Jetsettersblog

Guide to Hiking The Grand Canyon a winner

USA Book News as a Best Book Award Finalist,

Award-winning author Brian Lane’s book offers practical advice honed from over fifteen years of experience hiking in and around the Grand Canyon and throughout the United States.

Award-winning author Brian Lane published Hikernut’s Grand Canyon Companion, A Guide to Hiking and Backpacking the Most Popular Trails Into the Canyon in 2007. Chosen by USA Book News as a Best Book Award Finalist, the book offers practical advice honed from over fifteen years of experience hiking in and around the Grand Canyon and throughout the United States.

Brian hikes the Canyon at least twice/year and has quickly emerged as the spokesperson and face of the Canyon. He provides accurate and up-to-date information on Canyon hiking conditions and other helpful tips on his blog at

http://blog.asenseofnature.com

A member of the American Hiking Society, lifetime member of the Sierra Club, and a certified NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School — the only school that focuses on wilderness skills, leadership, and environmental ethics) Wilderness First Aid alumnus, the author is also a horticulturist, forestry and wildlife conservationist, and master watershed steward, advocating for sustainable resource management. Born and raised in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, he now resides on a four-acre ranch in Sedona, Arizona.

Contact Brian at 928.282.9525, info@asenseofnature.com or http://www.asenseofnature.com  Purchase his book at http://www.asenseofnature.com or at http://www.amazon.com

Delaware Art Museum Presents Fernando Botero

Wilmington, DE — The Delaware Art Museum presents “The Baroque World of Fernando Botero” (through June 8), a major retrospective exhibition featuring 100 paintings, sculptures, and drawings.

Fernando Botero (b. 1932), well known for his extravagantly rounded figures, is one of the most internationally popular artists working today. Using a broad range of media, the Colombian-born Botero has created an accessible and enigmatic world.

“Botero’s brilliant colors and massive forms make you stand up and take notice immediately,” said Dr. Mary F. Holahan, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Delaware Art Museum. “But then his paintings and drawings and sculptures take you through a more subtle range of emotions—empathy, outrage, curiosity, and just plain good humor. The result is that you just keep wanting to come back to look again and again!”

The exhibit presents selections of the best works from various stages in Botero’s development as an artist. Drawn from his private collection and assembled over the past 50 years, this exhibition includes favorite works that the artist was unable to part with, as well as pieces reacquired years after they left his possession. Many have never before been exhibited in public. Three of Botero’s sculptures are being mounted in the Museum’s Copeland Sculpture Garden: Hand, Smoking Woman, and The Rape of Europa.

Fernando Botero’s roots are in Medellín, and his earliest artistic impressions were molded in a Colombian town near the Andes. His first images drew upon the Spanish colonial Baroque, a movement of extravagant richness, featuring the sumptuous decorations that flourish on the walls of churches in South America. Latin American Baroque imagery is reflected in Botero’s work when portraying himself as a small boy in the arms of Our Blessed Lady of Colombia, carrying a diminutive flag with the national colors, or in depictions of his mother as a widow, in her desperate struggle to survive with her three young children. Botero can also shock viewers with images of terror and violence, referring to political instability, attacks, kidnappings, and torture.

The exhibition follows Botero in his extensive studies of the history of European art, focusing on the influence of Velazquez in Spain; Ingres, Delacroix, and Courbet in France; and Renaissance artists in Italy. He also turned his attention to Mexico, where the monumental murals by Diego Rivera and David Siqueiros had a profound impact..

Botero’s superb craftsmanship is evident in his drawings, especially those executed in pastel. His pastels have a thoroughly finished look and a richness of color, and they have been compared to early etchings by Picasso. Botero has also worked in bronze and marble sculpture, a seminal element in his oeuvre. His monumental bronzes were seen along the Champs Elysées in Paris, in front of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, and along Park Avenue in New York.

Founded in 1912, the Delaware Art Museum holds a world-renowned collection that focuses on American art and illustration from the 19th century to the present as well as the British Pre-Raphaelite movement. The Museum offers the outdoor Copeland Sculpture Garden, the Helen Farr Sloan Library & Archives, studio art classes, the interactive Kids’ Corner learning area, the delART Café featuring free Wi-Fi access, and the Museum Store.

