Travel -: Something to sing about on the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad

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Something to sing about on the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad Jul 23rd 2011, 23:15 Reporting from La Veta, Colo.â€" On a sultry summer's eve, the tables in the courtyard of the Alys restaurant at La Veta Inn are crowded with folks lingering after they've finished their meals, enjoying the music of local singer-songwriter Will Dudley. Hold on to your hat when you cross La Veta Pass The wind blows strong in Colorado The cowboy crooner isn't forecasting the weather, but he might as well be, because some in the audience will ride the rails in the morning up to La Veta Pass in search of more live music. For five summers now, the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad â€" a tourist train operating between La Veta (pronounced lah-VEE-tah) and Alamosa in south-central Colorado â€" has been offering passengers a terrific deal: You buy a ticket for the scenic trip through the Rockies (starting at $30), and they'll throw in a two-hour concert. The concerts â€" accessible only by rail and staged on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through September â€" feature mostly country, bluegrass and cowboy artists. Past performers have included Larry Gatlin, Nanci Griffith and Ricky Skaggs. This year's lineup includes Michael Martin Murphey, the Rifters and Weavermania. Although not superstars, they're talented musicians nonetheless. The concerts are staged in a natural amphitheater, a wildflower-strewn mountain meadow with the towering peaks of the Sangre de Cristo as a backdrop. As Dudley predicted, it's windy atop La Veta Pass. Some baseball caps go flying as passengers step off two trains at what was once a railroad settlement named Fir. An old steam locomotive has made its way up the mountain from Alamosa to the west, while a diesel engine has pulled coaches from La Veta to the east. First-class passengers have paid for the pleasure of riding to the concert in style, in luxurious rail cars once operated by the Illinois Central Railroad. They're reminiscent of another tune in Dudley's repertoire. Dealin' card games with the old men in the club car. Penny a point ain't no one keepin' score. "City of New Orleans" is not only the song's name but also the name of the train on which these cars once saw service. Seated in comfy lounge chairs, guests are served free drinks by railroad personnel who also provide decks of playing cards and rolls of pennies. Card games, however, distract passengers from the passing scenery as the trains chug toward La Veta Pass. From the town of La Veta, the steel rails pass through two tunnels as they climb more than 2,200 feet. The 40-mile journey takes a little more than an hour. "Bear on the left!" a voice squawks through a walkie-talkie as visitors press their noses to the windows. The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad also hauls freight, andbears frequent the spot where 2,000 tons of barley were disgorged during a derailment a few years ago. "Every summer, they come back. Sometimes we see as many as 10 bears in this one spot," explained Ryan Weeks, the passenger services manager. "They know the food's there so they come back every year." After arriving at Fir in late morning, guests can chow down on the contents of a boxed lunch ($10) or a catered hot meal ($12) featuring barbeque beef and pork, plus baked beans and potato salad. Although no buildings remain from the original settlement, the railroad has constructed the chowhouse, the stage and modern restrooms. All the electricity is generated on-site, using solar panels and a windmill to harness that seemingly ever-present wind about which Dudley sings. Keep your boots on at night Keep your coats buttoned tight You never know just when it's gonna' snow They build snowmen in July in Colorado. travel@latimes.com

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Travel -: San Diego Valley View Casino: The lobster buffet is a winner

