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Dulles Flyer: See Air China’s Inaugural Flight into IAD

June 2, 2014 by Fishing4Deals

Inaugural Air China Flight to Dulles June 10, 2014

Dulles International Airport (IAD) in will welcome Air China’s inaugural arrival from Beijing to Washington, DC on Tuesday June 10, 2014 with a special ceremony.

Twenty-five lucky members of the public will be invited to view the aircraft landing and the ceremonial water arch of Air China’s first flight into IAD.

In addition to viewing the landing of Air China’s first flight, guests will attend a VIP Ceremony and ribbon cutting at the Main Terminal.

Would you like to be a part of this exciting event?

Click here to enter for a chance at an invitation. Entries must be received by 10:00 a.m. Friday, June 6, 2014.

Participants will be transported via mobile lounge to the airfield. Upon conclusion of the landing and aircraft parking, the mobile lounge will return to the Main Terminal where participants are invited to attend the Air China Inaugural Ceremony.

Air China will offer four nonstop flights per week to Beijing beginning June 10, 2014.

Moon National Parks Sampler: Free for Kindle

June 2, 2014 by Fishing4Deals

Thinking about a road trip to the National Parks this summer?

Pick up a free e-copy of the Moon National Parks Sampler to get some ideas.

Moon Handbooks are geared for the independent traveler.

Moon National Parks Sampler

The National Parks Sampler includes maps, itineraries, and travel planning tips for:

Acadia National Park
Blue Ridge & Smoky Mountains
Canadian Rockies
Four Corners including Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon
Glacier National Park
Grand Canyon
Mt. Rushmore & the Black Hills
Yellowstone & Grand Teton
Yosemite
Zion & Bryce

The 385-page book, published in May 2012, provides an overview of some of North America’s most iconic destinations.

The information in this sampler is excerpted from individual Moon national parks guides; once you’ve chosen your travel destination, check out the full-length Moon guide to the park of your choice.

Download the free Kindle edition of the Moon handbook here.

Don’t have a Kindle?

I have the most basic version called the Kindle Paperwhite.

I like it because it’s easy on the eyes and you can use it outside in full sunlight. It’s very lightweight, holds 1,000 books, and has a weeks-long battery life.

The biggest disadvantage of the model I have is that there is no backlighting if you want to read in bed at night.

You can often find great deals on refurb Kindles on Amazon.

If you don’t want to travel with with yet another electronic device, you can download the free Kindle app for smartphones, tablets, and computers.

This post contains affiliate links. Thanks if you choose to use them!

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Why We Chose Wildwood Crest for Our Jersey Shore Vacation

June 2, 2014 by Fishing4Deals

Every town on the Jersey Shore has a distinct personality.

One summer, we landed in Wildwood because of our interest in neon signs and mid-century architecture.

The thing that attracted us to Wildwood were the dozens of mid-century motels still standing, though sadly, many have been razed to build condos.

There are three distinct towns on the barrier island: North Wildwood, Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest — where the greatest concentration of mid-century modern resorts still operate. The motels, are themed, with Vegas-like neon signs, plastic palm trees, and fantastical architecture.

The Wildwoods — Great for a Family Beach Vacation
Photo by Joel Shprentz

Doo Wop Motels in Wildwood Crest

In Wildwood Crest, which is the family-oriented southern stretch of beach, you’ll find the Jolly Roger, the Astronaut, the Apollo, the Gondolier, the Safari, the Aztec, the Tangiers, the Viking, and many others.

The architectural style is known as Doo Wop, Googie, or Populuxe. These terms describe the kitschy style of Wildwood’s 200 motels built in the 1950s and 1960s.

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Win a Staycation: Ride the Capital Wheel

June 2, 2014May 31, 2014 by Fishing4Deals

Here’s a contest that caught my eye, mostly because of the chance to ride the brand new Capital Wheel.

The Maryland Office of Tourism is running a sweepstakes for a staycation at National Harbor, right on the Potomac River in Prince George’s County.

National Harbor is a multi-use riverfront development with outlet shopping, dining, entertainment and lodging.

I call this a staycation sweepstakes, because it includes hotel, meals, and entertainment, but not plane fare to Washington, DC.

Enter the National Harbor Summer Getaway sweepstakes by June 25, 2014, for a chance to win this prize package:

Gaylord National Resort Hotel & Convention Center: Two night stay in a standard guest room.
National Harbor Dining Entertainment Card:
valid at any National Harbor restaurant or entertainment location. Gift card value $200.
Tanger Outlet Gift Card: Gift card for $100.
Boating in DC: Two one-hour rentals of a single or double kayak, canoe or stand-up paddleboard.
The Capital Wheel at National Harbor: Four tickets.

In addition, the grand prize includes four offers from the Potomac Riverboat Company:

Two VIP boarding passes (each pass admits two): Alexandria – National Harbor Water Taxi;
Four VIP vouchers: National Mall Water Taxi;
Four VIP boarding passes: George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens Cruise;
Four VIP vouchers: Washington Monuments Cruise.

I entered this contest. I think it would be a blast to stay on the other side of the Beltway and get around via water taxi for a couple of days. Does it tempt you?

Win an Entire Year of Family Nights Out!

May 30, 2014May 30, 2014 by Fishing4Deals

Okay, here’s another sweepstakes offer I couldn’t help but share.

Fandango is offering a chance to win everything you need to have the perfect family movie night every week, for a whole year!

