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?

Southwest and Bar Refaeli help TripCart kick off Beach season

While half of the United States is buried in snow, Southwest airlines has decided to help out TripCart and cheer up the freezing citizens of the east coast by kicking off Beach Season. They even went to the trouble of painting a plane that will inspire people to plan their beach vacation on TripCart. You should not have trouble spotting this plane, pictured above but for the die-hard aviation nuts out there, the plane can be identified by the FAA Registration number on the tail of the 737-7H4 model, which is:

N922WN

Here are some popular beach destinations that Southwest flies to:

When you are finished with the Orlando, Florida places to visit, head to the coast for more places to visit in Florida -caladesi island state park, bathtub beach and sebastian inlet.

All over California - from glass beach in the north through pismo beach and  bolsa chica beach all the way to blacks beach in San Diego.Besides beaches, there are certainly lots of places to visit around Los Angeles, California

Besides the Norfolk, VA James river cruises, down the coast from Norfolk into North Carolina, follow in the footsteps of the Wright Brothers (without whom Bar Refaeli might not be decaled onto a 737) and visit Wrightsville Beach,Hammocks Beach State Park or Hatteras Beach.

And if a subway ride from JFK is about as exotic as you are getting this summer, head to Riis Beach, Orchard Beach in the Bronx, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn or - if you are a fan of the Ramones - Rock Rock Rock Rock Rockaway Beach. Then head back to the city and enjoy some of the fun things to do in Manhattan and NYC.

Shopping Malls – a tremendous boost to TripCart.Com

Buying, fashion, holiday, lifestyle, mall, Malls, Outlet, outlets, selling, shop, shopping, Shops, tech, technology, Travel Blog, travel blogs, trip, vacation, weblogs

It's almost 4 months since I've dived into our Web analyst's monthly report. Usually I'm quite satisfied with the improvements in the bottom line numbers. Now, that I was looking at other things of interest I've realized that since our Christmas success we've experienced a continuous traffic growth in the Shopping Centers and Outlet Malls segment of our website.

I've decided it's about time to write another nice post about our joint effort.

From the SW department I've been informed that in few days we're gonna release a completely new SW version that would upgrade the user's experience, especially in the Attraction pages, introducing new planning features. "Good job!!!"

And now for the fun part. Here's the list the most popular Shopping Centers / Outlet Malls as it was ordered by our Web analyst to reflect the number of entries they got between the 1st of January and Ending of April:

