Travel Encounters! It is the travel webpage of the History and Geography Department. The Travel Collection of the Cleveland Public Library is dedicated to providing travel tips, trips, and tales to all those who seek the adventure of a lifetime. The most experienced business traveler, the family on vacation, the hostel seeking student adventurer, or the occasional day tripper will find travel guides, maps, pamphlets, and event information from Alaska to Zanzibar. Travel Encounters for a lifetime.

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Introduction to Las Vegas, Nevada

Shimmering from the desert haze of Nevada like a latter-day El Dorado, Las Vegas is the most dynamic, spectacular city on earth. At the start of the twentieth century, it didn't even exist; at the start of the twenty-first, it's home to well over one million people, with enough newcomers arriving to need a new school every month.

Las Vegas is not like other cities. No city in history has so explicitly valued the needs of visitors above those of its own population. All its growth has been fueled by tourism, but the tourists haven't spoiled the "real" city; there is no real city. Las Vegas doesn't have fascinating little-known neighborhoods, and it's not a place where visitors can go off the beaten track to have more authentic experiences. Instead, the whole thing is completely self-referential; the reason Las Vegas boasts the vast majority of the world's largest hotels is that around thirty-seven million tourists each year come to see the hotels themselves.

Each of these monsters is much more than a mere hotel, and more too than the casino that invariably lies at its core. They're extraordinary places, self-contained fantasylands of high camp and genuine excitement that can stretch as much as a mile from end to end. Each holds its own flamboyant permutation of showrooms and swimming pools, luxurious guest quarters and restaurants, high-tech rides and attractions.

The casinos want you to gamble, and they'll do almost anything to lure you in; thus the huge moving walkways that pluck you from the Strip sidewalk, almost against your will, and sweep you into places like Caesars Palace. Once you're inside, on the other hand, the last thing they want is for you to leave. Whatever you came in for, you won't be able to do it without crisscrossing the casino floor innumerable times; as for finding your way out, that can be virtually impossible. The action keeps going day and night, and in this windowless – and clock-free – environment you rapidly lose track of which is which.

"Little emphasis is placed on the gambling clubs No cheap and easily parodied slogans have been adopted to publicize Las Vegas, no attempt has been made to introduce pseudo-romantic architectural themes or to give artificial glamour or gaiety."
– WPA Guidebook to Nevada, 1940

Las Vegas never dares to rest on its laurels, so the basic concept of the Strip casino has been endlessly refined since the Western-themed resorts and ranches of the 1940s. In the 1950s and 1960s, when most visitors arrived by car, the casinos presented themselves as lush tropical oases at the end of the long desert drive. Once air travel took over, Las Vegas opted for Disneyesque fantasy, a process that started in the late 1960s with Caesars Palace and culminated with Excalibur and Luxor in the early 1990s.

These days, after six decades of capitalism run riot, the Strip is locked into a hyperactive craving for thrills and glamour. First-time visitors tend to expect Las Vegas to be a repository of kitsch, but the casino owners are far too canny to be sentimental about the old days. Yes, there are a few Elvis impersonators around, but what characterizes the city far more is its endless quest for novelty. Long before they lose their sparkle, yesterday's showpieces are blasted into rubble, to make way for ever more extravagant replacements. The Disney model has now been discarded in favor of more adult themes, and Las Vegas demands nothing less than entire cities. Replicas of New York, Paris, Monte Carlo and Venice now jostle for space on the Strip.

The customer is king in Las Vegas. What the visitor wants, the city provides. If you come in search of the cheapest destination in America, you'll enjoy paying rock-bottom rates for accommodation and hunting out the best buffet bargains. If it's style and opulence you're after, by contrast, you can dine in the finest restaurants, shop in the most chic stores, and watch world-class entertainment; it'll cost you, but not as much as it would anywhere else. The same guidelines apply to gambling. The Strip giants cater to those who want sophisticated high-roller heavens, where tuxedoed James Bond lookalikes toss insouciant bankrolls onto the roulette tables. Others prefer their casinos to be sinful and seedy, inhabited by hard-bitten heavy-smoking low-lifes; there is no shortage of that type of joint either, especially downtown.

On the face of it, the city is supremely democratic. However you may be dressed, however affluent or otherwise you may appear, you'll be welcomed in its stores, restaurants, and above all its casinos. The one thing you almost certainly won't get, however, is the last laugh; all that seductive deference comes at a price. It would be nice to imagine that perhaps half of your fellow visitors are skilful gamblers, raking in the profits at the tables, while the other half are losing, but the bottom line is that almost nobody's winning. In the words of Steve Wynn, who built Bellagio and the Mirage, "The only way to make money in a casino is to own one"; according to the latest figures, 85 percent of visitors gamble, and they lose an average of $665 each. On top of that, most swiftly come to see that virtually any other activity works out cheaper than gambling, so end up spending their money on all sorts of other things as well. What's so clever about Las Vegas is that it makes absolutely certain that you have such a good time that you don't mind losing a bit of money along the way; that's why they don't even call it "gambling" anymore, but "gaming."

