Tag: california travel

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A Boeing 727 Will Soon Be Buried in the Mojave Desert, in the Name of Art

February 1, 2012 at 9:03 AM | by | Comments (0)

The Mojave Desert is literally a hot spot for aviation. There's Virgin Galactic based out there, the Paul Allen-funded "biggest airplane" project, and soon, something odd enough to attract even more attention. Christoph Buchel—he’s a Swiss artist—is getting ready to install his latest masterpiece into the middle of the sand in the Mojave Desert. Best of all, the thing he’s planning to bury in the sand is a whole freaking airplane.

Some will argue the benefits of this art installation, but as aviation geeks we’re obviously a little intrigued about seeing the project from beginning to end. The plan is to submerge a Boeing 727 into the desert as part of an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Those wanting to take a peek will have to take a ride out from Los Angeles, but it sounds like the road trip might be worth it.

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Three Minutes, Twenty Seconds to Fall in Love with San Francisco

January 31, 2012 at 5:41 PM | by | Comments (0)

Like anyone really needs more of a reason to fall in love with San Francisco, the tourism board has developed a cute, heartwarming video showcasing all the little bites of life that make SF...well, SF. And there literally are bites, of pancakes.

The video is titled "A Day in the Life," but all the different neighborhoods, landmarks and little social experiences make it more of a week, or several weeks if you're an average visitor trying to hit them all.

It's definitely no ">time-lapse, tilf-shift Lisbon, but it is a nice watch if you're trying to convince yourself to hit the City by the Bay in 2012, or if you already live there and want to fall back in love with the city.

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Allegiant Air's Big News? Oakland.

January 27, 2012 at 1:04 PM | by | Comments (0)

We were all in a tizzy to hear what Allegiant Air had in store for us this week, as they were teasing some news on their Facebook page. It wasn’t exactly like waiting for Santa to arrive, but we kind of thought they would finally reveal some new details about their plans for Hawaii. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case—we’ll continue to wait—but they did announce information on their plans for another pretty decent location.

Allegiant Air is ready to boost service to and from the Bay Area of California, as they now have Oakland on their radar. Folks looking for some cheap options in the East Bay will probably welcome the addition, and the airport is only a traffic-filled bridge away from the rest of the area’s residents. Allegiant has named Oakland their newest focus city, so that means like seven new nonstop options for everyone from Raiders fans to MC Hammer.

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Sonoma County Airport Upgrades to Make Flying into Wine Tasting Easier

January 19, 2012 at 8:32 AM | by | Comments (0)

One of the best slices of the nifty fifty is getting an airport upgrade, and if everything goes through as planned you’ll soon be flying right into California wine country—get your corkscrews ready. Officials in Sonoma County are kicking around an idea to upgrade and update things at the area’s airport, and hopefully that’ll bring in a few more flights. Right now there’s just one option thanks to Alaska Airlines, so that means your weekend of wandering through the vineyards usually starts by driving from San Francisco or Sacramento.

In total it looks like they’re thinking about spending around $84 million—give or a take a few bucks—on all the improvements and expansions at the Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport. The board of supervisors has already approved the spending, but it sounds like there’s a few more stamps, seals, and signatures needed before the hardhats and bulldozers arrive on site. The final decision is expected within the next week or so, and then it might just be full speed ahead.

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Three January Food Festivals for Forgetting Your New Year's Resolutions

January 11, 2012 at 10:54 AM | by | Comments (0)

January is kind of a slow and sleepy month, but even if it’s not quite harvest time that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of foods to celebrate. There’s spicy stuff, sweet stuff, and everything in between...so here’s our picks for three fun food festivals that might be worth your time this month:

· Kumquat Festival – Dade City, Florida:
Of course the Sunshine State is known for oranges and grapefruits, but they’re also pretty darn awesome at growing kumquats. Dade City wants to share their love for the little orange fruits, and each year they invite like 40,000 friends to come check things out. This year’s festival is scheduled to run from 9am to 5pm on January 28—that’s a Saturday—and it’s free for all to enjoy.

Kumquat ice cream, kumquat pies, and kumquat cookies are just some of the special delicacies on display for sampling and snacking. Organizers are expecting around 350 different vendors to set up shop in the city’s downtown, so expect the usual arts, crafts, car shows, and entertainment in addition to all the tasty treats. There’s recipe contests too, and there’s even a chance to do your thing in hopes of scoring the title of Miss or Mister Kumquat.

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Booking Flights for Coachella 2012: Yikes.

January 10, 2012 at 11:54 AM | by | Comments (0)

Without a doubt, the one huge travel story today is the scramble to plan for Coachella 2012, the music festival in the desert outside Palm Springs, CA. For the first time, the massive 3-day party will be split in two—two weekends, that is. If you can't make it April 13-15, there's now the option of catching the same acts, on the same stages, with a different crowd around you, on April 20-22.

Headliners of the fest are: The Black Keys, Radiohead and, most anticipated by far, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg who will close each weekend with a Sunday performance. Other acts due to hit the many stages include Bon Iver, Cat Power, The Arctic Monkeys, Feist, La Roux, Girl Talk, Santigold and really so many others we don't feel like typing them out. (But here's a Spotify playlist to get you in the mood).

