Las Vegas Celebrates Earth Hour

On Saturday March 28th, Southern Nevada's signature neon glow will be dim for an hour in an effort to raise awareness about climate change.

The exterior of Las Vegas' MGM Mirage's New York New York Casino will go dark at 8:30pm, signifying the start of Earth Hour 2009. For the first time, the roller coaster will go dark and all riders will get neon necklaces. The Brooklyn Bridge will be entirely lit by soy based candles.

The brightest beam in the World at the Luxor and the Coca - Cola bottle on the strip will go out as well for Earth Hour as well.

From 8:30pm - 9:45pm the Acoustic Band Alternative Energy will perform on the Brooklyn Bridge at New York New York.

http://www.ktnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10085867&nav=menu498_8_16

Everyone should travel the world

By Natalie Veissalov

I remember the first time I went somewhere really adventurous, besides the usual trip to my uncle’s house in Memphis, Tenn., or up north to San Francisco. I did not really know anything about traveling the world or what places to go to, until I was twelve years old and my parents booked a trip to my father’s homeland: Turkey. From the minute I arrived, I fell in love with the city.

I must admit though I did experience some culture shock and anxiety. As I began to get used to my unfamiliar surroundings, I began to fall in love with the country, and the notion of traveling itself.

The next day as I toured the famous and historical city of Istanbul, I was in awe of how much one city could have so much to tell and offer.

As I toured mosques and ancient ruins left by the Romans, I even gained a love for world religions and history.

After exploring this one part of Eastern Europe, I moved on to Turkey’s neighboring country: Greece.

I was immediately captivated by its beautiful white homes and glistening blue water. It was like it came out of an oil painting; it just seemed so surreal.

The people there had an inner glow of happiness and serenity that you just do not see back home in the United States.

The people of Greece appreciate life and take time to enjoy life. This is something we need to learn back in the states. We need to focus less on the stressful demands of our hectic lives and focus more on what is really important.

Experiencing this different lifestyle, religion and culture helped open my eyes to another part of the world I did not know existed.

I felt ignorant and immature. I was in a tiny bubble for the first twelve years of my life. When it was time to leave to go back to my usual boring routine at home, I began to feel depressed.

However, on the plane ride back home all I could think of was where I wanted to go next. I was excited to see what other place God wanted me to see next.

The following summer, it was time to plan our next trip. And my parents chose Cancun, Mexico. I had always heard people talk about their beautiful beaches. However, this city had more to offer than its turquoise beaches.

When I arrived, I experienced a drastic change from what I was used to in California: the hot and humid weather. It took some getting used to. However, I got used to it pretty quick when we arrived to our hotel and could see the turquoise color of the water.

The scenery of this country was just unbelievable and breathtaking. It is nothing compared to the rugged and dirty streets of the Tijuana, a stereotype of what some people believe the entire Mexico looks like.

The amount of activities to do there are overwhelming. I was unable to do everything. However, I was able to go snorkeling and see Cancun’s beautiful marine life. It was a pretty amazing experience.

Not only was I able to experience the aquatic life Cancun had to offer, I also learned a lot about its history.

I also traveled to old city in the Yucatan peninsula known as Merida. It is famous for its history, its European architecture, and its production of henequen, which is a plant used to make rope.

I am truly grateful for being able to travel to these places. These are just some places I have been to, and there are so many other places where I want to travel.

However, time and the cost of traveling are two of the reasons that have stopped me from seeing the entire world. I encourage everyone to travel even if it is only to one country.

Although financial obstacles prevent many to travel the world, it is well worth the cost.

Traveling is something everyone should do because it allows the person to learn more about the world, become less ignorant about our world and open minded about other cultures and human beings whom we share this world with.

http://www.ulv.edu/campustimes/columns_archives/spring2009/natalie_veissalov_archives/veissalov032709.htm

Report: Las Vegas tourism tumbles 11.9 percent in January

By Richard N. Velotta

Visitor volume took another header in January with fewer than 3 million tourists visiting Southern Nevada for the third straight month.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported today that 2.8 million people visited in January, an 11.9 percent decline from January 2008.

Worse, average daily room rates plunged 19.9 percent from the previous year, the steepest decline since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and citywide occupancy fell 13 points to 71.9 percent for the month. For area motels, occupancy fell 16.6 points to dip below half full for the first time in recent memory, calculated at 42.7 percent.

The statistics came on the same day that LVCVA board members voted unanimously to postpone its $890 million Las Vegas Convention Center enhancement project. The LVCVA board also received a report saying that since the fourth quarter of 2008, 340 groups have canceled meetings in Las Vegas, 236,700 room nights have been lost, 111,800 visitors stayed away and the local economy suffered a $131.6 million hit.

Terry Jicinsky, the LVCVA’s senior vice president of marketing, said those figures were based on a survey of Las Vegas properties. He said some organizations blamed the cancellations on the weak economy, but some said it was due to the public perception of conducting meetings in Las Vegas.

Several LVCVA officials left for Washington this afternoon to meet with government leaders about perceptions of Las Vegas.

Convention attendance in January showed continued erosion of the meetings industry, which Las Vegas has dominated for years.

The LVCVA statistical report said in January there were 1,368 meetings, 19.5 percent fewer than in January 2008, and attendance at those shows was 538,415, 20.6 percent off from the previous year.

But the lower average daily room rate and the reduced citywide resort occupancy were even more troubling for industry observers. Weekend occupancy was down 3.2 points to 79.7 percent and midweek occupancy was down 18.1 points to 67.6 percent. Just two years ago, Las Vegas enjoyed occupancy rates in the high 80s and low 90s.

The average daily room rate hit $104.89, creeping toward $100, a level that hasn’t been seen in Las Vegas ADR since December 2005.

Lower room rates translate into lower room tax receipts, a key factor in the LVCVA board’s decision to postpone the Convention Center project until at least the second quarter of 2010.

Brenda Siddall, the LVCVA’s vice president of finance, told board members that the LVCVA is facing a $53 million shortfall in room tax revenue in the next fiscal year as a result of the slumping economy. Although the LVCVA plans to cut operating expenses by 3 percent, it still wouldn’t be enough to offset the additional capital expenses and debt. Rather than risk default, board members reluctantly decided to suspend the project.

The LVCVA already has spent 15.7 percent of the project budget – $140 million – on the program to date. Workers already have completed a Metro substation, the refurbishing of one meeting room established as a prototype for the rest of the project, the paving of a parking lot and the design of the first two phases of renovations. The design of the third phase of renovations is about 90 percent complete, Terry Miller of HNTB Architects, which is coordinating the project, told the board.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/mar/10/tourism-las-vegas-falls-119-percent-january/

Cubans applaud U.S. bill easing trade, travel

By Rosa Tania Valdes

HAVANA, March 10 (Reuters) - Cubans applauded on Tuesday the passage of a bill by the U.S. Congress that would ease some travel and trade restrictions against the communist island, but said they hope for more changes under President Barack Obama.

The bill, which appropriates $410 billion to fund the U.S. government, includes provisions allowing Cuban-Americans to visit their families in Cuba more frequently and makes it easier to sell agricultural and medical goods to Cuba.

It undoes some Bush administration rules that toughened the 47-year-old U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, a Cold War policy which Havana blames for the perennial economic woes afflicting the island just 90 miles (145 km) from Florida.

"I'm happy they are easing the rules so the Cubans can come. Families should not have to suffer because of political disputes between governments," teacher Hugo Alfonso told Reuters in Havana.

"Cubans have suffered the embargo for many years and (President George W.) Bush tightened the rope. Now is the time to improve relations between the two countries," he said.

In Miami, there were mixed reactions from the Cuban exile community, which is split between those who favor greater contact and opening between Washington and Havana and some anti-communist hard-liners who oppose any easing of U.S. sanctions on Cuba under the rule of Fidel and Raul Castro.

The bill, which Obama still must sign into law, would allow Cuban-Americans to visit the island annually instead of once every three years as the Bush government mandated. They could also stay longer than the current two weeks.

"People-to-people contact is the number one factor of change in a closed society like the one in Cuba. It's also the right of a Cuban to be able to return to his country," Ramon Saul Sanchez, head of the Democracy Movement, said in Miami.

But he urged President Obama to use his authority to completely lift restrictions on travel. "He can do it with the stroke of a pen," he said.

RAISED HOPES

The bill also would permit marketers and sellers of agricultural and medical products, which are exempted from the embargo, to travel more easily to Cuba.

"It will be something good that will improve commerce with the United States," 19-year-old Arnier Negrin said in Havana. "I hope they change other things, but I'm not too optimistic."

But in Miami, anti-Castro Cuban exile TV and radio commentator Ninoska Perez criticized the steps contained in the bill as "rewarding a 50-year-old dictatorship".

http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN1043162820090311

AirTran Airways launches new service between Baltimore and Cancun

Mar 09, 2009 (AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION via COMTEX) -- AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings Inc (NYSE: AAI), has announced that it has launched non-stop service between Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Baltimore, Maryland, and Cancun Airport International in Cancun, Mexico.

The service, which will operate on Saturdays and Sundays, was launched by AirTran Airways on 7 March, but did not operate on 8 March.

Flight 84 will depart Baltimore at 11:35 on Saturdays and Sundays and arrive in Cancun at 14:00, while return flight 85 will depart Cancun at 14:25 on Saturdays and Sundays and arrive in Baltimore at 19:10.

