Free Admission to National Parks

by Chris Owen on

Free Entrance Days to America’s National Parks are coming up next month during National Park Week. During that time, admission fees are waived as a special welcome to Americans visiting their national parks.

The National Park Service offers free entrance to the system of over 100 parks several times each year, starting with Martin Luther King Jr Birthday weekend in January. The no-fee admission period also applies during National Park Week, April 16-24, on September 24 (Public Lands Day) and over Veterans Day weekend, November 11-13, 2011.

During those times, concession operators providing food, transportation, lodging and other services in and around U.S National Parks are offering special opportunities and discounts.

At Buck Island Reef National Park in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, an exploration package that includes snorkeling equipment, flotation, snorkeling vest and lessons is half-price at $65 per person and special discounts are available at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington has a Stay and Play package with rates starting at $110 per person per night.

The National Park Service has been caring for U.S. National parks since 1916. With the help of volunteers and park partners, they safeguard nearly 400 places and share their stories with more than 275 million visitors every year.

Flickr photo by Wolfgang Staudt

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Washington DC’s National Cherry Blossom Festival 2011: What you need to know

by McLean Robbins on

Cherry Blossom fans, get ready! Washington, DC’s annual National Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off tomorrow and runs through April 10, 2011. Throughout the two-week festival, visitors will enjoy spectacular views of Washington’s famed Cherry Blossoms, a parade, 10 mile race, and hundreds of special spring-themed events in the Washington, DC area.

Never attended the festival before? Here’s what you need to know:

Top Five Tips For Attending:

1. Plan Around Peak Blossom Time
DC residents have noticed the first hints of the blooms already starting to peek out, but the best time to view the blossoms is predicted to be between March 29 and April 3. This is when the trees will be in the fullest bloom and yield the prettiest pictures. Typically, this when the areas surrounding the National Mall and Tidal Basin tend to be the most crowded as well, so plan accordingly. Our favorite times to view the blooms? Early morning, before the crowds descend – the Metro opens at 5:00 AM! Another beautiful way to relax and enjoy the festival is by renting a paddle boat on the Tidal Basin. Make advance reservations online to avoid getting shut out.2. Take Metro
Parking around the monuments can be a mess on a normal day – don’t even attempt it during Cherry Blossom season. Get off at the Smithsonian stop (Orange and Blue lines) and you can expect at 10-15 minute stroll to reach the Tidal Basin. Tourmobile is also offering a shuttle service from Virginia’s Haines Point parking area to the Tidal Basin at 20 to 30 minute intervals from 10 AM to 7 PM daily for $1 per person. If you’re more athletically-inclined, consider biking. On weekends, there will be a free bike valet at the Jefferson Memorial’s parking lot from 10 AM – 6 PM. You can rent a bike for just $15 on a five-day pass through Capital Bikeshare.

3. Bring A Camera (And Claritin)
There’s something about the blooms that just makes our eyes water – if you’re allergic to pollen, plan accordingly, as the thousands of blooms WILL cause a flare-up. You may also want to pack a bottle of water, as there are very few vendors located directly on the Tidal Basin. While we’d recommend packing a camera, plan your shots accordingly – it’s quite crowded, particularly on weekends, and getting your ideal shot may be difficult. We wouldn’t suggest opting for a tripod or any fancy devices, as you’ll have difficulty finding the space to set up(and you’ll annoy the other viewers).

4. Don’t Pick The Blossoms, and Other Fun Facts
Want to learn more about the history of the trees and the festival? Consider taking the National Park Service’s free guided walking tour. You’ll learn about the different types of trees (there are 3,700 trees in the area, FYI) and why we celebrate each year. Additionally, consider taking part in one of the 200+ Cherry Blossom Festival events around Washington (AOL Travel has a great guide) – from the Opening Day Ceremonies at the National Building Museum to the fireworks on April 2 to the parade on April 9, there’s plenty going on for anyone to enjoy. Oh, and don’t pick the blossoms or you’ll get a stern scolding from your local Park Ranger.

5. Search for Specials
We’ve already highlighted some of our favorite hotel specials offered during the Cherry Blossom Festival, but don’t forget to ask if area restaurants, bars and shops are offering special deals. Some of our favorites? Check out tomorrow’s guide.

