About ten minutes east of downtown Denver are 23 acres of gardens and plants that will make you feel like your much further away from the concrete of the city.  The Denver Botanic Gardens (1005 York Street, Denver) contain 45 gardens and over 32,000 plants.  (I discovered the York Street gardens while on a shopping expedition; they are very near the Cherry Creek Mall.)
The gardens represent a wide range of gardening styles and plant collections, covering diverse parts of the world.  It’s an interesting blend or culture with flora and fauna.  And, because this is the mile high …read more

Kauai is the oldest of the main Hawaii Islands, and is the fourth largest of the islands, and is about a 100 miles from Oahu.
Often referred to as the “Garden Isle,” Kauai is one of the wettest spot in the world, with an annual rainfall of 460 inches. 
I’m most familiar with the town of Lihue, on the southeast coast of Kauai.   Most visitors, however, may be more familiar with Waimea, once the capital of the island, and the first place in Hawaii visited by Captain James Cook. 
While there’s still beaches and sand, the lushness of Kauai lends …read more

Head to Las Vegas with all the “cool kids” of blogging for the 2008 BlogWorld & New Media Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center on September 20th-21st.  An exclusive “Executive & Entrepreneur” conference will be held the day before on September 19th.
Now in its second year, the only industry-wide trade show, conference, and media event promotes blogging and new media with its seminars, panel discussions, keynotes, and exhibitor booths.  Not only that, it’s a heck of a lot of fun!
If you are already a blogger, vlogger, or podcaster, or maybe you just want to know more about them …read more

When we travel we often forget that things are not always as they are back “home.”  Here’s one difference that international visitors may find when they visit the United States:
Unlike many countries, the United States has no national sales tax that is comparable to the GST (goods and services tax) or the VAT (value added tax) that is found in many other countries.  Instead, each state, county and/or municipality sets their own tax rate.
This means that what you pay in tax in one location may be different from what you’d pay in another location.
Additionally, in some locations certain goods …read more

No, it’s not Venice.  It’s the Gondola ride at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Okay, it’s a little touristy, and it’s definitely NOT Venice, but it’s still a bit of romantic fun away from the flashing lights and noise of the casinos.  You need to take a break from the fast paced action some time, and this isn’t a bad choice.
The gondolas have been fashioned after authentic Venetian ones, each seating four, and operate rides both indoors and out.  If your party doesn’t fill the gondola, you’ll likely be paired up with others.
The indoor gondolas float their way …read more

Today’s matchbook of Bateaux Parisiens comes from Jon at Travel Photo Daily.  He said that he just came across it, but that is was at least five or more years old.  It brought back lots of great memories of my trip to Paris last fall, so a very big THANKS for the contribution.
Bateaux Parisiens is a cruise company that conducts sightseeing, lunch, and dinner cruises on the Seine, along with operating a river-boat shuttle called Batobus.
I opted for an evening sightseeing cruise, and for an hour we cruised the Seine while the hostess pointed out a number of attractions.  …read more

Go directly to jail.  Do not pass go.  Do not collect $200.
It turns out that you don’t have to commit a crime or play Monopoly in order to find yourself in jail.  At least if you’re in Boise, Idaho.
The Old Idaho Penitentiary State Historic Site was used as Idaho’s prison between 1870-1973.  Originally the prison was a single building, but grew to several buildings surrounded by a high sandstone wall.  Additions to the prison complex were constructed with sandstone that the prisoners quarried and cut, and then used in the construction.
As happened at many prisons in the 1970’s, the …read more

With the upcoming winter Olympics, all eyes seem to turn east, as the world focuses on Beijing specifically, and China more generally.
I’ve never been totally enthusiastic about visiting China, due in large part, I think, to the era that I grew up in.
So I’m fascinated about the special programing that the Travel Channel has coming up:  China Week.  Regular Travel Channel hosts will present shows dedicated to Chinese history, culture and food.  The programming will be broadcast in Hi-Def, so you’ll really get the feeling of being there.
Here’s a little teaser of what you can expect from one of my …read more

Here’s a question that I hoped never to have to address.
 
Q.  Are you worried about your job security in light of the rising fuel costs?
A.  Worry probably isn’t the right word.  Since I can’t control any piece of this, worrying is probably the wrong term.  But I am definitely concerned.
My seniority is such that my airline would have to go through a major reduction before I would be in danger of being furloughed (laid off).  I’m talking about a reduction in excess of 50-60%.
However, rising fuel costs without corresponding rise fares, means that airlines will continue to lose money.  …read more

I love the other travel bloggers here at b5media, and we now have three more GREAT travel blogs:
 
Travel Product Guide, written by Sports Channel Editor Kori Ellis and Travel & Culture Channel Editor Mary Jo Manzanares, will focus on all the products you’ll need for travel.  Whether it’s high tech or no tech, you’ll get lots of ideas of products to make travel more comfortable, simpler, and fun!
 

 
The Phoenix Traveler, written by Jackie Dishner, joins our other Traveler destinations blogs and focuses on the city of Phoenix and the surrounding area.  There’s lots going on in the desert year …read more