Finally, while Las Vegas has certainly cleaned up its act since the early days of Mob domination, there's little truth in the notion that it's become a family destination. In fact, for kids, it's doesn't begin to compare to somewhere like Orlando. Several casinos have added theme parks or fun rides to fill those odd nongambling moments, but only ten percent of visitors bring children, and the crowds that cluster around the exploding volcanoes and pirate battles along the Strip remain almost exclusively adult.

Information by Rough Guides 4/28/09

Las Vegas, the oasis in the desert that you can't miss because of the zillions of watts of neon.  Remember to bring your sun glasses and some great selections from the Cleveland Public Library.  Las Vegas: the city in section-by-section maps, Cityguide Las Vegas popout map+guide Eat! (this is my favorite part), and Falcon Guide's Best Easy Day Hikes Las Vegas. Wow! people actually go hiking while they are in Vegas - just remember to hike over to your CPL for these great selections and much more!

News for the Traveler

Business travel can help bottom line: study
By Deborah Charles
Reuters, Friday September 18, 2009
(Editing by Cynthia Osteman)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Business travel -- often the target for cutbacks by companies seeking to reduce expenses -- actually boosts profits and could help the U.S. economy come back from the recession, a report found on Tuesday.

Research released by the global research firm Oxford Economics estimated that for every dollar invested in business travel, companies can expect an average $12.50 in increased revenue and $3.80 in new profits.

"Cutting back on business travel can in the short run have some benefits but, even over a 12 month period, (have) significant negative effects on corporate performance," said Adam Sacks, managing director of Oxford Economics. "As companies perform, so does the U.S. economy.

"When companies reduce their travel budgets there are negative consequences that we can now quantify, in terms of lost revenue and profit growth and in terms of giving competitors a distinct advantage."

The study was commissioned in part by the U.S. Travel Association, which represents the American travel industry.

Roger Dow, president of the association, said the report quantified how businesses can benefit from travel and from face-to-face meetings.

The analysis said executives and business travelers estimated 28 percent of current business would be lost without in-person meetings. They said about 40 percent of prospective customers are converted to new customers with an in-person meeting compared to 16 percent without one.

"In this economy especially, business travel has come under greater scrutiny than before," Dow told reporters.

"It's very important that business travel be seen as a solution. This industry could lead the economy out of the recession if people begin traveling and doing business."

The industry group said in the first six months of 2009, business travel spending is down 12.5 percent and business travel volume is down more than 6 percent.

Sacks said a 10 percent increase in business travel across the board could potentially boost U.S. gross domestic product between 1.5 percent to 2.8 percent.

The report was based on a combination of two separate surveys of corporate executives and business travelers and an econometric analysis of the effects of business travel on corporate performance. It covered 14 economic sectors over a span of 13 years.

The report comes as the world airlines announced they expect to post $11 billion in losses this year due to weak passenger traffic and cargo demand pressure revenue.

The books featured with this article are located in the History, Business, and Social Science Departments.  They are part of a collection that will help you make the sale by providing the do's and dont's of international business.  Do bring your Greater Clevnet card and don't forget to select some great travel guides, just for the fun of it!

8 essential tips for your next flight
By Harry P. Weber, AP Airlines Writer
Published Wednesday, September 23, 2009

ATLANTA – Ever get thirsty during your flight and wished you didn't have to wait an hour or so for the beverage cart to come down the aisle?

You may not have realized you could bring a bottled drink onboard. You can — your best bet is to buy it after you go through security. Screeners limit the size of liquids you can bring through checkpoints.

That's just one of many options passengers may not know they have to make their air travel experience more comfortable.

Here are some others you should know about.

1. Airport VIP lounges are not restricted to just members. Several airlines offer one-day or monthly passes. Delta Air Lines charges $50 for a one-day pass. If your flight is delayed and you have a long wait, check out one of the lounges, which offer a comfortable atmosphere, Internet access, drinks and snacks.

2. Don't fret the annoying checked bag fee when bringing strollers and infant car seats. Airline personnel will put those items on the plane for you for free when you get to your gate, and they will not count against your carryon bag allowance. Always bring them with you when traveling, especially so you can push the little one through the terminal rather than have to carry him or her.

3. You don't have to pay big bucks to fly in business class. Several airlines offer deeply discounted rates on upgrades to business class on the day of travel if there are seats in the front cabin still available. Members of airline frequent-flier programs can use miles or flight credits to upgrade from coach to business class.

4. You don't have to pay big bucks to fly period. Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com says the best time to shop domestic tickets is Tuesday afternoon because airlines typically file sales Monday evening and other airlines match Tuesday through noon. "Be wary of shopping on the weekends," Seaney says. "Most discounted airfares expire or are removed from the reservation systems on Friday, leaving higher prices in the system over the weekend."

5. Don't worry about printing out your boarding pass at home. At some airports and with some airlines, travelers with Web-enabled mobile devices like a BlackBerry or iPhone can download their boarding passes, then hand over the devices for scanning by federal security screeners and airline gate agents. Continental Airlines spokeswoman Mary Clark says the carrier offers the mobile boarding pass option at 28 airports, including ones in Houston and Newark, N.J. Even if that isn't available at your airport or with your airline, at many airports you can print out your boarding pass quickly at a self-service kiosk in the terminal. You can generally find out if your airline offers the mobile boarding pass option and at which airports the carrier offers self-service kiosks from the airline's Web site. AirTran Airways says all of its ticket counters have self-service kiosks for printing boarding passes.