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2212661/

Arenas Blanca Hotel in Varadero, Cuba

The Arenas Blancas hotel is an All Inclusive Resort with an attractive collection of buildings and gardens featuring the purest blue of the Caribbean and white sands of Varadero. This resort is a gift to enjoy your stay in Cuba. 434 rooms, 358 in the hotel (4 of them are suites and other 4 have been specially designed for disable guests) and 76 in the bungalows ( with 2 junior suites and 4 double standard superior). Arenas Blancas Solymar is close to the sea and scattered among green gardens and provides comfortable accommodations, good services and a variety of nautical sports.

Travel Varadero

Families get a break: New resort packages can make this spring a season to remember

By Michael Nassar

Spring break may be a cherished tradition for schoolchildren of all ages, but it’s also synonymous with the annual migration to the sun by hordes of hormonally charged college students going wild at the usual hot spots — Cancun; Panama City Beach, Fla., and South Padre Island, Tex.

Yet there’s an upside to the madness — especially if you have younger kids underfoot for a week: The rest of the country gets pretty quiet. (Even onetime spring-break fave Fort Lauderdale famously gave revelers the boot recently in an effort to change its image.)

So if you’re looking for a spring vacation to satisfy kids large and small, take heart — here are some alternatives that don’t involve wet T-shirts or Jell-O shots. And with the discounts and deals being offered to attract wary travelers, spring break doesn’t have to mean spring broke.

Bargains for living la vida Boca

Boca Raton Resort & Club has long been one of Florida’s favorite resort destinations, but now you can take advantage of a Winter Escape package starting at just $299 per night through April. Guests also can earn $50 in resort credit for every second night of their stay, along with discounted golf, spa treatments and free breakfast for kids 10 and under.

Built in 1926 with Mediterranean-style architecture, the resort features a half-mile private beach, 30 tennis courts and seven pools — including an infinity-edge Atlantic pool and a zero-entry family pool ideal for younger children.

Feel at ease stretching out at Spa Palazzo, secure in the fact that the kids are enjoying an enriching and educational day in Camp Boca. This day camp focuses on fun and safety, offering numerous activities (a booking for the Winter Escape earns a free day session). All parents receive a beeper with a 60-mile radius to ensure constant communication.

Afterward, the family can reunite for movie screenings, frozen hot chocolate tastings or family bingo.
Or, eco-conscious families can tour the Everglades on an airboat, experiencing Florida the way it used to be (www.cypressairboats.com).

Better yet, send the little nippers to bed early and take advantage of the resort’s dance lessons, or an organized evening of drinks and card games. For information, go to www.bocabeachclub.com.

Southern comforts

The weather outside might still be frightful, but in Charleston, S.C., life can be really delightful. One of America’s favorite Southern cities, Charleston has a cure for spring fever with its warm climate and affordable accommodations.

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/travel/2009/03/08/2009-03-08_families_get_a_break_new_resort_packages.html

QE2's Dubai owners: No plans to sell cruise ship

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Dubai developer that bought the QE2 says it remains committed to renovating the British cruise ship.

State-owned Nakheel has been hounded by press and blog speculation that it may shelve plans to turn the storied ocean liner into a luxury hotel because of a lack of funds.

The company has cut staff and postponed several projects, including a tower planned to be the world's tallest and a high-end hotel being built with Donald Trump.

Nakheel said in a statement Sunday it is examining the ship ahead of restoration but has no plans to sell it or operate it again as a cruise liner. The ship is currently moored at Port Rashid in downtown Dubai.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gukZ2XaCrq2uls8uGf6E2GqYgU0QD96POOUO2

$2.3B Encore Las Vegas offers extravagance at every turn

By Chris Gray

What's new: Encore Las Vegas

Claim to fame: The latest from flamboyant Vegas mogul Steve Wynn, the bronze-colored glass, $2.3 billion Encore tower rises above the Strip next to its sibling, Wynn Las Vegas. Connected by The Esplanade, an upscale mall featuring stores such as Hermès and Rock & Republic, the two resort/casinos are meant to complement each other (the Wynn has a larger footprint, while the Encore tower is one story higher).

Vital statistics: 2,034 rooms. The standard resort suites start at 700 square feet, larger than those at the Wynn. More luxurious Tower suites have a separate check-in desk and concierge service.

CITY GUIDE: Las Vegas lodging, dining, more

The scene: Steve Wynn built his reputation on extravagance, and the Encore, which opened in late December, bursts with pre-recessionary flame-colored glam. Butterflies flit as a motif throughout the casino — inlaid as floor mosaics, embedded into carpet designs, and hanging as glittering red crystal sculptures from the ceiling outside the Encore theater (where comedian Danny Gans is ensconced). Opulent touches range from the sweeping multitiered Venetian red glass chandeliers lighting the casino chambers to the glass peacocks guarding high-roller rooms. While the crowd seemed older and more international than that at the Wynn, the Sunday-night lines for XS — an immense indoor/outdoor nightclub where bottle service starts at $450 — was flush with hot young(ish) things in tight black dresses.

Bedding down: Luxury lovers won't be disappointed by Encore's suite-like rooms, which boast floor-to-ceiling windows, mirrored walls and cushy king beds with 310-thread-count linens. A divider wall holding a swiveling flat-screen TV separates the bedroom from a living room containing an L-shaped sofa and work area. A control panel for drapes, sheers and lights is conveniently placed bedside. Bathrooms are sumptuous, with dual sinks, separate shower and soaking tub and another TV that is set into the wall. Minibar amenities include a $30 "intimacy kit." Ask for a high-level, even-numbered room for Strip views. Amid the elegance, a burn mark on the new desk was jarring, as were the thin walls — conversations (as well as some bodily functions) upstairs and next door were easily heard.

Who will like it: Those seeking a more boutique casino experience. Natural light filters throughout the building, giving Encore an airier atmosphere than other Vegas gaming rooms. The casino floor is partitioned by columns and drapes into more intimate Monaco-style salons, adding to the exclusive feel.

Who won't: Encore's relative quiet may turn off gamblers who flourish on the buzz of an open casino floor. (On the other hand, the casino's smaller size makes it easier to flag down free cocktails.) Vegas lovers who like to be in the thick of things may dislike Encore's north Strip location, although the Fashion Show Mall is right across the street.

Wining & dining: No buffets here. Most of Encore's five restaurants are aimed at high rollers, with $30-$40 entrees the norm. At Switch, diners can watch the walls change colors and décor, while at the Italian restaurant Sinatra, patrons can ogle an Oscar, Emmy and Grammy won by the crooner. More reasonable pan-Asian fare is available at Wazuzu, where a 27-foot Swarovski crystal dragon hangs on the wall.

Indulgences: With 51 treatment rooms and $150 for a 50-minute massage, the 61,000 -square-foot spa provides plenty of escapist options for those who can ignore a plummeting Dow. When the weather heats up, start your weekend wet by renting a $400 poolside private cabana with plasma TV at the "European" (topless) pool.

The deal: The hotel's website offers midweek rates ranging from $159-$252, with a resort credit of $50 for two or more nights. Recent customers who scored $109 midweek deals at Wynn through Hotwire.com were "upgraded" to Encore at no additional charge. (In a reversal from its opening, rooms at Encore currently cost less than Wynn's.)

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/hotels/2009-03-05-encore-las-vegas_N.htm

Australia and NZ positive source for British Columbia

A large number of Australian and New Zealand travellers chose British Columbia, Canada as their destination in 2008 according to Tourism British Columbia.

Destinations in the region include Vancouver, Whistler and Victoria amongst 130 other cities, towns and mountain resorts such as Vancouver Island and the Okanagan and the Rockies.

Australian visitors to British Columbia increased 11.6% last year with 160,667 overnight customs entries and New Zealand visitors increased by 28.2% with 33,615 overnight customs entries.

For those interested in the destination, Tourism British Columbia has a website for Australian and New Zealand travellers and agents.

The website, www.BritishColumbia.travel, features information on where to go, what to see, maps, photos and travel tips essential to all visitors.

Visitors to the website can also discover the diverse array of activities available including snowboarding, hiking, ocean kayaking, whale watching, mountain biking and hot springs.

http://www.etravelblackboard.com/showarticle.asp?id=89304&nav=21

Jonas Brothers Visit Las Vegas Fans As Part Of Movie Promotion

As part of a promotion for their new movie: Jonas Brothers: 3D Concert Experience, the famed brothers are supposed to visit random theaters to meet with fans. That's exactly what they did on March 1 when they showed up at Las Vegas' Town Square.

"They snuck in and sat down with the crowd like they were regular people," an eyewitness told In Touch. "Everyone freaked out when they saw who sat next to them!"

It was Kevin Jonas, 21, Nick Jonas, 16, and Joe Jonas, 19 in the flesh! Of course the fans were extremely excited to see them and the boys took a minute to offer a few words to everyone.

"They went to the front of the theater and thanked everyone for coming," the onlooker said.

Definitely sounds like a perk for Jonas Brothers lovers everywhere.

http://www.timesoftheinternet.com/52439.html

Las Vegas gears up for Extreme Makeover Home Edition

A big rally on Fremont Street Tuesday night to welcome Extreme Makeover Home Edition to Las Vegas.

They'll be re-building a home for a local family, but they haven't announced which family they'll help.

We'll find out in just one week.

Tuesday night it was all about the volunteers and getting them geared up for hours of hard work.

Volunteers that were found in a crowd of hundreds at the rally.

Yet executive producer for the show, Conrad Ricketts, still encouraged even more to head to the tables and sign up.

"Everybody comes into it thinking they're going to change someone else's life but in the process they end up changing their own life," Ricketts says.

Starting next week, the extreme crew comes in, excites a town, builds a house, and does it all in seven days.

