Shore Trips

Speaking of coastal collectibles, cruise-ship fans will love an upcoming auction at New York’s Swann Galleries on May 22. It’s selling vintage photos, posters, ship models, and more, reports USA Today’s Cruise Log.

Collector Frank O. Braynard, who founded New York’s South Street Seaport Museum, amassed the items over his career. He died in December at age 91.

Biggest draw: Letters from the White Star Line to families that lost relatives on the Titanic. They may go for $8,000 to $12,000. Sound pricey? Pick up the auction catalog for a mere $35.

Almost as long as people have visited Hawaii, they’ve been bringing home souvenirs. From the Aloha shirt to dashboard hula girls, the 50th state has long looked after our shopping needs.

In this eBay era, it should be no surprise that many old keepaskes are now collectibles. This year, visitors can see these vintage gems in person (take that eBay!) in Honolulu. Both the Hawaii All-Collectors Show, July 18 and 19, and The Wiki Wiki One Day Show, October 26, are held at the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall complex.

If you’re visiting this month, though, you can still get in on the fun. On May 9, 16, 23, and 30, the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach will feature collectibles displays and discussions in its lobby, presented by show sponsors Ilene & Wayne Productions.

I love getting to know a city on a walking tour. But if you want to see the scenery move by more quickly, City Running Tours provides both exercise and sightseeing, notes the Intelligent Travel blog.

Each tour includes a T-shirt and souvenir photo. Pricing is like a rental car: $60 for the first six miles, and $6 a mile after that.

Available cities: San Diego, Charleston, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and Austin.

There’s nothing like getting an outsider’s look at your home.  Especially an outsider as erudite and clever as London’s Independent newspaper.

The newspaper is running separate stories on each U.S. state. Here’s what they had to say about Mobile, Alabama:

“The genuine smile is harder to find in the US than anywhere else on earth. On the East and West coasts, people smile because they're feeling smug. But in Alabama, people smile because they want you to be happy.”

The story focuses on eating raw oysters (called nudes) at Wintzell’s restaurant, which happens to be listed in Coastal Living's most recent Seafood Dives round up.

Booking a flight online is as common as sending email. Yet, many of us still get it wrong. Travel Troubleshooter Christopher Elliott notes five online booking mistakes and how to avoid them:

1. Wrong name on ticket
2. Booking a ticket on the wrong airline
3. Selecting flights in the wrong order
4. Buying a ticket that’s too restrictive
5. Wrong date

The key to avoiding screw ups is not double-checking, but triple-checking everything before you hit "Purchase."

Sounds pretty basic right? Yes, but did I ever tell you about the time my family nearly spent 27 hours at the Seattle airport because someone didn’t read his cruise dates correctly?

Photo by Ack Ook on Flickr

If you’re a Bank of America customer, feel free to take in some culture.

The megabank is offering free admissions to 70 museums around the country, and the deal returns the first full weekend of every month. Just show your Bank of America ATM card, check or credit card for entry. Included are some of the top museums in the country in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, to name just a few.

Coastal travelers might particularly enjoy the Birch Aquarium at Scripps in La Jolla, Calif; the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine; the Art Institute of Chicago; or the Morikami Museum and Japanese Garden in Delray Beach, Fla.

Find a complete listing of eligible museums at the bank site.

Photo: Art Institute of Chicago

West Coast Editor Susan Kim points out that New Jersey has a long history of wacky beach laws.

Surfers may pull radical moves out on the water, but they better not try anything funny on the Jersey shore.

Long Beach Township, New Jersey, has become the lastest town to outlaw changing clothes in public – even if you’re covered up by a towel. This has outraged some local surfers.

As one wave-rider noted in a quote that you don’t expect to read in the New York Times: “Maybe when they’re pulling the suit up you’d see a little bit of someone’s butt, but you’d see more on daytime TV.”

Kind of ironic to read about a prude beach in the Times, notes Jaunted.com. Last Sunday, the paper used the cover of the Travel section to breathlessly inform us about a radically different trend: Nakations.

Better keep all this in mind, before you rinse off under an outdoor shower.

Photo: Sister72 on Flickr.com. Sign from Point Pleasant, N.J.

California is big place. I mean, really big. From the snow-capped mountains, dry desserts, dense redwood forests, and dynamic farmlands to the quickly proliferating wine regions and endless miles of coastline, it's enough to keep any traveler (and one particular travel writer) busy for a lifetime. So, for the best travel tips, I find that guide books specializing on a particular part of this enormous state are more informative than ones attempting to cover the entire she-bang in one book.

