Top 10 travel spots in the United States

by Tom Johansmeyer on

So, Orbitz noted when we like to travel … but where do we go? The top 10 destinations in the country were mostly predictable, with big tourist-magnet cities dominating the list. There were a few surprises, according to the information supplied by Orbitz: Boston, for example, didn’t make the list, after having ranked ninth in 2009. Los Angeles, fifth in 2009, also fell off in 2010. New Orleans and Honolulu debuted last year.

In the top 10 U.S. destinations last year, average daily hotel rates rose, yet some spots, like Las Vegas and San Diego, still offered great bargains, with rates well below 2008 levels still.

So, which cities are among our 10 favorites? Let’s take a look below!

1. Las Vegas, Nevada: Vegas was hit hard by the financial crisis – expect to see some deals there for a while

2. New York, New York: how can the Big Apple not be an ongoing favorite?

3. Chicago, Illinois: the top city in the Midwest just had to make the list!4. San Francisco, California: forget Los Angeles, this is the place to see out west

5. San Diego, California: again, this is a great alternative to Tinseltown

6. Orlando, Florida: remember that there’s more to Orlando than the theme parks

7. Honolulu, Hawaii: if you’re going to spend some time on the beach, do it right

8. New Orleans, Louisiana: it may have taken a while, but the recovery following Hurricane Katrina is definitely under way

9. Washington, DC: the allure of the nation’s capital can never be resisted

10. Miami, Florida: where else can you see and sample so many great bodies in one place? You have to check this out!

[photo Fabrizio Monaco via Flickr]

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: The Food

by Adam Kaufman on

On a long-distance hike like the Pacific Crest Trail, food is the all-important fuel that keeps the hiker going, mile after mile.

A long-distance hiker can burn more than 6,000 calories in a day, and that means a lot of food. Hikers strive to keep their trail-diet nutritious, delicious, and lightweight. On our journey, Katie and I learned some important lessons about the right way to cook and eat on a long-distance hike. This video takes us from grocery shopping (in bulk!), to the test kitchen, to the trail.

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: The Gear

by Adam Kaufman on

On a long-distance hike like the Pacific Crest Trail, what you carry on your back is everything.

This summer, my girlfriend Katie and I walked the 2,663-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. The journey took us across the Mojave desert, over the remote, snowy Sierra Nevada mountains, and through a spectacular and constantly changing wilderness landscape.

We found that three carefully chosen big-ticket gear items — our backpacks, sleeping bags, and tent — went a long way toward making our journey possible. In this video, we talk about “the big three,” give tips for selecting and caring for gear, and explain why the right gear is crucial to a successful long-distance hike.

Photo of the Day (1.8.2011)

by Catherine Bodry on

Most people either take photos from bridges, or of them from a distance. It’s rare that you see this perspective. And it’s rad not just because of the angle: I like the straight, rigid lines contrasting with the circular. Good colors, too – nice and cool. And my favorite part is the one dude near the center, peering down at the camera. Flickr user Ohad* snapped this at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Have any cool photos to share from your travels? Upload them to Gadling’s Flickr pool, and we just might choose one for our Photo of the Day feature!

Legoland California announces Star Wars attraction

by Leigh Caldwell on

Legoland California will be the first Legoland theme park to launch a Star Wars Miniland area. The Star Wars Miniland, which will have models of favorite Star Wars scenes constructed entirely of Legos, is set to open March 31.

Eight famous Star Wars scenes will be built in a 1:20 scale. The project will take more than 1.5 million Legos and, we’re guessing, a dash of The Force.

The scenes will encompass the stories told in all six Star Wars movies and the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated TV series and be arranged chronologically. The models will be up to 6 feet tall, and some of them will be built to move or perform other actions when theme park visitors press buttons at the exhibit.

Legoland California also promises life-size models of Chewbacca, R2D2 and Darth Vader for family photo ops.

Two more Legoland parks – Legoland Deutschland in Gunzburg, Germany, and Legoland Billund in Billund, Denmark – will introduce Star Wars Minilands later this year.