Just in time for Halloween, here are the “Top 10 Haunted Hotels” in the United States chosen by hotels.com:

Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, CO : built in 1909, the Stanley offers ghost tours of its most haunted rooms including #217 where Stephen King stayed while he was writing “The Shining”.

Heathman Hotel- Portland, OR : a ghost frequents all the rooms at Heathman ending in 03.

Green Mountain Inn- Stowe, VT : born in room #302 in 1840, Boot Berry was a local hero turned outcast. He later died after slipping from the inn’s roof rescuing a young girl during a storm, directly above the same room. Guests in #302 have reported the sounds of tap dancing on stormy nights.

Menger Hotel – San Antonio, TX : hotel staff believe the Menger’s many paranormal visitors stem from its proximity to The Alamo.

Le Pavillon Hotel – New Orleans, LA : at least four different ghosts have been seen at La Pavillion, perhaps due to a fire on the property in 1889.

Boston Omni Parker House Hotel – Boston, MA : the hotel’s founder, Harvey Parker, was a reported perfectionist involved in all aspects of the Omni’s operation so it’s no surprise that he’s still seen roaming the halls though he’s been dead since 1884.

Queen Mary Hotel – Long Beach, CA : at least 50 people died on this now docked ocean liner while it was sailing and at least 150 spirits have been sighted on board.

The Driskill – Austin, TX : many guests report seeing the ghost of a Senator’s young daughter killed as she fell down a staircase at the Driskill while playing with a ball.

1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa – Eureka Springs, AR : this hotel also served as a hospital and a school over the years and sightings of patients and students are common.

Hotel del Coronado – Coronado, CA : Kate Morgan died at the hotel in 1892 while waiting for her estranged husband who never showed. Guests and staff at the Coronado often spot her still waiting.

Next month Will and I are heading to Lisbon, Portugal. I can’t wait to check out all the amazing architecture and hopefully we’ll get to take at least one side trip.

Also, a lot of people have been asking me when I’m going to get the Galapagos stuff up. I’m working on it and it should be up in the next couple of weeks. It’s just taking some time because there are so many pictures to go through. It’s coming soon…I promise!

Flight delays are common in the U.S. but all too often, we have no information until we arrive at the gate directly before our departure time. FlightCaster is a new website and smart phone application that will give you news long before your airline so you can plan ahead. 4-6 hours out, it will help you track your flight and using historical and real-time data (previous flights, weather, arrival delays) it will let you know the odds of your flight being on time. It’s not a perfect science and it’s only available for domestic flights at the moment, but it’s definitely better than guessing or relying on solely on the airline.

I’m pleased to announce the two winners of the Circle Line Cruise Tickets Contest:

Melanie W. of Flushing, NY and Jean N. of New York, NY

Congrats to the winners and thanks to all who entered!

Over the weekend, Will and I decided to take a trip out to Atlantic City, New Jersey. We hadn’t been there for about 8 years and we wanted to see how it had changed. Although it’s still rough around the edges, it’s much nicer than it was and it seems to be heading in a very positive direction.

The new Borgata hotel and casino and its attached sister hotel, The Water Club, are absolutely beautiful. They are spacious and relatively uncrowded because they are located in the marina section of the city. Over on the Boardwalk, things are still a little seedy, but many of the hotels have undergone or are going through renovations. The Trump Taj Mahal has a great updated eating and shopping area. There’s also a huge outlet mall that opened in 2003 with over 100 high end stores at the end of the strip. It has really improved that area and made it cleaner and safer and a pleasure to walk through. Of course, no visit to AC would be complete without a fresh squeezed lemonade and I’m happy to report that those haven’t changed at all and are every bit as delicious as they were the last time I was in town.

Atlantic City Official Site

Back in the 1930s a freight railroad line was built in Manhattan above street level after a public outcry over fatal accidents between trains and traffic. Operations on the line ceased in 1980 and the structure fell into disrepair. Demolition was inevitable until a group called Friends of the High Line petitioned the city to preserve the historic track and reinvent it as a public park.