The builders, Wright Custom Home, haven't seen the designs yet, but they have hundreds of volunteers.

"At first it was 500 but we've been getting a flood of people from the community," Daniel Bartlett, with Wright Custom Home, says.

Volunteers like 11-year old Emily.

"You know that you're helping people that really need Extreme Makeover," she says.

Even Mayor Goodman himself said he'll help.

"He's going to give me a paint brush and I might take a little bit of broad brush," Mayor Goodman says.

While no one knows who the lucky family will be, they're ready to work and change the life of a stranger.

They will surprise the family at their house next Tuesday March 10th and then the demolition begins on the 12th.

http://www.ktnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9942771

Las Vegas Homes Keep Getting Cheaper

The median price paid for Las Vegas region homes fell to $159,000 in January - the lowest since spring 2002 - as foreclosures' share of the resale market hit 73%. Lower prices triggered enough home sales to surpass the year-ago transaction level for the fifth consecutive month, a real estate information service reported.

A total of 3,127 new and resale houses and condos closed escrow in the Las Vegas-Paradise metro area (Clark County) in January, down 21.8% from December but up 24.8% from January 2008, according to MDA DataQuick. The San Diego-based firm tracks real estate trends nationally via public property records.

January marked the 10th consecutive month in which sales of existing single-family detached houses rose on a year-over-year basis, while resale condos have seen an annual sales gain for seven straight months. Total home sales, which have suffered from the decline in new-home construction, climbed above the year-ago mark for the fifth consecutive month but were the lowest for a January since 2000.

The 249 new homes sold - detached houses and condos combined - marked a record low for any month in DataQuick's complete Las Vegas statistics, which go back to 1994.

The median price paid for all homes sold in the Las Vegas metro area fell to $159,000 in January, down 9.1% from $175,000 in December and down 37.6% from $254,990 in January 2008. The January 2009 median's 37.6% year-over-year decline is a record for any month in DataQuick's Las Vegas statistics.

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10467178/1/las-vegas-homes-keep-getting-cheaper.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN

Add-on software apps make iPhone a great travel partner

By Roger Yu

Tech-savvy road warriors are enjoying a new era of handheld computing as more sophisticated smartphone software floods the market.

The iPhone, in particular, has amassed more than 900 applications targeting business or leisure travelers. Many applications are free, and others range from 99 cents to $19.99.

Unlike desktop software, iPhone applications are relatively simple tools that don't require hours to learn. Most rely on the phone's embedded GPS chip to tailor information to a traveler's current location, such as spotting nearby Starbucks, Wi-Fi hot spot, police radar, restaurants and taxi companies. Others transform traditional travel tools — foreign language phrase books, city guidebooks, restaurant tip cheat sheets — and render them digitally.

We recently tried several of the most popular iPhone travel applications. Here's what we found:

FlightTrack
Provides real-time flight status with scheduled departure and landing times, as well as actual takeoff and projected landing.

Travelers can save their flight schedules and check for cancellations and delays when encountering bad weather. They also can search for flights by airline, flight number or date.

Its live flight maps show weather radar, provide information on aircraft type, speed and altitude. Price: $4.99

WorldView Live

Promises the "world in your pocket" by showing video streams from 6,000 webcams worldwide.

Search for a place nearby or browse through popular locations. Images are small and often grainy, especially at night.

It's an ideal toy for tourists wishing to get a sense of the weather at their destinations, or for armchair travelers stuck in their work cubicles. You can stare at downtown Moscow or Newport Beach in California. WorldView isn't necessary for business travelers, but it's a fun time-waster. Price: $2.99

Babelingo

Contains 300 useful phrases and words in 11 languages.

You can find a phrase by using key words and tapping a button to translate. Its unique feature is the large, clear script of translated phrases that can be read easily from a distance. Need help? Just show your iPhone — with the translated phrase — to the store clerk or taxi driver.

Its selection of phrases is limited, however. There was no phrase containing "ambulance," for instance. Only one phrase containing "bank" showed up in our search. Price: $3.99

Rocket Taxi

Find a cab from its database of 17,500 taxi companies.

A local search in Northern Virginia, for instance, found more than 80 taxi companies within 12 miles. It's not always helpful when trying to distinguish the quality of service. Customers can leave their feedback by rating companies on a 5-star scale. But only two of the 80 companies in our search were rated.

It can also roughly calculate the estimated fare. Even if it's just an estimate, it's nice to know the ballpark figure before hopping in and taking off. Price: $1.99

Where

Finds local points of interest using your current location. It pinpoints on a map the nearby Starbucks, Zipcars parking spots, hotels, gas stations (with prices), local concerts — and even friends who are in your network.

It's the only traveler's application among the ones tested that contained flash ads, which could explain its slow download speed.

It also contains information that road warriors may find irrelevant, such as random photos from people nearby, user polls and constellation maps. Free

Zagat To Go '09

Access to Zagat's ratings and reviews for more than 40,000 restaurants, hotels, nightspots and shops in more than 100 countries.

Its advance search feature lets users select places by specific criteria, including food, décor and features such as "Child Friendly" or "Business Dining." Users can make reservations online for some restaurants. Ideal for those familiar with Zagat's 30-point scale. Its reviews also include a short, descriptive paragraph that highlights selected quotes from reviewers' comments. Price: $9.99

TravelTracker:

Stores information about your flight, hotel reservation, car rental and appointments in one place for easy referral. It also provides current flight status, finds Amtrak stations, shows a plane's seating chart and tracks frequent-flier miles. You can type in travel spending as you go, and it tracks and categorizes your expenses.

Travelers using TripIt.com, an online travel organization tool, can download their stored information to TravelTracker. Hyper-organized travelers may enjoy all the functions, but it could involve too much data input for those who travel simply. Price: $19.99

Global Wi-Fi Finder:

As the name implies, it uses GPS to find nearby public Wi-Fi hot spots. The list tells whether the hot spot is free or pay-only service, the distance and contact information for the host sites, which are typically hotels, restaurants or cafes. You can filter your search by distance, ranging from 300 feet to 40 miles. Free

Local Eats:

Reviews of 100 best nearby restaurants, based on your GPS location, by "serious diners" and "hopelessly hooked restaurant habitués," according to its description. Users can also search by "Best of" categories, such as "Best Japanese/sushi" or "Best brunch." You'll have to take their word for it because many entries don't contain customer reviews. Price: 99 cents

Excess Baggage:

A simple application that lists 26 domestic airlines' policies on checked luggage. It shows what extra, overweight and oversize bags cost to check. Use it to decide between packing an extra or overweight bag. Price: $1.99

Simultravel GPS Lite:

Displays an interactive map of hotels near you with their rates on the day of search. Derives prices of over 35,000 hotels from Priceline. But in a recent trial, it priced a local Hilton Garden Inn at $216. A search in Hilton.com for the same hotel turned up $209. A similar comparison for a room at a local Marriott Residence Inn showed $209, while Marriott.com quoted $242. Free

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2009-03-02-iphone-travel-apps_N.htm

DubaiLand in Dubai: The Next Big Theme Park

Dubailand is an entertainment complex under development in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which is owned by Tatweer (which belongs to Dubai Holding). Construction of Dubailand has been divided into four phases. Work is currently being carried out on phase one of the project which is expected to see completion some time between 2008 and 2010.

The Dubailand project was officially announced on October 23, 2003. Dubailand will be 278 km²/107 mile² and will include 45 "mega projects" and 200 sub projects. To date, there are currently 22 projects under development. It will be twice the size of Walt Disney World, and will be the largest collection of theme parks in the world; however, no theme park in Dubailand will surpass Disney's Animal Kingdom (located at Walt Disney World) as the world's largest theme park. Private reaction towards the project has been positive and Dubai has exceeded the $4.9 billion private investment figure it expected on the entire project by collecting approximately $6 billion from the private sector for the first phase.

The first of four phases comprising the development of Dubailand will be completed in early 2008 since the developers decided to extend the park by 50% subsequently bumping up its completion date. Completion of the final phase is targeted for some time between 2015 and 2018. Dubailand is seen by its designers as a city and therefore like a city they expect it to continue to grow and develop beyond the four phase plan.

Sahara Kingdom theme park, situated in the Attractions & Experience World, will cover 460,000 m2 (4,951,399 sq ft) and will combine high end virtual and physical theme park rides, attractions such as a state of the art gaming zone, IMAX theater, and integrated live and virtual entertainment shows, together with a retail zone, four hotels and residential accommodation. The theme of the development is traditional Arabia folklore and the tales of One Thousand and One Nights. Sahara Kingdom is due for completion in October 2010.

On January 19, 2008, Dreamworks announced plans to build a Dreamworks park in Dubailand.

On March 4, 2008, Tatweer announced a strategic alliance with Six Flags to build a 5,000,000 square feet (460,000 m2) Six Flags Dubailand theme park. The theme park is scheduled to break ground sometime in 2009.

On May 1, 2008, Tatweer announced the launch of Freej Dubailand. Freej Dubailand will boast hotels totalling 2,600 keys, and feature retail, food and beverage outlets, as well as a spectrum of entertainment attractions.

On May 2, 2008, announced the finalization of the design and conceptual master plan for a Marvel Superheroes theme park, the first of its kind. It will include 17 rides and attractions on a 4,500,000 square foot development. It will also comprise nine retail outlets on an area of 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2). Over 40 food and beverage outlets, including carts merchandising light refreshments, will be developed over 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2). area. Groundbreaking for the project is expected to be conducted in the first quarter of 2009, with the theme park scheduled to open doors on 31 December, 2012.