[Flickr via JoshBerglund19]

Photo of the day – Tiny airplane in a big blue sky

by Alex Robertson Textor on


Today’s Photo of the Day depicts an incredibly small airplane in a vast blue sky. In addition to forcing a recognition of scale, it’s also a downright delightful and uncanny viewing pleasure to look at such a tiny speck of a plane in an enormous sea of blue. The plane in the image is so small that it almost resembles a radar tracking image. Photographer lucyinthesky withdiamonds snapped this image in Breckenridge, Colorado last week.

Been gazing at the sky lately? Got an image of said sky you’d like to share with the world? Upload it to Flickr’s Gadling group pool and it might just end up as a future Photo of the Day.

Caribbean Tsunami test hopes to save lives

by Chris Owen on
It was planned long before the earthquake-turned-tsunami event in Japan to test the readiness of 33 Caribbean countries in the region’s first full-scale tsunami warning exercise. On Wednesday, March 23, a fictitious earthquake of 7.6 magnitude occurred off the coast of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Bulletins were issued by the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Island and by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii for the rest of the area and the test was underway.

The Caribbean tsunami test, named Caribe Wave 11 did not involve communities but aimed to test the effectiveness of alert, monitoring and warning systems among all the emergency management organizations throughout the region. The test was designed to determine whether Caribbean countries are ready to respond in the event of a dangerous tsunami. Results will be reported in April.

“The earthquake and tsunami that have devastated Japan have shown how essential alert systems are,” said Irina Bokova, UNESCO’s director general.

The countries that attended the tsunami alert exercise are: Aruba, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France (Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Martin, Guyane), Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands (Bonaire, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Curacao and Sint Marteen), Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom (Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos), and the United States.

Over the past 500 years, there have been 75 tsunamis in the Caribbean, which is about 10 percent of the world total during that period, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Tsunamis caused by earthquakes, landslides or volcanoes have caused 3,5000 deaths in the region since the mid-1800s

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Flickr photo by Axion23

LAX Theme Building restaurant gets top honors

by Chris Owen on


Encounter Restaurant, housed in Los Angeles iconic Theme Building was named a top spot on the list of best airport restaurants by Frommers.com recently.

Frommers.com placed the airport restaurant on its list of top ten favorite list calling it, “… a 1960s Star Trek set gone Technicolor, serving ‘art-food’ (American classics in oddball visual arrangements) that’s simultaneously hip and kid-friendly.” when asked by USAToday.

But Frommer’s is just the latest in a string of high rankings for Encounter.
Esquire.com placed Encounter on its list of Ten Best Airport Restaurants in the World. Esquire, whose list includes One Flew South at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport and Piquillo at JFK added “With its Star Trek-meets-Austin Powers decor (not to mention menu) and a lighting design by former Disney Imagineers, this recently refurbished restaurant has to be seen to be believed.”

Food and Wine has also given Encounter the nod, including it on its “Ultimate Airport Dining Survival Guide: Best Airport Restaurants noting “It’s home to this space-age restaurant, known for 360-degree views, stylings stolen from The Jetsons and California-style dishes like organic salads and mushroom ravioli with grilled asparagus”

The 50-year-old landmark LAX Theme Building, recently finished a three-year, $12.3-million renovation, which included a unique seismic retrofit involving the installation of a rooftop Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) containing 600 tons of steel (equivalent to the weight of two Boeing 747s), which was the first time in the U.S. that a TMD was installed at the top of a building.

The restaurant was created and is operated by a joint-venture partnership between Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Inc. and Connie Bass, a Los Angeles entrepreneur and operator of the Ultimate Symphony Event Planners, a full-service event planning and gourmet catering service, and Cookies By Connie #1. As Director of Outside Sales and Marketing for the Encounter Restaurant she is responsible for local marketing efforts, community outreach and media relations. As a side dish, the Los Angeles native positions the restaurant as an entity for airport travelers, as well as for the diverse communities surrounding the airport.

Encounter’s hours are: Lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., 7 days a week. Dinner: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The observation deck is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is located at 209 World Way at LAX. For more information and reservations, call 310-215-5151.

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