Chinese Wildlife Guidebook

To outsiders, China projects a publically ambivalent approach towards wildlife, seemingly treating it as just another natural resource to be harvested and fed to its expanding economy. The demands of traditional Chinese medicine are rightly blamed for the ongoing demise of several endangered species, and the old anecdote about anything with four legs bar a table ending up on restaurant menus further compounds an apparently mercenary attitude towards the natural world. Martin Walters’s new Chinese Wildlife guidebook does not aim to overturn these preconceptions, which turn out to be broadly correct anyway. Yangtze River Dolphins are almost certainly the latest species to be crushed beneath China’s boots as it continues on its long march of progress.

What Walters does seek is to highlight the careless and uninformed destruction of China’s remarkable natural-history heritage. He comments, ‘publishing a book such as this is both timely and urgent, partly to promote further field work, conservation and ecotourism, and partly to increase public education and awareness.’ Though cuddly headliners such as Giant Pandas are valued as national icons, and as such are closely guarded, many others less fortunate, including the south China tiger, have been hunted to extinction as unwelcome pests. Chinese Wildlife covers the whole spectrum of flora and fauna, from delicate orchids, to mammals and invertebrates. Details of key World Heritage sites, marine and nature reserves, including when to visit, are backed up by full-colour maps and over 300 colour photographs. There’s been much recent emphasis on international co-operation with China in trade, tourism and sport, not least the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Walters makes an overwhelmingly prescient case, supported by Heather Angel’s superb wildlife photography, for even more concerted joint efforts in the areas of wildlife conservation and the environment.

Martin Walters is a Cambridge-based naturalist, writer and editor. He studied Zoology at Oxford University and has maintained a lifelong fascination with birds, botany, natural history and conservation. Martin has a wide range of titles to his name on various aspects of the natural world, but China in particular has always captivated him through both its remarkable wildlife and its people.

Heather Angel is a biologist and award-winning wildlife photographer. She first visited China in 1984 and has developed a great passion for panda, writing three books about them. Heather was the President of the Royal Photographic Society 1984—86 and is the principle photographer for this wildlife guide.

free guide on Low-cost travel to Italy

Written by those who love travelling through Italy, for those who are about to discover it, ItalyTravelNotes.com is offering a free guide on the Low-cost airlines flying to Italy, as well as those flying low-cost within the country.

ROME, ITALY, - ItalyTravelNotes.com is created by travellers who describe Italy from their personal point of view and share their inspiration of the country and it is targeting those who would like to learn more about the country, before they go there. Starting this week the blog is launching a free guide on all low-cost airlines flying to Italy. There are also a number of airlines which operate on the territory of the country with which you can fly at minimal cost from the most northern to the most southern airports of Italy.

Available for download on italytravelnotes.com, the Low-cost travel guide consists of a list of these airlines, points to their websites, monitors the airports in Italy they reach, as well as gives examples of routes and their tentative prices.

“We are launching the Low-cost travel guide as part of our desire to make Italy Travel Notes one of travelers’ most positive experiences on the web, especially for those who like traveling or are planning to go to Italy sometime soon.” - says Giuseppe Zappala, head of the Italy office of italytravelnotes.com “This is the second of our series of free guides and what we are trying to do with these guides, as well as with the content of the blog, is to appeal to all of the visitors’ senses in experiencing Italy, even if they would like to travel there only in their mind.”

What makes ItalyTravelNotes.com different from the other travel information sites is the quality of the stories, which travellers share. They are different than the impersonal information one can find on other travel information sites. The readers of the blog have the opportunity to read descriptions of places and advice by their own fellow travellers. And they get the opportunity to travel though different parts of Italy even before they actually go there. And when they come back from Italy, to share their own impressions - to inspire others.

To download the free guide to Low-cost travel to and from Italy go to: http://www.italytravelnotes.com/

Cruise Passenger Magazine Adventure Guide

Adventure and expedition cruising is the fastest growing area of the already burgeoning cruise market.

Australia’s foremost cruising magazine, Cruise Passenger has recognised that this very special form of experiential travel now requires its own magazine – a specialist publication devoted to the unique needs of the ship and tour operators that clearly sets it apart from traditional large ship product.

