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'With Liberty And Travel For All'; Obama Lifts HIV Travel Ban

November 2, 2009 at 10:34 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

Although the travel health focus right now is on the Swine Flu, it's nonetheless important to remember that Swine Flu isn't the end-all, be-all of dangerous diseases right now. After all, millions of people in the world don't have it, unlike HIV and AIDS. Up until this weekend, those with HIV were banned from traveling to the United States due to an archaic law which was just lifted by Obama in response to a UNAIDS request for all countries to end such discriminatory travel bans: "Placing travel restrictions on people living with HIV has no public health justification. It is also a violation of human rights," said UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe.

Although the ban won't be fully lifted until next year, those who have HIV and haven't been able to visit the US and make their dreams come true of going to Graceland and eating a slice of New York pizza now can start booking their flights.

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Michelle Obama Begins Locavore Crusade at NYC's Gramercy Tavern

September 25, 2009 at 9:31 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

President Obama might be making his first presidential visit to Pittsburgh today for the G20 Summits, but before heading off for some serious work-time, Mr. and Mrs. Obama hit up New York again for a couple days, creating mass traffic confusion, but some actual excitement when Michelle lunched at the famed Gramercy Tavern restaurant.

In all fairness, Michelle had to eat alone since Barack was not in town for tourist activities like usual, but instead addressing the United Nations. Gramercy Tavern is an excellent choice for the First Lady, even if she may have gone because the chef behind the restaurant also catered the UN activities. It is upscale, rather exclusive and hard to get reservations for, and is known for being a cheerleader of American cuisine.

She didn't make reservations...

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How To Get Tickets For The White House Holiday Tour

Where: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW [map], Washington, D.C., United States, 20500
September 18, 2009 at 2:13 PM | by Heidi Atwal | 1 Comment

Washington D.C.-bound travelers hoping to celebrate Christmas with the Obamas may already be out of luck. With its twinkling lights and a new family occupying the world's most famous address this year, snagging holiday tour tickets to the White House is a feat that rivals landing floor seats to a Springsteen concert.

As the Richmond Times Dispatch reports, tour requests are accepted up to six months in advance, but whether you're the lucky winner of tickets isn't disclosed until three weeks before the scheduled date, or thereabouts.

The formal request process and the lottery-like submission for tickets are a result of post-September 11th security measures. Before then, tourists could show up the morning of and fall in line to get same-day admission. Now, ticket requests must be made "through the office of a member of the House of Representatives or Senate."

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Book It To D.C.'s National Book Festival WIth Our Top Event Picks

September 15, 2009 at 4:12 PM | by Jennifer Kester | 0 Comments

Bibliophiles will want to book it to the National Mall in Washington DC to hang with co-hosts President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the ninth annual National Book Festival. Big-name authors are scheduled to come out as well for the free festival, set for 10 am to 5:30 pm on September 26.

Since we want you to have enough time to make it to your favorite events while still having a chance to sight-see around the city, we've consolidated a nice list of the biggest highlights to hit in the Book Festival.

Jaunted's favorite highlights, all on September 26:

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All The Travel That's Fit To Read: E-Book News And Obama's Reading List

August 28, 2009 at 12:29 PM | by egw | 0 Comments

Read East Coast, read West Coast, or read without books at all: Here's all the reading news intrepid travelers need to know from this week:

· Good news for flashpackers? Sony unveiled its latest e-book reader this week and before you could say "Kindle killer," reviewers rushed to express the fervent desire that it could improve on Apple's very '80s-colored category leader. The $400 touchscreen Sony "Daily Edition" will allow readers to go online with a blazing 3G network and, among other options, check out library books electronically.

The budget option for digital page-turners on Sony's line is still the $200 Reader Pocket (a 6" touchscreen with no wireless)—but can it compete with the Kindle's stranglehold over both publisher selection and the iPhone?

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Everyone And Obama Kicking Back On Martha's Vineyard This Week

August 24, 2009 at 9:34 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

We have truly entered the family vacation portion of summer, what with last week's National Parks free day and the anxiety of squeezing in trips before Labor Day. Although President Obama, Michelle, Malia and Sasha have spent their summer traveling around the world and taking in various tourist sites, they have also been working all the while. Thus, it's even time for the first family to call it quits for a bit and head to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts for some deserved rest and relaxation.

They'll even be renting a summer vacation home for the week-long break, but this isn't some cottage with a leaky canoe; it's the 28-acre, $35,000-a-week Blue Heron Farm on the island's southern edge. With the arrival of the Obamas, Martha's Vineyard has become the late summer celebrity vacation hotspot, as it's reported that the likes of Jay-Z, Beyonce, Oprah, Spike Lee, Pele (the Brazilion soccer star) and even the Clintons are also in town.

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The Obamas Show Us How A National Parks Vacation Is Done

August 17, 2009 at 9:30 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

With vacation destinations like Miami Beach or Las Vegas, one wonder if American families are still game to take in natural sights at the once-popular National Parks. Well, there's at least one family that kicked off their summer vacation with little good old road tripping out west, and that's the Obamas. Before they head to Martha's Vineyard for some well-deserved down time, the first family spent this last weekend admiring the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park.

