Kansas City Star: Travel

It's game on as Vancouver readies for Olympics

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:15 CST

VANCOUVER, British Columbia | With craggy peaks providing a stunning backdrop to this glimmering city on the Pacific, Vancouver prepares to welcome thousands of athletes and visitors from around the world for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. More than 5,500 athletes and coaches, almost 11,000 members of the media and up to 350,000 visitors are expected. In preparation, Vancouver is being draped in Olympic finery.

Matt Keenan column: Welcome to Complaining 101

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:15 CST

If you are a parent of a teenager, you know that one day your toddler goes from being the sweetest, most appreciative, thoughtful, kind, loving child to a whiney know-it-all who merits boarding school in the North Pole with Nurse Ratched as his tutor. Age: 15. What makes him intolerable is nonstop complaining. If your teenager isn’t this way, take him to the pediatrician for a complete medical evaluation. He’s sick.

Becky Hanf column: Journey of a lifetime wasn't

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:15 CST

How much would you pay not to spend time with family on Thanksgiving? For my older brother Bruce, price was no object. Last October Bruce decided that paying to climb Mount Kilimanjaro was better than spending any time with family on Thanksgiving. His family time options included spending time with his daughter, son-in-law and their 3-month-old son, Bruce’s grandson, spending time with his aging mother, spending time with any number of siblings and their families or heaven forbid spending some quality time with oneself.

Mission Hills chef to compete for spot on national culinary team

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:15 CST

Thomas Haggerty, a chef from Mission Hills, has been chosen to compete in a competition for a spot on the ACF Culinary Team USA. The team will travel to Erfurt, Germany, for the 2012 International Culinary Art Exhibition, commonly referred to as the “culinary Olympics.”

Joe Reardon out as possible 3rd District House candidate

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:39 CST

Unified Government Mayor Joe Reardon won't run for Dennis Moore's House seat, his office says. The decision is a serious blow to the Democrats as they try to find someone for the race.

Hotel charge comes early, and without discount

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:15 CST

Q. I recently had an unpleasant experience with a Holiday Inn that became a Wyndham property in Boca Raton, Fla. I was hoping you could help me sort things out. I booked a refundable room for my son at the hotel. I had the choice between prepaying a lower nonrefundable rate or a higher, refundable rate. I chose the refundable rate because I wanted to be flexible.

Multimillion-dollar renovation project to bring National Civil Rights Museum up to date

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:15 CST

The National Civil Rights Museum opened in September 1991, in Memphis, Tenn., at the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. The museum will undergo a $10 million to $15 million renovation over the next three years.

Cancellation number is key to getting hotel refund

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:15 CST

Q. I hope you can help me. I booked a hotel through Hotels.com recently. It was the first time I’ve used them, and it will be my last.

Airport attractions take off

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:15 CST

With last month’s terrorist incident over U.S. skies, air travelers are more on edge than usual, and security lines are even longer. But if you’re looking for something to distract yourself from all the worries and the waiting, a few airports actually offer unique attractions. Not that it will make the lines shorter, but checking out the stuffed polar bear at the Anchorage airport, playing slots at the Vegas airport or listening to live music at the Austin airport might just bring a smile to your face.

A little knowledge will take you far in bad weather

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:15 CST

The recent weather can serve as a warning to air travelers: Winter is only starting, and when bad weather moves in, your flight schedule isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. Nicholas Holland learned that when he tried to fly from Washington to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for a party. US Airways canceled his flight and rescheduled him with a connection through Cleveland. But when a snowstorm slammed Washington a few days later, US Airways canceled the new flight, too.

Checked-bag fees taking off, again

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:15 CST

Advice to travelers on Delta Air Lines: Carry on, because Delta is again raising checked-bag fees. They're going from $15 to $25 for the first bag and from $20 to $35 for the second. Continental Airlines is following suit.

2008 travel photo contest: A field of winners

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:15 CDT

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Our judges had their hands full selecting the top winners for this year's vacation photo contest because the quality of the entries was so good.

Badlands National Park teems with nice surprises

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:15 CDT

BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK, S.D. | Marcia McMacken stepped off the boardwalk and took a long look at the sweeping scene around her — bright green meadows in front, craggy tan peaks and deep forbidding canyons behind. She was clearly enamored.

Last chance to enter our annual photo contest

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:15 CDT

Several years ago I was traveling through the Missouri Ozarks when I came across a 100-year-old grist mill near Eminence. It was a rustic structure perched on the edge of a turquoise spring.

THE RULES

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:15 CDT

The Kansas City Star’s Travel Photo Contest is open to amateur photographers of any age who are residents of Missouri or Kansas.

Hotel's two-star rating wasn't worth much

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:15 CST

Q. I bought a hotel through Hotwire that I’d really rather not stay at. A few weeks ago, I requested a two-star property in Flint, Mich. Hotwire gave me a nonrefundable, nonchangeable room at a Days Inn property. A friend of mine in the area told me about how bad that hotel is. They had tried to stay there but had checked out within the hour because it was filthy, and the staff was uncooperative. I did some research on reviews of this property, and all the reviews I found, except one, rated it very poor for the same reasons.

Everything under the sun in Sun Valley

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:15 CST

KETCHUM, Idaho | It seems everyone who spends time around Sun Valley has stories to tell of celebrity encounters. They stood in line at the bookstore last week behind Bruce Springsteen or at Tully’s Coffee the other day with Arnold Schwarzenegger. They performed in community theater with Bruce Willis in neighboring Hailey or introduced themselves to Larry David at Dollar Mountain, one of the two ski areas that make up the fabled 74-year-old resort.