With some help from Google and the sfexaminer.com, I was able to track down the document (GOGA, Draft GMP/EIS, Volume I, Part 4: The Alternatives for Alcatraz Island) that proposes these exciting changes.  The proposal is to

Here is the overview:

Many who visit Alcatraz Island are drawn by the island’s notorious prison reputation. Others want to see the crumbling ruins set against the spectacular scenery of San Francisco and the Golden Gate or understand the island’s human dimension: the American Indian occupation or the gardens tended by guards and their families.

In this alternative Alcatraz island would be managed to provide an expanded variety of settings and experiences that will pleasantly surprise visitors attracted by the notoriety of the prison, and connect them to the greater breadth of the island’s resources and stories. The park would seek to enrich the scenic, recreational, and educational opportunities in the heart of San Francisco Bay.

Visitors would have access to the majority of the island’s historic structures and landscapes to experience the layers of island history and its natural resources and settings. Many of the indoor and outdoor spaces currently inaccessible to visitors would be reopened to expand the range of available activities.

All historic structures would be preserved; most would be rehabilitated and adaptively reused for visitor activities and park operations. Food service, meeting and program space, and overnight accommodations (possibly including a hostel or camp site) would be provided.

This proposal, while exciting, is nevertheless, just a proposal and with budget constraints on everyone’s radar, who knows how much support this idea will have financially. However, here’s hoping a new hostel-like staycation destination comes to Alcratraz soon!

Found this article that sums it up! http://news.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20110828/LIFE09/108280363/Indianapolis-getaway-s-close?odyssey=nav|head

I include the Indy Marriott website because I recently stayed there and they have a great location right downtown!

This post was submitted by Cristina Chewning.

1. Urban Spoon

This is one of those apps that’s appropriate for staycationers and vacationers alike. I discovered this app while looking for restaurants in cities I was visiting professionally but fell in love with the app while using it to find places locally personally. I found great restaurants right in my neighborhood that I had never heard of before! Urbanspoon is a a restaurant guide serving major cities in North America as well as London. Search for local restaurants by neighborhood, cuisine or price. Find reviews from local newspapers, food blogs and fellow diners. Vote on restaurants and share your take on the best and worst places to eat with your friends.

Urbanspoon – Urbanspoon

2. Gas Buddy

No matter how far you are driving on your staycation (even if it is within your own town) you want to find the cheapest gas on the go – for free! In one click, locate gas stations near you and see their current gas prices. Never overpay for gas again.

GasBuddy – Find Cheap Gas Prices – GasBuddy Organization Inc

3. Any travel app by Sutro Media

Sutro Media develops travel apps that cover a range of cities all across the United States; from Madison to Milwaukee, they have you covered. If you live in an area that applies to one of their apps, I’d encourage to download and install your city’s app on your smartphone. You would be amazed at the destinations right within your neighborhood. You can see the current list of their available apps here (expanding weekly):

http://www.sutromedia.com/apps.html

4. Living Social

Want to save 50%-90% at restaurants, spas, gyms, and more? Download Living Social. This free iPhone / iPad app lets you access LivingSocial’s daily local deals. Each day, they introduce a new, cool thing to do in your city — and give a HUGE discount for trying that new thing. They like to refer to themselves as the “United States of Savings.”

LivingSocial – LivingSocial

Ponds are literally teeming with life, especially in the spring. Finding a pond to sit and relax by is a sublime spring experience. All you have to do is sit still and watch the wildlife around you, from blue dragonflies to songbirds to turtles. Ponds are also fantastic playgrounds for kids. Mine once sat still for an entire ten minutes (no small miracle) watching and waiting for a frog to catch his fly. When he finally did, they broke into wild applause. Better than television!

How to Make it Happen

Many city parks and sometimes cemeteries have beautifully cared for pond habitats. You can call your city’s Parks and Recreation Department for recommendations. If you know someone on a farm or rural acreage, ask if you can visit. Untended ponds often offer more diverse wildlife such as beavers and otters.

Don’t rush. Take along a blanket and picnic lunch. Take a book and read under a shade tree. If there are ducks on the pond, take stale bread to feed them. Take nets for either catching butterflies or skimming for tadpoles. (Either way, release them back to the wild!)

