Just back from a fun solo research trip to Atlanta, and am sitting down to update my Atlanta travel info pages.

Unlike my last trip (when I arrived during an unusual February cold snap), this time I had gorgeous April weather — and what a difference that makes! I was finally able to check out some (non-mall) walking/strolling shopping areas: Virginia-Highland, Decatur, and Buckhead’s West Village (all three are well worthwhile) as well as the little strip mall in Buckhead called The Shops Around Lenox (for non-driving visitors, this one is not really worth the trouble of getting there, unless you really want to check out Blue Genes, a terrific, popular, and trendy shop for women, men, and children.)

I also enjoyed a tour of the Fabulous Fox Theatre (thee-AY-ter in Atlanta-speak!). I’d have to say the tour is interesting if you like that sort of thing (as I do), but don’t put a tour at the top of your list. However, the restored landmark theatre itself is truly jaw-dropping, designed and built with over-the-top 1929 opulence to resemble an Arabian courtyard. So if you have a chance to see a show there, by all means do so. You won’t believe your eyes when you enter!

So let me get to work on updating those Plan A Trip pages! Take a look, and as always, please share your own Atlanta favorites! Just use the comment form you’ll see at the bottom of every page (note that your comments will not display right away — first they come to me, then I review and approve them) or email me at carol@lipstickgetaways.com.

Go Have Fun!

Carol

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Had to put the brakes on — temporarily — here at Lipstick Getaways, while I step back, review, and work out how to make it better.

Here’s what happened:

• A couple weeks ago my web designer told me she was giving up her freelance work. (She was offered a full-time, in-house position.) She’s been a terrific resource … best of luck, April!
• Which means I need to find another web person to help with the technical stuff.
• Then I realized, as long as I’m looking for help — what I really need is marketing help. Someone to help me reach as many of you as possible!
• Which means I’m gonna need to spend more money … before I’ve figured out how to make any money.
• So I freaked out for a few days …
• Then met with some wonderful local resources (more on those savvy women soon!) … have another promising meeting scheduled for next week.
• So should be back on track soon!

Stay tuned!Thanks,

Carol

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The November 2007 issue of Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel highlighted five reasonably-priced hotels in San Francisco: Hotel Tomo, Sir Francis Drake Hotel, Hotel Beresford, Orchard Garden Hotel, and Galleria Park Hotel. Rates range from $89 to $189. (You can find a link to the Budget Travel article by clicking here.)

Before sharing them here with you, I thought I should did a little deeper. So I checked out the traveler’s reviews for each hotel on TripAdvisor and Expedia. Here’s what I found out:

BEST BETS
Of the five budget hotels mentioned in the article, Orchard Garden Hotel and Hotel Tomo (now Best Western Hotel Tomo) garnered the most consistently positive reviews.

Orchard Garden Hotel is a new, eco-friendly 86-room boutique hotel right next to Chinatown, near Union Square and the Financial District. It’s actually the second most popular SF hotel rated in TripAdivsor.

Best Western Hotel Tomo is a 125-room boutique hotel in Japantown (close to the Fillmore Street chic boutique shopping area) with a fun Japanese pop-culture vibe. Reviewers noted that it’s much nicer than you might expect from the Best Western brand.

LOOKS PRETTY GOOD
Reviews were mixed — but mostly positive — for the Galleria Park Hotel, an Art Nouveau property conveniently located in the Financial District/Union Square. This historic 177 room hotel has been fully restored and all rooms recently renovated.

A BIT MORE IFFY
Hotel Beresford and Sir Francis Drake Hotel both got decidedly mixed reviews.
Sir Francis Drake Hotel is an historic hotel in Union Square. While many reviewers were delighted with it’s charm, location, and cleanliness, quite a few others complained of tiny rooms, noise, and poor service. (To the Drake’s credit, the manager David Watkins reads and responds to most reviews.)
As for the Hotel Beresford, my biggest concern is it’s location right next to the seedy Tenderloin district. Many reviewers were uncomfortable with the numbers of homeless people near the hotel. On the other hand, many others were pleased with the location, cleanliness, and especially the price (the Beresford is the cheapest of the five hotels).

