There’s a new travel site coming soon It’s SeniorTravelReviews.com. It focuses on traveling Seniors and anyone else who love to travel. We’ll review Boutique Hotels and Destinations from the point of view of Seniors and their needs.
Rustic building in the snow in Huntsville, Utah
#rustic #huntsville #utah #travel #winter
Take precautions, don’t panic.
Here’s the latest from the CDC.
Coronavirus and Travel in the United States
Should I travel within the US?
CDC does not generally issue advisories or restrictions for travel within the United States. However, cases of COVID-19 have been reported in many states, and some areas are experiencing community spread of the disease. Crowded travel settings, like airports, may increase your risk of exposure to COVID-19, if there are other travelers with COVID-19. There are several things you should consider when deciding whether it is safe for you to travel.
Things to consider before travel:
Is COVID-19 spreading where you’re going?
If COVID-19 is spreading at your destination, but not where you live, you may be at higher risk of exposure if you travel there.
Will you or your travel companion(s) be in close contact with others during your trip?
Your risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 may increase in crowded settings, particularly closed-in settings with little air circulation, if there are people in the crowd who are sick. This may include settings such as conferences, public events (like concerts and sporting events), religious gatherings, public spaces (like movie theatres and shopping malls), and public transportation (like buses, metro, trains).
Are you or your travel companion(s) at higher risk of severe illness if you do get COVID-19?
People at higher risk for severe disease are older adults and people of any age with serious chronic medical conditions (such as heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes). CDC recommends that travelers at higher risk for COVID-19 complications avoid all cruise travel and nonessential air travel.
Do you have a plan for taking time off from work or school, in case you get exposed to, or are sick with, COVID-19?
If you have close contact with someone with COVID-19 during travel, you may be asked to stay home to self-monitor and avoid contact with others for up to 14 days after travel. If you become sick with COVID-19, you may be unable to go to work or school until you’re considered noninfectious. You will be asked to avoid contact with others (including being in public places) during this period of infectiousness.
Do you live with someone who is older or has a severe chronic health condition?
If you get sick with COVID-19 upon your return from travel, your household contacts may be at risk of infection. Household contacts who are older adults or have severe chronic medical conditions are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
Is COVID-19 spreading where you live?
Consider the risk of passing COVID-19 to others during travel, particularly if you will be in close contact with people who are older adults or have severe chronic health condition These people are at higher risk of getting very sick. If your symptoms are mild or you don’t have a fever, you may not realize you are infectious.
Depending on your unique circumstances, you may choose to delay or cancel your plans. If you do decide to travel, be sure to practice precautions to prevent getting and spreading COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases during travel. For the most up-to-date COVID-19 travel information, visit CDC COVID-19 Travel page.
#travel, #coronavirus, #CDC, #preventingcorona
Fall is rapidly approaching and that means the fall harvest and a chance for families to get together and celebrate and indulge in natures bounty.
Thanks to Conde Nast Traveler magazine and its editors, for this list of some of the best places to enjoy. John McFadden
Here we go…
There’s a lot to love about Thanksgiving: uncorking the first Beaujolais at noon, spoonfuls of gravy all over your meat and veggies, wearing elastic-waistband pants without shame… But the prep? Not so much. Ditto the dishes. Luckily, you can skip the dry turkey and a pile of dishes in the sink by heading to a luxury hotel that will do it all for you. Here are 17 hotels and resorts across the country—and a few abroad—offering a gourmet Thanksgiving meal with all the deliciousness and none of the hassle. Make a weekend out of it and book yourself a room, too.
Ocean House, Watch Hill, Rhode Island
There’s something about being in New England for Thanksgiving that feels right. Especially if you get a table inside one of our all-time favorite Rhode Island retreats, the Ocean House. This year, the hotel will be offering a homestyle buffet—with an Atlantic twist—in its seaside ballroom, complete with local sea bass, butternut squash tortellini, and a full raw bar. That’s all in addition to the classic turkey and sides, of course. Reservations are $85 for adults and $37 for children.