Free with the Autumn issue of Cruise Passenger, on sale now, and also through D’Albora Marinas and Paddy Pallin outlets, the magazine was produced by the regular Cruise Passenger team headed by Edge Custom Media’s Deborah Dickson-Smith and Kayte Nunn, with the addition of Roderick Eime as guest editor.

A regular contributor to Cruise Passenger, Rod is a confirmed adventure cruiser, having travelled to the Antarctic and Arctic, Galapagos, Amazon, Melanesia, New Zealand and more – on board everything from motorised dugouts to icebreakers.

”True travellers are discovering adventure cruising in droves, making it one of the fastest growing sectors in the travel business,” says Rod, “and it’s about time adventure cruisers had their own magazine.”

Readers will expand their horizons with new destinations and itineraries as well as investigate the new ships that will take them there.

From the frozen reaches of the North Pole to the furthest Antarctic extremes and everything in between, the Cruise Passenger Adventure Guide is the definitive reference for the new wave of modern seaborne adventurers.

Editorial highlights the exciting new destinations only adventure cruising can deliver plus explains for the first-time traveller what to expect, how to pack and why adventure cruising will introduce them to a whole new world of life-enriching experiences.

For further information and interview opportunities, please contact: Kayte Nunn, Editor. (02) 8962 2624, email kayte.nunn@edgecustom.com.au Roderick Eime, Contributing Editor. 0418.214.028, email rodeime@gmail.com

New Editions of Lithuania And Montenegro Guides

Montenegro – Edition 3 – By Annalisa Rellie

Now established as the definitive English-language travel guide to Montenegro, the latest edition of Annalisa Rellie’s book describes a corner of ‘new Europe’ that has leapt onto the world tourism stage. From natural history and mountain walks to hidden monasteries and seaside breaks, the guide covers every aspect of the republic. Recent improvements in infrastructure and the establishment of superb eco-adventure and sports facilities are all acknowledged. Elsewhere, expanded coverage of archaeological sites combines with an extra chapter on trips across the border to provide even more comprehensive information for independent and tour group travellers alike.

Cost £14.99 ISBN 978 1 84162 225 5 Publication – Out Now!

Lithuania – Edition 5 – Gordon McLachlan

Now into its fifth edition, Lithuania provides an invaluable guide to planning a trip in this most hospitable of European countries. Vilnius is of course explored in depth, including museums for the learned, churches for the pious and the convivial Old Town for some of the best beer in the Baltics – the choice is yours. Beyond the capital those in reflective mood may seek out the atmospheric Hill of Crosses at Siauliai, elsewhere a chest-cracking lungful of ozone is on offer at the charming seaside town of Palanga, whilst in the provincial town of Kaunas expansive botanical gardens await idle exploration. Those seeking a tranquil retreat on the dramatic Baltic coast will find the Curonian Spit National Park well described, with the town of Nida an island amongst its turbulent sea of dunes. Thorough context detailing the country’s chequered history is included, though Lithuania is directed firmly towards the future and provides a wealth of contemporary information for all travellers.

Cost £14.99 ISBN 978 1 84162 228 6 Publication – Out Now!

Gluten Free Travel Website Launches

Gluten Free Travel launched a website focused on helping people with Celiac – and others following gluten-free diets – locate hotels, resorts, and restaurants around the world that accommodate their special diets. As more people get diagnosed with Celiac Disease every day and awareness grows, an increasing number of hotels, resorts, and restaurants are realizing this is a niche market they can’t ignore. As a result, they are developing special programs and menus to cater to this growing market.

For more information, visit www.glutenfreetravelsite.com

Find Life In The US At Night

Company offers interactive way of finding the hot spots in town

WOOSTER, OH, - Whether new in town, just visiting or looking for someplace new, finding fun and exciting nightlife can be a challenge without the right connections. Sure, you can drive around town looking for the right place to hook up with others for a night out on the town, but this can be a costly waste of time and effort, cruising the streets hoping to stumble across the right place.

There is now a means of finding the people and places that fit your definition of what fun really is, offering a schedule of events and allowing clubs to show what they have to offer as well as pictures of their social scene to give you a better idea of what you can expect when you walk through the door. Beginning in 2006 TheUsatnight.com offers night spots the opportunity to post information about their facilities, but more importantly, visitors to the site can gain access to the information to help them find places to go to party.