I can’t wait to get out to San Francisco to do my own research!
In the meantime, please feel free to share your favorite San Francisco accommodations — budget, mid-level, or luxury. Just type your comments in the box below (comments get sent to me and I review them before posting) or email me at carol@lipstickgetaways.com.

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As another busy holiday air travel season approaches, seems like I can’t open a newspaper or magazine, turn on the TV or radio, or surf the web without running into dire warnings about how dreadful air travel will be, along with helpful tips for easing the stress caused by long lines, delayed and canceled flights, and lost luggage.

We’ve all seen most of these tips before, but I for one can always use reminding. In that spirit, I’ve culled some favorite air travel tips to share with you.

Avoiding and dealing with delayed or canceled flights:

• Try to book an early morning departure. Afternoon and evening flights are more likely to be delayed or canceled.
• If possible, avoid the following airports, which account for 70% of the nation’s delays: Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Houston, Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark, and Philadelphia.
• To check on-time records for specific flights:
  • Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Government site, official but confusing. Or instead, try:
  • FlightStats.com. Easier-to-find, easier-to-understand star ratings.
• Check in and get your seat assignment online before you leave home (less likely to get bumped).
• Before you leave for the airport, call the airline or check online to verify that your flight is on time.
• Program the airline reservations phone number into your cell phone (and your travel agent’s number if you used one). If your flight is canceled, you can call the airline right away to rebook — faster than standing in line. (Some airports also have phones for just that purpose.) Also program number of your hotel so you can notify them of the delay.
• Be prepared: have on hand snacks, bottled water (if it gets late, the airport concessions might close), books, diapers, feminine supplies, a toothbrush, etc.
• If problems arise, be nice to the gate agent. For one thing, it’s just right. Plus the nasty, yelling customers will (and should) will the worst service and the worst seats.

Avoiding and dealing with lost luggage

• Almost goes without saying — Pack light, use a carry-on, and don’t check you bags! But assuming you need to check ‘em:
• At least pack your essentials (medicines, valuables) in your carry-on, plus anything you really need the first day or so.
• When traveling with family members, “cross-pack” a little — i.e., don’t have each person have all their stuff in one bag. That way, if one bag gets lost, that person doesn’t lose everything.
• Get to the airport early. Late check-in is a major cause of lost luggage.
• Consider shipping your bags ahead, via services like FedEx, Luggage Concierge, or Sports Express. It can be costly ($50 per bag and up) but sometimes the convenience is well worth it.
• Put your name and address, and include a copy of your itinerary, on the inside of your bag.
  
• Tie a ribbon or something distinctive on your checked bags, to help avoid mix-ups at baggage claim.
• Take a digital-camera or cell-phone photo of the contents of your packed bag before you check it. When you claim your luggage at your destination, open the suitcase and compare what you see with your picture. If anything is missing, file a complaint immediately at the baggage claim office.
• If you do need to file a complaint for lost baggage or theft, get the phone number of that specific claim office (not just an 800 number) and the name of the agent who helped you … then follow up frequently.
• Remember to leave any gifts unwrapped.

Getting through security: Don’t be the clueless idiot who holds up the line for the rest of us! (ahem, my dear good friend who did this, you know who you are!)

• Check with tsa.gov or your airline’s website for the latest regulations. For now, the liquids thing is: 3-oz containers of liquids (yes, toothpaste and lipgloss counts, solid deoderant does not) packed (not crammed) into a 1-quart, zip-top plastic bag, one bag per customer. Liquid medications (inhalers, eye drops, etc.) do not count toward the maximum — put them in a separate 1-quart zip-top bag.
• Before you get in line, have handy all the stuff you need to remove. No last minute fumbling! Take out your zip-top bag of liquids, be ready to get at your laptop.
• Try to dress for quick screening – slip-on shoes, easy layers, no big metal buckles or jewelry, including body jewelry.
  
• Have your freakin’ ID and boarding pass handy (but secure, like in a handy zippered pocket) fer cryin’ out loud! Who doesn’t know this by now?

