Topics Include:
Barbara Golden, Communications Manager, St. Augustine Visitor & Convention Bureau, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, and the Beaches, Florida, USA.
www.getaway4florida.com
Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams and the "Travel With Stephanie Abrams!" Radio Show are in Florida, talking with Barbara Golden, Communications Manager for Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine, and the Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau. Barbara has been with the Bureau for 5 years and has also worked for Amtrak's East Coast division. Stephanie recommends taking Amtrak's Auto Train from Virginia to Florida, where passengers disembark just an hour's drive from St. Augustine. She has many fond childhood memories of St. Augustine and says it's a delight to return.
Barbara describes St. Augustine as having Spanish-influenced architecture and a Mediterranean look that's just different from any other place in Florida. "It's already beautiful with the palm trees and pristine beaches, but when you add that Mediterranean look, it makes this place very special. Shy of mountains, we have virtually everything that might attract someone for a vacation," she explains. St. Augustine is also known as a haven for artists, Stephanie adds.
Golfers may already be familiar with the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, famous for its 17th hole on an island. "144,000 balls go into the water every year trying to get onto the green on that hole," Barbara says, adding that the challenging course once hosted the Players' Championship, a kind of 5th major for the golf Pro Tour. St. Augustine is also home to the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Non-golfers or players who lose all their balls can enjoy 42 miles of beaches. Barbara explains that county ordinance forbids buildings over 4 stories tall, so there are no buildings blocking the late day sun. "The beaches have big dunes and great natural areas," she says. "They're beautiful, pristine, and wide." As the first Spanish settlement in the continental U.S., St. Augustine also has nearly 450 years of history in which visitors can immerse themselves.
"There is constantly something going on that helps visitors relate to our history," Barbara says. "We have re-enactments of pirates raiding the city, where there are people dressed as Spanish colonials being chased by pirates through the streets." On Saturday nights there is a changing of the guard ceremony in front of Government House and the Castillo de San Marcos, a 17th century Spanish fort, holds cannon-firing demonstrations. "Everyone speaks Spanish and stays totally in character," Barbara explains. "It really keeps people immersed and intrigued in what life was like here during the 17th and 18th centuries."
The city is able to keep celebrating its history thanks to the waters at Fountain of Youth National Park and great local seafood. Barbara recommends the fried shrimp seasoned with datil pepper, a favorite local way to add spice. "You'll find shrimp dishes and datil peppers at lots of small local family restaurants," she explains. She also suggests the fine dining at 95 Cordova, the restaurant at the Casa Monica Hotel.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread:
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1642
More St. Augustine Florida Photo Galleries:
For more information visit http://www.getaway4florida.com
Cindy Stavely, Director of Sales, Old Town Trolley Tours, St. Augustine, Florida, USA.
www.historictours.com
Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams and the "Travel With Stephanie Abrams!" Radio Show talk with Cindy Stavely, Director of Sales for Old Town Trolley Tours in St. Augustine. Cindy is originally from Maryland and moved south when her daughter started college at Flager College in St. Augustine. "We left our careers on a leap of faith and started in the tourism business down here," she explains. Fourteen years later, Cindy and her family are still in Florida.
The Old Town Trolley Tours of St. Augustine are historically narrated tours with 22 different stops. "We call ourselves the attraction that takes you to the other attractions," Cindy explains. "It's a way to get around the city and see all there is to see here." Visitors can listen to professional narrating conductors, hop on and off as they choose, and even take a special tour-operated bus from the downtown area to an alligator farm and points of interest on the beach.
Cindy's favorite stops on the trolley tour are the Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest national park site and masonry fort in the U.S.; a tour of Flagler College, built by Henry Flagler as the former Ponce de Leon Hotel; and the Lightner Museum, which used to be the Alcazar Hotel. She also suggests a walk through the lobby of the Casa Monica Hotel—"if you don't have the pleasure of staying there yourself," that is.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread:
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1643
More St. Augustine Florida Photo Galleries:
For more information visit http://www.historictours.com
Skip to hour 2 for Anthony Lazarra's appearance.
