Massachusetts is doling out $2 million every month to 39 motels statewide, at a cost of $85 per room to taxpayers, in order to provide temporary housing for 751 families, including about 1,000 children.

The Boston Globe reports that inspite of the heavy bill to taxpayers, some of these motels in Boston, Cambridge and Ashleigh provide only bare minimum living conditions.

“Many motels are in congested commercial districts on busy thoroughfares without sidewalks. They often are dingy, with poor lighting, worn carpeting, and - in some places - bedbugs. Families are not allowed to have visitors in their rooms, some of which lack microwaves and refrigerators. Children have parking lots as their only playgrounds.”

To make matters worse, some of the motels which are housing the homeless are the source of increasing complaints of irregularities, medical emergencies and criminal activities. After the fire dept. found illegal hot plates and toaster ovens at the Cambridge Gateway Inn, they’re now conducting weekly checks.

But the problem here is that the homeless families being put up at these motels do not have the support that they get at shelters - use of kitchens, medical care, living areas, playgrounds, etc.

This creates an atmosphere of hopelessness in the motels and leads to emergencies triggered by desperate families trying to bend the law in order to fulfill these simple yet unavailable needs.

Posted on July 4th, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: Hotels, News | No Comments »

While the rest of America celebrates the 4th of July with fireworks and shows, in Roswell, New Mexico, July 2-5 is a time for rehashing one of the biggest shows in the town’s history.

In July 1947, a mysterious flying object crashed on a ranch 30 miles north of Roswell. The Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) issued a statement claiming to have recovered a crashed ‘flying disk,’ but promptly changed their statement the next day, and said it was a weather balloon.

Ever since that day, Roswell has been the epicenter of UFO conspiracy theories and speculation.

The town has now gone so far into cuckooland that they now have an annual Roswell UFO Festival in early July, to keep the incident alive. The tourist attractions in Roswell include the International UFO Museum and Research Center, and of course, the UFO Festival.

July 2-5 is the perfect time to enjoy vacations in Roswell, especially if you’re fond of shows and movies like the X-Files, ET, Independence Day, Star Wars, Transformers, etc. There’s a UFO parade, Alien Costume contest and plenty of symposiums, speakers, experts on alien life and extra-terrestrials.

If you want to drop in on a last minute impluse, most of the official UFO festival hotels are already jammed full of folks wearing aluminium tin-foil hats, but you should be able to find a place to stay at one of these Roswell motels.

More details about the Roswell UFO Festival here - www.roswellufofestival.com/.

Roswell Daily Record snapshot by Thomas Roche via flickr (creative commons). Roswell UFO Parade photo credit - Roswell UFO Festival/Guy Malone/Alien Resistance HQ.

Posted on July 3rd, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: Festivals | 2 Comments »

Two hotels in Washington DC, the Carlyle Suites Hotel and it’s sister hotel Savoy Suites - are both offering a unique special - put in 5 hours of community service and they’ll slash 50% off your hotel room rate.

The package, called ‘Serve America and Stay in DC’, offers you a choice - either pay in full and the hotels will donate 50% of your room rate to a community service organization of your choice; or you can pay 50% of your hotel bill by volunteering 5 hours of community service hours of your choosing.

To receive your 50% refund, the following information must be emailed to ServeAmerica@CarlyleSuites.com no later than 90 days after your departure:

1) A verification letter on the organization’s letterhead, stating your name, the dates and number of hours of your community service performed.

2) A copy of the organization’s 501(c)3 certificate.

Only guests who have prepaid the Serve America and Stay in DC package will be eligible for a refund and the guest’s last name on the verification of community service letter must match the registered guest’s name at the Carlyle Suites Hotel.

The Serve America and Stay in DC package is available for travel from July 1st through September 7th. Minimum 2-night stay required. More details here.

Carlyle Suites Hotel - 1731 New Hampshire Ave. NW Washington, DC 20009; (202) 234-3200;  www.carlylesuites.com/

Savoy Suites Hotel - 2505 Wisconsin Ave. NW Washington, DC 20007; (202) 337-9700; www.savoysuites.com/

Posted on July 2nd, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: Hotels | No Comments »

Wanna get laid in New York City? It’s costly, as is everything else in the Big Apple. Fortunately for you, TimeOut New York has come out with a very useful list of no-tell New York motels.

