Connecticut family spends seven years sailing the world

by Jason Heflin on

For one Connecticut family of four, a sailing vacation turned into a seven year adventure. In 2003 the Hopkins family decided to take their 32-foot boat for a long holiday to visit exotic locations. Seven years later, they are settling back into life in the US.

During the voyage the family hit several continents including Africa, Asia, North America, and South America. Their longest stint at sea lasted 36 days and the longest time they spent on land was a 15 month residency in South Africa. The family stayed in a place as long as it felt comfortable and then packed up the boat and moved on.

The two daughters were five and eight-years-old when they departed and were home-schooled during their travels. Learning to live in cramped quarters was one of the biggest lessons the girls came away with. As for the parents, they’ll be starting new careers as high school teachers now that they have this life-changing experience under their belts.

Nation’s oldest amusement park to give ‘deserving’ family private access

by Leigh Caldwell on

To celebrate its 165th anniversary, Lake Compounce is “giving away the keys” to the amusement park to one family for 165 minutes.

Nominate a “deserving” family online by April 20 to enter the Win the Keys to Lake Compounce contest. Park officials say economic troubles, personal hardships and sacrificing yourself to serve others are examples of things they would consider deserving. You can nominate your own family if you would like.

Lake Compounce officials will judge the merits of each entry and announce a winner on the park’s 2010 opening day, May 15.

The prize will be awarded on the evening of May 28, when the winning family will receive a behind-the-scenes tour of the amusement park, private access to the park’s rides and attractions and an overnight stay at a nearby Clarion Hotel in Bristol, Conn. The winners will also be given $100 to spend on souvenirs at Lake Compounce.

Four hot, sticky and sweet deals in New England this spring

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Now that the freeze that grips New England is easing up, the region’s becoming dirty, sticky and sweet. “Mud and maple season” is upon us says the New England Inn and Resorts Association, and its members are offering some delectable deals to lure you up to its small corner of the country. NEIRA boasts more than 250 member properties, but I just don’t have the stamina to poll all of them to find out their deals for spring. So for now, at least, let’s stick with the top four.

1. Mud Season Getaway: Three Stallion Inn, Randolph, VT
Spend your time hiking on 35 km of trails … after having started your day with a Vermont breakfast cooked to order. At night, enjoy a gourmet dinner, served with mudslide drinks and mini-mud pies for dessert. You can get all this for $242 per couple per night through April 30, 2010.
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2. Maple Sugaring Weekend Getaway: Rabbit Hill Inn, Lower Waterford, VT
Pick up two nights, an intimate dinner for two and breakfast every day with this package. You’ll also be invited to afternoon tea and take home a gift of maple syrup and maple candy. While you’re up in Lower Waterford, take advantage of two free passes to the Rocks Estate Maple Experience. Rates start at $500 a couple.
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3. March Maple Tree Hugger Package: Centennial Inn Hotel, Farmington, CT
Any deal that involves a jug of maple syrup is bound to get my attention! In addition to that gift, you’ll score a night in a studio suite, breakfast and maps to sugar houses. Also, for every booking, which starts at a mere $135, the Centennial will donate $10 to the ARBOR Foundation. This deal’s only good through the end of March.
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4. Celebrating Maine Mud Package: Inn by the Sea, Cape Elizabeth, ME
With your two nights in a single-bedroom accommodation, settle in and enjoy a Peppermint Maine Mud™ with chocolate chip cookie amenity, two mudslide cocktails by the fireplace and two pairs of L.L. Bean signature boots for walking in the mud. At $687.98 per couple, this is a bargain. You’ll have to stay by April 30, 2010.
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Escape from New York: Five tips for leaving the city when flights fail you

by Tom Johansmeyer on

New York is no stranger to tourist and business travel. We get lot of guests here, and eventually, their trips must come to an end. When the weather turns harsh, this can be problematic. Spring may be close, but March and April snowstorms happen, and there are always spring showers to make getting off the ground at JFK or LaGuardia a pure living hell. Whether you’re traveling in the northeast corridor or need to get to a different airport to get home, there are options.