1. Broward Mall - Plantation, Florida
2. Roosevelt Field Mall - Long Island, New York
3. Smithhaven Mall - Lake Grove, New York
4. Natick Mall - Massachusetts
5. Prime Outlets Mall - Orlando, Florida
6. Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall - Sunrise, Florida
7. Southridge Mall - Greendale, Wisconsin
8. The Avenues Mall - Jacksonville, Florida
9. Dolphin Outlet Mall - Miami, Florida
10. Solomon Pond Mall - Marlborough, Massachusetts
11. Del Amo Mall Fashion Center - Torrance, California
12. St. Louis Mills Outlet Mall - Hazelwood, Missouri
13. Katy Mills Outlet Mall - Texas
14. The Galleria Mall - Houston, Texas
15. Dadeland Mall - Miami, Florida
16. Northgate Mall - Seattle, Washington
17. Clackamas Town Center Mall - Portland, Oregon
18. Woodbury Common Premium Outlets Mall - New York
19. Palisades Center Mall - New York
20. Franklin Mills Outlet Mall - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
21. Oakbrook Mall - Oak Brook, Illinois
22. Ontario Mills Outlet Mall - California
23. Colorado Mills Outlet Mall - Lakewood, Colorado
24. Potomac Mills Outlet Mall - Prince William, Virginia
25. Alderwood Mall - Lynnwood, Washington
26. Stoneridge Mall - Pleasanton, California
27. Bellevue Square Mall - Washington
28. Ross Park Mall - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
29. Tysons Corner Center Mall - Virginia
30. Pearlridge Shopping Center - Aiea, Hawaii
31. Cabazon Outlet Mall - California
32. Gravois Bluffs Plaza - Fenton, Missouri
33. Westfield South Shore Mall - Bayshore, New York
34. Westfield Santa Anita Mall - Arcadia, California
35. Gurnee Mills Outlet Mall - Illinois
36. Walden Galleria - Buffalo, New York
37. Washington Square Mall - Portland, Oregon
38. Lloyd Center Mall - Portland, Oregon
39. Colonial Bell Air Mall - Mobile, Alabama
40. Arundel Mills Mall - Hanover, Maryland
41. Mall at Millenia - Orlando, Florida
42. Oxford Valley Mall - Langhorne, Pennsylvania
43. Monmouth Mall - Eatontown, New Jersey
44. The Florida Mall - Orlando, Florida
45. Green Acres Mall - Valley Stream, New York
46. Fashion Valley Mall - San Diego, California
47. The Designer Outlet Gallery - Secaucus, New Jersey
48. The Mall at Stonecrest - Lithonia, Georgia
49. Opry Mills Outlet Mall - Nashville, Tennessee
50. Mayfair Mall - Wisconsin
51. Deerbrook Mall - Humble, Texas
52. Brea Mall - California
53. South Coast Plaza Mall - Costa Mesa, California
54. Willowbrook Mall - Wayne, New Jersey
55. Park City Center Mall - Lancaster, Pennsylvania
56. Memorial City Mall - Houston, Texas
57. Gulf Coast Town Center - Fort Myers, Florida
58. Sunrise Mall - Long Island, New York
59. Cherry Creek Mall - Denver, Colorado
60. Burlington Center Mall - Massachusetts
61. West Town Mall - Knoxville, Tennessee
62. Aventura Mall - Miami, Florida
63. White Marsh Mall - Baltimore, Maryland
64. South Shore Plaza - Braintree, Massachusetts
65. Los Cerritos Center Mall - Cerritos, California
66. Seminole Towne Center Mall - Sanford, Florida
67. Providence Place Mall - Rhode Island
68. Freehold Raceway Mall - New Jersey
69. Ala Moana Center Mall - Honolulu, Hawaii
70. Lakeline Mall - Cedar Park, Texas
71. Fayette Mall - Lexington, Kentucky
72. King of Prussia Mall - Pennsylvania
73. Woodfield Mall - Schaumburg, Illinois
74. Walt Whitman Mall - Huntington Station, New York
75. Staten Island Mall - New York
76. International Plaza Mall - Tampa, Florida
77. Fashion Island Mall - Newport Beach, California
78. Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall - Arizona
79. Mall of Louisiana - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
80. Broadway Mall - Hicksville, New York
81. Tacoma Mall - Washington
82. Ridgedale Center Mall - Minnetonka, Minnesota
83. Victoria Gardens Mall - California
84. Augusta Mall - Georgia
85. Cielo Vista Mall - El Paso, Texas
86. NorthTown Mall - Blaine, Minnesota
87. Glendale Galleria Mall - California
88. Arizona Mills Outlet Mall - Tempe, Arizona
89. Montgomery Mall - North Wales, Pennsylvania
90. Lynnhaven Mall - Virginia Beach, Virginia
91. Highland Mall - Austin, Texas
92. Ingram Park Mall - San Antonio, Texas
93. The Tucson Mall - Arizona
94. Hamilton Place Mall - Chattanooga, Tennessee
95. Fair Oaks Mall - Fairfax, Virginia
96. Westfield Valley Fair Mall - Santa Clara, California
97. Battlefield Mall - Springfield, Missouri
98. Orland Square Mall - Orland Park, Illinois
99. Forum At Olympia Parkway - Selma, Texas
100. Baybrook Mall - Friendswood, Texas
101. University Mall - Tampa, Florida
102. Park Place Mall - Tucson, Arizona
103. Citadel Mall - Charleston, South Carolina
104. WestGate Mall - Spartanburg, South Carolina
105. Tanger Outlet Center - Park City, Utah
106. Southland Mall - Miami, Florida
107. Christiana Mall - Newark, Delaware
108. Springfield Mall - Virginia
109. Dulles Town Center Mall - Virginia
110. Deptford Mall - New Jersey
111. Stanford Shopping Center Mall - Palo Alto, California
112. South Hills Village - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
113. Valley View Mall - Roanoke, Virginia
114. Regency Mall - Racine, Wisconsin
115. Jefferson Mall - Louisville, Kentucky
116. Westfield Topanga Mall - Canoga Park, California
117. Orlando Premium Outlet Mall - Florida
118. Altamonte Mall - Altamonte Springs, Florida
119. Short Pump Town Center Mall - Richmond, Virginia
120. Wrentham Village Premium Outlets - Massachusetts
121. Mall of America - Bloomington, Minnesota
122. Southland Mall - Hayward, California
123. Discover Mills Outlet Mall - Lawrenceville, Georgia
124. The Mall at Robinson - Pennsylvania
125. SuperMall - Auburn, Washington
126. Cumberland Mall - Atlanta, Georgia
127. The Woodlands Mall - Houston, Texas
128. Zion Factory Stores, The Promenade at Red Cliff - St. George, Utah
129. Barton Creek Square Mall - Austin, Texas
130. North Point Mall - Alpharetta, Georgia
131. Perimeter Mall - Atlanta, Georgia
132. Mall of Georgia - Buford, Georgia
133. Golf Mill Mall - Niles, Illinois
134. Fashion Square Mall - Saginaw, Michigan
135. Eastview Mall - Victor, New York

