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January 2016 - ATX Fun - Austin-San Antonio Fun, Travel & Educational Opportunities

Month: January 2016

The “Most American” Experiences in Every State (a Listicle)

Yes, it’s clickbait, but still of possible interest.

https://www.yahoo.com/travel/the-most-american-experience-in-1353251159023670.html

http://pointmetotheplane.boardingarea.com/2016/01/31/the-most-american-experiences-in-every-state/

In my own state of Texas, the listed “Most American” attraction is NASA in Houston. I’ll agree that NASA is worth a visit, but it seems that the Alamo in San Antonio, or the three Presidential libraries in Texas (Austin, College Station and Dallas), would have been better selections.

If NASA in Houston doesn’t satisfy your space-related cravings, you can visit the Alabama attraction (U.S. Space and Rocket Center). But don’t head to Cape Kennedy expecting to see another “Most American” location…Florida’s attraction is the Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth.

American Eagle, photo by Puzzler4879 / Flickr

10 Fun Things to Do in Barcelona / Barcy

Barcelona, Spain / Catalonia, is a fun city with mild weather throughout the year. My family and friends enjoyed a brief visit last September, and we hope to go back when we can spend more time there.

Barcelona is the capital of the state of Catalonia, which has voted to become an independent nation separate from Spain. The official language is Catalan, which (in written form) is very similar to Spanish. If you can read Spanish, you can read Catalan.

Here is a very good blog post with suggestions of what to see and do in “Barcy.”

http://outandout.boardingarea.com/10-fun-things-to-do-in-barcelona/

One special treat is sitting down for a large beer at a cafe on La Rambla. Contrary to the experiences of many, we did not have our pockets picked.

One site the blog post doesn’t mention is the Corte Ingles department store. If you go to the very top floor you will find a cafeteria with some nice views of the city.

Ceiling of Sagrada Familia, Barcelona. Photo by http://kahwailin.com/ / Flickr

IHG Devalues Their Reward Points

Today the International Hotel Group did a stealth devaluation of IHG points, which previously were called Priority Club points. The number of points required for a room at about 200 hotels increased, the number at about 200 decreased, and the potential number of points required at their finest hotels (mostly Intercontinental brand) increased.

IHG operates hotels under several brands, including Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Intercontinental and Crowne Plaza.

Big Changes to IHG Categories and Hotel Point Requirements

http://milestomemories.boardingarea.com/ihg-rewards-club-devaluation-2016

IHG Has Thousands of Hotels Around the World, Photo by Bertrand Duperrin / Flickr

This may be in reaction to their ongoing Priceless Surprises promotion, which gives 1000 IHG points for about $1. IHG also has PointBreaks promotion, which offers hotel rooms for only 5000 points per night. Do you see how those relate…you can get a room at a Holiday Inn for an incredibly low $5 per night.

I plan many of my vacations around PointBreaks hotels. In July I spent about a week in Liverpool, England, and earlier this month I stayed in Phoenix, AZ…all at PointBreaks hotels.