Archive: Mid-Atlantic Destinations
Park Watch: What's Up in Shenadoah?
After a weekend at Shenandoah National Park, I'm happy to report mountain laurels (click for photo) blooming all through the woods, there are bear cubs (click for photo) and fawns (click for photo) aplenty and Washington's closest mountain-retreat national park seems to be primed for another summer. There are more...
By Christina Talcott | June 19, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
D.C. to NYC: Twice the Bus
MegaBus has doubled its seating and, yes, doubled the fun. Yesterday, the U.K. operator, which last month kicked off cheapie service to Manhattan, unveiled a double-decker bus -- you know, the kind that is usually seen toting around bug-eyed tourists, not driving 65 along the interstate. (Courtesy of MegaBus) The...
By Andrea Sachs | June 18, 2008; 06:21 AM ET | Comments (15)
Insta-Q&A: Gotham's Best Guide
Thanks to ever-expanding entertainment options and skyrocketing prices in the city that never sleeps, there's never been a better time to come to grips with New York. Hence today's Insta-Q&A question. It comes from a reader who'd like to hear your opinions on the Big Apple's best guidebook. If you've...
By Scott Vogel | May 14, 2008; 06:11 AM ET | Comments (4)
Insta-CoGo: What's in the Cards for Tropicana?
I recently wrote about the state of Atlantic City in this space (it ain't pretty), but now comes word that an entire chain of casinos is in trouble: Tropicana Entertainment LLC has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company says it will keep its properties open and staffing will...
By John Deiner | May 6, 2008; 01:49 PM ET | Comments (2)
Travel Alert: Heading to Reagan National?
Garage construction at Reagan National will likely cause traffic backups, especially during peak times, as of Monday. The left lane of the airport entrance road will be closed for the duration of the two-year, $54 million project. Motorists coming from Washington on the southbound George Washington Parkway are advised to...
By Cindy Loose | May 2, 2008; 12:12 PM ET | Email a Comment
Insta-CoGo: The Dulles Rail Extension and You
In an unexpected reverse move, the Feds announced today that they're funding the Dulles rail extension, which we all but left for dead a few months back. Now that things are back on track (so to speak), it's looking up for Dulles, which is considered Washington's international hub (never mind...
By Christina Talcott | April 30, 2008; 01:30 PM ET | Comments (28)
NYC Cabs: Cash or Credit?
Gone are the days of running out of cash in a NYC cab and having to ask the driver to swing by an ATM machine -- or beg the hotel concierge to spot you a $20. Visa, MasterCard and other major plastic companies (including debit cards) now go wherever you...
By Andrea Sachs | April 17, 2008; 10:00 AM ET | Comments (8)
We Were There: BoltBus's Inaugural Run to NYC
I bolted to the Big Apple for a buck this morning. For less than a cup of Starbucks or Metro fare, I was transported to New York City - with nary a stop and only a few fleeting jams that were no fault of the bus driver's. BoltBus, the new...
By Andrea Sachs | March 27, 2008; 02:42 PM ET | Comments (10)
The Monday Rant: New York Hotel Rates
I love the Hotel Wales, a European-style boutique hotel on New York's Upper East Side: the fireplace and fresh flowers in the lobby, the architectural details in the guest rooms, the lace-curtained salon where you can curl up night or day with a latte and a laptop. It's the anti-chain...
By K.C. Summers | March 24, 2008; 06:52 AM ET | Comments (28)
Checking In: The Early Word on NYC's Revamped Plaza Hotel
We've been eager in the Travel section to hear about what marvels the newly revamped Plaza Hotel holds in New York City. But with rates that easily top $700 a night ($700!!) we haven't been able to check it out yet. Nor do we think we can anytime soon. So...
By John Deiner | March 18, 2008; 12:03 PM ET | Comments (4)
What's the Deal: DC to NYC . . . for a Buck?
DC to New York for $1? Believe it. Well, sort of. BoltBus, the newest player in the DC-to-NY cheapo bus biz, debuts March 27 with one-way fares starting at $1 (plus a 50-cent booking fee). The Greyhound spinoff promises free WiFi and power outlets, plus leather seats on "select" coaches....
By K.C. Summers | March 6, 2008; 11:54 AM ET | Comments (3)
Dust Off the Skis and Snowboards!
The storm that just dumped a few inches on us was good to some of our area ski resorts. Many of them have already opened, or will open by Saturday. But who's got the best snow? Our top picks: * Wisp Resort in Western Maryland has had a foot of...
By Carol Sottili | December 6, 2007; 01:41 PM ET | Email a Comment
Christmas in NYC: Kitsch and Tell
Few cities drape itself in more garland and glittery stuff during the holiday season than New York. But if you're only there for a short time, how do you decide what to see and do? For today's Escapes page in the Style section, we sent a reporter to the Radio...
By John Deiner | December 5, 2007; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (2)
Staff Favorites: New York City
One of the running jokes around here is that our goal is to discover cool places around the globe, then ruin them by writing about them. Well, there is some truth to that -- there's always that twinge of guilt when we're about to publicize some little-known hotel or unsung...
