Okay, I’m pretty sure this is our last Thanksgiving post. Maybe not. Either way, we here at the UpTake Vacations Blog would like to wish each and every one of you a happy, safe and filling Thanksgiving. You deserve it.
Pies!
Left – apple pie recipe
Right – pumpkin pie recipe
Photo by Laura Charon
Is that a turkey in your pocket?
You know what this is. This is where we remind you to be careful out there. This is where we tell you that everyone and their former president are traveling today and to allow yourself ample time and good humor to arrive in a safe and timely manner.
When you’re stuck in airport security behind some clown with a roaster pan and gravy in his carry-on luggage think of this post and these special Thanksgiving moments (via SNL):
Gobble, gobble.
Turkeys may not fly, but they’re arriving by the plate full. Also, tofurkey.
Speaking of turkeys, people are traveling in mass this weekend and into next week. No, I did not call you or your mother a turkey – just that one relative that you’ve called worse. Turkey. Read More »
Are you cold and wanting to get away? Are there visions of beaches in your head – or maybe falling leaves and fresh snow? Also, turkey. Then read on, gentle reader, read on.
No booking fees and a $200 coupon to use on a later trip? It’s true. Merry holiday of your choice from Expedia.
Virgin America is having a huge 24-hour sale. Hurry! If you miss that there is still this: Virgin America is the first airline to offer fleetwide Wi-Fi and thanks to Google it’s free for the holidays! Read More »
This is what you won't see at airports this holiday season.
The good folks at Orbitz were nice enough to send along a list of the U.S. airports with the heaviest amount of holiday travel. They also offered up some words of wisdom.
Their travel advice falls along the lines of flexibility, utilizing technology and staying in the know. It’s fairly straightforward common sense, but you know what a lot of people forget to pack for when traveling? Common sense. It’s true.
The list and links are provided below. Read More »
Stylin' girls at the mall.
There are twenty-five days until Black Friday, my friends! Time to get your gameplan together!
Black Friday, that traditional chaotic Christmas shopping day that qualifies as a quasi-holiday all on its own, is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the U.S. every year. This year, plan your Arizona shopping to visit these fine establishments:
The Scottsdale Fashion Square- 7014-7590 East Camelback Road – Phoenix, Arizona. Swank shops and boutiques mingle with great dining and people watching near the heart of Scottsdale.
The Chandler Fashion Center – 3111 West Chandler Boulevard – Chandler, Arizona. Indoor and outdoor shopping, dining, movies, and much more.
Thanksgiving Day in Sunset, Louisiana
A perfectly prepared holiday meal. A flawlessly set table. A smiling family patiently admiring the Thanksgiving turkey as Mother carries it to be carved. This isn’t my house at Thanksgiving and it may not be yours either. It may not even exist except in some illustration of Norman Rockwell, because Rockwell’s Thanksgiving in Freedom from Want is exactly what I was describing.
Freedom from Want is one of four works Rockwell painted in 1943 in his Four Freedoms series. During World War II, posters of the paintings raised $132 million for the war. That amount would equal over $1.5 billion today.
The Norman Rockwell Museum
Four Freedoms and more than 570 additional Rockwell paintings are in the collection of the Normal Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, along with more than 100,000 photographs, letters and other items originally belonging to one of America’s greatest artists and illustrators of the twentieth century. Among these are several of the 321 covers that Rockwell painted for the Saturday Evening Post between 1916 and 1963. Best known for these magazine covers and other depictions of idealistic American life, Rockwell was also commissioned to paint portraits of presidents, international leaders, and entertainers. Rockwell also used his art to depict historic and political events, such as racial integration in Southern schools in 1964’s The Problem We All Live With which was based on the first day of Kindergarten of Ruby Bridges in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1960.
Norman Rockwell's Studio
Located on 136 acres, the museum grounds also include Rockwell’s studio, which was moved to this location from downtown Stockbridge. The studio is arranged exactly as it was when Rockwell worked there.
In addition to exhibitions and programs dedicated to Rockwell, the museum displays works of modern illustrators and other masters of the twentieth century. Like any art museum, young kids’ attention may not be held. For older kids though, especially those interested in illustration and commercial art, Rockwell is a great introduction.
Stockbridge itself, in the Massachusetts Berkshires, is a popular vacation destination any time of year. Hotels and inns, including the famous Red Lion Inn, are often crowded as are area restaurants. For fans of sculpture, another nearby attraction is Chesterwood, home of Daniel Chester French who created the Lincoln Memorial as well as other famous works.
The Norman Rockwell Museum is open daily except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is $14 for adults, $12.50 for seniors, $10 for college students, and free for kids 18 and under. Further information concerning hours and admission packages is available at the museum website.
Photos courtesy of Rmrfstar under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license.
© UpTake Networks, Inc. 2009
