Travel Calendar

NEW ORLEANS, LA. – New Orleans tourism marketing leaders say there’s good change in the air when it comes to holiday travel to the city. Usually a slow time of year with tourists, they say the trend’s shifting, and New Orleans is becoming a popular Christmas destination.

With its flocked trees and thousands of white lights, people enjoy the lobby at the Roosevelt Hotel, downtown. A few blocks away in the French Quarter, some savor Christmas dinner at Royal House Oyster Bar.

“We had broiled oysters. We had raw oysters and we had fried oysters and some gumbo,” said Tammy Brown. She and Tom Sarpolus are visiting from Kema, TX South of Houston ahead of Monday night’s Saints vs. Falcons matchup. “We’re here to see the Saints win one more game. Never been there before and we’re looking very much forward to it,” said Sarpolus.

“Last night when we were opening presents it seemed kind of slim, but today it’s paying off,” said Kyle Spencer of North Mississippi. Santa treated Spencer’s family to gameday tickets.

“We’ve been listed as one of the top three destinations in the nation for the holidays, including Christmas and New Year’s Eve,” said Mark Romig, CEO of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation. He said the city is seeing more and more people in town for “Christmas New Orleans Style,” a month-long festival that started December 1st that includes specially priced Reveillon dinners at area restaurants.

“We’re doing a braised lamb shank, which is different from our normal menu. We also have some alligator sausage appetizers, fried red fish beignets with a crystal hot sauce on it,” said Shad Stearns, General Manager at Royal House Oyster Bar.

Christmas concerts at St. Louis Cathedral and St. Augustine Church in Treme have been at capacity. “It was not unheard of to ask who was from out of town and 90 percent of the crowd would raise their hand and say we’re from out of town so we know our message is getting out,” said Romig. He explained that there seems to be a shift in the traditionally slower winter months in the city.

“We are seeing a change in travel patterns to New Orleans. People recognize us as a really authentic unique destination for the holidays so we think our marketing message is grabbing on,” said Romig.

The “Christmas New Orleans Style” campaign wraps up next weekend, but the calendar for this upcoming week is jam packed. Tomorrow, the Saints will play the Falcons and Wednesday the Hornets host the Celtics at the Hive for their regular season home opener. 

Then New Year’s Day, the Saints are back in the Dome to face the Panthers and 24 hours later New Orleans hosts the Sugar Bowl.

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Associated Press

MONTEZUMA, N.Y. — A Thruway travel plaza in central New York remains closed after a grease fire in a kitchen caused heavy smoke damage to the building.

State police tell The Citizen of Auburn (http://bit.ly/siWlkL ) that the fire started Christmas night at the Port Byron Service Plaza along the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 in the town of Montezuma, between Exits 41 and 40.

No injuries were reported.

The Thruway Authority says the plaza remains closed Monday morning, with no food or restrooms available. The gas station at the plaza is open and fuel is available.

The next available food and restrooms on the Thruway’s eastbound side are at the Dewitt travel plaza just east of Exit 36 at Syracuse.

—Copyright 2011 Associated Press

If you have diabetes and plan on traveling this holiday season, there are certain things you need to do to safeguard your health, says a University of Alabama at Birmingham expert.

“I tell patients, especially type 1 diabetics, to be diligent about blood sugar control when they travel — especially across time zones — because it’s easy to lose control of your glucose management when you get out of your usual routine,” Dr. Fernando Ovalle, director of the UAB Multidisciplinary Diabetes Clinic and a senior scientist in the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center, said in a university news release.

When traveling in the United States or to most places in Europe, you should pack twice as much medication and blood-testing supplies as you think you need. If traveling to places where medical resources may be scarce, pack three to four times that amount, Ovalle recommended.

Pack at least one set of medication and supplies in a carry-on bag and keep the bag with you at all times so you always have medication on hand, even if your checked baggage is delayed or lost.

Reduce the risk of airport hassles by carrying a letter and prescription from your doctor. The letter should outline the treatment for your diabetes (such as, “take diabetes pills or insulin shots”) and list syringes, insulin and any other medications or devices you use.

If you’re traveling across time zones, start adjusting your medication times for insulin in increments in the days before you depart. If the time change is more than four hours, ask your doctor to create a new dosing schedule in order to reduce your risk of making a mistake, Ovalle said.

