Last year I vowed not to stay home for the New Year’s holiday this year, but guess what I did? Stayed home. I did some quick Internet searches, several times, on Orbitz, Travelocity and Kayak, but I found nothing that jumped out at me. I wanted to reach out to some of my client friends in the industry, but I was so bogged down with business and year-end work, I just never got around to reaching out.

So I was here the day after New Year’s, watching the news, when I saw that Hawaii is continuing a two-year downward slide. I happen to be a big fan of Hawaii and think it is a great destination. Many people think it is too sterile and too expensive, but when you go to Hawaii, everything works and the people cannot be more friendly. As far as the expense, I have a friend who refers to it as “Hawaii money,” and when I traveled there with my family, no matter where we ate dinner, it was always the same price. Expensive, but orderly, friendly and tasty; so definitely worth it.

But have you see a lot of promotions for Hawaii? Have you seen any spectacular marketing or advertising about the Islands? I haven’t. Additionally, Hawaii and its hotels cannot get their sights off the West Coast market. This is where they spend nearly all their marketing dollars. In case they haven’t heard, California is in the dumps, so perhaps they should open their minds and reach out to the less-recession-hit East Coast?

Several years ago, Hawaii won Best Domestic Tourism Destination from the readers of Global Traveler. When I reached out to the CVB, I received a less than “aloha” response. I was a little shocked. Not only did they seem not to care, but they were not interested in coming to the awards ceremony or responding to me as if they were honored.

Now they think President Obama’s trip to Hawaii is their best marketing tool. This is the same guy who told travelers not to go to extravagant meetings and not to travel (the AIG effect), which resulted in the loss of 100 meetings in Hawaii. Companies canceled their meetings in fear of what these meetings would look like in the AIG effect-hungry press. In my opinion, Hawaii could not have picked a worse spokesperson.

Hawaii is obviously misguided and has no idea how to get people back to the islands. It was an easy out to blame the economy. Perhaps the CVB needs to talk to some of the people who check guests in at hotels, who serve the meals and who attend to your needs while in Hawaii. They are the people that make Hawaii great. The guys at the Royal Hawaiian’s Tiki Bar have better insight on the true Aloha spirit than anyone at the CVB.

To all our blog readers, subscribers and friends of Global Traveler, a Happy New Year!

– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

As the Gallaghers entertained the clan on Christmas Eve, we had a “free” day on Christmas. After leisurely opening up about half of our gifts, we decided to take a drive to Washington Crossing, Penn. (only about 10 minutes north of us) to watch the 57th reenactment of Washington and the Continental Army’s crossing of the Delaware. This year the event was almost canceled, but locals and businesses came up with the funds to make this reenactment possible.

Many people believe that Washington crossed the Delaware on Christmas Eve, surprising the Hessians, who were paid mercenaries for the British Army, camped at Trenton, N.J., about 10 miles south of the crossing. But actually, Washington crossed at about 4 p.m. on Christmas Day, making the entire crossing in about 10 hours with 2,400 troops and their supplies, including artillery and horses.

It began to sleet, and the Delaware River was so full of ice that General Washington’s supporting troops, led by Colonel John Cadwalader and Brigadier General James Ewing, never completed their crossing.

Cadwalader was to cross at Dunk’s Ferry, near Bristol, Penn., and attack the Hessians in Mount Holly, N.J. Ewing was to cross at Trenton Ferry and wait for Washington’s attack and deal with any retreating Hessians. Cadwalader never crossed due to the weather, and Ewing crossed, then retreated, as he could not cross with his artillery.

Until this time, Washington had suffered miserable defeat after defeat, and most were beginning to lose faith in his ability to command. Cornwallis chased Washington across New Jersey after losing the battle for New York. Washington’s troops crossed the Delaware into Pennsylvania and destroyed or commandeered all the boats for miles up and down the Delaware so that Cornwallis could not follow him into the state. Cornwallis, rather than ending the Revolutionary War, ordered the establishment out, setting up outposts along the Delaware and ordering his troops into winter quarters.