Top Ten Adventure Sites for Kids

My adventuring co-worker drags his 10 year old son with him and his wife to “Adventure Sites” in the United States. He recently wrote up a list of activities that will “turn boys into men and girls into men”—so take that as you will, of course excusing him (as usual) for his overt sexism. He just handed me five post-its with notes about his favorite spots.
Let’s see if I can turn his jumble into eloquent prose:

Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountain range is an ideal spot to jump-start your child’s adventuring education. With 1,200 miles of multi-level trails, thick forests, glistening waterfalls, and wide meadows, your child will experience a head-on collision with American wilderness. Families can rent cabins and spent hours and days exploring the vastness and beauty of Yosemite National Park.
Apparently there was a very stinky new species of orchid discovered at Yosemite National Park. According to msnbc, “park officials said they would not release details about where the plant was found because they were concerned visitors might love it to death.” Is that a typo? Why would people love a stinky flower?

Next on the list is Dinosaur, Colorado, particularly Dinosaur National Monument in Echo Park in the Uinta Mountains. There are dinosaur fossils abound, prehistoric rock art, whitewater rafter, and great hiking. In addition to the fossilized creatures, there is also an array of live wildlife still lurking in the canyons.

Moving right along to Padre Island (Beaches and National Seashore). Padre Island is located at the southernmost tip of Texas and is comprised of beaches, sand dunes, nearly 150,000 acres of land, turtles, pelicans, and excellent water adventures. Beginner surfers can ride the small waves at Padre Island’s Isla Blanca park, as well as try their luck at sailing, kiteboarding, windsurfing, and jetskiing. Boat tours take groups out to see dolphins and whales. And as though that’s not enough, there’s also bike riding, horseback riding, and classes in sand sculpting by sand castle-building experts! Just be wary of college kids during Spring Break who take over Coca Cola beach in South Padre Island.

Fourth on the list is Grand Canyon National Park, and under that he wrote “need I say more?” Didn’t give me much to work with here. I personally remember being too scared to ride a donkey down the canyon when I was a kid, but maybe your kids are braver…

And then there are the lucky kids (a category that my co-worker’s son falls into) who get to go to Haleakala National Park in Maui. Craters, volcanoes, natural pols, waterfalls, and rainforests fill the Haleakala landscape.

Why can’t I be a lucky kid?

So there you have it, the top ten places to bring your burgeoning adventurer, according to a travel expert and his very own burgeoning adventurer.

Zoos, Aquariums and Botanical Gardens

We at TripCart had realized that we need to simplify the access to our content. Positioning ourselves as "The Travel Site" when it comes to planning your trip around Tourist Attractions we've realized we need to restructure the site exactly in that domain. Our Design and R&D teams had gathered in a brainstorm and now all the company is in that turmoil.

On the other hand our content team is catching up on uncovered topics. The Content Manager together with our Web Analyst, had collected a list of major Zoos, Aquariums and Botanical Gardens to be completed by the end of the month. Working fast, the writers and editors finished the task 2 weeks in advance.

We at TripCart had realized that we need to simplify the access to our content. Positioning ourselves as "The Travel Site" when it comes to planning your trip around Tourist Attractions we've realized we need to restructure the site exactly in that domain. Our Design and R&D teams had gathered in a brainstorm and now all the company is in that turmoil.

On the other hand our content team is catching up on uncovered topics. The Content Manager together with our Web Analyst, had collected a list of major Zoos, Aquariums and Botanical Gardens to be completed by the end of the month. Working fast, the writers and editors finished the task 2 weeks in advance.