By K.C. Summers | November 5, 2007; 09:45 AM ET | Comments (8)
Your Thoughts: Autumn Drives, Close to Home?
Leaves haven't really started to change yet (unless you count the brown ones), so there's still plenty of time to plan a driving trip. But our colleague Dr. Gridlock doesn't want to send people hundreds of miles away. Instead, he's soliciting scenic drives in this area. Nice, huh? Here's what...
By John Deiner | October 19, 2007; 04:23 PM ET | Comments (2)
In NYC, a Room With No Loo
Even I was sort of grossed out when I was telling folks about my plans for my visit earlier this week to the Big Apple: I'd be staying two nights (two nights!) in hotel rooms featuring shared baths. Years ago (okay, maybe a decade or two ago) I was happy...
By John Deiner | October 5, 2007; 09:57 AM ET | Comments (6)
Our Seven Regional Wonders -- Vote Now!
Pyramids, schmyramids. When the "Seven New Wonders of the World" were announced this summer, the United States -- and more important, the mid-Atlantic region -- was shut out. We've set out to rectify that. As you may have seen in our print edition and in Travel online, we've launched a...
By K.C. Summers | September 17, 2007; 09:51 AM ET | Comments (19)
There's Something About Six Flags
Mr. Snyder, open up those rides . . . I like theme parks as much as the next person, unless the next persons are those seated around me, who generally detest them. But even I've had an aversion to our very own Six Flags America, part of the chain controlled...
By John Deiner | August 17, 2007; 12:29 PM ET | Comments (11)
It's a Wonderful Region: Vote Now
Sure, the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu and the Roman Colosseum are all well and good, but with all the brouhaha over the "Seven New Wonders of the World," we couldn't help but notice that the U.S. was, um, trounced. Here in the Post Travel section, we believe that our own...
By K.C. Summers | July 23, 2007; 09:55 AM ET | Comments (20)
Where to, Uncle Sam?
On our weekly online chat on Monday, someone posed a really simple but good question: Where, relatively locally, have you not yet been but always wanted to visit? That got me thinking about visiting Cape Cod or Martha's Vineyard, two places I've of course heard lots about but never had...
By Anne McDonough | June 26, 2007; 10:51 AM ET | Comments (21)
The Best Beach Is in . . .
. . . North Carolina! At least that's what Dr. Stephen Leatherman, aka "Dr. Beach" (where do you go to school for that degree anyhow?), was set to announce today. We received a press release late yesterday (from North Carolina tourism, natch) heralding the fact that Ocracoke Island, on the...
By John Deiner | June 8, 2007; 09:51 AM ET | Comments (6)
Canvassing Tony Soprano's Neighborhood
I visit North Caldwell, N.J., several tiimes a year to see my brother's sister and her husband. The town's claim to fame is the Sopranos. Tony S. and family live in North Caldwell in the show, and much of it is shot in the surrounding area. Staking out Tony's place...
By Carol Sottili | May 23, 2007; 10:52 AM ET | Comments (12)
Norfolk's Cruising
Let's start with a song (adapted by me from "The Love Boat"): "Norfolk, exciting and new, come aboard, they're expecting you. It's the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center. It's the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center." Oooh. Yeah! So, why the song and dance? Well, after many months of...
By Andrea Sachs | April 4, 2007; 09:55 AM ET | Email a Comment
Late Night with the City That Never Sleeps
Starting tomorrow (March 1), the observatory at the Empire State Building will remain open until 2 a.m. every night of the week. Since June 22, the extended hours have been offered on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and, according to a press release, have had the lovely effect of reducing...
By Anne McDonough | February 28, 2007; 02:00 PM ET | Email a Comment
Not all Maryland Tourism Web Sites are Awful
I came down pretty hard on the state of Maryland's tourism Web site in our Way to Go section last week, declaring it by far the weakest, most-out-of-date and least useful of all the surrounding states. (Compare them and see if you don't agree.) I quickly got a call from...
By Steve Hendrix | February 9, 2007; 10:52 AM ET | Comments (1)
Beaches in the Off Season
I had to go to Ocean City, Md., for a couple of days on business this week. (Check out their webcam). It was bitterly cold, windy, hardly anything was open ... and I loved it. What is it about a beach town in the off season that's so appealing? Well,...
By K.C. Summers | February 1, 2007; 09:48 AM ET | Comments (10)
Atlantic City: Slots of Fun? Not Quite
Cough, cough. Hack, hack. Oh, sorry. Just got back from a weekend in Atlantic City, whose casino floors looked like San Francisco on a foggy morning. Actually, it was just the poor ventilation, low ceilings and mobs gathered around the slot machines. And the 1.3 million smokers on each casino...
By John Deiner | January 29, 2007; 01:25 PM ET | Comments (6)
Good News, Bad News in Delaware
Delaware: Such a small state, but such a big pain. If you ever drive up I-95 to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, you know you have to contend with that sliver of the interstate that winds through the First State. I go that way frequently, so I could empathize with Travel...
By John Deiner | January 23, 2007; 09:49 AM ET | Comments (11)
