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Curbside or Inside?

 Pros and Cons of Curbside Check In
Some Pros might include the fact you can actually visit with an airline employee, especially if there are no lines. That employee is probably in a good mood. I’ve had actual conversations with a less-hurried curb side check-in person.
One of the Cons, however, is that some airlines still charge extra for curbside check in.
American Airlines offers curbside check-in at approximately 30 airports. Some of those are seasonal…think about weather. And, there are ones where you cannot use it for international travel.
Delta has about 100 locations and no charge, but they do accept tips!
JetBlue offers curbside at 24 locations, but charges $2 per bag. They also accept tips.
Southwest curbside is available at most of the airports. No charge, but tips are accepted.
United has about 40 airports for curbside check-in with no cost.
Virgin America offers it at San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas Love. Check online before you plan on using it as some restrictions may apply.

How about others? Any good or not-so-good stories?

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Welcome Aboard the USS Potomac

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to take a ride on a Presidential yacht? 
It’s not often one gets the chance to do that…unless you head to Oakland, California. That’s where the USS Potomac, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Floating White House” is located.
Originally built as the Coast Guard cutter Electra, this 165 foot vessel weighed 376 gross tons and cruised at a speed of 10 to 13 knots, or around 12 miles an hour. Two years later she was renamed and converted to the Presidential Yacht USS Potomac by FDR. As a former Assistant Secretary of the Navy and FDR’s love of the sea, it’s easy to pick out the traditional Naval touches throughout the ship.
This ship knows history… Known as the Floating White House, FDR could get away from the real White House for both Presidential business and family business. Dealing with the heavy issues of that time, from the Great Depression to an increasingly dark international situation, this allowed him to meet with cabinet members, foreign dignitaries, and advisors in a more relaxed atmosphere. Royal visitors from Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and England met him on board.
He often left Washington for a weekend fishing cruise, heading down the Potomac River into Chesapeake Bay and to a great hidden cove. As a coastal vessel, the USS Potomac stayed close to the harbor, not venturing into the Atlantic. He did, however, take trips to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Maine, Florida, the Gulf, and up the Hudson River to Hyde Park.
In August of 1941, FDR headed for another fishing trip and a supposed visit to Martha’s Vineyard. From there he was secretly transferred to the heavy cruiser, USS Augusta, which took him to the historic Atlantic Conference in Newfoundland. There, he and Winston Churchill forged the Atlantic Charter, whose principles formed the basis for the allied partnership in World War II and the establishment of the United Nations.
The USS Potomac was decommissioned after his death in 1945. From another stint with the Coast Guard, then as a ferry between Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, then a possible attraction at the Seattle World’s Fair, and finally into the hand of Elvis Presley. Yep…Elvis owned her. He donated her to Saint Jude’s, which wasn’t a long partnership. In 1980 she was seized as a drug running front by the DEA in San Francisco and moved to Treasure Island, where she sank.  
Raised two weeks later, the Port of Oakland bought her for $15,000. After spending $5 Million to restore her, this famous piece of American history is now a National Historic Landmark.
Check her out and take a tour…take a ride. You can say you were on a Presidential yacht. Check out the history up close and personal. See FDR’s elevator. Yes, there’s an elevator on the ship to accommodate his wheelchair. Spend some time in the Visitor Center to learn more history and see photos of the restoration process. If you aren’t up for a cruise in the Bay, there are dockside tours as well.
If You Go: The USS Potomac is located at 540 Water Street in Oakland, CA. Website is www.usspotomac.org.

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Domaine de Puychene

Just a quick update on the apartment where we stayed in France. They are now accepting reservations via a dedicated booking site.

The link is: https://admin.xotelia.com/BS/domainedepuychene/en/

We would all highly recommend the apartment, the village, and especially the host couple.

Check it out…

The bad news is, they are fully booked through September. Glad we stayed there when we did!

