Travelsmartplanet

This is a 1909 Packard Model 18 Gentleman’s Runabout found in the Antique Car Museum in Fort Lauderdale. It has a 4 cylinder 18 hp engine with 3 speeds. The lamps and lights are all acetylene, with kerosene side lamps and solid white rubber tires. This is one of only 11 left of the 802 produced by the Packard Motor Co., and of only 159 total that exist between the years 1899-1915.

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Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to flashback to calm and pleasant airline travel of the 1970’s? Well you can! We just drove from Montreal to tiny Plattsburgh Airport to take Allegiant Air to hot sunny Florida. Easily, we turned off the main road, and drove right up to the airport door. I stepped out with the luggage, and Stan just parked the car across the street.

There was NO line at the Allegiant Air desk and friendly helpful service, I was done in under two minutes. There was NO lineup at security. Since you already drove through the border, there was NO customs and immigration to deal with. In probably about 5 minutes we were going up the elevator to the waiting room.

The room had a retro counter with a man selling candy, snacks, sandwiches and drinks. When I asked him the prices, He said, “What do you want, they’re all in my head?”

There weren’t overhead screens to keep track of the flight. They send any changes to you to your cellphone – and call if necessary, too. The building is going through a renovation so things might be a bit more twenty-first century when you fly.

Those of you already planning your winter sunny getaways will be happy to know that Allegiant Air flying out of Plattsburgh offers low prices with just a short drive away for Montrealers who want a nonstop flight to sunshine. Just be advised that there are extra charges for luggage (even carry-on), choosing seats, and such things as printed boarding passes for you (you can do it at home for free).

Travelers who shop around will find substantial savings when flying with Allegiant, as well as good deals on hotels, rental cars and attractions. Montrealers wishing to spend their hard-earned dollars at their destination, rather than on transportation, can fly to sunny Las Vegas and Florida.

www.allegiantair.com

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An international idea celebrated in 50 countries, Restaurant Day is a food carnival created by food-loving people setting up one-day restaurants. The idea of the day is to have fun, share new food experiences and meet others in our community. People offer their family cuisine, favorite recipes, desserts or whatever in their backyard or a park.  Prices are very inexpensive.

Check the maps to see if there is one in your city.

Date: Sunday, August 17
http://www.restaurantday.org/

Tags: carnival, city, countries, cuisine, dessert, family, food, map, people, recipe, Restaurant

Grandson of Jacques Cousteau, Fabien Cousteau was entranced by his grandpa’s films and underwater life. Right now he’s in the Florida Keys with a 5-person crew making a documentary and doing science experiments about the ocean.

They will live there for 31 days in the 37-sq. ft Aquarius Reef Base, a school bus size laboratory which is 18 metres below the ocean’s surface a few kilometers off of Key Largo, Florida. Cousteau raised the cash to save the lab which was threatened to close due to US federal budget cuts.

Remaining in an underwater lab allows them to scuba dive for extended periods of time without having to return to the surface to decompress. This Mission 31 will add to the legacy of Jacques Cousteaus’s 1963  Conshelf II 30-day underwater experiment in the Red Sea. He filmed the Oscar winning documentary “World Without Sun” there.

This mission can be broadcast live online. The aquanauts will communicate with public through social media and video chats. It ends on July 2nd. “For the first time, I’m able to invite the world on a Cousteau expedition in real time”, said Couseau.

http://aquarius.fiu.edu
http://aquariusreefbase.org
www.ustream.tv/aquariusreefbase
www.facebook.com/AquariusReefBase

Tags: aquanaut, Aquarius, budget, bus, chat, Conshelf II, decompress, dive, documentary, expedition, experiment, Fabien, Florida, Jacques Cousteau, Key, Key Largo, lab, mission, Mission 31, ocean, Oscar, real time, Red Sea, reef, school, science, scuba, social media, underwater, US, video, World Without Sun

If you’ve even wanted to feel like an astronaut, but do not want sign up for a space flight, perhaps the first step might be to experience weightlessness. The ZERO-G Experience has built a specially modified Boeing 727. While flying in it, parabolic arcs are performed to create a weightless environment allowing you to float, flip and soar as if you were in space.