On May 6, 2008, Tatweer announced a strategic alliance with Merlin Entertainments Group to build a Legoland park in Dubailand. The project will cost Dh912 million, occupy a total of 3,000,000 sq ft (278,709 m2), and will feature more than 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions geared towards families with children ages 2 to 12. The park will open at the end of 2011.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubailand

Jamaica, Belize air services deal on hold

KINGSTON, Jamaica, March 2, 2009 - Implementation of the a bilateral air services agreement signed by Jamaica and Brazil has been put on hold pending, among other things, the divestment of the national carrier, Air Jamaica.

The agreement was inked in December 2007, by Transport and Works Minister, Michael Henry, and then Brazilian Ambassador to Jamaica, Cezar Augusto De Souza Lima, signaling the culmination of negotiations on a draft, which was reached in 2006. It establishes the regulatory framework, which will, among other things, facilitate scheduled commercial passenger and cargo flights between the South American country and Jamaica.

However, while confirming that the agreement remains intact, Communications Consultant with the Ministry of Transport and Works Reginald Allen said that little else has taken place since the signing, which, primarily, paves the way for further discussions involving representatives of Air Jamaica, or any other local carrier, and their Brazilian counterparts in mapping out the attendant logistics.

Air Jamaica's Senior Director for Government and Community Affairs, William Rodgers, said the airline is yet to engage any Brazilian counterpart in dialogue on the matter. This, he points out, is against the background of Air Jamaica's impending divestment, and to see how best the fortunes of the state-run entity, which has been operating at a loss for several years, can be reversed.

"We are going through that divestment process, which, I am sure, once we know where we are going, then discussions could be explored for the for the future expansion of the airline. So the door is open (for talks)," he said.

"Right now, we have been consolidating and dropping unprofitable routes. With the sort of losses that Air Jamaica has been incurring, we have been a bit reluctant to explore new routes. We need to know where we are going as a carrier before such discussions could take place," the airline executive added.

Last year, Prime Minister, Bruce Golding announced a March 31 date for the proposed divestment, which is being led by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Senator Don Wehby.

In addition to the divestment, Rodgers, who was a member of the Air Policy Committee which spearheaded the negotiated agreement, pointed out that there still needed to undertake route and economic surveys to assess the viability of the service, in order to effect implementation of the provisions.

"So, even though the agreement is in place, there are on the ground logistics that have to be undertaken to determine the feasibility of having that service in place. Also, (it) would centre around us having the right equipment to fly long distances into these areas, and the sort of frequency that would be necessary to maintain a viable route," he explains, adding that no service will commence until there is further dialogue among stakeholders.

In addition to commercial passenger and cargo services, the agreement seeks to facilitate code sharing among the designated stakeholder airlines, and a chance for the exploration of Jamaica as an alternative gateway for connecting flights between North and South America. It further seeks to encourage the promotion of fair play among all interests, while discouraging discrimination and abuse of dominant positions.


http://www.caribbean360.com/News/Caribbean/Stories/2009/03/02/NEWS0000006985.html

SU cautions students vacationing in Mexico

By Bethany Bump

Syracuse University and other colleges across the United States are warning students planning to travel to Mexico for Spring Break of a swell in drug-related violence and kidnappings.

SU issued a news alert Thursday to students, faculty and staff with an excerpt of the U.S. State Department's travel alert pertaining to Mexico and safe travel tips for students.

"While millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year … violence in the country has increased recently. It is imperative that travelers understand the risks of travel to Mexico, how best to avoid dangerous situations, and whom to contact if one becomes a crime victim," the alert read.

Kevin Morrow, university spokesman, said with Spring Break approaching, the university felt it was important to inform the campus community of the State Department's message, especially for those individuals making travel plans now.

"This isn't a message saying stay away from Mexico," Morrow said. "We're saying if you do plan to visit Mexico, these are some troubling situations going on in that country right now and here are some tips to take into consideration."

More than 100,000 U.S. teenagers and young adults travel to resort areas throughout Mexico over Spring Break each year, according to the State Department's Web site.

Acapulco and Cancun, popular Spring Break destinations, have seen increased drug-related violence recently, according to the department. Though, violence has not been targeted at foreign residents or tourists.

Increased fighting among drug cartels has led to massacres and dumping of beheaded bodies in the streets, according to the travel alert. More than 6,000 people were killed in drug violence in Mexico last year, it said. Despite this bloodletting, 23 million tourists visited Mexico in 2008, an increase of 5.9 percent from last year, according to Mexico's Tourism Department.

The greatest increase in violence has occurred near the U.S. border, according to the State Department's travel alert. Bystanders have been injured and killed in violent attacks across the country, the alert added, warning of a more likely risk of violence in public places.

Brian Connolly, a junior finance and accounting major, will be spending Spring Break in Cancun at a resort with three other friends. He said he took into consideration SU's alert, but that he still plans on going because he has already paid for the trip.

"I'll be at the resort where I plan on staying," Connolly said. "I plan to stay with a group of friends there and not go off the resort to avoid the violence. No one's going to be by themselves."

Connolly said he knew Mexico was not safe in terms of drug trafficking, but he didn't realize until just recently the number of kidnappings and drug deals occurring. He said as long as he stays on the resort, he and his friends aren't worried.

"I don't consider the risk large enough to not go," he said.

http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2009/03/02/News/Su.Cautions.Students.Vacationing.In.Mexico-3654995.shtml

Dubai's Union Properties theme park put on hold

DUBAI, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Dubai-based Union Properties UPRO.DU said on Thursday its has suspended its $460 million Formula One theme park due to the financial crisis and drying up of liquidity from banks.

"The suspension will delay the opening of the Formula One entertainment concept until 2010," it said in a statement on the project which was scheduled to be completed in 2009.

"The project is founded on a strong business model that withstands recession whilst allowing for the future growth of Dubai," Penny Fischer, marketing director for F1-X said in a statement.

"With construction more than 50 percent complete, the core of international expertise on the ground and operational plans virtually complete, it is hard to believe that a financial partner will not come forward in the coming days or weeks to capitalise on the opportunity," Fisher said.

F1-X is part of Union Properties' MotorCity project.

Dubai's once-booming property sector has been hit hard by the financial crisis, which triggered a drop in property prices that has forced real estate firms to cancel or postpone projects and cut thousands of jobs.

Union Properties made a fourth-quarter loss of 37.6 million dirhams due to lower land sales. (Reporting by Jason Benham; Editing by Greg Mahlich)

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSLQ86125820090226

Yucatan city of Playa del Carmen, Cape Cod share few common virtues

by Paul Gauvin

Playa del Carmen, Mexico – This city of a bit more than 100,000 people and the town of Hyannis have a couple of things in common. They are both situated on spits of land jutting out to sea, boast fine beaches and survive mostly on tourism.
There the similarities fade. Weather here is predictable, a sub-tropical 80s average with cooler nights. Rain is usually a brief cloudburst, and overcast skies are a real rarity.

The majority of service and construction industries do not require the importation of seasonal help. Here in Playa, the working class is home grown, the progeny of successive generations of what once was, say historians, the magnificent Mayan civilization.

Hmmm. What does that say of the Cape’s “snowbirds” who escape the blahs each year by flocking like Canada geese to kinder, gentler climes, as Bush the Father might say?

And, more to the point this time of year, the weather. The Cape Cod Times compared this year’s frigid, gray, slushy, ugly, lousy weather to Gran Marais, Michigan, where snow is five feet high and temps below zero…in effect calling complaining Cape Codders big sissies.

This 80-percent Catholic town on the Yucatan peninsula jutting out into the Gulf of Mexico on one side, and the azure Caribbean on the other, also has one other important – very important – virtue that Cape Cod doesn’t: It has a fantastic public transportation system comprised of very comfortable, cutting-edge buses, clean taxis and a ubiquitous array of vans called “collectivos” that travel hither and yon every five minutes carrying the labor force where it needs to go.

We’ve been traveling here in collectivos, sometimes sitting on a small box or jamming in with the driver in front to get to places like Puerto Aventuras, Tulum, Akumal, Cancun and from one end of Playa del Carmen to the other…which one could just as easily walk if one has a few minutes to spare and/or like many a tourist, ride a bike.

Most workers here, like New Yorkers, don’t own cars, albeit the motor scooter enjoys a healthy market. You see dust-laden construction workers, two per scooter, heading home after a day’s labor.

Seeing this again spurs a recurring thought: I daydream sometimes of a high-speed train running on tracks laid out on the center green belts of our highways, particularly routes 6 and I95 to Providence, through New Bedford and Fall River, two cities with a combined workforce capable of ending the Cape’s need for foreign labor if only quick and inexpensive transportation were available.

The “collectivos” here seat about the same number of passengers as the short-haul Cessnas flying out of the Barnstable Municipal Airport…about nine to a dozen. Travel from Playa del Carmen to Puerto Aventuras, for example, a distance of about 14 miles, is 12 pesos and we’re exchanging for 13 to 14 pesos per dollar at the moment, meaning that 12 pesos is only 83 cents in U.S. currency. From the Cancun airport to Playa, nearly 50 miles, the per-passenger cost is $8 USD. That is compared to about $22 to travel by bus the 50 miles to Boston from Hyannis.

(One episode describes caution in dealing with pesos. One bus ticket seller tried to shortchange me $10 pesos, figuring perhaps I hadn’t been around long enough to figure out the coinage. When confronted about it, however, he quickly paid, with a guilty countenance, the $10 pesos before I made a boisterous issue of it.)

