Phila Airport Parking Vacations

Searching the internet I found some great Travel related deals going on right now for Spring Break. There are some really good deals here for your pleasure.

Great Hotel Deals

Save big at Expedia with these hot lodging deals: Hotels from $13! Expires – 2/25/09

Ends Soon: Save up to 30% on Los Angeles hotels & vacations! – Expires 2/24/09

Last-minute Vegas values: Hotels from only $37, vacations from $172 – Expires 2/25/09

Last-minute Orlando deals: Hotels from $37, vacations from $222 – Expires – 2/25/09

Airfare Deals:

Pack your bags & go with Last Minute International Flights from $127+! Expires – 2/22/09

Caribbean and Mexico sale: Fly Roundtrip from $105+ Expires – 2/22/09

Car Rental Deals:

Hertz Car rental savings: Free weekend day with 3+ day rental. – Expires 3/31/09

Enjoy, Henry

My name: Friday. My town: Los Angeles. My beat: the beach. The City of Angels has a sordid and luminous history, evoking the flickering light of countless fantasies in countless movie theaters and a dark heart that beats to a rhythm all its own. Me, I like to get away by stabbing the old gas-guzzler into drive and making haste for the sun-soaked beaches of Manhattan. Thats right, you heard me: Manhattan. The Big Apple doesnt have dibs on the name, you know, and youll be hard-pressed to find a stretch of beach as fine as this one.

Thought by rights Manhattan is Lenape Indian for “island of many hills” Manhattan Beach is not an island. No man or woman is an island and thats the special something about this beach. People want to get to know one another. They care, they look, they stare. Sometimes, they even say, Hey. Or Hi. Once someone even said, How are you? I was shocked ” they were tourists and that was all right in my book.

The city is a cruel mistress, she has broken lesser souls and weaker hearts, but thats ok. They just shuffle off to Buffalo to pick up the pieces, leaving more room for the likes of you and me. More room at the beach and more room on the dance floor. Didnt think I could dance? Didnt think I was hip to the groove? The lingo? The jive? Well, baby, this Friday is taking it to he next level. Nothing compares to the LA nightlife ” though I hear New York types complain about how the bars close at 2 AM. Were respectful types around here. No sense making a fuss until dawn. Thats what house parties are for. House parties in the Hollywood Hills, that is. Take that, NYC.

Its no small feat to rationalize spending two grand a month on rent, but thems the breaks, kid. You toughen up after the first year. You realize the money is nothing ” so what if your landlord is driving the latest German sports car. You like your Korean jalopy and you like the privilege of telling your lame-o friends in Des Moines that you live in Los Angeles. With the rent comes the perks, and nothing buys you cultural cred like saying you live in Los Angeles.

If a hotel is what you need, a hotel Los Angeles can give. She’s housed generations of tourists before you graced this Island Earth, and she’ll house all the generations to come. As long as Disneyland doesnt relocate to San Diego and the movie studios stay in LA county, this fine city and this gorgeous beach arent going anywhere. Get in your jalopy and get here. Book a plane, train, whatever. This city waits for no one and loves each and every one of you. I know. Im Friday.

Now why anyone would want to live in Death Valley is beyond me but here but Albert Mussey Johnson decided to built his vacation home in Death Valley. It was supposedly built with the money from the gold mine that he had backed but in fact, there was no gold mine and so it was certainly not built with funds from one.

Walter Scott was a miner, a dreamer and apparently a scammer to boot. He convinced Mr. Johnson to invest in the gold mine in Death Valley. It was probably going along just fine (with Scott getting his money from the investment) until Mr. Johnson decided to visit. He thought a tour of the mine would be a good idea. It was hard to do since there wasn’t a mine to see.

It was lucky for Mr. Scott that Mr. Johnson became enamored with Death Valley. Because he liked Mr. Scott and thought that Death Valley was truly spectacular he and his wife decided to build a vacation retreat in the valley. It was called Death Valley Ranch but was known to the locals as Scotty’s Castle.

The rich and famous came to the retreat when it became a tourist attraction. They wanted to see the retreat built by one of California’s richest gold miners. Of course, had he told that it wasn’t from the riches gained from the non-existent mine there wouldn’t have been nearly the attraction to it that there was at the time.