Yes, I know it’s. tacky. But devastatingly effective, wouldn’t you say? Great headboard… That’s the romantic interlude room at the Liberty Inn, which proudly advertises itself as ‘Your Rendezvous for Romance.’

Use this list if you’re in the need for some cheap ’n’ discreet shag—no reservations necessary.

The Liberty Inn - 51 10th Ave (between 13th and 14th); (212) 741-2333; www.libertyinnnyc.com

St. Marks Hotel - 2 St. Marks Pl at Third Ave; (212) 674-0100; www.stmarkshotel.net

La Semana  - 25 W 24th St (between Broadway and Sixth Ave); (212) 255-5944; www.lasemanahotelnyc.com

Kew Motor Inn - 139-01 Grand Central Pkwy at Charter Rd, Kew Gardens Hills, Queens;  (718) 969-3000; www.kewmotorinn.com

Days Inn, Brooklyn  - 437 39th St (between Fourth and Fifth Aves), Sunset Park, Brooklyn; (718) 853-4141

Most of these motels won’t require you to show ID, and you can pay in cash or traveler’s checks, to maintain your privacy. Charges range from $60 onwards for a couple of hours.

Posted on July 1st, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: Hotels, NYC, New York | No Comments »

It’s a sad day for nudists who enjoyed letting it all hang out on Trail 6 - the stretch of sand on San Onofre State Beach where clothing was optional.

A panel of judges at the 4th District Court of Appeals sided with state officials who wanted a ban on nude sunbathing. The Naturist Action Committee, which wants to be able to continue the 20-year old clothing-optional tradition, says it’s planning to appeal the verdict.

The nudists argue that San Onofre gets a lot of visitor and tourist revenue because people know there’s a nude beach available, and they pay admission fees and buy annual passes for Trail 6.

And that these visitors spend more money on the San Clemente motels and hotels and restaurants and other tourism service providers, thus helping the local economy.

State officials, on the other hand, argue that there never was a state policy setting aside space for nudity on the beach, and that the nudists were able to do their thing for so long only because the state chose to ignore the violations. But now, after getting complaints, they had to follow procedure and kick out the nude bums.

Photo by jakesmome

Posted on June 30th, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: California, News | No Comments »

The Detroit Riverside Hotel is at the recieving end of some really big trouble from a big bunch of Baptists. Here’s the thing - 40,000 Baptists were in Motown on Wednesday last for the the National Baptist Convention at Cobo Center.

And a lot of them were staying at the 320 room Riverside, which was packed to the rafters, same as most other downtown Detroit hotels. Only problem was that the hotel management apparently is kinda broke and maybe neglected to take care of things, so they lost the air-conditioning. And there were no clean towels and electricity was patchy at best. Some of the TV sets and refrigirators were also not working.

The Baptists lost their cool, and after some complaining and a lot of shouting, stormed out en-masse. The hotel promised refunds for a 1-night stay, and issued checks for the same. But now, the checks are bounding all over the place, and it also seems the hotel hasn’t paid it’s employees either.

And then people wonder why Detroit always seems to land up at the top of any list of worst cities and bad experiences and stuff like that. 

Next time you stay in Detroit, make sure you stay at cheap Detroit motels where you can pay by the day. It’s got to be better than a posh hotel which doesn’t have airconditioning or towels, with TV and refrigirators on the blink. And even if you have to storm out, you won’t lose much.

Posted on June 29th, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: Hotels | No Comments »

SC Gov. Mark Sanford’s use of an Appalachian Trail getaway trip as a pretext to coverup his extramarital romance in Argentina has had one unexpected benefit - The Appalachian Trail has suddenly become a popular option for a weekend or extended getaway in the mountains.

The Appalachian Trail extends 2,178 miles, touches 14 states from Maine to Georgia, crosses 6 national parks and 8 national forests, and houses over 2000 rare and endangered plant and animal species.

