TripCart :: The Travel Blog

2009 Fall Color Staycations

Well, its that time of the year again and for our readers in the right parts of the country - a compact vacation on a tank of gas. Sure, the fall festivals and quaint white church steeples make Vermont Fall Foliage a world-class destination, but, with the right timing (check out our friends at Foliage Network) and a warm sweater - you are ready to hit the parks and forests of the United States and watch the transition from Green to Yellow to Orange. (And we are not talking about the Terror Alert Status!).

Thanks toCheapOair Buzz for this picture:

Here is our 2009 fall foliage destination guide:

Fall Foliage around Boston:

Massachusetts Fall Foliage  is a no brainer - early in the season - head north to New Hampshire, later follow the coast south - from Maine to Connecticut. Nearest to Boston - try Lexington, Concord and Walden Pond. To really see the fall colors in style, consider one of the many Fall Foliage cruises leaving from New England ports - Rhode Island up to Maine.

NY Foliage:

Each borough - Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens (Alley Pond Park - Leaves and Tashlich), Brooklyn and even Staten Island has good and accessible leaf peeping - just hop on the subway (or ferry). Feeling a bit more adventurous, but still no car? You can get a hour-long moving show of Hudson Valley Foliage  from the train (Metro North). Make sure to get a seat on the left side of the train going north or the right going south. Skip rush hour for better fares and less cellphone chatter.

If you have a couple of days to dedicate to New York State fall foliage (and wine tours and more) head north early in the season, while Central Park is still green and check out the Adirondack fall foliage in September.

Chasing Fall Foliage South:

Global warming or not, the leaves change later as you go south. If you'd like to combine some foliage viewing with an urban weekend and maybe take in a show or get tickets for a football game - pick a different city each weekend from Boston down to Washington DC. Philadelphia is a good place for your Fall Foliage PA headquarters and a drive up the Potomac is a great way to see the Maryland Fall Foliage 30 minutes out of the Capital.

Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Mountains lose their crowds and turn yellow, gold and red in the fall and late October is a good time to close out the West Virginia fall foliage season.

And for the 3 people a year who search for "Pittsburgh fall foliage" - we have two pointers - Grandview Avenue and Fallingwater.

For our fans out west:

Its a different experience, the Colorado fall colors, the wild-west towns, the snow covered peaks (and sometimes even, the snow) and the mix of evergreens and aspens. Fall Foliage in Colorado  can be less than an hour outside of Denver - try Georgetown, or a bit further, Estes Park.

Further south, you can even find some decent New Mexico fall foliage spots near Albuquerque, Santa Fe  and in the Four Corners region of the state.

And what would a back to school season trip be without visiting the shopping malls?

Well, its that time of the year again and for our readers in the right parts of the country - a compact vacation on a tank of gas. Sure, the fall festivals and quaint white church steeples make Vermont Fall Foliage a world-class destination, but, with the right timing (check out our friends at Foliage Network) and a warm sweater - you are ready to hit the parks and forests of the United States and watch the transition from Green to Yellow to Orange. (And we are not talking about the Terror Alert Status!).

Thanks toCheapOair Buzz for this picture:

Here is our 2009 fall foliage destination guide:

Fall Foliage around Boston:

Massachusetts Fall Foliage  is a no brainer - early in the season - head north to New Hampshire, later follow the coast south - from Maine to Connecticut. Nearest to Boston - try Lexington, Concord and Walden Pond. To really see the fall colors in style, consider one of the many Fall Foliage cruises leaving from New England ports - Rhode Island up to Maine.

NY Foliage:

Each borough - Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens (Alley Pond Park - Leaves and Tashlich), Brooklyn and even Staten Island has good and accessible leaf peeping - just hop on the subway (or ferry). Feeling a bit more adventurous, but still no car? You can get a hour-long moving show of Hudson Valley Foliage  from the train (Metro North). Make sure to get a seat on the left side of the train going north or the right going south. Skip rush hour for better fares and less cellphone chatter.

