In 1912, the city of Tokyo, Japan prepared a gift for the United States that has not been forgotten to this day. In fact, the gift inspires great celebration each year. Washington, DC was the recipient of 3,000 cherry blossom trees that were transported across the globe and planted around the city. Today, nearly 100 years later, Washington is in full preparation for the Centennial National Cherry Blossom Celebration. This celebration, held every year for five weeks between March 20 and April 27 is a collection of events that celebrates the beauty of the  cherry blossom trees as they bloom and cover the city in pink petals. The excitement will attract many from all over the country who will gather to remember and honor an international friendship. The five week celebration will be full of tradition, art, performers, and food and the city invites everyone to join in the festivities. Washington is a great destination at any time but is truly magical when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. You'll need a place to stay, so here's some of our favorites: at the luxury end the Mandarin Oriental and the Four Seasons Georgetown are spectacular. More moderate is the Sofitel Lafayette Square and the Embassy Circle Guest House is truly a wonderful value.

Ellen Studer
Bestweekends.com




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With winter weather patterns pointing towards a warm and early spring, crowds and news stations gathered in the small town of Punxsatawney to watch the beloved Groundhog Phil decide this year’s fate. To many people’s despair, Punxatawney Phil spotted his shadow and hurried back into his hole; the folklore condemning us to 6 more weeks of winter. Nonetheless, plans are still being drawn up for this year’s spring on the beautiful island of Nantucket. Tourism in Nantucket peaks in July and August so if you want to stay away from the crowds, it’s best to visit before the masses flood in. Nantucket is simply gorgeous in the spring and contrary to Phil’s prediction, it is looking like warm weather is just around the corner. Every year since 1974 locals and visitors gather to celebrate the colorful bloom of the island’s favorite flowers, the yellow daffodils. In April, all of the brightly-colored buds open to paint the island’s road sides, yards, and shop windows as a warm welcome to spring. Nantucket takes pride in the fun and festivities that accompany this thawing of winter with a collection of events and parades called the Annual Daffodil Festival. Some of these events include: the Antique Car Parade, the Daffodil Tailgate Picnic, the Children’s Parade, the Daffy Hat Pageant, and the Dog Parade. The Antique Car Parade is a personal and festival-goer favorite, featuring over 100 antique cars decorated with the celebrated flowers. The winding drive around the island ends in a huge picnic with a variety of fantastic foods. Seeing the magical little island lit up with these flowers of tradition is a sight you won't want to miss this spring in Nantucket. Need a place to stay for the weekend? Try the Century House or the Sherburne Inn, bot within walking distance to town.

Ellen Studer
Bestweekends.com




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I was doing my share of online newspaper “travel section” browsing when I stumbled upon an article by Nancy Trejos of USA Today. The article is titled Hotels Enlist the Cupid Concierge for Valentine’s Day. After reading the article and doing some backup research I was pleasantly surprised by this new idea that is being implemented in a select few hotels across the country and into Canada. These innovative hotels are creating seasonally-fitting specialty concierge services geared toward perfecting romantic stays and inspiring love. Quite the Best Weekends type of service. The first hotel to be recognized for its “Cupid Concierge” is the Opus Hotel Vancouver in Canada. The free service is manned 24 hours a day and is there to help anyone looking for an unforgettable romantic getaway or those who are a bit more romantically-challenged. Cupid Concierge keeps a list of all sorts of romantic ways to say “I love you” but will also work to make any of your own ideas become reality. Other hotels, in the US, that now have similar services are the 70 Park Avenue Hotel in NY and the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel in Boston. The 70 Park Avenue Hotel has what they call their “Romance Sommelier” that is promoting “Leap of Faith” proposals this month on February 29; a “Leap of Faith” proposal is a reversal of roles in which the woman proposes to the man. The Marriott Long Wharf Hotel on the other hand has a “Proposal Artist” who is available to help with proposal sites and unique ideas. This Valentine’s Day, if the real cherub cannot be found to help inspire romance, try “Cupid Concierge” and you might just be pleasantly surprised.

Ellen Studer
Bestweekends.com

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After the holidays are wrapped up everyone begins to get back into the swing of a normal routine. Before you know it, though, Presidents’ Day weekend springs up out of nowhere–leaving many without plans for the small break. The kids are off school and most of us off work, so why not take advantage of the free time by escaping to a resort not too far from anywhere in the Mid-Atlantic states. Nemacolin Woodlands Resort is preparing for the occasion with family-oriented events, activities, and dining experiences.

The Resort is offering two packages for the holiday weekend, a four-night and a five-night available between the 15th and the 19th. Each includes, “luxurious accommodations” as well as a $300 per night Resort Amenity Credit which can be used for food, drinks or activities. Prices vary by number of people and type of room; two adults and two kids in the Chateau Suite Double for the four-night package will cost around $2,820. The resort has planned some great activities for the weekend including ski packages, movie nights, live music, and family games like wheel of fortune and scavenger hunts. A perfect mini-vacation for the long weekend, Nemacoclin is one of Best Weekends’ favorite family resorts and it doesn’t involve the hassle of long flights or costly transportation.

