Grape stomping good times at New York’s Naples Grape Festival

by Melanie Nayer on

I can’t pass up a good “I Love Lucy” moment, which is why this event in New York‘s Finger Lake’s region is perfect for Lucy fans who’ve dreamed of re-enacting the famous grape-stomping scene from the famous television show.

The Naples Grape Festival in the Naples Valley of Ontario County, NY is held on the last full weekend of September to celebrate the area’s grape harvest, talented artisans, winemakers and local and regional music and food. Taking place Sept. 25 and 26, the festival features everything from wine making to cooking demonstrations.

Admission for the wine tasting tent is $10 per person and allows you to sample wines from numerous wineries in the Finger Lakes Region including White springs Farm and Estate Winery, 1000 Island Wineries, Arbor Hill, Cascata Winery at the Professor’s Place, Knapp, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Eagle Crest Vineyards, Glenora Winery, Atwater, Imagine Moore Winery, Miles Wine Cellars, Wagners Winery, and Hunt Country Vineyards.

You don’t have to have a palette for wine to appreciate this festival, though. The weekend also includes fine art displays and hand made works from local artisans. Of course, what’s a good festival without good food. The Naples Grape Festival will offer everything from crepes to sausage to steak on a stick and for dessert, don’t miss the grape pies.

While the music and bands play the weekend away, festival goers can watch (or participate) in the World’s Greatest Grape Pie Contest. Of course, if nothing else, there will be plenty of grape stomping for those who just want to get their feet a little dirty and have some fun.

Travel fitness: al fresco fitness at the Four Seasons Los Angeles

by Melanie Nayer on

Ok, so maybe you weren’t into all the travel fitness options we brought you this week. It’s no problem – we understand everyone is different and not all of you want to use up precious carry-on space for your exercise gear. Totally cool, and the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills agrees with us. Welcome to one of the first outdoor hotel fitness centers in the U.S.

The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills opened its new outdoor workout room, complete with views of Beverly Hills and surrounded by the lush gardens that were part of the hotel’s recent $33 million renovation.

Located on the pool terrace, the fitness center features a newly-constructed open-air venue so you can enjoy the sunshine without ever leaving the hotel. Hop on one of the PRECOR machines, tune into your favorite TV channel or dock your iPod while you get your workout on.

The best part? You can travel fit without leaving the hotel. When you’ve had enough, you just head back to your room for a shower and change and you’re ready to go for the day. Of course, if you’re a true fitness fanatic, you’ll book a massage in the hotel spa to help ease the sore muscles you have from your strenuous workout.

Cruise ship hits whale off Alaska

by Kraig Becker on

For the third time in the past decade a Princess Cruises luxury ship has struck and killed a whale in the waters off the coast of Alaska. That latest incident occurred last Tuesday evening just south of Juneau, where the ship the Sapphire Princess apparently hit the creature, whose corpse was discovered attached to the hull on Wednesday morning. Last year, the same ship arrived in Vancouver following a routine voyage, with a fin whale stuck to its hull.

This current whale was an adult female humpback that measured more than 43 feet in length. Humpbacks are found in waters all over the world, but in the summer months they tend to feed in colder, polar waters. The species is an endangered one and the giant mammals are protected under U.S. law, with stiff fines levied against those who do them harm. It is unclear at this time whether or not Carnival Corp., the parent company of Princess Cruises, will face any fines for this latest incident. They paid out a settlement of $750,000 for a similar incident that occurred in 2001.

On Friday, investigators were still studying the whale’s carcass to determine the exact cause of death. They have not ruled out the possibility that the beast was already dead when the ship struck it, and that the Sapphire Princess played no role in killing it.

[Photo credit: D. Gordon E. Robertson via WikiMedia Commons]

Use new Twitter feature for travel tips

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Everyone who travels and uses Twitter has seen how the two go together naturally. We’ve used the social media tool to get tips with locals, stay in touch with friends and let people see destinations through our own eyes (e.g., with utilities such as TweetPhoto). In some cases, travelers even use Twitter to solve problems, as @cyantist did when she needed a last-minute hotel room (fortunately, I was able to give her a hand). A new feature is set to make Twitter even more useful to travelers – every day.

Think of it as Twitter’s answer to online dating.

Part of the challenge of getting started with a service like Twitter – and getting more out of it – is finding the right people. It can take months to find the users who will inform, entertain and engage with you most. And, with 125 million (or more) users on the platform, you’ll always run into new people. The ongoing discovery is what makes Twitter fun, but if you’re into instant gratification (as I am), you want to find the right people now.

A new feature will provide recommendations on users to follow based on those you follow now, according to a report by VentureBeat:

It’s like a “PeopleRank” of sorts – a social play on Google’s original PageRank algorithm, but with humans at the center instead of web pages. Many startups and even larger companies are building variations of this for their consumer-facing products or to serve as a backbone for other services.

Twitter’s recommendations aside, may I suggest you get started the ol’ fashioned way, by following @Gadling?

[tweetphoto by @SceneByLaurie]

Swimming pools coming to Park Avenue in NYC

by Sean McLachlan on

Ever want to swim in a dumpster on Park Avenue? Now’s your chance.

Summers in New York City can be sweltering. “Hot town, summer in the city” and all that. So the New York city government has teamed up with Vamos Architects and Marco-Sea, producer of converted dumpsters, to offer swimming on one of the city’s grandest avenues. After the dumpster pools proved so popular in Brooklyn last year, they’ve made a comeback. Perhaps this is the start of a new tradition?

The pools will be open the first three Saturdays of August on Park Avenue between 40th and 41st St. Park Avenue will be closed to traffic, so you can swim in peace. The sponsors are reassuring the public that the dumpsters are clean, but having swum in enough public pools in New York, I can’t guarantee the water will be 100% urine free.

Photo courtesy Macro-Sea and Vamos Architects.