I’ll bet I missed some great air travel tips — please feel free to share yours! Just type in the comment box below (they go to me, I approve them, then they get posted) or email me, carol@lipstickgetaways.com.

Now … Go (try to) Have Fun!

Carol

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I just returned from a last-minute weekend getaway to Toronto with my friend Shirley. This was about my fifth trip to Toronto, although it has been several years since the last visit.

I’m sorry to say, both Shirley and I agreed that Toronto was not quite as lively and fun as we remembered from past visits. Partly it’s because we have changed (older and more well-traveled now); also we heard that the city is still recovering from the economic effects of the 2003 SARS epedemic. And of course, the spending was more fun back when we had a favorable exchange rate!

But not to worry — after several missteps, we did find some fun, and you can definitely have a great time in Toronto!

Here’s are my Toronto QuickNotes:
(I will provide details and links within the next week or so)

YES: FUN AND WORTHWHILE

1. Distillery Historic District.
2. Bata Shoe Museum.
3. College Street (Little Italy).
4. Art & Design District, or West Queen Street West (that’s not a typo: West Queen Street West (west of Bathurst) as opposed to Queen Street West (between University and Bathurst).
5. A few favorite restaurants:

• Holt Renfrew Cafe in Yorkville for lunch or cocktails.
• Fresh. Fast (and busy and noisy), nutritious, delicious, vegetarian eat-in or take-out. Three locations: on Bloor @ Spadina, Queen Street West @ Crawford, and spadina @ Richmond.
• Coco Lezzone on College Street in Little Italy. Sophisticated, fun Italian.
• Bistro 990 at 990 Bay Street (@ St. Joseph) about 3 blocks south of Bloor/Yorkville. Charming French bistro menu, gracious service.

NO: THESE WERE DISAPPOINTING:

1. Queen Street West
2 . Kensington Market.
3. The oft-mentioned view from the Roof Lounge at the Park Hyatt.
4. The Artisan Market at Yonge-Dundas Square.

MAYBE: IT DEPENDS … The following did not work out for us, but are still worth considering, depending on the weather, or what’s scheduled when you’re there, or what sort of fun you are looking for.

1. Yonge-Dundas Square.
2. Yorkville.
3. Eaton Center.
4. Live @ Courthouse for jazz.

FUN STUFF WE DIDN’T GET AROUND TO ON THIS TRIP:

1. Performing Arts. Toronto has a fabulous range of top-quality theatre, dance, comedy, and opera offerings, and I’ve usually taken in at least one show; just not this time. I will provide performing arts info for you as I develop the Toronto trip-planning section.
2. Major museums: Royal Ontario Museum (but we did get a street view peek at the stunning new Crystal gallery thrusting out on Bloor Street), Art Gallery of Ontario (also undergoing major renovations), and The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art.
3. Harbourfront Centre. Very popular; I’ve never been … almost went this trip but our concierge sort of made a face and recommended the Distillery Historic District instead (which we loved, see above). Have you been here and do you recommend it?
4. Casa Loma. I enjoyed this historic home on a past visit.

That’s it for now … next up are QuickNotes from the Chicago trip two weeks ago (I’m working backwards, I know) … then more detailed Trip Planning Info for both cities. Stay tuned, and thanks for visiting!

Go … Have Fun!
Carol

* What’s a QuickNote? I just now made it up. I thought it might be handy to give you a quick post-trip list of what was fun, what wasn’t, what I learned in a particular city. Sort of a “just the facts, ma’am” note, with details — addresses, subway directions, websites — to be provided later. That way, I can jot things down while they’re fresh, and you can have some quick, easy info.

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So I went to that Ladies Who Launch Live event on Saturday — wow, was that ever stimulating and inspiring! All these smart, curious, creative women buzzing with energy and ideas to launch. I’m reading the book, I’m all signed up for September’s incubator group, can’t wait!

One of the speakers was the hilarious author, speaker, and syndicated humor columnist Lisa Earle McLeod, whose new book is “Finding Grace When You Can’t Even Find Clean Underwear.” She had us all nodding in recognition and howling with laughter. One thing she talked about that really struck me was about the hormone oxytocin.