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San Diego Valley View Casino: The lobster buffet is a winner Jul 23rd 2011, 12:11 Reporting from Valley Center, Calif.â€" "I used to win like crazy," my friend Juanita Mendonca would tell me. "Every slot machine turned to gold. I'd come home and my purse would be stuffed with money." Juanita, a retired parochial school teacher with a magic touch at the slots, loved to regale me with tales of her exploits at Valley View Casino. I had never been there, so when my husband, Lou, suggested we take a quick trip to Las Vegas, I proposed an overnighter to check out Valley View's new hotel instead. So there we were, driving into the hills of Valley Center in north San Diego County's backcountry. Visions of pots o' money danced in my head as we pulled up to the casino's somewhat lackluster exterior. The 10-year-old gaming venue expanded a few years ago, adding new restaurants and a nonsmoking gambling wing; the hotel, which opened in November, is its latest effort to keep up with the competition. I inhaled half a pack of secondhand cigarette smoke crossing the noisy, crowded casino before I reached the nonsmoking hotel and coughed my name to the clerk at check-in. She smiled and handed me a free bottle of water. They're big on hydration here; there are also free, self-serve soda fountains in the casino. Passing through the hotel's glass doors puts you worlds apart from the casino's boisterous atmosphere. The light-filled lobby's warm earth tones and eggshell-colored marble floors are quietly elegant. Patterned rugs, a fireplace, bright-red retro chairs and statues from Indian artist Johnny Bear Contreras are highlights. Some high-end touches are not what they appear to be: On closer inspection, wood walls turned out to be wallpaper. The eight-story hotel has 96 rooms and 12 suites; our seventh-floor, 520-square-foot king bed room had dark- and light-brown tones in its textured carpet and bamboo-design headboard. Cream-colored bedding blended with the wall's neutral tones; red accent chairs gave the room some pop. Striking black-and-white prints were scattered throughout. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcased sweeping vistas of the rural countryside framed by the Palomar Mountains. When you get tired of the scenery, there is a 42-inch high-def flatscreen TV; there's a small sofa as well as a desk where you can set up a laptop and use the free Wi-Fi. The bathroom's marble and granite surfaces were neutral yet classy; a glass-enclosed shower had its own room. The house-brand toiletries were nothing special, but the towels were as plush as those in any luxury hotel.. It was hot, so we headed to the stunning infinity pool. There's no need for private cabanas; everyone gets cushioned rattan lounge chairs, and large umbrellas give plenty of shade. I plunged in â€" make that stepped in; the first half of the pool is only 10 inches deep â€" and screeched: The water was freezing. I waded into the back half, which was only 4 feet deep. Enough lollygagging, it was time to get down to business â€" eating and gambling. Valley View touts its lobster buffet and "Certified Loose Slots" (they have 2,000 machines). Join the Players Club and get a free buffet. After waiting in line 20 minutes to sign up for the club, which also offers gambling rewards, I asked, "How long is the wait for the buffet?" Relax, clerk Ryahn Spece said, hotel guests get to use the much-shorter VIP line. We decided to celebrate our first "win" with a drink. The small Main Stage Bar offers the only entertainment. In many respects, Valley View is a second-tier casino. It doesn't have, say, Pechanga's range of eateries or nearby Harrah's Rincon lineup of touring bands and comedians. Blues singer Missy Anderson was good, but the cigarette smoke was bothering me. When a well-dressed gentleman (he stood out; most folks were in sweats or jeans) in a dapper suit, black hat and shades sat down next to us and lighted up a giant stogie, I hit my limit. We moved to one of the casino's newer venues, Black & Blue Steakhouse (Juanita raves about its steaks and baked potatoes), and had a drink in its chic lounge. I had a glass of Chardonnay; Lou groused that there were no local brews on tap and settled for a bottle of Pacifico. The buffet was next. Its theme is a tour of the world, with Mexican, Asian and Italian fare as well as an All-American carving station with prime rib and turkey. The big draw is the seafood spread: lobsters, crab legs, clams, oysters, mussels, shrimp and sushi. The highlight was endless lobster. These were primo, with huge claws that spilled off the plate. Served with drawn butter, every mouthful was delicious. Desserts were endless as well: crème brûlée, opera cakes, tortes, bread pudding, pies, you name it. I couldn't get past the cream puffs and the chocolate fountain â€" until I found the chocolate truffles. Lou had to drag me out. We headed for the gaming tables, Lou to use his Players Club pair of table vouchers (if you bet $10, you can double the bet with a chit) while I opted for the slots. Lou started with $50 at the roulette table; after an hour and two $10 vouchers, he left with $60, then broke even playing blackjack. I went off in search of Juanita's golden slots. Revenge of the lobster: The "Lobstermania" machine clawed up a quick $10; "Wolf Tea" gobbled another $15. "Nefertiti" and "Miss Kitty" were equally unkind, and my cash stash evaporated. Insult to injury: I didn't reach the "20 points in the first 24 hours" it took to get my $20 More Play bonus. In the morning, Lou yanked open the curtain and let in the sun â€" he was hungry again. After eating a steak, a lobster, fried chicken and four kinds of shrimp â€" and that was just his first course last night â€" he was patting his belly and wondering if he had lost weight. I would have thrown a shoe at him, but I was still too stuffed from dinner to move. He was persistent, and it was a complimentary breakfast, and so I somehow found room for the mini-buffet that was set up in the lower lobby and outside by the pool. The hot dish was cheese, egg and sausage on an English muffin. Healthy highlights included fruit kebabs, cups of fresh berries and yogurt parfaits; on the more sinful side, almond croissants and berry scones were yummy. On the way out, I hit the slots one more time. "Lucky Pumpkin" wasn't lucky, but when I tried "Star Drifter" I hit pay dirt and won $88.25. Sometimes, you can have your lobster and eat it too. travel@latimes.com

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Travel -: Don't doubt Detroit's dining chops

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Don't doubt Detroit's dining chops Jul 21st 2011, 07:00 DETROIT â€" Stand in Roosevelt Park in front of the empty Michigan Central Station, a hulking train depot that once was one of the biggest in the world, and you could find in its broken windows and decaying facade a metaphor for a dying city. Feel pity if you want, but Detroit and its residents aren't asking for it. They're across the street, literally, eating some of the best barbecue in the country at a place called Slows. And that, in a nutshell, is the dichotomy of downtown Detroit. While the rest of the country has written it off, the city has quietly been building a great food scene replete with star chefs, old favorites and an open-air market that would be the envy of any city. That ethos is exactly why chef Michael Symon opened Roast here three years ago. With a budding empire of restaurants in Cleveland, Symon could have easily ridden a great reputation and an "Iron Chef" title into New York. But he went west instead. "My father was a Ford guy. We were in Detroit quite a bit," Symon said. "We were very familiar with the city and the plusses and minuses. You know, there's something very endearing about the people. They're kind of fierce and bold and very proud of their city, and they want to see it come back." So he opened a place that would feel very at home in New York with its sleek design, a menu of high-end comfort food with Midwestern prices (only a couple of items more than $30) and a lack of pretense. This place toggles easily between a brilliantly finished pork shank and a $4 happy hour burger (which receives near-universal acclaim among locals). If Symon's venture represents the top end of Detroit dining, the bottom, but no less delicious, is a half block south. American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island have been engaged in a more than half-century war for hot dog supremacy. Run by the offspring of Greek siblings, the two share ancestors, styles and a wall â€" they're side by side on Lafayette Avenue. But that's all they share, and diners must choose sides. A Coney is a specific breed of hot dog, covered in cumin-rich ground beef chili, onion and mustard, generally cooked on a flat top. We tried a Coney at each place. Both were fresh and had a good snap to them, and each was served within about 2 minutes of ordering. Which one was better? If I had to choose, I'd say American because of the chili. I just alienated half of a city â€" natives make the decision early if you're either an American or a Lafayette person. Occupying the middle ground is Slows, which began showing up on the national radar a few years ago when Bon Appetit called it one of the best new barbecue joints in the country. That is apt praise for a place that does the big three â€" pulled pork, brisket and ribs â€" exceptionally well. The side dishes of mac and cheese and dessertlike mashed sweet potatoes might be even better. The thought of taking some of the barbecue sauces (especially the apple) home was tempting. Still, as well as you can eat, the most impressive piece of Detroit's food scene is at Eastern Market on a Saturday, when growers fill five mammoth, open-air sheds and sell to a daylong stream of customers looking for fresh produce, flowers, baked goods and more. It seemed like half of the farms in the nearby Thumb region were there selling fresh strawberries, asparagus, greens and potatoes. Mennonite families sold fresh baked goods (including some excellent rhubarb pie, and I don't like rhubarb) while beef and pork producers hawked grass-fed and heritage breed meat. The market area is ringed by butcher shops and seafood sellers, dry goods and restaurants. The thousands there for shopping descend on places like Bert's for ribs and outdoor karaoke or Supino's for pitch-perfect New York-style pizza. The sandwiches at Russell St. Deli inspire lines out the door and onto the sidewalk. To think all of this would be missed if one only thought about Detroit as lost cause instead of a place to be savored. If you go ... Eastern Market 2934 Russell St. 313-833-9300 Michael Symon's Roast 1128 Washington Blvd. 313-961-2500 Slows Bar-B-Q 2138 Michigan Ave. 313-962-9828 Lafayette Coney Island 118 W. Lafayette Blvd. 313-964-8198 American Coney Island 114 W. Lafayette Blvd. 313-961-7758 scavendish@tribune.com