The price for this out-of-the world experience starts at $4,950 per person and it includes 12-15 parabolas. You get to keep your  own ZERO-G flight suit, some ZERO-G merchandise, enjoy a a Regravitation Celebration, are given a certificate of weightless completion, and of course, photos and video of your unique experience.

The cities it is happening in from March-August: Austin, TX, Cape Canaveral, FL, Chicago, IL, Houston TX, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, CA, Miami FL, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, San Francisco CA, Seattle WA

www.gozerog.com

Tags: astronaut, Austin, Boeing 727, CA, Cape Canaveral, Chicago, FL, flight, float, Houston, IL, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, NY, out-of-the-world, PA, parabolic, Philadelphia, photo, San Francisco, Seattle, Space, suit, TX, video, WA, weightlessness, Zero-G Experience

FL Exit 212: Space shuttle Atlantis will be unveiled at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on June 29 for its new mission ­to inspire those who visit it; It will be on permanent display. The Space Coast will be one of only four destinations worldwide where visitors will be able to view an orbiter and one of only three destinations where visitors will be able to view one that traveled to space.

Space shuttle Atlantis made NASA’s historic final launch, completing the 30-year shuttle program. Atlantis will be housed in a brand new $100 million interactive exhibit complex. The shuttle is dramatically showcased as if it were in orbit – as only astronauts have had a chance to see it – departing from the International Space Station.

Rocket Launches – Though the Shuttle program has ended, visitors can still catch sight of unmanned rockets that continue to launch from Kennedy Space Center. Visit www.spacecoastlaunches.com to learn about upcoming rocket launches.

Location: Kennedy Space Center
Date and Time:  starting June 29, 2013
Hours: Daily 9-5
Tel:  321-449-4444
www.kennedyspacecenter.com

Tags: astronaut, Atlantis, Coast, Kennedy Space Center, launch, orbiter, shuttle, Space

I-95 Exit 68:  The South Florida Science Center and Aquarium has just been re-named so it is having a party on June 7th when admission will be free all day. The building may look small, but it is hugely interactive, so travelers of all ages will enjoy playing here. You can feel the density of solids, see how guitar strings vibrate, try out the frozen shadows room (loved that!), learn to write in hieroglyphics or check out Dr. Saul Rotter’s butterfly collection.

Adults were all lined up playing the wall of brain teasers (balance nails, color match) and little ones were in the microscope room. If you’ve ever wanted to see one, there’s a mammoth tusk and a 3,000-year-old child mummy.

The planetarium offers 5 daily shows, and in the aquarium you can find genetically altered fish which fluoresce under UV light in the presence of toxins in the water. There’s Subway for lunch. Outside there’s an interactive garden with echo tubes, whisper dishes, mini-golf and a butterfly area.

Location: 4801 Dreher Trail N. in Dreher Park, Palm Beach, FL
Hours: M-F 10-5, Sat 10-6, Sun 12-6
Free Day: June 7
Tel: 561-832-1988
www.sfsm.org or www.sfsciencecenter.org

Tags: aquarium, brain, butterfly, echo, fish, garden, guitar, hieroglyphic, mammoth, microscope, mummy, planetarium, shadow, South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, teaser, tusk, whisper

Exit 339: Latitude 30 – If you just couldn’t decide what to do tonight, should I go out to a restaurant, grab a pizza, go bowling, watch a movie, take the kids to an arcade, catch a sporting event, or enjoy a comedy show, you don’t have to choose – head here. You can dine deliciously in the restaurant, for food comes first here, or in any of the above while you enjoy your entertainment.

Noise level is high so babies can cry and the kids don’t have to be quiet or sit still while you finish eating – this is the future of family dining. The sports theater sports 19 screens, the pizza chef is stretching and tossing dough by the brick oven, the cocktail area is buzzing, the arcade is dinging (prizes right up to an iPad), bowling balls are crashing in the 20 lanes (comfy couches) while their 9 screens are showing sporting events so you don’t miss anything (football AND bowling) or you can escape into one of the 2 movie theaters. If that wasn’t enough action, there’s live music Thurs-Sat nights.

