http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings Imagine - Experience - Share Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:04:47 GMT Clearspace 2.5.11 (http://jivesoftware.com/products/clearspace/) 2009-11-20T12:04:47Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/20/move-over-paris-tokyo-is-the-new-gourmet-capital-of-the-world For me, eating is one of the most important parts of traveling—so much that I’d rather stay in an inexpensive hotel, forgo the souvenirs and eat ramen noodles weeks before my vacation just to save the extra cash for gastronomic heaven. And, tokyo paris michelin_guide Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:04:47 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/20/move-over-paris-tokyo-is-the-new-gourmet-capital-of-the-world 2009-11-20T12:04:47Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/19/world-society-for-the-protection-of-animals-launches-database-of-humane-restaurants If you’re a meat eater but are nonetheless concerned about the treatment of animals from farm to plate, you’ll want to check out the new database launched by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) found at EatHumane.org . restaurants chicago chicago_restaurants new_york new_york_restaurants san_francisco san_francisco_restaurants wspa green_travel Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:47:09 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/19/world-society-for-the-protection-of-animals-launches-database-of-humane-restaurants 2009-11-19T14:47:09Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/18/travel-back-to-old-california-for-the-holidays Monterey , Calif., is known for its pretty vistas, fantastic restaurants and family fun—but on two nights of the year, you can also time travel to California’s first capital. The annual Christmas in the Adobes features candlelit monterey christmas_in_the_adobes Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:31:49 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/18/travel-back-to-old-california-for-the-holidays 2009-11-18T17:31:49Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/17/get-40-percent-off-marriott-and-renaissance-rates   Marriott and Renaissance hotels are making it difficult to stay at home with the recent “Life Begins at 40%” promotion . Choose among 12 participating resorts in Mexico, the Caribbean and Costa Rica, and get 40 percent off leisure hotel_deals marriott mexico caribbean costa rica Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:42:17 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/17/get-40-percent-off-marriott-and-renaissance-rates 2009-11-17T17:42:17Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/16/new-museum-openings-featuring-veterans-and-civil-rights-to-science-and-andy-griffith I’m a museum junkie. It doesn’t matter whether exhibits are of artwork, historical significance or oddities. I simply enjoy seeing collections. Here’s a look at a few interesting places that opened recently, or will soon.   museums new_orleans new_york Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:07:44 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/16/new-museum-openings-featuring-veterans-and-civil-rights-to-science-and-andy-griffith 2009-11-16T17:07:44Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/13/college-visits-for-children-of-every-age Although most universities prefer to give their formal tours to high school sophomores and juniors, my husband and I believe that it’s never too early to embark on informal college visits. Whenever we travel with our child, we try to carve out at family_travel college_tours stanford yale college_visits Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:09:34 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/13/college-visits-for-children-of-every-age 2009-11-13T12:09:34Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/12/tips-for-visiting-the-terra-cotta-warriors-in-xi-an-china With 8,000 thousand figures, 10,000 weapons, 670 horses, 130 chariots and three archaeological pits, it’s easy to see why the Museum of Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang in Xi’an is one of the most popular tourist china xian terracotta_warriors travel_tips Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:27:53 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/12/tips-for-visiting-the-terra-cotta-warriors-in-xi-an-china 2009-11-12T22:27:53Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/12/king-or-emperor-or-sultan-for-a-day-must-visit-palaces-throughout-the-world Visiting the home of royalty is always a great way to spend a vacation and to soak up some fascinating history--if only history classes could've been this hands on.   Château de Chambord. Photo: diogene.chiendesinope   Summer Palace in palaces mysore_palace alhambra chateau_de_chambord summer_palace Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:08:20 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/12/king-or-emperor-or-sultan-for-a-day-must-visit-palaces-throughout-the-world 2009-11-12T12:08:20Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/11/ski-vacation-package-from-mammoth-mountain   As a Northern California resident, I think Tahoe when I think of winter ski season. But Mammoth Mountain , in the southern Sierra, has a ski vacation package this winter that may make some people change their minds.   With Horizon Air travel_deals mammoth_mountain Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:08:20 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/11/ski-vacation-package-from-mammoth-mountain 2009-11-11T11:08:20Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/10/outdoor-adventures-in-puerto-rico A little more than an hour outside San Juan , Puerto Rico , the northwest part of the island is home to karst formations that feature narrow canyons, sinkholes, underground rivers and caverns. The Río Camuy Cave System is believed to be the puerto_rico outdoor_adventure Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:04:34 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/10/outdoor-adventures-in-puerto-rico 2009-11-10T18:04:34Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/09/holidays-on-ice-at-gaylord-hotels Love the idea of an ice hotel, but not into the frosty reality of sleeping in one? Gaylord Hotels has a solution that showcases many of the amazing things one can do with large chunks of frozen water, without requiring piles of thick blankets to keep travel_deals holiday_travel gaylord_hotels gaylord_opryland_hotel ice_sculptures ice_festival Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:26:04 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/09/holidays-on-ice-at-gaylord-hotels 2009-11-09T15:26:04Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/06/miami-family-attractions-discounts-extended The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) has extended its Miami Attractions Month discounts through November, giving families an extra month of savings at seven of the most popular Miami kid-friendly sites.     miami travel_deals family_travel Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:18:34 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/06/miami-family-attractions-discounts-extended 2009-11-06T22:18:34Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/05/top-5-tips-for-the-anxious-traveler I love to travel and I hate to fly—ah, the proverbial catch-22. As a child, I would squeeze my father’s hand every time the plane hit an air pocket or the wings moved—to this day he still complains that I successfully dislocated every flying anxious_travelers Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:25:21 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/05/top-5-tips-for-the-anxious-traveler 2009-11-05T21:25:21Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/05/living-it-up-in-san-juan   I just returned from a four-day trip to Puerto Rico , and let me tell you: It was much too short. I don’t know how people on cruise excursions are satisfied with stopping in San Juan for only one day. Whether your interest is shopping, san_juan puerto_rico Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:59:59 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/05/living-it-up-in-san-juan 2009-11-05T14:59:59Z http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/04/kids-get-hands-on-history-in-presidential-libraries Not every family can make a trip to Washington, D.C., and because of increasing security measures, even fewer can get into the White House for a personal tour. But it is possible for children to experience a little of the executive office by visiting family_travel presidential_libraries boston little_rock southern_california Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:03:35 GMT tmadmin http://www.travelmuse.com/community/blogs/travel_musings/2009/11/04/kids-get-hands-on-history-in-presidential-libraries 2009-11-04T12:03:35Z