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Travel -: Decaying Joliet prison could be converted into tourist destination

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Decaying Joliet prison could be converted into tourist destination Jul 22nd 2011, 07:00 The shuttered Joliet Correctional Center has fallen into major disrepair after almost a decade of weathering and vandalism, but Joliet officials say the massive limestone prison has enormous tourism potential and have started to take a serious look at opening the facility to visitors. This week, state Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, D-Joliet, organized a rare tour of the prison for nearly 50 state and local officials and local activists. Afterward, all parties met for the first time about revitalizing the infamous prison, which sits along the old Route 66 and was featured in the 1980 film "The Blues Brothers." Funding is a major obstacle and the project could take years, but all agreed that opening the prison to visitors has value. "I don't think there is another piece of property like this in the state of Illinois," Wilhelmi said as the group shuffled through the prison's courtyard surrounded by tall fences and barbed wire. The Joliet prison opened in the 1850s, and during the early years, inmates were used to build the massive walls of limestone from local quarries. Since it closed in 2002, the prison has sat empty as a blighted reminder of Joliet's storied prison history. The building still draws scores of visitors from around the globe, many who want to go inside. "(Tourists) are mesmerized by that thing," said Tony Contos, executive director of the Joliet Area Historical Museum. "I think it's just the idea of what's behind those walls." Prison tourism can be big business. About 100 major prisons worldwide have been converted into museums, including Alcatraz in San Francisco, Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, the Tower of London and South Africa's Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela served time. Joliet, along with the Illinois Film Office and Department of Corrections, receives dozens of requests each month to tour the facility from filmmakers, photographers, prison buffs and even family members of former prison employees. Joliet officials are eager to capitalize on the tourism opportunity but also must weigh the challenge of dealing with a structure that has been essentially neglected for almost a decade. The building's interior is in disarray. Paint is peeling from the walls, and the rooms reek of mold. Ceilings have fallen in some places. Cell bars are rusted. Groundhogs have done substantial damage to the grounds. Somehow, thieves have penetrated the prison's walls â€" 25 feet high and lined with barbed wire â€" and ripped out the plumbing and electrical systems. During the tour, Dennis Wolff, a warden at the prison from 1976 to 1981, trailed behind the group snapping photos of the rotting cells and trash-strewn rooms. "It's just sad," Wolff said. "We worked so hard to make this a state-of-the-art facility." Along with asbestos and lead paint, the almost 200-acre property has contamination issues related to a former garbage dump on site and a firing range, said Elmo Dowd, associate director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental remediation and renovations could cost tens of millions of dollars, officials said. Faced with a $25 million deficit for next year, Joliet is looking to partner with possibly the state or other entity to revitalize the prison. State officials say they are open to parting with the surplus property. "I'm sure a deal could be made," said Sharyn Elman, an IDOC spokeswoman. "I really don't think anyone would say no." Ben Benson, a Joliet spokesman, said that even if the state handed over the building, the city is not inclined to take possession of it without money for upgrades. "If this was five, 10 years ago, maybe we would have a few more dollars to lend," Benson said. "But right now it would be hard to appropriate necessary funds to rehab and operate a facility like that when we have our own operating challenges." Jan Kostner, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, said that while the state can't contribute money right now, the agency supports the project.

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Travel -: Flying with Fido? Here's a list of tips for a smooth journey

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Flying with Fido? Here's a list of tips for a smooth journey Jul 22nd 2011, 19:58 There's a dachshund in the Postcards household and, like most dogs, the pooch loves to go for a ride. I'm not sure that I'd be as comfortable taking the family pet on a vacation, but the folks at Fido Friendly magazine (fidofriendly.com) recently offered tips for traveling by air with canine companions. Here's a checklist to keep the stress level down: Have an airline-approved crate and be sure that your dog thinks of it as a den. To get the pet comfortable in the portable home, try taking your pet on short road trips in the carrier. Outfit the crate, inside and out. On the outside, place several bright orange "Live Animal" stickers and a sheet with contact information. On the inside, include a couple of soft toys that your dog loves and maybe a T-shirt that has your scent. Be sure to tape a small bag of food and a leash to the top of the crate. Check the flight time and book a direct fight if possible to avoid plane changes, delays or lost luggage. Consider whether Fido can be in the crate for six hours or for whatever length of time will be necessary to arrive at your destination. Check the airline policies regarding when to arrive at the airport, kennel requirements, veterinarian records, costs and weight limits. There may be more requirements for different airlines. Get a clean bill of health certificate from your veterinarian for your dog to fly. A pet cannot fly without records stating that the animal is in good health. Most airlines require those documents to be no more than 30 days old. On flight day, it's a good idea to feed your dog four to six hours before departure. Give your pooch minimal water to avoid full bladders. Find a way to exercise your dog before the flight. Check with the airport to see if there is a dog-run area. Do not sedate your pet. Sedation could lead to injury if your dog's crate moves during the flight and your pet can't react to it. Also, try to stay relaxed because your pet can sense your tension. Visit fidofriendly.com for more dog-friendly tips.

