Jan 8th, 2012 at 11:00AM:
According to Orbitz's annual survey, released this week, London, Chicago and Austin are primed to be top travel destinations in 2012. The "Insider Index" used both travel experts and the OTA's booking and consumer search data to predict what they think will happen in the 2012 travel market.
Hotspots for 2012
London: London will mark its place in history as the only city to host the ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
sandiego posts
Orbitz "Insider Index" predicts London, Chicago and Austin will be popular in 2012, looks at 2011 and 2012 travel trends
Jan 8th, 2012 at 11:00AM:
According to Orbitz's annual survey, released this week, London, Chicago and Austin are primed to be top travel destinations in 2012. The "Insider Index" used both travel experts and the OTA's booking and consumer search data to predict what they think will happen in the 2012 travel market.
Hotspots for 2012
London: London will mark its place in history as the only city to host the ...January is California Restaurant Month
Dec 2nd, 2011 at 12:00PM: As a native Californian and longtime former Bay Area resident, I have to confess there's no place like home when it comes to the American food/dining/wine scene (New Yorkers, feel free to sharpen your knives...).
California's always been progressive when it comes to food and drink, from the early days of the vaqueros and Gold Rush-era San Francisco, right up to today's never-ending parade of ...Fourth of July travel deals from Viator
Jun 27th, 2011 at 12:15PM: Sometimes the best things come to those who wait. If you're looking for some last minute Independence Day deals, our pals at Viator have pulled together a list of Fourth of July bargains to help travelers get the most out of their three-day weekend. From New York to Oahu, below are some suggestions that will have you seeing red, white and blue without spending a whole lot of green.
New York: ...Win a trip to SPY Boot Camp 9
May 21st, 2011 at 8:00AM: SPY Optics is gearing up for their ninth annual Boot Camp, which will take place August 4th - 10th in sunny San Diego, California.This year, they're giving one lucky fan the opportunity to attend the event and hang out with SPY-sponsored athletes as they surf, motocross, and party on the beach.
Entering the contest couldn't be any easier. Simply click here and fill out the online form, and ...Pop-up restaurants: dining for a new decade
Apr 28th, 2011 at 1:30PM: First, it was underground supper clubs. Now, everything's coming up pop-ups. As with food trucks, this form of guerrilla cheffing borne of economic need has become a global phenomenon. Equal parts dinner party and dinner theater, a pop-up refers to a dining establishment that is open anywhere from one to several nights, usually in an existing restaurant or other commercial food establishment.
...Ten great food co-ops in the western U.S.
Apr 22nd, 2011 at 1:30PM: If the concept of food cooperatives conjures up images of burning bras and withered, wormy produce, hear me out. The times they have a'changed, and today's co-ops (about 500 nationwide) can be the hometown equivalent of a certain high-end, multi-billion-dollar, national green grocery chain. As with farmers markets, all are not created equal, but when you hit upon a good one, it's easy to see why ...SeaWorld San Diego announces Manta roller coaster for 2012
Feb 18th, 2011 at 3:00PM: SeaWorld San Diego recently announced plans for a new roller coaster set to open in 2012. The new highly-themed attraction will be called Manta and it will incorporate a marine-life exhibit. The ride will start with a tunnel boasting huge high-tech projection screens. The screens will project larger than life images of rays aimed at enhancing the ride's opening launch that will send the ...Top 10 travel spots in the United States
Jan 17th, 2011 at 1:30PM: So, Orbitz noted when we like to travel ... but where do we go? The top 10 destinations in the country were mostly predictable, with big tourist-magnet cities dominating the list. There were a few surprises, according to the information supplied by Orbitz: Boston, for example, didn't make the list, after having ranked ninth in 2009. Los Angeles, fifth in 2009, also fell off in 2010. New Orleans ...Legoland California announces Star Wars attraction
Jan 7th, 2011 at 9:30AM:
Legoland California will be the first Legoland theme park to launch a Star Wars Miniland area. The Star Wars Miniland, which will have models of favorite Star Wars scenes constructed entirely of Legos, is set to open March 31.
Eight famous Star Wars scenes will be built in a 1:20 scale. The project will take more than 1.5 million Legos and, we're guessing, a dash of The Force.
The scenes ...San Diego helps cruise ships go green
Dec 16th, 2010 at 8:30AM: The Port of San Diego has now joined a small group of ports throughout the world in offering cruise ships the ability to plug in to shoreside electrical power. Environmental groups, strong critics of the cruise industry, like this. The new system lets cruise ships turn off their highly-polluting engines while in port.
