Vacations Blog

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 »

Nadia Zonis, New York editor for Urban Hound, has written a book called City Walks With Dogs: New York. This book is a godsend if you’re planning on traveling to New York City with a dog.

City Walks with Dogs: New York, by Nadia Zonis

The book lists 50 walks or ‘adventures on foot and paw’ that you can set out on with your dog, including SoHo and the West Village, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, Roosevelt Island and Park Slope’s Fifth Avenue.

A short excerpt from the book, about the Sirius Dog Run in Battery Park City: “At Kowsky Plaza, you’ll find the Sirius Dog Run, named for the rescue dog killed in the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. The run has a wading pool for dogs and views of the Hudson River for humans. Battery Park’s devoted dog people have formed a group called Battery Park Dogs, which organizes events in the run–they can be a great way to meet new dog-walking friends.”

Since we’re on the subject, it saddens me to inform you that Taz, a german shepherd in the City’s K-9 unit passed away on Oct 2 of a cardiac arrest. Taz was the last remaining dog in the force out of the ones which participated in 9/11 search and rescue.

Getting back to Nadia’s book and your pet-friendly New York vacation - you’ll find a ton of pet-friendly attractions and routes in the book that you’ll never find in the tourist brochures.

And as if that wasn’t enough, Nadia Zonis also participated in Q&A sessions with readers of the New York Times.

For example, let’s take transportation. The most convinient way to get around in New York with a dog is to use the subway or a bus. But the only way you can get a pet on-board is to carry it in a container and make sure it is well-behaved and does not turn into a nusiance for other passengers.

This isn’t a problem if you’re carrying cats, like say a handy Ragdoll, along for the ride. But if you have a strapping big dog, then we have a problem. To find the solution, read Nadia’s answers to this and other vexing issues for pet-owners visiting the Big Apple in the NYT’s 3-part series here, here and here.

Berries at the Chesterton European Market

I visited my friend Heather over the 4th of July weekend. She advised me that flying Southwest Airlines from Phoenix to Chicago Midway would be easier, cheaper, and less crowded than flying into nearby Chicago O’Hare. I was more than willing to follow her advice, and was ecstatic to leave the 110 degree weather in Arizona for the MUCH preferred high 60’s/low 70’s Northwest Indiana was currently enjoying.

I saw a lot of the area while I was there, including a trip to downtown Chicago and Wrigley Field, but for this entry I wanted to focus on what I’m missing the most about Indiana (other than my friend, of course).

The Chesterton European Market.

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Springfield, Ohio

Like the ignored elephant in a room, Springfield, Ohio has long been neglected as a travel destination in our family. All too often serving as reference for how many more miles to home, a final gas or restroom stop, but never a destination unto itself. It’s kind of sad, really, for not only can Springfield boast itself the childhood home of notables like John Legend and Jonathon Winters, but it is quietly becoming the antiquing mecca of Middle America.

To say that there are 15 antiques shops in Springfield might be a bit misleading for several of the shops are enormous antique malls with hundreds of individual antique dealers from all over the country. Chances are if you are looking for a particular item, you will find it in Springfield.

Of note, the Heart of Ohio Antique Center located at 4785 East National Road is a 116,000 square foot facility, fully carpeted and climate controlled, that is home to over 650 individual dealers. The place is massive! I’ve found them to be an excellent starting point when it comes to replacing the collectible Fiesta plates and bowls my kids are so prone to breaking.

Fiesta Pottery at Heart of Ohio Antique Center

AAA I-70 Antiques at 4700 South Charleston Pike is also fully carpeted, climate controlled and home to over 200 dealers in it’s 30,000 square foot facility.

The Springfield Antique Center located at 1735 Titus Road is another gem in the Springfield antique market. In addition of thousands of antiques in just about every category imaginable, they pride themselves on accessibility and a pet friendly environment. That’s right, if Fido enjoys browsing for relics of yesteryear he’s more than welcome at Springfield Antique Center. Unless of course, Fido is a horse or a longhorn. I’m sure there are limits.

