Jaunted

Tags: Willis Tower / Sears Tower / Skyscrapers / Architectural Travel / Observation Decks / Chicago Travel / Tourist Traps / → All Tags

We Lived On The Edge And Visited Willis Tower's New Ledge

The Willis Tower installed "The Ledge," these new glass boxes that jut out 4.3 feet from the skyscraper to give you that standing-on-the-edge feeling in the pit of your stomach, on the west side of the building's Skydeck on the 103rd floor.

With a name like that, you'd think it was an amusement park ride. Adding to the amusement park novelty are shirts, mugs and other paraphernalia for sale that boast "Dare to Stand Out" and professional photographers on hand to take a souvenir snapshot of you in the floating box that will be printed and framed by the time you leave the building.

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Tags: Food Travel / Restaurant Week / Restaurant Travel / Philadelphia Travel / Philadelphia Restaurants / Hotels / → All Tags

Some News From Philly That's Not World Series-Related

How do you enjoy Restaurant Week menus and prices without it actually being Restaurant Week? Well, if you're in Philadelphia, all you've got to do is book your hotel stay on withlove.gophila.com, and you'll receive all the details on the hotels where you can dine on discount prix-fixe menus through December 30.

Restaurants featured run the gamut, from super swish 4-course meals at Lacroix at The Rittenhouse to fresh Italian at Positano Coast. And since we promised Restaurant Week prices, you'll be happy to hear the the 3-to-4-course meals are all either $20, $30 or $35 per person. We're guessing that Lacroix is up at the $35 end, but menu choices aren't piddly; think "prime rib, crab imperial, handmade orecchiette and olive oil-poached Scottish salmon."

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Tags: Volunteer Travel / Celeb Travel / Kids Travel / Travel With Children / → All Tags

'Project Explorer' Asks For The Definition Of A 'Global Citizen'

Whether it was because of a family road trip or National Geographic, most of us were inspired to become travelers at an early age. Now, the non-profit Project Explorer is bringing that inspiration to the classroom and exposing kids of all ages to different places around the planet. Their website, ProjectExplorer.org, provides free virtual field trips that include information about everything from the history to the culture and cuisines of far off locations around the globe. Their current trips include Jordan, Shakespearean England, South Africa, and a visit to Malaysia is also in the works.

To further their mission, Project Explorer is asking leaders, visionaries, public figures, children and the general public to answer one question: What does being a good global citizen mean to you? You can share your answer by becoming a member of Good Global Citizen. Well you are there, you can also watch inspiring videos by others who have already answered Project Explorer's call including Andrew Zimmern, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Russell Simmons, Allison Janney, Ziggy Marley, Dulé Hill, Paul Rudd and Mario Batali.

Check out their website for more information about how you can get involved or donate to Project Explorer.

Related Stories:
· Project Explorer [Official Site]
· Travel the World Virtually with ProjectExplorer.org [Wandering Educators]
· Volunteer Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Good Global Citizen]

Tags: Chicago Travel / Comedy Clubs / Events / → All Tags

Second City Alumni Return To Chi-Town For 50th Anniversary Par-Tay

Almost every famous hilarious comic got his or her start at Chicago's Second City, a training center, theater and overall jokester factory. Its alumni includes John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, John Candy, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Chris Farley, Rachel Dratch. The list goes on forever because this marks the company's 50th year in the funny business. Of course, Second City has to throw itself a big birthday party to celebrate.

The company's illustrious alums will come back for a weekend-long bday party, December 11 to 13. Although it's only three days, there are a ton of events. Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Harold Ramis, Martin Short and other cast members from the cult hit television show SCTV will return for two special reunion performances December 11. There will be a panel on the Colbert Report on December 12, and a Saturday Night Live panel with former players Tim Kazurinsky, Horatio Sanz and Rachel Dratch as well as current staff writer John Lutz will be December 13.

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Tags: College Football Travel / Sports Travel / Football Travel / Sports / → All Tags

Football Rivalry Travel: Buckeyes And Wolverines Ready To Rumble

Professional football has arrived and the World Series is pretty cool, but more importantly for some, college football is going strong. Here’s the scoop on just one of the country’s best rivalries to help your sports travel planning.

· Rivalry Match-Up: The Ohio State University at The University of Michigan on November 21
These two schools hate one another even though the teams aren’t as competitive as they used to be. Let’s just say they are both in a rebuilding period—especially Michigan. The teams have been battling it out since the 1930s, with the winner of the game often winning the Big Ten Conference and heading out to the Rose Bowl. Some even refer to this rivalry as simply The Game, so it’s pretty clear that this is a big one. Ohio State has won the last five games in a row, but Wolverine fans can always hope that this is their year to take home the win.

Stadium Info and tips on where to sleep and party, after the jump.

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Tags: Hotels / Omni Hotels / Travel Deals / → All Tags

Found a Cheap Ticket? Now All You Need is a Hotel Room

Omni Hotel San Diego.

Last week was a bit of an airline fare war bonanza with Virgin America, Southwest and even American Airlines launching some steeply discounted airfares. But getting your ticket is only 1/2 of your vacation planning, unless you plan on shacking up with some friends and family.

