The train ride was fantastic! No potty breaks, no gas stations, no hotel 1/2 way through the route -- dinner and breakfast included with the train ticket! The kids played outside in a gated park setting while we waited to board the train -- and slept through the night while we traveled!
Travel was good. The destination -- even better. Check out Tradition, FL in Port St Lucie -- and maybe take moment to visit the new HGTV Green Home/ Dream Home.
"We designed the community with sustainability in mind. People can walk or bike anywhere."
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
TAKE THE TRAIN
Our family beach vacation is taking us to St. Port Lucie, Florida -- a long trip from Berks County, PA. Frustrated by airline service, long lines, and other travel nonsense when we fly -- my husband and I decided to take an adventure on the train! Our four-year old son is train-crazy and we've decided to make our travel option part of our family vacation. I've found some travel tips to help prepare -- and thought they were good enough to share. On Car Free Friday -- consider other ways you might get where you're going this summer!
Top Tips for Traveling by Train
This ever increasing air travel frustrations and higher fuel price, train travel may be the alternative travelers are looking for. Trains offer a relaxed vacation environment and add the romance of traveling by train.
RELATED LINKS
• Riding the Rails• World’s Best Trains• Great US Train Getaways• RTM’s Train Travel Sections
The editors of IgoUgo, one of the most popular online travel communities in the world, believe train travel may be the way to go for summer vacations. Tapping into its community of savvy travelers, IgoUgo’s editors have pulled together tips, advice and itineraries for travelers looking for something other than the traditional fly-in summer vacation.
“Flight delays, schedule changes, cancelled flights, bankruptcies and mishandled baggage are pushing flyers’ frustration to an all-time high.” Said IgoUgo.com Content Manager, Michelle Doucette. “The summer of ’08 just might be ‘the summer of the train.’ Not only does train travel provide a totally different experience, statistics show it is often better for the environment than flying.”
Train travel offers an alternative to the hassles of airline travel. The U.S. airline industry received the worst score ever recorded in the most recent Airline Quality Rating (AQR) study. In the same study, consumer complaints were up 60 percent over last year. Americans may be increasingly more open to the idea of train travel. In 2007, Amtrak reported more than 25.8 million passengers, representing the fifth straight year of record ridership. More than 70,000 people ride on an Amtrak train each day. IgoUgo believes in many cases, Amtrak is a convenient alternative — with intercity passenger rail services to more than 500 destinations in 46 states.
For those looking to take a more eco-friendly vacation, train travel may be the more energy efficient alternative. The US Department of Energy found that Amtrak — on an energy-consumed-per-passenger-mile basis — is 18 percent more energy efficient than commercial airlines. IgoUgo editors suggest that while not every train trip is more energy-friendly than flying, it can be an added consideration when planning for a family vacation
.
To venture into the world of train travel, remember these helpful tips for planning, booking and taking a train travel vacation.
[courtesy of ROAD & TRAVEL Magazine]
Top Tips for Traveling by Train
This ever increasing air travel frustrations and higher fuel price, train travel may be the alternative travelers are looking for. Trains offer a relaxed vacation environment and add the romance of traveling by train.
RELATED LINKS
• Riding the Rails• World’s Best Trains• Great US Train Getaways• RTM’s Train Travel Sections
The editors of IgoUgo, one of the most popular online travel communities in the world, believe train travel may be the way to go for summer vacations. Tapping into its community of savvy travelers, IgoUgo’s editors have pulled together tips, advice and itineraries for travelers looking for something other than the traditional fly-in summer vacation.
“Flight delays, schedule changes, cancelled flights, bankruptcies and mishandled baggage are pushing flyers’ frustration to an all-time high.” Said IgoUgo.com Content Manager, Michelle Doucette. “The summer of ’08 just might be ‘the summer of the train.’ Not only does train travel provide a totally different experience, statistics show it is often better for the environment than flying.”
Train travel offers an alternative to the hassles of airline travel. The U.S. airline industry received the worst score ever recorded in the most recent Airline Quality Rating (AQR) study. In the same study, consumer complaints were up 60 percent over last year. Americans may be increasingly more open to the idea of train travel. In 2007, Amtrak reported more than 25.8 million passengers, representing the fifth straight year of record ridership. More than 70,000 people ride on an Amtrak train each day. IgoUgo believes in many cases, Amtrak is a convenient alternative — with intercity passenger rail services to more than 500 destinations in 46 states.
For those looking to take a more eco-friendly vacation, train travel may be the more energy efficient alternative. The US Department of Energy found that Amtrak — on an energy-consumed-per-passenger-mile basis — is 18 percent more energy efficient than commercial airlines. IgoUgo editors suggest that while not every train trip is more energy-friendly than flying, it can be an added consideration when planning for a family vacation
.
To venture into the world of train travel, remember these helpful tips for planning, booking and taking a train travel vacation.
Bike Pittsburgh Takes the Lead with Car Free Fridays
Every year BikePGH joins bicycle advocates across the nation to promote and participate in Bike to Work Day. There is one problem…one day a year to celebrate and encourage biking to work is hardly enough.
So BikePGH and our partners have decided to launch a city-wide initiative to encourage commuters to leave their cars at home at least once a week. We’re calling it Car Free Fridays - a day where the air is a little cleaner and the streets a little safer. A day each week we can all look forward to, not just to welcome the weekend, but to welcome the use of smart transportation.
How to Participate
- Don’t Drive Today
- Encourage your friends!
- Join or Start a Neighborhood Bike Pool
What’s a BikePool? It’s like car pooling, but on bikes! People who need to ride from one neighborhood to another on a daily basis, meet up at a specified location and ride into work together. It’s a great way to learn how to commute by bike, beat the traffic jams, park for free, and build community.
