Triple Crown 101: A guide for horse racing newcomers

by McLean Robbins on

Arguably the biggest event of the horse racing world takes place on Saturday, May 7 and kicks off a five week blitz of horse racing events and buzz around the country. Want to know the 101 on the Sport of Kings’ Triple Crown, or hope to visit one of the surrounding cities? We’ll be featuring coverage of the three cities that house the races as well as events for travelers wanting to celebrate horse racing’s greatest three days over the next few weeks.

Today, educate yourself on the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont with this Triple Crown 101.

{Want to know more about the Derby? Take a peek at what our friends over at AOL Travel have to say.}

What is the Triple Crown?
Taking place starting the first Saturday of each May, the Triple Crown races are made up of three Grade One stakes races for the country’s most elite Thoroughbred racehorses. All of the horses in the race are three years of age and have won qualifying races to enter. The goal? To have a single horse win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes races, conducted over a five-week period in three different states.

[Flickr via Rennett Stowe]
No horse has won all three races since Affirmed in 1978, although a number of horses have won two out of three. Usually the first, second and third place winners of each race go on to compete in the final two of three “jewels,” but each race is also run as a standalone and can include new participants. The winning prize for each is $1 million.

Where does the Triple Crown take place?
The first race of the series, The Kentucky Derby or “Run for the Roses,” takes place this Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Two weeks later, on May 23, The Preakness takes place in Baltimore at Pimlico. Three weeks after that, in Elmont, New York, The Belmont takes place on June 11 at Belmont Park.

What should I drink?
Each race has its own drink (and its own traditions). The classiest event of the series, the Derby, is known for its signature Mint Juleps. At The Preakness, drink Black Eyed Susans, a deadly concoction made with vodka, orange juice, light rum, ice, triple sec, lime juice and pineapple juice. This is appropriate for a race known equally for its crazy infield crowds as it is for its horse racing. Technically, the official drink of the Belmont is a whiskey concoction known as the Belmont Breeze, made with bourbon, sherry, orange juice, cranberry and mint.

What should I wear?
Much like the royal wedding, women should wear hats. Big hats, floppy hats, and we’re guessing you’ll see a ton of fascinators. The bigger the hat … the better. The Kentucky Derby is by far the most formal of the races, with the infield crowd at The Preakness barely surpassing the shirt and shoes rules. Belmont is a mixed bag, with people getting fancier as they advance to higher ticketing levels.

How do I celebrate?
Much like any sporting event, we’d suggest a betting pool. You can head to your local racetrack and place a bet, or host a fun themed events with a mandatory “best hat” entry. After last week’s wedding … we’re sure you’ll find some creative interpretations of that theme.

How do I pick a winner?
Pick your favorite name, your favorite color combination, or simply follow what the commentators are suggesting. That way, you’ll have someone to cheer for as they race down the home stretch. Remember that even though the main races themselves are the highlight of the day, the “race card” for the day will include as many as 12 races – so you’ll have plenty of time to learn the ropes.

Recap: Our ten favorite royal wedding stories

by McLean Robbins on

We’ll admit to jumping on the media blitz and exhaustively covering just about every angle of tomorrow’s royal wedding. And, like some of you, we’ll be up early tomorrow tweeting (#RW2011, thankyouverymuch) and watching the event unfold on TV.

Want to catch up on all of your favorite travel coverage? Here are our favorite Gadling and AOL Travel royal wedding stories from the past few months:

  1. Want to know what your favorite hotel is doing to celebrate? We track royal wedding packages here, here and here.
  2. Are you on a cruise ship tomorrow? Don’t worry, they’ll be streaming the coverage live.
  3. Sick of it all? There’s a royal wedding barf bag for that.
  4. In the words of the great Austin Powers, does the royal wedding make you horny, baby? The wedding has spawned a commemorative beer with Viagra in it.
  5. Did you know there’s a second royal wedding this summer in Monaco? Yeah, we didn’t either.
  6. Want to pretend you’re Kate Middleton? Check out this creepy/awesome exhibit where you can pose with Wills.
  7. easyJet held a Will and Kate lookalike contest.
  8. Using the royal wedding as inspiration for your own? How about these great romantic wedding locations in England?
  9. Are you in London? You’ll have to pick up a royal wedding souvenir.
  10. Last but not least, a concierge from Dukes offers ten tips for visiting London.

[Flickr via shining.darkness]

Pop-up restaurants: dining for a new decade

by Laurel Miller on

First, it was underground supper clubs. Now, everything’s coming up pop-ups. As with food trucks, this form of guerrilla cheffing borne of economic need has become a global phenomenon. Equal parts dinner party and dinner theater, a pop-up refers to a dining establishment that is open anywhere from one to several nights, usually in an existing restaurant or other commercial food establishment.

