Third-World Lodging in First-World City

Gross motel squats on grade-A location across from the Santa Monica Pier

Sometimes I'm in too much of a hurry for my own good -- like last week, when I needed a last-minute, one-night reservation in Santa Monica. I went online and booked a room for $89 (normally $149, according to the website) at the Pacific Sands Motel. In the online pictures, the place looked simple but OK. I wish that I'd read through previous visitors' reviews on various travel sites before booking there. It is without question the worst dump I've ever stayed in, in the United States -- bar none. I considered taking pictures, but at the time, I didn't think I wanted to document how bad it was. But since I'm still sufficiently irritated to write a post four days after checking out, I wish I had.

If I hadn't arrived in the early evening with just a bit over an hour before a working dinner about a mile away, I wouldn't have stayed. If it hadn't been a Saturday evening, I wouldn't have stayed. If I had a car (I took a shuttle from the airport), I wouldn't have stayed. But I had no time, no car and had seen "No Vacanacy" signs elsewhere nearby, so I was stuck in Room 49 of the Pacific Sands Motel in otherwise-fancy, otherwise-upscale Santa Monica.

My reservation was for a non-smoking room (and the website claims that the place is a 100% non-smoking facility), but I was given smoke-stinky room in the "annex" across the alley from main motel. Not only did it reek of smoke, but the ashtray had not even been cleaned! Neither had much else. The mirrors were streaked. A dirty rug had been laid on top of peeling linoleum that was dirty around the edges. The bathroom was so questionable that I didn't even step into the shower. Crumbling, poorly patched walls added to the seediness. It was just as well that the lighting was dim, because everything would have looked even worse in bright light.

The louvred windows had no solid glass, letting in every street sound, which was considerable. The room was terribly noisy, because the annex backs against busy street with a lot of foot traffic and a bus stop right outside. I think the owners might have picked the desk and chair out of a dumpster. The sink faucet didn't work properly, and the bathroom window was broken. The TV got a handful of channels, and the remote worked only marginally. Even the soap was so cheesy that it didn't foam. The bottom sheet (flat, not fitted) was put directly on top of a stained mattress with no mattress cover, but I suppose that doesn't matter, because if there had been a mattress cover, it would have been stained too.

If I had been traveling in a developing country on a bouncing bus, I'd find this luxurious. Cheap, simple and clean works for me. Cheap, broken and dirty doesn't. Only plusses were the location and free WiFi. They in no way compensated for everything else. I'm giving you the Pacific Sands Motel's address and phone number so that you can avoid this dump: 1515 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, California 90401; 310-395-6133.

Groundbreaking Today for Denver-DIA Rail Line

At last, the first shovel of earth to turn for future rail link between Denver to its great airport

I know this is a travel blog, and I do try to be regional, national and global in my posts, but I'm as provincial as anyone else, and since my travels start in Colorado, often via Denver International Airport, I pay special attention to news that affects people traveling to and from this state.

My husband and I am going to Germany in October. Whenever I fly alone, I like to take RTD's SkyRide bus directly to the airport terminal, but when we fly together, we tend to drive and will probably do so. That means driving to DIA, parking at an outlying lot and riding a shuttle to the terminal. When we arrive in Frankfurt, we will go to the Deutsche Bundesbahn railroad station connected to the terminal and take an express train to Baden Baden and overnight in a nice hotel right at the railroad station there.

A (relaitvely) comparable experince should be available to DIA passengers in 2016 with the completion of RTD's 22.8-mile East Corridor between the airport and Union Station -- a "mere" 21 years after the airport opened. If rail had been done concurrently with the airport, the train would be old enough to drink legally by then.

Of course, I know how differently things were done in the expansionist 19th century and the cautious, litigenous 21st, but I cannot help but think of the first transcontinental railroad. In 1862, Congress approved it. In 1869, the ceremonial Golden Spike was driven into a bit of Utah track where the Union Pacific and Central Pacific lines met. This feat was accomplished, with the work done largely by hard-working immigrant laborers, despite such distractions as the Civil War and the understandably hostile actions of Native Americans who did not take kindly to the roadbeds, rails and temporary labor camps rocketing across their land.

The cars, like those in RTD's digitually manipulated image (above right), will be electric commuter rail cars, heavier than those used on current RTD lighrail routes but heavier than Amtrak-style standard gauge. They will ride on modified Union Pacific trackage. Today's first shovel full of dirt is symbolic, and "real" construction is slated to begin in 2011.

