Spring is such a wonderful time of the year. It is a time of newness and fresh ideas. Spring is also the time of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC. The event's official website describes it best:
"Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. The gift and annual celebration honor the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan and the continued close relationship between the two countries."
There are many activities to take part in now. Festivities wrap up around April 27th 2012. Visit www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org or even download a free app developed for smart phone users.
No transportation? No problem. Amtrak has decided to get in on the celebration by offering a "Take a Train to Washington, DC" promotion. Book 14 days in advance and take advantage of the 25% discount. Philly to DC is just $35! For more information on this offer, call our office at 610-964-1775 or toll free at 877-636-1775.
If it's still too far to go take advantage of the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival in Philadelphia, March 23 and April 21, 2012.
We hope to hear from you. Until then, enjoy the photos.
I just thought this was so incredible that I had to post it! According to Eric Pfeiffer at Yahoo news, a Boeing 787 took a test flight planned in a very interesting pattern. Read the article below for more information or click the authors name. Incredible!
"Boeing's 19 hour test flight of the 787 Dreamliner was a great opportunity to test the limits of the 787, FlightAware's flight tracking, and the FAA's flight plan system," FlightAware Chief Executive Officer Daniel Baker tells Yahoo News. "It was the longest domestic flight we've ever handled and it required three FAA flight plans to accomplish, not to mention dozens of people coordinating the flight overnight."
FlightAware, which provides live flight tracking, coordinated with Boeing on delivering the unusual and spectacular images.
In the above image, you can see the 787 Dreamliner's flight path, which was first reported by Gizmodo. The flight path was meticulously designed and coordinated with airports across the country in or to avoid violating restricted airspace.
"This wasn't a joy ride," wrote Boeing's vice president of marketing Randy Tinseth on the company's blog. "It was an 18 hour Maximum ETOPS (Extended Operations) Duration flight test for a 787-8 with GE engines. Our team coordinated with the many air traffic control centers, choosing the routing to avoid restricted airspace. In the end, the flight covered over 9,000 nautical miles." The path stretched between Iowa and Washington State.
Boeing conducted another sky drawing back in August, reports Wired, when the 747-8 Freighter outlined a "747" over several states. The BBC reported on the Dreamliner's maiden commercial voyage last October, traveling from Tokyo to Hong Kong.
It's an exciting time for air travel enthusiasts. Billionaire developer Paul Allen recently unveiled designs for his company's Stratosphere plane, which is designed to take passengers on commercial voyages above Earth's orbit."
Now that's what I call "fly"!
Article is from yahoo.com and photo is property of flightaware.com
Paris,
France is World renowned for its fashion, freedom and romance. Few know of the
history African Americans have there. While documentation of the achievements
of Black Frenchmen reaches far into the 1790s, the city of Paris saw a cultural
boom as a result of World War I.Roughly
200,000 G.I.s were brought from the United States to fight in the war and decidedly
stayed as a result of their reception. At the time, service men and women of
color risked their lives at war only to return to racism, disrespect and
violence from their own countrymen. In France, many felt that they were treated
as equals.Men in France were called “boy”
at home. Many African Americans went out in search of a better life- many of
them notable artists and entertainers. The new wave of residents brought jazz, entertainers
and many of the great minds of the Harlem Renaissance. They were warmly
accepted- a vast difference from what they had experienced in America.Josephine Baker once said, “[The Eiffel
Tower] looked very different from the Statue of Liberty, but what did that
matter? What was the good of having the statue without the liberty?” As people
moved into Paris, the artistic community of Montmartre grew as well. The area
was well known as “the place to be” for artistic inspiration and thus became a
hub for African American expats. There are tales that attribute much of the
areas growth to an African American shoe shiner who worked with the American
Express outside of the city. He’s cited as telling every African American
passing through “go to Montmatre-that is where our people are”.
Famous
clubs in the area during this time included “Bricktops” and “Le Grand Duc”.
Harlem and Paris collided in the small hilltop neighborhood and it oozed of
prosperity through creativity. American Jazz singer and bandleader Cab Calloway
once said, “You hear about the Duke Ellingtons, the Jimmy Luncefords, The
Fletcher Hendersons, but people sometimes forget that jazz was not built on the
minds of the great ones, but the backs of the ordinary ones”. Montmartre was a place
people could go to freely express, invent and celebrate themselves without color
lines.
The
beginning of World War II put and abrupt halt to the creative surge in Paris.
Jazz music was seen as a corrupt influence by the Nazis. When they invaded Paris
in June 1940, American expats who chose to stay risked imprisonment. While most
Americans-black and white- left, others like Musician Arthur Briggs stayed. He had
obtained what many would refer to as the ultimate Parisian dream, including marriage
and a country home. Not only did he stay, but he continued to play gigs until
he was arrested and sent to the Saint Denis internment camp on October 17,
1940. Even in this situation his music could not be suppressed. He organized a
six piece jazz orchestra within his first 3 days to help others cope with life
in the camp. The group soon grew to 25 pieces which performed concerts. They played
for many people, including their biggest fan- The German Commandant- who
attended the concerts as well as the rehearsals.The camp was abandoned and attacked on August
25, 1944. Thankfully Mr. Briggs survived it all to recount his story. He was
reunited with his wife- while carrying his trumpet.
Montmartre
social scene did not fully return to its former glory as many did not return
after the Second World War. Even so, Paris is laced with Black history from
this and previous eras. There are no official numbers- as France does not
collect statistics on racial origin- however rough estimates suggest 5 million
Black French currently occupy the country. That accounts for 8% of the entire
population. Some newly planted and looking for the Parisian dream and others descended
from a long lineage of rich history.
Keeping up with the times, it seems only appropriate to launch a blog. Tada! Here it is. Subscribe to our blog and stay abreast of travel advisories, updates, information and more! Unlike our official site at www.rodgerstravel.com , this site is a bit more laid back. You will not be able to book on our blog but you can find out more about our inner tickings!
We look forward to seeing you again! Come back and see us sometime!