Fun Facts:
Florida means flowery in Spanish.
Ponce de Leon named Florida for all the flowers in the area when he discovered the land in April.
Guests Include:
Barbara Golden, Communications Manager, St. Augustine Visitor & Convention Bureau, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, and the Beaches, Florida, USA.
www.getaway4florida.com
Cindy Stavely, Director of Sales, Old Town Trolley Tours, St. Augustine, Florida, USA.
www.historictours.com
Anthony Lazzara , General Manager, Casa Monica Hotel, Kessler Collection, St. Augustine, Florida, USA.
www.casamonica.com
www.kesslercollection.com
Topics Include:
Anthony Lazzara, General Manager, Casa Monica Hotel, Kessler Collection, St. Augustine, Florida, USA.
www.casamonica.com
www.kesslercollection.com
Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams and the "Travel With Stephanie Abrams!" Radio Show are broadcasting from the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida. Stephanie introduces Anthony Lazzra, General Manager of Casa Monica. Before coming to St. Augustine, Anthony worked for the Kessler Collection in Orlando, Florida. "We stopped off in St. Augustine sixteen years ago to have lunch, and my wife said that if we ever had the chance to live there, we should take it," Anthony explains. Stephanie agrees that the city is a charismatic place and you can't help but be touched by St. Augustine.
Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams and the "Travel With Stephanie Abrams!" Radio Show learn more about the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida, with General Manager Anthony Lazzra. Casa Monica is part of the Kessler Collection of hotels. Anthony explains that the Spanish and Moorish influences in the Casa Monica's decor fit right in with the Spanish colonial history of St. Augustine. "The hotel is a wonderful place both to put your head down at night and to experience the history of the city," he says.
Stephanie mentions that the Casa Monica has solved some common hotel problems in interesting ways. For example, when checking into a hotel on a busy street, getting out of the car and unloading luggage can cause a traffic jam. At the Casa Monica, guests pull into the valet entrance once used for horse-drawn carriages instead of leaving cars on the street. "The wonderful thing about our location is that you can park your car and not have to walk again," Anthony says. "St. Augustine is a pedestrian paradise."
The city is also a paradise of warm weather. "It's mild year round," Anthony says. "Of course it's hot in the summer, but in the winter, a light sweater is all you'll need." The Casa Monica was built in 1888 and is located in a plaza in the downtown area bordered by two former hotels that are now Flagler College and the Lightner Museum. Of the three buildings, the Casa Monica is the only one that still operates as a hotel. Although it closed during the Depression and was used as the county courthouse in the 1960s, today the building has what Anthony describes as modern conveniences like TVs and high speed Internet.
The hotel will soon undergo a renovation to the guest rooms, pool, and ballrooms. "We're keeping up with the times without losing the building's historical nature," Anthony says. Stephanie describes a stay at the Casa Monica as "like staying in a comfortable museum." There's plenty of life in the building, though; the hotel frequently hosts meetings and weddings. "We're not a large box that hosts 5 or 6 different groups at once," says Anthony, "so meetings get individualized attention. We also host 100 weddings a year. Some of the most beautiful churches and cathedrals are within walking distance, so couples get married there and walk back to the hotel for the reception. St. Augustine really is one of the most romantic cities in the U.S."
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread:
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1644
More St. Augustine Florida Photo Galleries:
For more information visit
http://www.casamonica.com
http://www.kesslercollection.com
Vanessa Hall, Corporate Director of Art Galleries, Kessler Collection Hotels, USA.
www.kesslercollection.com
Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams and the "Travel With Stephanie Abrams!" Radio Show visit living museums with Vanessa Hall, Corporate Director of Art Galleries for the Kessler Collection Hotels. Vanessa oversees the 11 galleries across different properties in the Kessler Collection. She manages the art and contacts artists in whose work hotel owner Richard Kessler might be interested.
