Posted June 15, 2009 by Katie Blais
I have wanted to go to Prince Edward Island since I was 10 and read Anne of Green Gables. I wanted to go live on a farm with Miranda, wear braids, and attend a one-room school house with Gilbert. Prince Edward Island seemed like a quaint little fairy tale isle. Taking a peek at what is happening on the island this summer inspires me to pack my bags and book a trip to PEI today!
First off, starting June 18 and going through September 26 there is The Charlottetown Festival, a three month event filled with theater productions (even an Anne of Green Gables musical number), live music, and other art related fun! The week of August 13 to 22 is Old Home Week where you can check out livestock shows, concerts, and this year the 50th anniversary of the Gold and Saucer Harness race, which is a big deal on PEI. Summer is also the time to check out the white sand beaches of Cavendish Beach and the amazing golf courses throughout the island.
Beaches, concerts, quaint seaside villages? Channel your inner Anne Shirley and head up for a memorable summer vacation!
(Photo: Virtual Tourist.com)
Posted June 5, 2009 by Kate Hamman
Welcoming visitors like a breath of fresh wine-scented air, Niagara-on-the-Lake sits among rolling vineyards just a few miles from the neon lights and kitschy entertainment of Niagara Falls. This English-influenced town—with nods to British royalty on street and hotel names—is maturing into a proper getaway for wine, theater, and food. Come experience the finer things in life.
Play
Peller Estates: Peller Estates turns its tasting room into a classroom, and helps everyone become a valedictorian when it comes to wine. If you've ever wondered whether to serve a Cabernet or a Chardonnay, or which glass to serve which wine in, then the interactive Wine Experiences may be the answer. Classes covering subjects from entertaining to food pairings start at $15 CAD (about $13.50 U.S. dollars; see XE.com for current exchange rates). Tours of the wine-making facilities cost $10 CAD.
Eat
Shaw Café & Wine Bar: Bacchus would feel right at home in this European-style cafe in the heart of the town center. Guests are encouraged to sample regional wines from the extensive menu, while grabbing a gourmet bite to eat. Be sure to say hello to playwright George Bernard Shaw, the cafe's namesake, whose statue welcomes visitors on the patio out front. If the meal prices seem a bit too steep, then take in the Old-World ambiance with just a dessert—such as the Toblerone Cheesecake for $7.95 CAD—and a glass of wine.
Stay
Britaly Bed and Breakfast: Finding a place to curl up after a day of wine tasting may sound simple, but very few places exude the homey atmosphere, and price, of this three-bedroom B&B. Hosts Graham Hall, Aldo Petronelli, and Rufus the Lab treat guests like royalty. Visitors are instantly drawn to the impressive back garden, where they can relax by the pond. The cozy bedrooms, decorated to capture the spirit of England, Canada, and Italy, come en suite or with a private bathroom just steps away. Prices start at $110 CAD during high season, and include a homemade breakfast fit for a king. Note that weekend stays require a two-night minimum.
To search for flights and compare prices to Buffalo, which is home to Niagara-on-the-Lake’s nearest major airport, please use our price-comparison tool.
(Photo: Shaw Cafe & Wine Bar)
Posted July 9, 2008 by Zak Patten
Southwest finally got its passport. Though the low-cost carrier cannot be accused of being a total homebody—its first non-Texas flight was almost 30 years ago—the airline has never flown abroad. Well, baby’s all grown up and ready to explore the wide world of international travel. And what does every first-time traveler appreciate more than a road buddy?
Enter WestJet, the Louise to Southwest’s Thelma, (if the 1991 movie were set in Canada and starred airlines rather than women). The two airlines will be codesharing by late 2009, according to an announcement yesterday. WestJet is a Canadian carrier that flies not just across its huge home country, but also gets down to Florida, Arizona, Hawaii, Mexico, and a few other sunny destinations likely to interest Albertans in their parkas come late February.
Which brings up what will be the central challenge for this deal: acclimatization. Yes, it ain’t easy going from one temperature extreme to another, as those on previous Calgary-Orlando flights can surely attest. WestJetters may be used to bundling up to go to the airport, only to strip off most of their layers upon arrival in more southerly climes. The problem is, the typical Southwest passenger just doesn’t know how to steer out of a skid, let alone how to dress for 40-below wind chills. “But what about Buffalo and Manchester?” you ask. "Aren’t they Southwest cities with real winters?" To which I reply, “If you think Buffalo has real winters, try licking a Saskatoon stop sign in January!” Yeah, that’s what I thought.
So the key to success here is going to be how the codeshare flights are heated and cooled. Heading north, it’ll be necessary to pack extra clothing such as scarves and fleece pants, because the planes are going to be cranking the A/C every hundred miles or so in the attempt to get you used to the cold. By the time you deplane, you should look like a snowplow driver from Duluth. For trips flying south, the aircraft will need to install heated seats (these are pretty nice) and serve plenty of hot chocolate to bring passenger temps up to an appropriately tropical level. A palm tree or two wouldn’t hurt, but that might be overkill.
The bottom line is this is a risky venture. I have no doubt the tie-up between the two airlines is a good fit—they’re both low-cost carriers that have little route overlap. But you know they say the test of a relationship is how well people travel together. Maybe that’s true for airlines as well.
