GADLING TAKE FIVE Week of November 11-23

by Catherine Bodry on

Hope everyone had a happy Turkey Day! If you watched the Macy’s parade yesterday, be sure to check out Jamie’s post where she got the inside scoop from a balloon handler’s perspective. And of the many things I was thankful for his Thanksgiving, one of them was that I didn’t have to fly this holiday. I’m wondering if the extra airspace Prez Bush opened over the Eastern corridor eased air traffic at all; we’ll find out soon, I’m sure.

Also this week:

Happy Friday! And if you celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, happy digesting!

Remember to tip the tour guide; he or she has a lousy job

by Jamie Rhein on

Almost every time I’ve taken a trip that has a tour guide, I’ve had a great time. For the most part, they are knowledgeable, engaging, and have a knack for creating a sense of wonder at various sights. The last tour guide who entertained us was this past summer in Seattle when we took The Ducks, a tour in one of those vehicles that can travel on land and on the water. Our guide started out dressed like a pirate and then changed hats and personas at different points along the 90-minute sweep through sections of the city.

Okay, sure this may sound like the silliest tour in the world, but it was a blast. The guide knew a ton of stuff about Seattle that I may have missed otherwise. Plus, if you’re with a group of fun people who are into having a good time, like we were, the world seems brighter. I’m always interested in seeing where other travelers are from, as well.

During the tour, I wondered how much a Duck tour guide might make. According to an article on the worst jobs, probably not much. Tour guides are on the list as the least well-paid. That’s one of the reason’s why their job is lousy–and one reason why it’s important to remember to give a tip at the end of a tour. Now, I wish we had given more.

Where did you head to this Thanksgiving?

by Jamie Rhein on

More than likely, the turkey bones from yesterday’s dinner are now in a dumpster somewhere. Perhaps, you’ve made turkey soup already or some sort of casserole for tonight’s dinner. Maybe you’re pondering jumping into the shopping frenzy.

If you went home for the holidays–or you’ve ditched your family all together for a vacation at some spiffy location, hopefully, everyone will get back to where he or she needs to by the end of the weekend. Unless, you will still be on vacation. Good for you.

I’m kind of curious about where everyone went. I stayed home and invited people over. As I watched part of the Macy’s Parade on TV this morning, I thought that from the look of the crowd, there’s a lot of people who headed to New York City for the weekend. The streets are packed. Some folks are New Yorkers, but certainly most aren’t. You can’t really see the parade all that well unless you go early. From what I’ve experienced, many New Yorkers just as soon watch the parade on TV. This photo was taken at this year’s parade by typho and posted on Flickr. See the crowds?

Concierge.com, also curious about people’s Thanksgiving habits, has a feature “Escape the Family” where people are leaving comments about where they are spending the holiday. Mexico, Florida, Prague, Hawaii and Puerto Rico are a few of the places. This is one resource for getting ideas for next year.

Oh, before I forget, did you know that Roto-Rootor’s busiest day is the day after Thanksgiving? That’s the #1 drain unclogging business in America.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade: a balloon handler’s scoop

by Jamie Rhein on

Maybe watching the Macy’s Parade is one of your Thanksgiving traditions. Maybe you vaguely know what it is. The gigantic helium balloons manned by volunteers who keep them from whacking down tourists like they are prone to do in the stiff gusts of wind that whistle down the streets of Manhattan, are the most famous features. The idea is to have people enamored by a six-story high Sponge Bob, Mr. Potato Head and Dora the Explorer floating by, not scared to death. Then there’s the Broadway numbers, glitzy floats, rousing marching bands and the TV personalities who yuck it up, often commenting on the shitty weather–or like today, gushing about it’s perfection.

No matter how much commercialism is heaped into the parade, the balloons are amazing. Here’s a video of a woman from Alaska who had a dream of becoming a balloon handler, and she did. There’s tips for how you can become a handler yourself. Also, she explains what is involved in actually doing to the job.

For more parade insider scoop, this You Tube video goes into the background of the Macy’s parade. Watch for the section about a girl who learned to play the tuba in less than a year so she could march in it. It’s another heartwarming Thanksgiving tale.

And still there’s more. For another video that gives up close looks at several balloons, check out this You Tube offering. And, here’s a few more to get you in that parade mood: Seuussical the Musical, the Sesame Street Float, a high school marching band from 1987 and the All Star Drum and Bugle Corps.

Philadelphia puts on the steam to attract tourists

by Jamie Rhein on

Grant recently waxed poetic about Philadelphia. In August, I posted about a 24 hour walking tour of the city that proved to be a rousing success. Two Decembers ago, Kelly offered a list of suggestions for a Philadelphia New Year. These are not even all our Philadelphia mentions. Here’s yet another reason to head to the land of the Liberty Bell. Their is a promotion going on to attract more visitors.

Starting from today through January 9, 2008, if you book a hotel through Philadephia’s tourist Web site, gophila/holidays.com you’ll be able to get a $50 discount on a hotel room in the form of a gift card. (The room needs to be above $150 which means you’ll get it for $100. That’s my understanding.) You need to use the code holidays when booking. Also, there’s a place on the site where you can enter the Winner Wonderland contest to win a slew of prizes.

I don’t think this link is up yet, because I couldn’t find it–and I looked around, but perhaps, I just missed it. The promotion starts Thanksgiving Weekend. If you find it, let us know how this works. I do know that when you shop in Philadelphia there aren’t an taxes on shoes or clothes. Also, here’s a link to half-price tickets for various entertainment and cultural venues.

As I was looking though the Web site, I noticed how many tour options there are. You can pick one that suits your interest level and time frame. One I found particularly intriguing is The Constitutional Cell Phone Tour. A map shows you historic sights to go and, when you stop at each one, you use your cell phone for the recorded message descriptions. That’s handy and clever. This tour can accommodate more than one cell phone.