Pittsburgh Pennsylvania - A Place for Lovers.

Ok before you make yourself take a second look the title of this blog is exactly what you read...Pittsburgh Pennsylvania has been ranked,  according to an online poll, as the Number One city in the United States for romance to bloom. Now to the fine print. The poll actually is ranking the number one city for baby boomer romance to bloom. Regardless, Travel Ape found this poll to be interesting enough to look into just a little. 

How about some of these statistics about the Steel City. Pittsburgh, at least for boomer marriages, is ranked 8th in marriage rates among the top 50 metro areas in the United States.  On top of that, again among boomers, Pittsburgh has the 2nd lowest rate of those divorced and separated.  Is it something in the water? The air? Most would think that a tropical paradise would be where love would bloom. Who knew?

Why get into all this lovey dovey talk? Well it's almost Valentine's Day, and if you didn't know Travel Ape has a soft spot for love. With that being said, Travel Ape went out and looked for the top romantic things to do for your romantic trip to Pittsburgh. First check out any number of potential Pittsburgh Hotels. Then get your reservations at one of Pittsburgh's most romantic restaurants the Hyeholde Restaurant located at 190 Hyeholde Dr., Moon Township, PA. Just take a look at the link to the site provided. I can't do it justice by writing about it here. Here's the number for reservations too, 412-264-3116. What wold be a romantic night without a limo to drive you so call Excpetional Limo at 412-956-2697.

Where ever you decide to enjoy your night of romance enjoy. That's from the big old Ape himself.

Alaska 24 Hours of Sunlight - Travel for the Thrill of a Lifetime

There are many different things in the world that to many the live on this relatively tiny blue marble in the Universe that are obscure, unknown or unexperienced. In Alaska, the phenomenon of 24 hours of sunlight, or on a daily level close to that many hours, where the sun never seems to set.

Imagine traveling to a land where at midnight the sun shines as if you were sitting down for a late lunch. Alaska is no doubt considered and categorized for travel and the avid traveler as adventure travel and for good reason. Many of the state of Alaska's regions are still uncharted and hardly ever traveled by human beings. Many of the cities and even their largest cities are very tough to travel to especially during the winter months. If one were to travel to Alaska, it is said that the best times to enjoy this wonderful land of dense forests, untamed wildlife and majestic mountain ranges is around late May through June. Why? Because the days are longest, meaning the number of hours of sunlight, the skies are usually very clear and blue and the late morning to afternoon hours are warm and comfortable.

There are so many things to see and enjoy in Alaska should you wish to travel and vacation there. Visit old gold rush towns, visit villages of the indigenous people of Alaska, go skiing or do some of the best fresh water fishing that you could do anywhere on the globe.

There aren't a whole heck of a lot of hotels and formal accommodations, but you can make your start by heading to Anchorage. We have a list of Anchorage Hotels to choose from, so check out availability for this coming late May through June.

2009 Mens Basketball Big East Conference Championships.

The 2008-2009 NCAA Men’s College Basketball season is far from over, but it never is too early to prepare for the post season. Especially when you may be a die hard fan of any number of colleges.

Today’s post is about one of the biggest conference championships in Men’s NCAA Basketball, the Big East Championship. For over 30 years now, teams from the Big East Conference descend upon the city of New York to battle it out for the championship that gives the winner a direct bid into the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The venue, none other than one of the most famous sports venues in the world Madison Square Garden. The excitement each year is palpable.

This year the Big East Conference Championship has a slightly different format than it has in many years mainly because the number of teams that participate in the conference have increased to 16 from what I believe was about 10 teams just a few short years ago. Back to the format, the two top teams will get double byes for the first two rounds, as the remaining teams will begin play on Tuesday on March 10th, 2009.

It's not too early at all to try and search for New York City Hotels in and around the Manhattan area where Madison Square Garden is located. If you are really a fan of college basketball this may be one of the finest tournaments in the country. Also, on a personal note Travel Ape has predicted the winner to be the Villanova Men's Basketball Team. We'll see.

If you are interested in getting tickets you have to go to one of the individual colleges or schools ticket offices. Check out the official Big East Men's Basketball site to see the teams. 

Boston Harbor Hotel - Boston Hotels

The Boston Harbor Hotel one of the only Five Star Hotel located on the Water Front in Boston. The location might be what makes this hotel a must to stay at if you have the means and funds, while visiting Boston. It is uniquely positioned as it has views of the ocean on one side and a clear view of the city of Boston on the other. What's more visitors are greeted by a story book like winding green parkway on another side. The long and short is the Boston Harbor Hotel is all about luxury and an upscale experience for visitors. Which, might I add, visitors can reach the hotel by car or by boat should you be out on the open seas and want to come to land to be pampered for a spell.

The hotel features 230 guest rooms which have been recently renovated and updated to capture a more modern, yet elegant decor.

Rooms and accommodations at the Boston Harbor Hotel feature all the trimmings of luxury including big comfy beds and hand crafted and carved furniture and Italian Marble. How about the fact that you also can relax in your room while enjoying television on a flat screen plasma television? Talk about class and luxury, the Boston Harbor Hotel has it all.