Thompson Chicago
Turns out there’s a new reason to visit one of the best hotels in Chicago—the Thanksgiving dinner from on-site restaurant Nico Osteria. They’re putting a light Italian spin on the pre-fixe menu this year (also available à la carte), with highlights like turkey bolognese, winter squash tortelloni, and pesto soup. Even better? There’s apple butter gelato for dessert. Four-course dinner, $80 for adults and $35 for children.
Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tennessee
This rural retreat on 4,200 acres in the Smoky Mountains might—might—be our favorite foodie hotel anywhere on earth (pretty much nothing, from the bread to the butter, comes from a packet). And they go all out for Thanksgiving, turning the one-day holiday into a five-day eat-a-thon that often books out months in advance. This year that means fried turkey, peanut soup (don’t knock it till you try it), and angel biscuits on the lawn at lunch time, while dinner—a spread of turkeys (plural) and platters of sides in all the colors of autumn—is served in the regal, wood-paneled Dogwood restaurant. Prices vary.
Gramercy Park Hotel, New York
Chances are, it’s nothing like what your mama used to make—the Italian-American Thanksgiving men) at Maialino at the Gramercy Park Hotel is probably better. Much more than just another hotel dining room, Danny Meyer’s smash restaurant offers four refreshingly non-traditional courses—potato and leek soup and butternut squash ravioli are followed up with a traditional turkey dinner, complete with sausage stuffing and cranberry mostarda. Diners can also opt for the “Maialino Classics” menu, which offers roasted lamb and tiramisu. Four-course dinner (both menus), $115 for adults and $65 for children.
The Conrad, New York City
The Conrad opened with a top food-and-drink game two years ago in downtown New York (its rooftop Loopy Doopy is one of our summertime go-to’s for sunset margaritas). And this year, Atrio (the restaurant in the lobby) has created a special Thanksgiving menu featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients in dishes that manage to leave you feeling like you appropriately indulged (as we all should on Turkey Day) without the guilt. The three-course menu includes apple tarte tatin, braised short ribs, and a dreamy butternut squash soup with brown butter crumble. Three-course dinner, $65 per person.
Park Hyatt, Washington, D.C.
An almost-stark dining room inside a Tony Chi–designed hotel might not be your first pick for a cozy holiday, but the Michelin-starred Blue Duck Tavern has been wowing even the most skeptical since its debut a decade ago. Already firing on all cylinders nearly year-round, the kitchen takes on the most American of meals with a certain gusto—think classic preparations, but with the utmost precision, not to mention a wide variety of top-notch, regional ingredients (whipped boiled peanuts, anyone?). Three-course dinner, $135 for adults and $55 for children.
21c Museum Hotel, Bentonville, Arkansas
A short walk from one of the country’s most talked-about art museums, Crystal Bridges, the Bentonville’s 21c Museum Hotel is drawing Thanksgiving travelers yet again this year. Its smart, Southern-inflected restaurant, The Hive, is offering a pre-fixe menu headlined by smoked turkey with house-made cornbread stuffing (and all the trimmings). Four-course dinner, $47–$56 per person. (Tip: Don’t miss the highly unusual rotating exhibitions in the hotel’s first-floor gallery spaces.)
Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort, Florida
Spending the holiday at the House of Mouse this year? Upgrade your experience to a level you probably weren’t expecting in those parts with a stay at one of Orlando’s best hotels, or simply pop by for the epic buffet at Ravello. Already known as home to the tastiest (and least-crowded) Disney character breakfast, the restaurant will serve a more-than-just-turkey dinner, featuring charcuterie, oysters, sushi, and pasta, as well as all the classics. Dinner buffet, $115 for adults and $45 for children.
The Allison Inn and Spa, Willamette Valley, Oregon
This wine country favorite not far from Portland offers a hyper-local Thanksgiving dinner in Jory, the award-winning restaurant at the The Allison Inn and Spa. Much of the produce that makes its way to your plate comes from the property’s sizable garden, with trusted Northwest farms picking up the slack. Four-course dinner, $70 per person. (And don’t forget the vineyards—supplement your meal with thoughtful pairings of regional wines for an additional $55.)