Providing up to 12 megawatts of much cleaner grid electricity, enough to ...SeaWorld to open new Shamu show next spring
Nov 16th, 2010 at 1:00PM:
Shamu will get a new show next spring at the SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego.
The killer whale show will replace "Believe," which debuted four years ago. There's no word yet as to whether SeaWorld's killer whale trainers will be in the water with the orcas in the new show.
The trainers have been out of the water since the February death of Dawn Brancheau at SeaWorld ...Pets at Hyatt Regency Mission Bay get their own "Pawsport" loyalty program
Nov 12th, 2010 at 1:00PM:
Do you own a pampered pooch? Thanks to Hyatt Regency Mission Bay's new Pawsport program, your four-legged friend can receive "top dog" treatment during their stay.
"Stainless steel bowls, plush dog beds and a haute-dog menu ensure your pooch will be lavishly spoiled while away from home," said leader of the hotel pack, General Manager Moshen Khaleghi.
At check-in, furry friends will ...Top ten Halloween theme park events
Oct 25th, 2010 at 3:00PM:
Theme parks around the United States are getting in on the Halloween fun this week, with special events featuring everything from horror-filled haunted houses to magic shows to trick-or-treating for kids. Here's a look at our top 10 Halloween theme park events:
1. Halloween Horror Nights: Universal Studios Florida, Orlando, Florida
Universal's Halloween scarefest, which tops lists of ...New York: best and worst city in schismatic survey
Oct 21st, 2010 at 12:00PM: If you want to travel like a local, then it makes sense to know something about your destination ... and isn't the best city to live attractive? It's the kind of place you'd want to explore and see why it's so loved. And at the same time, you'd probably want to avoid the worst of the worst – who would want to go there?
Well, a new Harris Interactive poll makes this thinking hard to ...Getting drunk: Twenty cities that don't know how to handle their liquor
Oct 8th, 2010 at 9:00AM: California loves to get wasted! San Diego and San Jose are the top two cities that drink stupidly, according to a survey by Insurance.com. They lead the country in alcohol-related driving violations, a dubious distinction to say the least. So, if you step into the crosswalk in these two spots, take an extra second to look both ways.
The reasons for hitting this list vary and include proximity ...Daily Pampering: Rock star rides at the Hard Rock San Diego
Aug 17th, 2010 at 4:15PM: Forget your drab rental car, the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego is offering guests booking the high-roller packages a sweet ride from Enterprise Rent-A-Car's 'exotic cars' fleet. Enterprise Rent-A-Car will drop the cars off at the hotel for the guests to use throughout their stay.
The top package is the Diamond Ride which pairs a 1,700 square-foot Diamond Rock Star Suite featuring two bedrooms and a ...Sun soaked: Southern California's secret beach spots
Jul 18th, 2010 at 3:30PM: You've probably walked Venice Beach, played volleyball on Manhattan Beach and spent a lazy day in Malibu, but have you scoped out SoCal's secret beach spots? Of the many things California is known for, its beaches are always at the top of lists. Here a few of the best kept secrets along California's coast:
Coronado, California: Savvy sun-soakers pay to park at the Hotel Del Coronado, then dine ...Woman begins canoe trip from Seattle to San Diego
Jul 9th, 2010 at 8:00AM: Margo Pellagrino describes herself as "a stay-at-home mom who doesn't do a very good job at staying home." That seems an apt description considering she has just set off on a epic canoe trip that will see her paddling from Seattle to San Diego over the next couple of months, while raising awareness about the health of the world's oceans.
Margo started her journey on July 3rd, and over the past ...Beach-bound? Head to these best beaches on the west coast
Jul 4th, 2010 at 11:00AM: Hanging 10 in Hawaii? Settling along the California coast? If the West is your destination this summer, don't miss a day at one of these fabulous west coast beaches. Not only are they free, they offer plenty to do if a day in the sand gets dull (although, we can't imagine it would)!
Kaanapali Beach - Maui – West Maui's Ka'anapali Beach is undoubtedly is easily accessible by a concrete ...Summer lovin: Top seafood shacks in the U.S.
Jun 23rd, 2010 at 2:00PM: Lobster rolls, fried clams, fish sandwiches... the tastes of summer comes from the sea at these top seafood shacks in America. Just add lemon or a little drawn butter, and you're good to go.
Crabby Bill's, Indian Rocks Beach, Florida: The original real deal in Florida seafood offers four unique dining settings--a sushi bar, a family-style barn, an outdoor tiki area and indoor casual eatery open ...