Oxytocin is a bonding, nurturing, calming, and all-around “feel-good”hormone, especially for women. Lisa talked about how oxytocin is released under three conditions: childbirth, nursing, and being in the presence of female friends.

It seems that our natural tendency to reach out and spend time with our girlfriends has a real physiological basis to it!

I was so intrigued that I researched this a little more on the internet. A landmark UCLA study published in 2000 looked at how women responded to stress, and suggested a “tend-and-befriend” response (instead of, or in addition to, the “fight-or-flight” response we’ve all heard about — and for which the research was all done on males!). It seems that women respond to stress with the release of oxytocin, which stimulates us to care for our young and to reach out to other females. Then when we are in the presence of other nuturing females, our oxytocin levels rise even more, stress is reduced, and we feel calmer.

So pick up the phone, call a girlfriend, get together for coffee, a walk (in the middle of typing this — I swear this is true — my BFF Shirley called and we scheduled a picnic and hike at the Arboretum tomorrow!) … or better yet, plan a big city getaway!

You know when you come back you’ll be calmer, happier, and ready to cope with life. The science is behind you on this one!

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Just back from a terrific long weekend in Boston! My daughter is a student there, and my sister flew up from Florida so that we could have a “girls’ weekend.” What a great time we had talking, catching up, shopping, dining, and a soaking up a little history and culture.

I’ll get to work on organizing some terrific Boston trip-planning info for you, and post it under Travel Planning asap. In the meantime, here are some brief comments:

Boston is a perfect destination for Big City Fun — especially when the weather is fine, as it was this weekend. The city is compact, so that you can easily walk most places, or hop on the “T” (the subway) for a short ride. There’s plenty to do, and somehow the city is stimulating without being overwhelming.

1. Getting from the airport to your hotel: While excellent transportation is available via the subway and commuter rail, you are probably best off just forking over the $30 or so for a taxi to take you straight to the door. That way you won’t have to worry about transfers, hauling your luggage up and down several stairwells, on and off the trains, and down the streets to your hotel.

2. Definitely try to include a guided tour of the Freedom Trail. It sounds trite, but this sort of thing really does bring history to life. Our lively, informative, costumed guide from The Freedom Trail Foundation packed a fascinating 90-minute history course in to our $12 tour. Then after the tour, feeling noble that we had “done” our history bit, we were free to go shopping!

3. Speaking of shopping … Newbury Street is the main shopping drag, and was pulsing with music and thronged with shoppers on this first-nice-spring-day-Saturday. Try to shop here on a weekday; if you have to go on Saturday, just mentally prepare yourself for an intense, thirsty experience, carry a bottle of water, go with the flow, maybe take a break on a side street — you’ll still have fun. We did a little damage here — I’ll write up a section on Newbury Street shopping soon. Other than Newbury Street, we did stop in at Filene’s Basement, but found we were not in the mood for digging; found an an amazing selection of “comfy-yet-cute” shoes at The Tannery, 402 Boylston (parallel to Newbury, between Arlington and Berkeley). Don’t mind the slick and somewhat pushy staff — the quality of the shoes is excellent, and the prices fairly reasonable — especially during the frequent sales.

4. Dining: We enjoyed a variety of terrific dining, and can recommend any of the following: B & G Oysters (South End) for oysters — I had no idea there were so many varieties! — and a small seafood-focused menu with delightful wine pairings; Figs (Beacon Hill), by celebrity chef Todd English, for gourmet thin-crust pizzas, plus inventive appetizers, salads, and entrees (to avoid what can be an insane wait, try to stop for a late lunch — we got right in); Sel de la Terre (Downtown/Waterfront), for wonderful French/Bistro/Provencal cuisine (lunch, afternoon, dinner, late night, and brunch) in an elegant but low-key restaurant/boulangerie; and the fun, casual Parish Cafe and Bar (Back Bay) which serves imaginative sandwiches and entrees inspired by local chefs.

Ok that’s it for now. Like I said, I’ll get to work asap on more detailed Boston info asap, and post it under Travel Planning. But now, back to work on figuring out how to do the newsletter … expecting a call on that this afternoon.

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