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Laid-Off Travel / Recession Travel / Jay Leno / Comedy / Detroit Travel Guide / → All Tags

Jay Leno's Stimulus Plan Hits Detroit

Jay Leno’s one man comedy stimulus plan goes into effect tonight when the "Tonight Show" host plays the first of two back-to-back shows in Detroit-for free. Leno will perform his stand-up act at the Palace of Auburn Hills, located just outside of the Motor City, for those who have recently lost their jobs and can't afford a night out.

"I like Detroit. I think it gets a bad rap," Leno said. "Most people don't have money to spend, or waste, on entertainment. So the idea is come out -- everything's free -- and get your mind off your troubles for an hour and a half."

Already, 15,000 tickets have been given away for each show, which includes free parking and refreshments.

For a recession-proof meal to go with Jay's show, check out Evie’s Tamales, 3454 Bagley St, Detroit. They serve fresh, homemade Mexican food at dirt cheap prices. The average dinner, including beans and rice, is about $5- $6.

Related Stories:
· Jay Leno Shows [Detroit Free Press]
· Detroit Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: ET]

Back of the Envelope Guides / Film Festivals / Marc Webb / Joseph Gordon-Levitt / Zooey Deschanel / Alfre Woodard / Jeff Daniels / Philadelphia Travel / Film Festival Travel / Recession Travel / → All Tags

The Philadelphia Film Festival Begins Tonight

Today, The Philadelphia Film Festival and Cinefest 09 kicks off in Philadelphia. The 12-day festival includes several special events like awards ceremonies honoring Jeff Daniels and Alfre Woodard and Danger After Dark, a collection of the most horrifying genre films from around the world. In addition, Daniels will be attending a screening of his latest, The Answer Man, which also happens to be the opening film at the Sonoma International Film Festival next week.

Where to Stay:
You don’t have to worry so much about the cost of tickets to the festival because you can get a hotel room in the City of Brotherly Love for only a dollar a night. That’s right, The Alexander Inn is offering $1 rooms, Thursday-Sunday, through May 21st. Of course, there are stipulations. The rooms will only be confirmed with advanced reservations on a first-come, first-serve basis for the first night of the guests' stays and you may only make one reservation for one room during the promotion. To guarantee a reservation you can contact the inn by telephone at (215) 923-3535, or 1-877-253-9466.

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Street Art / K-Guy / Tate Modern / London Travel / Recession Travel / → All Tags

Street Art is Going to the Mattresses in London

Recession inspired street art has been popping up all over the world but the most intriguing pieces have been created by K-Guy, a celebrated street artist based in the U.K.

It all started last year with K-Guy’s “In Loving Memory of a Boom Economy” piece outside of the Bank of England in Central London. Then, the artist created a series mattresses that were scattered around the city. The used mattresses were stamped with titles like, “The World’s Local Bank”, “Bank of Sonia and Mike”, and “0% On Balance Transfers for Life”.

Unfortunately, the mattresses were gone the first day they dropped, but if you are looking for another recession themed activity while visiting London, Tate Modern is currently offering a map of site-specific art from a group of five Madrid-based street artists on their website for free.

Related Stories:
· K-Guy [Official Site]
· K-Guy Under The Mattress Banking [Graffoto]
· Slinkachu's Little People in London [Jaunted]

[Photo: Vandalog]

Theme Parks / Amusement Parks / Theme Park Travel / Roller Coasters / Recession Travel / Recession / → All Tags

Six Flags on the Brink of Bankruptcy: Downgrade to Five Flags Possible

It's not just banks and homeowners that are in trouble these days. Even giant theme park operators are struggling as people curtail their leisure spending in the face of job losses and economic contractions. The latest victim is the Six Flags company, which is suffering under a staggering debt load of $2 billion and an environment in which more and more vacationers are slashing their budgets and staying close to home. The company's shares fell to a mere 16 cents on Friday, reflecting fears that the company would have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Six Flags is currently trying to restructure its debt, and is hoping that a three-year turnaround plan is able to bear fruit this season, but that remains to be seen as the U.S. remains mired in a recession.

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Jetblue / Recession Travel / → All Tags

JetBlue Wants Your Private Jet Lunch Money

There's at least one airline trying to work with the recession and not just pretending it doesn't exist; JetBlue will not only refund your fare if you canned, but they are also launching a campaign to welcome the executives who have had private jet travel cut out of their privileges.

While there are no special fares touted aside from their usual front-page sales, JetBlue is hoping to gain some business from those at the top of business by laying it all out on the table:

We understand it's not easy being a high flyer these days. The CFO is picking apart your expense reports. Congress is mad about your bonus. And you can't even hop on a private jet to the Cayman Islands without freaking out the shareholders. But even this economic cloud has a silver lining… actually more of a bluish lining. Because now you get to try JetBlue.

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Tourism Marketing / Tourism Boards / Tourism Board Travel / Comedy / Lewis Black / Recession Travel / → All Tags

Cranky Travel: Can Lewis Black Save Aruba Tourism?

Because of their overwhelming dependence on tourism, the islands of the Caribbean have been hit especially hard by the latest global economic bummer. I read in the Economist this morning that the number of visitors is likely to fall by up to a third, a forecast that has prompted the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island to lay off 800 workers and caused investors to pull out of several planned multi-billion-dollar resort complexes. Usually in a business downturn, companies cut their marketing budgets, but there are always a few radicals that double down instead, gunning for visibility in a diminished field. Aruba is doubling down in this recession with a big advertising push that features the grouchy comedian and satirist Lewis Black, and it just might work.

