THE ROOM REPORT
THE RADISSON PLAZA-WARWICK HOTEL
1701 Locust St., Philadelphia, Pa.
800-333-3333, radisson.com/ philadelphiapa.
RATES: Start at $129 but vary greatly depending on room type and date. Park with a valet for $24 or do it yourself for $20.
STAY HERE IF YOU’RE: One of those travel-to-eat types and want to explore Philly’s burgeoning restaurant scene on a weekend, or one of those travel-to-shop types and want to get in on its exploding retail scene. If you’re going for the colonial sites, stay closer to Independence Hall.
IT’S CLOSE TO: Cozy Rittenhouse Square, one of the country’s most precious urban parks, and Walnut Street, Philly’s version of high-street shopping.
THE ROOMS ARE: Surprisingly spacious and all recently redone. We’re talking giant plasma TVs and Sleep Number beds for everybody. If only they had free Wi-Fi in the rooms rather than those high-speed Ethernet cables.
THEY PUT ALL OF THE MONEY INTO: Keeping this historic place from falling down – credit to Radisson for honoring the past and investing in an ornate 1928 English Renaissance gem that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. And the elevators; they’re fast!
THE BOTTOM LINE: Philadelphia is rich in affordable historic hotels, and the Warwick is among the best (though this one can get pricey during the week). Nestled into a great, centrally located neighborhood, the place oozes casual elegance, and the staff seems to get that it is working somewhere special.
BOOK YOUR VACATION
There’s never been a better time to support all things American, and “Watch It Made in the U.S.A.: A Visitor’s Guide to the Best Factory Tours and Company Museums” ($21.95, Avalon Travel Publishing) offers unique ways for travelers to combine tourist experiences with opportunities to find out more about the things we produce in this country. Not to mention the chance to get some freebies, such as ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s, souvenir baseball bats from Louisville Slugger, crayons from Crayola and more. The book lists companies that agree to public tours of their facilities or factories, and tells whether they require reservations or have gift shops. The front of the book offers possible itineraries around regions or themes (such as a “Sweet Tooth Tour” of candy factories) and a color-photo section of featured tours that are fancier than the rest of the guide, which is broken down by region. Foods, textiles, motorcycles, airplanes, coins – it’s all here.
GEARING UP
If you believe that greenhouse gases could one day mean the end of snow on places such as Aspen Mountain, then you can take baby steps to help minimize its effects. One such way is the purchase of a SkiGreen Mini-Tag, roughly equal to the carbon emitted by a skier or snowboarder driving to and from the mountain. Available at Aspen and Snowmass resorts, the tags cost $2 each and are provided in conjunction with Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a nonprofit audited by the Green-e Renewable Energy Certification Program. BEF reinvests all of its profits into its mission to support renewable energy, and with the ski resorts comes up with plans for substituting clean power. One SkiGreen tag represents 100 kilowatt hours of wind energy and prevents 140 pounds of global-warming pollution. | $2,
AdventurePassports.com; SkiGreen.org; or GreenTagsUSA.org
TRAVEL BY NUMBERS | Top Destinations for Incentive Travel
The top emerging destinations (in alphabetical order) for the incentive travel industry, from The Motivation Show, a network of information services focused on motivation in business and the related field of People Performance Management.
Alaska
Cambodia
China
Croatia
Dubai
India
South Korea
Macau
Prague, Czech Republic
Vietnam
REAL DEAL
The week’s best travel bargains include:
Unwind before the holidays with a discounted package at the Homestead in Hot Springs, Va. For example, spend $99 per room and receive one night of accommodations and a pair of lift tickets to the Homestead’s ski resort (valid Dec. 17-21 only; usually $39 each). Or, for $135 per person double, get a room and breakfast and bring your kids; ages 18 and younger stay free when sharing their parents’ room. Valid Dec. 8-9, 15-16. Taxes extra. Typically, December rates start at $159. Info: 800-838-1766, thehomestead.com.
– The Washington Post
farecast.com
To buy or not to buy? That is the question in these times of fluctuating airfares that can change within minutes. Farecast predicts fares for 75 airports (including DIA), using arrows to show if the price of yours will change in the next seven days, with a bottom-line tip (such as “Buy” or “Wait”). The info comes directly from the airlines, with links to booking and bonus miles. You can sign up for fare alerts on a specific flight, and Fare Guard allows you to hold the lowest fare for one week before you buy.
GEOGRAPHY QUIZ | Where are these places?
1. Which Canadian provincial capital city is located in a region of marine west coast climate?
2. What river in Central America forms part of the boundary between Costa Rica and Nicaragua?
3. In April 2005, a volcanic eruption caused villagers to flee to the capital city of Moroni in which island country off the eastern coast of Africa?
4. The oldest city on the Korean Peninsula is the seat of a communist government. Name this city.
5. The city of Granada is located in what present-day Spanish autonomous region that was conquered by the Moors in A.D. 711?
6. The development of dictionaries in official languages like Xhosa, Tswana and Ndebele is taking place in which country?
7. Of Japan’s four major islands, which has the lowest population density and the largest rural population?
8. The largest number of Azeris live in Azerbaijan and what other country?
9. Name the highlands in northern South America that extend across much of the area between the Orinoco and Amazon river basins.
10. Name the channel formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that flows into the Persian Gulf.
ANSWERS: 1. Victoria 2. San Juan River 3. Comoros 4. Pyongyang 5. Andalusia 6. South Africa 7. Hokkaido 8. Iran 9. Guiana Highlands (Also acceptable: Guiana Massif) 10. Shatt al Arab
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