I came face to face with this problem around six years ago. I was trying to get back to Boston, where I lived at the time. I was in New York every week on business and by Friday wanted nothing more than to get home. I stepped outside at 2 PM and saw snow accumulating on the street, even despite the city traffic. I checked Delta‘s website and saw that nothing had been canceled. So, I high-tailed out to LaGuardia hoping for the best. After a two-hour cab ride, I hit the Marine Air terminal only to find that the website wasn’t being kept up to date.

I needed some options and the thought of another two hours of taxi rides in a blizzard didn’t thrill me. Back in Manhattan, I figured I could pick up a train on Amtrak from Penn Station (which wound up working out). Along the way, I learned some tricks that can help anyone traveling the northeast or looking for an alternative airport when hope appears to be lost.1. Don’t fear public transportation
There’s no subway to LaGuardia, but there are buses. Catch the Q48 from the main airport or the Q47 from Marine Air (if you’re taking the Delta Shuttle). Get off at Roosevelt Ave in Queens, where the F or 7 train will get you back to Midtown. From there, it’s easy to hit Penn Station (New Jersey, Amtrak) Grand Central Station (Connecticut and New York) or the PATH train (if you want to try your luck at Newark). From JFK, you can catch the Skytrain to the subway, but brace yourself for a very long ride – the fastest I ever made it to Midtown was around an hour and a half.

2. Rental cars are risky
First, when flights aren’t taking off, there will be no shortage of people with the same idea. So, supply will be limited. Also, nasty weather makes for nightmarish driving conditions. You’ll be extremely unhappy behind the wheel, a situation that’s likely to be made worse by traffic. If you want to try driving, take public transportation out to the ‘burbs and use a rental agency out there (call first to make sure they can help you out).

3. . Be mindful of the other side
Getting out isn’t enough: you also have to think about where you’re going. If bad weather’s pounding New York, there’s a pretty good chance the situation in Philadelphia, Newark and Boston is also pretty ugly. If you’re having someone pick you up, call ahead. Arrange for a taxi or town car in advance. Definitely check the situation on the ground if you’re trying one of these airports instead. During my trek to Boston during the blizzard a few years ago, I called a local taxi service and asked to be picked up at South Station – and requested that they ask for my name before letting anyone into the cab. Sound arrogant? Well, it saved my ass. I saw the driver turn at least four people away as I pushed through the crowd, and I have no idea how many people tried before I got there.

4. Giving up may not be an option
Sometimes, it’s tempting to quit and just get a hotel room for a night (or a few, depending on how severe the storm is). Depending on what’s going on in the city, however, this may be a pricey alternative. As with rental cars, you won’t be the only person to think of this. Also, a busy night or weekend can cut available rooms down to nothing fast. If you are able to score some digs, you could wind up paying a fortune. If you do decide to stay in the city, hunt for the boutique hotels that y may never have noticed otherwise: they’re your best bet.

5. Draft your friends and family
During my escape from New York, I called my wife and asked her to book my train ticket for me. Handheld computing has come a long way since then, but it’s still inconvenient to hunt for alternatives on an iPhone or Blackberry. If you have someone who’s sitting in a warm office or home, hit him or her up for a hand. They’ll be able to find hotels or other travel arrangements easier than you will. By the time you get from the airport back into Manhattan, you may have a plan that only needs to be executed.

Rockefeller Christmas tree chosen and en route

by Tom Johansmeyer on

For a tree-grower, there’s no honor greater than to have yours chosen to sit at the center of the Christmas universe: Rockefeller Center. This year, the winner is Maria Corti. A 10-ton, 76-foot Norway spruce was cut down in her Easton, Connecticut backyard on Wednesday and is being carted down to Manhattan. She called Rockefeller Plaza more than nine months ago to make the offer. This was one of dozens of trees pitched for the big event this year.

Corti is not a tree farmer. Rather, she’s a fifth grade teacher who happened to have tree seven decades old in her yard. And, as she told the New York Post, “I’d like to share this tree with the people of the world.” The tree is expected to hit midtown today and will be lit on December 2, 2009. Corti’s spruce helped Connecticut recapture the Rock Center honor. Last year’s tree came from Hamilton, New Jersey.

[Photo by cchen via Flickr]