Daily tours are available on the hour of the castle and the living history exhibits and the displays inside the house. These guided tours will help you understand the lifestyle of the Johnson’s.

The second tour available for you while you are at the castle is of the underground area. It shows you the technology used to provide electricity to the castle. There is a 1/4 mile tunnel system that runs under the castle that you will be able to see.

The National Park Service is in charge of the castle now. It uses some of the underground area to preserve Scotty’s Castle. Technology from the past is working with technology of today to keep the castle in good condition.

There are a number of different types of trails to hike in California. During certain times of the year you can take your choice of mountain hiking or desert hiking. It will be so enjoyable that you may want to go for a week and try different trails or maybe you just have a weekend available. You can take your pick of hiking around rivers, glaciers, deserts, and the coastline and in the grasslands.

Heading out to Mount Tallac will bring you to the 9.4 mile round trip hike at an elevation of 9,735 ft at the summit. It has a gain of 3,255 ft during the hike so be prepared with lots of water and very good shoes and gear. It is probably one of the best trails in the Lake Tahoe region with views from the summit so stunning to your senses that you will be hard pressed to capture pictures that will be as beautiful as what your eyes see. This trial is both wooded and mountainous. You will pass two lakes on the hike. Part of the trail is a steep climb up the switchbacks and when you reach the saddle of the mountain be ready for it to become exposed and very hot!

If you choose to hike Upper Yosemite Falls you will be on a 7.2 mile round trip hike with an elevation at the summit of 6,526 ft and an elevation gain of 2,700 ft. This hike is best if done from May to July because the waterfall is at its full force during this time and the view is beautiful. This hike will take you through a section of switchbacks through the forest and then you will enter the flat area of the trial with your first view of the falls. The mist from the falls will be heavy as you get closer and then you will encounter another set of switchbacks before the summit. These are very steep and the most difficult area to climb so be prepared to work hard here.

Desert hiking is a little different. It’s hot and yet beautiful when you go to Mosiac Canyon. The trail is just 2.5 miles round trip but you are in the desert so it is hot. Bring plenty of water with you. The formations of the canyon are stunning; you will be able to see nature at its best and maybe even some desert wildlife while on this hike. This location is the hottest place in the US so be ready to be super hot and drink plenty of water (not sodas or other stuff, water to hydrate your body!)

Back to the mountains and this time it’s the really high hike. Prepare for Mt. Shasta, the most challenging trail in California. The trial is 12 miles round trip and the summit is 14,179 ft with an elevation gain of 7,259 ft. You will work on this trail to see the beauty. The time to plan this hike is from May to mid July due to the unpredictable weather in the spring and the lava rocks and rolling boulders that come crashing down the mountain after the snow melt in the summer. Not only is this more than a hike, you will have issues with altitude sicknes if you are not careful so make sure you go with a partner for safety and practical reasons. Read all you can about this hike before you begin, it’s not one for the faint of heart.

Mt. Shasta offers you a different type of hike. You will want to bring your sunscreen, sunglasses, an ice axe and shelter. Since you won’t have much warning if the weather is going to turn on you take the shelter to offer protection when, and if, you need it. Bring along your crampons, helmet, summit pass, and winter boots and wear extra layers of cloths, and again, plenty of water. Don’t plan on drinking snow melt around Helen’s Lake since it is contaminated by human and animal urine…yummy!

Half Dome is a 16 mile round trip hike with an elevation gain of 4,800 ft to the elevation of 8,842. This is a great hike for between late May and early October. Because of the location, view and degree of difficulty people from all over the world come to hike at Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. This is a day hike that challenges you so if you aren’t prepared with a great degree of fitness and lots of experience pass on this one. The climb through the switchbacks is rocky so be careful not to injure an ankle. If you reach the top of Nevada Falls (the halfway point) you will want to assess your skills and ability to continue on as well as adjust to the altitude change. To continue on be prepared to have a very steep, excruciatingly long climb to the back of the Half Dome rock. This is a most difficult climb with more switchbacks continually assaulting your body. If you have done your research you know about the Half Dome cables but you can’t know the shock and fear experienced once you are in front of them until you are there. Now you need to reevaluate your physical condition to see if you are up to the risks involved in continuing up. The view from there is terrific with Yosemite Valley below, but make sure you are ready for this type of challenge before you even begin the hike. It isn’t for the weak or physically unprepared.