MaxaBlog.com

Table For Two, and Send a Drink From Me to Mick!

I've seen Fox News newsstands and Travel & Leisure stores selling luggage and travel tchotchkes at airports so I guess there's nothing that unusual about Rolling Stone magazine's plans to open a restaurant/bar/lounge/party venue in Los Angeles near the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

But would would the late Hunter Thompson have said?

The 10,000-square-feet entertainment center will be near Grauman's Chinese theater, and all I can think is that Jann Wenner watched enviously for a couple of decades as Hard Rock properties proliferated around the globe and figured it was time he cashed in on the rock memorabilia action, too. 

Hey, if The Who can kill during halftime of the Super Bowl, why can't a magazine as old as Rolling Stone helmed by an old guy about my age, extend its brand and open a hip restaurant? 

Last-Minute Olympic Tickets? Yeah, There's a Place For That

For the first time in Olympic history, the Olympic organizing committee has posted a web site that allows folks to buy and sell tickets to events at the Winter Games.  At a profit, if desired.  There are other sites offering Olympic tickets, including StubHub and eBay.  But keep in mind that in past years, ticket prices have plummeted just before the start of the games as supply outstripped demand, so time your purchase (or your sale) wisely.

It's Raining Deals: Orlando, Mount Tremblant, NYC Hotels, Barbados--Oh, My!

This is the season of the "travel trough," the cold months of January and February when travelers slow down, exhausted by Thanksgiving and December holiday trips.  So the deals come flying at us at an accelerated rate.

Here are a few I'm mentioning on my new radio show, "Rudy Maxa's World with Christopher Elliott."  (By the way, with 97 stations and nearly a million listeners, as confirmed by Arbitron numbers just released yesterday, we're the most widely syndicated radio travel show in the US.) 

• American Airlines Vacations offers a companion air ticket for free if you book a package vacation to Barbados for travel by May 31st.  BUT you must reserve your trip by Feb. 12th.  American flies non-stop to Barbados from New York City, Miami, and San Juan.
• Affinia Hotels has five, well-priced hotels in New York City.  And through March 31, they're offering a fun, "30 Rock" package at rates that begin at $199 a night before taxes--a bargain price for a Manhattan hotel room.  Here's what Liz Lemon fans receive in addition to a hotel room: tickets for two to NBC Studios for a behind-the-scenes tour; VIP skating package for two at Rockefeller Center's rink; two Affinia Hotels scarves, and a couple of other things.  Book here under "special offers."
•  If you want to do the Big Apple in a more upscale way with the family, the posh Plaza Athenee will give your kids an adjoining room for 50% off along with some nice extras such as cookies and milk in the evening, a children's gift bag with a Yankee hat, NYC taxi, a plush penguin and other stuff.  You'll also get four tickets to the Central Park zoo that's about a block from the hotel.  The offer is good until the end of March and then again in July and August.  Check out the "Pillows and Penguins Package" here.
• The Orlando Convention & Visitor's Bureau has an assortment of incentives to coax you to visit until March 1.  Purchase a flight and a seven-night hotel package at select Orlando hotels, and three of those hotel nights are free.  Hotels include the DoubleTree at the entrance to Universal Orlando, Sheraton Safari Hotel & Suites, Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando, Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel and others.  Book here and save an extra $150.  A seven-day Disney's "Magic Your Way Ticket" can be added to the package for the price of a four-day ticket.   There are also hotel discounts for shorter stays.
• If the upcoming Vancouver Olympics have you in the mood for snow, check out a whole different part of Canada to avoid the crowds and inflated prices in the Vancouver/Whistler area.  Consider skiing Mount Tremblant near Montreal where you'll find a fifth night stay for free or 50% off a three-night ski vacation at prices that start as low as US $115 per night.  Choose "Ski Vacation" at this site.