If you’re traveling long distances, make sure you move around or get up and walk at least every hour or so. People with diabetes are at increased risk for blood clots and movement can help prevent them.

People with insulin pumps need to be careful when flying. Research has shown that changes in airliner cabin pressure during flights can cause insulin pumps to deliver too much insulin when the plane is climbing, Ovalle said.

“Individuals with diabetes who are extremely sensitive to insulin may want to consider disconnecting the device before taking off and while the plane is ascending, as well as checking the insulin supply for air bubbles upon landing,” he suggested.

Copyright © 2010 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

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A senior administration official said President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s office requested that he be allowed to receive specialized treatment in the U.S. for injuries sustained in a June attack on his compound. The request was being considered, and would only be approved for medical reasons, the official said.

Until now, the White House had not commented on Saleh’s assertion Saturday that he would be leaving Yemen and traveling to the U.S. Saleh insisted he was going in order to help calm tensions in his country, not for medical treatment.

The official, who requested anonymity because of a lack of authorization to speak publicly, did not say when the Obama administration would decide on Saleh’s request. But the official said Saleh’s office indicated that he would leave Yemen soon and spend time elsewhere abroad before he hoped to come to the U.S.

Demonstrators began protesting against Saleh and calling for his ouster in February. The Yemeni government responded with a bloody crackdown, leaving hundreds of protesters dead, and stoking fears of instability in a nation already grappling with burgeoning extremism.

Last month, Saleh agreed to a U.S.- and Saudi-backed deal to hand power over to his vice president and commit to stepping down completely in exchange for immunity. The deal further angered Saleh’s opponents, who demanded he be tried for his attacks on protesters.

American officials are deeply concerned that the months of turmoil in Yemen have led to a security breakdown. The dangerous al-Qaida branch in Yemen, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, has taken advantage of the vacuum to expend its presence in southern Yemen.

Pressure has been mounting in recent weeks for Saleh to leave Yemen altogether. Opponents say he has continued to wield influence through his loyalists and relatives still in positions of power, hampering the transition ahead of presidential elections set for Feb. 21. Many feared he would find a way to continue his rule.

Activists said troops commanded by Saleh’s relatives attacked protesters in the capital of Sanaa Saturday, killing at least nine people. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated the following day, protesting the deaths and demanding the resignation of Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi for failing to bring the killers to justice.

The White House said President Obama‘s top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, called Hadi Sunday and emphasized the need for Yemeni security forces to show “maximum restraint” when dealing with demonstrations. Hadi told Brennan that he had launched an investigation into the recent deaths and injuries and would do his utmost to prevent further bloodshed, the White House said.

The White House said Brennan and Hadi agreed on the importance of continuing with the agreed-upon path of political transition in Yemen in order to ensure that the February elections take place.

Obama was being briefed on developments in Yemen while in Hawaii for his Christmas vacation.

The U.S. has experience with letting unpopular foreign leaders into this country for medical treatment.

More than three decades ago, President Jimmy Carter allowed the exiled shah of Iran into the U.S. for medical treatment in October 1979, eight months after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini led a revolution that ousted the shah and created the Islamic Republic of Iran.

On Nov. 4, 1979, Iranian students occupied the U.S. embassy in Iran. Fifty-two American hostages were held for 444 days in response to Carter’s refusal to send the shah back to Iran for trial.

By Jimmy Hascup

– Contributor

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Dec 26, 2011 – The New York Rangers have a 21-8-4 record that has vaulted them to the top of the Atlantic Division, to second in the Eastern Conference and third in the entire NHL. While the season is only 33 games old, at this juncture it may be safe to say that they’ve at least set themselves up to be an elite team, even if they don’t fully have to support of the “experts” and hockey community.

New York is coming off another perfect week, going 3-0-0 against a variety of teams: one that wants to prove it’s a contender, a flailing squad and one that shares the ranks of the East’s elite. Over the week, the Rangers scored 12 goals — four in each game — and allowed five. New York took down the New Jersey Devils on the road 4-1 after surrendering the first goal; then, it hosted the New York Islanders and got some timely goals and great goaltending from backup Martin Biron to win 4-2. Its most impressive performance came against the Philadelphia Flyers, a team that had claimed its stake atop the East, and dismantled them 4-2. Their goal differential now stands at plus-27, fourth in the NHL. They rank in the top 10 in goals scored and the No. 3 stingiest defense with 2.09 goals allowed per game.

