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HYPER LINK = WEBSITE HOUSE KEEPING: Remember when you click on the pictures in "Where's Johnny Jet," they will open up in another window. Just click the "x"(close) in each picture to get back to the newsletter. This should alleviate complaints about closing Johnny Jet. Thanks again for your support, and remember: If you book trips on the web, please go through JohnnyJet.com. (It will save you money). "Maps of Johnny's travels courtesy of MyTripJournal.com. Start a travel website of your own for free now." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome back! I’m excited to get started, but first I want to tell you about a great travel show taking place this weekend (January 29-30) in Southern California. It’s called The Los Angeles Times Travel Show at the Long Beach Convention Center. Hundreds of exhibitors from all over the world will help travelers choose their next trip. On hand too will be some of the biggest travel writers and experts in the field – people like Peter Greenberg and Rick Steves. For the third consecutive year, I am fortunate to be on a panel. This time the title is "Budget: An Insider's Guide." My co-presenters are Rudy Maxa, Susan Spano and Michael Shapiro, all of whom I have admired for years. If you are in town, or even close by, be sure to come by and say "hi" at the meet-and-greet. For more info, LATimes.com/TravelShow Last week we left off with my sister Carol’s family as we touched down after our epic private jet flight (clip of 19-second video) in Palm Beach. We were staying at my brother-in-law Tom’s mother’s house there, then bounced a few doors down to a mellow New Year’s Eve party. It was at one of those jaw-dropping monster houses (it belonged to famous wedding dress designer Vera Wang). On New Year’s Day we had a lovely Thanksgiving-type feast with Tom’s family and friends. A couple of days later Carol and Tom moved into their new rental house. It is so sweet! It’s right on the Intracoastal Waterway, and like every house there comes with a pool. Yeah, baby! A few days later my brother Frank, his fiancée Cricket and my other sister Georgette came down from Connecticut to escape the cold. Inside Carol’s new place I discovered the oddest contraption: a metal box with a plug that appears to do nothing when plugged in. There weren’t any buttons, and it doesn’t make any sounds. I figured it was broken until Carol’s friend Lee said in her thick Southern drawl, "That’s a crisper, dummy" (okay, she didn’t say "dummy," but I sure felt like one)." Crispers are very popular in the South, because they keep bread from going stale. See that: I learn something every day. I was in Palm Beach County for 10 days, mostly to hang out with family, friends and see what the area has to offer. My previous two visits in October were too short to do anything but play with the kids (or get beat up by them ). This trip I checked out Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach. What I found was a street and a town that are excellent alternatives to Miami Beach’s Lincoln Boulevard and South Beach . This place doesn’t have the sex appeal, crazy night life and celebrity mob scene that you find 50 miles away, but it does have equally good food, fun (not out-of-control) nightlife, and basically the same beach (the only difference is that women can’t go topless here), all at a fraction of Miami Beach prices. Oh yeah: I also stayed at a great hotel. Without a doubt, the place to stay is the Delray Beach Marriott. The Delray Beach Marriott is for everybody: business travelers, couples and families. The location – right on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and A1A -- is ideal. The beach is a 50-yard walk, and so is the closest of the many tasty restaurants. I stayed at the hotel for three nights, and loved it. It was the first time in years that I felt like I was on vacation in Florida. I’m not sure what gave me that feeling, but if I could bottle it and sell it I would be a wealthy man. What I especially liked about this Marriott is that it didn’t feel like a Marriott. With its tile roof and marble floors, this hotel has a Mediterranean feel. My room, 406, was a junior suite, and it definitely was sweet. The bed was comfortable, the bathroom clean, and I had a spacious separate room with a desk and pull-out couch. As at all Marriotts, wireless high-speed is free. You gotta love that! My biggest complaint is that they need to change the nickname of their wireless service. After the December 26 tragedy, calling it "Tsunami" is no longer cool. During my stay I met a bunch of guests in the elevator (which brings up another minor complaint: the elevator is way too slow). They all told me they love both the hotel and Delray itself. One family from the Northeast (where most visitors to this county are from) said it’s the best value anywhere around. I agree. Delray Beach Marriott, 10 North Ocean