Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and baby Suri went for a stroll on Independence Day in Telluride, Colorado. Cruise has owned a home in the ski town for years, sharing the local mountain air with Oprah and Oliver Stone.
Other stars used their holiday weekend to visit summer homes, plan sexy getaways or just get out of the house for a bit.]]>
We're somehow going to go three whole days without posting any travel news. In the meantime, all sorts of craziness will probably ensue because companies like to release bad news while everyone's on vacation and pounding beers at backyard barbecues.
So in order to give you the news before it happens--we're gonna be the ones doing the beer-pounding!--we've put together a list of things that just may happen over the weekend:
Midwest Airlines will declare bankruptcy: Seriously, a 40 percent pay cut for the CEO? Why not 100 percent, Hoeksema--and you admit your airline is doomed?
American and BA will call off their pseudo-merger: Why would British Airways want to get together with an airline that's laying off 7,000 people? Willie Walsh has enough problems as it is.
Someone will get wasted on a plane: Bet on it. And if they get charged with a federal crime in the process, we'll try to dig up his or her Myspace page on Monday!
Oil will hit $150 a barrel: We don't want it to, but that's what happens when it all runs out!
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· Fourth of July coverage [Jaunted]]]>
The weekend's finally here! By now you should've finalized some sort of holiday action plan, but here's one last Fourth of July suggestion: Independence, Iowa. With just over 6,000 residents at last count, the town is certainly small, but as they say, "Everybody observes the Fourth of July, we celebrate it!"]]>
If you can't decide on a place to celebrate the Fourth of July this year, then give Southern California a chance to impress. It's probably the only place where you can see some fireworks, hit a beach celebration, catch a baseball game and stop at an amusement park.
Start out the SoCal celebrations at the July 4th Fireworks Spectacular: A Ball at the Bowl with the LA Dodgers. The Los Angeles Philharmonic celebrates the team's 50th anniversary with greats from team history along with baseball music. They also welcome special guest Randy Newman. The festivities take place July 2-4 and each evening ends with, what else, fireworks. Tickets will run you at least $10 for this one.]]>
When it comes to the Fourth of July, Philadelphia doesn't mess around. Things get started this Friday and continue through July 6 thanks to the celebration known as the Sunoco Welcome America Festival. This weekend there are family events during the day and free outdoor movies each night at different locations around the city, including a screening of "Rocky" on Saturday night.]]>
If you love the Big Island of Hawaii and rubber duckies, then have we got a Fourth of July celebration for you: the 17th Annual Great Waikoloa Rubber Duckie Race. The whole day is filled with family fun including face painting, duck waddling contests and free-style quacking. There's even free popcorn and cotton candy.
The main draw of the event comes during the afternoon when the plastic ducks are released. The top 50 finishers are eligible for prizes, including a week-long stay at an Outrigger Villa or the Hilton Waikoloa Village. If your duck doesn't come in first, hope it comes in 17th, as that will get you 17 $100 bills.
Best of all, the proceeds from the event go to the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii. Last year the group was able to raise almost $40,000 for charity. Ducks start at $5 per bird, or get a $20 "quack pack" which includes three ducks and a shirt. If you didn't get up at the, uh, quack of dawn (sorry!), then you'll be able to stay up and enjoy the fireworks display around 9 pm.
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· Fourth of July Revelers Can Find Family Fun at Waikoloa Resort [Star Bulletin]
· Waikoloa Beach Resort [Official Site]
· Fourth of July coverage [Jaunted]
We've talked about how great the fireworks offerings are at beaches around the country this year. Unfortunately, sometimes there's just no escape from the urban jungle. But there's no need to panic, fireworks fans, as lots of big cities do a great job of making you feel all warm and fuzzy without having your toes in the sand.
Where better to start than the nation's capital? DC starts the celebration with America's National Independence Day Parade at 11:45 am. With more than 300,000 people expected, the parade makes its way down Constitution Avenue between 7th and 17th Streets, passing landmarks like the Washington Monument.
Make a day of it and hang around until about quarter after 9 pm when the fireworks are launched from behind the Lincoln Memorial. Head over to the National Mall after the parade to get the best spot.]]>