Windsor Court Hotel, New Orleans
The Big Easy’s finest address is also home to one of the city’s best special-occasion restaurants. Thanksgiving in the Grill Room of the Windsor Court Hotel offers a regional spin on the classics: think roasted turkey breast with andouille dressing, blue crab bisque, and caramel apple bread pudding with bourbon sauce. Four-course dinner, $100 per person.
Salish Lodge and Spa, Snoqualmie, Washington
More than 1.5 million people visit the Seattle area’s iconic Snoqualmie Falls each year; a relatively select few are fortunate enough to fall asleep listening to the falls’ inspired thundering from cozy rooms at the Salish Lodge and Spa, made world-famous by cult-classic TV show Twin Peaks. Book a room, then immediately book a table at the dining room for a Thanksgiving dinner of Dungeness crab bisque followed by sea salt brined turkey. Four-course dinner, $105 for adults and $35 for children; wine pairings for an additional $35.
45 Park Lane, London
Wolfgang Puck gets in on the turkey action at CUT at 45 Park Lane, where the four-and-a-half-hour feast on Thanksgiving will include favorites like roasted squash soup, turkey with wild mushroom stuffing, and pecan pie with maple ice cream for dessert. Three-course menu, US$141 per person (Wagyu beef entrees for an additional US$83–$122).
The Curtain Hotel and Members Club, London
For American expats in London, head to The Curtain Hotel this November 22. Red Rooster Shoreditch (the London outpost of the famous Harlem restaurant of the same name) will host a Thanksgiving-with-soul menu crafted by chef Marcus Samuelsson. We’re guessing no Thanksgiving dinner outside of New Orleans will have dishes like these: deviled eggs and chicken and waffles for starters, followed by roasted turkey breast, and bourbon ice cream for dinner—all washed down with the restaurant’s signature pumpkin spice espresso martini. Three-course dinner, US$70 per person.
The St. Regis Singapore
Thanksgiving dinner in a French restaurant in Singapore? We say go for it. Proof that you truly can celebrate Thanksgiving in every corner of the world, Brasserie Les Saveurs will hold an exquisite dinner buffet on November 22 in one of Singapore’s best hotels. The menu includes a seafood medley with Fine de Claire oysters and Alaskan king crab, French cheeses, lobster macaroni and cheese, and a carving station with roasted turkey and leg of lamb. Buffet dinner, from US$100 per person.
Hotel Eden, Rome
We’ve come to expect classic Italian luxury at Hotel Eden, but the renovated Il Giardino Ristorante and Bar also impresses. Case in point: the seasonal dishes served up by executive chef Fabio Ciervo this Thanksgiving. Expect tradition with a gourmet twist: turkey breast stuffed with brandy-flavored prunes and pumpkin pie with Tahitian vanilla ice cream. Four-course dinner, US$91 per person.
Hassler Roma, Rome
At Hassler Roma, the five-star hotel (one of the best in Rome) near the Spanish Steps, Thanksgiving is distinctly Italian. Served on Thursday evening at Hassler Bistrot at Salone Eva, the menu will include pumpkin lasagna and a selection of Italian cakes (plus turkey and veggies, of course). Five-course dinner, US$97 per person.
We all have friends and family we have lost and grieve for. We wish we could see and talk to them one more time.
Remember the Concorde? It made a lot of noise but it was a dream come true for aviation fans. Now, Boeing and Aerion companies are making a lot of noise about the return of Supersonic flight for real people.
Here’s what well-known blogger Sam Choi (samchoi.com) has to say about the plans for a new Supersonic Passenger Jet.