The reenactment takes about an hour, and it is quite a feat to witness the 6,000-pound Durham boat cross the river. They pass a small island at Washington Crossing, and once they pass this shelter, they point the bow of the boat into the stream’s current and almost crab their way across the river. The straight shot would send them down the river and they would miss their landing spot.

The victory at Trenton was the turning point for the Revolutionary War; and the following battle, after New Year’s Day (1/3/1776), the Battle of Princeton, was a defeat and a blow to the British military and Lord Cornwallis.

After the crossing, the Gallagher clan returned home to open gifts and enjoy the remainder of a calm Christmas Day.

I have to comment on the the bombing incident on the Delta/Northwest flight on Christmas Day as it landed in Detroit. Janet Napolitano, the Homeland Security secretary, said in an interview on This Week on ABC, “The system has worked really very, very smoothly over the course of the past several days.”

If she thinks an individual who purchased a ticket for cash and checked no luggage and whose father called the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria warning them that his son was a threat should be allowed to board a plane bound for the U.S. and should not be on the no-fly list, then I am calling for her resignation. This guy had so many radical comments and so many red flags, I cannot believe that we allowed him on a plane, and I cannot believe our government thinks this is okay.

This disaster — and it was a disaster — could have been much worse, and it would have had a ripple effect to our already weak economy and, in particular, to the travel industry.

– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

Have you ever met anyone who enjoys driving on the New Jersey Turnpike? If you have, I fear that person and myself might not agree on much in life. While I will admit the NJ Turnpike serves an important function — a function I suppose it serves successfully — I quiver any time I know I need to drive on that particular highway.

Anyone reading this blog who is not familiar with the NJ Turnpike, be thankful! In my opinion, that roadway alone gives New Jersey a bad reputation, but I do hear the state is quite beautiful. However, from girlhood through adulthood, the majority of my experiences in the state have been on the turnpike. Those experiences have consisted of wrong exits, lingering stenches from the garbage dumps located between New Jersey and New York and hours of endless traffic (particularly on car trips between New York and Washington, D.C. en route to visit relatives). Needless to say, New Jersey is not my favorite state.

During my time at Global Traveler, I have tended to use NJ Transit when traveling through New Jersey, either to Newark for flights or sales calls or to Trenton, on my way to headquarters in Yardley, Penn. Yesterday, instead of taking the train, I had the use of a car and opted to use it to get from Manhattan to Newark. This is typically a 20-25 minute drive. Getting out of the city was easy enough; I went right on through the Lincoln Tunnel. Then disaster struck. I did my best to follow the signs, but the distances between the signs never allowed me enough time to make my exit. Maybe it is the (sometimes) four to six lanes of traffic you have to traverse if you are unfamiliar with the road signs. So, in the end, a 25-minute trip ended up taking an hour. The return to Manhattan was, thankfully, much smoother, but I still missed my exit to the Lincoln Tunnel. The exit appeared immediately after the sign, so I opted for the Holland Tunnel. New York City never looked so good!

Now, I understand that if I drove more, I would be more familiar with the exits and my mistakes yesterday would be eliminated, but the road could be a bit more user-friendly for newcomers. And the endless hours of traffic and garbage odors will not be going away any time soon. Let’s just say, I thank my lucky stars for accessible trains and planes when traveling up and down the East Coast.

– Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher

Recently, I was in downtown Minneapolis.  We were going to attend the Minnesota Twins game against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon.  We wanted to watch the UFC Pay-Per-View on Saturday evening. We asked our hotel’s concierge where we could find the UFC PPV.  She suggested a couple of bars close to our hotel.  Then, she did the unexpected.  She asked us, what is Pay-Per-View?

This drove me crazy.  First, how could she suggest places if she didn’t even know what it was?  Was she just throwing out random places?  Actually, two of the three she mentioned didn’t even have TVs. Secondly, while I can’t say a concierge should know everything, the UFC Pay-Per-View was a pretty big event.  The main event featured Brock Lesnar, a much-hyped former NCAA champ at the University of Minnesota.

