 |
|
|
||||
|
COLUMN OF THE WEEK
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Tribune Media Services Mick Fleming arrived in dugout canoe; Lucy Fleming on horseback a day later. There were no roads to the overgrown farm in the Cayo district of Belize that the young couple hoped to run. Their land was a jungle - literally. “But there was something about the place,” Fleming, who was raised in England, recalls more than 30 years later. “I felt it,” adds Lucy Fleming, originally from New Jersey. “This place always had a certain amount of magic. We were young and crazy—no money. We decided to be pioneers.” But ultimately, not in the way they expected. Though the Flemings started out living in a cabin without indoor plumbing, electricity or running water, raising vegetables - taking them by canoe to sell at local markets - the couple is now at the forefront of the burgeoning ecotourism movement in Belize. Chaa Creek (http://www.chaacreek.com), their 365-acre nature preserve in the Cayo District, (guest accommodations include 24 thatched-roof cottages, kids stay free and those under 12 eat for half price), is a model for sustainable tourism and new-style adventure family travel. More "BEYOND THE BEACH IN BELIZE" »Sunday, May 04, 2008
Tribune Media Services Got the rain jackets? So what if it rains a lot in Seattle. As long as you’ve got good rain gear, you won’t care, especially when there’s so much to do and see. Where else can you take the kids to see guys throwing raw fish, introduce them to ferries (yes, parents commute to work via ferry) take a turn on a sailboat, learn all about rock music, science fiction and the creatures who inhabit the sea in this part of the world. (The first-rate Seattle Aquarium (http://www.seattleaquarium.org) was renovated just a year ago.) Let’s not forget the chance to view the world 605 feet aboveground atop The Space Needle (http://www.spaceneedle.com) or ride a monorail at Seattle Center. Did I mention the terrific food - and Washington State wines? Plenty of local restaurants are kid-friendly too. (Locals suggest Cutters Bayhouse, http://www.cuttersbayhouse.com, which offers great views, seafood and a good kids’ menu and Ivar’s Acres of Clams, http://www.ivars.net , a landmark since 1938, which highlights an outdoor fish bar. Of course, we can’t forget coffee. Your frappuccino-loving kids may be surprised to learn that Starbucks started right here in 1971 with just one coffee store. That store is still open at Pike Place Market. More "TO SEATTLE" »Sunday, April 27, 2008 WHAT’S NEW AT THEME PARKS THIS SUMMER
Tribune Media Services Do you scream on roller coasters? I do. In fact, my kids don’t like to ride coasters with me because they say I scream so loud I embarrass them. They were actually relieved the time I lost my voice after one particularly scary coaster ride. Whether your gang love coasters or hate them, love water slides or refuse to wait in line for them, (yes that was us skipping the famous water slides at the Atlantis in the Bahamas), you’ll find plenty of new attractions to amuse everyone at this country’s more than 400 theme parks (and scores more water parks) this spring and summer. Here’s just a sampling of what’s out there: - HARD ROCK PARK (http://www.hardrockpark.com). Hard Rock Park, the first rock n’ roll theme park anywhere, opens next month in Myrtle Beach, S.C., with more than 40 rides and attractions celebrating rock ‘n’ roll culture and rock music legends. Led Zeppelin fans will love Led Zeppelin: The Ride, a coaster synchronized to the beat of “Whole Lotta Love.” Every area of the park includes attractions for all ages. - LEGOLAND CALIFORNIA (http://www.legoland.com): Legoland has unveiled Land of Adventure, which allows guests to time travel back to 1920s Egypt. (Check out the life-sized Lego Camel and the 16-foot-tall Lego Pharaoh. The 75 new Lego models here, took nearly a half-million Lego bricks!) The kids will love aiming laser blasters at targets in the park’s first dark ride, Lost Kingdom Adventure. Of course, there’s plenty for the littlest park goers too: Are they ready to “fly” on a prop plane? Or if your little ones are into aquatic life, visit the Sea Life Aquarium, next door to the park. It is set to open in July. - BUSCH GARDENS AFRICA (http://www.buschgardens.com): In Busch Gardens Africa you feel as if you really were in Africa, thanks to its new Jungala attraction that includes a complete jungle village, multi-story play areas and all kinds of jungle creatures. (Did you know that orangutans create new beds for themselves every day?) Oh, did I mention there’s a zip line ride designed for kids and a huge climbing area with nets, bridges and tubes for crawling? More "WHAT’S NEW AT THEME PARKS THIS SUMMER" »Sunday, April 20, 2008 TRADING HOUSES FOR YOUR NEXT VACATION
