Vacations Blog

A painting featured during ArtCrawl Harlem

Soho and Chelsea may grab all the attention when it comes to New York’s art scene but Harlem boasts a vibrant array of galleries and museums, minus the crowds.   Artcrawl Harlem rounds up some of these art discoveries with a three and half- hour trolley tour that supplies historical background and a reception with food and live music at the end of the tour. For its second year, the Artcrawl focuses on East Harlem galleries and Spanish Harlem history.  If you’ve ever tried to explore Manhattan landmarks in an afternoon, you know that New York’s long stretches of streets and sprawling layout don’t make it easy.  Artcrawl Harlem’s trolley tour gives you easy with 30-minute trolley stops at 5-7 galleries and art spaces, giving you time to actually peruse the art without worrying about parking or schedules. Read More »

Until a few years back, a vacation meant piling the kids into the back and hitting the road. But times change, and now you have a whole new bunch of requirements to fulfill before you can even think about the beach, a cold beer and some peace and quiet.

Beach Vacation

If you don’t want your neighbors and colleagues to look down on you, follow this list of ’friendly’ things that your vacation has to be.

1. Environment-friendly:- It’s bad enough that your vacation destroys your entire year’s savings. Don’t let your vacation be blamed for the destruction of the earth. Find a destination which cares about their surroundings, get a green hotel, try to avoid trips by air and don’t do stuff which will be harmful to the environment – like wasting water, and leaving trash and beer cans in the outdoors or on the road. Read More »

Aloha, hula!

Hawaii puts its rich cultural history on display for visitors in many ways, but once a year, they really pull out all the stops with the Aloha Festival.

On my recent visit to Oahu to explore the island and experience the festival, I was hosted by the very friendly and laid-back representatives of the Hawaii Convention and Visitors Bureau, so I had a bit of an inside look into how Hawaii is faring these days.  It was hard to tell that tourism is down.  Everywhere I looked there were tourists, and most of those were happy and smiling.  With perfect weather, lush surroundings, and gracious staff at almost every place I visited, how could one not be happy?

(Don’t forget, you  can enter to win a trip to Hawaii until October 23rd.  Details here.)

For a busy mother of two, this trip held lots of promise of down time and relaxation.  But.  Once I got to Hawaii and there was an undiscovered delight lurking around every turn, I found I couldn’t stop my mind from spinning even when my body was exhausted.  I only had just over three days there.  “I’ll sleep on the plane,” I told myself. Read More »

Wharf St. in the Historic Waterfront District in Portland, Maine

I know, I know, it doesn’t go as well with the tune as leaving my heart in San Francisco. I am telling the absolute truth, though, when I say that my heart lies in Portland, Maine.

I grew up in the teeny, tiny farming community of New Gloucester, Maine (population of people, 5,461; population of cows, at least three times that many), which is about 40 minutes due north of Portland. If you were looking for something “to do”, you went to Portland. If you had a job, it was probably in Portland. Even if you lived three hours away, you went “out Portland way” for a myriad of things – grocery shopping, the mall, the movies, dinner. It may not be the capital of the state (which is Augusta, by the way), but it’s the social, industrial, and economic hub of the state.

A street in the Old Port - Portland, Maine

And it is, in my most humble (but expert) opinion, one of the best towns on the PLANET. I’m not kidding. You need to go. And here’s why.

Read More »

Tim helps prepare me for Hawaii in the only way he knows how.

You’re looking at how much I know about Hawaii.

They make decent beer at cheap prices.

I mean, I’ve heard all sorts of things about it, but have no opinion – reason being is that I was brought up poor, still am, and even if I wasn’t, it’s an expensive place…

And if I’m going to shell out, I might as well go back to Thailand.

But Hawaii got word of this and is set to prove me wrong – something that has proven easily done ever since I proclaimed the Counting Crows to be ‘the next Dylan’ – and have sent for me.

So tomorrow I’m off. Actually, in less than 4 hours I’m off and I’m just now packing.