Alright, so it wasn't exactly a road trip in the traditional sense, since the family took the Marine One helicopter from the White House to Air Force One to reach the west, but they did hop from one park to another in one weekend, and Obama even brought along his half-sister and her family.

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Three Cities, Three Totally Awesome Labor Day Celebrations

August 12, 2009 at 9:29 AM | by Heidi Atwal | 0 Comments

It's a sad, oft-repeated reality that Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer. Barbecuing opportunities, fireworks shows, and spontaneous beach trips become less frequent as we collectively settle into fall's slower, more consistent day-to-day pacing. Of course, that doesn't mean that travel has to cease post-summer, and it certainly doesn't mean that your Labor Day plans should be any less entertaining than weekends past.

Keep the festive mood of summer going with our roundup of Three Awesome Labor Day Celebrations:

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The First Family Packs Their Bags For An Old-Fashioned Western Road Trip

August 11, 2009 at 9:14 AM | by kjb | 0 Comments

It won't be too old-fashioned however, as we’re thinking that they won’t be taking the family station wagon to get to the National parks they're visiting next weekend. President Obama and his crew will be hitting up some of the country’s natural gems including the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. The trip hopes to highlight the national park system and encourage everyone to get out there and enjoy the great outdoors.

The visit coincides with the park service’s fee free weekend, so the Obamas are clearly trying to save a couple of bucks. For regular park visitors this isn’t the best timing. The parks are probably going to be packed, especially at the Grand Canyon, where the normal entrance fee is $25 per carload. Add in a little security detail in preparation of the President’s arrival, and there’s going to be a big traffic mess.

Obama will be bringing his town hall style meetings with him, and will probably be chatting up the masses about his ideas regarding health care. He’ll also be swinging through Phoenix to speak at the VFW convention. Maybe after he’s done speaking, he’ll get a spot in line at one of our favorite pizza spots.

Related Stories:
· First Family to Visit National Parks [CBS News]
· Three For Free: Summer Weekends at 100 National Parks [Jaunted]
· Presidential Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ken Lunc]

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Buy Obama Some Peanuts And Crackerjacks In St. Louis

July 15, 2009 at 9:14 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

Whether or not you're planning one of those tour-the-USA's-major-league-ballparks vacations, perhaps you'll want to add St. Louis' Busch Stadium onto your Midwest road-trip now that President Obama has taken the mound.

That's right, last night during the All-Star game, Barack dressed down in jeans and a Chicago White Sox jackets—yay for repping his home team—and threw the ceremonial first pitch to Albert Pujols of the Cardinals. Although he had warmed up on the White House lawn this weekend and was accompanied to St. Louis on Air Force One with Willie Mays, Obama said of his pitch: "Now, there was no clock on it, I don't know how fast it went - but if it exceeded 30 miles per hour, I'd be surprised, but it did clear the plate."

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The Obamas Make A Solemn Stop At A Ghana Slave Castle

Where: Accra, Ghana
July 13, 2009 at 1:34 PM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

After a happy few days in Italy, making gelato and visiting with antiquity, the Obamas headed south to Ghana for President Obama's first official visit to Africa. It was a solemn trip, and Obama chose Ghana over Kenya—where he has family ties—because of Ghana's dedication to democracy.

The whole family made the trip along with Barack, and Michelle and the girls even accompanied him on a tour of Cape Coast Castle, which, in the 1600s, "served as Britain's West Africa headquarters for the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which saw European powers and African chiefs export millions in shackles to Europe and the Americas." It's not exactly a tourist attraction either, unless you're set on re-tracing your own family history through the slave trade.

Obama's visit not only to Ghana but to the slave trading headquarters is poignant; it illustrates, in one stop, how far the world has come in shedding racism and taking up equality.

Related Stories:
· Obama's visit to fort a 'full-circle experience' [MSNBC]
· Dear President Obama [Globe and Mail]
· The Sort-of Return of the Prodigal Son: President Obama Arrives in Accra, Ghana [Obama Foodorama]
· When In Rome, It's Gelato And G8 For The Obamas [Jaunted]
· Presidential Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: AP via HuffPost]

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When In Rome, It's Gelato And G8 For The Obamas

Where: Rome, Italy
July 10, 2009 at 9:27 AM | by JetSetCD | 2 Comments

When it was announced that President Obama would make a visit to Rome and The Vatican this week, we couldn't hardly wait to see goodies the Eternal City had in store for them, and Rome didn't disappoint. As the whole family moved on from their museum-hopping in Moscow earlier this week, some casual sightseeing and of course, a few scoops of famous gelato, were in order.

As Barack met with G8 leaders, Michelle quickly took in the Colosseum with her daughters and the Capitoline Museum, which houses ancient Roman art and archeology, with the other G8 wives. Then the adults promptly headed deeper into the Abruzzo region to the town of L'Aquila, which suffered that fatal earthquake back in April.

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