One advantage here is that the currency has no pennies, which the U.S. should also abandon, and people here actually use coin dollars rather than hoard them as do Americans. For the record, paper pesos come in denominations of $20, $50, $100, and $500 while coin values are $1, $2, $5, $10 and $20 pesos.

When it comes to currency under a peso there are only denominations of 20 and 50 centavo coins, meaning the Mexican government coinage makes more sense out of less cents.

http://www.barnstablepatriot.com/home2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17341&Itemid=112

Hollywood Hip Revel in Privacy of Old Chateau Marmont: Travel

by Jason H. Harper

Feb. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The Chateau Marmont is Hollywood’s most notorious hotel, so you could hardly call it a hidden gem. Yet the fanciful 1930s-era mansion is famed for both discretion and privacy, important considerations during paparazzi-mad periods like last week’s run-up to the Oscars.

You arrive at the hotel on a narrow driveway off Sunset Boulevard that leads to a low, hidden garage where a tiny, creaking elevator goes straight up to the main floor.

Otherwise you can hoof it up a gloomy stairway to the lobby and cramped check-in nook. Grand? Not a bit. Yet that’s part of the allure of the place, where the Hollywood history is as thick as the grime on the baseboards.

The Chateau has been run by hotelier Andre Balazs since 1990, and while it was remodeled, it was never homogenized. Akin to New York’s Chelsea Hotel, the grittiness is hallowed.

There’s history here, too. The hotel’s often-naughty guests have included Errol Flynn, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable and James Dean. Led Zeppelin members once drove motorcycles inside, and in 1982 John Belushi overdosed in his garden bungalow.

It’s fair to say that the hotel’s 63 rooms both are and aren’t the point. The bungalows, set near the pool behind a locked fence and high hedges, are 600 square feet and the more private option. There are also one- and two-bedroom suites available. I booked the cheapest room: a standard in the main building for $370.

White, No Clutter

Room 16 is right off the lobby: a big square space with tall ceilings and wooden floors. It’s remarkably clutter-free, with no hanging art on the eggshell walls and otherwise only a white wooden armoire, two old chairs, an antique writing desk and an LG flat-screen television.

The baseboards need a good cleaning and a crawl-space trap door on the bathroom ceiling has oily black finger smudges. The bathroom is redone in marble and has a big shower.

If a bit beaten, there’s plenty of character, and large windows let in gobs of light. I like it much better than, say, the quasi-chic cookie-cutter rooms found at the new Hotel Palomar in Westwood, 15 minutes away.

Unfortunately an irksome beep emanates from an ancient speaker above the door, which I ask to be fixed. In the middle of the night I discover that it hasn’t been. So in the morning I’m moved to a much larger space on a higher floor with a full kitchen, including an antique Wedgewood four-burner stove and classic GE refrigerator. My favorite detail is the green Formica kitchen table.

Savory Bar Food

In the evening, a friend and I stop by Bar Marmont, in a separate building on Sunset. Chef Carolynn Spence used to cook at New York’s Spotted Pig, and the bar food includes very non- L.A. yet savory choices like prunes wrapped in bacon and homemade potato chips. It can be a scene, though it’s quiet this Monday night.

We retire back to the hotel lobby, where waitresses serve cocktails to groups sitting in couches and non-matching chairs. The space is dark and cloistered; you can’t quite make out faces. A host in a long black overcoat says the room is full, yet once he learns we’re guests, the attitude completely changes and within minutes we get seats.

This is one of my favorite things about the Chateau: The staff seems solicitous and protective of even their non-famous guests.

The final morning I take my laptop down to the pool among the other writer-like or movie types tapping at computers or talking quietly into cell phones. Not a single person is wearing a bathing suit.

No wonder so many guests make prolonged stays, choosing the hotel as a West Coast base. You can’t help but feel if you’d just hang out long enough, the Chateau’s secrets would start to reveal themselves. If you don’t mind a bit of grime, that’s pretty beguiling.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=a.VeO7XmFhAg&refer=muse

Boyd Gaming Offers to Buy Station Casinos Assets

By Beth Jinks

Feb. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Boyd Gaming Corp. offered to buy some assets of Station Casinos Inc., the Las Vegas operator that proposed a bankruptcy filing this month, and may be interested in the entire company.

Boyd sent a letter it called a “non-binding preliminary indication of interest” to Station’s directors to acquire all of the company’s assets that do not serve as collateral for secured loans for about $950 million, Boyd said today in a statement. Boyd may offer to buy the rest of Station after a “due diligence review,” it said.

Station, which was taken private by management and private- equity firm Colony Capital LLC in 2007, struggled to pay creditors in a market among the hardest hit by deteriorating home prices and recession-driven job losses. Gambling revenue in Las Vegas last year declined the most on record.

“This value would present a superior recovery to the unsecured creditors of Station versus the current exchange offer” Station made earlier this month, Boyd said today. Station on Feb. 3 offered investors 10 cents to 50 cents on the dollar in secured notes and cash, in exchange for about $2.3 billion of existing bonds.

Boyd, which hired UBS AG as its adviser, said it had about $2 billion available on its revolving credit facility. The $950 million offered is an estimated “enterprise value” of the assets, it said.

‘Will Evaluate’ Plan

“We intend to continue to work with our lenders and bondholders to pursue our previously proposed plan of reorganization, but we will evaluate the terms of Boyd Gaming’s proposal,” Station spokeswoman Lori Nelson said in an e-mail.

Both Station and Boyd are headquartered in Las Vegas and operate casinos that market themselves to local gamblers. Some of Boyd’s 16 casinos are located in New Jersey, Mississippi, Illinois, Indiana, and Louisiana, while all of Station’s 18 gambling facilities are in the Las Vegas area.

Station Casinos on Feb. 3 proposed filing for bankruptcy in collaboration with lenders, in a restructuring to be voted on by March 2. Some secured lenders have agreed to support the plan, the company said.

The buyout offer and bankruptcy proposal came 15 months after Station’s takeover by the Fertitta family and Colony Capital. The company’s casinos include Red Rock Casino and the 3-month-old Aliante Station.

Bankruptcy Proposal

As part of the proposal, affiliates of the Fertitta family and billionaire Tom Barrack’s Colony Capital have agreed to invest as much as $244 million to maintain their current ownership stakes. The family and Colony paid $90 a share, or $5.4 billion, and assumed about $3.3 billion in debt to acquire Station.

In December, Station abandoned a debt-exchange offer for some senior notes after trying to prod investors to accept a below-face-value cash payment or new, discounted notes with longer maturities. In August, Boyd stopped construction of its $4.75 billion Echelon resort development on the Las Vegas Strip.

Station, founded by Frank Fertitta Jr., started as a Las Vegas bingo hall in 1976 and grew into a casino company focused on attracting gamblers who live and work in Nevada’s Clark County, where the population more than doubled between 1990 and 2006.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aJTpB8QXOa2k&refer=us

Hard Times, High Fares

By AYSE BAYBARS

I miss the nineties. Back then, besides having boy bands and great television shows, traveling by plane was almost a pleasant experience. I could carry-on more than just the clothes on my back, a laptop, and a book. Food and non-alcoholic beverages were both free. Go on a flight nowadays, and you find yourself thirsty, hungry, and possibly bereft of clothes when the airline loses your checked baggage.

I don’t, however, miss the higher airfares. Over the last decade, plane ticket prices have become ridiculously low-priced—on the whole, airfares have dropped an average of 30 percent since 1990. It’s easy to get used to paying less; when fares aren’t as low, the public is outraged and accuses airline executives of lining their pockets.

Given the present economic situation, this attitude is irrational. Raising airfares under the circumstances makes sense as airline companies feel the financial strain due to bad money management, raised fuel prices, and the loss of confidence in air-travel after 9/11. There is a fundamental problem with the entitlement the public feels regarding low airfares—flying a commercial aircraft is expensive, and when low ticket prices are coupled with overall financial strain, airline companies lack the means for the necessary aircrafts, pilots, and crew.

While it’s mildly annoying that we must now pay for food, drinks and checked baggage—which is usually our only option when overhead compartments are too small or flights are so full that we can barely fit our carry-on bags in the space provided—any slack in the system of efficient service is even more distressing.

The financial woes of airlines are particularly noticeable during emergency situations, when any lack of resources becomes obvious. On February 15, 2007, passengers on JetBlue’s Flight 751 to Cancun, Mexico were trapped on the runway for eight hours when a snowstorm delayed their flight. The logical conclusion in most weather-related delays is to have passengers sit in the terminal until the plane is ready to take off; although not an ideal situation, it is still preferable to being trapped in a stuffy airplane. In the case of Flight 751, however, passengers remained stranded on the runway and unable to reenter the terminal because not a single gate was available.

Airlines need to pay over $1 million to airports in gate fees to have ample space for their aircraft—including extra aircraft for emergencies. When airlines face so much financial strain that even water costs money, it’s clear that airlines do not have the means to pay airports for as many gates as are necessary to accommodate delayed flights. Disasters like JetBlue Flight 751 are the result.

Somehow, airlines need to find a means to increase their revenue. Whether this comes from raising food, beverage, and baggage fees—perhaps now pillows, blankets, and even air will cost money!—or from increasing airfares themselves, is up to the airlines.

The more logical and practical option is to increase airfares, despite the frustration many people will undoubtedly feel as they themselves feel the pinch of the economic downturn. Regardless, the public ought to remember that we are not entitled to being flown to our destination of choice for a low price; everyone, including airlines, is affected by the financial crisis. If increasing airfares is the only way to avoid catastrophes like the JetBlue affair, then the public must accept the economic realities of the airline industry and be prepared to shell out just a little more.