Outdoors - Nature Parks

For the coming spring we, at TripCart, had worked out a list of tourist attractions and highlights for Outdoors Recreation. It includes major State Parks and National Parks including National Forests. Our writers team was given the mission to write useful tourist information for those of our users who plan their vacation Outdoors. Now, that the mission is completed, we're ready to make the announcement...

BTW, the list was way too long to be fully mentioned here, so I've chosen a small percentage to be featured. If you think we've excluded an important site, please let us know - maybe I just did not mention it while choosing this featured list:

• Denali National Park & Preserve - Alaska
• Grand Canyon National Park - North Rim, Arizona
• Grand Canyon National Park - South Rim, Arizona
• Red Rock State Park - Sedona, Arizona
• Saguaro National Park - Arizona
• Tonto National Forest - Arizona
• Tonto Natural Bridge State Park - Arizona
• Crater of Diamonds State Park - Murfreesboro, Arkansas
• Angeles National Forest - California
• Avenue of the Giants - California
• Cleveland National Forest - California
• Death Valley National Park - California
• Joshua Tree National Park - California
• Kings Canyon National Park - California
• Lake Shasta - California
• Lassen Volcanic National Park - California
• Mount Whitney - California
• Point Reyes National Seashore - California
• Praire Creek Redwoods State Park - California
• Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks - Three Rivers, California
• Yosemite National Park - California
• Colorado National Monument - Grand Junction, Colorado
• Dinosaur National Monument - Colorado
• Mesa Verde National Park - Colorado
• Rocky Mountain National Park - Estes Park, Colorado
• Rock Creek Park - Washington, DC
• Biscayne National Park - Florida
• Everglades National Park - Homestead, Florida
• John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park - Florida
• Ocala National Forest - Florida
• Stone Mountain Park - Atlanta, Georgia
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - Big Island
• Rainbow Falls - Big Island, Hawaii
• Harriman State Park - Idaho
• Indiana Dunes State Park and National Lakeshore
• Mammoth Cave National Park - Kentucky
• Acadia National Park - Bar Harbor, Maine
• Baxter State Park - Maine
• Moosehead Lake - Maine
• Cape Cod National Seashore - Massachusetts
• Itasca State Park - Minnesota
• Glacier National Park - Montana
• Red Rock Canyon - Las Vegas, Nevada
• The Lakes Region - New Hampshire
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park - New Mexico
• White Sands National Monument - New Mexico
• Letchworth State Park - New York
• Niagara Falls - New York / Ontario, Canada
• Blue Ridge Parkway - North Carolina / Virginia
• Pisgah National Forest - North Carolina
• Crater Lake National Park - Oregon
• Golden and Silver Falls State Park - Oregon
• Silver Falls State Park - Oregon
• Badlands National Park - South Dakota
• Custer State Park - South Dakota
• Big South Fork National River - Kentucky / Tennessee
• Fall Creek Falls State Park - Tennessee
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Tennessee
• Big Bend National Park - Texas
• Brazos Bend State Park - Texas
• Arches National Park - Moab, Utah
• Bryce Canyon National Park - Utah
• Canyonlands National Park - Utah
• Capitol Reef National Park - Utah
• Zion National Park - Springdale, Utah
• Mount Mansfield - Vermont
• Shenandoah National Park - Luray, Virginia
• Mount Rainier National Park - Washington
• North Cascades National Park - Washington
• Olympic National Forest - Washington
• Olympic National Park - Washington
• Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming
• Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming

Shopping Malls – a Traffic report that amazed our Web Analyst

Our Web analyst has released his monthly report last week covering the various page categories of our site, and the traffic channels in general that played a major role on our site's December traffic. In our Shopping Malls / Outlet Malls category, we’ve expected to see some spike of traffic around Christmas but we've never thought it could be that high. The amazing thing about it is the fact that the traffic for this category does not decay, and his January predictions are even slightly higher.

BTW, the bad news here (according to his study), is that visitors to these pages are more likely to leave our site – if you have any ideas on the causes for such behavior, please share them with us.

They asked me not to expose our actual numbers, but I couldn’t resist exposing the highlight shopping mall page among the few hundreds that we currently cover – it was viewed 845 times during the month of December. It’s the first on my following list that is ordered by TripCart’s popularity ranking report.