If you have a couple of days to dedicate to New York State fall foliage (and wine tours and more) head north early in the season, while Central Park is still green and check out the Adirondack fall foliage in September.

Chasing Fall Foliage South:

Global warming or not, the leaves change later as you go south. If you'd like to combine some foliage viewing with an urban weekend and maybe take in a show or get tickets for a football game - pick a different city each weekend from Boston down to Washington DC. Philadelphia is a good place for your Fall Foliage PA headquarters and a drive up the Potomac is a great way to see the Maryland Fall Foliage 30 minutes out of the Capital.

Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Mountains lose their crowds and turn yellow, gold and red in the fall and late October is a good time to close out the West Virginia fall foliage season.

And for the 3 people a year who search for "Pittsburgh fall foliage" - we have two pointers - Grandview Avenue and Fallingwater.

For our fans out west:

Its a different experience, the Colorado fall colors, the wild-west towns, the snow covered peaks (and sometimes even, the snow) and the mix of evergreens and aspens. Fall Foliage in Colorado  can be less than an hour outside of Denver - try Georgetown, or a bit further, Estes Park.

Further south, you can even find some decent New Mexico fall foliage spots near Albuquerque, Santa Fe  and in the Four Corners region of the state.

And what would a back to school season trip be without visiting the shopping malls?

Planning my friend’s trip to St. Louis, while I should be doing my OWN work!

I have a very busy friend who’s going on a business trip to Missouri and is bringing her 2 kids and their au pair who will have a car and liberty to take the kids all over the St. Louis area entertaining, which their mom is working. Since she knows I spend all day online reading and writing, she asked me to come with a list of activities for her family to partake in during their little vacation. And it is true, I enjoy nothing more than planning trips. Anyways, here are my findings, read the reviews, looked at pictures, and they all check out—thought I’d share...

1. The Butterfly House
2. Grant’s Farm
3. Missouri Botanical Gardens
4. Saint Louis Zoo
5. Jamestown Mall

They’ll only be there for 3 days, so I think this should be plenty.

Top 10 Labor Day Destinations

According to Hotwire, the place to be this Labor Day weekend will be Chi-town.  This is the second year in a row that the Windy City has been the country's favorite place to vacation before wrapping up the summer.  Here's the full list of the top 10 with last year's ranking in parenthesis:

1. Chicago (1)
2. New York City (18)
3. Atlanta (4)
4. St. Louis (12)
5. Boston (6)
6. San Francisco (5)
7. New Orleans (21)
8. Las Vegas (13)
9. San Diego (3)
10. Norfolk-Virginia Beach (34)

It sure is nice to see that New Orleans is making a comeback.

Calculating Cab Fare

Never sure how much that cab's going to cost you?  The Taxi Fare Finder can help give you an idea of how much your next cab will run you.  Just plug in an address or pick a major landmark around the city and this little mashup will give you an approximate price for your trip.  It appears that at the moment the going rate from Fisherman's Wharf to the Presidio is about $15.  The Taxi Fare Finder is available in San Francisco, New York, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Drive and Surf - Multitask While You Drive

After you rent a car, you throw on the bluetooth headset, plug in the iPod and hit the road.  But driving is so boring, it would be so much more entertaining if you could surf the web while you were driving instead of having to stare at the stupid road the whole time.  Avis has decided to bring the internet to the road with their new service that started a few weeks ago in San Francisco, Oakland and LA and is set to spread to Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York and Seattle by the end of the year.  The Avis Connect service costs $11 a day and will be available until enough people crash their rental cars trying to merge between lanes and look at porn at the same time.

(thanks businesstravelupdates)

Crash Cars

Summertime is upon us which means that it's time to hit the road while you take advantage of your paltry 12 vacation days a year.  Have you ever been on the interstate and wondered what that shiny, new 2007 Ford Mustang would look like after a head-on collision?  Well Consumer Reports was kind enough to post their videos of crash tests of tons and tons of cars.  Just pick the car manufacturer and model and then sit back and watch it get it totaled.

