We usually love Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema, but sometimes we get a little jealous, such as when he flies out to Las Vegas to review José Andrés’s two new restaurants. Last week, dropping by the new Cosmopolitan Las Vegas hotel, Sietsema raved about the “great bed, a bath with a view, and in-room technology that lets me lower the curtains, the temperature, and the lights all at once.” We’re officially green with envy, and that’s before he even mentioned the barbecue pork buns at China Poblano and the paella station at Jaleo.
We might be stuck in rainy Washington instead of Sin City this weekend, but at least we can plan our next trip at the Washington DC Travel & Adventure Show, at the Washington Convention Center Saturday and Sunday. Speakers include Pauline Frommer of Frommer’s Guidebooks, Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel, and Peter Greenberg from CBS News. The show also has more than 100 exhibitors and interactive activities such as a scuba pool, an aerial zipline, and a rope-adventure course. For more information or to buy tickets ($15), click here.
Earlier this week, BWI airport became one of eight American airports now cleared to handle charter trips to Cuba (previously, flights could go out of only Miami, New York, and Los Angeles). What does this mean for your next trip to Havana? Not much—commercial flights between the U.S. and Cuba are still banned, although the Obama administration has eased restrictions on journalists and performers (look out for the Cuban group Los Muñequitos de Matanzas at the Lisner auditorium in April).
Deals are a little sparse this week (presumably gearing up for the Summer of Unaffordable Travel), but Travelzoo does have one intriguing bargain this week on flights from Washington to Europe with Scandinavian Airlines. The spring/fall flights are $334 to $400 each way to destinations such as Copenhagen ($334), Oslo ($334), Stockholm ($334), Stuttgart ($350), and Gdansk ($350). Taxes and fees are an additional $80 to $120, meaning that a roundtrip flight should end up being between $750 and $850. Travel is valid April 26 through June 16, and September 1 through December 12; trips must be booked by March 21.
And finally, we love us some celebrity insight into our lil’ home town, particularly when said celebrity is CNN silver fox Wolf Blitzer. He shared some of his favorite Washington travel tips with CNN.com, including his favorite museum (the Holocaust Museum), his favorite restaurants (Cafe Milano and BLT Steak), and his tip for the best place to see an amazing view (the Newseum terrace). We look forward to seeing you at a Nationals game this summer, Wolf.