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Travel -: Saving money when traveling overseas

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Saving money when traveling overseas Jul 22nd 2011, 19:58 An American in Paris today may feel like the poet Rodolfo in the opera "La Bohème" â€" so romantic, so impoverished. A mediocre hotel room in the City of Light can cost $200 a night. Lunch can eat up $30. Summer transatlantic fares can run $2,000 round trip. But if your heart is set on a European vacation, don't give up. You can bring your trip into affordable range by choosing the right season, taking one-stop flights, renting an apartment or house, buying a travel package or even hitting the high seas. Here's a closer look at these saving strategies: Go in spring, fall or winter: The U.S. dollar, which has lost value over the last year in Europe, was recently trading at $1 to 0.71 euros and 0.62 British pounds. That makes peak-season summer trips even more costly. You can save hundreds by going off-season. The lowest round-trip, nonstop L.A.-Paris airfare was $1,851 for late August travel but only $1,383 in September, I found in an online search of random dates last week at Kayak.com. Hotels, especially in resort areas, are often cheaper too. Take a one-stop flight: It's amazing what switching from nonstop to one-stop flights can do for your budget. In my online search, that change reduced my LAX-Paris round-trip fare by nearly $700 in August and nearly $300 in September. Allow two or more hours to connect; short layovers look great until you miss your flight. Tom Parsons, chief executive of BestFares.com, a flight-deals website, added this tip: If your dates are flexible, wait until 60 days ahead or less to book your flights. You'll often find cheaper prices as carriers struggle to fill empty seats. "You want to sit back and hold on to your dollars until you think you just can't hold on any more," he said. And if you booked your flights two or three months ago, he said, check to see if fares have fallen. Even with change fees, you may save by rebooking. Rent an apartment or house: Photographer Renée Jacobs of Los Angeles, who has made five trips to Paris in the last six months to work on a book, pays as little as $130 a night to stay there. She uses online rental agencies to find apartments. "The one I loved the most was 85 or 90 euros per night," she said. "It's incredibly small. But you stick your head out the window, and you have an incredible view of the Eiffel Tower." Renting affords her privacy and "phenomenal" savings on food, she said. Book through an established vacation rental service, such as http://www.vrbo.com, http://www.homeaway.com or http://www.flipkey.com; in Paris, Jacobs has used http://www.clickappart.com. Pay by credit card, which offers fraud protection that cash transactions do not. Buy a package: By booking your hotel and flights in a single package, you can often get both for the price of the airfare alone. Find these deals online or by visiting a travel agent. For instance, http://www.gate1travel.com was recently offering four nights in Dublin, Ireland, including round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, hotel, daily breakfast, fees and taxes, for about $1,200 a person, double occupancy, for travel in late August. Another online vendor, http://www.adventurevacationsinc.com, had a similar package for a four-night Paris stay in fall or winter starting at less than $1,100 a person, double occupancy. Hit the high seas: A European cruise can be surprisingly affordable because you pay many costs upfront in dollars, not in pricey euros or pounds. "A cruise fare includes everything you absolutely need, such as transportation from port to port, food, entertainment, a kids club, water and coffee," said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of CruiseCritic.com, a consumer information website. Look to fall and winter for cruise fares as low as $499 a person, double occupancy, for seven-day eastern Mediterranean itineraries and $679 for the western Mediterranean, she said. Airfare is extra, of course, although a few luxury lines are offering free flights for select voyages. jane.engle@latimes.com

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Travel -: 48 hours in London for bargain-hunters