Related posts: Men Have 77% Higher Risk of Dying on the Roads • Drive and Surf - Multitask While You Drive • New York City Taxi Upgrade • New York Taxis of the Future • Las Vegas Casinos Go Boom

Americans Don't Let Gas Prices Get Them Down This Weekend

Roughly 38 million Americans are trekking more than 50 miles away from home this Memorial day weekend.  Despite continually rising gas prices, it's an increase of about 2 percent over last year.  A bit surprising given that gas is averaging around $3 and a quarter throughout the country (a 36 cent increase over last month).  Hotel rates are also up over 10 percent but it hasn't kept Americans from traveling.  An AP-Ispos poll showed that Americans considered the rising gas prices a "serious hardship" but they're cutting back on other things to compensate (food?).  Good luck on the roads this weekend.

(thanks newsvine)

New York City Taxi Upgrade

New York City taxis are getting an upgrade. Soon all 13,000 yellow cabs in NYC will be equipped with PIM's (Personal Information Monitors).  The machines will show local information, entertainment, the taxi's current location and advertising, it will also accept credit cards.  For some reason, the machine runs  an astounding $7,400 and there are rumors of a possible strike.  The Taxi & Limousine Commission says the system is better for everyone because it will allow for cashless transactions.  Expect to see these systems in yellow cabs throughout the city by the end of the summer.

(thanks gothamist)

Related posts: Hitchsters - It's for After you Airtroduce Yourself, - Calculating Cab Fare

Related travel guides: getting around in New York City, - Fun things to do in Manhattan and NYC

New York Taxis of the Future

New York's ubiquitous yellow taxi cabs are due for an upgrade.  If you happen to be in New York between now and the 15th you can wander over to the New York International Auto Show for the Taxi 07 Exhibit which features some of the newest innovations for New Yorker's favorite form of transportation.  This exhibit is also in celebration of the yellow taxi's 100th year in New York.  The easy to read graphics on the side of the cab pictured above will be seen on all of the taxis in the city by the end of the year.

Related posts: New Street Furniture in New York • New York City Taxi Upgrade • Stalking the News in NYC • America's 150 Favorite Pieces of Architecture

The Lowdown from a Former Employee on Tips and Tricks for Cheap Car Rentals from Enterprise

If the prices for renting a car ever seemed arbitrary to you the reason is probably because they are.  Over at The Consumerist, there's a great piece by a former manager of Enterprise with 9 tips to help you get the cheapest rental car possible.  If you don't have the time to plow though the whole article, we'll supply you with the highlights-

• There aren't any set prices.  Prices are completely fluid based on the number of cars on the lot, when the lot is full you can get great deals.
• Extra rental insurance is totally unnecessary.  That being said, agents will generally knock down the daily rate of your car if you're willing to pay for the extra insurance.
• Most Enterprise business comes from insurance rentals.  If ready to lie and say you're renting a car as a replacement you can sometimes knock as much as 50% off the price.
• Cars are cheaper on the weekends at any Enterprise neighborhood branch.  If you're looking to get a good deal on the weekend stay away from the airport and head to the city lots that are full of cars.
• Call on Friday right before 2pm for the best deal.  Agents love renting cars before two in the afternoon because then it's not counted on the branch's books for the day.
• Enterprise managers really, really want a 5 out of 5 rating on customer service.  Apparently managers are so keen to get a 5 out of 5 rating from customers that they will happily wave the fees for such things as forgetting to fill up the tank.
• Your price depends on the agent's mood. Agents hate having to schlep customers from their house and you'll get a better rate if you walk in rather than making them come get you.

Roger, Roger. Why Do We Say "Roger?"

Ever wondered why pilots and truckers on their CB radios always say "Roger?"  The Straight Dope has the answer-

Pilots and other military types say “roger”  to acknowledge receipt of a message or  instructions. “Roger” at one time was the phonetic designation for the letter R, which in turn stood for “received.” Why not just say "received"? From a safety perspective, it makes  sense to use standardized language, particularly when dealing with international operations. An American pilot may not understand German, but they both understand aviation terminology. The International Civil Aviation Organization oversees this standardization and disseminates it accordingly.

