July 2009 Archives

Madeline Island

Thursday, July 30, 2009 by Rudy Maxa.

“It’s like the Hamptons without the fancy restaurants and celebs,” I said on the phone.

“There’s a lot to be said for that,” answered Catherine, who has homes in Paris, San Francisco, Florida and Washington, D.C., and knows quite a bit about see-and-be-seen restaurants and celebrities. “Where is it again?”

“Northern Wisconsin, on Lake Superior. It’s called Madeline Island.”

“You know,” said Catherine, “that’s a whole part of this world I know nothing about.”

And, until I moved to Minnesota nearly six years ago, I didn’t know anything about these parts, either.

Domestic Travel, Food, Hotels

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Last-Minute Passports

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 by Rudy Maxa.

Let’s say you’ve never been out of the U.S. but a sudden opportunity arises and you’re caught without a passport. It can take Uncle Sam six weeks or more—depending on how busy the U.S. passport office is—to get you that all-important document through regular channels. But there are other options.

Tips

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Hot Hotel Deals

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 by Rudy Maxa.

In case you haven’t heard, the world’s hotels have slashed prices this summer in an effort to entice you to leave home. I’ve collected seven surprising bargains from Chicago to Hong Kong to whet your appetite.

Hotels, Tips

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Hotel Room Upgrades

Thursday, July 09, 2009 by Rudy Maxa.

I have a friend who never accepts the first room she’s given when she checks into a hotel. She always has a bellman take her to her room, and no matter how nice the digs, she’s sure there’s an even nicer room to be had. She asks the bellman to call the front desk.

Hotels, Tips

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Premium Credit Cards

Wednesday, July 01, 2009 by Rudy Maxa.

Is there any reason other than vanity to carry a credit card that comes with an annual fee of $400 to $1,000 dollars? Believe me, a big part of those pricey credit cards is all about vanity. If you’re a guy on a first date, would you rather pull out a platinum card or a run-of-the-mill, plain vanilla card to pay for dinner? Why else would a print ad for the new Visa Black Card quote Kim Whitman, an executive producer of online yoga videos, saying, “I like the feel of carbon—it’s unique.” What does carbon feel like anyway? For $495 a year, Visa will answer that question.

Tips

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