Stephanie describes a stay at Kessler hotels as "like being in a living museum," thanks to the artwork in both designated gallery areas and nearly every public space. She is particularly impressed with the Bridge of Lions work at Casa Monica, done by Savannah artist Laura DiNello. Although many artworks in the hotel are for sale, some are just for display. Vanessa says that the best thing to do is get in touch with her and she'll make an inquiry about the piece and arrange the sale.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread:
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1645
More St. Augustine Florida Photo Galleries:
For more information visit
http://www.kesslercollection.com
DeJuan Roy, Executive Chef, 95 Cordova Restaurant in the Casa Monica Hotel, Kessler Collection, St. Augustine, Florida, USA.
www.casamonica.com
www.kesslercollection.com
Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams and the "Travel With Stephanie Abrams!" Radio Show visit the 95 Cordova restaurant with De Juan Roy, Executive Chef at the Casa Monica Hotel, St. Augustine, Florida. Stephanie is very impressed by the restaurant's menu; not only is it made of mosaic-style pressed leather, but it even lights up when opened. De Juan says 95 Cordova is the only restaurant in Florida with light-up menus like that.
De Juan trained at Chicago's Cooking & Hospitality Institute, in Germany, and in Basel, Switzerland. He describes 95 Cordova as a mix of Caribbean, African, and Latino cuisines and says his own style is "definitely New World, taking lesser cuts and turning them into things that are fantastic or unexpected." De Juan's favorite dish at 95 Cordova is the sea bass. "Everybody loves the sea bass," he says. "We get it in fresh, we give you a nice portion, we let you enjoy it."
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread:
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1646
More St. Augustine Florida Photo Galleries:
For more information visit
http://www.casamonica.com
http://www.kesslercollection.com
Jim Grace, President, CEO, InsureMyTrip.com, Warwick, RI, USA.
www.insuremytrip.com
www.insuremygroup.com
Jim Grace, President and CEO of InsureMyTrip, returns to the "Travel With Stephanie Abrams!" Radio Show to discuss travel insurance for hurricane season with Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams. InsureMyTrip just celebrated its 10th anniversary and has grown from its midnight launch to be the largest comparison site on the Internet for travel insurance, according to Jim. The website offers products from 18 U. S. insurers and 4 Canadian insurers for a total of around 200 different policies.
Even though hurricane season is starting, Jim reassures listeners that travel insurance can protect their investments. If you're traveling to a destination that may be affected by a storm, he suggests coverage for an "uninhabitable destination." If you live in a hurricane-prone area and may not be able to leave on your trip, Jim recommends coverage for "a primary residence becoming uninhabitable." The term 'uninhabitable' can mean that a destination or residence was damaged by wind, storm surge, or another hurricane side effect.
Jim also recommends policies with trip interruption coverage. These policies typically add 50% of your trip cost, so if you're taking a $1000 trip, they'll add $500 in the event of trip interruption. A travel delay stipend is also a good idea; these can cover meals and accommodations in the event of travel delays. For example, says Jim, these two policies came in very handy during the volcanic ash delays, when passengers were stranded on one side of the Atlantic or another and needed to find hotel rooms and eat while waiting for the skies to reopen.
Traveling to a tropical destination during hurricane season (June-November) does not preclude you from getting insurance coverage. Jim warns, however, that you must buy insurance before a storm is predicted or announced by the National Hurricane Center. "Insurance depends on unforeseen events," he says. "Buying insurance after they've announced the storm is like buying home insurance while your house is on fire." The best time to purchase travel insurance, he adds, is immediately after booking your trip.
Jim notes that travel insurance can help even if you're not on vacation when a hurricane hits. "The hurricane could get there before you and cause damage," he says. "For example, when a hurricane hit Grand Cayman Island, it was months before the island recovered. In that case, the destination hotel was not open for business." The trip would have been covered by travel insurance, though, because the destination was classified as uninhabitable.
