My Driver was wrong about Charlotte, North Carolina

When we arrived to Charlotte I asked the driver what there was to see in and around Charlotte. He thought for a moment and said Bars and Clubs. Probably not the greatest ambassador for Charlotte. After spending some time in this great city, I would definitely give it thumbs up. By the way, the official Tourism website is trying to change the “driver’s mentality”, find out more by going to www.charlottesgotalot.com


My Black Book pick…. Joe Gibbs Racing Facility, if you can get a private tour. I was mesmerized by the facility, workers, cars and setup. Again, because I was able to walk the floors with an insider and see how the cars are assembled from scratch, it made all the difference. www.joegibbsracing.com


Lowes Motor Speedway, formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway is an amazing experience. A few ways to experience it….

Feel the Thrill Tour includes a close-up look at areas that are off-limits on race days. Visit the Sprint Cup garage, travel down pit road and take a picture in Victory Circle. The highlight of this half-hour tour is a comfortable van ride around the superspeedway where you will feel the full-tilt force of the 24-degree banking. Feel The Thrill Tours are available on non-event days Monday through Saturday 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and Sunday 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Lowe's Motor Speedway hosts six companies that conduct driving schools at the speedway.

Ride-a-longs are also available courtesy of The Richard Petty Driving Experience on days following Sprint Cup race events. Feel the thrill of three laps at speeds of more than 160 mph on the world-famous Lowe's Motor Speedway during your race weekend.

Superspeedway Track Facts
• Length: 1.5 miles or 7, 920 feet
• Frontstretch: 1,980 feet
• Backstretch: 1,500 feet
• Turns 1 & 2: 2,400 feet
• Turns 3 & 4: 2,040
• Radius Turns 1 & 2: 685 feet
• Radius Turns 3 & 4: 625 feet
• Banking in corners: 24-degrees
• Banking is straightaways: 5-degrees
• Seating capacity: 140,000
• Suites: 113
Fun Facts
• There are more than 100 flagpoles located throughout the speedway property.
• The speedway has more than 1,200 toilets on property for it's fans.
• Nearly 1,500 trash cans are placed throughout speedway property to collect the 400 tons of trash that will be generated during a NASCAR event weekend.
• Three 30-foot truckloads of paper products (paper towels/toilet paper) will be used at race time.
• Lowe's Motor Speedway ground crews use 17 tractors and 11 lawn mowers to keep the speedway's nearly 2,000 acres manicured.
• On Coca-Cola 600 race day, the nearly 180,000 people at Lowe's Motor Speedway make it the fourth largest city in North Carolina behind Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro.
• The land Lowe's Motor Speedway now occupies was the site of a working plantation during the Civil War.
• George Washington ate lunch and rested in a house that once served as the speedway's office.
• The small one-fifth-mile paved oval located outside the turn -three tunnel is known as "Outback Speedway," because it's located "outback."
• The inner perimeter road around Lowe's Motor Speedway is named in honor of three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip, a five-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600.

Where would you travel to if you only had 30 days to live?

Would you go somewhere you have been that makes you happy? Somewhere you have dreamed about going your entire life? International, domestic, far, close, exotic, familiar?

A friend of mine is answering this very question. His wife has an inoperable brain tumor and treatments have been exhausted. What to do in the next 30 days? They have four young children so they decided on “the happiest place on earth”, Disney Land.

It’s a tough question. I think I would go from place to place and show my family all the wonderful places and cultures I have experienced. Machu Picchu, Easter Island, the Atacama, the Patagonia, the Amazon, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Victoria Falls, Iguassu Falls, the Great Pyramids, Marrakesh, New York and all the other places that make you feel alive.

Large Marge has to buy two seats on United Airlines

Have you ever sat next to someone too large to fit in the airline seat? No way to put the arm rest down? The flight attendant brings a seat belt extender and even that does not work?

United has joined the ranks of other airlines and will remove the large passenger to two adjoining empty seats and if not available, they will be removed from the plane and asked to purchase an additional seat on the next available flight. If the passenger refuses to purchase another ticket, they will be denied boarding and refunded the original amount of their ticket.

How would you like to be the customer service representative that day?

Fabulous Singapore Stopover for $1

Normally I wouldn’t bat an eye for a stopover program as many international carriers offer a free stopover, but they usually don’t include transfers, hotels, and entrance fees for a dollar!

Singapore Airlines announced the “Fabulous Singapore Stopover” for $1. The offering is valid thru September 15. Which I feel is generous considering most deals are valid within the next 30 days. The hotels are divided into six categories. The lowest category hotel is available for the dollar promotion with a surcharge fee of $132 per person to upgrade to the highest category which would include the Ritz Carlton and Shangri la.

Other nice features include upgrades to a private car, late check-out, additional nights, and early check-in. Of course this is all for a fee, and a reasonable one at that.

This is what’s included for your $1…..

• Hotel Accommodation for one night at hotel in applicable price category
• 50% discount on the à la carte food menu only at the designated food outlet in the passenger's hotel.
• Airport-hotel-airport transfers on seat-in-coach basis.
• Free rides on SIA Hop-on Bus and SIA Hop-on Sentosa Shuttle.
• Free SingTel Hi! Card
• Free admission to seven attractions
• Jurong Bird Park
• Malay Heritage Centre
• National Orchid Garden
• Peranakan Museum
• Sentosa Island Resort
• Singapore River Cruises
• The Singapore Zoo
• S$10 Changi Airport Shopping voucher usable at all dining and retail outlets.
• Discounts on shopping, dining, sightseeing tours and attractions as listed in the SIA Boarding Pass Privileges programme. Visit singaporeair.com/boardingpass for details.

