So what about those convicts? Many historians believe Australia was founded by convicts , because th

The other day I was walking (make that "running") through Grand Central Terminal in New York City. As I headed to the track for my departing train I saw something that looked like a little kid' playhouse, with a sign saying "StoryBooth." It was interesting enough to make me stop and grab a brochure. I read the pamphlet on the train, and later logged on to their website. What I found was a very interesting premier travel lodge concept, perfect for travelers visiting New York.
The purpose of StoryBooth is to record broadcast-quality premier travel lodge interviews with the help of a trained facilitator. You can interview anyone you want, but most people choose a friend, neighbor or family member -- someone who has had a profound impact on them. Alternatively, if you have a story you want to tell you can pick someone to interview you (If you can't find anyone, their facilitators will interview you.). I would love to have interviewed my grandparents about their experiences coming to America from Italy.
You probably wonder why you can't just interview premier travel lodge someone from your home, using a video camera. You can. But using the StoryBooth ensures professional, broadcast-quality recordings. It also makes the experience much more fun for both the interviewer and interviewee. Everyone feels important, by going through an in-studio radio interview.
The StoryBooth folks make the experience as simple as possible. They help you decide what questions to ask, and handle all technical aspects of the recording. At the end of the hour-long session you get a CD copy of your interview. With your permission they also add your interview to the StoryCorps premier travel lodge Archive, housed at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center. You can even make your interview available for broadcast on WNYC, New York Public Radio. Thanks to the generous contributions of supporters, all this costs only $10.
Right now the only soundproof premier travel lodge StoryBooth is available at Grand Central, but they plan to expand nationwide. You can make a StoryBooth premier travel lodge reservation online, or call 212-941-8553. It's open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Grand Central Terminal is located in midtown Manhattan, at 42nd Street between Park and Lexington Avenues.
Starwood Preferred Guests who stay three times at participating Four Points by Sheraton locations in the U.S. and Canada between April 1 and May 28 will receive a free wi-fi card card for their laptop. The Linksys wi-fi card is valued at $59.95. To register, premier travel lodge guests need to call 888-625-4988 or visit fourpoints.com/WIFI and use the code WFI. (Source: BTE )
G�day mate! Last week I wrote about how Amber Airplane and I were hanging premier travel lodge out in one of our favorite cities of the world: Sydney, Australia. We stayed at the plush Observatory Hotel in the Rocks. When we arrived premier travel lodge without premier travel lodge reservations we quickly learned that every hotel in Sydney was sold out. However, we were fortunate enough to have a hotel-executive friend squeeze us in at one of her properties. The deal was we had to find another place for Saturday night, because the hotel was just as full as every other place in the city. Luckily that was no problem. We wanted to find a great weekend getaway anyway. So we stored our suitcases with the concierge, packed an overnight bag and headed off to the mountains. The Blue Mountains, that is.
From Sydney, there are a few different ways to reach the Blue Mountains. Driving is the quickest, but who wants to rent a car, worry about directions and worst of all drive on the side of the wrong side of the road? (I am the WORST left-hand driver. My brain just can�t comprehend staying left, especially when there are only a few cars on the road. The only way I can safely drive on the left is if there is traffic, so I can follow other cars.) Driving to the Glenbrook/Lapstone area (the entrance to the Blue Mountains) takes only 50 minutes. But getting to Katoomba and Leura, the most popular tourist towns in the heart of the Blue Mountains, takes another 40 minutes. Of course, only 90 minutes in a car for an incredible weekend getaway is excellent.
Plenty of tour buses offer day trips from Sydney. However, I don�t recommend this unless you are really pressed for time (or just want to be able to say you�ve been there, premier travel lodge done that). You should spend at least a night or two up there to get a good feeling for the area.
Amber Airplane and I decided to take the train , which I think is the easiest way to get there. We took a $10 taxi ride from the Rocks to Central Rail Station (make sure to tell the cab driver you�re going to the Country Terminal, which is on the western side of the station � off Pitt Street). The station was very clean, and had a Victorian feel to it. We got there just before the train departed so we hurried up, bought our tickets from the City Rail ticket booth and ran to the track. The train to Katoomba leaves almost every hour (even more frequently during peak commuter times), so if we had missed it it would not have been a big deal. Our one-way tickets cost $12 apiece. premier travel lodge You can�t buy a round-trip ticket unless you return the same day.