The impermanent nature of pop-ups means no real overhead or utilities, and little food cost and labor. They’re not enough to sustain chefs financially, but are instead a great way for them to make a name for themselves and draw some income in between (or during) gigs. Pop-ups also give chefs a chance to stretch themselves, stylistically or ethnically, although some prefer to let local ingredients shine. Most pop-ups give props to sustainability by sourcing product from local farms, which is part of what gives these fly-by-night operations such a wonderful sense of place.

I first heard about pop-ups while couch-surfing in San Francisco two years ago (my own pop-up form of survival after relocating back to the West Coast from Colorado). Chef Anthony Myint, the brainchild behind SF’s Mission Street Food pop-up, which started in 2008, was serving much-lauded, locally-sourced dinners Thursday nights, each time with the help of a guest chef. The food was unpredictable with regard to cuisine or style. The location? Lung Shan, a nondescript Chinese restaurant in the city’s vibrant Mission District (FYI, my favorite place for great, usually cheap, eats). I remember thinking at the time, “More, please.”Fast-forward 24 months, and while the pop-up is no more, the venture was so successful, Myint is now co-owner of San Francisco’s popular Commonwealth, as well as newly minted (har) chef at the forthcoming Mission Bowling Club. And Joshua Skenes of Saison, one of Food & Wine magazine’s newly crowned Best New Chefs, started the restaurant as a pop-up.

San Francisco has long been an incubator for innovative ideas involving food, so it’s no surprise pop-ups are, ah, popular there (click here for a recent round-up). Meanwhile, fellow 2011 Best New Chef Jason Franey, of Seattle’s Canlis, has also been getting in on the pop-up. In February, he cooked a one-night gig at “Hearth & Home,” held at one of the city’s Macrina Bakery locations (another tip: if you’re in town, visit Macrina in its own right. Four words: chocolate-orange pound cake).

The pop-up trend–which now applies to boutiques, galleries, clubs, coffee houses, and bars–has gone national. Los Angeles, San Diego, New Orleans, Chicago, New York, Boston, Portland (Oregon), Miami: all popular for restaurant pop-ups. Oakland has seen phenomenal response to its Pop-up General Store, which features a twice-monthly gathering of food vendors held at a catering kitchen. Founded by former Chez Panisse Chef Christopher Lee and his former sous chef Saimin Nosrat (of Berkeley’s defunct Eccolo), the venue features all the deliciousness you would expect when a group of mostly former Chez Panisse cooks and food artisans get together and prepare things to eat.

Pop-ups are even crossing the pond. The New York Times reports that, starting today, Singapore is sending some of its top chefs and a pop-up kitchen on a yearlong trip around the world, with nine stops planned in Moscow, Paris, London, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Delhi, Sydney, and Dubai. Dubbed Singapore Takeout, the goal is to showcase the city’s eclectic, multi-ethnic cuisine. The kitchen is a converted 20-by-eight-foot shipping container. Also hitting the road is chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, Ad Hoc, Bouchon, and Per Se. He’ll be featured in a ten-day pop-up at Harrods, London later this summer.

Tip: Due to the nature of pop-ups, the best way to find them is to Google the words, “pop-up restaurant, ____ (city).” You can also go to Pop up Restaurants for news. Get popping!

Royal Wedding packages ready to go

by Chris Owen on
On the eve of the wedding of the century, Cunard Line prepared for its own Royal Wedding festivities taking place while sailing during the festivities. Officers and crew of flagship Queen Mary 2 put final celebratory touches on board yesterday in New York as guests embarked for the ship’s first Eastbound Crossing of the 2011 Transatlantic Season.

“We will mark this commemorative occasion in the way expected of Cunard, and it promises to be a right royal event on board all three of our Queens,” said Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line. “For guests sailing a Transatlantic Crossing, it is an experience like no other, and the Royal Wedding celebrations certainly add to what is already a voyage fit for royalty.”

