smarter traveling, driving and spending
Whether you are a native like me, moved to NYC recently, or a visitor experiencing the greatest city on the planet, these are the best FREE things to do in New York City. This list offers something for everybody, including free museums and sightseeing, even a free rooftop garden. Everything is easily accessible by subway
Read more
We’re back to traveling again, and if your wanderlust includes international destinations which require a US passport, expect to wait up to three months for a new or renewed passport to the world. And as with groceries and gas for a road trip, it costs more to get a new or renewed passport in 2022
Read more
Here’s what you need to know about the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks spectacular, including best places see it in person. For those of you who will be in my hometown for this annual event – Once again, more than 48,000 shells and effects will be launched from five barges on the East River, with
Read more
The release of the summer blockbuster Elvis movie prompts is a great reason to replublish this article about visiting his hometown, Tupelo, Mississipi, which celebrates Elvis year-round. Tupelo is more low-key, and far less glitzy or crowded than Graceland, in Memphis, which he built after becoming a successful recording star. I loved my recent visit
Read more
With gas prices at record highs and flight cancellations and delays, this is a good time to take the train. These are the top scenic train trips in the USA, ranging from a few hours to a few days, including on old-fashioned steam trains. In alphabetical order, since that’s the only fair way: Alaska Railroad’s
Read more
Most visitors start their Maine vacation in Portland. The largest city in the state, it offers wonderful Victorian architecture, a collection of historic lighthouses, beaches, and some of the best dining in the northeast, including world-famous Maine lobster. Portland is an ideal base for exploring a variety of experiences nearby, including hiking, fishing and kayaking.
Read more
Where To Go Next – Start making plans to visit one or more of the top ten beaches in the USA, for sand and surf, sunrises and sunsets, snorkeling and shell collection, and serenity, most of all. For many of us, it’s not a real vacation unless it includes the beach. A recent survey sponsored
Read more
Expect airplanes and hotels to be crowded this summer, due to the pent-up demand to travel again now that Covid restrictions are loosening in much of the world. According to Allianz Partners’ Top 10 Summer Destinations review, travel will be up 16 percent over last year, with almost 75 percent of Americans planning to travel
Read more
Cunard has named a female ship captain for its newest luxury liner, the Queen Anne. How appropriate this announcement is made during Women’s History Month in March! Congratulations to Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge, who is one of the very few female ship captains in the cruise ship business, and the first female captain at Cunard.
Read more
Puerto Rico Sunshine is a brilliant red/orange created by color gurus Pantone and an eco-friendly paint color, and ecoXplorer is taking bets that it becomes the island’s official color. Discover Puerto Rico, the island’s destination marketing organization, developed the color in partnership with the Pantone Color Institute. It’s based on the findings of Hector Jimenez,
Read more