Ellen Studer
Bestweekends.com




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Made up of our finest food connoisseurs, The Best Weekends Advance Team is always on the prowl for new dining experiences and dishes. Setting taste buds tingling this year is the Celebrity Chef Tour Dinner Series 2012 benefiting the James Beard Foundation. The James Beard Foundation is a non-profit organization to promote the culinary arts.  With multiple upcoming events, the Celebrity Chef Tour travels across the country bringing with it the some of the most popular chefs in US. Upon attending one of the events, you will enjoy an extraordinary night of five incredible dishes, fine wines, and Belgian beers. You get to meet the chefs themselves while enjoying some of their most popular dishes and even some new creations. Two of the closest upcoming events premier this February. The first event, held at Morgan's in the desert patio, Palm Desert, CA, will feature celebrity chefs Stephan Pyles, Nancy Silverton, and Jimmy Schmidt. Tickets start at $195 per person. The second is at The Palisades Restaurant in Eggelston, Va, March 30-31 with celebrity chefs: Barton Seaver, Jennifer Carroll, Mike Isabella & Host Chef Shaena Muldoon. If you can’t make it to either of these events, the calender of events has a complete list of upcoming dates. An exciting event for food enthusiasts of all kinds, the Celebrity Chef Tour Dinner Series is definitely one to put on the calender. But be sure to buy your tickets fast because they are flying like the world’s best hotcakes.
Ellen Studer
Bestweekends.com

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Looking to get a tan this winter without the hassle and costs of traveling down south? Tanning booths and spray-tans can only go so far, but surprisingly there is a way to get a natural sun tan right here in New Jersey, in Vernon, NJ, at The Crystal Springs Resort and the Grand Cascades Lodge Biosphere. The $7 million biosphere is the only one of its kind in the US. to use German Foiltec roofing that allows almost all of the sun’s natural rays to pass through. Because of the energy-efficient material, any time of year is perfect for visiting the multi-purpose biosphere. Winter is no longer an obstacle when it comes to getting a tan that will have people wondering what exotic island you visited. The biosphere features a heated indoor free-form pool, spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, an underground aquarium, 140 ft water slide, Grotto-like jacuzzi, cave-themed steam room and sauna, and a tasteful cafe. The complex is filled with tropical vegetation giving visitors the experience of an exotic vacation right in their own backyards. The Crystal Springs Resort draws attraction not only from golfers (t courses) and families, but also those looking to escape, even if just for the day. An incredible experience worth checking out, the biosphere at Crystal Springs is a unique alternative to the orange spray-tan this year.
Ellen Studer
Bestweekends.com


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_The very first historical museum in the nation just so happens to be located in the heart of Charleston, SC, one of Best Weekends’ favorite featured seaside getaways. The Charleston Museum, established in 1773, is still catching the eye of the public with incredible collections and exhibits of American history. In commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the museum is featuring a collection of exhibits including it’s lobby exhibit, Blasted: Assorted Projectiles and Explosives of the Civil War. It presents an original exhibition of revolutionary artillery shells and small arms projectiles used and created during the war. Some artifacts with the most hype include the rare Quinlivan shot used to penetrate Federal ironclads and the two chambered incendiary shell used by Charleston defense. Blasted will be open until September 10, 2012. Other exhibitions included in the Civil War commemoration are City Under Siege: Charleston in the Civil War and The Life and Times of Congressman Robert Smalls. City Under Siege is an ongoing permanent exhibit that focuses on the time period between South Carolina’s succession to 1865 and features uniforms, firearms, “gunboat china,” the watch of a fallen soldier, and even the prosthesis of Colonel Peter Gaillord who lost his hand in battle on Morris Island. The Life and Times of Congressman Robert Smalls is a traveling exhibit from The South Carolina State Museum that opens April 13 and will run until June 19. It will be on display for the May 13, 150th anniversary of Smalls’ fight to freedom in 1862 on the Confederate vessel, Planter. The Charleston Museum captures the Civil War era in the sesquicentennial collection that brings to life the history of Charleston, SC.
Ellen Studer
Bestweekends.com
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MapQuest Vibe 01/30/2012
 