6. Traveling doesn't have to be a hassle. If you fly at off-peak times like in the early morning hours or on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Saturdays, flights are less full, and often the lines at security are much shorter. At the right time of day there are no lines at all, and many smaller airports are rarely congested at all, says aviation consultant Mark Kiefer of CRA International in Boston.

7. Speeding through security is easy if you pack certain items in your carryon bags before reaching a checkpoint. Alaska Airlines' in-flight training manager stores his belt and small wallet in his briefcase. According to the airline, he no longer carries a laptop, just memory sticks. Often, he does not even need a tub when traveling without liquids; He stores metal items in his briefcase.

8. If you've ever wondered how close you are to your destination or how long the security line is at your airport, you don't have to be in the dark. You can track your flight online by entering the flight number at flightaware.com. Several airlines offer Wi-Fi on some or all of their flights. As for security wait times, the world's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, posts that information on its Web site and updates it regularly.

Travel book goes mobile with scannable QR code
By FRITZ FAERBER
Associated Press Writer
Tuesday,  October 27, 2009

WASHINGTON – Many travelers still rely on comprehensive printed guidebooks for tourism information. But travelers are also increasingly using mobile technology to plan a trip or find their way around.

Now a technology called QR codes, for Quick Response, offers a way to forge a functional relationship between your guidebook and your smart phone. The codes are already big in Japan, but relatively unknown in the U.S.

QR codes are essentially barcodes that can be scanned by smart phone cameras and other devices. You aim your camera at a QR code on a page in a travel book, for example, and it links to information online, such as a map or directions based on the user's location. The user can also store information in the phone about the place that's described on the page.

QR codes can also appear in media other than books. You can scan them off a computer screen. They've been put on T-shirts and even billboards.

A new travel book is using QR codes to help readers link to spots around the globe. "Earthbound: A Rough Guide to the World in Pictures" ($30) is a coffee-table book with more than 250 gorgeous photos from all over the world. Each comes with personal insights from the photographer who captured the image, some of which have never before been published.

What's new in "Earthbound" is the strange black-and-white box next to each image. This is the QR code, looking something like a pixelated alien from the 1970s video game "Space Invaders." The code offers a link to the location of what's pictured in the photo, using Google Maps online.

Sounds neat? It is, except for the fact that this emerging technology still has a few bugs.

It took me and an uber-techie colleague about a half-hour of mucking about with our iPhones to get the reader apps working properly. The intro to the book suggests using the free apps 2D sense and NeoReader to scan the QR codes.

Neither of us could get the 2D sense to work reliably, unless we photocopied and blew up the image of the QR code. NeoReader was a bit better, but still a bit wonky.

A Rough Guides spokeswoman acknowledges some problems, especially with earlier generation iPhones, but says the new ones and BlackBerrys perform better.

To be fair, I have the earlier-generation iPhone and its camera doesn't focus well on close-up objects. NeoReader started working pretty well once I started scanning the image from a foot or more away with good light and the page carefully flattened. The new iPhone 3GS did perform much better.

Once we were able to scan the codes, we were rewarded with a Google map of the spot where the photo was taken. You can look at a satellite image, which was pretty for some of the outdoor spots like Parque Nacional Volcan Irazu in Costa Rica or Shipwreck Bay in Greece.

You can also bookmark the locations so that if you ever get to the region, your phone will give you directions to visit the spot. For now, though, it seems to be of fairly limited utility.

But offering technology that marries books and smart phones is a big step. Guidebooks could start including QR codes for all kinds of useful information. Want to see how to get to the Louvre from your hotel in Paris and store hours and admission information? Scan a code. Want to add a phone number for that quaint little restaurant in Florence to your contacts so you can leave the guidebook home? Instead of tapping out the number on your tiny keyboard, scan a code.

Scanning the codes in a guidebook for your favorite listings is a bit like folding the pages down for quick reference, or even printing out pages from a tourism Web site. But your smart phone stores the data so you don't have to carry all that paper around, and it can also add information that's not in the book, like directions.

"We're really testing the waters," said Rough Guides Design Manager Scott Stickland, speaking by phone from London. "QR is still very much an underground thing here."

But he hopes the technology catches on. That's why he really pushed to use the codes in the book. He foresees a future where a reader can scan a few codes and leave a book at home or in the hotel room, while accessing user-generated content, maps, contact information, podcasts or other features on the go with a mobile device.

The technology is moving fast. Stickland says he now recommends the QuickMark code-scanning app, but it wasn't mentioned in the book because the app wasn't available when the book went to press. Now you can buy it in the iTunes app store for 99 cents.

QR may be the vehicle to bridge that split between print and mobile. Stickland says at Rough Guides it's "universally agreed our guides need to do more to integrate online and printed content." Though for now, Stickland says there are no "concrete plans" to incorporate QR in new guidebooks until the standard is more accepted.

Even if QR fizzles, the book makes a nice read for the armchair traveler. As Stickland says, it culls the finest images of food, people, adventure, nature and other themes from Rough Guides' rich library of more than 120,000 photos.

Largest cruise ship squeezes under Danish bridge
By JAN M. OLSEN
AP Writer
Published Monday, November 2, 2009

KORSOER, Denmark – The world's largest cruise ship has cleared a crucial obstacle on its way to Florida, lowering its smokestacks to squeeze under a bridge in Denmark.

