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The Pro Football Hall of Fame is located less than a mile from its well-marked exit of I-77 in Canton, Ohio (less than an hour from Cleveland). Although I was there longer, I estimate that a 2 hour visit is sufficient for most visitors. Die hard fans could spend 4 to 6 hours.It is a smaller experience than the Baseball Hall of Fame. That is somewhat surprising since the football fan attachment and enthusiasm is arguably greater than baseball. Baseball, on the other hand, is more nostalgic and statistic-oriented.There is much to do but, unless you are one of those avid fans, you will quickly reach information overload. Your strategy could be to scan displays to get a superficial experience or immerse yourself in selected areas (history, certain eras, Hall of Fame statues, galleries, and more). My favorite area was the Gameday Stadium theater, which I visited more than once.Snack options are very reasonable and appropriate. At the Tailgate Snack Bar, hot dogs are $1.75, drinks are $1.15, and fries are $1.60. Other items included nachos, brats, sausages, wraps, onion rings, burgers, and slushes. Nothing cost over $4. The stadiums should mirror this experience. If you want to overspend, the gift shop is a mere 50 feet away.Look for a promotion offering admission to the football and rock and roll hall of fames for a discounted rate.A nice side trip was to the McKinley National Memorial. On a pleasant weekend afternoon, there were many exercisers running in the park and walking the stairs.
One of my interests in touring baseball stadiums. I often enjoy a tour of the park more than the actual game. Most, if not all, of the MLB teams offer stadium tours. A quick way to view details (when, how much, how long) is to visit the team site on MLB.com. The ballpark tour link is under the tab for the team's ballpark, along with seating guide, what you can bring in, etc. For your convenience, here is a link to the Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox) tour.
Three mistakes or bloopers that I have seen at the stadiums are:
1. the classic blooper is the Babe Ruth statue in front of Baltimore's Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Some say that Babe's glove is authentically period, and that such a glove could have been worn on either hand. Most, however, say that it is a glove made for right handed throwers, which is wrong. You can see this statue without going on a ballpark tour or even without attending a game.
2. during a tour of the Rogers Centre in Toronto, I found a blooper in a luxury suite. In a glass case, there is a Blue Jays' jersey with "Clemons." Although there was a Argonaut (CFL) player named Clemons, the baseball player was Clemens (with an "E"). Confusing, Yes, but also wrong.
3. during a tour of Pittsburgh's PNC Park, I found a couple of bloopers. Stick with me here. The first is easiest. In the PNC Club area, they have an Alex Rodriguez (BOO!) bat displayed. Nope, A-Rod never played for the Pirates. I mentioned it to the tour guide, who expressed embarassment and said it would be immediately replaced. The other involves Debs Garms. On his batting champ plaque, there is no signature; there are signatures for other players on their plaques. The tour guide said that the Pirates staff could not locate a signature for Mr. Garms. Later in the tour, a Debs Garms Louisville Slugger bat is on display--WITH HIS SIGNATURE.
I imagine there is not great interest in ballpark bloopers such as these. Perhaps I underestimate y'all. Let me know...
In June, I rented a RAV4 from Hertz in Orlando and returned it to a location in Virginia. The excellent one-way rate was indeed only $100, as I mentioned in a previous post.Just a quick note to let you know that my rate was further discounted 15% because I always use my AAA discount for all of my Hertz rentals. I was pleasantly surprised to get a rate of $85 for that weekly rental.
It is annoying, and not productive or efficient, to visit websites that do not sort their travel deal listings. That is, many websites just list a bunch of "special" rates or fares, but do not filter based on a departure city. A relatively unknown website that shows travel specials from your home airport is voyij.com.Check it out and let me know what you think.© 2009, Charles McCool
Hertz is having its annual Florida exodus sale. They need lots of cars there for the winter months and then they need the cars to go elsewhere for the summer. Instead of hiring drivers or trucks to transport the cars, Hertz offers super low rates to persons that can drive them one way.Get these low rates while they are hot. I just looked at a random week in May, picking up in Ft. Lauderdale and returning to a DC airport location. The WEEKLY (not daily) rates were:- $25 for economy class- $30 for compact class- $50 for midsize class- $75 for fullsize class- $100 for midsize SUVFantastic deals. You should be able to find a decent one-way flight or train ticket to get to Florida (before or after the car rental).© 2009, Charles McCool
Rental car rates can vary much even at locations in the same geographic area. You can save money by shopping around.A recent example. I am planning a trip to visit Little Rock, Tuscaloosa, and parts between and around. It does not matter where I fly into. In fact, I redeemed a frequent flyer award (more below). Since I am using a frequent flyer award and visiting several areas, I have the flexibility to fly into any area airport. I researched flights and rental car rates at most locations between Tulsa, Memphis, Huntsville, Mobile, and Houston.Checking around, rental car rates were relatively expensive from Little Rock, Memphis, Birmingham, and others; mostly in the $250 to $300 a week range. One location was much less expensive than the others. Drum roll.... It was Shreveport, about $150 with Hertz. So, I booked my frequent flyer flight to Shreveport which would have cost $536.I considered driving instead of flying. It would have been about 2,000 miles just getting there and back, plus another 1,000 miles in the area. I used Cost2Drive to calculate fuel usage and carbon output. That certainly helped me decide to fly, although I put the true cost of driving my own vehicle at about 50 cents per mile including wear and tear, etc. I also realized that about three days would have been burned driving there and back, leaving me less time to research and explore.© 2009, Charles McCool
Previously I talked about destination guidebooks. When you are planning a trip, it is worth reading a few different guidebooks to learn about the area, what to do, how long to spend there, and more.The other genre of travel books, I call travel reference books. Travel reference books are extremely helpful because they can teach you travel skills; to help you save money, time, and stress, no matter your intended destination. Travel reference books can be about air travel (like my book), cruises, budget travel, luxury travel, solo travel, packing, and so on. You name it, there is probably a book for it. An example, I recently received a book called 101 Best Outdoor Towns. There are books on staying at colleges, monasteries, and aboard boats.Perhaps my all-time favorite travel reference book, the one I would be proud to have written, is Traveler's Tool Kit by Rob Sangster. Although it is a guidebook, I am very impressed with Rick Steve's Europe Through the Back Door. It is a guidebook, in that it covers the destination of Europe. Half the book, however, is a wonderful reference guide with solid tips for having a great trip (packing, shopping, touring, etc., tips galore).On my website, LowerAirfares.com, I occasionally review travel books. Please check there for my two cents before shopping. Do you have a favorite travel reference book? Let me know by submitting a Comment. Thank you.© 2009, Charles McCool