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=526686

Going to Mexico for spring break? Read this first

By Ed Walsh

As we approach spring break season, the US State Department is advising young people to use caution when visiting Mexico.

They have issued the following advice and information:

Over 100,000 American teenagers and young adults travel to resort areas throughout Mexico over Spring Break each year. While the vast majority enjoys their vacation without incident, several may die, hundreds will be arrested, and still more will make mistakes that could affect them for the rest of their lives. Using some common sense will help travelers avoid these unpleasant and dangerous situations.

We encourage all U.S. citizens to phone home periodically to assure family members of your safety and inform them of your whereabouts. Remember, whether you travel to Mexico by land, air, or sea, you are entering a foreign country and are subject to the laws and customs regulations of Mexico.

Entry Requirements

Effective January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air to the United States from Mexico, Canada, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, (or if applicable, an Alien Registration Card, form I-551, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document), to enter or re-enter the United States. American citizens can visit http://travel.state.gov or call 1-8... (1-877-487-2778) for information on applying for a U.S. passport. Please see Mexico’s Country Specific Information for complete entry requirements.

Mexican Law

While traveling in Mexico, American citizens are subject to Mexican law. An arrest or accident in Mexico can result in a difficult legal or medical situation, sometimes at a great expense to the traveler. Mexican law can impose harsh penalties for violations that would be considered minor in the United States, and U.S. citizenship in no way exempts one from full prosecution under the Mexican criminal justice system. If U.S. citizens find themselves in legal trouble, they should contact the closest U.S. Consulate, U.S. Consular Agency, or the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. (see "Contact Information" below). U.S. consular officials in Mexico can visit detained American citizens in prison, provide information about the Mexican legal system, and furnish a list of Mexican attorneys, among other assistance. U.S. Consular officials cannot arrange for Mexican officials to release detained American citizens.

Alcohol and Drugs

Excessive alcohol consumption and unruly behavior can lead to serious problems with Mexican authorities. Alcohol is involved in the vast majority of arrests, accidents, violent crimes, rapes, and deaths suffered by American students on Spring Break. Disturbing the peace, lewd or indecent behavior, littering, driving under the influence, drinking on the street or on public transportation, using public transportation without payment, or making obscene or insulting remarks are all considered criminal activities by Mexican authorities. The importation, purchase, possession or use of drugs can incur severe penalties, including imprisonment without bail for up to a year before a case is tried, and imprisonment of several years following a conviction. All individuals 16 years of age or older are tried as adults.

Safety and Security

Standards of security, safety, and supervision may not reach the levels expected in the United States. This has contributed to the deaths of U.S. citizens in automobile accidents, after falls from balconies or into unmarked ditches, by drowning in the ocean as well as in hotel pools, and in water-sports mishaps, among others.

Warning flags on beaches should be taken seriously. If black or red flags are up, do not enter the water. Strong undertow and rough surf are common along beaches throughout Mexico, especially on the Pacific coast, and drownings have occurred when swimmers have been overwhelmed by conditions. Swimming pool drain systems may not comply with U.S. safety standards and swimmers should exercise caution. Do not swim in pools or at beaches without lifeguards. Do not dive into unknown bodies of water, because hidden rocks or shallow depths can cause serious injury or death. If you choose to swim, always exercise extreme caution.

Use only the licensed and regulated "sitio" (SEE-tee-oh) taxis. Some illegitimate taxi drivers are, in fact, criminals in search of victims; users of these taxis have been robbed, kidnapped, and/or raped. Hotels, clubs and restaurants will summon a sitio taxi upon request.

Firearms and Knives

It is best not to carry even a pocketknife into Mexico as this can result in a weapons charge if a knife is found on a traveler who is arrested for a separate offense. Visitors driving across the border should ensure that their vehicles contain no firearms or ammunition. Mexico imposes harsh penalties for bringing as little as one bullet across its borders.

Renting and Operating Vehicles and other Equipment

Visitors should exercise caution when renting vehicles, including jet skis and mopeds. Many are not serviced and in poor condition, and many are uninsured or under-insured. Read rental contracts carefully to be sure your own insurance will cover you in the event of an accident, if the rental company's insurance is not adequate. Drivers of any vehicle, including jet skis and mopeds, should exercise extreme caution and ask the rental agency about local laws and procedures before operating the vehicle. The Department of State has received reports of equipment rental operators using locals to form a “mob” to intimidate customers into paying exorbitant amounts for damage to rented equipment.

Operators of any vehicle that causes damage to other vehicles or injuries to other people may be arrested and held in custody until full payment is made, either in cash or through insurance.

Driving in Mexico

American citizens planning on driving to Mexico should carry a valid driver’s license at all times. U.S. driver’s licenses are valid in Mexico. Mexican law requires that vehicles be driven only by their owners, or that the owner be inside the vehicle. If not, the car may be seized by Mexican customs and will not be returned under any circumstances. We strongly recommend that you purchase a full coverage insurance policy that will cover the cost of bail. Please be aware that if you are involved in an automobile accident, you will be taken into police custody until it is determined who is at fault and whether you have the ability to pay any penalty.

Know Before You Go

The following cities and areas are some traditional destinations in Mexico for travelers on Spring Break. While other resort areas may not be as well-known for this type of travel, the advice contained here still applies:

Acapulco: Drug-related violence has been increasing in Acapulco. Although this violence is not targeted at foreign residents or tourists, U.S. citizens in these areas should be vigilant in their personal safety.

Avoid swimming outside the bay area. Several American citizens have died while swimming in rough surf at the Revolcadero Beach near Acapulco.

Cabo San Lucas: Beaches on the Pacific side of the Baja California Peninsula at Cabo San Lucas are dangerous due to rip tides and rogue waves; hazardous beaches in this area are clearly marked in English and Spanish.

Cancun and Cozumel: Cancun is a fairly large city, approaching 500,000 inhabitants, with increasing reports of crime. Crimes against the person, such as rape, commonly but not exclusively occur at night or in the early morning hours, and often involve alcohol and the nightclub environment. Therefore, it is important to travel in pairs or groups, be aware of surroundings, and take general precautions. To protect against property crimes, valuables should be left in a safe place or not brought at all. If you are a victim of a crime, immediately notify the U.S. Consular Agency in Cancun or Cozumel or the U.S. Consulate in Merida at the telephone numbers provided below.

If you rent a moped or other vehicle in Cancun, it is advisable to purchase third-party insurance, as the insurance offered on some credit cards will not cover you in Mexico. Should you have an accident or cause damage to the vehicle, you may be required to pay the full amount of any repairs, in cash, as determined by the rental agency, or face arrest.

In Cancun, there is often a very strong undertow along the beach from the Hyatt Regency all the way south to Club Med. Already this season, several U.S. citizens have drowned when overwhelmed by ocean conditions. In Cozumel, several drownings and near-drownings have been reported on the east coast, particularly in the Playa San Martin-Chen Rio area.

http://www.examiner.com/x-2026-SF-Gay-Travel-Examiner~y2009m2d22-Going-to-Mexico-for-spring-break---Read-this-first

5 mistakes to avoid when traveling overseas

By Los Angeles Times

Round-trip Los Angeles-London flights for less than $400. Mediterranean cruises for $100 a day. Six-day air-hotel packages to Hong Kong and Singapore for less than $1,500 per person.

With jaw-dropping prices like these, penny pinchers can't go wrong. Or can they?

Amid an avalanche of travel bargains, vacationers who venture abroad can still get stung by surprising fees, unnecessary expenses, unfavorable exchange rates and more. It has to do with how you manage your money.

With that in mind, here are five mistakes that can drain your wallet on a foreign trip -- and how to avoid them:

Ignoring foreign-exchange rates: These are volatile but important. Between the time you book your trip and, say, months later when you take it, your costs on the ground could easily increase or decrease by 15 percent or more, depending on how much the U.S. dollar is worth in other countries' currencies.

During the past five months, the euro, generally used in Western Europe, has roller coastered between about $1.25 and $1.50. In the same time, Britain's pound has steadily plummeted, from nearly $2 to about $1.40, as has Mexico's peso, from about 9 cents to 7 cents, and Canada's dollar, from nearly 90 cents to 80 cents.

A dollar here, a few cents there, and you're spending hundreds more or less than you budgeted.
Less, of course, usually isn't a problem, but if you hate surprises, consider a cruise, a tour or an air-hotel package that includes major expenses such as lodging and meals. Because you pay upfront in U.S. dollars, these costs should remain constant.

If you're willing to take some risk, you might benefit by booking just your flights and first night's hotel, then paying as you go. Over the past few months, as the dollar generally got stronger worldwide, you would have come out ahead. This year? Who knows?

To follow the dollar's daily adventures in foreign-exchange markets, visit Web sites such as www.x-rates.com.

Looking only at exchange rates: Of course, just because the British pound is getting pummeled by the dollar doesn't mean that Britain is suddenly cheaper for Americans to visit than, say, Thailand or Argentina. That's partly because living costs vary.

For quick estimates, check out the U.S. government's per diem allowances for employees dispatched to hundreds of foreign cities. The State Department posts these on its Web site www.state.gov. (Click on "Travel," then choose "Foreign Per Diem Rates" from the drop-down menu.)

The "maximum per diem rate" for each city includes lodging, meals and incidental expenses. Of course, a prudent traveler will spend less, but the rates make useful comparisons.

As of Feb. 2, the per diem for London was $385, compared with Paris ($454), Bangkok, Thailand ($218), Buenos Aires, Argentina ($299), and Vancouver, British Columbia ($250 to $275, depending on the season).