The Oasis of the Seas — which rises about 20 stories high — passed below the Great Belt Fixed Link with a slim margin as it left the Baltic Sea Sunday on its maiden voyage to Florida.

Bridge operators said that even after lowering its telescopic smokestacks the giant ship had less than a 2-foot gap.

Hundreds of people gathered on beaches at both ends of the bridge, waiting for hours to watch the brightly lit behemoth sail by shortly after midnight.
"It was fantastic to see it glide under the bridge. Boy, it was big," said Kurt Hal, 56.

Company officials are banking that its novelty will help guarantee its success. Five times larger than the Titanic, the $1.5 billion ship has seven neighborhoods, an ice rink, a small golf course and a 750-seat outdoor amphitheater. It has 2,700 cabins and can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members.

Accommodations include loft cabins, with floor-to-ceiling windows, and 1,600-square-foot luxury suites with balconies overlooking the sea or promenades.
The liner also has four swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, and a youth zone with theme parks and nurseries for children.

Oasis of the Sea, nearly 40 percent larger than the industry's next-biggest ship, was conceived years before the economic downturn caused desperate cruise lines to slash prices to fill vacant berths.

It was built by STX Finland for Royal Caribbean International and left the shipyard in Finland on Friday. Officials hadn't expected any problems in passing the Great Belt bridge, but traffic was stopped for about 15 minutes as a precaution when the ship approached, Danish navy spokesman Joergen Brand said.

Aboard the Oasis of the Seas, project manager Toivo Ilvonen of STX Finland confirmed that the ship had passed under the bridge without any incidents.
"Nothing fell off," he said.

The enormous ship features various "neighborhoods" — parks, squares and arenas with special themes. One of them will be a tropical environment, including palm trees and vines among the total 12,000 plants on board. They will be planted after the ship arrives in Fort Lauderdale.

In the stern, a 750-seat outdoor theater — modeled on an ancient Greek amphitheater — doubles as a swimming pool by day and an ocean front theater by night. The pool has a diving tower with spring boards and two 33-foot high-dive platforms. An indoor theater seats 1,300 guests.

One of the "neighborhoods," named Central Park, features a square with boutiques, restaurants and bars, including a bar that moves up and down three decks, allowing customers to get on and off at different levels.

Once home, the $1.5 billion floating extravaganza will have more, if less visible, obstacles to duck: a sagging U.S. economy, questions about the consumer appetite for luxury cruises and criticism that such sailing behemoths are damaging to the environment and diminish the experience of traveling.

It is due to make its U.S. debut on Nov. 20 at its home port, Port Everglades in Florida.

The world's largest cruise ship has retarctable smoke stacks, you can't get much cooler.Now all you need to do is select a port of call. We all know what your first port of call should be - your Cleveland Public Library, of course.  The CPL has a great collection of travel guides that will help you pick the vacation of a lifetime.  The guides featured above are just a small sample of those available.  Your Greater Clevnet Card is the key to a boat load of memories.  This new cruise ship has over eight thousand people on-board, that is a lot of pancakes in the morning.

Featured Resource

Is a Travel Memoir Really a Memoir?
by Jerry Waxler
Posted on the Net May, 15, 2009

When I started studying memoirs, my original focus were the conventional ones like Frank McCourt’s “Angela’s Ashes” or Jeanette Walls’ “Glass Castle.” At first, I didn’t understand why some travel books were sold as memoirs. Travel books weren’t about the author’s childhood, and they included a lot of journalistic descriptions of the places they were traveling through. And yet I realized they were first person accounts that let me get inside the author’s point of view and see the world.

To understand more about what goes into a travel memoir. I read a few like Doreen Orion’s travel memoir, “Queen of the Road,” and Mark Richardson’s “Zen and Now.” I’ve also dabbled in others like Tom Coyne’s walk around Ireland recounted in “A Course Called Ireland” and Rosemary Mahoney’s solo trip in Egypt, “Down the Nile Alone in a Fisherman’s Skiff.”

Based on my research, I decided travel books indeed could be considered as a sort of memoir. In fact, in my perfect world, the book store would have a whole bank of memoirs and autobiographies, including sub-sections for Coming of Age, Overcoming Hardship, and Travel memoirs, to name a few. Here are a few of the features of travel memoirs you might consider when reading your next one, or planning your own.

On the road alone means inside your mind

Travel provides the fascinating unfolding, as places appear in the distance, come closer, and then whiz by, fading into the past. From this perpetual flow of locations, comes a variety of outer experience.

And while the miles disappear under the tire, hull, or shoe, the protagonist’s main activity is… nothing. With nothing to do but move your body from A to B, traveling is a sort of meditation in its own right, providing the protagonist ample time to reflect. That’s what Bob Pirsig did in his classic “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” and when Mark Richardson road his motorcycle along the same path, he too reflected about life in “Zen and Now.”

Since Doreen Orion is traveling with her husband in an RV she has other options. She can read, or banter with her husband. Considering she is a psychiatrist, I wonder if her absence of introspection is a sort of subterranean irony, a feature I have noticed throughout Orion’s entertaining approach to her material.