_While browsing the USA Today’s travel section I came across an article that introduced a new product by MapQuest that I had never heard of and of course had to look into. The program is called MapQuest Vibe and is designed to introduce a place or neighborhood from a new point of view. When you enter the site you are prompted to enter a town; I first entered my own hometown and was amazed by the amount of information that was dug up on my one square mile town including an excerpt from Wikipedia. The site presents restaurants/bars, shopping, activities, local services, beauty/spa, heath/med., and lodging/travel as separate categories that pinpoint each point of interest on a map and rank the establishments by how “hip” they are. Users are encouraged to rate places they know to help keep up with “what’s hot” and “what’s not.” Each place is offered with a short description and occasional photo; only sometimes is more information available. Because the program is still fairly new, it does yet hold as much detailed information on each location as it could. I then searched a Best Weekends’ favorite, New Hope, PA, I was shown 30 restaurants. Zoubi (one of our highest rated New Hope dining locations) was ranked second on the list just below El Taco Loco.        
In comparison, Google offers a similarly designed and longer established Google Places. Google Places runs on a purely user-built database. Business owners and town residents are encouraged to enter descriptions and locations of their favorite places. The locations of points of interest are not categorized and are not nicely pinned on the map, but Google Places does have a more descriptive and in-depth info page for each. This includes pictures, directions, and ratings taken from other travel sites. The site has the vast database it needs to blow MapQuest Vibe off the charts but the layout and design are holding it back without doubt. Overall, MapQuest Vibe is one to keep an eye on in the rising market of destination overview websites in 2012.
Ellen Studer
Bestweekends.com



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Best Travel Apps 01/26/2012
 
_ I’ve recently been on the hunt for more useful applications for both smart-phones and tablets that will come in handy when it comes to travel, dining, and things to do. Because of the high demand, this particular type of app is swamping the app store and made weeding out the bad from the good a difficult task. After downloading and testing out over 15 new applications, I’ve got it narrowed down to a select few that are nothing less than genius. New apps like these are coming out every day so to keep up, the Best Weekends Advance Team is always checking the app store’s newest favorites for innovative ways stay up to date on the latest travel trends and deals on our computers, smart-phones, tablets, and e-readers.

Wenzani- This is an app that found just the right balance between social-networking and trusted guide. Along the lines of a twitter-like layout, Wenzani has a system of “followers” and “followees” that allows you to keep tabs on experts, friends, and businesses that interest you. These trusted sources offer suggestions, advice, and pictures about their experiences from local dining to city sightseeing. You can even ask friends for advice and get their real-time responses and when you visit a new exhibit or check out a new hotel, post your recommendation and thoughts for your “followers” to see.

LonelyPlanet- An encyclopedia of all things travel, this app is a complete guide to many of the major cities in the world. For instance, choose to check out New York, NY and you are handed everything from a detailed background to maps on a silver platter. Pick up useful information about the neighborhoods, things to do, and even the practicalities of getting around with the click of a button. The best part about this app is how thorough the information is. Though only a handful of cities are offered, extensive research and attention to detail are evident.

Jetsetter- An app that will leave you drooling at spectacular dream vacations for deals that you won't find anywhere else, Jetsetter is an innovative tool that promotes some of the worlds greatest trips at the greatest prices.  Browse the constantly changing featured trips for one that might just be what you are looking for, and the vacation packages change by the day so its first come, first served. When you find a trip that’s right for you, snatch up the dates with a couple clicks of a button or put it on hold for up to 72 hours. Even check out reviews on the dream getaways from experts and travelers alike.

Matchbook - This app is surprisingly easy to use, has a simple design, and gets the job done with little effort. Directed at creating a virtual “must remember” list, this app allows you to bookmark bars, restaurants, and shops and leave notes about key features that you liked or disliked. You can also view the bookmarks of others to checkout places that might be worth stopping by. Another cool feature is “walking by”, which allows you to quickly note a place that you caught at a glimpse and would like to return to later.

Ellen Studer
BestWeekends.com


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_ Valentine’s day is just around the corner and reservations are already being placed for that romantic weekend. Many will find themselves in an upscale restaurant at a dinner for two, or possibly on a weekend escape to a quiet hotel. Because Valentine’s Day falls on a Tuesday this year, the weekend previous is prime-time for travel plans. Bestweekends.com highlights some of the most romantic getaways at the Jersey Shore, ideal for an extraordinary holiday weekend.

Set on a beautiful old property in the heart of Spring Lake, The Chateau Inn & Suites is just blocks from the beach and steps from Potter Park. The Chateau is frequented by celebrities escaping to the Shore and it's not hard to see why. A warm and inviting lobby, charming suites and an amazing breakfast are perfect for couples in search of a romantic stay away from home. The Chateau even offers romantic packages like the “Special Evening” of chocolate dipped strawberries, rose petals, and champagne.

The small town of Manasquan is home to another destination favorite, The Inn on Main. Located in the heart of town and overlooking Main Street’s many shops and boutiques, the rooms are beautifully decorated and luxurious with pillow top beds and fireplaces in each room. Enjoy dinner at hot new BYOB, Firefly and it will be a night you won't soon forget.

For those looking to make the night a truly special occasion, dinner at the #1 Zagat rated restaurant in New Jersey, Restaurant Nicholas, is right on our doorstep in Red Bank.  Spectacular food, amazing service and an elegant setting make this a memorable experience. Tables for this fabulous dining experience are hard to come by though, so if you do plan on making Restaurant Nicholas your Valentine’s Day choice, be sure to make reservations far in advance.

Ellen Studer
bestweekends.com

 

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