Nearly anywhere in the world, you'll save by spending time outside a country's capital, financial hubs and major resort areas, while meeting more locals and having more authentic cultural experiences. For instance, the U.S. government's per diem for Cardiff, Wales, was $283, about $100 less than for London. In Mexico, the per diem was $300 for Mexico City but only $179 for San Miguel de Allende.

Any short list of cheap or newly cheaper destinations these days -- and there are many -- would include Iceland, which suffered a currency collapse last year; Mexico and Argentina, almost always good values; Hungary; Canada; Thailand; Cambodia, and South Africa.

Dining richly: At home, you surely don't eat every meal out. So why do that when traveling?

Just like here, you'll save a bundle by grabbing food-to-go at groceries and produce markets abroad. Stroll to a park and have a picnic. Eat foods that locals eat. They're nearly always cheaper than Western-style dishes.

If you're big on breakfast, which can easily cost $20 or more at hotels in London, Paris or Singapore, shop for a room rate that includes it. Or explore nearby cafes, where you'll often pay half what the hotel charges and get faster service too.

Taking private transportation: Cab travel is convenient but usually the costliest way to go. Unless you're too jet-lagged or luggage-laden to cope with alternatives, take public transit or shared-ride services, where available, to and from the airport.

The savings can be staggering: about $6 by Tube from Heathrow Airport to central London versus more than $80, plus tip, by taxi. It really pays to study the local transit system before you leave home. Once in the city, take buses and subways. With a little research, you can put together your own bus tour of local highlights for a fraction of the cost of a private one.

Changing money at the airport: You'll nearly always get better rates and pay lower service fees in town. Even more convenient, just shove your debit card into a local ATM machine and get local currency.
But here, too, watch out for fees. Just like in the U.S., you'll probably pay $2 or $3 or more for each ATM withdrawal. And believe it or not, many ATM and credit-card issuers charge "foreign transaction" fees of 1 percent or more to change one currency into another. Check out Capital One's charge cards, which generally don't assess this fee.

As for how to carry cash: In most major destinations, your ATM card should work fine. It can be smart, however, to buy $100 or $200 worth of local currency before you leave home, despite the poorer exchange rate, to cover incidental or unexpected expenses until you can get to an ATM at your destination. And travelers checks are worth carrying too, as a backup.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/business/40032882.html

Las Vegas Art Museum closing next week

By Kristen Peterson

The Las Vegas Art Museum is closing its doors.

The museum will close Feb. 28. Staff and board members say the museum will remain an entity and keep its name so that it can possibly reemerge when the economy improves. Members and docents were notified this afternoon.

“We’ve tried everything to keep this afloat. It’s just a challenging time,” says Patrick Duffy, president to the museum’s board. “The economic climate has eliminated several of our donations and or reduced them significantly.”

The decision comes less than three months after executive director Libby Lumpkin resigned because the board announced that budget cuts would affect salaries and result in possible layoffs.

Lumpkin joined the museum in 2005 and with the board took the institution from a community art center to a contemporary art museum, featuring exhibits that included “Southern California Minimalism,” including work by Robert Irwin, John McCracken and James Turrell; a Frank Gehry exhibit; and “Las Vegas Diaspora: The Emergence of Contemporary Art from the Neon Homeland.”

“Las Vegas Diaspora” featured the work of artists who had studied at UNLV with Dave Hickey.

It’s current exhibit “L.A. Now,” curated by art critic David Pagel, features work by Los Angeles contemporary artists.

The museum formed 59 years ago as an art league. In 1974 it became a fine art museum and in 1997 it moved into the Sahara West Library on 9600 W. Sahara Ave.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/feb/20/economy-leads-closing-las-vegas-art-museum/

Spring break: Should you stay or should you go?

By Helen Anders

A lot of Texans are playing wait-and-see with their spring break plans this year, and the result is a lot of last-minute deals as destinations try to boost their crowds.

In past years, if you didn't have your spring break destination booked by January, you were in danger of not finding a place to stay.

That's not the case this year. There are still plenty of rooms available with prices at or below last year's rates in South Padre Island, Corpus Christi and Galveston, as well as such other spring break destinations as Orlando and Panama City, Fla., and Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Ski resorts in Utah and Colorado also are offering good rates.

Austin-area resorts such as Horseshoe Bay Resort and Hyatt Lost Pines Resort also have deals on the table, hoping to lure people who can't afford to travel far.

Procrastinators who want to go to Cancún, Quintana Roo, might be out of luck, though. There are hotel rooms available, but "air to Mexico is hard to find now," says travel agent Sally Watkins of Century Travel.

Most schools and colleges in Texas have their spring break the week of March 16 this year. Austin's South by Southwest festival is also that week, and some people might be staying for that, if the number of festival volunteers is any indication.

"We had almost twice the number that normally show up" to volunteer, says SXSW publicist Elizabeth Derczo. "Our speculation was that people weren't going to be going out of town at spring break, so they wanted something to do, or perhaps they were out of a job and either wanted to volunteer so they could attend because they couldn't afford to otherwise, or to attend to network and hopefully find a job."

Spring break destinations are keenly aware that the economy is working against them this year, and competition is so fierce that some tourism pitches are starting to sound like political campaigns.

In one television interview, Corpus Christi Beach Hotels Sales Director Carla Ligon said that city expects heavy spring break bookings because hurricanes hit both South Padre Island and Galveston last year, and "we are truly the only beach destination in Texas."

That's not the case. South Padre Island's beaches are in good shape . Galveston had more erosion, although it has beaches open, including a lot of freshly replenished beaches along the sea wall. The big beaches on the island's west end have been cleaned but are still badly eroded.

Travel agents and student booking companies agree more people are waiting to plan spring break this year.

"For whatever reason, to wait and see about the weather or maybe whether they have any money, the trend seems to be last-minute," says Patrick Evans, spokesman for Dallas-based STA Travel, which books student trips.

Although some Galveston hotels are still filled with disaster workers, the visitor Web site, www.galveston.com, shows numerous rooms available the week of March 16 for between $55 and $120. Weekends are a bit higher. Galveston is primarily a family destination.

South Padre Island, where students predominate during March, has hotel rates similar to last year's - starting about $200 a night booked directly through hotels - although South Padre-based Inertia Tours books seven-night packages in major condo complexes, meals and parties included, starting at about $400 a person.

Inertia President Chad Hart says its bookings are nearly sold out, with most of its students coming from Texas State University-San Marcos, Texas Tech and the University of North Texas rather than the University of Texas.

Overall, though, South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Dan Quandt says, South Padre's bookings are a little behind last year's pace. And last year wasn't a banner year: About 60,000 students visited the beaches in March. Quandt is hoping numbers get to that point this year.

Rates might be staying high because a few big hotels, notably the Sheraton, still haven't reopened after being damaged by Hurricane Dolly. The hotel closest to the spring break stage, the Radisson, changed ownership this year and is now Isla Grand . It still has rooms available at $289 a night, with a maximum of four people per room.

Neither South Padre tourism officials nor tour operators are urging students to visit Mexico while they're in South Texas. A U.S. State Department alert warns about drug violence in the border regions.

Cancún, on the other hand, is a Yucatán tourist haven and isn't included in the State Department alert. Hart says, however, that the destination isn't as popular this year.

"International spring break destination travel is down across the board for spring break by over 50 percent from year," he says. "Parents are pulling back."

On the other hand, STA's Evans says his agency has booked as many trips to Cancún as last year and that Texans have also booked trips to London, Rome and Madrid, where money exchange rates have improved from last year.

Domestically, many destinations, including Orlandoand Lake Havasu City, are offering third or fourth nights free, along with buy-one-get-one-free attraction tickets and "kids eat free" promotions.

In Panama City, Fla., prices are about like last year's, according to Dan Rowe, president of that city's convention and visitors bureau.

"Students are calling around shopping for a deal," Rowe says.

Cancun Hotels, Cancun Travel

http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/travel/02/21/0221springbreak.html

Spring break still goin' strong

NEW YORK -- College students don't seem to be planning staycations for spring break. Bookings to beach destinations are strong, according to travel companies, and volunteering vacations continue to gain steam. Here's how students will be spending their break:

Beaches: Jamaica and, in Mexico, Cancun and Acapulco are top destinations, according to Patrick Evans of STA Travel. About 30,000 revelers are expected to visit Cancun this year, about the same number as last year.
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In the United States, Panama City Beach, Fla., remains a top destination for the college crowd, according to Jason Chute, director of operations for StudentCity.com. Once again the beach hosts mtvU's Spring Break party March 8-21.

Adventure: Demand for trips to Asia and Australia is up, according to Atle Skalleberg of StudentUniverse.com. France, Italy, Spain and the U.K. remain popular, he said.

"The exchange rate is still not great for Americans, but it is a lot better, and that seems to be enough," he said.

Alternatives: Spring break volunteering is growing exponentially.

"We're farther away from Katrina, but President Obama was just elected," said Steven Roy Goodman, educational consultant. "There has been a real resurgence of a spirit of service."

And students can solicit donations to cover the cost of alternative spring breaks, said Goodman.

Jimmy Camacho, 26, a senior at San Diego State, will be working in Honduras to bring clean water access to a village.

About 40 students are going, and many of them are interested in the Peace Corps.

"I think this program was attractive in that it's only a week and not a two-year commitment," Camacho said. "It gives you work experience while allowing you to experience a new country and make a lot of new friends."

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090221/LIVING/902210315/1007/LIVING

Surviving Spring Break in Cancun for adults

by John Frenaye

The beach was pristine. The clear blue water of the lagoon-style pool beckoned. The food was fabulous and the room exquisite.