Wrestling with your Stuff

Traveling raises all sorts of issues about stuff. First you have make a list of what to take, buy what you need, and then pack your luggage. You have to store it somewhere and lug it along. Sometimes you can’t fit much. On his motorcycle ride, Mark Richardson could only bring a couple of pairs of underwear. When he stopped in a motel, he methodically unpacked his saddlebags, including motorcycle repair tools. Then the next morning, he packed them up again. At the other extreme, Doreen Orion packed her luxury RV with all sorts of amenities, such dozens of pairs of shoes. But even she had limits. One day she jumped in the tagalong SUV and went shopping, and when she tried to put the purchases away, she realized she had run out of room for her stuff.

Describe the people you meet

During travel, you meet people, and these meetings add character to the journey. Richardson tells about the small town girl working in the motel, and the Russian couple who own it. He describes other bikers he meets at stops, and he looks up some of the same people who had met with Pirsig during the original ride. He even stops in a town and speculates about which tree Pirsig and his son might have sat under, and asks some of the locals to help him figure it out, while Orion chats up the other campers at the RV parks – neighbors for a night.

Focus on your vehicle (boat, feet, RV, motorcycle)

In “Zen and Now” Mark Richardson focuses in detail on his motorcycle. This is a neat trick that emulates Robert Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” Both motorcyclists do an excellent job of showing how their world has collapsed down to their vehicle and the stretch of road they are on right now. By describing the motorcycle they let you feel intimately connected with their contracted world. Doreen Orion also showed us her small world by bringing inside the cab of her luxury RV in “Queen of the Road.”

Journalistic accounts of the world

In the musical “Sound of Music,” Julie Andrews walks along a country road with the kids, and suddenly they all burst into song. It’s entertaining, albeit a little out of place. Something similar takes place in a travel memoir, when the author decides to insert a little background description about something they are seeing. My quirkiest example is in Doreen Orion’s “Queen of the Road.” In a night club she visited with her husband, a girl performed a clog dance. Orion included a brief history of clog dancing. Not your typical memoir material, but it worked as a lovely way to pass the time in her company. Of course, the scenery, the towns, and the people are all fodder for the writer’s research, should they choose to add a few details about the world they are moving through.

Getting there and back is a perfect container for a story

The whole purpose of a good story is to portray a sort of journey, that takes the protagonist as well as the reader from the beginning of the book to the end. Travel memoirs turn this into a literal journey from one geographical location to another. When you insert your experience into travel, you allow your reader to go along with you as you prepare, pack, and go forth from your home. Leaving your familiar world behind, you enter a new world with different rules and make progress through obstacles. This allows for the curiosity and adventure of discovery, as well as the contrast with the familiar. At the end, you complete the journey, providing the appropriate metaphorical as well as circumstantial ending.

By breaking the protagonist out of the daily grind, travel memoirs still provide plenty of room for an inner journey, too. Under the stress of confusing situations, or the tedium of the passing miles, or the curiosity of new observations, travelers discover new things about themselves. As the outer miles go by, the inner journey is also underway, making the travel memoir an excellent framework for writing about life.

Area travel guides keep it simple
By Anne Wallace Allen, For The Associated Press
Published Monday, September 14, 2009

It seems almost every travel guide offers a glimpse of California's famed Napa and Sonoma region, the wine country that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

Now a new online company has entered the crowded travel market. Area, a Web-based guide downloadable to a laptop, iPhone, or smartphone, is aiming for the style-conscious traveler who wishes to avoid the tourist hordes.

Area, http://www.area-daily.com, launches its first guide, to Napa and Sonoma, this month. It plans to follow by the New Year with guides to New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, with a plethora of big cities in the United States and Europe coming in 2010.

Area's founders say their guides are an antidote to old-style paper guidebooks and their online supplements. They pledge to update their information every three months, and promise stylish dining, exclusive shopping and boutique hotels for the discerning consumer.

"Think of it as having a well-connected friend who shows you all the secret spots and local favorites," the company says in its promotional materials.

That friend is a downloadable, digital brochure that makes great reading even if you have no intention of leaving your armchair. The Napa-Sonoma version, which runs 30 pages, is beautifully photographed and costs $9.99. It can be printed out, but for the paper-averse it also contains live links that let users book a hotel room or make dinner reservations from the comfort of their own PDAs.

Of course, there are many online guides to California's famed wine country. The popular Frommer's guide, at http://www.frommers.com/destinations/napavalley/0111010001.html, allows users to share its content on social networking sites and has links to hotel reservations and car rentals. Like Area, Frommer's has photos, maps, and a dash of history, though Frommer's also has a thicket of ads, some of them distractingly animated.

There's also the local site http://www.winecountry.com, which helps users buy wine and find art openings, wine tastings, and other events.

What really sets Area apart is the way it distills the hectically crowded offerings of this tourist mecca. With in-depth information on relatively few wineries, hotels, and restaurants, with a page on hard-to-find wines produced in limited quantities, Area "is about avoiding tourists," said Christine Magda, a spokeswoman for the site. Area also offers a "valet" trip-booking service to help users find personalized tours, promising hard-to-find experiences such as seating at Fashion Week in Paris or dove-shooting in Argentina.