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48 hours in London for bargain-hunters Jul 22nd 2011, 10:13 (Reuters Life!) - If you think London is the kind of luxury destination that will empty your wallet in seconds, then you'll be delighted to know that you don't have to be a billionaire to enjoy the best of the British capital. This city is also a jewel for the world class bargain-hunter looking for top food, culture and art on a staycation budget. Reuters correspondents with local knowledge show you how to get the most out of London on the cheap. SATURDAY 10 a.m. Contender for the best coffee in London, a brew from Monmouth Coffee Company is an ideal way to kick start the long day of exploration ahead. (www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk) Next nip across the road to London's larder, Borough Market, stocked full of organic fruit and veg, artisan cheeses, bread, meat and fish. Browse amongst the gourmet goodies and graze your way round the numerous free samples. (www.boroughmarket.org.uk) 12 p.m. Work off brunch with a stroll to Southwark's newly created Urban Physics Garden, an inner city oasis bursting with medicinal plants and herbs that heal. Be sure to try out the unconventional Serbian seesaws. (www.physicgarden.org.uk/) Opposite is the Jerwood Space, the gallery boasts an exciting program of visual art exhibitions, showcasing emerging new talent. (www.jerwoodspace.co.uk). 1:45 p.m. Wander down to the Thames to explore London's riverside cultural quarter, the South Bank. Theater enthusiasts should head to the thatch-roofed, oak-beamed Shakespeare's Globe, a faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse originally built in 1599. Between April and October visitors can experience a near authentic, original 'Shakespeare in performance'. Tickets for the pit, the open air free standing yard are a snip at 5 pounds ($8.15).Tours of the building and the Shakespeare exhibition are on all year-round. Strolling along the riverside path, it's hard to ignore the imposing Tate Modern, housed in a former Power Station, the center has succeeded in bringing challenging modern art to the masses. Inside, the vast turbine hall displays awe-inspiring site specific installations and the permanent collections feature work by the likes of Francis Bacon, Picasso and Mark Rothko. Checkhttp://www.tate.org.uk for the schedule of free guided tours. 4:30 p.m. Stride across the pedestrian Millennium Bridge admiring views of the Thames. Next destination is St Paul's Cathedral, Christopher Wren's 17th century domed masterpiece. Visiting is free for worship purposes and you can catch the cathedral choir giving an Evensong performance at 5 p.m. 7 p.m. Da Polpo in Covent Garden is a great dinner destination. With a no-reservations policy just head down to the New York Italian inspired restaurant for a spread of Italian delicacies (dapolpo.co.uk). Treat yourself to a glass of the house wine and soak up the atmosphere at Gordon's wine bar. Every nook and cranny of the vaulted candlelit cellar is filled with chatter and in summer the crowd spills out into the Embankment Gardens. (www.gordonswinebar.com) SUNDAY 10 a.m. Let the aroma of freshly baked goods lure you into Brick Lane Beigel, an East London institution and thriving relic of London's Jewish East end. Smoked salmon and cream cheese or salt beef and mustard fillings make a hearty budget breakfast. (159 Brick Lane, E1 6SB) 10:30 a.m. Fancy a spot of shopping? Shoreditch is a hotbed of cutting edge style and there are plenty of bargains to be had in its independent stores and vintage shops. Tucked away on Cheshire St is cavernous Beyond Retro, a one-stop shop for the fabulous clothes of yesteryear. (www.beyondretro.com). 12 p.m. For a quick post shop pep try Kiwi coffee connoisseurs Allpress Espresso who pride themselves on in-house roasting. (www.allpress.co.nz) 12:30 p.m. Head east to Columbia Road, a Victorian terraced street that springs to life on Sunday with the weekly flower market. Prepare to have your senses overwhelmed as you are met with vibrant foliage, exquisite blooms and the barrow boys bellowing out the deals of the day. (http://www.columbiaroad.info) 2 p.m. Peckish? Aim for Goldsmiths Row, home to a few economical eateries along with some more upmarket establishments. For a taste of traditional London fare visit F. Cooke's Pie and Mash Shop. Established in 1900, the menu remains the same, steaming by the window is a vat of eels, choose from hot or jellied for a mere 2.50 pounds washed down with a mug of piping hot builder's tea. 3 p.m. Choose to spend the remainder of the afternoon lounging on expansive, green London Fields or if the weather permits take a dip in the 50 meter-long heated lido. Home to many of the capitals creative industries there is also an array of neighboring galleries to explore. Famous for championing the Young British Artists is the White Cube in Hoxton (www.whitecube.com), or try the Victoria Miro Gallery, stretched over nearly 3,000 meters (yards) complete with a charming landscaped garden, it is a breeding ground for exciting young artists (www.victoria-miro.com). 6 p.m. Thought vinyl was dead? Bustling Kristina records on Stoke Newington High St begs to differ. Peruse their collection of quality underground new and second hand records or stumble upon an in store gig. (www.kristinarecords.com) For your evening meal follow the mouth-watering scent round the corner to Mangal Ocakbasi, the frontrunner in Turkish charcoal grilled lamb, chicken and vegetables. A popular spot, you may have a short wait to be seated but there is plenty of activity to hold your attention. A single chef adeptly manipulates row upon rows of kebabs as the ocakbasi grill plumes smoke into the huge extractor looming above. Grab a beer from the corner shop as the restaurant operates a BYOB policy (www.magal1.com). 8:30 p.m. The area has a handful of great traditional pubs to wind down with after dinner drinks. Prop yourself up at the Shakespeare's horse shoe bar to sample their range of ales or head to the Prince George (40 Parkholme Rd, E8 3AG) popular with the hip kids and long term Dalston residents alike. During the Summer months, it's worth checking Dalston roof park's events calendar, on top of the spectacular views, the green astro turf plays host to small productions by the nearby Arcola Theater, and there are outdoor film screenings and gigs (www.bootstrapcompany.co.uk). ($1 = 0.613 British Pounds) (Edited by Paul Casciato)

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Travel -: Missing out on Comic-Con? Need a comic trivia fix? A geek-friendly NYC tour is waiting for you

