Trip tips: Inauguration
WASHINGTON -- Tickets to events related to the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration will be hard to come by, but you can always join the crowds along the parade route, and Washington tourism officials say it's not impossible to find a place to stay.
Hundreds of thousands of people always gather along Pennsylvania Avenue to watch the procession from the Capitol to the White House after the swearing-in ceremony. You'll likely see marching bands and floats no matter where you stand, but you're not guaranteed a glimpse of the president. Only bleacher seats require tickets.
The Monday holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on Jan. 19, the day before the inauguration, which will no doubt add to the crowds.
Be prepared for cold weather. According to Weather Underground's Trip Planner, since 1993, temperatures on Jan. 20 in Washington have run from an average low of 27 to an average high of 39.
The official Washington tourism agency, Destination DC, says that hotels still have some rooms available, but they require a three to four-night minimum stay and prepayment. If you're trying to book online, entering information for a one- or two-night stay for Jan. 19-20 may not yield results. Destination DC offers online hotel booking at http://reservations.washington.org/953. On some Web sites like Craigslist, individuals are offering space in private apartments and homes.
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies prints some 240,000 tickets for official events to be distributed for free through Senate and House offices to constituents, and through the Presidential Inaugural Committee. The official Web site http://inaugural.sen ate.gov/index.cfm advises that ''members of the public interested in attending the Inaugural Ceremonies should contact their Member of Congress or U.S. Senators to request tickets.'' The committee site also states that ''no Web site or other ticket outlet actually has inaugural swearing-in tickets to sell, regardless of what they may claim'' and adds that tickets will not be distributed to Congressional offices until the week before the inauguration and will require in-person pick-up.
Fancy parties are a big part of the festivities, and the new president typically drops in on a few of them. Tickets for balls organized by state societies and other private organizations sell out fast, though you may find some tickets to these types of events being resold at higher prices online.
Destination DC has created a 2009 Presidential Inauguration event on Facebook that anyone with a Facebook account can join. TripAdvisor.com has a forum with all sorts of information. Expedia is also offering booking and advice at www.expedia.com/inauguration.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Malaysia Airlines has unveiled a new service allowing passengers to make and receive calls on their mobile phones while in air on some routes. Passengers can also send and receive text messages, and use their Blackberry-type devices to send and receive e-mails, Malaysia Airlines, or MAS, said in a statement.
It said the airline teamed up with AeroMobile, a British company, to become the first Asian carrier to offer in-flight mobile phone and data services via satellite with passengers using their own equipment.
Customers can now safely use their mobile phone or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) during the flight without affecting the aircraft systems and ground telecommunication networks, the statement said.
The system will be installed on all wide-bodied aircraft in the MAS fleet by next year if it proves to be successful, said MAS chief executive Idris Jala.
Users will be charged on their regular phone bills by their own service providers as with any other international roaming call.
SALEM, Ore. -- Tourists interested in exploring the mental hospital made famous in ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' will have to settle for a virtual visit.
Public interest in visiting the 125-year-old J Building at the Oregon State Hospital soared after the state Department of Human Services sponsored a series of guided tours on Sept. 13, the Statesman Journal reported. State employees led about 200 people through vacated, decaying sections of the building and the sprawling tunnels under it, where some patients had to live.
Publicity from that day led another 1,100 to express interest in visiting the place where the Oscar-winning film starring Jack Nicholson was shot.
But state officials decided against additional tours because of the demands on the staff and looming asbestos and lead paint-removal work.
The agency's Web site says it is "in the process of developing a virtual tour" and invites people "to check our Web site [www.ore gon.gov/DHS/mentalhealth/osh/main.shtml] for this feature and other updates during construction.''
Construction of a new 620-bed psychiatric facility is scheduled to begin next year and be completed in 2011. Plans call for preserving the oldest and most historically significant portions of the J Building and tearing down the rest.
The remodeled portions will house a mental health museum and a resting place for the cremated remains of more than 3,000 former patients who died at the state hospital during its first century.
AP
LAS VEGAS -- The 2009 Michelin guidebook for Las Vegas has given its top hotel rating to the Wynn Las Vegas and its top restaurant rating to Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand hotel.
The Wynn earned the guide's top honor of five red pavilions, which it shares with eight other hotels in North America.
Joel Robuchon's rating of three stars means Michelin considers the restaurant to have ''exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.''
Three restaurants in Las Vegas earned two stars: Alex at Wynn Las Vegas, Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace and Picasso at Bellagio, while 13 earned one star. Stars are given only for a restaurant's food. The guide has separate rankings for atmosphere, cleanliness and service.
A December weeknight at the Wynn can easily cost $200 or more, while the six-course tasting menu at Joel Robuchon costs $250 per person. A 16-course tasting menu costs $385 per person.
The 2009 guide for Las Vegas highlights five hotels with four red pavilions -- Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Palazzo, Trump International Hotel & Tower and Ritz-Carlton on Lake Las Vegas.
Hotels are ranked for factors including cleanliness, overall service and comfort.
Visit Michelin Guide online at www.michelinguide.com/us/index.html.
AP