"Travel insurance is really designed for weather events like hurricanes," Jim continues. "We want to let people know that you should prepare, plan, and get insurance. We hope that you'll never have to use it, but you're taking a financial risk." Hurricane coverage comes in a few different forms and may include coverage for uninhabitability, cessation of service, or mandatory evacuation. Travelers unsure about where to start can look at the InsureMyTrip website or contact the company's customer service line, staffed by licensed insurance professionals.
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread:
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1647
For more information visit
http://www.insuremytrip.com
http://www.insuremygroup.com
Guests Include:
Anthony Lazzara, General Manager, Casa Monica Hotel, Kessler Collection, St. Augustine, Florida, USA.
www.casamonica.com
www.kesslercollection.com
Vanessa Hall, Corporate Director of Art Galleries, Kessler Collection Hotels, USA.
www.kesslercollection.com
DeJuan Roy, Executive Chef, 95 Cordova Restaurant in the Casa Monica Hotel, Kessler Collection, St. Augustine, Florida, USA.
www.casamonica.com
www.kesslercollection.com
Jim Grace, President, CEO, InsureMyTrip.com, Warwick, RI, USA.
www.insuremytrip.com
www.insuremygroup.com
Topics Include:
Jamie Rhome, Head Storm Surge Specialist, National Hurricane Center, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Miami, Florida, USA.
www.noaa.gov
www.nhc.noaa.gov
Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams and the "Travel With Stephanie Abrams!" Radio Show are tracking storms with Jamie Rhome, Storm Surge Team Leader at the National Hurricane Center, part of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Miami, Florida. Jamie is responsible for all storm surge forecasting and modeling at the center.
Stephanie has heard that the 2010 hurricane season may be the most aggressive one ever. Jamie explains that the outlook is based on climatic signals like El Nino activity and ocean temperature. "El Nino tends to suppress hurricane activity in the Atlantic. Right now, El Nino is weakening, so hurricanes might be more active," he says. "Another factor is that right now, the ocean is atypically warm for this time of year. [Warm water] is the fuel from which hurricanes derive their energy, so this tells us it could be an active season."
What should travelers know about visiting hurricane-prone regions? "First and foremost, you have to understand that it's your personal responsibility," Jamie says. "You have to understand the vulnerability of the area where you'll be. If you're taking a cruise in the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean or visiting the southeastern U. S. coastline, you need to be prepared for the possibility of a storm impacting those areas."
He suggests that travelers ask themselves the following questions to prepare: If I could not get home for several days or had to endure several days without power, could I get by on my own? Do I have extra prescription drugs? Do I have all my medical needs? Do I have a way to get food and supplies? Could I communicate if cell or traditional phone lines were down? Do I have a way to take care of my pet? "If you take yourself through the drill, it becomes clear what you need to do," Jamie says. "I always stock up on enough supplies and food to be self-sufficient for 3 or 4 days, so I never get nervous about hurricanes."
Jamie does not anticipate a significant effect on hurricane activity from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. "If you were going to have 20 feet of storm surge without the oil, you'll still have a 20-foot storm surge with the oil slick," he says. He suggests that travelers use the Internet to stay on top of the latest forecasts from the National Hurricane Center or National Weather Service. "You can go to www.weather.gov and find information about the local impacts of weather," he explains. "If you don't have Internet access, you can pick up a NOAA weather radio at any tech shop for 10 bucks."
Jamie also recommends knowing your evacuation zone. "It's really a simple task that takes a few minutes on the Internet," he says. "Some areas use letters, some use numbers, and others name the evacuation zones by zip code. You can find yours by searching 'hurricane evacuation zone + your city, state, or region.' For example, I know that I'm not in an evacuation zone. So when there's an evacuation order, I know that I'm not affected." Evacuation zones are determined by federal, state, and local authorities based on models of storm surge vulnerability from Jamie's team at the National Hurricane Center.
