L.A. Times - Daily Travel Deal Blog

Be my guide: Las Vegas dance clubs don’t stray from pop

Mark Milian — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:17:07 +0000

I’ve covered many types of music in my two-week, reader-driven road trip across the country. There was soul in New York, rock in Washington, D.C., blues in Chicago, folk-country in Nashville, jazz in New Orleans, weird dance rock in Austin, Texas, and weird circus music in Albuquerque. One genre I have avoided like a pounding jackhammer to the chest is techno. [...]

Walt Disney World monorail crash kills driver

Brady MacDonald — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:14:09 +0000

A Walt Disney World monorail driver was killed early this morning when two trains collided as visitors were leaving the theme park, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Stunned employees and park visitors tried to reach Austin Wuennenberg, the 21-year -old monorail driver who was trapped in the crushed cockpit, local news reports said. (Watch eyewitness video of [...]

Catalina Island: Mingle with singles on Sierra Club weekender

Susan Derby — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:00:33 +0000

Enjoy Catalina Island in the company of environmentally minded singles with “Fun in the Sun 2009,” put on by the 20s & 30s Singles Section of Sierra Club’s Angeles Chapter. The fall weekend, at Camp Emerald Bay in the island’s northern end, promises a fun itinerary that includes snorkeling, hiking, swimming, volleyball and even a [...]

Petunias, pique and Roman temperament: Look out below

Susan Spano — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:12:37 +0000

The first thing I did when I moved into an apartment in the Monti district of Rome last spring was to put in window boxes. My landlady installed the holders, and I chose the plants: pink and red petunias, plus a little basil for cooking. Later I stuck in an avocado seed just to see [...]

Be my guide: Eclectic duo on Albuquerque streets really clowns around

Mark Milian — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:25:04 +0000

For my second-to-last stop before arriving in Los Angeles on my two-week, reader-driven road trip, I was in search of something different. I had hoped to find some traditional Spanish- or Mexican-inspired music or a country and western group — anything besides the usual cover bands and interchangeable rock acts. Based on bars that readers had [...]

How much is too much information on luggage tags?

Catharine Hamm — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:18:00 +0000

On The Spot By L.A. Times Travel editor Catharine Hamm Question: What’s the recommended information to include (and not to include) on one’s luggage tags? I know people say you should put your cellphone number on them, but I don’t keep mine turned on. – Richard Wylie, Torrance Answer: Vacations are all about doing things you don’t usually [...]

Theme park news: Kobe rides Terminator coaster; bring back Captain EO; Hong Kong Disneyland expansion

Brady MacDonald — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:29:36 +0000

A roundup of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week: * Online petition: Bring back Captain EO as a tribute to Michael Jackson at Disney Parks. Watch EO in 3-D at home. (Distant Creations) * New lands at Hong Kong Disneyland: Grizzly Trail (a.k.a. Frontierland), Mystic Point (supernatural rain forest), Toy Story Land. Marquee rides: [...]

Statue of Liberty is on Twitter and offers insider’s e-tours

Jane Engle — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:37:39 +0000

How hip is this for a 122-year-old lady? The Statue of Liberty is tweeting on the social networking site Twitter.com (@statuelibrtynps) and giving e-tours of her innards, just in time for the Fourth of July, when the icon’s crown opens for the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. So far, the tweets have been [...]

Fourth of July: Fireworks shows, parades & parties in L.A., Las Vegas, San Diego [Updated]

Jen Leo — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:44:23 +0000

Maybe you have Fourth of July weekend plans, maybe you don’t. But these fun Fourth of July events in L.A., San Diego and Las Vegas might entice you to hop in the car after a cameo at your neighborhood block party. Los Angeles Area The Standard Hollywood is hosting a poolside Ping Pong Tournament. What to expect: [...]

S’more for your money with El Capitan Canyon deal

Susan Derby — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:38:02 +0000

Start practicing your campfire songs and lacing up those hiking boots. But forget about hunting for that missing tent pole. Thanks to luxury-camping locale El Capitan Canyon, 20 miles north of Santa Barbara, the real outdoors, dirt and all, can be enjoyed by even the slickest city folk among you. And the following unique package [...]