If you aren't, then you're probably going to need a hotel room. This is where Omni Hotels comes in. The hotel chain has just announced a limited offer of 40 percent off hotels in destination that were recently featured last week in the fare wars.

That means that Omni Hotels in Austin, Chicago, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Diego, New Orleans, San Antonio, Houston and Tucson are all discounted (some up to 40 percent) for stays between Dec. 2 and February 10, 2010.

The Fine Print: You must book before November 5. Yup it's a quick 72-hour sale. It's also subject to availability and the one black-out date is December 31st.

Related Stories:
· Omni Hotels coverage [HotelChatter]
· Omni Hotels [Official Site]

[Photo: DbKing]

Tags: Chicago Field Trip / Chicago Travel / Neighborhoods To Know And Go / Lists / Shopping Travel / Food Travel / → All Tags

Neighborhoods You Need To Know And Go: Chicago's Chinatown

Head to the near South Side to see one of Chicago's best and most hopping ethnic neighborhoods, Chinatown. Along Cermak and Wentworth Avenues, you'll find a slew of yummy-smelling restaurants, gift shops and teahouses.

Find out what there's to see, do and—most importantly—eat, while you're exploring Chinatown after the jump.

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Tags: Los Angeles Travel / Television Travel / Chelsea Handler / Los Angeles / How To Get Tickets To / → All Tags

How To Score Tickets To Chelsea Lately

E!'s Chelsea Handler is a boisterous blonde with a dirty mouth, a cutting sense of humor, and a history of deviant activity on the Oxygen show Girls Behaving Badly. These days, she's known for dishing on topics ranging from sex to ridiculous reality television in her books, standup routines, and her late night television show Chelsea Lately. Conan and Dave aren't the only ones ruling TV after hours, with Chelsea having gained a following for being brash, honest, and one of those non-parelil females that refuses to be prim and proper.

If you're a fan from the Los Angeles area or will be visiting soon, requesting tickets to Chelsea Lately is slightly less annoying than the process we've experienced with other late night shows. The reason is simple: you'll know right away whether you've landed a coveted bunch of passes (up to four in one party) rather than being thrown into a lottery pool where nothing is guaranteed. Obsessive planners should appreciate this.

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Tags: iPhone Travel Apps / iPhone / iPhone Applications / Travel Gadgets / Lists / → All Tags

The Five Best iPhone Apps For Travel Photography

The iPhone is a life-saver for travelers with apps that do everything from help you find restaurants or hotel rooms to apps that keep you entertained while waiting for a flight. But even the new 3GS with video leaves much to be desired for those trying to capture post card worthy pictures with their iPhone. Luckily, there are apps for that too.

We present The Five Best Apps For Travel Photography:

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Tags: Porter Airlines / Airlines / Airline News / New Routes / → All Tags

Porter Airlines Is Looking To Expand...To Myrtle Beach?

We kind of knew that Porter Airlines would be eyeing new routes, but we expected that they’d be looking somewhere in the northern part of the US or elsewhere in Canada. Well we were wrong and the airline is looking to head south in search of warmer weather and Waffle House. Their shortlist for new routes now includes Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, among other destinations in the US.

Apparently there hasn’t been an official decision or announcement, but according to the head honcho at Porter, Robert Deluce, his company is in “serious discussions” with some places in the US. Besides the tourist traps of Myrtle Beach, the little airline that could also has its eyes on Washington, DC and Philadelphia. It looks like they want to expand before Air Canada Jazz restarts service on their home turf.

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Tags: Space Tourism / Science Travel / New Mexico Travel / Virgin Galactic / → All Tags

New Mexico's Spaceport America Is Opening For Tours, No Blastoffs Yet

If you’re patiently awaiting the launch of Virgin Galactic, there’s something new to keep you entertained for a little bit. Bulldozers and cranes at Spaceport America in Las Cruces, New Mexico have been moving dirt and rocks around to get things ready for rockets, shuttles, and spaceships. Things have been progressing so well that public tours will begin in December—looks like a great holiday gift.

The tours will require a snazzy hardhat, because of course, it’s a work zone and they don’t want any lawsuits injuries. Visitors will learn all about the history of New Mexico from conquistadors to the state’s future in outer space tourism. The highlight of the tour will be to see the runway and the vertical launch pad up close and personal. Maybe you'll even be able to add your initials if the concrete is still wet.

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Tags: Film Festival Travel / Australia / Skiing / Vermont Travel / Japan / → All Tags

Baby, It's Cold Outside, Especially at the Backcountry Film Festival

Experience the Australian Alps from the comfort of a movie theater

Film, at its best, has the ability to transport us to a different time, place or state of mind. The great leisure of cinematic travel is that you do so parked in a plush theater chair for two or so hours, with a jumbo pack of Milk Duds and Red Vines by your side. The Fifth Annual Backcountry Film Festival aims to take theatergoers on a tour of wintry locations the world over, from Vermont to Japan.

Your lift ticket to mountainous and blistering-cold regions comes in the form of films shot in the backcountry of different nations, including unlikely places such as Australia. It's a little-known fact that there is snowboarding along with surfing down under.

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