BOEING AND AERION TO WORK ON SUPERSONIC TRAVEL TOGETHER
AARON HILSZ-LOTHIANFEBRUARY 6, 2019
AVIATION NEWSBOEINGPRIVATE JET0 COMMENTS
Boeing and Aerion to work on supersonic travel together
Aerion, an aircraft manufacturing company based in Reno, Nevada, has signed an agreement with Boeing which will see the two companies work together to send the world’s first supersonic business jet into the skies above.
Boeing will provide financial support to the program as well as engineering, flight test and industrial resources to the Aerion AS2 supersonic business jet program. Additionally, Boeing has made a significant investment in Aerion to accelerate the technology advancements and the design stage, however no details about the investment have been disclosed by either sides.
From the beginning, Aerion has targeted an aircraft that can fly at speeds up to Mach 1.4 (roughly 1000 miles per hour) while at the same time meeting all current and upcoming environmental performance requirements. First flight is scheduled for June 2023 which is close to the 20th anniversary of the Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde retirement.
For a Concorde trip report, see this article Sam Chui wrote dating back to 2003:
Review: Supersonic Concorde The Ultimate Flight Experience
Capacity wise, the aircraft will be able to propel 12 passengers at that speed and efficiency, all while featuring a state-of-the-art cockpit designed by Honeywell and a new luxurious cabin, as seen in the photos below.
AS2 Supersonic Business Jet Cabin
Steve Nordlund, Vice President and General Manager of Boeing NeXt, reflected on the partnership in the following statement.
“Boeing is leading a mobility transformation that will safely and efficiently connect the world faster than ever before. This is a strategic and disciplined leading-edge investment in further maturing supersonic technology. Through this partnership that combines Aerion’s supersonic expertise with Boeing’s global industrial scale and commercial aviation experience, we have the right team to build the future of sustainable supersonic flight.”
Since its launch in 2014, Aerion has had an interesting partnership lineup for the supersonic business jet project. The launch saw the company partner with Airbus to work on a a new design, however it was announced Airbus dropped out and Lockheed would takeover. Lockheed was officially announced as a partner in 2017, however has also departed with the announcement of this news.
General Electric (GE) will be the engine supplier for the aircraft, launching their Affinity turbofan engine in 2017. The engine completed its its initial design stage in 2018 and will now progress to more advanced stages including prototype production.
GE Affinity Engine
Based of the renowned CFM56 engine that is commonly known for powering the Boeing 737 NG and Airbus A320ceo Families, the engine will not feature afterburners, however will be capable of delivering up to 18,000lbs of thrust.
The following table outlines some key specifications:
Type
Twin-shaft, medium bypass, non-afterburning
Fan Diameter
1.33m (52in)
Maximum Thrust
80kN (18,000lb)
Bypass Ratio
~3:1
At altitudes of 50,000ft, the engine is capable of propelling the aircraft at Mach 1.4 with 3,500lbs (16kN) of thrust. Compared to the CFM56-5 operating at Mach 0.78, the engine uses 50% more fuel. The AS2 Supersonic Jet will be a tri-jet design.
“Aerion is the industry leader mapping out a successful, sustainable return to supersonic flight. The AS2 is the launch point for the future of regulatory-compliant and efficient supersonic flight. Together with Boeing, we’re creating a faster, more connected future with tremendous possibilities for enhancing humanity’s productivity and potential.”
– Tom Vice, Chairman, President and Chief Executive of Aerion.
Flexjet will be the launch customer for the aircraft, with an order for 20 of the AS2 aircraft. Each listing at $US120 million, the deal is worth $US1.4 billion providing no launch discounts were applied.
Aerion will continue to work hard on the aircraft, utilizing the support they’ll be receiving from Boeing and previous statistics and knowledge from other programs in the military and from the Concorde.
Despite strict noise rules, Aerion is confident they can get the jet off the ground and continue where the Concorde left off.
Thanks for stopping by, John
Happy flying!
Have you ever wondered if you could have two passports like a citizen of the world? Well, if you have enough investment funds you can. Read on.
From our friends at Travel and Leisure.
If you have enough money, you truly could become a citizen of the world.