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Fare Wars / Southwest / Recession Tourism / Recession Travel / U.S. Airways / → All Tags

Oh, It's On Now: Southwest Fires First Shot in Air Fare War

Well, somebody had to be the first. Scrappy Southwest Airlines triggered a massive air fare war on Friday by announcing super-cheap seats to almost everywhere it flies for travel before March 11, 2009. As the AP points out, its competitors swiftly followed suit, with American, Continental, JetBlue, and Delta slashing their own prices to match Southwest's fares, which start at $49 to $99 each way. Even U.S. Airways, the company that literally walks on water, jumped into the bargain bin. (So much for the Sullenberger Bump.) We reckon that the airline executives who lowered their prices did so reluctantly, and are probably a little miffed at Southwest for forcing their hands. Nonetheless, with both business and leisure travel declining along with the economy, it'll take some serious savings to keep people flying through the recession. Maybe this will work. Of course, pain for the airlines equals opportunities for everyone else, so we're definitely going to scan the schedules to see if we can afford to fly someplace warm for a little late-winter attitude adjustment.

[Photo: lycia-online.com]

Related Stories
· Southwest Triggers Sales on Late-Winter Fares [AP via Yahoo! News]
· Fare War Coverage [Jaunted]

Dubai Travel / Travel News / Recession Travel / → All Tags

Bad Economy Gives Dubai a Good Kick in the Shins

The blue skies of Dubai's tourism boom have darkened with the faltering economy, and now the proud Emirate is having to descend its high horse in order to keep visitor numbers and room rates up. Although we cannot expect Dubai to publicize any statistics regarding the drop, rest assured that the hotel specials and package deals are on the way as tremors of the worldwide economic crisis create cracks in Dubai's gilded foundation.

Since nearly 4/5 of Dubai's population are expats and the source of the Emirate's wealth has shifted from oil to tourism, every Dubai Dirham spent in the world's largest shopping mall or the on the world's tallest building makes a difference for the country's future as a global hotspot. No time is more crucial than right now, as Dubai hosts its annual shopping festival from January 15 to February 15, where over 6,000 retailers pull out all the stops to grab both the interest and cash of those who can still afford to freely spend on luxury items.

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Recession Travel / Islands / Sales / Budget Travel / → All Tags

In Case Anybody Has Any Money Left, the U.S. Virgin Islands are On Sale

We don't know where all the money went. It was here, and then - *poof* - it was gone. If you're one of the lucky few to still have a couple of dollars in your pocket - or if you just lost your job and feel like entering the ranks of the unemployed in style - the U.S. Virgin Islands want you to know that the sandy beaches of your dreams are on sale. In light of the recent global financial meltdown, the USVI Department of Tourism is extending their Winter Escape promotion, so you now have until December 31, 2008 to book your winter vacation and get all kinds of freebies and incentives. They must have a lot of empty rooms to fill this winter, because participating hotels and tour operators are offering $300 in travelers checks, $50 credits on attractions and meals, a complimentary fifth night, and a nifty coupon book. I don't know about the coupon book (envisioning 25% off children's admission at the Pirate Museum) but three hundred clams in travelers checks will buy a pretty nice meal, boat ride, massage, or scuba trip. You can book the trip via cheapcaribbean.com/usvi for travel between December 15, 2008 and March 31, 2009. Send us a postcard.

[Photo: stjohnusvi.com]

Related Stories:
· USVI Winter Escape [Official Site]
· USVI Department of Tourism [Official Site]
· Recession Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

Train Travel / Amtrak / Trains / Recession Travel / → All Tags

Fifteen Hours on Amtrak: Achieving Nirvana

To travel along on our first few hours on Amtrak out of New York, check out yesterday's Part I.

It's midnight and we're stopped in the middle of nowhere, eight hours into our fifteen-hour coach class Amtrak trek to the Midwest from New York City. We've stepped outside of the train only to be caught in sleeting rain and an ungodly darkness; it could be Rochester, New York. At this point, the Amtrak lightweights have disembarked in Albany, Schenectady or Syracuse, and the leftovers are truly in for the long-haul. Under the single streetlight, we size each other up and wonder who might be capable of stealthily stealing our stuff while we sleep. It's probably the single guy getting off in Erie, Pennsylvania, our next stop.

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Celeb Travel / Recession Travel / Miley Cyrus / Eurostar / → All Tags

Miley Cyrus Takes The Train

Trouble must be trickling upward for a change: Pop star Miley Cyrus was spotted arriving at St Pancras Station in London to catch the Eurostar to Paris. Wait... a train?

Ticket sales on European lines probably haven't soared the way they have in the US, because they haven't entirely caught the cold other economies did when the American stock market sneezed. But you don't see Vanessa Hudgens on a train. Is Hannah Montana afraid of flying?

Related Stories:
· Miley Cyrus Much Easier To Find Than Waldo [Jaunted]
· Dangerous Movie Set Travel: Extras In Peril At "Hannah Montana" Shoot [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Celebrity-Gossip.net]

Train Travel / Amtrak / Trains / Recession Travel / → All Tags

Fifteen Hours on Amtrak: Our Recession Confession

While we have logged some impressive mileage traveling Amtrak in the past, all the recent reports of sold-out trains has us wondering what, if anything, has changed other than gas prices? Curious as to the state of the trains and the faces of the new ridership, a few days ago we hopped aboard Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited from New York City, a 15-hour chattanooga choo choo to the heart of the Midwest. In and amongst the horrendously marked-up beer of the lounge car and the chattering divorcees of the dining car, we may have just discovered the most unlikely thing: Hope.

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