1. Smithhaven Mall - Lake Grove, New York
2. Willowbrook Mall - Wayne, New Jersey
3. Roosevelt Field Mall - Long Island, New York
4. Broward Mall - Plantation, Florida
5. Gravois Bluffs Plaza - Fenton, Missouri
6. Fayette Mall - Lexington, Kentucky
7. Colonial Bell Air Mall - Mobile, Alabama
8. Southridge Mall - Greendale, Wisconsin
9. Memorial City Mall - Houston, Texas
10. Sunrise Mall - Long Island, New York
11. Westfield South Shore Mall - Bayshore, New York
12. Ala Moana Center Mall - Honolulu, Hawaii
13. Lenox Square Mall - Atlanta, Georgia
14. Walt Whitman Mall - Huntington Station, New York
15. Clackamas Town Center Mall - Portland, Oregon
16. Tysons Corner Center Mall - Virginia
17. St. Louis Mills Outlet Mall - Hazelwood, Missouri
18. Citadel Mall - Charleston, South Carolina
19. Walden Galleria - Buffalo, New York
20. Deerbrook Mall - Humble, Texas
21. Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall - Sunrise, Florida
22. Baybrook Mall - Friendswood, Texas
23. The Designer Outlet Gallery - Secaucus, New Jersey
24. Augusta Mall - Georgia
25. Pearlridge Shopping Center - Aiea, Hawaii
26. Montgomery Mall - North Wales, Pennsylvania
27. Palisades Center Mall - New York
28. Natick Mall - Massachusetts
29. Green Acres Mall - Valley Stream, New York
30. Regency Mall - Racine, Wisconsin
31. Broadway Mall - Hicksville, New York
32. Massaponax Factory Outlet Stores - Fredericksburg, Virginia
33. Prime Outlets Mall - Orlando, Florida
34. Lloyd Center Mall - Portland, Oregon
35. Gurnee Mills Outlet Mall - Illinois
36. The Galleria Mall - Houston, Texas
37. Staten Island Mall - New York
38. Ontario Mills Outlet Mall - California
39. Mayfair Mall - Wisconsin
40. Discover Mills Outlet Mall - Lawrenceville, Georgia
41. Lynnhaven Mall - Virginia Beach, Virginia
42. Dolphin Outlet Mall - Miami, Florida
43. Mall of Louisiana - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
44. Ridgedale Center Mall - Minnetonka, Minnesota
45. The Woodlands Mall - Houston, Texas
46. Cabazon Outlet Mall - California
47. Aventura Mall - Miami, Florida
48. Washington Square Mall - Portland, Oregon
49. Oxford Valley Mall - Langhorne, Pennsylvania
50. Glendale Galleria Mall - California
51. Katy Mills Outlet Mall - Texas
52. University Mall - Tampa, Florida
53. Jefferson Mall - Louisville, Kentucky
54. Freehold Raceway Mall - New Jersey
55. Southland Mall - Miami, Florida
56. Lakeline Mall - Cedar Park, Texas
57. Dulles Town Center Mall - Virginia
58. Alderwood Mall - Lynnwood, Washington
59. Tacoma Mall - Washington
60. Deptford Mall - New Jersey
61. The Florida Mall - Orlando, Florida
62. The Mall at Stonecrest - Lithonia, Georgia
63. Highland Mall - Austin, Texas
64. Franklin Mills Outlet Mall - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
65. Woodfield Mall - Schaumburg, Illinois
66. Mall of America - Bloomington, Minnesota
67. Burlington Center Mall - Massachusetts
68. The Tucson Mall - Arizona
69. Monmouth Mall - Eatontown, New Jersey
70. Ross Park Mall - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
71. Brea Mall - California
72. Dadeland Mall - Miami, Florida
73. Opry Mills Outlet Mall - Nashville, Tennessee
74. Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall - Arizona
75. Christiana Mall - Newark, Delaware
76. West Town Mall - Knoxville, Tennessee
77. Willowbrook Mall - Houston, Texas
78. Stanford Shopping Center Mall - Palo Alto, California
79. Fair Oaks Mall - Fairfax, Virginia
80. Del Amo Mall Fashion Center - Torrance, California
81. Perimeter Mall - Atlanta, Georgia
82. Mall at Millenia - Orlando, Florida
83. Fashion Valley Mall - San Diego, California
84. Cumberland Mall - Atlanta, Georgia
85. Stoneridge Mall - Pleasanton, California
86. Hamilton Place Mall - Chattanooga, Tennessee
87. Springfield Mall - Virginia
88. Mall of Georgia - Buford, Georgia
89. Fashion Island Mall - Newport Beach, California
90. Valley View Mall - Roanoke, Virginia
91. South Coast Plaza Mall - Costa Mesa, California
92. Park Place Mall - Tucson, Arizona
93. Bellevue Square Mall - Washington
94. Southland Mall - Hayward, California
95. Victoria Gardens Mall - California
96. Arundel Mills Mall - Hanover, Maryland
97. North Point Mall - Alpharetta, Georgia
98. Colorado Mills Outlet Mall - Lakewood, Colorado
99. Woodbury Common Premium Outlets Mall - New York
100. Solomon Pond Mall - Marlborough, Massachusetts
101. South Shore Plaza - Braintree, Massachusetts
102. The Avenues Mall - Jacksonville, Florida
103. Westfield Valley Fair Mall - Santa Clara, California
104. Arizona Mills Outlet Mall - Tempe, Arizona
105. King of Prussia Mall - Pennsylvania
106. Altamonte Mall - Altamonte Springs, Florida
107. Potomac Mills Outlet Mall - Prince William, Virginia
108. Providence Place Mall - Rhode Island
109. NorthTown Mall - Blaine, Minnesota
110. Park City Center Mall - Lancaster, Pennsylvania
111. Cherry Creek Mall - Denver, Colorado
112. WestGate Mall - Spartanburg, South Carolina
113. Northgate Mall - Seattle, Washington
114. The Citadel - Colorado Springs, Colorado
115. The Mall at Robinson - Pennsylvania
116. Oakbrook Mall - Oak Brook, Illinois
117. Zion Factory Stores, The Promenade at Red Cliff - St. George, Utah
118. International Plaza Mall - Tampa, Florida
119. Westfield Santa Anita Mall - Arcadia, California
120. Los Cerritos Center Mall - Cerritos, California
121. White Marsh Mall - Baltimore, Maryland

