Galveston palace more than another old building

by Chris Owen on

Bishop’s Palace is the oldest and best-known building in Galveston, Texas. Currently open to the public, the 50+ room structure hosts much more than a boring, historical tour of some old house that requires a lot of imagination in order to visualize what life was like way back then. Instead, visitors are briefly transported back to the 19th century on a tour that includes an up close and personal view of the grandest moments of Victorian life.

Ranked among the top 100 homes in the United States, Bishop’s Palace cost $250,000 to build in 1893 (that would be about $6,250,000 today) and first served as home to the family of Walter Gresham, a former Confederate colonel and U.S. Congressman.

This home got its nickname as the “Bishop’s Palace” in the 1920’s, when the then-Diocese of Galveston purchased the house for $40,000 as a home for Bishop Christopher Byrne who always felt very humbled to live in such a “palace”.

Currently being operated as a museum and historic home by the City of Galveston, the building hosts bronze dragons and other sculptures, luxury materials and furnishings, and impressive fireplaces brought to Texas from around the world.

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The interior spaces are grand with exotic materials like a pair of Sienna marble columns flanking the entrance hall. The first floor rooms have fourteen foot ceilings and an octagonal mahogany stairwell that is forty feet tall with stained glass on five sides, lit by a large octagonal skylight. A massive fireplace in the front parlor is made of Santo Domingo mahogany.

The Victorian castle-like home was cited by the American Institute of Architects as one of the 100 most important buildings in America and was among the first to try out the then-new technology of a gas fireplace, electric lights, and running hot water.

The building is owned by the Galveston-Houston Catholic Archdioces, and is managed as a museum by the Galveston Historical Foundation. Tours of Bishop’s Palace are $10 and the facility is available for rental for weddings, receptions, and parties.

Photos: Chris Owen


Automotive accidents mapped out by state. Drive safe this Thanksgiving!

by Chris Owen on


Looking for a reason to “drive carefully” as they say about holiday travel by car? This graphic from The Guardian of automotive accidents mapped out by state should be plenty of reason to get holiday drivers in the right frame of mind for going over the river and through the woods to grandmothers house.

“Auto travel remains the preferred method of travel this Thanksgiving with 38.2 million Americans traveling via automobile, also up 4 percent from last year. Auto travelers make up 90 percent of all holiday travelers,” AAA said in a news release.

369,629 people died on America’s roads between 2001 and 2009 and here we see the what would appear to be the areas of danger. Pretty much anyplace east of the Mississippi requires extra caution. Westerly drivers? Still take care, just because the population is a bit more sparse, does not mean the driving is easy.

On the west coast “You need to get where you’re going to be by Wednesday, ” Steve Anderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service told the San Francisco Chronicle, adding “It’s going to be wet, and snowy in the Sierra, on Thursday. It will be a good day to be inside.”

AAA predicts there will be a 4 percent increase of Americans traveling 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving holiday. Be safe. Drive carefully. Live to tell about it.


Vintage aircraft collection to feature Legends and Legacies Series

by Chris Owen on

For aviation fans, visiting a vintage aircraft collection is about as good as it gets. Scattered around the United States from Richmond, Virginia to Galveston, Texas, aircraft of yesteryear are available to view and some even still fly. One collection, Fantasy of Flight in Florida, takes it all a step further with its Fourth Annual Legends & Legacies Symposium Series, which features new and seldom explored stories of World War II and the Vietnam War, told by some of the aviators who were actually there themselves.

“Each year, the Legends & Legacies experience is different from the last, with new guest speakers, new stories, new interactions with guests, and new topics to explore, including three all-new events this year,” said Kim Long, General Manager of Fantasy of Flight. “The opportunity to hear firsthand from military veterans, especially those who fought in World War II and Vietnam, is a precious gift that we hope to share with as many guests as possible throughout the 2012 series.”It’s a forum for the public to hear firsthand about the experiences of some of America’s most courageous aviators and military heroes through exhibits, real aircraft, and most importantly, their own personal stories, recollections from their family members, and interactions with guests. The multi-day events feature open-forum, question-and-answer sessions as well as meet and greet autograph signings with the guest speakers.

The 2012 Legends & Legacies Symposium Series includes:

They Dared to Fly: Tuskegee Airmen, Feb. 9-11 – In honor of Black History Month, several of the nation’s first African-American military aviators will share their personal stories of what it was like to serve as a World War II pilot in the military during segregated America. Fantasy of Flight has a permanent multi-media Tuskegee Airmen exhibit and vintage aircraft collection, including the P-51C Mustang, provide the perfect backdrop to meet the men who fought America’s enemies abroad while enduring racism at home.

Breaking All Barriers: Amazing Women in American History, March 2-3 – In honor of National Women’s History Month, Fantasy of Flight celebrates the barrier breaking women who took on non-traditional roles during WWII, including the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), the first women to fly military aircraft, and all those entered the workforce for the first time in the spirit of “Rosie the Riveter.”

Unspoken Valor: The Bomber Crews of World War II, April 13-14 – New to the Legends & Legacies line up this year, the event promises harrowing tales from actual crewmen of WWII bomber planes such as the B-25 Mitchell, B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator, all incredible planes with amazing strengths but potentially catastrophic weaknesses.

D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy, May 11-12 – Guests will relive the most complex military initiative in world history as the men who were there recount their experiences as part of this massive air, land, and sea attack. Months in the making, it required the coordination of thousands of Allied forces, who once set in motion, could not be called back.