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Driving California's Steep and Scenic Pines to Palms Highway

December 21, 2011 at 5:34 PM | by | Comment (1)

Tis the season to head for sunnier, warmer climes. For many this means the Caribbean and Mexico while for others, they're keeping it closer to home in Palm Springs, CA. Since we know many who'll head to the desert on Virgin America's new route to Palm Springs, we're thinking it's time to let you in on a few of our own personal favorite PS secrets.

This story will be in the first-person because...I have a confession. Actually, two.

1: I watch too much of the BBC's Top Gear. Typically I just fast-forward through the interviews and in-studio car talk to get the meat of the program, where Jeremy, James and Richard are off driving exotic, winding roads and stopping to have mugs of tea at shady petrol stations.

2: I don't drive that much at all anymore. Living in NYC negates the need for a car, and though I'll occasionally Zipcar to help a friend move apartments, my behind-the-wheel dalliances are mostly limited to long weekends of rental car release.

For these two very important reasons, sometimes an excellent, leisurely drive figures at the front of my vacation. I have had two mindblowing drives this year. First, on the TT racecourse on the Isle of Man (read all about that here), and, second, on the Pines to Palms Highway from Orange Country to Palm Springs, California.

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Architecture is Reason Enough to Hit Palm Springs

December 20, 2011 at 4:49 PM | by | Comments (0)

Tis the season to head for sunnier, warmer climes. For many this means the Caribbean and Mexico while for others, they're keeping it closer to home in Palm Springs, CA. Since we know many who'll head to the desert on Virgin America's new route to Palm Springs, we're thinking it's time to let you in on a few of our own personal favorite PS secrets.

When you're not guzzling all-you-can-drink champagne in Palm Springs, the thing to do is take in the sights. Just be totally sober before hopping behind the wheel, of course. There's no shortage of vistas in this desert valley surrounded by mountains and blue skies, and we confess that our favorite thing to do in Palm Springs is actually just leisurely cruise around.

Driving here (any time other than Coachella) is a breeze. The streets are wide and well maintenanced, traffic is extremely rare, and oftentimes the buildings that line that road are as photo-worthy as the natural scenery. There's just something about that midcentury modern look, and luckily it's something in which Palm Springs specializes.

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Your First and Last Stop in Palm Springs Should Be Pinocchio's

Where: 134 E Tahquitz Canyon Way [map], Palm Springs, CA, United States, 92262
December 19, 2011 at 5:29 PM | by | Comment (1)

Tis the season to head for sunnier, warmer climes. For many this means the Caribbean and Mexico while for others, they're keeping it closer to home in Palm Springs, CA. Since we know many who'll head to the desert on Virgin America's new route to Palm Springs, we're thinking it's time to let you in on a few of our own personal favorite PS secrets.

There's nothing quite like driving into Palm Springs, or flying in for that matter. From every which way, the scenery is beyond stunning. This is truly a desert paradise, and a playground all the same. It's not too difficult to understand the way we feel about the city, if you watch the bodacious Ann-Margret do her thing from 0:55-1:45 in this scene from The Who's Tommy.

"Today it rains champagne," indeed, and nowhere more so than at Pinocchio's, a restaurant in "downtown" PS that specializes in monster brunches washed down with $3.95 bottomless champagne.

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BREAKING: Universal Studios Hollywood to Get Its Very Own Wizarding World of Harry Potter

December 1, 2011 at 3:32 PM | by | Comments (0)

Not gonna lie—our June 2010 visit to the opening of Universal Studios Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter is definitely a highlight of our travels from the last few years. To some that might sound perfectly stupid since we're adults and can just as easily jet off to Phuket as to Orlando, but to those who've been and also found themselves similarly taken in, the sentiment is shared.

That's why today's news that Universal Studios Hollywood will get a Wizarding World of its own in 2014 or 2015 is so thrilling. That means, if all goes according to plan, that in a span of five years the United States will have become home to two Harry Potterlands selling chocolate frogs, running roller coasters and otherwise thumbing their nose at the UK, which doesn't even have one to call its own.

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Touring California in 1964: Ending Up at the 'Showplace of the Nation'

November 18, 2011 at 10:00 AM | by | Comments (0)

Thanks to the decreasing quality and increasing frustration of air travel, plus shows like ABC's Pan Am, 2011 has been a year for much interest in the heyday of "glamorous" travel—aka the dawn of the Jet Age.

We've already spent some time investigating a 1960s in-flight menu from United, ticket prices on American and even the airline back in 1959, but now we're going to focus on TWA for a moment.

In the 1960s, if you wanted to take a 12-day tour of California including flights from either Chicago or NYC, the cost was only $279 or $339, respectively. That's crazy to think of now, but although prices have changed, the travel style really hasn't all that much. This week, we'll be peeking inside a brochure for this trip, to see exactly what you could get for that cash in 1964:

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Touring California in 1964: Down to Santa Monica

November 17, 2011 at 11:45 AM | by | Comments (0)

Thanks to the decreasing quality and increasing frustration of air travel, plus shows like ABC's Pan Am, 2011 has been a year for much interest in the heyday of "glamorous" travel—aka the dawn of the Jet Age.

We've already spent some time investigating a 1960s in-flight menu from United, ticket prices on American and even the airline back in 1959, but now we're going to focus on TWA for a moment.

In the 1960s, if you wanted to take a 12-day tour of California including flights from either Chicago or NYC, the cost was only $279 or $339, respectively. That's crazy to think of now, but although prices have changed, the travel style really hasn't all that much. This week, we'll be peeking inside a brochure for this trip, to see exactly what you could get for that cash in 1964:

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