Boulevard, Delray Beach, FL; tel.: 561-274-3200; toll-free 877-389-0169. To book the Delray Marriott through JohnnyJet click here. To test out some of the hotel amenities, I brought in help. My niece and nephew and their friends are my pool experts. If they like the pool, then any kid will. Although the pool wasn’t specifully designed for kids (there was no water slide), they still had an awesome time. My brother and sisters liked it too, because there was a live band and helpful waitresses serving blended drinks pool side. My family members also accompanied me to the hotel’s most popular meal: Sunday Brunch. I hope you can handle yourself around an all-you-can-eat buffet that is huge and serves everything from omelets to stone crabs, and includes insane dessert tables (yes, that’s plural) groaning with choices from chocolate-dipped strawberries to sugar free cake. I sure couldn’t handle myself there! Adults pay $26.99; kids over 5 eat for $15.99. To show off their special-occasion capabilities, the hotel hosted me and a few other travel writers to a special white-glove four-course meal that was scrumptious. For starters we had panko-crusted spiny lobster tail. I don’t eat seafood, but I tasted it so I wouldn’t seem rude and ended up eating the whole thing. The second course included a mini arugula salad with kiln-dried cherries, spiced pecans sticking out of a vanilla bean pear vinaigrette (umm-umm). The main course was oven-roasted organic chicken breast, roasted sweet potatoes, parmesan spaghetti squash and natural peppercorn jus that I completely devoured. I don’t want to put you over the edge, but dessert was frozen banana terrine, walnut nougat and a hot chocolate shot (pure chocolate). Visitors can’t get this in the regular dining room; however, it’s great to know that they offer this kind of service for birthdays, corporate dinners or other celebrations. If that food wasn’t enough, here’s a roundup of just some of the restaurants I dined at on Atlantic Avenue and the surrounding areas. The closest spot to the hotel with really good food is just across the street on Ocean Boulevard (part of A1A, and half a block from Atlantic Avenue). It’s called Caffe Luna Rosa (The Red Moon Café). I ate there twice, not only because it was so close but it’s so good. They have a weird, wide but incredibly good selection of dishes, from pasta to sushi to my new favorite: French toast stuffed with peanut butter and topped with chocolate chips. What – you’ve never had that?! Caffe Luna Rosa, 34 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, FL; tel.: (561) 274-9404. Another fine Italian restaurant is Bice. This is an expensive chain found all the round the world; the one in Delray just opened up. The best place to sit is outside on the sidewalk, so you can feel the warm breezes and watch the excitement of Atlantic Avenue. Bice Restaurante, 110 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL; tel.: (561) 274-7077. From its name you would think Cugini Grill serves Italian food, but it doesn’t. Instead it serves all kinds of meat and seafood. I had their Chicken Frascatana (chicken breast grilled over parmesan herb risotto, onion, pepperoncini and black olives). Seriously, it is among the top five chicken dishes I ever had. Cugini Grill, 270 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL; tel.: 561-274-6244. Instead of driving to Miami and waiting two hours at world-famous Joe’s Stone Crabs, why not go to Jimmy’s Stone Crabs? They serve practically the same crabs, and on a bed of ice with three sauces. Because Florida stone crabs are available only October 15 through May 15, Jimmy’s also serves many other varieties of seafood (as well as landlubber food for customers like me). A good night to come is Thursday, that's when they have live Jazz. Jimmy's Stone Crab, 411 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL; tel.: 561-278-0036. Another seafood restaurant we enjoyed was City Oyster. I can’t tell you whether their oysters were good (I wouldn’t put one of those things near my lips at any restaurant), but I can tell you their $16 huge taste of every dessert is deadly – in a good sense, of course. City Oyster, 213 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL; tel.: 561-272-0220. One of the hip restaurants to be seen at is Sol Kitchen. They serve tasty Floridian, Latino and American Tex/Mex cuisine. The food is good; so are the sangrias, and it’s not even expensive. Sol Kitchen, 4 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL; tel.: (561) 921-0201. I love Cuban food, and there’s no better place outside of Cuba to get it than in South Florida, so I tried Cabana el Ray. Whether you eat outside or indoors, it’s great. This trip we ate at the private table. It’s made for 16, but we squeezed in 18 to celebrate Tom’s birthday. Cabana el Ray, 105 E. Atlantic Ave., tel.: 561-274-9090). The food didn’t stop on Atlantic Avenue. I went up to City Place, an awesome outdoor