The use of “roger” isn't all that old. In the military's phonetic alphabet, "roger" didn't become the designation for R until 1927. (Previously the designation had been "rush.") The first citation given by the Oxford English Dictionary for “roger” in the sense of "received" dates from 1941, coinciding with U.S. entry into WWII. The term made the big time in 1943, when the Army Signal Corps incorporated it into one of its procedural manuals.

In 1957 "roger" was replaced by "romeo," the current designation, but by then "roger" = "received" was so entrenched that the brass knew better than to try and change it.

As for the use of “roger, roger” in Phantom Menace, the consensus seems to be that it's a sly (OK, not that sly) reference to Airplane (1980). The co-pilot in the latter movie, played by Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was named Roger Murdock. This was the pretext for such lines as:

Captain Oveur (Peter Graves): Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor?

Variations on this theme include Oveur/over and clearance/Clarence. Trust me, it's pretty funny in the movie.

As for Roger’s last name, “wilco” dates from the same time, and is simply an abbreviation of “will comply.”  So the pilot who invokes our friend Roger Wilco is saying “I understand you, and will follow your instructions,” only cooler and shorter.

(thanks gadling )

Google Maps - Now With Traffic

Google Maps keep getting better.  They've recently added traffic patterns for major cities (an option that was only previously available on mobile versions of Google).  To check it out just click on the "Traffic" button that now appears next to "Map."  Gray is for the places where they don't have data, Red means that traffic is at a crawl (less than 25 miles per hour), Yellow means that traffic's going between 25-50 miles per hour, and Green means everything's moving along just fine.

(thanks google operating system)

Interstates as Subway Lines

This is by far the easiest way to understand the nation's interstate system.  Artist Chris Yates has designed this beautifully simplistic map of the US interstate system in a style similar to subway maps.  Pretty neat.

MapQuest Does Gas

MapQuest has gotten into the mashup business, and they're helping us find cheap gas.  They also include prices for diesel, biodiesel, and hydrogen.  It's interesting to see the differences in gas prices across the country and rewarding to find the cheapest gas (most cities have at least a 50 cent difference in price).

(thanks mobissimo)

Men Have 77% Higher Risk of Dying on the Roads

While we should all be careful when we get out on the road, men should be even more so as their chances of dying on the road are almost double that of women's.  New research of U.S. road risk from Carnegie Mellon University has revealed some more surprising results-

• New England is the safest place to drive
• a youngster in a car seat during morning rush hour is the safest passenger
• one death occurs for every 100 million passenger miles traveled
• 82-year-old women are 60% more likely to die than a 16-year-old-boy
• the safest scenario is a 4-year-old girl in New England rush hour traffic on a Wednesday sitting on the bus or in a van
• a man between the ages of 21 and 24 driving a motorcycle in the wee hours of the night has a fatality risk 45,000 times higher than the average
• not surprisingly, the most dangerous time for anyone to be on the roads is around two in the morning when all the drunks are wandering home

fastfoodmaps.com

Now it's so much easier to get your trans-fat on.  The next time you're driving around like a chicken with its head cut off looking for a Taco Bell you can whip out your mobile and head towards fastfoodmaps.com.  They've got almost 50,000 fast food joints online for cities and towns all over the country.  They point to McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Carl's Jr and Hardee's, but we're still holding out for Waffle House.

Road Vengeance

Tired of getting cut off by some idiot?  See some cutie you'd like to talk to again?  Have some nice guy let you merge into his lane?  Now there's a website that'll let post people's licenses and you can either tag them with an award, a flag, a hazard or a wink.  They've got over 50,000 members and over 25,000 plates have been tagged.  There's usually between 100-200 new license plates submitted daily.  This is a great way to vent without the double-barrel shotgun having to get involved.