Happenings at the clubs can be viewed at the site where you can have a better idea of the dress code, the type of music being played as well as their upcoming calendar of the event. As an informational site only, www.TheUsatnight.com allows the clubs to post their own information and does not interfere with what they want to post, however the website does monitor the content for lewd or offensive behavior.

As a one-stop site for nightlife, photo albums can tell the story better than even your best friends can and the list of entertainment at the clubs helps geode partygoers to the type of music that suits their lifestyle. along with the happenings at your local spots listed by day and by location to help make planning the night out with your friends easier and more complete. With addresses accompanying the listings, planning a night of clubbing can be simple and complete.

Basing popularity of the clubs can be a subjective exercise but the site tracks the page views of the night spots to help show what the site’s visitor’s think is the top places to go for the night time excitement. As a relatively new venture, TheUsatnight.com is adding clubs to its website on a continuous basis so peeking in the front door frequently will keep you on track to find the hottest places with the hottest music and the best people in town with whom to party any night of the week.

About R Howard Agency

Company researches and produces press releases for new business ventures as well as offers writing services for online businesses.

10 BEST SNORKELING SPOTS IN HAWAII

Best Places Hawaii, a Hawaii-specific travel Website (www.bestplaceshawaii.com) founded in 1995, ranks the “10 Best Snorkeling Spots in Hawaii.”

KAPAA, HI, - Best Places Hawaii, a Hawaii-specific travel Website (www.bestplaceshawaii.com) founded in 1995, ranks the “10 Best Snorkeling Spots in Hawaii.” With the visitor in mind, the research staff at Best Places Hawaii identifies the 10 best places to snorkel in Hawaii.

1. Hanauma Bay, Oahu
2. Makaha Beach Park, Oahu
3. Molokini Crater, Maui
4. Kealakekua Bay, Big Island
5. Ke’e Beach Park, Kauai
6. Kapalua Bay, Maui
7. Anini Beach, Kauai
8. Kapiolani Park Beach, Oahu
9. Poipu Beach, Kauai
10. Kahaluu Beach Park, Big Island

The complete list with text and photos appears on the Best Places Hawaii website here at this link.

Famous worldwide, these 10 gorgeous locations are prime examples of why Hawaii is one of the best places on earth. The “10 Best Snorkeling Spots in Hawaii” were selected with the Hawaii visitor in mind — scenic beauty, teeming with underwater life, good for beginners, and accessible location.

Best Places Hawaii (not a booking site) is home to the Hawaii State Vacation Planner, providing the ultimate vacation match-making service; helping travelers plan and pre-experience their dream Hawaii Vacation. A visitor simply completes a vacation profile and receives free, with no obligation, information from Hawaii vacation providers (accommodations, activities, wedding services, travel and tour companies, etc.). A visitor’s dream Hawaii vacation is just a click away from becoming a reality.

Visi this link.

Also, a visitor can explore the Hawaiian Islands on his/her own by embarking from the site’s home page here: http://www.bestplaceshawaii.com/ Beginning here, the visitor finds complete Hawaii travel and vacation information, including a large direct source of Hawaii vacation rental homes and condos, bed and breakfasts, resorts, hotels, spas, luaus, helicopter tours, whale-watching, snorkeling, kayaking, fishing, surfing, hiking, golf, guided tours and much more. There is also extensive information on wedding and honeymoon services, major Hawaii events, dining, entertainment, shopping, real estate, airlines, rental cars, and travel booking providers.

Visitors to BestPlacesHawaii.com can also take advantage of a number of other free services including a monthly Hawaii travel discounts newsletter, entitled TNT NewsHawaii , filled with entertaining, valuable, and useful Hawaii vacation information, as well as a free real-time download of a Best Places Hawaii Discount Card. This Discount Card is free to get and pays to use, as it is the only totally free discount travel and activities card in Hawaii. The card has no sign-up or renewal fees and no obligation.

About H&S Publishing, LLC / Best Places Hawaii: H&S Publishing, LLC, founded in 1985, is a Hawaii-based, privately-held technology and media company located on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.