Still, I'm encouraged by the Denver area's embracing alternative transportation after decades of being enraptured by automobiles. You'll be able to see the groundbreaking ceremony on the evening news. When completed, the line will be wonderful for locals (both travelers and airport workers) and visitors to have options -- and the East Corridor is one.

My Death Valley Travels -- and Airlines' Death Rattles

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, but I've been traveling.

I was in Death Valley National Park for several days, staying at the historic Furnace Creek Inn, which will have Internet access next season (this inn closes during the summer) but does not at this time. I'll post a longer report about Death Valley's history and natural wonders when I can.

But meanwhile, as a teaser, I'll just note that the park is phenomenal and fascinating: famous as the continent's hottest, driest, lowest-elevation place, but its 3 million acres also include stark desertscape of salt flats, mineral deposits, sand dunes and multicolored rock layers, surrounded by mountains some of which still are capped with the last of winter's snow. This has been a good -- not a great, but a good -- wildflower year, and I caught just the tail end. The beautiful flower here is called the Desert Five-Spot, which looks a bit like a lavender Japanese lantern whose rounded petals surround five bright red spots in the center.


Another Airline Bites the Dust

While I've been unconnected to the on-line world, big news in travel is the continuing (and worsening) litany of airline woes. Two scheduled and one charter carrier recently folded. Late last week, Columbus, OH-based SkyBus went under. Aloha Airlines, which declared bankruptcy some 10 days ago was 61 years old. SkyBus, a discount carrier with 11 destinations and big dreams, had not yet celebrated its first anniversary. Delta, United, American and others have announced various cost-saving measures. Just when the leaner and meaner aviation industry had returned to profitability, literally and figuratively sky-high jet-fuel costs have killed off some carriers and weakened others. Major media will continue to report on rumored or planned airline mergers or deaths of the biggies, but in this blog, I am concerned with the impact on travelers.

Travel Insurance Tips

I received the following message from QuoteWright, and online travel insurance provider. These tips are worth paying attention to when you plan your next travels:

In the past several days 3 airlines have suddenly ceased
business. Travelers can use travel insurance to help protect
themselves but there are a few things they should know before buying:

1. Buy travel insurance from an independent source rather than from the travel provider. Travel Insurance policies offered by tour operators, cruise lines, or airlines either don’t cover their own financial default or they exclude the financial default of the company from whom you purchase your coverage.
2. Check the insurance plan to see if they have a list of airlines or travel companies that they either will or will not cover. One company, Access America, provides a list of companies they will cover while two other companies, Travel Guard and Travelex, provide a list of companies they will not cover.
3. Buy travel insurance very soon after they make a deposit. Default protection is only available if you purchase your travel insurance within 10 to 21 days of your initial deposit. The time period varies with each company and plan so our advice is to do it within 10 days to ensure that you have the maximum flexibility.
4. Review the coverage carefully. Some plans will have a “waiting period” after the coverage is purchased before the default coverage goes into effect. In some cases this is 14 days after you buy the insurance. Another reason to buy coverage early.
5. Buy your trip or airline ticket through a travel agent. Some insurance plans exclude coverage if you have purchase your trip directly with the travel company. Most travel insurance plans will not, however, to have the maximum flexibility you should purchase your trip through a travel agent, whether locally or online, rather than buying direct.
6. Always use a credit card for the payment of your ticket or trip. In the event of a default you might be able to dispute your charge and have the credit card company remove it from your billing. This is fine if it happens prior to your trip but doesn’t help much if you are traveling at the time of the default. If that happens other airlines might offer you an alternative flight on a standby basis but it can still result in delays and additional expenses that would be covered by many travel insurance policies.

These are all ways that a consumer can minimize their risks. You can never
eliminate all risks but you can take prudent measures to minimize them before
you travel.”

Travel Babel Named One of the Top 25 Awesome Travel Blogs

Latest recognition is awesome and then some from fellow travel blogger

What a thrill to get an E-mail from Chelsea (whose last name I don't know), letting me know that she selected this blog as one of the Top 25 Awesome Travel Blogs on her Cheap Hotels site, that she describes as "a travel blog covering hotel deals, travel information and reviews of some of the top hotels in the world along with a little fun." In describing her 25 faves, she wrote of Travel Babel, "Award-winning writer Claire Walter’s blog 'Travel Babel' provides comical relief about serious travel matters and showcases interesting information regarding the best vacation deals." Seems as if she and I are soulmates in the world of travel blogging.