And if you decide not to ski at Chamonix or pick truffles in Italy, vignettes from luxurious valet trips past, now posted on the site, make great reading. Other travel guides "give you touristy spots and not the places that necessarily are indicative of your stylish people who are in that particular city," said Magda. "It's about people who have a desire to look out for different, unique things that stand out, that aren't done everywhere else."

What's Happening

2009 Winterfest Schedule Announced

11/6/2009 Contact
Josh Taylor
216-736-7799
jtaylor@dcacleveland.net  

This Year’s Winterfest Events Announced for

Saturday, November 28th

Downtown Cleveland: The chilly weather is making its return to Northeast Ohio, which means the holiday season is right around the corner. And with the cold comes Winterfest! On Saturday, November 28th, kick off the holiday season with the magic of Winterfest presented by Giant Eagle and GetGo and powered by Cleveland Public Power. Free family events and activities take place all day long, culminating with the traditional lighting ceremony, concert and fireworks on Public Square.

Public Square Festivities

This year, Public Square will be packed with concerts and activities for the whole family to enjoy.

• Free Horse-Drawn Carriage rides (1:00-5:00pm): As a new addition to Winterfest this year, free horse-drawn carriage rides will be available in front of Old Stone Church. Take a gentle ride through the city with your family on one of four different carriages.
• Winterfest Village presented by Dollar Bank (3:00-7:30pm): This year, the Winterfest Village presented by Dollar Bank will be located on the southwest quadrant of Public Square and will include crafts, activities, and hot food and beverages from various Winterfest partners. Radio Disney will be on-site with the Best Snow Day Ever Promotion, where a lucky family will have the chance to win a trip for four to attend the Radio Disney Holiday Concert in Celebration, Florida on December 19th!
• Winterfest Stage Show & Radio Disney Appearance (3:00-6:00pm): Local artists and bands will play holiday music, the holiday movie classic Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer will be played on the large Public Square screens, and the Radio Disney AM 1260 Road Crew will host a show on-stage with family-friendly games, dancing, karaoke and prizes.
• Public Square Lighting Ceremony, Concert and Fireworks (6:00-7:10pm): Join Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Cleveland City Council President Martin Sweeney, members of Cleveland City Council and Santa for the traditional lighting ceremony on Public Square. Over 500,000 lights on the Square and the City’s Christmas tree will magically come alive as part of the ceremony. Emcees for the ceremony are Q104’s Rebecca Wilde and Alan Fee. After the lighting of Public Square, enjoy live performances by The Singing Angels and Neil Zaza, followed by the Winterfest Fireworks Show, set to live music. This year, the lighting ceremony will not include a carriage parade.
• Public After-Party, Positively Cleveland Visitors Center at the Higbee Building (7:30 – 8:30pm): Continue the fun after the lighting ceremony with pictures with Santa, free refreshments courtesy of Giant Eagle and live music.

Family events throughout Downtown

Multiple events for the entire family take place throughout Downtown all day long. Unless noted, all events are free.

• Trolley rides to the Christmas Story House at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel (10:00am -4:00pm): tickets are $7 for Adults and $5 for children (12 and under)
  • The Renaissance is also offering deluxe overnight accommodations for just $169 (plus tax). Include:
    • Breakfast for Two (children 12 and under are complimentary)
    • Complimentary parking in the Renaissance garage
    • Screenings of holiday movie classics A Christmas Story & National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation in the hotel
    • Christmas Story Gift Bag, Two tickets to A Christmas Story House and Museum plus free trolley transportation to the Christmas Story House (10:00am-4:00pm on Saturday)
• Hard Rock Café (10:30am – 1:30pm): “Chillin with the Kringle”, get a chance to hang with Santa, kids get a free cookie, punk rock hair styling and temporary tattoos
• The Park Building Open House (Noon to 5pm): walk through brand new condominiums and get a glimpse of the first residential building on Public Square in over 100 years. Free Refreshments
• Tower City Center (All day long): enjoy performances on the Tower City Grand Staircase from 1:00 - 7pm, Gingerbread Lane on Level 2 Bridge, Twigbee Shop on Level 1, Kringle’s Inventionasium on Level 1, Holiday Express Train on Level 1, and a $4.00 special parking rate
• Lake Erie Monsters vs. Hamilton Bulldogs at Quicken Loans Arena (1:00pm): The Monsters kick-off an exciting day of action at The Q with a showdown vs. Hamilton. This is a ticketed event; tickets are still available. 
• Guitar Hero Challenge at the House of Blues (1:00-5:00pm): compete against other players for the top three spots and a chance to play the final round on the Public Square Stage during the Lighting ceremony festivities. No entry fee
• Xbox 2K10 Basketball Challenge at Cadillac Ranch (1:00-5:00pm): compete against other players for the top spot. No entry fee
• Cleveland Public Library, Louis Stokes Wing (2:00pm): A free performance by the Urban Dance Collective of the Cleveland School of the Arts. Refreshments provided. 
• Cleveland State Men’s Basketball vs. Wichita State at The Wolstein Center (2:00pm): The Vikings entertain the Shockers in a key non-conference game. This is a ticketed event; tickets are still available. 
• The Arcade (3:30 – 5:30pm): complimentary hot cocoa and free pictures with Santa on his 1800's vintage sleigh. Meet characters from Cleveland's past, including: John D. Rockefeller; Tom Johnson, former Cleveland mayor; and Frances Payne Bolton, the first woman from Ohio to be elected to Congress. Two historic tours of the building and neighborhood: 3:30pm and 4:30pm
• Old Stone Church (4:00-6:00pm; 7:00pm): concert by international recording artist Tia McGraff (4pm), free cookie reception (5pm), and the annual Old Stone Church Christmas Choir Concert at 7pm, immediately following the Public Square fireworks
• Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Dallas Mavericks at Quicken Loans Arena (7:30): LeBron, Shaq and the Cavaliers take on Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks. This is a ticketed event; tickets are still available.
• Ice Sculpting on East 4th Street (7:30-9:30pm): Watch as Elegant Ice Creations brings a holiday ice sculpture to life on the street