mall in West Palm Beach. It has fantastic shopping, a fine movie theatre and tasty restaurants. One night my siblings and I met my Uncle Joe and his partner Diane to celebrate Georgette’s birthday at Belaggio restaurant. This fine Italian restaurant is below the most beautiful building (it used to be a church) in the area. Il Bellagio at City Place, 600 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach, FL; tel.: (561) 659-6160. Another popular street undergoing a resurrection is Clematis Street. Getting there from City Place is easy. Just hop on the free trolley that comes every 15 minutes for the 5-10 minute ride (depending where you get off). We ate at a new restaurant called Canteen. It’s at the very end of Clematis, overlooking the Intracoastal and the famous Flagler museum. Who would’ve thought a very tasty and filling lunch in this area would cost only $6? Canteen's, 1 N. Clematis St., West Palm Beach, FL; tel.: (561) 659-7847. Believe it or not I went to even more restaurants. The last one I’ll tell you about is another inexpensive fun place for the whole family: Pete Rose’s in Boynton Beach (between Palm Beach and Delray). Love him or hate him, Pete Rose offers good, inexpensive bar food with a fun atmosphere for sport fans and kids (there’s a large arcade and a face painter). We missed Pete Rose by one night -- he comes by often to sign autographs for free (as long as you buy something from his store). Pete Rose Ballpark Café, 1601 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach, FL; tel.: 561-364-PETE. If you’re looking for a little culture, check out the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. Walking around this 200-acre sanctuary is very peaceful. It’s a perfect place to go on a lazy afternoon. If someone hit me on the head and I woke up in this place, I’d swear I was in Japan. Who knew that South Florida had so much culture? The Morikami Museum houses 5,000 Japanese art objects and artifacts, including a 500-piece collection of tea ceremony items, more than 200 textile pieces, and recent fine art acquisitions. The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Rd., Delray Beach, FL; tel.: 561-495-0233. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: $9 adults; $8 seniors; $6 children. Of course, you can’t leave Florida without getting fresh-picked oranges or grapefruits, or fresh-squeezed juice. A perfect place is just around the corner from Morikami, called Blood's Hammock Groves. This place is family owned and operated for 55 years. They grow, harvest, pick and ship Florida's most pampered fruit. And they aren’t kidding when they say "pampered." Go to their observation deck to see the fresh-fruit version of a car wash. Every piece gets washed, polished, sized and rated before it is shipped. Shoppers can get of fruit at incredible prices. What do you think this shopping bag full of grapefruit cost? Only $4.75! The one thing I didn’t like about the place was a very grumpy cashier. I heard from another employee that she wasn’t having just a bad day either; she’s always like that. My advice is to stay away from her. Blood's Hammock Groves, 1.5 miles west of I-95 on Linton Blvd. at Old Germantown Rd. in Delray Beach, FL; tel.: 800-255-5188. After all this food, you’ll probably need to work out. There is no better place than the Fitness Studio on Atlantic Avenue. They offer day passes for $15.90, and personal training to visitors and club members. The Fitness Studio Downtown, 111 E Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL; tel.: 561-272-8033. If you like to get pampered on vacation, check out one of the best places in South Florida to relax and/or get a makeover. Spa Eleven is hip, innovative and the bomb of all spas. We took a tour with my sister Carol and a very high maintenance woman. Both agreed that Spa Eleven takes the prize. Men and women have separate rooms; men can even get pedicures while watching sports on a giant plasma flat screen. Most rooms have themes, which makes getting nails, hair, makeup or whatever done that much better. Don’t forget to book an indoor or outdoor massage in advance (because they go fast) with one of the seven concierges (who even arrange free transportation). Spa Eleven, 1440 N. Federal Hwy., Delray Beach, FL; tel.: (561) 278-1100. Happy Travels, Johnny Jet *Please tell us what you think of this week's newsletter! RESOURCES and book all your online travel through JohnnyJet.com.  |
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Save in Europe, despite a weak dollar While Europe has never been the cheapest place for North Americans to visit, there have long been affordable ways to see the Continent. But with the dollar recently hitting an all-time low against the euro, and British pounds trading at nearly $2 each, Europe looks like a budget traveler's worst nightmare. But it doesn't have to be. Click Here To Read Article |
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