This limited production brew is only available from November through December, and in past years (2007, 2006, and 2005) has won several Gold Medals from the World Beer Championships.  I didn’t even know there was such a thing!

Christmas Ale is robust ale brewed with honey and spiced with fresh ginger and cinnamon, and is supposed to be THE definitive beer choice to pair with fruit cakes and other holiday breads!  Don’t you just love discovering new beer and food pairings?!

Great Lakes Brewing Company is an environmentally and socially conscious brewery, with a Brewpub located at 2516 Market Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio.  The site is a merger of two historic buildings, including the former Market Tavern, a spot claimed to be popular during prohibition.  The pub retains much of the charm and decor from that 1930’s era, including some bullet holes that legend claims came from Eliot Ness.

Stop by for a little Christmas Ale, and get a history lesson to go with it!

Image credit:  Great Lakes Brewing Company

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Post from: Fly Away Cafe

• A nightlight.  I usually bring night light with me when I travel, putting it into the bathroom, and making it a little easier to get around at night.  I’m in so many different hotels that it’s sometimes hard to remember where I am, and having a night light just brings a little familiarity to my surroundings.  I’ve had a plain standard light, and I’ve had a lava lamp night light.  This week I received a gift of a new one ““ the front end of an airplane.  It’s a design any traveler would love, or love to hate.
• Another gift was an adjustable multi-prong plus in.  Okay, that’s probably not the technical name for it, but that’s a pretty good description of what it is.  You can plug it into the electrical socket in the room, and it will swivel in whatever direction that you need it to.  Then, you can plus in your stuff.  There’s room to plug in your laptop, cell phone, mp3 player, and still have an extra.  This little gem is going to be a permanent part of my packing essentials.
• Finally, I received a personalized calendar.  A friend made a 2007 calendar using photographs of fun things that we had done together on layovers throughout this past year.  I plan to hang it by my desk at home, where it will serve as a daily reminder of a great year and a wonderful friendship.  Why don’t you dig out some favorite photos and make a calendar personalized for the traveler in your life?

Better hurry!  There’s only three more shopping days left!

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Post from: Fly Away Cafe

A holiday shopping excursion in New York City is not complete without checking out the decorated windows.  I spent one Christmas Eve on a layover in the city, and enjoyed a trip to look at all the beautiful lights and decorations.  It made being away from home on a holiday a little less depressing.

What is there to see?  Here are some of the major displays that I’d recommend:

• Rockefeller Center:  The tree is lit, and the Swarovski decorations are up.  There are lots of other decorations to see in the area, and there’s skating at the ice rink.   Rockefeller Center is located between Fifth and Seventh Avenues and 47th and 51st.
• Sak’s Fifth Avenue:  Directly across from the Fifth Avenue entrance to Rockefeller Center, is Sak’s (5th at 49th).  This is one of my very favorite stores ““ any time of the year ““ but even more so during the holidays.  You’ll find the line to look at the windows snaking around the block.  The theme this year is Snowflakes, and includes animation and music.
• Lord & Taylor:  Just down the street from Sak’s you’ll find Lord & Taylor (5th at 39th).  The windows this year on based on an Antique Postcard theme, with each window decorated to reflect the era of the postcard.
• Macy’s:  These are some of the most famous holiday window displays around (Broadway, between 34th & 35th).  Every year the windows feature scenes from the classic Christmas movie Miracle on 34th Street, as well as another special theme for the year.  The theme this year is Trees, with each display tree decorated around a different theme such as peace (in photo above), friendship, joy and love.  The lines are long during peak viewing times.

There are, of course, lots of wonderful smaller displays scattered around the city, but these are the ones that always work their way to the top of my list. 

Photo credit:  flickr

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Post from: Fly Away Cafe

 

Details:  Santa Claus House in North Pole, Alaska.  Although it has turned Santa into a cottage industry, about 1,800 people live here year round.  I first visited North Pole one summer as a child.  It was then, and still is a great place to take kids to see how Santa lives in the “off season.”

Photo credit:  flickr

Post from: Fly Away Cafe