Picture of a Swimming Pool in Delaware

Swimming in Delaware.

(thanks wiseacre photo)

We're Back / Google Street View Update

After a healthy few weeks on vacation we're back in action and one of the first things we noticed was that Google has upgraded their street views with four new cities - San Diego, Los Angeles, Houston and Orlando.  Click on one of the cameras to explore any of the cities currently available.

Related posts: Walk Down the Street with Google Maps Street View • Google Maps - Now With Traffic • MapQuest Does Gas • fastfoodmaps.com • Park in Peace Christmas Google Map Mashup • Stalking the News in NYC • Peculiar Maps for Your Perusal • Momo Paints the Width of NYC

Related travel guides: Tourist Attractions Map of Los Angeles and Southern CA coast • Tourist Attractions Map of San Francisco Bay Area, California • Tourist Attractions Map of Las Vegas, Nevada • Ski and Tourist Attractions Map of Vail, Aspen, Telluride, Steamboat Springs and the Colorado Rockies • Tourist Attractions Map of Manhattan and New York City • Tourist Attractions Map of Maui, Hawaii

Recommended Highlights: Mall of America - Bloomington, Minnesota • Fashion Island Mall - Newport Beach, California • Brea Mall - California • Glendale Galleria Mall - California

Giant Squid in California

It's summer time and the squid are out in full force in California.  The massive Humboldt Squid are showing up in record numbers.  If you get the chance, you should take the time to head out to sea on a squid expedition.  Though these squid appear annually, this year is a particularly banner year with squid weighing in at almost 40 pounds (about double their normal size).  Fisherman head out at night using glow in the dark lures, ABC has a video from one boat, it looks like a lot of fun.

Grand Canyon Skywalk Reviewed

Recently we posted about the Grand Canyon Skywalk which has just opened to the general public.  Blogger  Tyler Griffin Hicks-Wright managed to visit a week ago and reports back that it actually costs $75 a head (not $25) to check out the Skywalk-

...each person in the line thought they were going to be paying $25 per person. In reality, the tribe was charging another $50 on top of the $25 for each person. You read that right, 75 bucks a pop. The "Question Answerer" explained it to us:

"The investor wants to get his, that's the $25. But it's our land, and we don't get any of that $25, so we have to get ours too, you know?"

Apparently you're not supposed to take pictures while you're out there either because of worries that dropped photo equipment could break the glass.  Whether or not it's worth it is hard to say; while Tyler describes the structure as looking like a huge I-Beam propped over the edge, he had this to say about the actual experience itself-

The view and feeling of hovering were amazing. It really was the closest I've ever come to experiencing flight (unaided by plane or hot air balloon of course).