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Sacramento and Global Entry

Good news for those who fly out of Sacramento International Airport. Global Entry kiosks are now available in Terminal B.
This security enhanced traveler program expedites passengers through the customs and immigration process, reducing wait times.
Check out Global Entry if you fly internationally. Coming back through SFO from Paris, our experience with Global Entry was fantastic.  
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Ride the Rails…in Style

Rocky Mountaineer
Can you think of a better way to view the Canadian Rockies than from a domed rail car? Not just any rail car. The Rocky Mountaineer has been called the best train experience in the world…and it’s easy to see why.
This is a total experience, not just a train ride. By day, you sit back and relax in the comfort of a first class train car as you watch the breathtaking scenery roll past. Mountains, giant trees, wildlife, rivers, gold rush country, national parks, lakes, and more mountains. At the same time, you learn some history about Canada, the Rockies, and railroads. While on board, enjoy the cuisine prepared by top chefs, all prepared while you wait. Did I mention this is not just a train ride?
At night, you settle in to fine hotels in small mountain towns or in famous cities along the route. Everything is handled for you. No transfers to worry about, just a restful night before boarding the next day for more excitement, history, and fabulous meals.
By the end of your trip, you’ve made new friends, experienced train travel at its finest, and are ready to book another trip.

Look at the trips between Seattle and Banff and decide if you want a coastal trip from Seattle to Vancouver, or a trip into the clouds from Vancouver to Jasper, or retracing history from Vancouver to Lake Louise and Banff, or if the rainforest and gold rush is your ideal trip between Vancouver and Jasper by way of Quesnel. So many choices…it’s hard to pick.  
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Should You Loiter?

Trieste…Loitering at its Best
“Trieste offers no unforgettable landmark, no universally familiar melody, no unmistakable cuisine.” Jan Morris



Why on earth would anyone go to Trieste after reading that quote from travel writer Jan Morris? Because. In fact, writers have come to Trieste for years to embrace the city’s prickly grace, savor its glistening belle époque cafes, and enjoy the lack of tourism. Having said that, the best way to experience Trieste is by loitering.
Start your day with a fantastic cup of coffee, relaxing in the Piazza dell’Unita d’Italia. After all, this is one of Europe’s greatest coffee ports, supplying more than 40% of Italy’s coffee. The thriving coffee industry began here with the Austro-Hungarian government and is still considered the coffee capital of Italy.
As for the Piazza, this vast public domain is supposed to be the largest square opening onto a waterfront in Italy. Dozens of cafes and bars open onto the Piazza. Sit and savor coffee in the morning, prosecco in the afternoon…or the other way around. It doesn’t matter. Watch the ships in the harbor as you listen to locals greeting each other in Triestino, the local dialect still in wide use. Enjoy a Viennese pastry with coffee or chocolate cake and nibbles with your prosecco. If it’s the hour of the passeggiata, the so Italian moment between the end of the workday and dinnertime…an entirely different scene unfolds in the Piazza. Trieste hospitality includes more nibbles with your evening prosecco. Life is good.
Trieste is a medium size seaport literally teetering on the edge of Italy, its limestone plateau gracefully tumbling into the Adriatic Sea. Its history is somewhat convoluted and Trieste has been in more than one tug of war between countries. It once was one of the oldest parts of the Habsburg Monarchy. Throughout history Trieste has been an important spot in the struggle between the Eastern and Western blocs after WWII.
History and its influences are evident in the streets, buildings, food, and castles. Sitting in the Piazza, look at the buildings bordering the three sides of the square. With a boxy wedding cake like style, these massive buildings look like they belong in Germany…not Italy. Many streets appear to be symmetrical with buildings resembling everything from rigid, almost Teutonic in style to one showing off proud neo-Classical features. Italian flair mixed in with Germanic rigidness proves how history influenced this city. Influence of the Roman Empire remains here as well, with the Roman theatre ruins. Built between the first and second centuries AD, these were uncovered in 1938.
Of course, there’s the castle…Castello Miramare to be exact. Lying on the waterfront only five miles from the city center, this castle was built on a rocky cliff between 1856 and 1860 as the residence for Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Hapsburg and his wife Charlotte of Belgium. Eclectic in design is the only way to describe the features included…an aquarium like fixture in one ceiling, an impressive display of weapons, and styles throughout that combine Gothic, Renaissance, and Medieval. The 22 hectar large park with its imported soil, exotic trees, and spectacular plants and flowers from all over the world were meant to be impressive. Included on the grounds is the Castelletto, a small castle where Charlotte lived after her return from Mexico. Sadly, it is also where she was locked up after a nervous breakdown.
History didn’t forget the food, either. Most pastries are rich, flaky, and Viennese in style and taste. In fact, the local cuisine is just as diverse as the population of Trieste. German influenced sauerkraut, salt cod from the Adriatic, or local red wine…nothing stereotypical here.
Trieste…a city meant to be walked and explored. Linger…loiter…savor at a relaxed tempo. Don’t worry about the other Italian cities putting on their show of architectural splendor. Trieste is a modern city sometimes neglected by guide books. Take some time to explore this corner of Italy.
If You Go: Fly into Venice and take the two hour train ride. Once in Trieste, you can walk everywhere.