New to Bike Commuting? This is a great way to “learn the ropes” and take a ride with experienced cyclists. Read our Bike to Work Guide to get started. Once you try it, we promise you’ll be hooked.
Experienced Bike Commuter? Join the Bike Pool to help create safety in numbers and show someone else that it can be done. Riding with new cyclists is an effective way to get people to try it out and take their first ride.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Come Ride With Us!
WalkBikeBerks will be offering a hosted bike ride or walk on the second and fourth Saturday of each month this summer. The first event takes place this Saturday.
Event Type: Bike Ride
Date: Saturday, June 13, 2009
Start Time: 9AM
Start Location: Gibraltar Trailhead, Schuylkill River Trail, Gibraltar, PA
Leader: Benton Levengood
Description: This bike ride will follow the Schuylkill River Trail to the Brentwood Trailhead, then return to Gibraltar. Prior to the ride there will be a short discussion on basic bicycle safety practices and trail riding etiquette. This ride is suitable for families. Please note that helmets are required for all participants.
Length: Approximately 8 miles
Terrain: Flat
Surface: Crushed Gravel
Pace: 8-10 MPH, or group preference
Equipment Required: Bicycle, Helmet
Enjoy a nice day on the trail and even get some ice cream at the nearby Scoupe DeVille in Gibralter or one of the many local eateries off of Brentwood.
Be sure to check out our calendar of events frequently at www.walkbikeberks.org
Questions: Contact Benton Levengood
blevengood [at] walkbikeberks.org
717-449-4474
Event Type: Bike Ride
Date: Saturday, June 13, 2009
Start Time: 9AM
Start Location: Gibraltar Trailhead, Schuylkill River Trail, Gibraltar, PA
Leader: Benton Levengood
Description: This bike ride will follow the Schuylkill River Trail to the Brentwood Trailhead, then return to Gibraltar. Prior to the ride there will be a short discussion on basic bicycle safety practices and trail riding etiquette. This ride is suitable for families. Please note that helmets are required for all participants.
Length: Approximately 8 miles
Terrain: Flat
Surface: Crushed Gravel
Pace: 8-10 MPH, or group preference
Equipment Required: Bicycle, Helmet
Enjoy a nice day on the trail and even get some ice cream at the nearby Scoupe DeVille in Gibralter or one of the many local eateries off of Brentwood.
Be sure to check out our calendar of events frequently at www.walkbikeberks.org
Questions: Contact Benton Levengood
blevengood [at] walkbikeberks.org
717-449-4474
SAVE THE DATE
will host
on
July 30, 2009.
Please mark your calendars and call your friends! Reservations can be made for single players or entire BUNCO teams -- so plan to attend! We're teaming up with Breast Cancer Fight Club - a local Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk Team. Opportunities to volunteer, donate, or sponsor the event are available now. Call 610-779-9702 or visit the Bunco for Bicycles blog for more information.
Keep checking back for more details as they become available.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Complete Streets in Philadelphia, PA!
Policy in Philadelphia!June 5, 2009
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed a Complete Streets executive order yesterday, June 4, at noon, establishing Philadelphia as the first city in Pennsylvania to adopt a complete streets policy. It emphasizes the many benefits of complete streets, from cleaner air to more efficient use of road space, and pays special attention to the safety of its most vulnerable citizens: children, older adults, and those with disabilities. ...
[Andy Clark] also presented Mayor Nutter with the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community Award. The City is the first in Pennsylvania to receive the honor, making yesterday’s event a particularly important landmark in moving toward a more livable Philadelphia.
[Continue Reading "Policy in Philadelphia..."]
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed a Complete Streets executive order yesterday, June 4, at noon, establishing Philadelphia as the first city in Pennsylvania to adopt a complete streets policy. It emphasizes the many benefits of complete streets, from cleaner air to more efficient use of road space, and pays special attention to the safety of its most vulnerable citizens: children, older adults, and those with disabilities. ...
[Andy Clark] also presented Mayor Nutter with the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community Award. The City is the first in Pennsylvania to receive the honor, making yesterday’s event a particularly important landmark in moving toward a more livable Philadelphia.
[Continue Reading "Policy in Philadelphia..."]
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Walkability is the Solution to our Biggest Challenges
Walking In Your Neighborhood: It's Not Just a Mild Workout
by Alan Durning, Sightline Institute
Compact, walkable communities—the opposite of poorly planned sprawl—are the solution to some of our biggest shared challenges, from childhood obesity to social isolation, from crash deaths to disappearing farmland, from the high price of gas to the architectural blight of strip development.
They're even one of our most powerful weapons against climate change—they conserve fossil fuels like nobody's business. (It takes effort to burn gasoline when everything is so close to your front door.)
But the main reason to love walkable neighborhoods is their human energy: they're fun, lively, memorable... not boring. They're the kinds of places where you might bump into a long-lost friend; stumble across creative inspiration, whether for a song or a new business; or meet the love of your life. (That's why they're becoming among the most sought-after addresses around.)
Visit WalkScore.com to read more.
by Alan Durning, Sightline Institute
Compact, walkable communities—the opposite of poorly planned sprawl—are the solution to some of our biggest shared challenges, from childhood obesity to social isolation, from crash deaths to disappearing farmland, from the high price of gas to the architectural blight of strip development.
They're even one of our most powerful weapons against climate change—they conserve fossil fuels like nobody's business. (It takes effort to burn gasoline when everything is so close to your front door.)
But the main reason to love walkable neighborhoods is their human energy: they're fun, lively, memorable... not boring. They're the kinds of places where you might bump into a long-lost friend; stumble across creative inspiration, whether for a song or a new business; or meet the love of your life. (That's why they're becoming among the most sought-after addresses around.)
Visit WalkScore.com to read more.
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