Every now and then, something reminds us (Mr. Makarma) of how precarious the future is for our favorite old restaurants, tourist attractions or stores. Quite often, this reminder comes by way of announcement that one of these old-time favorites is closing.
It's funny how a place that's no longer popular finds that second wind only when its closure becomes imminent. We'll never forget our trip to the famed Chasen's restaurant near Beverly Hills soon after its closing date was announced - the place was jam-packed. The same is true of Movieland Wax Museum. We admit we hadn't been there in years, but we did wait in a long line to get in on the attraction's final day. Of course, if these places were always that busy, they probably wouldn't be closing in the first place.
A recent program produced by our local PBS affiliate highlighted a couple Los Angeles area restaurants that have been around since almost forever. They're both family run places, with owners that see absolutely no reason to sell, or even make significant changes to, their beloved businesses. Fortunately, many of these places still do very well. Both of our favorite Hollywood hangouts opened prior to World War II, and they're still going strong. Many other places from that era aren't around anymore, though, and we can point out several places where - as the song goes - they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
The lesson here? Support these places and help keep them around for years to come. The above examples are of places in Southern California, but these classics can be found almost anywhere. Seek them out when you travel. We've committed ourselves to help in this effort. When we assist our clients with their vacation plans, we make it a point to recommend places to visit while on their trip. We tend to avoid the "here today, gone tomorrow" hot spots; we'd rather point people toward those neat little classic diners that still exist right down the street.
Return to Makarma Travel Home Page: http://www.makarmatravel.com/
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
That travel checklist we've been talking about...
A couple weeks ago, we (Mr. Makarma) reminded our fine friends of a few things which should be taken care of prior to departing for travel. Well, one of our finest of friends Robert wanted to know more about the last item we noted - a review of the travel checklist. He asked about key items which should be included; more specifically, what we had on our list.
Well, we do have some essentials, such as the iPod loaded with "Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Greatest Hits", Clorets and a rubber duckie. Seriously, though, you can still have a successful trip if you forget the iPod and Clorets.
What can't you forget?
1) Photo identification (all travel), proof of citizenship (all foreign travel) and any foreign visas (if required).
2) Medication, with a list (kept separately) of the medications you take, along with their dosages.
3) The tickets (Almost everything is electronic these days, but it's still important to have a record of your travel purchases.)
The above are three absolute essentials. Some of the other items from our recommended list:
Underwear (unless you have no concerns about unexpectedly going commando)
Electric converter (for foreign travel)
Baseball cap / other hat, sunscreen, sunglasses
Prescription eyeglasses / contact lenses
Camera, digital media / film
Toiletries
Shoes, socks
Pajamas / sweats (in other words, whatever you wear overnight)
Cell phone
Disinfectant spray / hand sanitizers
Swimwear
Checkbook
Reading books
Umbrella (if there's any chance at all you'll need it)
Dressy wear (Will there be a special occasion to dress up on your vacation?)
Also, remember to suspend newspaper delivery, and make alternative plans for any other scheduled deliveries.
The above list is by no means complete, and it may not necessarily be the list for you. What we want to stress, is that having such a list is important. Update it frequently (we keep ours in a Word file).
Have any additional recommendations for a travel checklist? Please drop us a line, and we'll consider mentioning it in a future TravelBlog.
Return to Makarma Travel Home Page: http://www.makarmatravel.com/
Well, we do have some essentials, such as the iPod loaded with "Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Greatest Hits", Clorets and a rubber duckie. Seriously, though, you can still have a successful trip if you forget the iPod and Clorets.
What can't you forget?
1) Photo identification (all travel), proof of citizenship (all foreign travel) and any foreign visas (if required).
2) Medication, with a list (kept separately) of the medications you take, along with their dosages.
3) The tickets (Almost everything is electronic these days, but it's still important to have a record of your travel purchases.)
The above are three absolute essentials. Some of the other items from our recommended list:
Underwear (unless you have no concerns about unexpectedly going commando)
Electric converter (for foreign travel)
Baseball cap / other hat, sunscreen, sunglasses
Prescription eyeglasses / contact lenses
Camera, digital media / film
Toiletries
Shoes, socks
Pajamas / sweats (in other words, whatever you wear overnight)
Cell phone
Disinfectant spray / hand sanitizers
Swimwear
Checkbook
Reading books
Umbrella (if there's any chance at all you'll need it)
Dressy wear (Will there be a special occasion to dress up on your vacation?)
Also, remember to suspend newspaper delivery, and make alternative plans for any other scheduled deliveries.
The above list is by no means complete, and it may not necessarily be the list for you. What we want to stress, is that having such a list is important. Update it frequently (we keep ours in a Word file).
Have any additional recommendations for a travel checklist? Please drop us a line, and we'll consider mentioning it in a future TravelBlog.
Return to Makarma Travel Home Page: http://www.makarmatravel.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