After years of planning, Brian Mayers was finally able to escape the pressures of his job with the Anne Arundel County, Md., Fire Department to take a well-deserved break from his three kids. He had arranged for the pet, house, and baby sitters. He and his wife were finally headed to the paradise called Cancun to celebrate an anniversary.

But when Mayers landed in the tropical paradise on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, he found he wasn’t alone.

Thousands of spring breakers were also there, waiting to spoil his dream. “They took over the pool, and when they weren’t in the pool they were taking over the bars,” he remembers. “Kids passing out and vomiting all over this luxury property was not what I had in mind. The hotel even removed all of the fire extinguishers because the kids were stealing them.”

Mayers went on to describe the other antics he encountered, ranging from being flashed from the balcony to having other guests pound on his door at 4 a.m., to enduring food fights at the buffet.

What’s an adult to do?

Avoid hot dates. Spring break comes into full swing every year in early March and continues through early May and it is no longer limited to the college crowd. Today’s spring breakers are younger and more apt to be inexperienced in traveling, and in the case of the spring break ritual — drinking. When you book your trip, keep these two months in mind. Your travel agent can discretely inquire about the guests and get a good feel for you. Some subtle questions to ask your travel planner might include:

* How many rooms will accept four people? (Most spring breakers pack as many people in a room as possible.)
* Are there any groups that are booked into the resort? (Sometimes schools and travel agencies will sponsor spring break trips.)
* How many vacant rooms are there now? (Spring break is a coming of age ritual and is typically planned at least 5 to 6 months in advance.)

Grow up. There is a growing segment of the vacation market that caters to the adult community. While spring breakers are technically considered adults, many of these properties require that you be at least 25 to book your trip, and many will not allow more than two per room. You will see very few spring breakers at resorts such as Sandals, Secrets, The Grand Lido or Couples resorts. If you are looking for a family oriented trip, Beaches or Breezes might be the best choice. What tends to separate these from the rest of the pack are inclusions and price. Any of these resorts will set you back a bit, but if you are seeking a civilized vacation, especially during the danger months, look to an adults-only resort that advertises itself as a resort for adults or couples.

Go to sea. Sometimes, the best way to avoid the spring breakers is to get on a boat as they are getting off of a plane. Again, most cruise lines do not accept individual passengers under 25. While a land-based resort may have hundreds of acres and many buildings, a cruise ship is a big floating hotel with 2,000 or more people. While they are very spacious, they are still relatively small and the crews are not very obliging towards behavior that would disrupt another guest. Cruising is still a growing business and they want you to return time and time again, and will go to the extreme to disembark a happy sailor.

Avoid the hotspots. While you probably want to go to a beach, think about avoiding the hot spots for spring break. Currently, Cancun, South Padre Island, Daytona Beach, and Key West are the “in” places for spring break with close to 70 percent of all spring breakers heading to one of those destinations. Why not avoid it entirely and head someplace else? To steer clear of the crowds, look to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico’s Riviera Maya, or even the Bahamas or Bermuda if it is a little later in the season. Hotspots will change, however. Fort Lauderdale went to great lengths to shed its spring break image after the city realized that it did more damage to its reputation than good. Any competent travel consultant will be able to give you a good idea where the kids are heading in any given year.

Complain now. If you somehow end up amid a throng of kids, make your dissatisfaction known at the time. Speak to the manager and ask to be relocated to another part of the resort or to another hotel if needed. It is always best to complain at the time of your displeasure. When you return, it is likely that the details will not be fresh — and possibly embellished since you have been stewing for a while and you will not get the resolve you want. The people who have the power to make you happy and correct the situation are on the boat, or in the hotel. If you still can’t resolve it, then get your agent involved when you return.

With a little common sense and some good planning, you can avoid a spring break disaster. There is no reason that your vacation should end up with pool full of anything more than the crystal clear water and other well-behaved guests.

Water Temperature in Cancun

http://www.examiner.com/x-3804-Baltimore-Family-Travel-Examiner~y2009m2d17-Surviving-Spring-Break-for-adults

Toes in the sand

By TIMOTHY MONAHAN

Sunshine, stiff drinks and miles of open coastline await travelers looking to escape brisk winds and frozen sidewalks this spring break. Students looking for the best way to battle the lion's roar next month can trek south of the border to thaw out their body, mind and adventurous spirit.

Cancun, Mexico has been a college favorite for years with its gorgeous Caribbean waters on the country's tropical Yucatan Peninsula. Avid travelers will find familiar territory, but those heading south of the Tropic of Cancer for the first time will receive the most unforgettable experience.

The Mexican city boasts archaeological sites, scuba diving, fishing tours, colonial sites, golf courses and plenty of beaches. According to www.cancun.com, the area around Cancun is small enough that visitors can conveniently traverse the countryside to visit world-renowned ecological parks and Mayan ruins.

The key to making spring break in Cancun more than just another beach bash is leaving the resort and experiencing the exclusive treasures of the Yucatan.

There are three primary Mayan sites within close proximity of Cancun as well as the Xel-Ha ecological park. According to www.cancun.com, Xel-Ha is known worldwide as the largest natural aquarium and includes a massive blue lagoon amid luscious green jungles.

The city of Cancun has plenty of buses and taxicabs available for visitors to travel in safety from location to location, with the bus being the cheapest form of transportation. Taxi fares are set depending on city zones, while buses can take students pretty much anywhere for 6.5 Mexican Pesos, according to www.cancun.travel.

Travelers looking for a taste of adventure can swim with dolphins and whale sharks, rent wave runners and take jungle tours, while those with experienced sea legs can take to the high seas.

According to www.cancun.travel, visitors interested in getting the most out of the Caribbean setting can put on their best Jack Sparrow

If sailing off into the sunset sounds intriguing, there are many Cancun dinner cruises that combine the beauty of the tropical seas with high quality cuisine and entertainment.

For the more timid travelers who like to keep things simple, there are plenty of activities to engage in right in the comfort of the resort area, but they center more on relaxation than adventure.

Helping students forget their studies for a week are miles of beaches, resort spas and shopping centers, according to www.cancun.travel.

Visitors can pamper themselves with a Thalassotherapy session, which combines natural seawater, marine algae and mud for the premium therapeutic experience. Following in ancient Mayan traditions, the popular Mayan Massages use essential oils and hot stones to help ease the pains of Buffalo winters.

When it comes to spending money at the shopping centers, students will find souvenirs for friends, as well as themselves, for any budget. According to www.cancun.travel, travelers will find everything from designer stores and famous brand names, to flea markets and handcrafted souvenir shops.

Helping visitors afford not only their travel and hotel, but also their vacation spending habits, is the considerable exchange rate.

According to www.economist.com, the currency rates as of Feb. 17, 2009 are 14.57 Mexican Pesos for every one U.S. dollar. This means hotels, travel and drinks will seem like great values compared to prices in the States; even a McDonald's Big Mac costs a dollar less in Mexico.

Plane tickets from Buffalo to Cancun range anywhere from $300 to $500 round-trip and give students plenty of choices for departure and arrival times, according to www.priceline.com.

Hotel prices range from the budget vacationer $100 per night up to a luxurious and ritzy $700 each night, with well over 100 hotels and resorts to choose from.

Spring break 2009 is right around the corner and it's never too late to plan an unforgettable experience that includes a bit of history, water sports and lots of drinks with little umbrellas.

Cancun Water Temperature

http://spectrum.buffalo.edu/article.php?id=39274

Money for high speed train could soon be coming to Las Vegas

Eight billion dollars from President Obama's stimulus package could be on its way to Nevada to help fund the long talked about high speed train.

The train would extend from Las Vegas to Anaheim, California and would only take 86 minutes to get from one city to another.

Its been talked about for more than a decade, but the funding was never there.

The train is called a Mag Lev.

Mag Lev stands for magnetic levitation, which is how the train travels on the track, by using magnets and electricity at a speed of 300mph.

To build one from Anaheim to Las Vegas would cost 12 to 14 billion dollars.

While the stimulus package doesn't say a word about the train, it does provide eight billion dollars for unspecified high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects.

"Money that shouldn't be spent right now, we need to worry about other things," Californian Eric Bragg says.

Bragg says we should worry about things like filling our gas tanks, or education, or even the housing crisis.

This eight billion is not ear marked to any specific project, so there is no guarantee Las Vegas will get all or any of the money.

There are several proposals for rail projects like this one across the country.

There's a 33 billion dollar plan to build one from Anaheim to San Francisco that will also compete for money from this package.

http://www.ktnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9850113

Antigua, Guatemala, is Wanderlust's top city for travel

Readers of the U.K. travel magazine Wanderlust voted the Guatemalan city of Antigua tops for travel in the magazine's annual awards. The Central American city bested Luang Prabang in Laos, winner for the previous two years, to the title.

The decision by U.K. readers and voters was noted with pride by the Guatemala Times in this report, in which Barbara Schieber wrote that it "is a great pride for Guatemala that La Antigua has been chosen as number one city in the world to visit. Number two is Kyoto in Japan, that is a tough one to beat. Paris and New York did not make it to the top ten."

Latin America has been doing well in travel awards of late. Mexico City was declared the world's top religious tourist destination in January, and Peru and Mexico's Michoacan were named two of the top ten cultural destination in the world by Forbes magazine.

Latin American countries dominated the Ethical Traveler's top 10 travel destinations and Conde Nast Traveler's readers' choice awards voted Mexico's San Miguel de Allende and Oaxaca among hemisphere's top 10 cities to visit.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2009/02/antigua-guatema.html