Make sure you and your family experience the magic of the holidays in the city this year! Winterfest truly is the best time of the year to play, shop, dine and stay in the heart of the city.  For more event, concert and fireworks information, log onto www.cleveland.com/winterfest. Winterfest is presented by Giant Eagle and GetGo and is powered by Cleveland Public Power. Winterfest is an event of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance.  Winterfest is proud to have the valuable support of our community partners, including: The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, Kent H. Smith Charitable Trust, John P. Murphy Foundation, City of Cleveland, Boost Mobile, Dollar Bank, Forest City Enterprises, PlayhouseSquare, Cleveland Cavaliers, Lake Erie Monsters, Medical Mutual, KeyBank,, Public Square Preservation Committee, RTA, Richard E. Jacobs Group, Tenable Security, United Rentals, General Electric, Baker & Hostetler LLP, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Cleveland Indians, Landmark RE Management, RSM McGladrey, High Tide Management, Positively Cleveland, Eaton Corporation and Kaufman Container Company.. Winterfest is also supported by generous downtown Cleveland property owners and stakeholders, including: PlayhouseSquare District Development Corporation, Historic Gateway Neighborhood, Historic Warehouse District, Tower City Center and Network Parking. Winterfest is supported by the following media partners: Cleveland.com, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland Magazine, Cleveland Scene, Radio 92.3, 98.5 WNCX, 102.1 WDOK, Q104, Radio Disney AM 1260 and Ideastream 90.3 WCPN; WVIZ PBS 

Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building a dynamic downtown. By working with property owners and neighborhood based partners, DCA is able to provide economic development opportunities, business attraction and retention efforts, the Clean & Safe Ambassador Program as well as strategic marketing initiatives for Downtown Cleveland.

As part of your festivities visit the Cleveland Public Library - we are very close to Public Square.  Holiday books, AV materials, magazines, DIY information for crafts and decorating the homestead can be found throughout the departments of the fabulous downtown CPL Main.  If you are unable to attend the days happenings, visit any of the CPL branch libraries for holiday materials.  Remember, all you need is a Greater Clevnet card, if you do not have a a card we can issue a card to you in a matter of minutes using your picture I.D.  Materials may be ordered and delivered to any of the Clevnet member library systems.

Cleveland Museum of Natural History urban trek finds variety of plants

By Grant Segall
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Published September 28, 2009

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Near smokestacks, sulfuric acid tanks and the Interstate 490 Bridge, Trish MacKeigan squinted at a wildflower guide.

"Beggar's tick?" she ventured about plants up to 20 feet tall with yellow flowers and a dozen petals apiece. She eventually decided they were a kind of sunflower.

On a muggy morning, MacKeigan and Garrett Ormiston of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History led a dozen eco-tourists on an "Urban Botany Trek" in the Flats.

It seems that Flats earth is rich earth. The trekkers explored a long-vanished street now inhabited by power lines and, it turned out, dozens of species of plants.

Tiny plants. Towering plants. Pink flowers. Periwinkle flowers. Native species. Foreign species. In short, plants as varied as people.

The hikers found the usual city plants, such as grapevines. They found plants more typically found in the countryside, such as milkweed.

They found plants that seem to prefer tainted ground, like a fuzzy-leafed invasive called mullen.

"This area's extremely disturbed," said Ormiston. "There's nothing natural about it. You find a neat mix of very rare, very common and very invasive species."

After inspecting the Flats, the visitors drove up to Tremont to see the first "Naturehood" garden, a new plot of native species on Holmden Street. Naturehood's many partners, including the museum, plan to open other plots soon.

To clinch the urban experience, most of the hikers ate lunch at Sokolowski's University Inn, a popular Polish restaurant overlooking the Cuyahoga River.

The museum has led occasional Urban Botany Treks over the years and plans more next year. The fee has been $6 for members and $8 for nonmembers.

The museum also plans to devote its annual conservation symposium in September 2010 to urban ecology.

Ormiston said cities "are full of pockets of habitats you may overlook. The idea is get people looking at things they might find on their own blocks."
_______________

Cleveland Museum of Natural History
1 Wade Oval Drive, University Circle
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-1767
Ph: 216.231.4600     Toll Free:  600.317.9155
www.cmnh.org

Ah, urban greenery along I77 or I480, a Cleveland adventure like no other. The book choices with this article can be found in the Science & Technology Department and Children's Literature.  If you wish to observe the urban greenery in Ohio or virtually anywhere in the world, visit the History & Geography Departmenmt for the latest travel guides, atlases, and travel pamphlets.  Whether planting a garden or cataloging the native flora in your urban area, you need a Clevnet card to take out
books, maps, pamphlets.... 

