TripCart :: The Trip Blog

Mall Traffic Up for 2009 Holiday Season

2009-12-31T02:50:00-08:00

Well, the data for the 2009 holiday season is in and our statistics person at TripCart reports some interesting trends in shopping mall visits. Of course, we don't know how many people actually went to these malls or if they spent money. Those stats may be released months from now and may send the stock market shooting up (or not).

But, we do know how many people are searching for shopping malls and ending up at TripCart and we can say that the 2009 holiday showed much stronger performance than 2008. We saw that trend starting around Thanksgiving.

For no apparent reason, these malls showed the best year over year growth on TripCart:

Here's to many more mall searches and visits in 2010!

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2009 Fall Color Staycations

2009-09-01T02:15:42-07:00

Well, its that time of the year again and for our readers in the right parts of the country - a compact vacation on a tank of gas. Sure, the fall festivals and quaint white church steeples make Vermont Fall Foliage a world-class destination, but, with the right timing (check out our friends at Foliage Network) and a warm sweater - you are ready to hit the parks and forests of the United States and watch the transition from Green to Yellow to Orange. (And we are not talking about the Terror Alert Status!).

Thanks toCheapOair Buzz for this picture:

Here is our 2009 fall foliage destination guide:

Fall Foliage around Boston:

Massachusetts Fall Foliage is a no brainer - early in the season - head north to New Hampshire, later follow the coast south - from Maine to Connecticut. Nearest to Boston - try Lexington, Concord and Walden Pond. To really see the fall colors in style, consider one of the many Fall Foliage cruises leaving from New England ports - Rhode Island up to Maine.

NY Foliage:

Each borough - Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens (Alley Pond Park - Leaves and Tashlich), Brooklyn and even Staten Island has good and accessible leaf peeping - just hop on the subway (or ferry). Feeling a bit more adventurous, but still no car? You can get a hour-long moving show of Hudson Valley Foliage from the train (Metro North). Make sure to get a seat on the left side of the train going north or the right going south. Skip rush hour for better fares and less cellphone chatter.

If you have a couple of days to dedicate to New York State fall foliage (and wine tours and more) head north early in the season, while Central Park is still green and check out the Adirondack fall foliage in September.

Chasing Fall Foliage South:

Global warming or not, the leaves change later as you go south. If you'd like to combine some foliage viewing with an urban weekend and maybe take in a show or get tickets for a football game - pick a different city each weekend from Boston down to Washington DC. Philadelphia is a good place for your Fall Foliage PA headquarters and a drive up the Potomac is a great way to see the Maryland Fall Foliage 30 minutes out of the Capital.

Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Mountains lose their crowds and turn yellow, gold and red in the fall and late October is a good time to close out the West Virginia fall foliage season.

And for the 3 people a year who search for "Pittsburgh fall foliage" - we have two pointers - Grandview Avenue and Fallingwater.

For our fans out west:

Its a different experience, the Colorado fall colors, the wild-west towns, the snow covered peaks (and sometimes even, the snow) and the mix of evergreens and aspens. Fall Foliage in Colorado can be less than an hour outside of Denver - try Georgetown, or a bit further, Estes Park.

Further south, you can even find some decent New Mexico fall foliage spots near Albuquerque, Santa Fe and in the Four Corners region of the state.

And what would a back to school season trip be without visiting the shopping malls?

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Michael Jackson Concert Venues

2009-07-12T13:26:07-07:00

As a tribute to Michael Jackson, we dug through the web to list some significant Michael Jackson concert venues in the United States. His last concert as part of a world tour in the United States was on January 27, 1989 (20 YEARS AGO!) in Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, not far at all from Staples Center.

Other stops on the Bad World Tour were in:

Kemper Arena in Kansas City
Madison Square Garden in New York
St. Louis Arena (demolished)
Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY
McNichols Sports Arena in Denver (demolished)
Hartford Civic Center
The Summit in Houston (now Lakewood Church)
The Omni in Atlanta (demolished)
Rosemont Horizon in Chicago
Reunion Arena in Dallas
Met Center in Minneapolis (demolished)
Irvine Meadows Amphitheater (now known as Verizon Wireless - not to be confused with the Verizon Wireless in Virginia)
The Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit
Capital Centre (demolished) in Washington DC
Richfield Coliseum in Cleveland
The Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey
Civic Arena (now called the Mellon Arena) in Pittsburgh

Prior to that - The Jackson's 1984 Victory Tour took him to 17 US cities:

Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO
Texas Stadium in Dallas
Gator Bowl in Jacksonville
Giants Stadium in New Jersey
Madison Square Garden in NY
RFK Stadium in Washington, DC
Neyland Stadium in Knoxville
Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit
Rich Stadium in Buffalo
JFK Stadium in Philadelphia (demolished)
Mile High Stadium Denver
Comiskey Park in Chicago
Cleveland Stadium
Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta (demolished)
Miami's Orange Bowl
Houston Astrodome
Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles

The Jackson's 1981 Triumph Tour took him to 39 US cities. I will list them in a future post (assuming this post is well received by MJ fans)

Interested in a pilgrimage to sites of his more recent appearances:

Performed Rock With You as part of the 1980 UNICEF Benefit Concert at Nassau Coliseum in New York
On Sept 10, 2001 (and three days before) at Madison Square Garden in New York
United We Stand: What More Can I Give charity concert (for Sept 11 victims) at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC
Pasadena, California - as part of "American Bandstand 50th.. A Celebration:"
Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York in 2002, his final appearance in the United States

To the best of my knowledge, Michael Jackson never performed on Broadway, but he did perform with the Jackson 5 at Radio City Music Hall.

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Southwest and Bar Refaeli help TripCart kick off Beach season

2009-03-04T04:55:54-08:00

While half of the United States is buried in snow, Southwest airlines has decided to help out TripCart and cheer up the freezing citizens of the east coast by kicking off Beach Season. They even went to the trouble of painting a plane that will inspire people to plan their beach vacation on TripCart. You should not have trouble spotting this plane, pictured above but for the die-hard aviation nuts out there, the plane can be identified by the FAA Registration number on the tail of the 737-7H4 model, which is:

N922WN

Here are some popular beach destinations that Southwest flies to:

When you are finished with the Orlando, Florida places to visit, head to the coast for more places to visit in Florida -caladesi island state park, bathtub beach and sebastian inlet.

All over California - from glass beach in the north through pismo beach and bolsa chica beach all the way to blacks beach in San Diego.Besides beaches, there are certainly lots of places to visit around Los Angeles, California

Besides the Norfolk, VA James river cruises, down the coast from Norfolk into North Carolina, follow in the footsteps of the Wright Brothers (without whom Bar Refaeli might not be decaled onto a 737) and visit Wrightsville Beach,Hammocks Beach State Park or Hatteras Beach.

And if a subway ride from JFK is about as exotic as you are getting this summer, head to Riis Beach, Orchard Beach in the Bronx, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn or - if you are a fan of the Ramones - Rock Rock Rock Rock Rockaway Beach. Then head back to the city and enjoy some of the fun things to do in Manhattan and NYC.

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Sites on the Web that like TripCart

2009-01-22T05:17:25-08:00

We figured that if a website was serious enough to recommend TripCart, they probably have other good links, so we decided to share them with our readers.

Mashable has written about us in the past, now they put us on a list of 100+ More Ways to Organize Your Life. Personally, we feel traveling is more exciting then organizing, but if you are going on a trip - a little organization can certainly help.

Thrillist gave us a real compliment by describing us as having an obsessive, type-A and a father figure type persona. We accept the compliment and agree that's what you need to plan a trip. And, yes, we are a group of obsessive developers and managers. Asylum concurs and has a few hints of their own.

Smart Honeymoon seems to have a different view of TripCart. I guess they have a different audience.

Finally, for the Google mashup crowd - Google Maps Mania likes us, too.

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The gas is worth more than the car - ZIPCAR and others

2008-10-02T12:23:14-07:00

For the urban and eco-conscious types who don't own cars and don't want cars and don't want to park cars and don't want to feed cars and don't want to bathe cars - this post is for you (and we bet you live in NY, Boston or SF).

ZipCar pioneered the concept of renting a car for a few hours to visit friends on the island or for an interview in the valley or for the fall drive to Concord or for NY Fall Foliage. Walk over to where the car is parked, swipe the card and the car is yours, all gassed up. Drive back and the spot is waiting for you.

It turns out that the "gas included" feature really got people excited in the $4 gas age. SO, the big guys have noticed and are going for the same model. Recently (as described in the Boston Globe and summed up in this blog) U-Haul and Hertz are doing something similar. It looks like they are still trying to figure out what ZipCar already did, and ZipCar is more "green" using hybrid cars - but the fact that these guys are in means this is going mainstream. Great news for all of us and for the trees. Denver readers - this weekend begins the peak for Colorado Fall Colors.

Great Lakes Beer Festival - This weekend!!!

2008-09-12T02:12:35-07:00

4000 people. 250 Beers from 80 Breweries. Unlimited Beer. $35 admission. Leave the kids at home.

So here is the plan - this week at the Beer Festival in Racine, Wisconsin. Next week apple cider while enjoying the Vermont Fall Foliage. Or Coors beer and some of amazing Fall Colors in Colorado.

More beer - try the Killington Brewfest on Columbus Day weekend peak time for New England Fall Foliage

Prefer wine? - How about Finger Lakes Wineries just around New York Fall Foliage season.

Finding yourself near Pittsburgh around Oktober? How about a little Oktoberfest and some Pennsylvania Fall Foliage.

Drink enough and you will actually see the leaves turning color.