Reflections of Vietnam, June 8-9 – Fantasy of Flight’s Legends & Legacies series will explore the Vietnam War, America’s longest conflict and first military failure on foreign soil. Here, those who served will share their personal experiences about this complicated and emotional time in U.S. history.

Letters Home: Love, Courage & Survival, Oct. 12-13 -The final event of the 2012 series is based on the personal handwritten correspondence exchanged between the men who fought abroad and the women and loved ones they left behind. Whether they were high school sweethearts separated by the war or soldiers who met the love of their lives while serving overseas, their letters portray a wartime experience that can’t be found in history books.

Symposium events are included in the price of Fantasy of Flight general admission and are free for annual pass holders. For more information about Fantasy of Flight, call 863-984-3500 or visit FantasyOfFlight.com.

TSA talks travel security in advance holidays

by Chris Owen on

This coming weekend marks the beginning of the holiday travel season and travel security is in the spotlight. With more than 23 million passengers expected at the nation’s airports, the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is showcasing some major changes to airline security.

“TSA has implemented risk-based procedures to further strengthen security while improving the passenger experience whenever possible,” said TSA Administrator John S. Pistole in a statement. “We are prepared this holiday season to keep passengers safe as they travel to see their loved ones.”

Bringing Baby On Board gets easier
Already in place, kids 12 and younger won’t need to take off their shoes at the screening check points.

“Children themselves, of course, are not terrorists. But we also know that they can be used by terrorists to do bad things, which we’ve seen overseas,” TSA chief John Pistole told Fox News.

Should there be a problem scanning a child, they will be allowed to pass through several times or be checked with trace detection methods, all in consultation with a parent or guardian.

“This is all about risk mitigation, risk management. It’s not risk elimination,” Pistole emphasized, noting that kids are low risk compared adults like the shoe bomber who tried to bring down a jet over the Atlantic a decade ago.

No more peeping TSA officers
Also in place now, in anticipation of the holiday season and in response to complaints, half of the full body scanners are now using new software that replaces the detailed outline of the body with a generic image. Called Advance Imaging Technology (AIT), the technology increases the efficiency of the screening process, is safe for all travelers, and passengers see the same image TSA officers see.

Be careful who you complain to though
In a pilot program at Boston Logan International and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County airports, Behavior Detection Officers have casual conversations with travelers to determine if the traveler should be referred for additional screening at the checkpoint.

Nothing to hide? You might pass through security quicker
Another pilot program prescreens travelers who volunteer information about themselves prior to flying in order to potentially expedite the screening experience. Currently being tested in Atlanta, Detroit, Miami and Dallas/Fort Worth, TSA plans to expand this program to McCarran International, Minneapolis St. Paul International and Los Angeles International airports in the coming months.

Along the same lines but a bit more intense, TSA has designed a new program to expedite screening for airline pilots through positive identification verification, which is currently being tested at Seattle-Tacoma International, Minneapolis-St. Paul International, Chicago O’Hare International, Miami International and Washington Dulles International airports.

“If You See Something, Say Something.”
Not a change but important, TSA reminds travelers to be on guard during the holiday travel season by reporting suspicious activity.

Flickr photo by Inha Leex Hale


11 things to do on 11-11-11

by Chris Owen on

Tomorrow is a unique day on the calendar and one that should not go by without some sort of memorable event. For those who do not have anything planned on the palindromic date, consider our list of 11 things to do on 11-11-11.

  1. Propose– Getting close to asking the big question? This is the perfect day to ask. Decades from now you will thank us for suggesting this.
  2. Your first_____. Anything not yet tried that might turn into something you like to do later works. Skydiving, Surfing, Sushi come to mind.
  3. Private Tour of Manhattan by helicopter– This romantic excursion could very well be the backdrop for a romantic proposal soaring over the Big Apple.
  4. Niagara Falls Day Trip from New York– It’s a tour you can take where travelers explore the falls on both the US and Canadian sides including a ride on the historic ferry “Maid of the Mist.”
  1. Play the lottery/Be brave – Number freaks are all over this date. Buying a ticket at 11:11AM on 11-11-11 has got to be the best luck. In a bar at 11:11PM? The pick-up line options are endless. You too could be lucky.
  2. Quit Smoking– Obvious choice. Just had to throw that in. Better yet: travel someplace cool to do it.
  3. Fly to Vegas- No matter where you are, there always seems to be a flight available to Las Vegas. Maybe just fly there for dinner and come back. Maybe get married or re-married while there. MSNBC reports that over 3500 couples have applied to be married in Vegas on 11-11-11.
  4. Grand Canyon All American Helicopter Tour– Take off from Las Vegas Airport on an helicopter flight to the Grand Canyon. It’s a 45-minute helicopter flight each way, land deep in the canyon for a champagne picnic, and fly low over the Las Vegas neon Strip on your return.
  5. Take a hike– 11-11-11 is a great day to begin a new hobby or passion or dig up an old one you’ve not done in a while. OneDayOnEarth has plans similar to their hike on 10-10-10, so does RandomGroupOfHikers.
  6. Think about a veteran– 11-11-11 is also Veterans Day. Take a minute to think about someone you might know or know of who served in the military. Better yet, travel to where they are and thank them for their service.
  7. Meditate– Join others from around the world. “When the forces of Eleven become fully activated on earth, they have the power to change history in the making.” says AlchemyEvent.com, hosting a world-wide meditation on 11-11-11.


Flickr photo by Cryo Mariena