Lately, I'm into Open Road's Best of Southern California (Simon & Schuster, 2007) by O.C. native, Elizabeth Borsting. She really dishes on what's worth doing---and what's overrated. "We're talking only the best here, regardless of price range. If it's great, I put it in the book," she says. What I dig the most is not only her insider knowledge of authentic "Cali" things to do (like having a beach bonfire at Huntington Beach or getting a Date Shake at historic Ruby's Shake Shack along the Pacific Coast Highway), but that she suggests the best itineraries based on how much time you have. One day, one weekend, one week? No problemo. She even adds alternative plans, in case you don't like something she suggests. It's authoritative, easy to use, and includes color photos and maps. Available at www.simonsays.com

I'd love to hear about your Southern Cali travel tips, too. Thumbs up or down: What did you think of shopping on Abbott Kinney Blvd in Venice Beach? Is In-N-Out Burger a California icon? Dude, which beaches are hot (and which ones are SO not)?   

With summer looming, families should nail down vacation plans now.

Perfect timing for Parents magazine's list of favorite beach resorts. The best bargain: Sheraton Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya Resort, where rooms start at $129 per night.

The roundup is limited to places priced at $500 per night or below. Other honorees include: Club Med Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; South Seas, Captiva Island, Florida; Atlantis, Bahamas; Disney's Vero Beach, Florida; Beaches Negril, Jamaica; Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu; Ocean Edge, Brewster, Massachusetts; Loews Coronado Bay, San Diego; and Rio Mar Beach, Puerto Rico. 

Each has a supervised child-care program, children’s menus and parent-child activities. Neurotic parents (that includes me!) will be comforted to know they all have non-smoking rooms, lifeguards and CPR-certified staff.

(Photo: Rio Mar Beach Golf Resort Casino & Spa)

If you've never been to New Orleans, may I please suggest you forego Mardi Gras for an equally crowded, but infinitely more entertaining event? It's the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and—not to take anything away from Christmas, but— it's the most wonderful time of the year! I've been singing it all month ...

This most wondrous occasion takes place the last weekend of April and first weekend of May every year, come rain or shine. It's packed with incredible and varied music acts from big names (this year headliners included Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Tim McGraw, Billy Joel, and Stevie Wonder) to local zydeco, bluegrass, and gospel.

Music isn't all Jazz Fest has to offer though. You can buy African-inspired jewelry and crafts at Congo Square, explore the Louisiana Folklife Village, catch a Mardi Gras Indian parade, watch a cooking demonstration at the Zatarain's Food Heritage Stage, and—most importantly—eat. The crawfish bread can't be missed, and it's the only time of year you're going to get it. Important tip: don't wait until the end of the day to indulge or you'll end up like me in 2006, better known in my household as "The Year of the Tragic Crawfish Bread-less Jazz Fest." Other winners include the New Orleans classics of Roman Candy and the tastiest pralines in the world, Loretta's pralines. Side note: I visited Loretta's in the Quarter so often as a child, that Loretta herself knew who I was. It was the thrill of my life when at a Jazz Fest many years ago, she asked if I was feeling better (I'd last seen her while "sick" on a school day) and she gave me a praline on the house. Could you ever doubt my devotion?

You've still got time to make it this year, so go ahead and buy your tickets! You can order basic entry tickets, Grand Marshal VIP passes, or the ultimate Big Chief VIP Experience. As you may have guessed, the VIP packs come with special perks, such as access to special viewing areas, covered grandstands, hospitality lounges, and more. And if the weatherman calls for rain like he did last weekend, don't let that deter you. Just slip on your rain boots, don a trash bag or other plastic cover-up, and dance the day away like the rest of the crowd. After all, it's New Orleans—Laissez-les bon temps roulez! (That means let the good times roll ...)

(Photo: nojazzfest.com)

In the Outer Banks, North Carolina: a new restaurant, Aqua, just opened in Duck. In addition to fresh seafood and chic décor: a flight of wooden steps leads upstairs to the Aqua Essence Day Spa where Currituck Soundview mani-pedis are available, plus massages, facials, and specialty packages that emphasis all organic products. Or as General Manager Lynette Sumner says, “you can have time for yourself, get glamorous, and meet your party downstairs for lunch or dinner. It’s so sexy.”
The restaurant menu is also appealing. The Black Sea Bass with potato gnocchi has a colorful presentation and fantastic flavor. And you can’t beat the view of the sound from inside the restaurant, or outside on the quaint wooden patio for lunch or drinks. For more information visit http://aquaessencedayspa.com/

(Photo: Aqua Essence Day Spa)