281 miles of the trail fall in Maine, and this stretch is notoriously difficult to navigate, especially for novice hikers. Lakes, streams, and bogs abound. While that makes moose and loons common sights, it also makes for muddy treadway and many fords of mountain streams.

If you want to enjoy it, but you’re not the kind who thinks hanging on for dear life from a tree root trying to pull yourself up is a vacation, then you might want to take a weekend stay at the Stratton Motel in Stratton, Maine.

It’s a kindof base for backpackers who’re doing the trail, and you can expect to see hikers all the way from from Grafton Notch to Caratunk stopping by. You can enjoy the outdoorsy attractions of Maine without putting your city-slicker hide in any serious danger.

As far as Stratton motels go, it’s pretty decent - Offers 5 private rooms that have in-room baths, cable TV, and refrigerators and microwaves. There’s a diner across the road, you get free wi-fi, shuttle service and use of BBQ grills. There’s also a 2-bedroom unit with a kitchen, living room, and sitting area.

Photo by crazybear (broken images) via flickr (creative commons).

Info: 162 Main Street (Rt 27), P.O. Box 284 , Stratton, ME 04982; (207) 246-417; www.thestrattonmotel.com/

Posted on June 28th, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: Hotels | No Comments »

Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox may be the hot stars of the new Transformers movie ‘Revenge of the Fallen,’ and the Autobots Mudflap and Skids may be laugh-riot, but the  star which has a big screen presence is San Diego.

The City was used extensively for the film, and San Diego attractions pass by crazy fast in the background behind all the action.

In one sequence, a helicopter with a car hung below it was flown along the waterfront from the east end of Harbor Island south along the Embarcadero to the Convention Center.

The San Diego beaches aren’t left out either. There’s another scene at a bunker on the Coronado Naval Base off Imperial Beach. One scene was shot onboard the submarine USS Topeka at the Point Loma Submarine Base. 

Posted on June 27th, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: movies, san diego | No Comments »

The British never cease to amaze. Seems like they’re always upto no good, and somehow end up foisting on the world one scatterbrained scheme after another. But this is one time I probably wouldn’t mind their scheme jumping across the Atlantic from London to New York.

Because London Breaks and the Daily Mail are offering an intriguing promotion - buy a theatre ticket, and they’ll throw in a one night stay in a 3 or 4 or 5 star hotel room for free.

And that includes a free continental breakfast in the morning. Shows on offer include Chicago, Hairspray, Billy Elliot and Sister Act. More details here - www.londonbreaks.com/dailymail

Now all we have to do is convince the NY Daily News to start handing out free stays at New York hotels along with Broadway show tickets.

Posted on June 26th, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: Art & Museums, Hotels, World | No Comments »

At 15 pet-friendly boutique JDV properties in the San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley, and Southern California, dog owners can now bring their pets along for the journey without worrying about weight limit restrictions or pet fees being imposed for their stay.

In addition to eliminating weight limits and not charging a fee for pets (provided there is no damage to a guestroom and dog owners abide by pet policy rules), Joie de Vivre’s pet-friendly hotels also offer special amenities for four-legged guests.

These include in-room dog beds, dog food, water bowls, toys, and even a doggie turndown service. Each hotel offers different amenities and some offer fee-based grooming or dog walking upon request.

In addition to 10 dog-friendly properties in San Francisco, three of their dog-friendly hotels are in the East Bay and Marin County and one in Silicon Valley. In Southern California, where the group is expanding rapidly, the hotels in Huntington Beach (Shorebreak) and Long Beach (Maya) welcome dogs and their owners.

A third boutique hotel in Southern California - the Pacific Edge Hotel on Laguna Beach - will join Joie de Vivre’s pet-friendly pack when it becomes a Joie de Vivre hotel this fall.

There is no additional charge for a dog staying with its owner in a guestroom in a JDV hotel. For more information or to book Joie de Vivre’s “Something to Bark About” package, visit www.summercalifornia.com or www.jdvhotels.com.

Photo by Wm Jas via flickr (creative commons).

Posted on June 19th, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: Hotels | No Comments »