(thanks boingboing)

Park in Peace

Parking in major cities can drive anyone nuts.  But now a new startup called ParkWhiz is hoping to make it a little bit easier.  If you're living in Chi-town or Philly you can check out the service.  The idea is to give you an idea of what the parking situation is before you leave your house or office and let you see how full the lots near where you need to go are.  Unfortunately, there's no mobile version available yet, which is what this service needs if it really wants to catch on.  If you're willing to invest this much time and energy to find a parking spot it might be a lot easier to just take some good old public transport instead.

(thanks somewhat frank)

Giant Field of Corn

If your driving through Ohio on you way back from the holidays you might want to stop by this giant field of corn with 109 hug concrete ears, Laughing Squid explains:

Last Monday we were in Columbus, Ohio visiting Jason Laskodi, our Laughing Squid Web Hosting support ninja. While driving through Dublin on our way back from lunch, we stopped by the site specific sculptural installation of 109 giant concrete ears of corn located in Sam and Eulalia Frantz Park. “Field of Corn (with Osage Orange Trees)” was created by Malcolm Cochran 1994 with funding from the Dublin Arts Council and is a tribute to Sam Frantz, who developed hybrid corn in the area from the 30’s through the 60’s. The installation honors the area’s agricultural past and is also reminiscent of America’s great roadside attractions.

(thanks Laughing Squid)

Lighting It Up El Paso Style

Fred and Maria Loya's house gets lit up by over 100,000 lights this time of year. Every night at 6, 7 and 8 they kick on the lights, but they go full out by blasting the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's arrangement of "Mad Rush in Christmas" in one crazy display of Christmas cheer. The show continues to run until the New Year so if you're in the area definitely stop by and check it out, otherwise, you can get a little taste below-

Out of Control Prices on Airport Parking

No matter what kind of deal you got this holiday season on your plane tickets, chances are you'll still get raped when it comes to paying for parking you car while you're off drinking eggnog with the family. In Miami, airport officials decided to kick-off the season by increasing the prices on long term parking by 25%, but this increase still left them out of the top 10 most expensive airports in the country. It turns out Chicago's O'Hare has the priciest parking at 50 bucks a day, they are followed by Washington National ($36), LAX ($30), New York-LaGuardia ($30), and Boston Logan ($24).

65 Million Americans On the Move Over the Holidays

Get ready for the grind. AAA and the Travel Industry Association expect over 65 million Americans to get off their couches and travel at least 50 miles from home over the Christmas/New Year's holiday. 53 million will hit the roads, another 9 million will make friends with the TSA, and another 3 million souls will bus it or hit the rails. The report also says that airline tickets are averaging about $12 a more than last year and that about two-thirds of those traveling will be crashing at friend's or relative's houses.

Boozing It Up on the Go and Other Ways to Please Your Travel Buddies

Oh man, if we had a nickel for every time we tried to catch a buzz while we were on the go and got stuck high and dry. The Washington Post has published their holiday guide for travelers and in the $50 or less category they've featured the minibar to go, in case you can't wait for a nip. 2 flasks and a collapsible stirrer are all included. To check out other travel "must haves" head to the WP's site or once you're able to focus again go to Flight 001 where they sell heaps of travel associated junk.

Park in Peace

Meter Maids - we all hate them, all we want to do is park, is that so wrong? Discovery has come up with this neat-o little tool to help you always remember to get to your car before a parking ticket does. The timer can count down up to 24 hours and has a reminder that will go off in 10, 5 and 1-minute intervals. You can also record a ten second message to remind you where the car's parked. Finally, we can park in peace.

(thanks geekzen reviews)

Hitchsters - It's for After you Airtroduce Yourself

So you already had your blind date on the plane after finding someone to sit next to, but now you'd like to spend some quality time with another stranger in a cab from the airport rather than just footing the $30 taxi ride by yourself. Who do you call? Hitchsters.com, that's who. If you can find someone who was actually on the website (and flying into NYC) and on your flight you guys can hook up and share a cab along with tips on how to be a cheapskate.