There are many, many more stores for you to check out in and around Springfield. Most are open daily with hours generally 10 am to 6 pm.

And while I’ve found that some of my most enjoyable trips are the totally spontaneous ones, you may want to mark your calendars and plan ahead for your antiquing visit to Springfield. Three times a year, May, June and September, the Springfield Antique Show and Flea Market holds its Antiques Extravaganza at the Clark County Fairgrounds

Clark County Fairgrounds Springfield, Ohio

These three day events host over 2,500 antique dealers from literally all over the world in the dozen or so buildings and across the open grounds of the fairground. Wear your comfortable shoes and clear a spot in the garage or basement for that something that you no doubt just can’t live without.

There is a nominal fee for entering the Fairground Extravaganza (about $3.00) but it’s good for the entire day. The first one scheduled for 2009 is May 15-17. June dates are 26-28 and September is scheduled for the 18th through the 20th.

The Springfield Antique Show and Flea Market also holds monthly sales at the fairgrounds located at 4401 S. Charleston Pike.

So yes, there’s more to Springfield than gas stations and restrooms. If you like antiques, this is where you need to be.

Springfield...Where Antiques Are

Photo credits: Clark County Fairgrounds, Heart of Ohio Antique Center, City of Springfield.

A pet friendly vacation should be about what’s best for your pet. There is nothing a dog in the city loves more than to lose the leash and go nuts. Like, in a park or on the beach. This is where San Diego wins by a mile and a leash. And then some.

Dog Beach at Ocean Beach – Located at the north end of Ocean Boulevard, at the west end of the San Diego River Floodway, where the river meets the Pacific Ocean, the 38 acres of sandy Dog Beach has been a happy no-leash zone for dogs for the last 30 years. Much as kid-friendly hotels free parents to do their thing, Dog Beach frees pet owners to just sit back and watch their dogs go crazy running up and down in the sand and water.

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There are hotels which allow pets, there are some which are ‘pet friendly’, and then there are the hotels which really and truly make your four legged friends feel at home. And then there’s the Diva – a hotel in San Francisco’s Union Square, which redefines what being a pet friendly hotel means.

Let’s see. Does your hotel offer a complimentary one-hour VIP dog walking tour highlighting the city’s best parks and hippest fire hydrants? No? That’s one leg up for the Diva. How about a VOSS water and a designer dog bowl? This isn’t even a contest anymore, but I like flogging a dead horse, so here’s some more ‘pet-friendly’ aspects of the Diva – deluxe overnight accommodations; a super-soft sheep skin throw rug for a luxurious nights sleep; a personalized “Sexy Diva” dog tag; a Petco amenity box filled with a red paw print bandana, dog biscuits and treats and two flavors of dog food.

All of this is what comes with the ‘Every Doggie is a Diva Package’. For more details about this and other packages and for more details about the Diva hotel, call (800) 553-1900 or visit their website.

For the record, the Diva is part of the Personality Hotels Group, which runs seven boutique hotels bunched around Union Square in San Francisco. Each of these hotels has a unique and eclectic (and eccentric) character. The ‘Every Doggie is a Diva Package’ is available at four of these hotels – Hotel Diva, Hotel Metropolis, Hotel Union Square and Kensington Park Hotel.

Personally speaking, these seven dwarfs offer a much more enjoyable experience than what any of the big San Francisco hotels will provide. There’s a lot more to the Diva in addition to being hyper pet friendly, but that’s another post for another day.

Photo copyrights – Personality Hotels; Hotel Diva - 440 Geary Street San Francisco CA 94102; (415) 885-0200; www.hoteldiva.com/

Here are few of my favorite sites for traveling with a pet or for finding things to do with them in spite of inclement weather.

One of my favorite trip planning pet sites is PetsWelcome.com. It offers 25,000 hotels, B&Bs and ski resorts that welcome pets, a great travel tips section, info exchange between pet owners and an amusing management section. I especially liked their links to the pet policies of 18 major airlines.

