click here for the link to Let’s Make a Deal, On Camera Audience, and then click on the date that you would like to attend.

Good luck. Hope you win that trip. I’ve had three friends who have been on game shows. It is possible. One of them won $10,000 on the Price is Right.

Outside TV coming to a resort near you in 2010

by Kraig Becker on

Outside Magazine has been a trusted name for adventure travelers and outdoor enthusiasts for years, offering gear reviews, profiles of explorers and athletes, as well as plenty of travel, survival, and health tips too. Now, the iconic magazine has joined forces with the Resort Sports Network, and the new partners have announced the launch of the Outside Television Network in June of 2010.

RSN is currently considered the top television network for delivering content to top vacation destinations across the U.S. It’s seen in 110 destinations throughout the country, with an annual viewership that exceeds 61 million people. Despite those numbers however, the network will undergo a complete rebranding before summer 2010, and will relaunch with the Outside brand front and center on June 1st.

This joint venture looks to have benefits for both Outside and RSN. In an era when many print mags, such as National Geographic Adventure, are shutting their doors, Outside is expanding into new media and taking their brand in new directions. RSN, on the other hand, gets access to a ton of great editorial content and will undergo a major face lift that will give it more name recognition with the markets they are looking to pursue.

So, when traveling next summer, keep your eyes peeled for this new network. It may have some great suggestions on how to make the most of your trip, or at least help you pass the time while you’re at the resort.

Washington DC to become gay marriage destination

by Tom Johansmeyer on

A new bill passed by the Washington, D.C. city council is already getting the hotel community excited over the possibilities. When Mayor Adrian Fenty signs it into law, gay marriage will be legal in our nation’s capital. For the hotel industry, that means a larger market from which to draw wedding clients and pump up some revenue in what has been a dismal market for the travel and hospitality industry.

It looks like March is the earliest the law could take effect. Even though it’s still a few months away, that isn’t nearly enough time to plan a wedding! But, the deals are nonetheless starting to pop up. The Affinia Liaison Capitol Hill is celebrating by extending its Pride Package rates for a year, to December 31, 2010. The rates start at $199 a night and include daily breakfast for two at Art and Soul restaurant and champagne cocktails for two from ArtBar. And, for each package booked, the hotel is going to donate $10 to White Knot for Equality, a non-profit that’s working for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community.

Remember to use the code PRIDE when you book your room!

[Photo by Keshet: GLBT inclusion in the Jewish Community]

Chihuahuas by the dozens on planes

by Jamie Rhein on

Virgin America and American Airlines are rescuing Chihuahuas from California by the dozens. As it turns out, California is not a place to be a Chihuahua. There are just too many of them. When Chihuahuas became the dog flavor of the day, thanks to the movies “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” and “Legally Blond,” and the Chihuahua carrying habits of celebrities like Paris Hilton, dog breeders overshot the numbers of Chihuahuas. Supply, in essence, overshot the demand.

The numbers are astounding. 4,700 Chihuahuas have been taken in by animal shelters in California this year, some from owners who couldn’t afford their dog any more due to the recession.

Thankfully, people on the east coast don’t have enough small dogs so Virgin America and Project Flying Chihuahua, and American Airlines and Kinder4Rescue, a non-profit started by actress Katherine Heigl, are taking the Chihuahuas there. The Chihuahuas have a discounted fee and money is being raised to help with the Chihuahua rescue efforts. So far Chihuahuas are going by air to New Hampshire and New York City.

Dogs have also been sent to Arizona, Washington and Oregon, but by S.U.V.

There is a chance that Virgin America may offer a week of half price trips to people who are willing to take a Chihuahua to New York from California. This doesn’t mean you’d be the one adopting the dog, just the one helping it make it to its new home.