Genealogy and Family History Research Clinics
at Cleveland Public Library

Free to All        No Registration        Everyone Welcome

Volunteers from the African American Genealogical Society of Cleveland and the staff of the History & Geography Department will provide research guidance and will assist you in finding answers to specific questions regarding your family tree.

The Clinics will be held on these Saturday Mornings:

November 21 - December 19

Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Place:  

Cleveland Public Library, Main Library

History and Geography

6th Floor, Louis Stokes Wing

525 Superior Avenue, N.E.

Questions:

Please call the History and Geography Department at 216.623.2864

Northeast Ohio Farmer's Markets
By Sandy Mitchell
About.com
On the net October 17, 2009

One of the joys of summer in Northeast Ohio is the abundant farmer's markets that spring up around the area beginning in May and continuing through the fall harvest season.

A careful shopper can find all of his food there, from luscious produce to hand-picked flowers, with everything offered in between. What's more: frequently the offerings are organically grown and affordable, too.

North Union Market - Shaker Square
One of the original area farmer's markets, the North Union Market at Shaker Square is still one of the best. Open Saturdays from 8am until noon from April through December on Shaker Blvd. in the middle of Shaker Square, the market sells fresh in-season produce, home-made honey, fresh flowers, freshly-baked goods, home-made jellies and jams, and beans and grains. Many of the goods are organically grown. Special events include the June strawberry fest and mid-summer Garlic fest.

Coit Road Market
Located at Coit and Woodworth Rds. in Cleveland, the Coit Road Market is open year round on Wednesdays from 10am to 3pm and on Saturdays from 8am to 1pm. They sell everything, including farm-made cheese, beeswax candles, spices, annual bedding plants, and lots of delicious produce.

West Side Market
Though technically a permanent market, the West Side Market comes alive in the summer and fall. The produce hall is stacked with beautiful displays of fruit, vegetables, and tubers. There are usually vendors beside the market, selling flowers, and the Ohio City Open Air Market in the Square sets up each Saturday across the street from 10am to 4pm, and features all kinds of wares -- food and non-food -- as well as live music.

North Union Market - Lakewood
An offshoot of the successful Shaker Square farmer's market, the Lakewood market sets up each Wednesday between 10am and 2pm from July through September at the intersection of the Arthur extension and Detroit Road (next to Taco Bell, across from the Lakewood Library). The market has a wealth of fresh produce, canned goods, freshly-baked goodies, and often, a guest appearance from a local chef.

North Union Market - Crocker Park
Yet another of the North Union Markets, this one sets up each Saturday from 9am to 1pm from early April through December at Crocker Park shopping center. Like the other North Union markets, it offers a wide variety of produce, home-made jams, jellies and honey, fresh flowers, and freshly-baked goods. Fun special events include periodic sheep shearing and live musicians and street players.

Geauga Fresh Farmers Market
The Geauga Fresh Farmer's Market is open each Saturday from 9am to 1pm from late June to late October. The market, located on Chillicothe Road in South Russell, sells everything from produce to beeswax candles to annual bedding plants. Most of the 25 or so vendors come from Geauga County. Events include a best-tasting salsa contest and a best-looking tomato contest, open to farmers and shoppers alike.

Painesville Farmers Market
This wonderful farmer's market, begun in 1999, sets up each Thursday afternoon between 2pm and 6pm from May to October. Located in the parking lot at 177 Main Street in Painesville, the market features the expected delicious fresh produce as well as fresh meat, freshly-baked goods, canned goods, and flowers. The market has a festive air with live music and street entertainers each week.

Haymaker Farmer's Market
The Haymaker Farmer's Market, located at the corner of Summit and Franklin Sts. in Kent, is open on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm, beginning on June 17 and continuing through October. The market features 30 vendors who sell honey, bakery items, fruit, vegetables, and lots more. There are also weekly cooking demonstrations from local chefs and "Music in the Market" entertainment.

Lake Farm Park Market
Located in the parking lot at the Lake County Metroparks Lake Farm Park, this seasonal market sets up each Wednesday from 3pm to 7pm from June through October. The market features a large complement of produce, home-canned goods, bakery items, and flowering plants.

Coventry Road Market
Cleveland Heights' Coventry Market carries the Bohemian flair of this fun and arty neighborhood. The market, located at 1824 Coventry Road, is open each Thursday evening between 6pm and 9pm, from June through August. They feature fresh fruit and vegetables, "fresh-from-the-farm eggs", flowers, baked goods, and lots more. Once a month, the street is closed for a street festival, with live music, craft vendors, dancing, and lots of fun.

Tremont Farmers Market
This market, located in eclectic Tremont just south of downtown, sets up on Saturdays April through October from 9am to 1pm at Starkweather and Professor Avenues.

NOTE: Many of the listed markets run through the end of October, others through December, and some year round.  This net article was posted to provide the markets currently operating but also to provide information for the coming season.  The Cleveland Public Library supports the the Northeast Ohio Farmer's Markets with materials found in every subject department.  Use library offerings to choose, grow, and market your produce.  We have the stuff to make your thumb a beautiful shade of green!