Suffice to say, there’s a lot going right for the Blueshirts right now. A two-day hockey break — no games or practice — for the Christmas holiday is good for a team that’s battled so hard this season, but also bad because they’ve been on such a roll this season and it could stunt their momentum.

Quite simply, the Rangers are a team firing on all cylinders right now. First and foremost, the coaching staff has done an exceptional job with a patchwork defense — Marc Staal, Michael Sauer and Steve Eminger sidelined — putting the journeyman-types like Jeff Woywitka and Anton Stralman and the youngsters like Stu Bickel and Tim Erixon in spots to excel. Their young players are also growing immensely this season: Derek Stepan is third in the team with 25 points, Artem Anisimov has 22 points and Michael Del Zotto has been stiffer on defense and excellent on offense, with 19 points.

New York Islanders, Monday, Dec. 26, MSG
The Rangers will play the Isles for the second time in five days, and this could be a blessing in disguise after a break from hockey action as both teams will be forced to play with energy and find their legs from the get-go. Granted, the Isles are a team that either brings out the best or the worst in the Rangers because they often don’t stay composed enough. The Rangers are 2-1-0 against the Islanders this year and have shown they’ve got a distinct talent advantage with a team that’s buying into the coaching staff’s style. The Islanders have lost two straight and six of their last eight. John Tavares, Matt Moulson and P.A. Parenteau all have 28 points to lead the team, but besides that there isn’t a lot of depth, which is where the Rangers have them beat. The Islanders are one of the worst teams at preventing and scoring goals this season, signaling their problems run deep.

at Washington Capitals, Wednesday, Dec. 28, Versus
The season is still relatively young, but experts abound had the Capitals as once of the aces of the NHL this season. Who would’ve thought that they’d be three points out of a playoff spot, with 36 and just three games above .500. Simply, Washington has been far too inconsistent, even after the coaching change. Alex Ovechkin has not put up the star-type offensive numbers this season everyone expected, as he only has 24 points (second on the team). Nicklas Backstrom leads the way with 34, but even more telling is that Jason Chimera paces the squad with 13 goals. The offense hasn’t gelled as consistently as many expected (10th in the league), but even more worrisome is that they’ve given up the eighth-most goals in the league. Defensive breakdowns and shoddy goaltending have contributed to that problem, though Michal Neuvirth has been very solid in his four straight outings. The Caps are 11-5-1 at home; the Rangers, though, have nearly the same record on the road: 11-5-2.

at Florida Panthers, Friday, Dec. 30, MSG
While the Capitals’ struggles have been surprising, the Panthers’ success could be considered an even bigger shock as they’re 18-11-7, three points back of the Rangers. The Blueshirts slogged their way through a 2-1 loss in late November at Florida, but bounced back in a big way against them at home two weeks ago, with a 6-1 win. However, the Panthers are currently in the midst of their first prolonged funk, with three losses in a row and six in their last eight games. Maybe the Rangers caught them at the right time. In order to have success against the Panthers, the Ranges will have to contain their team speed. their strong first line — as Kris Versteeg, Stephen Weiss and Tomas Fleishmann all have over 30 points — and contain their puck-moving defensemen. The best way to counteract that is for the Rangers to play physical, get the puck out of their own zone quickly with simple plays and make the Panthers play in their zone for extended periods to limit their offensive chances. Florida is 8-3-5 at home.

Read More: P.A. Parenteau (LW – NYI), Michael Del Zotto (D – NYR), Artem Anisimov (C – NYR), Anton Stralman (D – NYR), Nicklas Backstrom (C – WAS), Stu Bickel (D – NYR), Stephen Weiss (C – FLA), Martin Biron (G – NYR), Jason Chimera (LW – WAS), Kris Versteeg (RW – FLA), Michal Neuvirth (G – WAS), Derek Stepan (C – NYR), Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers

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At the beginning of a new year, as many people look forward to the future, I find myself drawn to the past. In fact, I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of traveling back in time.