Guests sailing any one of the three Cunard Queens will enjoy
  • Viewing party of the Royal Wedding live via satellite TV broadcast in the Royal Court Theatre and in all staterooms
  • Royal Wedding Afternoon Tea service featuring Twinings limited edition Royal Wedding Tea
  • A commemorative “Princess Royale” cocktail to mark the occasion
  • A celebration dinner and commemorative menu at each of the restaurants, including a slice of traditional wedding fruitcake
  • A royal champagne toast to Miss Catherine Middleton and HRH Prince William by the ship’s Captain
  • A Royal Wedding Ball with dancing to a big band orchestra in the Queens Room ballroom

Cunard Line goes back a long time with the British Royal Family. It was 1859 when Queen Victoria bestowed the title of Baronet to Samuel Cunard (Cunard Line founder) for his services to the country during the Crimean War. Since then, eight Cunard liners have been named by senior members of the Royal Family – four by Her Majesty The Queen, including the recent October 2010 Royal Naming Ceremony of the Line’s newest ship, Queen Elizabeth.

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Bamboozle: 10 things you should know before you go

by Elizabeth Seward on

Bamboozle is a music festival that takes place in New Jersey every year right around this time of the year. Founded by John D’Esposito, Bamboozle began in 2003. While keeping up the annual festival in New Jersey, Bamboozle has also acted as the Bamboozle Roadshow and a festival in other cities, like Chicago, Illinois and Anaheim, California. The festival attracts close to 100,000 people each year–and most of those people are traveling to the festival from somewhere outside of East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The lineup for Bamboozle 2011, which kicks off tomorrow, certainly includes some head-turning
acts. Motley Crue, Lil Wayne, and Bruno Mars are some of the names you’ll see in big bold type on the show’s ads, but some perhaps-lesser-known acts will prove to be worth your turnpike road trip if you catch their sets. I’m not gonna tell you who to see, but I’ll tell you this… if I were going to Bamboozle, I’d be sure to check out Circa Survive, An Horse, Das Racist, Eisley, Starting Last, and Thrice.

If you’re traveling to Bamboozle, you probably already have your tickets since the festival is happening tomorrow. But you might not have done your homework yet on everything you can and can’t do at Bamboozle. Before you pack your bags and depart for a New Jersey music adventure, make sure you know the rules and have packed accordingly. Because nothing quite kills a music festival buzz like having your brand new cooler confiscated.

So here we are, in no particular order, none at all, some things you should know before you go.
1. The New Meadowlands Stadium is a smoke-free stadium. Roll this one around in your mouth for a minute… you won’t be smoking inside the festival. So if you have a nicotine lust that’s hard to kick, it would be to your advantage to think of a workable solution before you’re sweating anxious bullets, begging a security guard for mercy.

2. Don’t wear clothing that displays indecent messages. How exactly ‘indecent’ is defined here is beyond my conjecturing, but I’m sure your best judgment will do the trick.

3. You may only bring in a bag that’s no larger than 12 inches on each side. Giant-purse-wearing-ladies and backpack-carrying-dudes: beware. Not only will your bags be searched, but you won’t be bringing them into the festival at all if they’re too big. And if you can’t bring in your bag, then you can’t bring in your raincoat and your hoodie and if you can’t bring those two things in, what are you going to do when it’s cold and raining? Wish you’d brought a smaller bag, that’s what you’ll do.

4. You cannot bring in: bottles, cans, hard-sided coolers, thermoses, or ice chests. Translation: Basically, you’re going to have to buy your beverages inside the festival. Even if you manage to bring in the right kind of cooler, you know, the kind with soft sides, you’ll still have to fill it with drinks purchased inside. And even though they didn’t explicitly say ‘no flasks’, you can’t bring in alcohol, either.

5. No lawn chairs. If you want to comfortably set up shop in front of the stage all day long on your nice little lawn chair, well, it ain’t gonna happen.

6. Don’t bring in stickers or promotional materials. Chances are strong that your band is already struggling enough. The last thing you guys need is to watch a bag-check employee trash the newly printed cds you had made just for Bamboozle promotion. Save yourself some time, money, energy, and tears by leaving the promotional material at home to begin with.

7. Leave the umbrella behind. Bamboozle might be a rain or shine festival, but if it rains, it’s on you to keep yourself dry. You can’t bring your umbrella inside, which means, I’m guessing, you either get to purchase an umbrella inside if it rains or you’ll be expected to mud-fight with other attendees circa Woodstock ’94.

8. Leave the baby behind, too. Ok. I take that back. You can bring babies to Bamboozle, but you can’t bring strollers. So keep this stroller-ban in mind before you decide on whether or not you’ll be bringing your young one along.

9. No: beach balls, banners, flags of any kind, frisbees, or laser pointers. You’ll have to figure out how to have fun without these toys.

10. All bags AND VEHICLES are subject to inspection upon entry. Anyone who refuses can be turned away. And depending on what you’re hiding in your trunk, you might be better off turning away.

Image Credit: Dana Cama