Tribune Media Services Hmmm. A cottage in the English countryside or a flat in Paris, a deluxe Caribbean villa or a house with a pool in Orlando, San Diego, Canada, Colorado, New York City or San Francisco. Take your pick for summer vacation. Price is no concern. It won’t cost you a penny—really. There’s just one tiny hitch: While you are splashing in the pool in San Diego, sightseeing in London or hiking in Colorado with your kids (and grandkids), the owners of your temporary vacation manse will be making themselves and their kids at home in your house. Welcome to the fast-growing world of Home Exchange (http://www.homeexchange.com). Families also trade pets, vehicles (saving even more by not paying kennel fees and for rental cars) kids’ toys, grown-up toys like surfboards and even friends. “I’m addicted,” says David St. John, a New Smyrna Beach, Fla., businessman whose kids have been able to use the ski gear owned by the Colorado family they’ve traded with via Home Exchange. Those Colorado kids, in turn, used the St. John kids’ boogie boards and other beach toys. More "TRADING HOUSES FOR YOUR NEXT VACATION" »Sunday, April 13, 2008 FINDING THE KID-FRIENDLY LAS VEGAS
Tribune Media Services Cheap hotels, every kind of food you can imagine. Plenty of sizzle, spectacle, first-rate theatrical productions, giant red rocks for climbing and water playgrounds. Welcome to Las Vegas (http://www.visitvegas.com), where room prices average just over $130 a night (a lot lower in summer. Rooms, as a rule, are cheaper Sunday through Thursday, if there isn’t a big convention in town). There’s just one problem: “We don’t market to families,” said Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority spokesman Erika Pope. In fact, Las Vegas may be the only city in America not rolling out the red carpet for families this summer. But that’s not keeping families away. Why is it we always pine to be a member of the club that doesn’t want us? Despite the decidedly adult “What-happens-in-Vegas-Stays-in-Vegas” ad campaign, 10 percent of the more than 39 million visitors last year reported that someone under 21 was in their group, according to Las Vegas tourism officials. That’s nearly 4 million underage visitors in Sin City! I admit I’m not a huge Vegas fan, but I’ve been here often because my family lives here and it seems every trip, I see more visiting parents and kids. It’s obvious what draws vacationing families here—besides the chance for parents to gamble or golf. Where else can you take a ride on a gondola, see the Eiffel Tower and Cirque du Soleil—all in one place? Let’s not forget shopping till you drop and sampling all kinds of food—even in the middle of the night. (Kids and parents especially enjoy the Rain Forest Cafe and California Pizza Kitchen. (Check out http://www.vegas.com). Head out to Loews Lake Las Vegas (http://www.loewshotels.com) on Saturdays this summer and kids can learn to make sushi with a master sushi chef. More "FINDING THE KID-FRIENDLY LAS VEGAS" »Sunday, April 06, 2008 VOLUNTEERING IN NEW ORLEANS (WHERE THEY STILL NEED A LOT OF HELP)
Tribune Media Services Izzie Alley, 11, looked around cautiously, as she stepped inside the small New Orleans garage that has been temporarily converted into a studio apartment for the Strauss family. “Smaller than your bedroom,” observed Margie Alley, Izzie’s mom. Izzie nodded, taking in the space crammed with three beds, computer, clothes, and fridge. Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, thousands like the middle-class Strausses are still trying to pick up the pieces .The Alleys have come from suburban New York during a sunny spring week to help. “I love them,” said an appreciative Denise Strauss, the mom of a 10-year-old daughter and herself a volunteer. “They get to see the human element in all this.” She told the Alleys how they left their home with not much more than the shorts and flip-flops they were wearing and didn’t return for more than a year. “We know from stress, but not this kind of stress,” said Izzie’s grandmother, Judy Goldsmith, a florist from Manhasset, N.Y., who got the idea to bring her family here when she met a family who had spent time volunteering in New Orleans as part of a Bar Mitzvah celebration. Through them, she founded the organization Beacon of Hope Resource Center (http://www.lakewoodbeacon.org), which is one of the few volunteer organizations that can arrange projects suitable for families with young kids. All along the block in the middle-class Lakeview neighborhood where the Strauss family lives, less than a mile from the 17th Street Canal levee break, are houses in various stages of construction. Some are still boarded up; others are brand new, with flowers planted outside. Fewer than half the houses in the neighborhood are occupied. The Strausses hope to be back in their house by June 1 and the Alleys and the Goldsmiths are doing what they can to help, stacking bricks and clearing debris. It’s hot, sweaty work but the Alley kids don’t mind. “You feel good doing this,” Izzie said. More "VOLUNTEERING IN NEW ORLEANS (WHERE THEY STILL NEED A LOT OF HELP)" »Sunday, March 30, 2008 MEETING THE FOLKS BEHIND THE MOUSE’S MAGIC
Tribune Media Services The next time the kids balk at doing their math or science homework, tell them about Chrissie, Kevin, Marc, Dustin and Steph. They are Imagineers. That means they spend their workdays (and probably a lot of work nights) dreaming up and ultimately implementing new attractions for Disney parks and resorts around the world. There are about 1,000 Imagineers, 750 of whom work in Glendale, Calif., in an office building (once a cosmetics factory) that has tighter security than many government buildings. They are computer scientists and engineers, architects and graphic designers, programmers, special-effects designers and more—representing 140 disciplines. Those who work in the Blue Sky Studio are charged with coming up with Disney magic we might not see for 10 years. I got a rare behind-the-scenes look at Walt Disney Imagineering recently when I met Imagineers Chrissie Allen, Kevin Rafferty, Marc Mine, Dustin Barnard and Estafania Pickens who are working on Disney’s latest 4-D attraction, Toy Story Mania!, which they’re convinced will raise the bar for interactive ride-game attractions. Set to debut in May at Hollywood Studios (recently renamed from MGM at Walt Disney World http://www.disneyworld.com) and a few weeks later at California Adventure in California (http://www.disneyland.com), Toy Story Mania! will be the first new attraction in Disney history to open the same time on both coasts. Everyone should love their jobs as much as Imagineers working on Toy Story Mania! seem to. “We have a lot of fun,” acknowledges Estafania Pickens, just a couple of years out of graduate school. “I’m lucky.” Clearly. Part of Pickens’ job has been to “play test,” this latest attraction on area families in the bare bones test lab across the street from Walt Disney Imagineering headquarters, and to play the game herself over and over again, as the team works the kinks out. That’s no easy task considering all the computers—they take up nearly an entire room—the attraction requires. More "MEETING THE FOLKS BEHIND THE MOUSE’S MAGIC" »Sunday, March 23, 2008 HEARING WHAT KIDS THINK ABOUT CRUISING
Tribune Media Services What’s not to like—from a kid’s perspective anyway. The way they see it, a cruise ship is vacation heaven, better even than a theme park. There’s all the food—and free room service. “You’ll be stuffed when you leave,” says 11-year-old Matthew Moris. There are all the other kids onboard (more than a million children cruise every year, reports the Cruise Lines International Association, more than 1,000 on each Disney ship) and organized kids’ and teen activities from morning until night. “You’ll find a friend on the first day,” promises Brooke Abzug, 10, who likes the shipboard scavenger hunts staged by the kids’ clubs. There’s all the freedom to roam as they please, sun by the pool, hit the arcade, watch a movie, grab a slice of pizza or an ice cream cone. Alyssa Baron, 15, says she would never be permitted to be on her own as much at home or at a resort. “When I come in to our cabin, my parents are already asleep!” “You don’t have to be with your parents, except maybe at dinner,” said Allison Clayton, 12. More "HEARING WHAT KIDS THINK ABOUT CRUISING" »Sunday, March 16, 2008