I never tire of watching old movies such as Back to the Future, Somewhere in Time, and Frequency, and wonder if time travel could really be possible.

Stephen Hawking once said, “All you need to build a time machine is a wormhole, the large Hadron Collider, or a rocket that goes really, really fast.”

I’m beginning to think that I already have a time machine – it’s called Facebook.

A chance interaction with an old acquaintance from my Junior High School days helped me realize that Facebook can propel me back in time in the blink of an eye, with just a click of the mouse. 

When Facebook was founded in 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg, it was intended to be a social network for college students. The name, Facebook, is actually derived from a printed online directory, which college administrators use to help students get better acquainted with one another.

Although originally targeted at the younger generation, I believe it is the baby boomers that benefit the most from Facebook’s time travel capabilities.

Those of the internet generation haven’t lived long enough to have developed a history that predates television, cell phones, or the computer. They will never understand the feeling of utter amazement, seeing a childhood friend from 40 years earlier, slowly materialize on the computer screen before them.

When I go on Facebook and discover that I’ve been contacted by an old friend that I haven’t heard from since grade school, I’m suddenly transported from my computer desk, to my school desk; as my mind begins racing with memories of sock hops, slumber parties and my first crush.

I went through a Facebook time portal just last week, when I noticed an old friend’s profile picture on a San Lorenzo Facebook page. I last saw her in 1968, at our eighth grade graduation. 

I recognized her name right away, but the photograph before me was not of the dark haired girl in bobby socks that I remembered. How did our freckles turn to wrinkles so quickly? A secret Facebook portal can be the only logical explanation for 43 years passing in a heartbeat.

When Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook he thought it would help those of the net generation get to know each other better. Little did he realize the impact it would have on his grandparent’s generation. 

Luckily, I don’t need a wormhole, a tricked-out DeLorean, or a rocket that goes really, really fast, to travel back in time. Thanks to Facebook, I can reconnect with the past, without ever leaving the comfort of the present. 

It’s back – a new color edition of “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” by Patricia Schultz (Workman, $19.95).

If you have been working toward seeing all 1,000 spots in the original 2003 blockbuster, you’ll be set back by this one. Schultz combined some of the entries, making way for 200 all-new spots. Suddenly, you must see Kiev Caves Monastery in the Ukraine and the Socotra Islands in Yemen. Who knew?

Much reduced rail services and a London-wide tube strike has caused major travel disruption on Boxing Day. A 24-hour walkout by tube drivers affected London Underground while overground lines remained shut in most of the country, making travel difficult for those needing to make journeys on public transport.

Londoners relied on buses to move around the capital as underground drivers belonging to the Aslef union staged a 24-hour strike over extra pay for members working on the public holiday. LU staged a last minute legal challenge to prevent the strike but a high court judge ruled last week that the strike was lawful and could go ahead. As a result of the action, Arsenal postponed their Boxing Day Premier League fixture with Wolves by 24 hours.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said that underground workers needed “quality time” off over the Christmas period and said the union had been negotiating on the issue for two years.

“The original dispute two years ago was about quality time off,” he told Radio 4′s Today programme. “We agree that we made an agreement with the company in the mid-90s. At that time very few trains ran on Boxing Day. In the last decade and a half we have run as many trains on Boxing Day some years as we run on any day of the week, so the intended quality time people were expecting to get has never happened.”

The union’s terms were “negotiable”, he added, with transfer and training agreements that could be made to “subsidise what we are seeking to achieve”.

The union plans three more 24-hour strikes on 16 January, 3 February and 13 February; it said it balloted 2,200 drivers on the underground network, who returned a 92.3 % vote in favour of action. The union had “no intention” of staging a strike during the Olympics, he added.

Howard Collins, London Underground’s chief operating officer, said the number of drivers scheduled to work this year had been reduced from last year’s 1,100 to 880.

“I can’t pay people twice,” he said. “The salary for train drivers, including working Christmas Day and Boxing Day, is an all inclusive salary.”

The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry accused Aslef of holding London and its businesses “to ransom through yet more tube strikes”.