The train was a pleasure, because it was so convenient and comfortable. premier travel lodge The trains are double-deckers with air-conditioning, and there is plenty of room between the seats. Everyone in our car (the Australians call it a "carriage") was super-friendly. premier travel lodge We all talked the entire trip. In fact, they were so nice that when one of our carriage-mates heard the conductor tell me there was no food or drink for sale on the train, she insisted we share hers.
All the other passengers were Australians, and were more than happy to tell us about their beautiful country (especially the Blue Mountains). We learned that the reason the Blue Mountains are called that is because wherever you look, you see a distinctive blue haze. Why? "The Blue Mountains is densely populated by oil-bearing premier travel lodge Eucalyptus trees. The atmosphere is filled with finely dispersed droplets of oil, which, in combination with dust particles and water vapor, scatter short-wave length rays of light which are predominantly blue in color". Source: Bluemts.com
However, when we started going through the Blue Mountains Amber Airplane and I could not see the blue. Our fellow passengers said it was because there was a bit of a breeze, which blew the blue haze away. Hmmm�very interesting. But they were right, because the next day the winds were calm and we definitely premier travel lodge saw the blue haze.
Unfortunately I don�t have time to get into the history of the Blue Mountains, because there is way too much to cover. premier travel lodge But you should know that "due to the rough terrain and lack of resources, the Blue Mountains were seen as an impossible barrier for future exploration. However, in 1813, Gregory Blaxland, William Charles Wentworth, and Lieutenant Lawson, along with four servants, premier travel lodge four pack horses and five dogs, set off on an exploration which was to create history. The trip across the Blue Mountains took eighteen days and was a tremendous struggle. On May 29, 1813 they conquered it. A year later William Cox, an extraordinary engineer, assembled a team of thirty convicts (more on the convicts below) and eight guards to build a remarkable road across the Blue Mountains. A few years later the Blue Mountains saw its first building." Source: Bluemts.com .
So what about those convicts? Many historians believe Australia was founded by convicts , because they were used as labor by the free settlers. In fact, beginning in 1787 and continuing for 81 years, England transported 160,000 manacled convicts in sailing ships on a 16,000-mile voyage to Australia. What many people don�t realize is that America too received convicts. "In the 17th and 18th centuries England transported some 50,000 convicts to the American colonies where they were sold into servitude, usually for seven years.... Convict transportation to the American colonies was effectively ended by the American Declaration of Independence in 1776 which forced England to use the newly �discovered� land of Australia as a dumping ground for convicts". Source: Magner.org
The train trip took exactly two hours, through some incredibly scenic land. We arrived in Katoomba , whose population of 11,200 makes it the largest town in the Blue Mountains. Plenty of taxis were available, but our hotel sent a courtesy van (they don�t always do this -- only when they�re not too busy). The drive to the Lilianfels Hotel took only five minutes, and when we arrived we felt like we were on a movie set. It has an incredible location, perched premier travel lodge high on the magnificent Jamison Valley overlooking the Blue Mountains. Wow!
The hotel has five stars and is a member premier travel lodge of the Small Luxury premier travel lodge Hotels of the World group , so of course it�s nice. There are two facilities at the Lilianfels. The smallest is the original home, built in 1889 and recently restored to its initial architecture. It houses an award-winning restaurant, Darley�s (named premier travel lodge after the earliest owner). Next door, in the adjoining country house, is the three-story main hotel. Built in 1992, it has 81 rooms and five suites. There is also a spacious premier travel lodge lounge, a reading room, billiard room , spa , health club, tennis court and indoor pool . An outdoor pool is under construction.
We were ecstatic about being at the Lilianfels , because we had heard so much about it. It has been called Australia's finest boutique getaway, and a getaway it was. The moment we walked into the lobby, we felt relaxed. How could we not? Everyone was so laid back, and the gardens and d�cor had a real homey feel.
We were greeted by our friend Robyn , the general manager. She told us all about the area , and checked us in. A bellman escorted us up to our room, and as soon as he opened the door Amber Airplane fell in love. She said, "Oh my gosh, this is my favorite room ever!" Of course it was � it was pink. In addition to the color, she liked the English antique style . I�m not a big fan of that design, but it did feel very comfortable. My favorites were the view and the shower . You gotta love a place t