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Missing out on Comic-Con? Need a comic trivia fix? A geek-friendly NYC tour is waiting for you Jul 21st 2011, 10:27 NEW YORK (AP) â€" "I don't get the whole Harry Potter thing," a young boy says to our tour guide as we trudge down a midtown Manhattan street, the pavement glistening in the beastly mid-July sun. "I don't either," says our guide, empathetically. Potter, Shmotter. The boy wizard, pop culture hero though he may be, simply has no place on the Superhero Tour of New York. No, this two-hour walk is about traditional comic superheroes: Spider-Man, Batman, Captain America, the Green Lantern, Superman. Fans come to honor not only them, but the geeky guys who created them. Indeed, geeks are very welcome on this outing, run by the Celebrity Planet company and usually hosted by the very geek-friendly Paul Lepelletier, a former comic cartoonist himself, now an advertising art director. He's come dressed for our tour in a belly-hugging shirt splattered with cartoon Popeyes, shorts, and a Superman baseball cap from Metropolis, Ill. (the hometown of Superman, duh.) "Geek is my secret identity," Lepelletier quips. Our tour begins, fittingly, at Jim Hanley's Universe, a comic book store just across from the Empire State Building. I've brought along my 8-year-old and 10-year-old kids, but truth be told, the tour is not perfect for that age group. When kids of that age think superheroes, they want something truly visual. No, this is a tour for people who love nothing more than to stand by a nondescript building and learn that the Batman creator once worked there. Or to stand on the street corner where Peter Parker, in the "Spider-Man" movie, was dropped off by his Uncle Ben, who was about to get killed. Occasionally, fans do something a little crazy, like turn up in full costume â€" or get engaged. "We had two men, tourists from New Zealand, who got engaged in front of the famous globe in the Daily Planet building," Lepelletier recalls. Dino and Gina Plakas are here with their three kids, from Plainview, N.Y. Dino, in fact, is a freelance comic artist. All five are wearing some kind of comic book reference â€" a T-shirt, or, in Gina's case, a green shirt in honor of the Green Lantern. Early on the tour, we stop for a look from afar at the Flatiron Building. Where, Lepelletier asks, have we seen this? My son pipes up immediately: "It's the Daily Bugle in 'Spider-Man'!" ''Yup," the guide says approvingly. Soon, though, he loses the smaller kids with a long reference to William Randolph Hearst and his decision to put comics in the papers as a way of getting parents to buy them. The older ones, though, pay rapt attention. He takes us next to a Park Avenue building where Will Eisner, the comic entrepreneur and artist who created "The Spirit," once had his studios. "I had the honor of being Eisner's assistant," says Lepelletier, now in his 50s, proudly. There's more: Also in that building worked a certain Bob Kane, who comic fans will know created Batman (first, he tried a "bird man" â€" that didn't fly). We also hear how "Batman" the TV show, with its "Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel" cliffhanger, saved the then-faltering Batman franchise from oblivion. We learn how Kane felt about the nipples on George Clooney's Batman suit. You want better trivia? We hear about Kane's California gravestone, which our guide has seen and which not only has a bat symbol on it, but coincidentally lies near the grave of a real-life Bruce Wayne. Farther up Park Avenue we see the home of Kirk Alyn, known as the first actor to play Superman, in the 1948 film. It's just across from the home of Lenore Lemmon, one-time fiancee to the more famous Superman of the 1950s TV show, George Reeves. (A discussion ensues on the cause of Reeves' mysterious 1959 death.) We also hear about some luminaries who've been on the tour: Cyndi Lauper, Lepelletier says. Two guys from the show "Entourage." Someone from ABBA, he thinks. And someone from the rock band Twisted Sister. At 417 Fifth Ave., we spy a former home of Marvel Comics. We also get some history involving World War II and the use of imagery like Captain America. The kids are distracted until we approach the imposing marble structure that is the main branch of the New York Public Library. At which point my son, revived, yells out: "Hey, it's the Ghostbusters museum!!" Well, close, anyway. Lepelletier notes that, yes, the Ghostbusters were here. But not just them. Here on the corner of 40th and Fifth is where Peter Parker's uncle was felled. AND ... this has nothing to do with superheroes, mind you, but it's also the same corner where Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw broke up with Mr. Big in the "Sex and the City" movie! There's more: The Chrysler Building (a Spidey perch). Grand Central Station. The News Building on East 42nd Street, where we walk through "the very same doors," Lepelletier says, "that Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder walked through in 'Superman.'" (There, of course, it was the Daily Planet, while in the real world, the building once housed the New York Daily News.) The tour usually ends at the Overlook Bar, where art by prominent cartoonists graces the walls. Alas, the bar is closed on this particular day. So we part by the famous globe in the Daily Planet lobby. The comic geeks are disappointed about the bar, but happy overall. Dino, the comic illustrator, seems almost misty as he tries to sum up what comics mean to him. "They're today's mythology," he says thoughtfully. "Batman? He's Zeus." As for our host, he marvels that he gets to do something he likes so much and call it a job. (He created the tour a year ago in April with Celebrity Planet co-founder James Bonney, and does it three days a week â€" in rain, snow or, as we experienced, severe heat.) "It's like my friend â€" the original Batgirl, Yvonne Craig â€" said to me," he muses. "They actually pay you to talk about comics for two hours?" ___ If You Go... SUPERHERO TOUR OF NEW YORK: http://www.thecelebrityplanet.com. Offered Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 2 p.m. Tickets $24.99 (children under 12 free). Bring water if it's hot, and expect to walk between 90 minutes and two hours. Note: Not every locale listed on the website is visited on every tour.

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Travel -: Crane lowers NYC fire truck into exhibition space at World Trade Center site

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Crane lowers NYC fire truck into exhibition space at World Trade Center site Jul 20th 2011, 21:23 NEW YORK (AP) â€" A fire truck that rushed to the aid of victims on 9/11 returned to the World Trade Center site Wednesday as it was lowered like a huge flag-draped coffin into exhibition space for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The truck was from the city fire department's Ladder Company 3, which helped civilians escape from the trade center's north tower on Sept. 11, 2001. The vehicle had sped to the twin towers from its firehouse in Manhattan's East Village neighborhood with 11 firefighters aboard â€" all of whom died when the towers collapsed. A crane lowered the 60,000-pound truck, shrouded in a white protective covering and decorated with the flags of the Fire Department of New York and the United States, 70 feet into the site as family members of firefighters who died on 9/11 wept, dozens of firefighters saluted and bagpipers played the national anthem. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, FDNY Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano and about 100 members of the FDNY, including all of the members of the current Ladder Company 3, stood solemnly during the ceremony. The company's current fire truck, parked nearby on the site, raised its ladder in salute as the crane moved the shrouded truck to an opening in the roof of the museum, which is in the bowels of the site. The under-construction One World Trade Center skyscraper towered over the ceremony, its mirror-like skin shimmering under the hot sun. All around were signs of rebirth and reconstruction: Cranes hovered over the site and construction workers in safety helmets milled around as dust choked the air. To some, the ceremony was like a second funeral for the Ladder Company 3 firefighters who died nearly 10 years ago. "It's almost like saying goodbye again," said Carolyn Brown, 47, of Westbury, N.Y., whose brother Patrick "Paddy" Brown led the firefighters of Ladder Company 3 on 9/11. "It's also more closure." She dabbed her teary eyes with a tissue during the ceremony, and afterward said she hoped that museum visitors who see the truck will be reminded of the sacrifice that her brother and his fellow first responders made. "They gave their lives for everybody else here," she said, adding that simply seeing the damage to the fire truck would likely elicit a physical reaction. "When they see that, it's going to mean more. They will see it and feel it." Maureen Dewan-Gilligan, whose 35-year-old brother, Gerard Dewan, was a firefighter with Ladder 3, also hoped visitors to the museum would react viscerally. "I would like them to remember that the fire engine was crushed in a heartbeat," she said. Michael Moran, a member of Ladder Company 3 who got relieved from duty on Sept. 10, 2001, and whose brother died on 9/11, said bringing the rig back to the trade center was part of the healing process. "I think it's a nice tribute to the guys of Ladder 3," he said. He also hoped people would see the rig as a symbol of the firefighters' sacrifices. "They gave up all their tomorrows on Sept. 11." Cassano said museum visitors will be able to learn the story of how members of the FDNY did their job on that day. "They didn't ask any questions. They went to those buildings, not knowing who they were going to rescue," he said. "They knew people were in trouble. Unselfishly they gave their lives." Joe Daniels, president of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, said the fire truck is emblematic of what first responders did on 9/11. "This will be the authentic vehicle that will tell that story," he said. The fire truck had been stored in a climate-controlled room at a hanger and was escorted to the site by the current Ladder 3 truck. The cab of the truck was destroyed in the towers' collapse and its main body and ladders were damaged and contaminated. The memorial plaza opens to the public on Sept. 12, a day after the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack. The museum will open next year. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks on the trade center, the deadliest single event for emergency responders in the U.S. The truck will join the remains of other emergency vehicles at the museum, including from the New York Police Department, the Port Authority Police Department and FDNY. ___ Online: http://www.911memorial.org/

