New Routes Coming Soon To An Airport Near You

Overhead view of Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. This November both Virgin America and JetBlue will debut here within a 24-hour span.

Some people get all worked up over the new fall season of television shows premiering, certain individuals get excited about a new motion picture hitting the silver screen, while others might get overstimulated by the combination of baseball playoffs and the return of the NFL football. But yours truly could care less about all of those distractions. Why? Because the announcement of new airline routes tops them all. While my wife (and a few of you) may think I am a loon for caring so much about the debut of new itineraries at airports, I just can not help myself.

Living in such a busy area like New York, with major airports like JFK, Newark, and La Guardia, I guess you can say that I have pretty much every city in the world available at my fingertips. But what I look for is an airline adding service to my area. My reaction to the news of Southwest debuting at La Guardia a few months ago was easily comparable to a sports fanatic finding out that his beloved team just acquired the number one draft pick or received a great new pitcher as a result of a multi-team trade. Yeah pretty pathetic, but I admit to being a 100% “Grade A” travel nerd.

But that doesn’t make me a bad person does it? Well I do get some rather odd looks from the wife when all I can talk about over dinner is how JetBlue is now jetting to the Caribbean and Virgin America is possibly thinking of flying in and out of Chicago soon. In any event, here are some new airline routes debuting within the next few months. Enjoy.

JetBlue:

• Barbados (BGI) and New York (JFK) starts October 1, 2009
• Saint Lucia (UVF) and New York (JFK) starts October 26, 2009
• Kingston, Jamaica (KIN) and New York (JFK) starts October 30, 2009
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and San Francisco (SFO) starts November 17, 2009

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Virgin America:

• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and San Francisco (SFO) starts November 18, 2009
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Los Angeles (LAX) starts November 18, 2009

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Southwest Airlines:

• Milwaukee (MKE) and Tampa Bay (TPA) starts November 1, 2009
• Milwaukee (MKE) and Phoenix (PHX) starts November 1, 2009
• Milwaukee (MKE) and Orlando (MCO) starts November 1, 2009
• Milwaukee (MKE) and Kansas City (KCI) starts November 1, 2009
• Milwaukee (MKE) and Baltimore (BWI) starts November 1, 2009
• Denver (DEN) and Reno/Lake Tahoe (RNO) starts January 10, 2010
• Denver (DEN) and Spokane (GEG) starts January 10, 2010
• Denver (DEN) and Boston (BOS) starts January 10, 2010

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United Airlines:

• San Francisco (SFO) and Kansas City (KCI) starts October 25, 2009
• Chicago (ORD) and Duluth (DLH) starts December 17, 2009
• Chicago (ORD) and Asheville (AVL) starts December 17, 2009
• Denver (DEN) and Midland/Odessa (MAF) starts December 17, 2009
• Denver (DEN) and Louisville (SDF) starts December 17, 2009

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American Airlines:

• Miami (MIA) and Charleston (CHS) starts November 19, 2009
• Miami (MIA) and Knoxville (TYS) starts November 19, 2009
• Miami (MIA) and Treasure Cay, Bahamas (TCB) starts November 19, 2009
• Miami (MIA) and Governors Harbour, Bahamas (GHB) starts November 19, 2009
• Miami (MIA) and Eleuthers, Bahamas (ELH) starts November 19, 2009
• Los Angeles (LAX) and Santa Fe (SAF) starts November 19, 2009

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Continental Airlines:

• Houston (IAH) and Edmonton, AB Canada (YEG) starts November 1, 2009
• Houston (IAH) and Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) starts November 1, 2009
• Houston (IAH) and Washington DC (IAD) starts November 1, 2009
• Cleveland (CLE) and Washington DC (IAD) starts November 1, 2009
• Honolulu (HNL) and Guam (GUM) to Nadi, Fiji (NAN) starts November 1, 2009

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Delta Airlines:

• Memphis (MEM) and West Palm Beach (PBI) starts December 17, 2009
• Philadelphia (PHL) and Paris, France (CDG) starts October 5, 2009
• Atlanta (ATL) and Brasilia (BSB) starts December 17, 2009
• Atlanta (ATL) and Fortaleza (FOR) starts December 21, 2009
• New York (JFK) and Kingston, Jamaica (KIN) starts December 12, 2009
• New York (JFK) and Freeport, Bahamas (FPO) starts December 18, 2009
• New York (JFK) and Puerto Plata, DR (POP) starts December 19, 2009
• Detroit (DTW) and Punta Cana, DR (PUJ) starts November 21, 2009
• Minneapolis (MSP) and Punta Cana, DR (PUJ) starts December 19, 2009
• Cincinnati (CVG) and Punta Canada, DR (PUJ) starts December 19, 2009

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AirTran Airways:

• Atlanta (ATL) and Aruba (AUA) starts December 19, 2009
• Orlando (MCO) and Aruba (AUA) starts February 13, 2010
• Orlando (MCO) and Key West (EYW) starts December 17, 2009
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Harrisburg (MDT) starts November 5, 2009
• Milwaukee (MKE) and Pittsburgh (PIT) starts October 6, 2009
• Milwaukee (MKE) and Indianapolis (IND) starts October 6, 2009
• Baltimore (BWI) and Indianapolis (IND) starts October 6, 2009
• Baltimore (BWI) and New Orleans (MSY) starts October 6, 2009
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Flint (FNT) starts November 4, 2009

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US Airways:

• Phoenix (PHX) and Montego Bay (MBJ) December 17, 2009
• Philadelphia (PHL) and Barbados (BGI) starts October 1, 2009
• Charlotte (CLT) and Honolulu (HNL) starts December 17, 2009
• Charlotte (CLT) and Rio de Janeiro (GIG) starts December 15, 2009

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Alaska Airlines:

• Atlanta (ATL) and Seattle (SEA) starts October 23, 2009
• Oakland (OAK) and Kahului (OGG) starts November 9, 2009
• Oakland (OAK) and Kona (KOA) starts November 10, 2009
• Portland (PDX) and Chicago (ORD) starts November 16, 2009

Tags: airtran airways, american airlines, aruba, atlanta, baltimore, brazil, california, colorado, continental airlines, delta, Denver, detroit, dominican republic, florida, fort lauderdale, georgia, indianapolis, jamaica, jetblue, jfk airport, key west, kingston, los angeles, maryland, memphis, michigan, milwaukee, minneapolis, minnesota, new york, orlando, san francisco, southwest airlines, spokane, tennessee, united airlines, virgin america, washington, west palm beach, wisconsin

Saturday Travel Shot: Beale Street In Memphis, Tennessee

Located in downtown Memphis, Beale Street is a very popular touristy area. But it is also significant to the history of the city and blues music. You will not have a hard time finding great Memphis BBQ around these parts. Plus the bars stay open until 5am...although the city is trying to get that moved back to 3am. What a bunch of buzzkills!

Tags: bbq, beale street, blues, memphis, tennessee, Travel

American Airlines U.S. And Canada Sale

First of all happy Friday to you all and just a friendly reminder to vote on the “Best Town Square Poll In The World” round one. You have until Sunday at 11pm EST to cast your vote and help one of the 50 town squares make it to round two. Thanks for everyone who has voted so far. Now onto the news.

American Airlines is offering a pretty great sale right now to many destinations throughout the United States and Canada. Here are some sample round-trip fares found on AA.com (with taxes and fees included):

• June 28-July 1: New York (JFK) to Toronto (YYZ): $243.25
• July 13-16: St. Louis (STL) to Chicago (ORD): $135.20
• July 22-25: Nashville (BNA) – Colorado Springs (COS): $215.40

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Some other cities included in the deal are Los Angeles, Dallas, Milwaukee, Miami, Maui, Kona and Jackson Hole. You must book by May 24 and travel by August 31 to take part in this sale. As always, shop around before making your purchase. Check out various airlines websites and travel search engines to ensure that you get the lowest deal possible. Check out American Airlines for more information on this new sale.

Tags: american airlines, california, chicago, colorado springs, Dallas, florida, hawaii, jackson hole, jfk, kona, los angeles, maui, miami, milwaukee, nashville, new york, St. Louis, tennessee, texas, toronto, Travel, wisconsin, wyoming

Rock On With These Summer Music Festivals

This year's Lollapalooza music festival returns to Chicago's Grant Park.