(thanks jaunted)

Prepare for Pricey Parking in LA

There's a scathing article this week about parking problems in LA. Hotspots in Hollywood are raping customers to park on the weekends. Never mind the cover charge for the club themselves, these days it's common to pay up to $50 just to park your Benz-o for the night. The LA Weekly makes a great case for never ending up on Hollywood and Vine at night - you're either stuck in awful traffic, being extorted to drop off your car for a few hours or worried that one of the many rogue towing companies is going to haul your car off (and then give a kickback to the lot). Our advice: find somewhere else to get loaded.

Greyhound Drops a Big Load on a Lucky Family

Apparently the Stokes family was cruising down I-75 in Toledo, Ohio, in their 2002 Ford Explorer when they pulled up behind a Greyhound Bus.  As they were moving down the interstate the bus appears to have let loose with a torrent of "human urine, human feces, toilet paper, other waste products." Not only did the bus' discharge destroy their vehicle, but the family claims that it ruined their clothes and caused about $10,000 in medical bills (they must have left the windows open). The family of five is now in the process of litigation in order to recover $300,000 in damages.

Watch Where You Park in Baltimore

If you decide to make a trek to Baltimore anytime soon be sure not to stay more than 48 hours, or at least don't park your car for any longer than that - according to the city, any car that stays put for over 2 days is considered "abandoned." Reason Magazine has a short blurb about it, saying that local resident Milton Boyd, thought his car had been stolen after returning from a two-week holiday only to find out that he owed over $350 in fines and fees to the city after they hauled away his car that was parked legally.

Related posts: Park in Peace 1 • Park in Peace 2 • Crash Cars • Write on Your City • One Week and 50 States - The Ultimate Road Trip

Related travel guides: hotels around Baltimore, Maryland • restaurants around Baltimore, Maryland • luxury vacations around Baltimore, Maryland • romantic vacations around Baltimore, Maryland • kids and family vacations around Baltimore, Maryland

Top 10 Foods to Eat Yourself Into a Wreck

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about a quarter of all wrecks are caused by some kind of distraction. Turning on the radio is the number one distraction but it's followed closely by eating. Morning is the worst time, when many people are feeding their faces on their way to work - even worse, commuters tend to try to clean themselves up while still driving after a spill rather than pulling over because they don't want to lose time. Over 2/3 of drivers eat in the car and 83% slurp down cold, refreshing beverages. According to an article on MSN Money the top 10 worst foods to eat in your car are -

1. Coffee - always spilling out of the cup
2. Hot Soup - this one never occurred to us
3. Tacos - they're not burritos
4. Chili - who thought this was ever a good idea?
5. Hamburgers - condiments and grease make for a slippery wheel
6. Barbecue - sauce on the wheel makes you swerve
7. Fried Chicken - just more wheel lube
8. Jelly or cream-filled doughnuts - just ask a cop how far "oozing and cruising" will get you
9. Cola - even worse than spillage is a nose full of cola fizz
10. Chocolate - no way to get it off the wheel without swerving

Central California Coast is on the Map!

We're proud to announce that TripCart's newest travel guide is now online. Go to our site now to check out our central California coast guide.

Here's an excerpt:

From the scenic wineries and vineyards of Napa Valley and Sonoma County, to the bustling, world-famous metropolis of San Francisco, to the tranquil, beautiful coastal towns - the central coast of California region has enough attractions and beauty to entertain any tourist for weeks on end. There is no better way to get around the central California coast than on the famous Pacific Coast Highway (PCH or California Highway 1). The PCH is a beautiful drive that begins south of Los Angeles and slowly winds its way up the coast through San Luis Obispo, Carmel, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Marin County, and finally terminates in Mendocino County. This drive takes you through the best that California has to offer - dozens of historical landmarks, amazing views of coastal beaches and cliffs, and access to some of the most famous cities in the country.