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Travel -: Yosemite park officials plan no new warning signs in area where 3 hikers fell over a waterfall

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Yosemite park officials plan no new warning signs in area where 3 hikers fell over a waterfall Jul 21st 2011, 18:59 YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) â€" Yosemite National Park officials said Thursday they have no plans to add new warning signs or other protections to the area where three young people were swept over a 317-foot waterfall this week. Witnesses say the three hikers ignored warnings and climbed guard railing at the top of Vernal Fall on Tuesday to wade into the Merced River, several dozen feet from the water's drop. One woman slipped, and two men fell in while trying to save her. Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman says the site's railing and single sign are adequate and it's the visitor's responsibility to exercise judgment and caution when near any cliff. Authorities and park officials throughout the region have issued strong warnings about water dangers this summer as high temperatures melt the near-record Sierra Nevada snowpack. Meanwhile, friends described the three hikers as church role models who normally did not take risks. Members of St. George's Church in Ceres gathered for a prayer vigil Wednesday evening, grieving over the tragedy that occurred on a church group outing a day earlier. The church pastor, Genard Lazar, was a part of the group of about a dozen hikers who ascended the steep Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Falls to pose for photographs. Tanya Badal, the sister of victim Ramina Badal, saw her sister go over the falls. She declined to talk about what happened atop Vernal's precipice, but said that despite the passage of time she was still praying the three would be found alive. "I still have hope," she said outside of the church. Bishop Mar Awa Royel said he has been praying with the family for a quick recovery of the bodies, still missing after two days of searching. On Wednesday Badal's parents, Tony and Virginia, supported each other as they walked sobbing into the church. When Virginia's knees buckled, Tony caught her. "This will be a chance for us to re-educate our young people about how valuable life is," said Charmain Morad-Daniel, a member of the Assyrian National Council of Stanislaus County, as mourners packed the church Friends said the victims likely did not understand that the swift-moving Merced River could be so treacherous. Witnesses say the young tourists were trying to pose for a picture. Instead they burned a horrifying image into the memories of everyone who saw. Badal, Hormiz David, 22, of Modesto, and Ninos Yacoub, 27, of Turlock were swept to their deaths. A man believed to be David crossed a metal barricade with Badal above the falls to make their way over slick granite to a rock in the middle of the swift Merced River. Badal slipped and David reached in for her and fell in. Yacoub had been trying to take their photo, friends said, and he slipped in when he tried to save them. Other hikers, including several children in their group, could only watch as the rushing water swept all three students over the edge.

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Travel -: All-Asia pass: Good deal or not?

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All-Asia pass: Good deal or not? Jul 19th 2011, 07:00 Cathay Pacific announced this year's version of All-Asia Pass: Buy one ticket, fly to Hong Kong and visit up to four other regional Asian destinations for a fixed price. The travel press usually picks this up and features it as a good deal, but is it really? The answer is, "sometimes yes, sometimes no." Here's the base deal: Fly to Hong from any of Cathay Pacific's four U.S. gateways, then fly out and back to up to four cities in eastern and southeastern Asia. The Pass price to visit Hong Kong plus two other cities from Los Angeles, New York, or San Francisco is the same -- at $1,880 -- and, on a limited basis, $1,329 from Cathay's newest Gateway at Chicago. Add a third city and a fourth for an extra $351 each and complete travel within 21 days. The pass includes 40 "basic" cities from Sapporo in northern Japan to Beijing and Chengdu in China to Bangkok, Singapore, and Bali to the south. Flights are on Cathay or its affiliate, Dragonair. Base pass prices apply to midweek transpacific flights; add-ons are available from other U.S. cities and for weekend travel, extended stays, and flights to additional Asian destinations as far away as Dubai. Depart the U.S. between Aug. 16 and Nov. 29. Buy flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco, or New York until seat allocations are filled (no specific date); flights earn some frequent flyer mileage. The $1,329 Chicago price, however, is available for purchase only through July 31; it applies to just two additional cities, and does not earn frequent-flyer miles. The basic idea is attractive: As long as you're flying as far as Hong Kong, you'd hate to miss out on such exotic destinations as Bali, Bangkok, Beijing, Osaka, Penang and Seoul. The downside is that you'd spend a lot of time on planes, flying from Hong Kong to each additional city and back, then out again to the next one. But the real question is whether the All-Asia Pass is the best way to ticket a multi-city Asian trip. To check, I compared two possible pass itineraries with buying a base ticket to Hong Kong, then direct flights to the outlying cities. I based my test trips from Los Angeles; Cathay's fares to Hong Kong from the other gateways are a bit lower: -- Los Angeles-Hong Kong plus a side trip to Bangkok and Bali. The pass would cost $1,880, including two extra cities. Cathay's base round-trip fare from Los Angeles to Hong Kong is $1,044, separate one-way flights cost $110 from Hong Kong to Bangkok, $179 from Bangkok to Bali, and $300 from Bali back to Hong Kong. Total cost of separate tickets: $1,633. -- Los Angeles-Hong Kong, plus a side trip to Bangkok and Tokyo. The separate tickets there cost $1,725, again less than the pass but not much less. -- But even separate tickets to and from Hong Kong may not be your best bet. I checked still another way to get in the same three cities as my second alternative itinerary: an open-jaw ticket from the West Coast to Tokyo, returning from Bangkok, with separate Tokyo-Hong Kong and Hong-Kong Bangkok tickets. The all-up cost of that approach came to a bit under $1,500. That's less than the pass and involves fewer dreary Asian flights in cattle-car economy cabins. This is not to say that the All-Asia Pass is never a good deal. I'm sure you could construct itineraries that beat the alternative approaches I checked. And many Americans might feel more comfortable flying on Cathay or Dragonair than on some Asian low-fare line they don't know. But the point of this is that you shouldn't accept any airline's claim that its promotion is a good deal without checking the alternatives. And, specifically, always check the open-jaw option for multi-city trips. If you like the idea of All-Asia Pass, buy it online through www.cathaypacific.com's U.S. home page, or see a travel agent. (Send e-mail to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net. Perkins' new book for small business and independent professionals, "Business Travel When It's Your Money," is now available through www.mybusinesstravel.com or www.amazon.com)