Although the calender says April, here in New York we have been dealing with some summer-like weather. Temperatures have been hovering around the 85-90 degree mark over the past few days and will continue to do so until midweek. Don’t get me wrong, I will take this warmness any day over the winter chills we just experienced in the Northeast over the past couple of months. But I would much rather gradually switch from cold to hot throughout the calendar year.  I mean last week I had on layers and this week I am walking around in flip-flops and a t-shirt. I may even go to the beach for my birthday this week!

With the summer just a few weeks away, now is the perfect time to plan that road trip (or plane trip since prices are so low these days) to one of the many summer music festivals around the country. Here is a list of seven heavy hitters that will be rocking and rolling over the next few months:

• Bama Jam: Enterprise, Alabama (June 4-6). The 3-day music and arts festival down south is not only a good time, but also most proceeds are going towards a good cause. Money raised during the event will help support the needs of the surrounding areas in Alabama. The headliners include Kid Rock, The Black Crowes, Taylor Swift, and G. Love & Special Sauce. For information on the full lineup and ticket prices, check out Bama Jam’s official website.
• Bonnaroo: Manchester, Tennessee (June 11-14). This lively4-day event is located in the lesser known town of Manchester, Tennessee (just one hour south of Nashville). The show will include an all-star line up, with performances by “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen, Nine Inch Nails, Beastie Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and many more. For information on the full lineup and ticket prices, check out Bonnaroo’s official website.
• Rothbury: Rothbury, Michigan (July 2-5). This fairly new 3-day music festival is going to include performances by such legendary acts as Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. Other musicians on the bill include Cold War Kids, Ani DiFranco, Guster, and more. For information on the full lineup and ticket prices, check out Rothbury’s official website.
• Mile High Festival: Denver, Colorado (July 18-19).  This 2-day festival includes 2-stages at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Acts include The Fray, Incubus, Widespread Panic, and Tool. For more information on the full lineup and ticket prices, check out Mile High Festival’s official website.
• All Points Festival: Jersey City, New Jersey (July 31-August 2). Now 3-days in New Jersey might sound rough, but trust me with this collection of musical acts, it is well worth the visit to the garden state. Performances include Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Beastie Boys, Tool, and more. For more information on the full lineup and ticket prices, check out All Points Festival’s official website.
• Lollapalooza: Chicago, Illinois (August 7-9). One of the originators in music festivals returns to Chicago’s Grant Park with an amazing collection of musical acts. Headliners include The Killers, Depeche Mode, Kings of Leon, Jane’s Addiction, and Snoop Dogg. For more information on the full lineup and ticket prices, check out Lollapalooza’s official website.
• Bumbershoot: Seattle, Washington (September 5-7). For nearly 40 years this music & arts festival has rocked the Pacific Northwest. This year’s acts include Sheryl Crow, Modest Mouse, Katy Perry, Michael Franti & De La Soul, and more. For more information on the full lineup and ticket prices, check out Bumbershoot’s official website.

Tags: alabama, all points festival, bama jam, bonnaroo, bumbershoot, chicago, colorado, Denver, enterprise, illinois, jersey city, lollapalooza, Manchester, michigan, new jersey, new york, rothbury, seattle, tennessee, washington

Bizarre Homes Around The World

One thing I love about travel is to visit a new part of the world and see its architecture. From Chicago to Rome and all points in between, every city has a certain look and feel to it. But the homes below are so out of this world and unique that they have made lists on many websites as the most bizarre, weird or original.

The Longaberger Basket Company building in Newark, Ohio is a 180,000-square-foot building, that was designed to replicate the company’s famous market basket. This two year project cost an estimated $30 million.

Sopot, Poland: Built in December 2003, this home's architecture is based on Jan Marcin Szancer (famous Polish illustrator) and Per Dahlberg (Swedish painter & Sopot resident) pictures and paintings.

The Wonderworks building is home to the "amusement park for the mind" and located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

This "unique" roadside attraction in Boswell, British Columbia, Canada was built from over 500,000 embalming fluid bottles.

The Mushroom House (aka Tree House) is in the Hyde Park section of Cincinnati, OH. It was designed by architect Terry Brown, a professor of Architecture and Interior Design at the University of Cincinnati. The building was created with the assistance of university students. The house was sold in 2006.

For more unusual homes, check out “50 Strange Buildings Of The World.”

Tags: boswell, british columbia, canada, cincinatti, newark, OHIO, pigeon forge, poland, tennessee