Barack Obama vs. Sarah Palin

2008-09-05T07:14:00-07:00

Usually, the folks at TripCart don't get involved with politics, but we have to take a stand this time. A generation from now, people will be traveling to visit the home of Sarah Palin or the Obama Presidential Library or visa versa. And that would mean a trip to Alaska or Hawaii. Both are good. Lets compare:

Sarah Palin lives in Wasilla, Alaska - kind of close to Anchorage.
Barack Obama was born in Honolulu.

Its a tough call, so lets let the "chad-punching" citizens of Florida decide. If you lived in West Palm beach - where would you rather go - Honolulu or Wasilla?

Beaches - neither. South Beach in Miami is just fine, thanks.
Flights - checked on Orbitz and RT Miami to Anchorage is $1000, to Honolulu $1038. Both are one stop.
Skiing - Palin wins - Alpenglow is about 45 minutes away.
Shopping - Obama wins with the Ala Moana Mall. Obama wins again with the choice of kitschy souvenir. Pineapple and Hula skirt beats Moose paraphanalia.
Crowds - Palin wins. Unless you like them - then Obama wins.

I give up - we can just let the supreme court decide (in my next post)

Fall Foliage Staycations

2008-09-02T08:14:46-07:00

Doing a Google search for "Fall Foliage" gives you the word "Vermont" a lot. At TripCart, we would all like a nice weekend off to enjoy the Vermont Fall Foliage, but realize that not all our readers want to fill up the tank to drive to Vermont from, say, South Carolina. So, in the spirit of 2008 Staycations, our research team came up with these options, closer to home, and some even by public transportation:

From Boston:

Massachusetts Fall Foliage with in Concord, MA - 30 minutes from Boston. History, church steeples, orange and red trees - the works. ScubaMom has a nice article on "Planning your New England Fall Foliage Trip".

From New York City:

Without a car - take the subway to Central Park, the Cloisters or Prospect Park for some genuine New York City Fall Foliage

Never leave the train - watch the Hudson Valley Foliage from the window of Metro North to Poughkeepsie. Good timing, a window seat (on the side of the river) and off peak fares make this a memorable way to view Upstate New York Fall Foliage.
Jerry, Elaine, George and even Kramer could do it, so could you. Head out in October for some Long Island Fall Foliage and some mansions and maybe relatives.

From Philadelphia:

Take a ride on the Reading. The Reading and Northern Railroad Company near Allentown. Closer to Philadelphia - the West Chester Railroad runs historic and scenic trips for viewing Pennsylvania Fall Foliage

From Pittsburgh:

Have lunch at Mt. Washington's Grandview Avenue and enjoy the view - its urban and its beautiful.
Join Frank Lloyd Wright at Fallingwater for Southwest Pennsylvania Fall Foliage.

From Washington, DC:

Don't even leave the city - the Tidal Basin trees put on a fine Washington Fall Foliage. Head up the Potomac for some Virginia Fall Foliage views.

From Denver:

Head West for Colorado Rockies Fall colors in close-by Georgetown.

From Santa Fe / Albuquerque:

Do not despair - you are still in Fall Foliage Country. Sandia Peak is where you want to be for some New Mexico Fall Colors.

And finally, from the "we don't care where you live" department - so spots worth an extra tank of gas:

Bar Harbor and many more spots for Maine Coast Fall Foliage.
South Carolina Fall Colors in the Smokys
The Four Corners region for some more New Mexico Fall Foliage
A hundred miles or more west of Denver for Colorado Fall Foliage.

When will he stop?

2008-06-06T11:53:49-07:00

Donald Trump and Steven Carl (a caterer) are proposing a restaurant/banquet hall to develop at Jones Beach. Diane Yatauro, Nassau County’s presiding officer backs Trump in this fiasco, so that’s another strong point for Trump and Co.

Newsday quotes Trump: "As a New Yorker with an eye on historical significance, I am pleased to be a part of the history of Jones Beach."

It’s not that I’m against Trump or against building a nice banquet hall on Jones Beach, it’s this particular model which I find distasteful and gaudy.

Thanx newsday.com

I guess I’m not the only one who feels that way. The Newsday article continues: “In addition to surprise over the dimensions of Trump's moniker, "it doesn't look like the materials that we outlined or have agreed to."”

And the defense?: "This is solely, 100-percent, down to the square foot, what was approved earlier this year in the blueprints -- they just haven't seen the 3-D visualization of it," insisted Michael Russo, who has managed the project for the architectural firm of Hawkins Webb Jaeger.

Other ridiculous monstrosities in the area bearing the Trump family name include:

The Trump International Hotel and Tower Fitness Center and Spa, New York City
Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City
Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, Atlantic City
Trump Marina Hotel Casino, Atlantic City
Trump Hotel Casino, Gary, Indiana (ok, this one is a bit out of town)

Maybe I’m just jealous of rich people. That’s come up before, hasn’t it?