Travel

11/08/2009

Travel notes: S.C. tour linked to new novel
Charleston, S.C., tour linked to new novel

Tunnels are a hidden part Berlin Wall history
Visitors can see a model of underground passageways that enabled people to escape from East to West

Trans-Atlantic cruise marks Titanic’s sinking
What could possibly go wrong?

Restaurant savors its place in city’s history
NEW ORLEANS — There’s an old story in New Orleans about a society matron who heard about a friend’s death. Grief-stricken but practical, the matron immediately wondered if the waiter at Antoine’s whom her friend had relied on for years was up for grabs, or if someone had already claimed him.

11/01/2009

Travel Departures: Time for some serious punkin’ chunkin’
Now that they’ve gotten Halloween out of the way, the folks down in Sussex County, Delaware, are gearing up for their big fall event next weekend — the annual World Championship Punkin’ Chunkin’ Contest. The idea is to see who can throw a pumpkin the farthest, using a variety of launch vehicles, including air cannons, centrifuges, catapults and trebuchets.

Insuring against a disaster, at home and abroad
A muddy stoop and a bunch of chickens outside a makeshift hospital in Cancun, Mexico, was enough to convince Amanda Klimak of the value of travel insurance. It was the early 1990s, and Klimak, who had been dancing the night away, slipped and tore a ligament in her knee.

On a crusade to find a ‘breathtaking’ castle
“Your tour was canceled. I am sorry,” my hotel manager in Hama, Syria, said, shrugging his shoulders.

10/25/2009

Travel Notes
Kids can design their own ride

Holiday travelers will get no gifts for waiting to book
Procrastinators were rewarded last year when they finally got around to booking flights for the holidays. Back then, airlines were not prepared for the sharp falloff in travel and offered last-minute deals to fill up empty planes.

Airlines keep piling on fees
Forget fare wars, since ticket prices are rising.

Elaborate haunted houses go to great lengths for screams
TOLEDO, Ohio — The towering stone walls of the Gothic prison are scary enough in the daytime. Some say it looks like Dracula’s castle.

Departures: Bus-riding cat skips fare
Bus-riding cat skips fare, but no one seems to care

10/18/2009

The other Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
CHANTILLY, Va. — The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s better-known flagship facility on the Washington Mall draws the most visitors, but a vast building near Dulles Airport houses far more planes and other aviation artifacts.

Moscow’s stray dogs are smart
In Moscow, these mutts are smart

Visiting Monet’s home is like entering an oil painting
GIVERNY, France — I want my house to look like this. I want Claude Monet’s luscious yellow dining room. I want his green Japanese bridges. I want his water lilies in bloom.