(thanks reddit)

Related posts: Skywalk Over the Grand Canyon Up and Running • Kartchner Caverns in Arizona • Crossing Over the Great Divide • Listen to the Desert • 18th Annual National Geographic Photo Contest Winners

Related travel guides: Golf near the Grand Canyon • Hotels near the Grand Canyon • Nature and wildlife near the Grand Canyon • Skiing near the Grand Canyon • Shopping near the Grand Canyon

Biking Like a Dork in San Francisco

It's a great week for mashups, this one comes to us courtesy of Yahoo but it only works for the time being in San Francisco. Type in your start and end points, select your preference between the most bike friendly and the fastest route and this nifty little site will let you know the most efficient way for you to peddle through the city.  This is a must-have for every bike messenger in town with a PDA.

Related posts: Walk Down the Street with Google Maps Street View • The Top 10 Places to Eat • Top 10 Cities to Feed Your Face • Top 10 Earliest Places to Get Your Ski On

Related travel guides: Outdoor Recreation in Central California • Biking in San Francisco Bay Area, Carmel, Napa Valley, Central California • Cool and Fun Things to Do in San Francisco Bay Area • Shopping in San Francisco

Top 10 Places to Cool Off This Weekend

Need a way to cool down this Labor Day? Want to head one of the best waterparks in the country? You've got a lot of options but CNN picked their ten most favoritest. Below is a roundup of the waterparks along with their best features-

 

• Schlitterbahn (Texas) - the 1,000-foot-long Master Blaster water coaster and the natural spring that keeps the water from reeking of chlorine are the two big highlights
• Wet N' Wild (Florida) - this park's been around since the Carter Administration and is packed with slides
• Noah's Ark (Wisconsin) - this is the biggest park in America and it also has a water coaster that reaches speeds of 30 m.p.h.
• Splashin' Safari (Indiana) - crammed with stuff for kids as well as a 10-story enclosed slide that's the highest in the world
• Water World (Colorado) - this park attempts to meld water with kitsch and usually succeeds except when it's too cold to get in
• Blizzard Beach (Florida) - Disney went overboard with this one, a 120-foot nearly vertical slide that will have you begging for a wedgie
• Water Country USA (Virginia) -  this place has a sort of 1950s style, and we can't really figure out why it's on the list
• Kalahari Water Park (Wisconsin) - this place might not be as impressive as it's neighbors but it is the country's first indoor water park
• Typhoon Lagoon (Florida) - Disney's sister water park is more family oriented (big surprise) than Blizzard Beach and has a 360k-gallon Shark Reef to snorkel in
• Wild Rivers (California) - Wild Rivers isn't afraid of a lawsuit and you can see it in their rides that take some adventurous risks that other corporate parks might not have the cajones to take

My personal choice would be going to Nevada's Black Rock City in the Black Rock Desert, where every year, thousands of participants gather to celebrate the coolest / craziest Theme Park of them all - Burning Man.

Related posts: Top 10 Labor Day Destinations • Top 10 Amusement Parks (Outside of Orlando) • Top 10 Tips to Travel in a Post-9/11 World • Burning Man Trip

Related travel guides: Theme Parks in Central Florida • Theme Parks in Southeastern Texas • Theme Parks in Nevada • Theme Parks in Southern California • Theme Parks in Colorado • Theme Parks in Virginia

Blueberries by the Bushel in North Bend

We're just about ready to release our Northwest Washington and the Cascades guide and we came across this great article about picking blueberries outside of Seattle. If you want to escape the summer heat and get out of the city - the blueberry fields around North Bend are a great place to go. Ritzy Ryciak explains-

The 42-acre farm, dramatically situated at the base of 4,000-foot Mount Si, features six varieties of U-pick blueberries and a smaller quantity of raspberries and vegetables. Decidedly, the blueberries are the stars of Bybee-Nims (with Mount Si not far behind).

When you look up from picking berries, you are staring at the west face of Mount Si. Mountain goats are seen on an almost daily basis (when it's not too hot), and chirping birds provide the "soundtrack." Finally, while you are only 30 minutes out of Seattle, you couldn't feel farther away from frenetic city life.

We can't vouch for the old-school Depeche Mode, but this video has some great shots of different places around Seattle.