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Travel -: Should we avoid TSA screening -- Or embrace it?

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Should we avoid TSA screening -- Or embrace it? Jul 19th 2011, 07:00 Full-body scan or pat-down? It's a choice that hundreds of thousands of air travelers will make for the first time this summer. Not willingly, mind you. Some passengers are even going so far as to change the way they dress in an effort to avoid the whole thing. Susan Jones, an executive from Bellevue, Wash., wears clothes that won't set off the airport magnetometer, hoping to pass through the checkpoint quickly. "I have a favorite underwire garment that gets caught going through the machine," she says. "So I try to remember not to wear it when I'm traveling." The TSA policy of either frisking or scanning passengers selected for additional screening dates back to last fall. But the full effects are being felt just now. Airports are bustling with infrequent travelers who have never faced this decision. Many want to know: Is there any way out? Is it even possible to avoid the TSA this summer? The answers: yes and yes. If you decide to fly, you can steer clear of this modern-day Morton's Fork by doing exactly what Jones does, according to the TSA. Remove anything from your person that might set off the metal detector, and unless you're randomly chosen for the scanner, you can walk free. You can even improve your odds of avoiding a scanner by looking up your airport online to find out where the machines are and sidestepping them. A new site called TSA Status allows passengers to report which airports use the so-called "backscatter" machines more frequently and which checkpoints have the most aggressive screeners. For example, a recent report rated the Terminal D screening area at the Philadelphia airport "green" -- meaning that there were no machines visible -- adding, "It's still clear as of now." On the other hand, it warned that the scanners were being used on almost all passengers at Ontario International Airport in Southern California. Air travelers have used other tricks to elude the scan/pat-down dilemma. They include traveling with the kids -- TSA agents seem far less likely to split up a family or to pat down young children -- and bringing along pets. The evidence that either of these strategies works is strictly anecdotal, but if it makes any difference, one of the anecdotes is mine. Nigel Appleby, a reader who lives near Vancouver, used to cross the border to fly out of Seattle whenever he found a bargain. The TSA's sometimes heavy-handed screening practices have stopped that for the most part. "We're heading to Europe in September, and we'll fly out of Vancouver International Airport," he says. Some travelers would prefer not to play the game at all, and for them, the decision is made before they buy a ticket. Darryl Wolfe, who works for a consulting firm in Charlotte, chose a pat-down over a scan last year and regretted it. "I was shocked by the intensity and roughness of the pat-down," he told me. "In my mind at least, some of it was retribution for opting out. It was more like an assault." After that, he stopped flying altogether. There may be hope for him. A new airline venture called Plane Red plans to start operating between regional airports in smaller craft that would be exempt from TSA screening. Although the airline is still in the planning stages, it has received a fair amount of publicity because of its avoid-the-TSA pitch, according to founder Wade Eyerly. "It's remarkable that treating travelers like actual people, preserving their dignity and helping them be more productive requires avoiding the government," he says. But avoiding air travel doesn't necessarily mean that you won't have to deal with the TSA. The agency's Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response program, which goes by the unfortunate acronym VIPR, randomly checks passengers using other forms of transportation. Last year, VIPR teams were deployed 8,000 times, according to the agency. I asked the TSA how to avoid a VIPR team and was assured that the program is nothing more than a visual deterrent and limited for now to major transportation systems such as trains, subways and an occasional public event. TSA does not screen automobiles on public streets but looks for "suspicious activity" on roads and in parking lots at transportation hubs. Still, it seems that with only a few exceptions, such as a cruise or a car trip, it's increasingly difficult to take a TSA-free vacation. While that rubs many travelers the wrong way, others are far more understanding. Susan Jones says she'd rather be safe than sorry. "I was scheduled to be on one of the 9/11 planes and had my trip canceled at the last minute," she says. "And my husband was supposed to be at a breakfast meeting at the tower, which also was canceled last minute. So I take security seriously." I do, too. I was only a few hundred feet away from the 1993 World Trade Center bombing (the one that was meant to send the north tower into the south tower) so I'm not just writing from a theoretical perspective. Somehow, playing this cat-and-mouse game seems silly. Shouldn't we be welcoming the screening instead of running from it? (Christopher Elliott is the author of the upcoming book "Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals" (Wiley). He's also the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and the co-founder of the Consumer Travel Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for travelers. You can read more tips on his blog, elliott.org or e-mail him at chris@elliott.org. Christopher Elliott welcomes questions/comments from readers. Although he can't answer all of them individually, he'll answer those of general interest in his column.)

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