Last week I traveled to Washington, DC, on Amtrak from New York for a daytrip of meetings. One great advantage of traveling with Amtrak is that even though it can be crowded, sometimes you can change your train ticket even after you’ve purchased it or missed your train, without any troubles. But I reserved a late train in the evening to ensure I wouldn’t have to rush out of the afternoon meetings.

Anyway, I did have some time in the evening to walk around DC, an occasion I rarely have and so I took full advantage. A friend met me for dinner at the Willard Intercontinental, and as the weather was summerlike, we sat outside, and I took in the political scene.

Almost every passerby’s conversation revolved around the recent election, and every corner store had Obama-Biden paraphernalia for sale. What made the night extra special for me was just before catching my train, around 8:30 p.m., we took a stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue right past the front lawn of the White House.

I probably had not done that since I was a little girl. Having traveled the world since then and having seen the homes of many heads of state from a distance, it was awe-inspiring and humbling to stand so close to the home of the President of the United States. It was peaceful, beautiful and a truly great symbol of this country. Whoever resides in the White House, be it President Bush, President-elect Obama or future presidents, I wish them all the best of luck, because no home so beautiful comes without hard work!

 Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher

Friday I am off for Beijing and Hong Kong. Shockingly, this will be my first trip to mainland China and, even though I have been to unusual places that most people have not traveled, China has eluded me. My staff, on the other hand, have taken opportunities to visit China over the past years, but I have been too bogged down until now.

China has presented us with business options as well. With the launch of eFlyer Asia this past fall, we find ourselves increasingly focused on the region and its travelers.

In Beijing I hope to play a round of golf at the Beijing CBD International Golf Club or the Beijing Golf Club (with views of the Great Wall from the first hole). The following day I will try to pack in the sights, including the Great Wall, before I start my business meetings on Monday. I will be staying at the Regent Beijing, and I am looking forward to what this property has to offer both the U.S. and Asian traveler.

Our eFlyer Asia newsletter has had an impact on the Pan-Asian marketplace in just a few short months. The opted-in subscriber base has doubled, and it has forced other magazines, one of which has published for twenty years, to start an online presence. Amazingly, this publication had no online site until we entered the market! Imitation is the grandest form of flattery.

In Hong Kong I have a busy two-day schedule of meetings with advertisers, public relations representatives, editors and investment gurus for eFlyer Asia and other extensions of this brand. I will end the week with a golf game at the Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course, which just had a fabulous write-up in Travel + Leisure Golf magazine. There are three courses at this facility, and I will be playing golf with Mike Carey, head of golf operations on the East Course. Expect a GTee in an upcoming issue of Global Traveler USA and eFlyer Asia!

Future golf players in Beijing and Hong Kong will be sure to find a few lost Global Traveler logo golf balls next week - I consider it free advertising!

-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

I promised to write about Tiger Woods this week. I attended an event hosted by Nike Golf and Golf Digest through their sponsor, American Airlines. It was a spectacular event. We were housed at the Doubletree San Pedro and played at Trump National.

We all arrived at the Doubletree and Golf Digest and Nike ran a flawless check-in for the event. We were required to wear the event identification at all times, either as a lanyard or a clip which was worn on the Nike hat (we were all given a bag of Nike goodies at check-in). We were asked to wear the Nike Tour shirts so that we could feel like tour players.

That evening we attended a dinner with the 24 winners of the Nike “Tee It Up with Tiger” contest. This was their event. Nike had placed a platinum ball in the sleeves of their new NIKE ONE Platinum and NIKE ONE Black golf balls. There was only one per sleeve. If you purchased the golf balls and got a platinum ball, you could register to attend this event - cool stuff, huh? Over 2,000 contestants were eligible, and from there, 24 were selected and participated in the event. There were some good stories on how the participants bought the special Nike balls. Most were Titleist players (myself included - ProV1). Some wanted to try the ball, and others had heard about the contest and wanted to give it a shot.

We spent a lot of time with Tiger - we each played a hole with him (Hole 10). Tiger is still recovering from his knee and femur surgeries, so he could not hit a shot, but he chatted and laughed with us. On the tee box, my group was made up of people with a three handicap, a two handicap and a nine handicap. I am a 16. And guess who hit the best shot on the Tiger hole? Yours truly! How many people can say that Tiger Woods told them they had a good shot?

Later we had a clinic with Tiger and Anthony Kim - a very funny guy. Before the dinner there was a question-and-answer with Tiger and one of the Golf Digest writers. I learned two things about Tiger - he will recover and come back to be the golfer we love to watch, and he was incredibly close to his father. I knew he was close, but didn’t know how close until he continually referenced his father in each session.

The bottom line - Tiger Woods told me I had a good shot! What a great feeling.

-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

The Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles is one of my frequent haunts. It is a beautifully landscaped property run by a top-notch staff. Never one to rest on its laurels, the Hotel Bel-Air has undergone renovations of its suites and is adding a luxury spa to the property, set to be complete in 2009. The spa is located on the site of the former Marilyn Monroe cottage at the north end on the sprawling property.

The Marilyn cottage was demolished this year, and the site was prepared for construction. Front-end loaders had to delicately level the ground and move debris without disturbing the surrounding grounds and gardens.

The day the cottage was leveled, the front desk received a call. The caller ID display read “Marilyn Monroe Cottage.” All the phone lines had been severed, and not only was the phone gone from the cottage, but the entire cottage was demolished! When the phone was answered, no one was on the other line. This repeated several times throughout the day.

Last week, a beautiful display of the proposed spa was in the reception area. It was displayed and framed, then enclosed in glass. Without warning, the display came crashing down, spewing shards of glass all over the floor near the concierge.

Can this all be the work of the spirit of Marilyn? You can add the Hotel Bel-Air to your list of properties with questionable permanent guests!

-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

I just came back from Tanzania in East Africa, where I had the chance to check off one of the items from my “bucket list” (if you remember back to a blog I did earlier this year). What an amazing sight! The Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra is absolutely breathtaking, and the people are so warm and friendly.

My first lodge was the Serengeti Under Canvas, owned and operated by CCAfrica. This was a first-class experience with butler service and gourmet meals, but the best part was sleeping in my luxury tent (and I mean LUXURY!) while hearing the Great Migration taking place not too far away. I have been in the African bush before, but this was different. It is something I recommend that anyone who loves wildlife do at least once. It is something that you will never forget.

My second abode was the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, which sits right on the rim of the crater. The crater itself is a World Heritage site and is believed to actually have been higher than Kilimanjaro before it erupted millions of years ago. This is a completely different landscape from the Serengeti, but it is actually still part of the Serengeti/Mara ecosystem. The lodge itself is stunning, and each 5-star chalet is well-appointed. The coup de gras for me was a lovely touch - after spending the entire morning on the crater floor, we returned for a fabulous lunch in the lodge, and upon returning to the room, I found the free-standing tub full with a bubble bath and rose petals. Talk about room service!

I want to give a shout out to my new friends, Asheri and his team from Under Canvas and Beata and her team from the Crater Lodge. I miss you all terribly! I also want to thank the fabulous Ian Procter from Ultimate Africa Safaris in Washington for his help with all the last-minute plans. If any of you get the chance to visit the wonderful country of Tanzania, give Ian a call - he is my hero!

-Morissa Pawl, consultant Western region