“Retailers have already had one of their toughest years, with recent sales figures showing a decline year-on-year fuelled by poor consumer confidence, rising unemployment and mild weather,” said its chief executive, Colin Stanbridge.

Meanwhile, trains throughout the country were running at a significantly reduced service, with only five rail companies out of 25 running a “limited” Boxing Day service.

Labour accused the coalition government of “hypocrisy” for failing to ensure a rail service on Boxing Day, after routinely attacking Labour for forcing families and sports fans on to the roads by failing to provide trains the day after Christmas.

Labour transport spokesman John Woodcock said ministers had done “nothing” in office to encourage operators to run a Boxing Day service, adding that in 2008 and 2009 then Conservative transport spokesman Stephen Hammond criticised Labour for “condemning sports fans and families … to misery on our clogged-up motorways”.

Woodcock said: “This is total hypocrisy from the Tories. Year after year in opposition, the Tories attacked the Boxing Day rail shutdown. But in government they have done nothing to encourage rail operators to run a Boxing Day service, and this Boxing Day most trains are not running. This is typical of the Conservative party’s opportunism – making promises they never had any intention of keeping.”

The Department for Transport said train operators were running the same level of services this Boxing Day as any other in recent years. A spokesperson said: “There is much lower demand for trains on Boxing Day and requiring operators to run them would require significant public funding. This would not represent good value for taxpayers’ money.”

A DfT source criticised Labour’s “failure” to condemn tube strikes in London. “Labour can’t talk about hypocrisy when they have accepted thousands of pounds from Aslef and failed to condemn their Boxing Day strike.”

In Scotland, rail services have been disrupted by a 72-hour strike that began on Christmas Eve.

An estimated 5.6 million drivers were expected to get into their cars on Boxing Day in order to shop in the sales, with 13% of drivers expected to arrive at the shops between 5am and 9am, according to research from Green Flag Breakdown.

Editor’s note: Brett Snyder is the founder of air travel assistance site Cranky Concierge, and he writes the consumer air travel blog The Cranky Flier.

(CNN) — It’s the end of 2011, so you know what that means. It’s time for everyone to come out of the woodwork with their predictions for 2012.

So what will happen in the world of air travel?

Here are some thoughts on what the coming year might have in store.

Fares will go up . . . or down

The one thing everyone wants to know is whether fares will keep going up. We’ve seen plenty of increases in 2011, but will that continue? That really depends on two things: passenger demand and fuel prices.

Airlines have shown a great deal of discipline in terms of holding back the number of seats and flights they’ve put out there over the last few years, and that isn’t likely to change. In fact, as Holly Hegeman, founder of PlaneBusiness.com notes, there are a couple of events that will directly affect that.

“In 2012, U.S. airlines will continue to reduce capacity both domestically in the U.S. and on international flights,” she notes.

“Specifically, Southwest Airlines will be removing service in many AirTran markets as the airlines’ merger moves forward, and American Airlines will cut back on its service in certain markets as part of its bankruptcy restructuring. Excess capacity across the Atlantic is also being trimmed.”

You can expect fewer flights to smaller cities in general. That’s the continuation of a trend we’ve seen for several years. Fortunately, not all is gloom and doom. There are some bright spots when it comes to technology.

More mobile

I asked Henry Harteveldt, travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research Group, for his predictions for the new year since he always has his ear to the ground.

His first thought? He expects that 2012 will be “the first year that airlines see a meaningful number of reservations made through mobile devices.”

That seems like a good bet. Smartphones and tablets are gaining ground rapidly, and airlines have raced to improve functionality. Next year might be the year when things really heat up, as airlines continue to make it easier to do business with them while on the road.

No end to fees

While some travelers wish fees would disappear, that’s not going to happen. Some new rules from the federal government will make it a little easier to find fee information up front, but fees are proving to be a great way for the airlines to be able to offer lower base fares and then let people pay more if they want more.

That doesn’t mean the experience will remain exactly the same when it comes to buying tickets.

Airlines will, in Harteveldt’s opinion, “start to get more creative about bundling.”

Frontier is ahead of the curve on this one, offering different fare categories that include different amenities bundled together as a package.

So there you have it. I actually think flying will be less frustrating next year and here’s hoping all of your journeys are smooth in 2012.