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Climbing Granite

Yosemite Valley…Climbing Granite to Walking Among Giants

“It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter.”
John Muir, conservationist
John Muir was right. Entering Yosemite Valley is like entering a temple. Spectacular granite formations line the walls as crystal clear streams and peaceful meadows carpet the floor. Add decorations of jaw-dropping waterfalls, ancient giant sequoias, and a few bears…you have the makings of Nature’s temple.
Powerful glaciers, molten rock from volcanic eruptions, and millions of years of erosion combined to create not just a great valley, but a showcase in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. First protected in 1864 with the Yosemite Grant Act, this grant marked the first California State Park. In 1906, this area became what we know today as Yosemite National park.
Now, 150 years later, this wonderland of geological formations and biological diversity, the park spans almost 1,2000 square miles.
Did you know more than three million visitors come each year? Some come for the more than 840 miles of hiking trails and some come to climb El Capitan, the world’s largest block of granite with its 3,300 foot rock face.
Half Dome, probably the most iconic site in all of Yosemite is another granite formation rising nearly 5,000 feet above the valley floor. You might think it’s a giant granite dome with the northwestern half missing. In reality, the unique shape is the result of more glacial action. If you’re an experienced hiker, take the opportunity to experience this up close and personal. The challenge lies at the end of the hike when you ascend the final 400 feet by cables. Yes…I said experienced hiker. Cables are strung each year and reservations are a must.
El Capitan, also a spectacular vertical rock, is another place experienced rock climbers are drawn to.
Like waterfalls? Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in North America, with snow runoff cascading down its 2,425 foot drop. Go in winter to see an ice cone at the very top. Bridalveil Falls, another beauty, is a 620 foot waterfall located near the entrance to Yosemite Valley.
Wander along the boardwalks and trails through the Meadows, where you might see more than lush grasses and brilliant wildflowers. Deer, foxes, bald eagles, chipmunks, pikas, and of course bears may appear on your walk.
Hike or take the tram through Mariposa Grove, home to about 500 mature giant sequoias. These largest living things on earth can live to be 3,000 years old.
For me, there are no better views than from Glacier Point. Wind your way to this overlook for the most commanding view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and Yosemite’s high country. Of course, you can only make this drive from late May through October or November, depending on snow fall. If you like cross country skiing…you’re in luck. You can experience the same views after skiing for about 10 or 11 miles.
“Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.” Ansel Adams

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Lake Tahoe…Did You Know?

Fun facts about Lake Tahoe…

Deepest depth: 1,645 feet

Average depth: 1,000 feet

North to South; 22 miles

East to West: 12 miles

Highest peak: 10,891

Second deepest lake in the US

Tenth deepest lake in the world

Average water surface temperature: 55 degrees

Average clarity: 73.1 feet

Location: 2/3 in California and 1/3 in Nevada

Sunshine: averages 274 days per year

Age: over 2 million years old

Evaporation: 330 million gallons each day