(Photo: airplane-pictures.net)
Posted April 3, 2008 by Zak Patten
If you're a traveler like me, your typical vacation will include a trip up to a scenic lookout where you're likely to have the best view of the place you're visiting. And if you're a big wuss like me, as soon as you get to the most scenic vantage point, your knees will start wobbling and you'll grip the handrail with vise-like intensity/strength, thinking, "I could've gotten this view from a postcard in the lobby!" For those of you who like the idea (if not necessarily the reality) of a great view, I've put together the following list of 10 attractions, each of which is extremely nosebleed-friendly.
10. The CN Tower
The CN Tower is 553 meters tall, which is a Canadian way of saying 1,815 feet off the ground. Technically, it's the "tallest free-standing structure on land," but that just means it's not a place where people live or work. Which is just fine by me, because I have absolutely no interest in living or working anyplace higher than my third-floor bedroom or fourth-floor office. The CN Tower was completed in 1973 and is used primarily for TV and radio broadcasts, as well as tourism. Fans of 1940s music will be dismayed to learn that there is no AM antenna on the Tower.
Overcompensate much?
9. The Jungfraujoch Railway Station
What do you get when you cross the Swiss Alps with Europe's love of passenger trains? The Jungfraujoch railway station, which is 11,333 feet above sea level. Okay, that's not much of a joke, but the Swiss aren't known for their sense of humor (kidding!). So once you've made this hair-raising train trip to the top of the world, what can you do besides gorging on Swiss chocolate and fondue? How about checking out an Ice Palace or a ski and snowboard park that's only open in the summer?
om nom nom
8. Mt. Kilimanjaro
For number eight, let's take this a notch higher. It's true that Mt. Kilimanjaro makes the Alps look puny. But with a summit of 19,340 feet, Africa's tallest peak is actually accessible enough for real people to climb, sans oxygen tanks. Of course that's not to say it's an easy task, especially if you're the type who favors the escalator to the stairs.
Floor 5895: Neon hiking gear and ridiculous hats
7. London Eye
Coming back a little closer to earth, the London Eye is essentially a big ol' Ferris wheel. If that doesn't wow you, consider that the 443-foot-tall ride was the tallest of its kind when it opened in 2000. If you want to make your visit more upscale, you can purchase a glass of Champagne for an additional £30. I think I'll pass on the pricey drink. I'll be happy just to hold down my lunch while in one of the pods.
OH NOES!
6. Singapore Flyer
With about 100 more vertical feet than the London Eye, The Singapore Flyer took the role of world's highest Ferris wheel when it opened this month. One of the coolest things about the Flyer is its taxi-driver promotion, which currently awards all cabbies a free ride. I guess the idea is they'll be so taken with their trip that they won't be able to stop talking up the attraction to their customers. I'm assuming they're not trying to recruit the drivers to be "pod pilots." Just one warning to those who do take the Flyer: Don't write your name in your cabin. They're not big fans of graffiti in Singapore.
Never Forget: Michael P. Fay
5. The Top of the Rock
The Empire State Building is great, but it's soooo 20th century. For the latest in Big Apple views, you gotta hit the Top of the Rock. The "Rock" in question is Rockefeller Center, and while its 850-foot-high observation deck doesn't reach the Empire State Building's height, , this deck affords a much better view of the ESB than you'll get when you're standing on the building itself. Oh, and our sister site TripAdvisor's users rank the Top of the Rock number one of 1,296 New York City attractions. 'Nuff said.
Hey, is that Tina Fey? Let's not forget her either.
4. La Paz
Just about any spot in La Paz, Bolivia, the world's highest capital city, can make the most grounded person feel as if his head is in the clouds. At 11,942 feet in elevation, La Paz is an attraction in itself. If you go, make sure you're prepared for the altitude. You can take a medicine such as Diamox, or just chew some coca leaves like the locals. La Paz's Museum of the Coca Plant is the place to learn more about the coca leaf and all its interesting uses.
im in ur bolivia sniffin ur cokez
3. The Edge
It might be in Melbourne, Australia, but there is nothing "Down Under" about The Edge, a glass cube that juts out of the Eureka Tower, which at 975 feet is the world's tallest residential building. The worst … er, best part of it all is that The Edge doesn't just sit there like all the other observation decks. No, you get in and it physically moves outward until you're hanging out with nothing between you and a long fall but some chintzy glass panel.
Hello, Hello. I'm at a place called Vertigo.
2. Taipei 101
The Taipei 101 is currently the world's tallest building at a height of 1,670 feet, though the Burj Dubai is set to overtake that record when it officially opens. At that height, I'm really not interested in which one is taller, but rather how the hell I can get down safely. What I think is coolest about the 101 is not just its height, but how big it is relative to the buildings around it. It's as if former NBA big man Manute Bol decided to show up and play pickup hoops with you and your friends. Basically, the Taipei 101 doesn't care about its neighboring skyscrapers—it's going to dunk on their asses.
Manute enlarged to show texture.
1. Insanity, the Ride
Which brings us to number one. Yes, Insanity, the Ride, at Las Vegas' Stratosphere, is not only the most vertigo-inducing attraction in the world, it's probably the most wetting-your-pants/barfing-your-guts-out one as well. The casino-hotel stands 1,149 feet above The Strip, which is what you'll be gaping down at as you are spun at three-Gs by a "massive mechanical arm" extended 64 feet out from the building. I can barely even look at the picture below without feeling queasy.
Serving suggestion, some assembly required, ManuteBucketTM not included.
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