The hotel and property are great for staying over and also for hosting events. The event room can handle both small intimate gatherings and meetings, to large events such as weddings where attendance can reach up to 350 people.

Find out more about the Boston Harbor Hotel by visiting their official website. Why not also check out the local events calendar for the Boston area to see if some event , show or anything is happening and plan a trip. You can't lose.

NBA Tickets.

The NBA or National Basketball Association is very hot right now, and believe it or not, it's coming to it's mid way point in just a few weeks. That point culminates on February 15th 2009 for the NBA's All Star Game. 

Why are things so hot? The NBA is experiencing a resurgence of interest mainly due to the achievement of the USA Basketball team during the 2008 Summer Games in China where USA won gold. The team was made up of great players from the USA that are all excelling for their respective NBA teams, of which two of Team USA's premiere players are caught in a grudge match for potential 2008-2009 MVP NBA Honors...You might have heard of them both..A Mr. Lebron James and a Mr. Kobe Bryant.

So don't miss either of them if you can. Check out both player's teams schedule and available tickets by going to www.TravelApe.com Cleveland Cavalier's Tickets and the Los Angeles Laker's Tickets sections provided.

Should some other form of entertainment strike some interest in you TravelApe.com has a complete event tickets sections. Check it out. 

Cancun Hotels and Cancun Vacation Packages.

I think the cold and snow have finally gotten to most of us here in Travel Ape nation. I know Travel Ape himself has taken excursions to Florida several times in the past few months, but he's even complaining today about the wintery weather.  In his mind Florida isn't tropical or south enough, he's thinking about Mexico.

Well one of the most famous destination resorts in Mexico is of course Cancun. We've stumbled upon several Cancun Vacation Packages through some of our alliances, and they really are great. Obviously being a great destination like Cancun is, the hotels in the area are quality. One such Cancun hotel that features multiple packages is the Laguna Suites Spa and Golf Resort Cancun. In general the Laguna Suites Spa and Golf Resort has a whole bunch to offer. First and foremost like the name of the property indicates it sits on site with a golf course. The Pok Ta Pok Golf Club to be specific offering 18 holes of majestic play in Mexico. Also you'll find the full service Namaste Spa. Other perks include full access to two other local sister resorts, free airport transfers to and from the hotel and a free shuttle to the Ocean Spa Resort Cancun. 

The suites at the Laguna Suites Spa and Golf Resort are just fantastic. They are fully air-conditioned, equipped with cable television a sofa bed and are handicap accessible. 

Packages for the Laguna Suites and Golf Resort range from $199 to $549 depending on the number of days and nights spent and the premiums offered. 

The $199 package is called the Sweet Suite Cancun Getaway and offers accommodations for 4 days and 3 nights in a junior suite plus 2 $30 Spa Gift Certificates.  For $429 they have what is called the Cancun 5 Night Getaway. This is basically the same package as in the Sweet Suite Cancun Getaway but you get 6 Days at the resort. Finally is the Cancun Super Getaway which offers 7 Days and 6 Nights for $549. As with all packages this one comes with accommodations in a junior suite plus 2 $30 gift certificates to the spa.

If you're really interested in pursuing one of these packages you can go directly to the web site links offered above or call 1-800-675-8399 for a customer  service representative. Also why not plan your vacation around events happening around the calendar in Cancun. Check out the Official Cancun Visitors Bureau Website. 

Getting Ready for the Pro Bowl after a Crazy NFL Season...

As I stated in my previous post congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers the 2009 NFL's Super Bowl Champions !!! Again what a crazy season and a fitting crazy end to the years most anticipated sporting event. 

To that end we now set our sights on the some what anticlimactic game of the NFl's Pro Bowl to be played on February 8th 2009 in Hawaii.  To most of you out there traveling to the Hawaii, or better yet, making plans to take a vacation to go to Honolulu is at this point on the calendar may not be financially and practical for many. That doesn't mean that for those lucky few that are may be able to find time, money and whatever else is necessary to get to the game, or for those of you that are interested in the game itself, that we at Travel Ape can't help but build up a little excitement. 

The game is played at Aloha Stadium and has been for many years. If you go to Wikipedia it has some great information that not many know about relating to the evolution and history of the Pro Bowl, one little fact of which, it was played at Texas Stadium in 1973. One additional fact that I'm not sure a lot of people know is that there are plans to have the Pro Bowl Played the week between the Conference Championship Games and the Super Bowl. The times they are a changing.

If you are still thinking about finding a hotel room for the game check out our complete listings of potential vacant hotels in Hawaii and the surrounding area for this coming weekend. Just so you know we've seen rates for as low as $92 a night to as high as $400 a night for premium hotel locations. The big rate deal on the $92 a night price can be found at the Waikiki Sand Villa Hotel and for a 2.5 Star Rated hotel it's quite a bargain and relatively near the stadium.