Stein Eriksen Lodge Spring Special

Mountain Magic
Experience all that a five-diamond mountain resort has to offer. Lounge around the pool, enjoy a quiet evening of dining or step onto the slopes for hiking, mountain biking or a picnic. Includes Deluxe Room and breakfast.
Spring Rate $102 per person, per night; valid April 12, 2009 - June 1, 2009
Summer Rate $125 per person, per night; valid June 2, 2009 - October 10, 2009
Prices are per person per night based on double occupancy.

call 800-453-1302 and mention KSL

Golf for free at the Homestead on April 20th

The Homestead is offering a free day of golf on April 20, 2009 in celebration of its 20^th anniversary this year. Tee times will be available to the public starting on April 13 and will be offered on a first come first serve basis. The cart fee will not be included. Tee times can be booked by calling 866-348-8993.

To further celebrate this significant milestone and as a thank you to customers, the Homestead will offer 9-holes of golf with cart for $20 or 18-holes for $40, for the entire 2009 golf season. The course has already opened for the year. The special rates apply to golfers who book tee times seven days in advance, excluding groups.

The Homestead’s 18-hole championship golf course, designed by Bruce Summerhays, has been recognized by the Best of State award organization as the best golf course for three of the past four years as well as the best golf shop in Utah for a total of four years. The Homestead’s 7,000-yard, par-72 course has incorporated a state-of-the-art GPS system for golfers. This high-tech system calculates exact yardages, allows golfers to keep track of their scores electronically, communicates real-time to the leader board for tournaments and includes a food and beverage ordering capability and a help button for staff assistance.

“Over the past 20 years, the Homestead golf course has experienced tremendous growth and has become a Utah favorite for golf enthusiasts across the state and throughout the region,” said Chris Briscoe, Director of Golf at the Homestead. “We enjoy serving the many individuals and businesses who have participated in the 220,000 tournament rounds of golf and 3,000 tournaments that we have hosted throughout the years.”

The Homestead Resort’s championship golf course is a 20 year charter member of the Audobon Sanctuary Program for golf courses. This program promotes ecologically sound land management and the conservation of natural resources. The positive impact that results from these practices extends beyond the golf course and helps benefit the broader community.

The Homestead 18-hole championship golf course, which winds through the surrounding Snake Creek Valley and Wasatch Mountains, continues to offer tremendous value with special offers and competitive rates. The Homestead is known for providing the lowest rate to seniors for $25 from Monday through Thursday after noon.

Eiffel Tower on Strike?

How frustrating would it be? You fly to Paris to see the sites and the grand daddy of them all is closed due to a strike. Unscheduled, unpredictable, unforeseen and Un American.

Flashpacking, the new way to travel

Never heard of "flashpacking"? Much like "staycations" of last year, flashpacking is simply a marketing term to encapsulate a growing traveler trend. In this case, a "flashpacker" is a type of traveler who is similar to a backpacker, but one who prefers bare-bones transportation (such as low-cost airlines, second-class rail service, etc.), and will spend a little more for a decent room and a bath.

Wikipedia defines Flashpacking
Flashpacking is a neologism used to refer to affluent backpacker. Whereas backpacking is traditionally associated with budget travel and destinations that are relatively cheap, flashpacking has an association of more disposable income while traveling and has been defined simply as backpacking with a bigger budget[11].
A simple definition of the term Flashpacker can be thought of as backpacking with flash, or style. One school of thought defines the Flashpacker as a rapidly growing segment of travelers who adhere to a modest accommodation and meal budget, while spending freely, even excessively, for activities at their chosen destination. Another school of thought defines flashpacking as an incongruous mix of 'slumming it' and luxury; of adventurous travel with those on a budget by day and sedate dining and comfortable accommodation by night.[12] Flashpackers have been further defined as tech-savvy adventurers who often prefer to travel with a cell phone, digital camera, iPod and a laptop[13], although none of these is required in order to be a flashpacker. As with other forms of travel, the term flashpacker is mainly one of self-identification. The origin of the term itself is obscure.
The term also reflects a growing demographic of travelers who are forsaking traditional organized travel, venturing to destinations once the reserve of more adventurous backpackers, and the increasing number of individuals who leave well paid jobs or take 'career breaks', using the time to travel independently, but with greater comfort and many of the gadgets they are accustomed to at home. As a result, hostels are evolving and offering more up-market accommodation to those still traveling on a budget[14] in order to obtain their business. The hostels have realized a need to evolve in order to meet the changing demands of travelers.[15]

Travel Gear - Kindle 2 – Amazon’s Newest Wireless Reading Device

Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback
Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots
Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images
Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging
More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 booksFaster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns
Read-to-Me: With the new text-to-speech feature, Kindle can read every newspaper, magazine, blog, and book out loud to you, unless the book is disabled by the rights holder
Large Selection: Over 260,000 books plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs available
Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise

Pros
Screen is easy to read both indoors and out, and font size is adjustable.
Longer battery life than Kindle 1; can last two weeks without recharging.
Slimmer design than original version.
Low-cost books (most for under $10), with free classics available online.
New free application lets you transfer existing Kindle titles to the iPhone.
Cons
High initial cost ($359).
Wireless function doesn't work outside the USA.
Limited participation by major guidebook publishers.
One-column format and lack of color for photos and maps.
Protective cover must be purchased separately; $30 through Amazon.com.