Travel Places Guide

Archive for the ‘Grid Skipper’ Category

According to Hotelchatter.com, The Trump Chicago will have skyboxes for guests who wish to watch the Chicago River turn green, one of the more awesome St. Patty’s Day traditions. For $45, you can have a traditional Irish breakfast, and for $55, a lunch spread. Prepare to see lots of green, as well as the word TRUMP stamped on everything you come across. [Hotelchatter]

Rick Steves writes about new developments in Rome and Venice tourism. The Vatican Museum now has an online reservations system, there’s a new law limiting the cost of a cab from the airport to 40 Euro, and rather unfortunately, it’s gonna be harder for you to picnic at important monuments from now on. There’s not that much new about Venice, but here are some points: Steves refers to the Constitution Bridge by Santiago Calatrava as a “sore point” for the city, and there’s a new shuttle program from Marco Polo Airport that charges 70 Euro for up to eight people. [CNN Travel]

Jaunted writes: “Think its too late to get a cheap package deal to Ireland? Think again. Shamrocker Adventures has a special eight day St. Patrick’s Day tour that begins in Dublin on Saturday, March 13. You have to find your own way there (flights not included) but once you’re there, they handle everything. The Celtic Combo Tour includes everything you could want in a St. Patty’s Day tour of Ireland: there’s a stop at the Blarney Stone, a tour of the Guinness Storehouse and, most importantly, plenty of time to party!” [Jaunted]

@CruiseCritic: Backstreet Boys are back (‘Alright!’). Boy band will offer a theme cruise in December, pre-sale starts March 15. [Twitter]

More on Paris today, as Rick Steves reports that all of France will be “sprucing up cultural treasures.” The Eiffel Tower has introduced an online reservations system and the Louvre is adding an Islamic art wing. Versailles and Chartres Cathedral are finishing up their renovations, while The Picasso Museum and the Musée d’Orsay are just getting underway with theirs. [CNN]

Although Tokyo has dethroned it as the city with the most Michelin-starred restaurants, Paris remains Paris, a metropolis where the coddling, the heavy saucing, and the four-hour meal are alive and strong. Most importantly, it’s a city whose chefs still seem to care about their ranking; nowhere are the étoiles more important. And so, on the day when France is abuzz with Michelin’s determinations for 2010, it’s useful to get a picture of the haute madness that dominates its capital city. Here are the Parisian establishments that peculiar organization has deemed closest to perfect.

CNTraveller tweets about Palma de Mallorca’s Palau Sa Font. A neat-looking spot this one, it’s located in the Spanish city’s medieval quarter. “Beautifully designed with bright, bold colours and hand crafted modern furniture. Contemporary art is scattered throughout, some of the room’s doors even double as canvases for local artists. The hotel also boasts a gorgeous rooftop terrace offering amazing panoramic views of the city.” Traveler photos on Tripadvisor confirm the awesomeness that is the view from the rooftop terrace. We’ve included one of the shots to the right. [CNTraveller]