Gadling Take FIVE: Week of September 13–September 19

In a week where Wall Street has gone haywire, and Hurricane Ike made it to the Midwestern part of the United States creating a whole bunch of mischief, this has been a week at Gadling for waxing nostalgic and feeling gushy.

  • Scott took us on a trip down memory lane with his post on vintage airline commercials.
  • Matthew got all poetic on his cup of ramen noodles, and told us just how to jazz up our own bowl of the good stuff.
  • Jeremy gave us a up close and personal look at the architectural gem of Grand Central as part of his new series, “The Undiscovered New York.”
  • Heather lamented a bit for the good old days of air travel when there were decent layovers and when airline food service was adequate enough to make both the flight crews and the passengers happy.
  • And, Meg pointed out one way Portland, Oregon remembers its history through horses–fake horses that can be found at various locations about town.

As for me, personally, I’m feeling nostalgic about electricity. We haven’t had it at my house since last Sunday. Of course, I realize this is a minor nusance. The upside is that electricity has been a great conversation starter as of late–as in, “Do you have any?”

Get a free ticket to a Disney theme park in 2009: Happy Birthday to you

If you head to Disneyland or Disney World on your birthday in 2009, you can get in for free. That is a sweet present indeed. What’s the rub?

There isn’t one from what I can tell after reading the rules. There aren’t any hidden tricks.

To get the ticket, register your birthday on-line and a confirmation message will be sent. Then, show up on your birthday with the confirmation message, a proof of your birth date and a valid ID, and you’re in. It’s that simple.

The confirmation message will be sent two weeks before your birthday. You can register now, even if your birthday is December 31, 2009.

There are a couple of points note. If you have a multiple-day ticket already, or are a season pass holder, the one day ticket doesn’t make sense. Therefore, you’ll be given some other birthday treat, and it’s not shabby. One choice is a birthday fun card for merchandise and activities equal in value to the day admission.

For more details-like exactly what you need as proof of your birth date, click here. If the ticket is for a child, you’ll need the child’s birth certificate. Keep in mind, kids under three years-old get in Disney parks for free anyway. Also, you can upgrade the ticket.

Although scoring a ticket so easily might seem odd, consider this. Who goes to Disney World or Disneyland all by his or her lonesome? Give away one ticket and at least one will get sold–probably more. With the growing trend to go on celebration vacations, Disney is making it easy. A theme park also fits a multiple age category where everyone is happy.

Here’s another point. Let’s say you live in Iowa, and your birthday is in the middle of the week in October and you’re still in school, or you have kids who are. No Disneyland for you. No Disney World–not for free. But, if you’re birthday fits into weekend, why not go for it?

Keeping up with Rolf Potts’ online book tour

Chances are, if you’ve ever looked for a book on the joys of deliberate, independent travel, you’ve come across Rolf Potts’ fantastic book Vagabonding. It is the virtual Bible of solo travel, and it has inspired countless people to create time in their lives for long-term world travel.

Now, to promote his newest book Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, Rolf is making a number of stops around the blogosphere to answer questions, including here at Gadling. Already Rolf has been featured at Budget Travel, BootsnAll, and the Four-Hour Workweek, with stops at Jaunted, Brave New Traveler, and Matador still to come. [Here‘s the full schedule.]

A couple excerpts from Rolf’s interviews so far:

“I usually travel with some vague objectives when I go to a new place, but I’ve found that the key to really experiencing the place is the willingness to dump those pre-planned objectives at a moment’s notice if you discover something more compelling along the way.”

“Sometimes I get irritated when I hear some backpacker brag about the time he’s spent on some rice farm near Vang Vieng, and then in the next breath bag on the sensibilities of people who live in “Red States” he’s certainly never visited. How can you consider hanging out with a Laotian farmer a virtue when the idea of a Kansas farmer brings a sneer to your face?”

“One general piece of advice I might offer is to not get defensive when someone is talking about their travels. So your next-door neighbor went to Guyana and he wants to tell you all about it– is he showing off or just channeling the excitement of his journey? Odds are it’s the latter– and if you reflexively judge him as a travel snob just because he went someplace exotic and enjoyed it, then you’re the one who’s being a jerk.”

Stay tuned to Gadling for an interview with Rolf– and more!– starting September 26.

The Horse Project in Portland, Oregon

There’s so much to see and do in a big city like Portland that a tourist could easily miss out on some of the coolest parts of the city. You’ve probably been told before that it’s good to stop and smell the roses from time to time; in the Rose City, I like to stop and look for the horses.

What? Yes, horses. They’re all over the streets of Portland. Really. Dating back to the days of real horse-powered transportation, the sidewalks here have little iron rings for tying up your horses. Of course not many people are riding horseback around the city these days, but if you look closely, you’ll find that lots of these rings are still in use.

Artist Scott Wayne Indiana started the Horse Project in 2005 when he tied his first pony to a horse ring in northwest Portland. For a few months, he continued parking horses at rings all over town, and then he started asking the public to join in. It costs about $3 to round up all the necessary supplies (including the horse), and everyone is encouraged to participate. Now, pedestrians in Portland can spot plastic ponies all over town. It’s a really creative way to remember the history, and I love to go on horse hunting walks in this very pedestrian-friendly city. Take your kids out and make a game of it, and take your own ponies to tie up whenever you see an unused ring.

Bookworms unite: National Book Festival takes place in Washington, D.C.

Most people read a book while they travel, but what about traveling to read a book? If you’re going to be in the nation’s capital next week, you’re going to want to plan some time for the 8th annual National Book Festival being held on September 27. Sponsored by the Library of Congress, the festival draws over 100,000 book lovers for a day of full-on book and literacy celebration.

Ok, I realize this post may be starting to sound a little more nerd related than travel, but the festival features over 70 award-winning authors — like one of our favorite travel writers Paul Theroux and travel guide expert Arthur Frommer — that will interact with visitors perusing the seven themed pavilions located on the National Mall. Come on, you get the opportunity to meet some of today’s best American authors, all for free. Plus you might get a sighting of the First Lady herself as Mrs. Laura Bush is the official host. At the end of the day, supporting literacy is a pretty good thing.

Want to put it on your itinerary? Here are the details:

  • Where: The National Mall between 3rd and 7th streets
  • When: September 27, 10 am – 5:30 pm
  • Cost: Free
  • Why: Because reading makes for educated individuals and educated individuals make for better travelers!