The grand prize winner will receive:

Four Fandango movie tickets per week
Dinner out for four
Concessions
Gas money to cover your trips to the theater

Fandango is valuing this prize at $13,000 — it’s kind of astounding to think that that’s the cost of family entertainment these days.

They are also offering twenty weekly prices of $100 each in Fandango promo codes.

The sweepstakes runs from 5/28/14 to 6/27/14.

You can enter online here.

Portraits Alive! Smithsonian Teen Program

June 4, 2014May 30, 2014 by Fishing4Deals

Summer vacation is almost upon us, but it’s not too late to think about fun activities for that awkward age: teenagers 14 to 16 years old. They are too old to go to summer camp, and too young to get a job. Or something like that.

Here’s a novel idea for a practically free three-week summer program offered by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

Portraits Alive! is a museum theater program based on people in the National Portrait Gallery’s collection.

Students create a collaborative museum-theater piece after choosing a portrait from the museum’s collection. Each program participant writes and performs an original vignette to accompany the portrait.

Okay, so my kid wouldn’t be interested in this program in a million years, but maybe you know someone who would! Some of the students are actors, others are writers or have an interest in history. Check out this short video of last year’s performers on You Tube.

The fee for the three-week program is just $100, which defrays the costs for costuming, dry-cleaning, workshops, and supplies. Teens can earn community service hours for their participation.

There are two sessions this year:

Session 1: June 30 through July 18, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Session 2: July 22 through August 8, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The National Portrait Gallery has just extended the application deadline for the program until June 6, 2014. E-mail ProvostG@si.edu to request an application. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by Monday, June 9 2014.

The National Portrait Gallery is not the stuffy museum you might imagine.

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Free Summer Saturdays at the Corcoran Gallery

May 29, 2014 by Fishing4Deals

This summer may be your last opportunity to visit the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as it is slated to close in the fall.

The art museum offers free admission every Saturday from now until Labor Day weekend, as part of their free Summer Saturdays program, including gallery tours, workshops, demonstrations, and performances.

Admission is on other days is $10 per adult, $8 per student, and free for children under 12.

Below are a few highlights of the family programs:

Saturday, May 31: Botanical Collages Workshop
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Inspired by Aaron Douglas’ painting Into Bondage, from the Corcoran’s collection, create your own tropical landscape.

Saturday, June 28: Haiku Mistress

10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Working with Haiku Mistress Caley Vickerman create haikus inspired by the works in the collection. Share your literary works of art in a collaborative sidewalk chalk display!

Saturday, July 19: The Ultimate Urban Safari

10 a.m.-12 noon
Join us for a wild summer day dedicated to the animal kingdom! Spurred on by the American Metal: The Art of Albert Paley exhibition, discover how creatures big and small can inspire through workshop activities, book readings, and a live performance.

Saturday, August 2: Family Workshop: Animal Maquettes
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Inspired by Albert Paley’s maquettes, families work together to create their own animal displays.

You can find the complete schedule of tours, performances, and activities here: www.corcoran.org/freesummersaturdays.

Win a Year’s Worth of French Chocolate and a Trip to Paris!

May 29, 2014May 29, 2014 by Fishing4Deals

Here’s a travel sweepstakes with a bonus: it’s a contest for a trip to Paris and it comes with a year’s worth of chocolate! Hard to pass on this one!

The Grand Prize includes:

Vosges Haut-Chocolat years worth of chocolate (value of $400)
Vosges Haut Chocolat
3 nights at Pavillon De La Reine on the Place des Voges, including breakfast (value of $1500)
Curated weekend itinerary by Fathom (value of $100)
A private driver via Uber
$2500 for airfare for two roundtrip economy class tickets from anywhere in the continental U.S. to Paris,provided by HipMunk.

You can enter the contest here, by June 13, 2014.: Travel the World Through Chocolate Paris Sweepstakes.

Remember to uncheck the tiny boxes on the bottom of the entry form if you do not want to receive adverts from the contest sponsors.

Shuffle off to Buffalo . . . 25% off Amtrak Fares

May 27, 2014 by Fishing4Deals

Save 25% on Amtrak Fares to Niagara Falls

If a trip to Niagara Falls is on your bucket list, listen up!

Every Tuesday through Friday, Amtrak publishes its weekly SmartFares.

These fares offer discounts of 25 percent off the regular one-way fare.

This week, you can find discounts on about a dozen classic train routes including the Maple Leaf from Utica, New York to Niagara Falls.

Also available this week: discounts on the Crescent line from Atlanta to New Orleans; the Coast Starlight from Sacramento to Los Angeles; Lincoln Service, from St. Louis to Chicago; the Cascades, from Vancouver to Seattle; and several other regional routes.

I was married in Garratt Park, Maryland, a small railroad suburb of Washington, DC.

We wanted to flag down the train after the wedding, to begin our honeymoon in style:

To Niag’ra in a sleeper,
There’s no honeymoon that’s cheaper,
And the train goes slow.
Ooh ooh ooh!
Off, we’re gonna shuffle,
Shuffle off to Buffalo.

Amtrak’s SmartFares

There are some important rules and limitations on these SmartFares.

The most obvious things to watch out for are the advance purchase requirements, the inability to use the tickets for a weekend trip (no travel on Fridays or Sundays), and the fact that the fares are nonrefundable and non-changeable.

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