Tribune Media Services What are you waiting for? Spring Break is looming and you haven’t planned a getaway. We’re not talking a Big Trip—a cruise, for example, or an adventure trip to Costa Rica, though, according to http://www.travelzoo.com, there are good last-minute deals to be had in Costa Rica. We’re talking about a few days of R&R with the kids (how about an indoor water park? Check out http://www.greatwolf.com ; they have several locations around the country) that won’t bust the budget and will solve the problem of what to do with the kids while they are off from school. The kids, of course, have been telling you for weeks that everyone else in their class is heading off to someplace wonderful. Rest assured that you’re not the only last-minute planners out there this spring. “We are getting tons of requests now for travel in March,” says Jim Kackley, general manager of Thomson Family Adventures (http://www.familyadventures.com). He adds that Thomson is spending a lot of time trying to find space for everyone. The good news: As long as you’re flexible about your dates and even your destination, it’s not too late for your gang to have some fun in the sun (or the snow, or the city). Invite along a friend for your tween or teen and even the simplest getaway will suddenly become an adventure. You might even find a bargain. Book Tuesday through Thursday for the best rates, suggests Travel Zoo. Opt for a long city weekend and you’ll save significantly at business hotels looking to fill rooms. (Check the sale at http://www.hotels.com, which offers 30 percent off at many hotels. You just have to book by April 7 for travel now through April 21, 2008.) More "A LAST-MINUTE SPRING BREAK" »Sunday, March 09, 2008 TO A FAVORITE COLORADO SKI TOWN THAT’S AS MUCH FUN IN SUMMER AS WINTER
Tribune Media Services There are memories everywhere I look. We were just married—no kids yet—when friends from Texas introduced us to Crested Butte Mountain Resort (http://www.skicb.com). A gem of a mountain (no lift lines here!) just minutes on a free, festively painted shuttle bus from the tiny (less than 2,500 people) town of Mt. Crested Butte, so steeped in mining history that most of the downtown area, with its wooden, multicolored, 19th-century buildings, is on the National Register of Historic Places. (Ever see a two-story outhouse?) We’ve been back many times since with our kids, cousins, and various other relatives and everyone has as much affection for this place as we do, even though its location in southwestern Colorado (about a half-hour from Gunnison County Airport) makes it tougher to get to than many mountain resorts. (Check http://www.skicb.com and save as much as 30 percent when you book a package.) “That’s our blessing and our curse,” observes longtime local Joe Fitzpatrick, town manager of Mt. Crested Butte. “You have to really want to come here,” he says, “But once you get here, you’re really rewarded.” “You can’t get any deeper in the mountains than here, away from the traffic and the crowds” adds former Olympian Wendy Fisher, who teaches aspiring snow athletes at Crested Butte Academy (http://www.crestedbutteacademy.com), which offers new ski and snowboard camps for kids and teens, and serves on the Mt. Crested Butte town council. She’s also the mom of two young boys. Locals, she adds, embrace visiting families. “You feel so good showing this place off,” she says. No wonder visiting families like mine return again and again. I smile remembering 6-year-old Melanie snowboarding one season—as if to prove to her skiing family that she could chart her own path. (Now 17, she skis competitively.) I recall not being able to breath watching 16-year-old Reggie compete in a junior extreme skiing competition, racing down impossibly steep slopes, dodging rocks. (She came in third!) There’s Matt, a middle-schooler, jubilantly beating his dad down the mountain. More "TO A FAVORITE COLORADO SKI TOWN THAT’S AS MUCH FUN IN SUMMER AS WINTER" » |
|