In June of this year, the first section of the new High Line park opened to the public. I recently visited and was really impressed. It runs from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street on 10th Avenue and visitors can gain access by stairs and/or elevators every few blocks. There is plenty of seating, including lounge chairs that roll on the train tracks, and snacks offered by a rotating group of local vendors. The walkway is lined by fragrant grasses, flowers and trees. It’s a wonderful place to take a walk or to relax and take a break from the hectic city below. The park is a great addition to New York City’s public spaces and I can’t wait until section 2 opens some time next year.

The High Line Park in New York City

Visit My Adventures to read about my trip to Quito, Ecuador. You can see pictures on my Photos page or by clicking into the album through one of the images posted.

Date of trip: August 2009

Will and I didn’t set out to visit Quito but, when we booked a trip to the Galapagos, our group met up and spent a few nights there. It’s not the most popular and cosmopolitan city in Ecuador, that would be Guayaquil, but it is the capitol and the center for the country’s government and business. It’s a busy place full of traffic and crowds and, at over 9,000 feet above sea level, it’s one of the highest cities in the world. Will and I woke up with altitude headaches the first night but coca tea, plenty of water and some chocolate helped us to get back to sleep and through the next day. Although we felt safe, there was definitely a dodgy feel in the center and shopping areas and we did have to stay alert.

Highlights:

-The Basilica del Voto Nacional sits high on a hill near the old town and is the tallest church in Ecuador. Although its size is impressive, it’s when you get up close that you see what really makes the cathedral special. Like most churches, it’s adorned with many statues but, instead of the usual gargoyles, stone grotesques of animals jump out from the sides of the building. The animals represented are native to Ecuador and include iguanas, turtles, monkeys and jaguars. The cathedral is technically unfinished and locals believe that its completion will mark the end of the world.

-The Plaza de la Independencia is the main square in Quito’s old town. It’s busy and loud with people everywhere and live music. It’s a great place to people watch, but you also have to keep a close watch on your belongings as there are many pickpockets in the area. The plaza is filled with monuments and gardens and surrounded by buildings including the President’s Palace.

-The most popular tourist area in the city is called La Mariscal. It offers plenty of shopping with everything from handmade goods at the handicraft market to items like art and jewelry at more upscale stores. There are also plenty of cafes, restaurants and nightclubs.

-The equator, or imaginary line that cuts through the center of the earth, goes right through Ecuador and, in fact, gave the country its name. A visit to Quito would not be complete without standing on the line and visiting the monument and museum set up where it’s located. Since the word for equator in Spanish is ecuador, the area is called the Mitad del Mundo, the middle of the world.

-Quito is surrounded by volcanoes and some are quite spectacular because they are capped with snow. You can get a glimpse of many of them while driving around or through a plane window when flying in or out of the city.

-A popular day trip from Quito is to Mindo, an area known for its cloud forest. A cloud forest is a rainforest but, when you look at it from a distance, clouds sit over it and cover it. It takes about two hours to get to Mindo but it is a wonderful escape from the city. There is a beautiful botanical garden with waterfalls and an orchid garden and a butterfly sanctuary where the pretty insects often land right on visitors. Our favorite part of our tour through the cloud forest was seeing so many different birds up close. I have never seen so many hummingbirds in my life! In Mindo they buzz around like little bees in the hundreds around hanging feeders in all different sizes and colors. If you stand close to the feeders they zip right past you at impossible speeds. We also saw finches, tanagers and even several toucans.

Like most of South America, Ecuador is a country in transition. All over Quito there are construction projects and the locals seem motivated and anxious to improve their lives and their city. All this growth makes South America one of the most exciting areas to visit. Whenever I am there, I feel like I am watching history unfold and I know that whatever I see during my visit will look completely different in 5-10 years. Quito may still be somewhat gritty, but it is definitely a city in progress.

For more pictures, please visit my Photo Gallery or click on any of the photos posted above.

Quito Links:
Quito Official Site