We wandered the streets a bit and found the 8th Street Grill, a very nice sports bar, within blocks of our hotel and showing the PPV.  As the evening passed, several other people wandered in, all saying the same thing — they had been looking for a place to watch the fight.  Jermaine Dye and Brian Anderson of the Chicago White Sox joined the fun after their game.

Aside from my complaint about the concierge, I have to say that somewhere there was a lack of communication.  I don’t know where the responsibility lies, but between the UFC, the PPV provider, the hotels and the restaurants, somehow the information should have been readily available.

It was a bungled situation, a missed opportunity.  People shouldn’t have to search hard to find out such information.  When I rule the world, things will be different.

–John Wroblewski, distribution specialist

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Last weekend, Laurie DiBerardino, director of public relations and marketing for the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, offered me a tour of historic downtown Aurora, IL, a gem of a city located less than an hour west of Chicago. I didn’t know what to expect from Aurora, but I was very impressed by everything I saw.

We met for dinner at Ballydoyle Irish Pub & Restaurant, a traditional Irish pub. This is a fascinating place. It is warm and inviting, lively and upbeat and cozy and intimate all at the same time. Owner Phil Cullen stated that they wanted to create an atmosphere where anyone could come in and feel welcome, and he succeeded.

Part of the appeal of Ballydoyle is the unique interior. Each beautiful piece was purchased through a church sale, an estate sale or a demolition sale. The authentic church pews, the Gothic chandeliers and the iconic artwork inspire and conjure the feel of a beautifully restored cathedral.

Its elegance is combined with the attention to detail and special care of the tartan-clad staff. Cullen himself went table to table, checking on and chatting with every patron. This rare combination created an ambiance which made me feel comfortable and stately all at once.

The character of Ballydoyle was so impressive, I almost forgot to mention the food. Their extensive menu is full of homemade delights. I can still taste their succulent shrimp, possibly the best I have ever had. (Be sure to check out my upcoming review in a June issue of GT’s eFlyer.)

After dinner, we went to see Movin’ Out at the Paramount Theatre. I had seen the Billy Joel musical twice before in Chicago, but this was a whole new experience.

The Paramount Theatre, which opened in 1931, was designed by C. W. and George L. Rapp and is the sister to Chicago’s Oriental Theatre and Joliet’s Rialto. Everything in the Paramount was designed for acoustic perfection. Even details such as the seat cushions were designed with acoustics in mind (they are also plush and roomy, for maximum comfort). The sound was so pure and crisp even my untrained ears could tell the difference.

Acoustics aside though, the Paramount is a breathtaking theater. I could have spent the entire evening viewing the Venetian-inspired murals. The lobby and balcony are simply regal.

After the show, we walked through the downtown area, which is bisected by the Fox River. The Leland Tower is a 22-story building, which at one point was the tallest building in Illinois outside of Chicago. Previously at the top of the tower was the Sky Club, where famous blues musicians recorded their songs in the 1930s, resulting in the historic Bluebird recordings. Currently an apartment complex, the Leland Tower is also believed to be haunted.

We stood on the bridge for a few minutes to enjoy the Fox River. We saw some people fishing, a few walking near the river and some sitting by the river. Again, there was something and some place for everyone.

Finally, we hit the Hollywood Casino to end the evening. A few spins at the roulette table, followed by a few hands of blackjack, followed by a stretch at the slot machines made for an exciting time in the 53,000 square-foot movie-themed casino. The casino also houses several pieces of movie memorabilia, including Sharon Stone’s dress from Casino.

When the evening ended, I was sad to be leaving Aurora. I can’t believe all of this was within a short walk. I wanted to see and experience more of this great city. As I walked by an advertisement for the ‘Blues on the Fox‘ (featuring national blues artists) in June, I knew I had one more good reason to return.

-John Wroblewski, writer