A few months back, Awarding the Web picked Travel Babel as one of the Top 50 Travel Blogs of 2010, and it won third place in the Society of American Travel Writers' Western Chapter writing award this first year that there has been a blogging category.

Thanks, Chelsea for this honor. It truly means a lot.

Three Free Weekends in US National Parks

Entrance fees waives for two days each in June, July and August

Oh-my-gosh. It has been a week since a wrote a post on this blog -- I think my longest time-out ever. I still have a couple of Hawaiian experiences that I want to share with you, and I have been to California and back since my last post. But today's announcement by Secretary of the Interior (and former US Senator from Colorado) Ken Salazar that the Park Service will waive entrance fees during three weekends this summer is so exciting that I really want to share it before I do anything else.

Of the National Park's 391 units, 147 charge entrance fees that range from a low $3 to a high $25 per vehicle. The upcoming free weekends are June 20-21, July 18-19 and August 15-16. Camping and concessions (including food, lodging, shopping, equipment rentals and outfitter tours, like the trail ride in Rocky Mountain National Park, right) will charge as usual. This will make it a boon for those suppliers, who not only will see greater traffic but without having to pay the entrance fee, visitors will have more money to spend on other stuff. According to National Parks Traveler, the Park Service collects an average of $500,000 in entrance fees per summer day.

The idea behind all this generosity is as part of economic stimulus, recognizing how important tourism is across the country. In addition to the concessionaires, the gateway communities to national parks with all their small businesses and often intense seasonality will also benefit.

As a National Parks pass holder who can visit any park at any time on that one little card, I personally plan to stay away from Rocky Mountain National Park, which is an hour from my home, on all three free weekends. Far better, I think, to make room for someone who would otherwise not visit.

Two More Airlines Grounded

One charter and one more scheduled airline join Aloha on the grounded list

I'm uncofmortably seated on the floor of the B Concourse at Denver International Airport, grateful that there's now free WiFi here but wishing there were more electrical outlets so that I wouldn't be leaning against a round stainless-steel pillar next to a trash can to post this. I am also grateful that I am not flying ATA. My E-mail inbox contained a message with an Elliott.org with the following news:

"First it was Aloha Airlines. Then it was charter carrier Champion Air.
Today it’s ATA. Within a week, three airlines have been grounded, leaving
thousands of passengers stranded.
What now?"

Read Elliott's precautions (e.g., do an airline "health check" before booking, always pay for your ticket by credit car) and possible remedies (e.g., the refund rules) if you are flying soon. It would be nice not to need this advice, but unfortunately, the airline industry is so fragile these days that one never knows.

One Colorado Vacation Planner Excludes Boulder

En route back from Hawaii (more posts from that trip to come), I picked up a copy of the "Colorado Summer Vacation Planner 2009" (top right) at Denver International Airport this morning. A bit spacy after a full day on the Big Island and a red-eye nonstop flight from Kailua Kona International Airport, I thumbed through it on the ride home. There were the usual towns, resorts and counties in almost-alphabetical order: Aspen, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Cañon City, Chaffee County -- all the way to Winter Park.

Then I looked again. No Boulder! No Boulder? I know (and have repeated) the one-liner about "the People's Republic of Boulder," but as far as I knew, Boulder hadn't actually seceded from the State of Colorado, nor had Boulder been kicked out. Colorado towns as small as Ouray (population under 900) and even non-towns like Gateway, which is actually a resort development called Gateway Canyons Resort, near the Utah state line, get their own chapters. But no Boulder -- except in the lodging listings, where 11 properties are given.

I looked again through bleary red-eye flight eyes and finally noticed that this vacation planner is not the one issued by the Colorado Tourism Office, but rather by the Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association. The CTO's "2009 Official Sate Vacation Guide" (lower right) does not feature specific destination chapters, so low-keying Boulder is not quite so obvious. (I'm sorry that there's no larger image downloadable from the CTO's site, but you can see it here.) The covers of the two planners are similar: blue sky dome above a wildflower-filled meadow, with a couple of hikers on the CHLA's planner and a romantic couple lounging (off-trail) amid the flowers on the CTO's planner.

But back to omitting Boulder, oversight? Maybe. Deliberate? Maybe, perhaps because of an insufficient level of advertising support by city interests for state-wide tourism promotion efforts. Too bad? For sure.