You can just sit and watch it all while you have a tiramisu martini (or 40 brands of beer) and then chow into: a prime rib kabob with creamy horse radish sauce, quesadilla, lettuce wrapped Asian chicken in peanut ginger sauce, sesame crusted teriyaki calamari with citrus wasabi aioli, steak and blue cheese in flat bread, shrimp po’ boy, chicken salad with cherries and pecans, blackened mahi mahi or build your own burger.

Dinner entree salads can be made with flat iron steak or blackened ahi, there’s a chopped cobb salad, lobster mac ‘n cheese, veal pot roast, Guinness fish and chips, bacon wrapped scallops and we loved the homemade potato chips. Southern red velvet cake and bread pudding can finish it off for you. You will need to take advantage of the free valet parking, the lot is packed.

Location: 10370 Phillips Highway, Jacksonville FL, USA
Tel:  904-365-5555
www.latitude-30.com

Tags: arcade, Asian, baby, beer, bowling, calamari, chicken, cocktail, comedy, entertainment, fish, football, Latitude 30, lobster, mahi, martini, movie, music, pizza, po'boy, pot roast, prime rib, pudding, quesadilla, red velvet, Restaurant, salad, scallop, screen, shrimp, sporting, steak, teriyaki, theater, tiramisu, veal

In Fellsmere FL the annual town fair has the usual hotdogs, fried dough, turkey legs and candy apples  but here the main feature is the frog leg and gator tail dinners.  There’s rides, games, and stage entertainment: rock, country and blues bands. For those that enjoy browsing and shopping they also have about 100 booths of crafts. There is a free shuttle bus that will take you from Mesa Park to the festival.

 
Location: Exit 156, go west about 3 miles until you see the traffic and signage
Hours: Jan 19: 10-11, Jan 20: 11-6
Frog Leg & Gator Tail Dinner Hours: Sat 11-9, Sun 11-6

(click to enlarge)

Tags: apple, band, blues, booth, candy, country, craft, Fellsmere, festival, Florida, fried dough, frog, hotdogs, leg, rock, turkey

P.P. Cobb General Store and Delicatessen was opened in 1860, by the first postmaster, Peter Paul Cobb.  Cattle drives passed by during the day and fisherman on the pier stocked up.

You can still eat here and stock up with their eclectic mix. You can grab a carton and make your own 6-pack of  hard- to-find sodas: Cheer Wine, Rebel Soda, Black Lemonade, Kama Sutra, Boylan‘s or 500 kinds of artisanal beers (San Miguel, Turbo Dog, Avalanche, Stouts).

Kids young and old will have fun at the candy stand: Boston Baked Beans, Zagnuts, Gold Rocks, red waxy lips, candy cigarettes, Double Bubble, waxy bottles of sugary liquid, and newer larvets or crick-ettes, insects in amber candy, and cookie dough nibbles.

The husband and wife team open for breakfast (homemade sausages, omelettes) or lunch. There’s homemade soups: roasted red peppers and sweet potato (can’t take off menu), creamy leek and potato, beef barley, and sandwiches on homemade bread, 10 paninis and 4 wraps.

Finish the meal with coffee, tea (iced green tea, genmai cha), homemade cookies, shakes (ginger custard), smoothies, root beer floats, or green tea ice cream. For a local taste try Florida fruit wines: orange, grapefruit and mango. If you need some there’s also soap made by Cherokees in Arizona.

Hours:  M-Sat 8:30-6, Sun 10-4
Location: 100 Avenue A, Fort Pierce
www.ppcobbgeneralstore.com
Tel:  772-465-7010

Tags: Avalanche, Black Lemonade, Boston Baked Beans, Boylan, candy cigarettes, Double Bubble, Florida fruit wine, genmai cha, Gold Rocks, grapefruit, homemade sausages, iced green tea, insects in amber candy, Kama Sutra, larvets or crick-ettes, mango, omelettes, orange, Rebel Soda, red waxy lips, San Miguel, Stout. Cheer Wine, Turbo Dog, waxy bottles of sugary liquid, Zagnuts