Looking to take a long weekend away with your dog? DogFriendly.com offers a list of the top 10 cities to visit with your pet in the U.S. and Canada. The criteria they used included overall appeal of each city, suitable pet friendly hotels, dog friendly side trips, places to eat, off leash parks and if the city is generally supportive of dogs and their owners. They recommend:

1. Boston
2. Vancouver, British Columbia
3. New York City
4. San Francisco, CA
5. Austin, Texas
6. Portland, Oregon
7. Northern Virginian (Washington, D. C.
8. Orlando, Florida
9. San Diego, California
10. Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, as I do, and you are looking for something new to do with your pet, I recommend Stacy’s Wagntrain.com for her comprehensive and fascinating list of events for dogs and their owners. She lists classes for learning to dance with your dog, including how to pick the right music, dog sports obedience training, canine aggression seminars, community dog walks, dog carting, and even a dog stuff swap meet. I am sure other cities offer the same type of activities if any appeal to you and your dog.

Looking for something to do with your dog in February no matter where you live? It is National Canine Weight Check month. To participate, take your dog to a participating vet’s office to see if it is overweight. You can find a list of participating vets at stopcanineobesity.com.

National Spay Day is February 27. You can have an animal spayed or neutered, you can volunteer or you can donate to the cause. Do it for love of your pet and for all the abandoned animals in our country. It is the kind thing to do.

Just looking for general dog news while your dog snoozes near you? Doggienews offers short snippets including a scathing article about PETA, funny takes on exploding dogs, sharing a shower with your dog (eww) and much more. Definitely worth a read.

If all else fails, grab a treat, a leash and take a walk with your dog. That seems to be all my dog needs from me to earn her unconditional love.

What is your favorite pet recommendation? Does your dog (cat, bird) like to see the world with you? Or is channel surfing considered a form of exercise in your house? Share your stories for keeping your pet fit and healthy this winter!

love my dog, Ping. She and I are practically inseparable, she follows me wherever I go and often refuses to leave me. I like to take her on vacation with me, but often that is not realistic. Many hotels don’t accept dogs and even if they did, she likes the great outdoors too much to be stuck inside a hotel room for any length of time. These are my tips for finding great care for your pet while you are away:

1. Ask a neighbor. We often ask one of the neighborhood kids to feed, walk and play with her everyday while we are gone. We leave new chew toys and special treats for her to find around the yard, too. This works for those short weekend getaways, but not for longer periods of time. She gets lonely and starts digging. I should mention that my neighborhood is really great, everyone watches out for each other and each other’s dogs. This may not work too well for city dwellers who relish anonymity.

2. Hire a pet sitter. Lists of pet sitters are everywhere, our vet has a list, as does our humane society, the phone book (who uses that?) and there is even a national association of pet sitters. We use a pet sitter when we are going to be gone for more than three days. They charge a higher rate than the neighborhood kids, but if you have multiple pets, the cost per pet can be pretty low. Rates vary, call and get references. I wouldn’t leave Ping with anybody who thought hitting was a good training method. Please confirm how much time they plan to be in your home, discuss and agree on the amount of time your dog will be walked and played with to guarantee good behavior. My dog needs companionship, walks and playtime. Our pet sitter almost takes better care of her than I do.

3. Find a good kennel. There are good kennels and bad kennels. This site shows the difference. Check it out. If I had seen this years ago, I could have prevented my dog from having a really bad experience. They promised me he would walked, petted and cared for everyday. When I went to pick him up, he slunk out of the kennel and had no light in his eyes. Misery emanated from him. Based on his woebegone behavior, I was certain he had never been let out of his cage, ever. I have since visited kennels that are clean and happy places and feel quite comfortable leaving my dog there. Please look at three or four kennels before you select one. You may be using it for years to come. Shop early, the good kennels book up well in advance of the holiday season. Best advice, trust your feelings and check on a few things like water, food and exercise time . It is fine to pay a bit more for better care. You and your pet can each enjoy your separate vacations, guilt free.

Do you have any tips about taking care of your pet while you are away? Please let me know your travel tips, stories and ideas. I really like pet pictures too.