I’m not bringing much – a carry-on bag and a small backpack, as these luggage fees ad up when you have to fly out of Bend, OR (if this makes no sense to you, just know that there are no direct flights from here to Honolulu…or, well, most places). But I also want to enjoy myself as much as anyone else, so there will be the obligatory cocktail-with-a-tiny-umbrella, some surfing, local music and cheap trinkets to pass off as archeological finds to my family at Christmas. I want a flowery shirt and to go on a boat. Hell, I’ll get my hair put into beads if I can find it cheap enough.

Why? ‘Cause when I come back, I want to look like I just did Hawaii.

I’m just not going to give it my money…which works out nice as I don’t have any.

More tomorrow – can someone call me at 4am?

You know what happened…

Aric Q. is traveling to Hawaii and he’s trying to do it on the cheap.  We will be following his adventures here on UpTake and we will be wishing him well, but we will NOT be wiring him money.

The historic Boulder Theatre is the site of the fifth annual Dam Short Film Festival

Looking for a vacation full of romance, horror, drama and comedy? Head out to Boulder City, Nevada for the fifth annual Dam Short Film Festival. Held each year in February, this year’s event will take place Feb. 11 -14 at the historic Boulder Theatre, located at 1225 Arizona St. in the city born of the nearby monolithic Hoover Dam.

Giving the internationally renowned Sundance Independent Film Festival a run for its money, the increasingly popular festival will show 124 independent films broken into 22 themed programs, each featuring four to 12 films. And the best part is the ticket price of only $5.00 per program, making it affordable for the whole family. You can also purchase a four-day pass for only $50.

This year’s festival is unique because it falls on two special days. At 11:30 p.m. on Friday the 13th, a “Scream if You Can” horror program will be presented. At 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, February 14, Valentine’s Day will be celebrated with a “Love & Romance” program; the first 20 ticket-holding couples to arrive will receive a free box of valentine’s chocolates.  

The Dam Short Film Festival will take place Feb. 11 - 14 in Boulder City, Nevada

Attendees can take a part in deciding which films are best as winners are determined by the audience who vote with poker chips (now that’s so Nevada). Winners are selected in eight categories, including Best Drama, Comedy, Documentary, Student Film, Animation, Nevada Filmmaker, Audience Favorite and Horror/Science Fiction.

The winners will be announced at an awards gala at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 14 and will be followed by a showing of all the honored films at 8 p.m. Tickets for the gala and final showing are $10 per person.

Other events and venues, such as the Filmmaker Reception, Filmmaker/Press Lounge, and Film Market, will be held at the Boulder Dam Hotel at 1305 Arizona Street. The Boulder Dam Hotel was built in 1933 to accommodate visiting government and corporate project managers supervising the building of nearby Hoover Dam. The hotel quickly gained a worldwide reputation as a steady flow of dignitaries and celebrities checked in, such as Bette Davis, Will Rogers, Boris Karloff, James Cagney, Henry Fonda, and Howard Hughes. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Built in 1933, the historic Boulder Dam Hotel is a great place to stay.

To get to the Dam Short Film Festival a road trip is nice this time of year. Or you can make travel quick by hopping on a plane to Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport. A car may be rented at the airport’s recently opened Car Rental Center. Boulder City is just a 30 minute drive east of the airport off U.S. 93.

Boulder City is home to a few small and quaint hotels and motels, such as the historic Boulder Dam Hotel that offer quiet stays at a reasonable price. However, with its close proximity to the vacation Mecca, vacationers may choose accommodations on the Las Vegas Strip to take advantage of gambling, shopping, fine dining and other entertainment during their stay. There are no casinos in Boulder City as it’s one of the very few communities in Nevada where gaming is prohibited.

A hotel in Henderson, such as the Green Valley Ranch Station Casino, Sunset Station or Fiesta Henderson, will get you a few miles closer to Boulder City. Affordable rooms are also available just outside of Boulder City at the Railroad Pass Hotel & Casino or the Hacienda Hotel & Casino. 

A fun family vacation with a dash of history, art and culture – what more can you want?

All photos courtesy of The Dam Short Film Festival.