He emphasizes that an evacuation order does not mean travelers will receive special assistance. "If you're in an evacuation zone, evacuations will be ordered by local authorities, so you don't have to make that determination yourself," Jamie says. "Once ordered, it's mandatory—you have to go. And if you have the ability to take care of yourself, you have a moral responsibility to do that. Otherwise, you're taking emergency response care away from those who can't take care of themselves and really need it."
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread:
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1648
More Miami Photo Galleries:
For more information visit:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
http://www.noaa.gov
http://www.weather.gov
William "Bill" Read, Director, National Hurricane Center, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Miami, Florida, USA.
www.noaa.gov
www.nhc.noaa.gov
Bill Read, Director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, visits Travel Expert Stephanie Abrams and the "Travel With Stephanie Abrams!" Radio Show to discuss the 2010 hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center is part of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, or the NOAA. Jim Grace, President and CEO of InsureMyTrip, joins Bill and Stephanie to give some perspective on hurricane season and travel insurance.
During the 2010 hurricane season, Bill says, El Nino will be on the wane, but La Nina will return at the season's peak, which could indicate average to above average hurricane activity. "This winter, there were lots of storms in the Atlantic. Pressure was centered a little further south, which weakened trade winds and interfered with the mixing of surface ocean water with colder water. That's why there's higher ocean temperatures going into the start of the season," Bill explains. He advises travelers not to worry about the forecast, but about what's happening where they will be.
Bill also suggests that travelers protect themselves by getting travel insurance and staying informed. "I'm somewhat risk-averse, so if I'm taking an expensive vacation to hurricane territory, I would definitely consider insuring my trip," he says. "In the past, if you were going out of the country, you might not find out about a hurricane until your windows blew in. Now you can keep track of storms on the Internet." He recommends www.hurricanes.gov, which has a tropical weather outlook, a 3-5 day storm forecast, and pages on storms currently under watch.
The information comes from satellite data, reconnaissance planes, surface data, and computer models. Bill cautions that it's up to consumers to interpret the information, though. "It's important to know a little bit of geography, so you can figure out where you are in relation to other islands in the Caribbean. For example, Bermuda is not in the same region as the Bahamas. If you don't know that, all the information in the world isn't going to help, unless the weather report specifically mentions the island you're on."
If your vacation destination is in the path of a storm, Bill urges taking precautions. "There's a reason we have warnings," he says. "We might have a hurricane with 75 mph winds. An average severe thunderstorm has the same windspeed, but it lasts 10 minutes. With a hurricane, those winds can last for hours. My philosophy is that you can go out and take pictures, but if you get stuck out there, the police and Coast Guard are going to have to risk their lives to pull you out. By going out in a storm, you're putting other people at risk."
Bill also warns that storms' intensity can change very rapidly. "In 2004, when Hurricane Charlie hit near Fort Myers, it went from a relatively small Category 1 storm to Category 4 just prior to landfall," he says. "Nothing in our toolkit suggested that would happen." The best way for travelers to protect themselves is to buy insurance before the storm is even predicted. "I look at travel insurance for hurricane season like flood insurance: very few people have it, but that's taking a big risk. If you're spending the time and money to go on vacation during hurricane season, why not get travel insurance, which is relatively low cost?"
Travelers411 Community Forums - This interview's thread:
http://www.travelers411.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1649
Related Photo Galleries:
For more information visit:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
http://www.noaa.gov
http://www.weather.gov
Guests Include:
Jamie Rhome, Storm Surge Team Leader, National Hurricane Center, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Miami, Florida, USA.
www.noaa.gov
www.nhc.noaa.gov
William "Bill" Read, Director, National Hurricane Center, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Miami, Florida, USA.
www.noaa.gov
www.nhc.noaa.gov