H&S Publishing, LLC produces Internet and print products/services primarily focused on the pre-arrival travel and tourism marketplace. The company’s high-traffic volume travel websites are Best Places on Earth and Best Places Hawaii.

The company’s Destination Marketing System, a proprietary Internet marketing program, generates leads from pre-qualified vacationers and delivers them to affiliated clients on a commission-free, high margin, direct-to-consumer, retail basis.

In addition to its Websites, H&S publishes the Hawaii Data Book & Newcomers Guide Series, Kauai Magazine, Kauai Real Estate Magazine, maps, and print-on-demand books.

Access to all Websites and to online versions of the magazines is available through the company’s portal site Hawaii Gateway, located at www.hawaiigateway.com  

The company’s clients include major travel companies, such as Hyatt, Marriott, Hawaiian Airlines, Starwood (Sheraton), United Vacations, Coldwell Banker, Century 21, RE/Max, and others.

The State of Hawaii has designated Best Places On Earth a “qualified high technology business,” making the company and its investors eligible for investment tax credits and other tax benefits.

Visit http://www.hawaiigateway.com/  for more information about and access to H&S Publishing, LLC and Best Places Hawaii’s products and services.

HYATT GOLD PASSPORT LAUNCHES YATT’IT

HYATT’S NEW ONLINE TRAVEL COMMUNITY

Credible advice from Hyatt’s own expert concierges and in-the-know Hyatt Gold Passport travelers marks a first in online travel sites -

yatt’it, the new online travel community from Hyatt Gold Passport, offers travelers an essential combination of candid, fellow-traveler advice and insider knowledge with a unique advantage – credibility. Designed for members of the Hyatt Gold Passport loyalty program, but rich in benefits for all travelers, yatt’it is the first travel site to offer expert insight and tips from local Hyatt concierges in over 40 destinations worldwide along with advice from confirmed frequent travelers. In addition, partnerships with well-trusted sources like Frommers.com and www.FlightStats.com will quickly establish yatt’it as a valuable online resource for worldwide travel tips.

All travelers will benefit from yatt’it’s extensive content, knowing that it has been provided by confirmed, well-seasoned business and leisure travelers in a setting subject to genuine comments and ratings. However, only Hyatt Gold Passport members can contribute content to the site, post advice and make comments or offer ratings.

“Today, more and more people rely on social networking and the authenticity of user-generated content for credible advice and information,” said Rene Mizwicki, Director, Hyatt Gold Passport. “With yatt’it, we are employing Web 2.0 techniques to create a community that offers relevant, first-hand travel insights and tips from seasoned travelers and expert Hyatt concierges as a means of strengthening our relationship with current customers and engaging future customers by providing valuable information. Plans are already underway to enhance the yatt’it experience by adding features such as video posting and RSS feeds, as well as direct messaging and grouping capabilities.”

For destination research and at-a-glance overviews, www.Frommers.com provides Fast Facts and entry-requirement information to assist first-time visitors right within the yatt’it site. “We are excited to expand our long-standing relationship with Hyatt and provide trusted travel advice to yatt’it ,” said Craig Schickler, Director, E-business Development, Wiley Publishing (publisher of Frommer’s). “We are pleased that Frommer’s was chosen as an expert resource for travel tips for this innovative new site. Frommer’s has created original content specifically for yatt’it based on its unique needs to ensure a great experience and high quality content for all of its members.”

A partnership with FlightStats.com offers real-time flight updates to help fliers avoid unpleasant surprises at the airport. From the yatt’it site, travelers can check essential information such as arrival and departure times for all airlines, estimated wait times for security checks at any airport, and weather or local transportation delays.

“The partnership between yatt’it and FlightStats greatly improves the quality of travel for Hyatt guests by providing valuable information and timely data,” says Meara McLaughlin, VP of Marketing, Conducive Technology (creator of FlightStats). “Hyatt’s commitment to service makes the company an ideal partner for FlightStats, and we look forward to working with them on this innovative new project.”

yatt’it also offers users a mobile download feature at www.mobile.yattit.com, making travel tips accessible anytime and anywhere in the world for travelers on the go.

As a new and innovative approach to putting guests first and keeping them connected, yatt’it brings Hyatt to the forefront of the travel industry once again.