In this guide, you will discover:

• Over 80 kid-tested destinations within a 2-hour drive of Cincinnati, including many in Dayton
• Detailed information on every listing including age recommendations, stroller-friendliness, and the length of a typical visit
• Easy-to-read maps
• Practical considerations that moms and dads need to know
• Category table including everything from archeology to trains to hiking
• Many free and low-cost attractions
• Encouragement and tips to start creating family traditions
• Sample summer and year-round itineraries Mom-tested advice on how to travel locally with kids of all ages
• The many benefits your family will experience

How to Make it Happen

Call your local Chamber of Commerce to find out the locations and times of markets in your area. Some markets are large enough that they may have their own website. Arrive early to find the best deals––if it’s a popular market merchants may sell out of goods early. If you become a regular, booth operators may hold back special items for you upon request.

Buy whatever looks good that week, or make a weekly meal list before you go and buy items for the week. Buying from local producers is a great way to eat fresh. But don’t assume that all produce at a Farmers Market is organic. If it is important to you, ask.

Once you have what you came for, just take the time to stroll around. Grab a drink, enjoy the entertainment, and watch other people go about their business.

Additional Activities

1. Consider growing your own vegetables in a backyardgarden.
2. If you can offer a product or service you think people would like, consider renting your own booth at the market.
3. Go to an open fish market for fresh fish.

How to Make it Happen

If you don’t already have one, inexpensive croquet sets—and other backyard games—are available through sporting good stores or discount store chains. Look for these in the spring, or discounted by mid-summer.

Croquet is best played on short grass. Basically, it involves knocking your ball with a mallet and trying to hit the ball through a series of wickets that are set in a figure-eight pattern. For a list of croquet rules, visit www.croquet.com.

If croquet isn’t your style, try other great backyard games, such as badminton, bocci ball or horseshoes. Always remember—safety first! Some games might not be safe if small children are around.

Additional Activities

1. Combine a backyard game tournament with a neighborhood barbecue.
2. Enter a horseshoe contest at a state or county fair.
3. Croquet Australia has a great set-up for kids: http://www.croquet-australia.com.au/Kids/

How to Make it Happen
There are a lot of misconceptions about taking flying lessons and becoming a pilot. And let’s set the record straight about two common myths: You don’t need a lot of money and you don’t have to have perfect eyesight to learn how to fly.

Want to get started? Now is a great time! Saturday, May 15, 2010 is the first annual “Learn to Fly Day”. Learn to Fly Day is about sharing the joy of flight with everyone. Learn to Fly Day is happening all over the country at participating flight schools, airports, and with independent flight instructors so that YOU can learn more about the wonders of flying! In fact there are over 300 locations in 147 cities participating in Learn to Fly Day. And you want to know the best part of Learn to Fly Day? It’s totally FREE!

This Saturday, flight schools and other aviation organizations will host a variety of events including learn to fly seminars, tours of the schools and/or airport and even first flight experiences.

Want to attend or get some more information?  Here are some links:

• All about the Learn to Fly Day: http://www.learntoflyday.com
• Free Learn to Fly Kit: http://www.pilotjourney.com/learntoflykit/

How to Make it Happen

Location. Location. Location. That’s the key to pulling off this Staycation without spending a lot of money. But if you live near one of the hosting southern states, it can be done. Admission is charged for Spring Break scrimmages, but it is still considerably cheaper than regular season games. If you are staying overnight, be sure to plan ahead as hotels will fill up. Budget in money for food, although if you are road tripping from a nearby state, save money by packing a cooler with sandwiches and drinks for the car ride.

For a complete list of where and when your favorite team will be practicing and playing, consult the Major League Baseball website, MLB.com, or visit individual team websites (you can link to these from the MLB site). Arizona and Florida are the hosts for all Spring Training sessions. If you do live up North—or just too far away to drive––you still might want to splurge a little for the chance to see your favorite players up close. Look for organized air/hotel packages arranged by team travel agencies that often provide discounted, group deals. But start looking in early winter––you will need to plan ahead for this.

If a trip to Spring Training is just out of the question, try to attend a Fan Appreciation Day hosted prior to Opening Day. Teams will list these events on their websites.

Follow-up Activities

• Attend an actual baseball game—MLB, minor leagues or even college.
• Join a company or neighborhood softball team.
• Play catch with the kids in the backyard and maybe help them start a baseball card collection.
• Host a baseball movie night. Some suggestions include: Bull Durham, Eight Men Out, The Natural, Major League and Field of Dreams.

How to Make it Happen

Do an online search or call your local Chamber of Commerce for locations of public ice rinks in your community. They can provide information including admission prices and hours. Check to make sure they rent ice skates if you need them. Most facilities will.

Some ponds and lakes at municipal parks allow ice-skating if ice conditions are right. Call your city parks department to find out about availability.

Additional Activities

1. Join a hockey or broomball league.
2. If you’re new to skating, sign up for lessons.