“For a lot of wealthy people having a second or third passport is important for the ability to travel,” Nuri Katz, an advisor on the matter, told Business Insider. “For some it’s also a status symbol, like buying a fancy car to show your friends.”
Purchasing a second (or even third) passport is a growing trend among the wealthy. But it’s not an option for everyone and it doesn’t work everywhere. This type of program is called “citizenship by investment” (or CIPs) and is available in a number of countries around the world.
Related: Why the U.S. Passport Keeps Getting Weaker (Video)
While some may use the second passport to travel to destinations that may be off-limits (or even just difficult to reach) with their first, many others use the documentation to buy residencies in countries where the taxes are lower. Why some opt for CIPs over residency permits is that citizenship is more permanent. It cannot be taken away — unless, of course, the person in question has committed some very serious crime.
Countries involved in these types of programs are looking to recruit wealthy foreign investors to invigorate local economy. This may bring to mind images of places like Barbados or Grenada — but the United States has its own version of this, too. Costs to get involved can range anywhere from $3,000 per year in Thailand to an investment of $1 million in an American enterprise. In Caribbean countries — like Antigua, St. Kitts or St. Lucia — it’s likely to cost between $100,000 and $150,000. Some countries, like the UK, may stipulate that an applicant must have lived in the country for a few years before submitting a CIP proposal.
To find more information on how to invest in a second citizenship, simply search whichever country you’re interested in (there are many) and “CIPs” or “citizenship by investment.” Each participating country has quite specific rules and different regulations for applying. Although there’s always one thing in common: be prepared to pay.
You snow ski, you snowboard but have you tried Snowshoeing yet? It’s the next big thing.
Here are 4 reasons to try it.
1). It’s great exercise
2). As little as 5 minutes in nature can re-set your brain and relieve stress.
3). You get to hear all of natures sublet sounds few ever hear.
4). Because it’s more quiet, t’s easy to talk to each other and form lasting bonds.
I’m sure you can think of many more reasons. Once I tried it I came home invigorated yet less stressed and more in tune with my authentic self. I was happy!
Below are 10 of the best places to try it out according to Sunset Magazine.
(Originally post at Travel and Leisure)
The minutes spent waiting at the baggage carousel can be among the most gut-wrenching, palm-sweating and butterfly-in-stomach-inducing of the entire travel experience. The terror of not seeing your bag ride down the conveyor belt keeps even the most well-seasoned traveler awake at night.
But luckily, airlines are better than ever at reuniting lost bags with their owners. About 97 percent of all lost bags are found and returned within two days, according to the Los Angeles Times. And there are a few steps you can take to ensure that your lost luggage is among that statistic.
As with most aspects of travel, the best plan is foresight. A secure luggage tag with legible information can help bring lost bags back home.
Related: 16 Luggage Tags That Are Much Better Than the Paper One You Got for Free at the Airport
All luggage tags should list the owner’s name, email address, and a phone number.
Whether or not to include an address, however, is contentious, and you might want to refrain from putting your home address on your luggage. “If you can avoid listing your home address, you will be less likely to be targeted for a robbery while you are away,” according to USA Today. However, the address of where you’ll be traveling is a good point of contact for luggage lost on the outbound flight (just include it on a small slip of paper in addition to the permanent card in your luggage tag). If you’re worried about luggage being lost on the return flight, consider listing a work address instead of home.
When traveling abroad, avoid a luggage tag with a flag or anything that could identify your nationality. Also, get a luggage tag with a cover so your information can’t be scanned by someone near you.
Finally, as a backup, draft an email that includes a photo of your luggage, its dimensions and your contact information (phone number and work address) that you can forward to the airline in the event your luggage goes missing.
Soon, the issue of what to put on your luggage tag may not even be an issue. Digital luggage tags already provide a secure way to track your bags and allow airport workers to scan for private information. Rimowa’s electronic tag (built into the suitcase) or bagID baggage tags can display travel information and allow airport workers to track luggage.
