Where in the world?

This place_________________ is known for its Mexican heart and Caribbean soul. This is a destination that comes close to paradise where tradition, flavor and joy come together. You will always find a friendly face and a warm welcome to make your stay an unforgettable one.

Where in the world has the Travel Professor sent you?

Happy travels!

Beatlemania storms the USA

On February 7, 1964, a Pan Am flight from London lands in NYC and the British invasion is on. “Beatlemania" storms ashore with their first visit to the USA. The Beatles; a British rock-and-roll quartet that had just scored its first No. 1 U.S. hit six days before with "I Want to Hold Your Hand." At the airport the "Fab Four"decked out in mod suits and sporting their trademark pudding bowl haircuts were greeted by 3,000 screaming fans who caused a near riot when the boys stepped off their plane and onto American soil. It seems like only “Yesterday” that they burst on the scene.

Years ago because of a dock workers strike I got stranded me in Liverpool England for a few days. I took advantage of this delay and got to visit a few sights related to “the guys with the hair in their eyes” early days!

Rock on!

The B**tch is Back!

Damaged by recent hurricane and storm activities the world’s most perfect beach has been rebuilt and is back!

Where in the world is this b**tch? Email your reply to thetravelprofessor@gmail.com.

Beatles Tribute cruise

Picture yourself in a boat on a river...make that a cruise ship as a Beatles Tribute Cruise will set sail on March 28 from Fort Lauderdale on Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas. The six-night cruise will include Beatles artists, photographers, authors and ex-girlfriends of the famous group. The cruise visits Belize City, Costa Maya and Cozumel. In addition to featuring band trivia, karaoke and autograph sessions, the cruise will also hold an auction of Beatles memorabilia for the Dara Roberts Fund. The festivities include three performances by BritBeat, a tribute band.

It’s time for a little magical mystery tour! So rock on!

Got travel? Email thetravelprofessor@gmail.com.

US Income Tax passed into law on Feb 3rd 1913

On February 3, 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by the United States Congress, allowing the Federal government to collect a tax based on income. While the Constitution give the Congress the power of taxation, a Supreme Court case had held that direct taxes on income were unconstitutional. In 1909 President Taft initially proposed a constitutional amendment and, though passed by the Congress in 1909, the amendment required three full years for ratification.

Here's the 1913 form 1040. I wish it was still this simple!

As often as I been to DC I've never seen the IRS headquarters on any tours. I can only wonder why.

On February 1st 1913 Grand Central Terminal ("Station" is not a part of its official name) opened at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in midtown Manhattan. The terminal represents the largest train station in the world gauged by the number of tracks. Grand Central contains restaurants, delis, bakeries, newsstands, a gourmet and fresh food market, and more than thirty retail stores. The clock on the front of the building contains the world's largest example of Tiffany glass. The cavernous interior boasts an elaborately decorated astronomical ceiling. Inexplicably, the stars are all painted backwards. It is said that when the Vanderbilt family (the major stockholders of the New York Central Railroad) learned that the stars were portrayed backwards, they explained that the ceiling reflected God's view of the sky. Today it’s still part of NYC’s tourism with restaurants, shops and Metro Transit Authority service.

Got travel? Email thetravelprofessor@gmail.com.

Last weeks visit to Cleveland's Home & Garden show

Here are my views on Cleveland’s Home and Garden show that I visited last weekend. The display gardens were wonderful and I came away with some new twists for my summer landscape. The vendors were hawking the normal stuff so the credit card stayed firmly lodged in my wallet.

The wonderful Germany theme was well very disappointing. The Oktoberfest hall was basically a school cafeteria with blue and white checkered table clothes and some cardboard and plywood cutouts scattered around the room. This venue was a topic of conversation with a group of friends and we best described it as cheesy!

Even more disappointing was the daily smorgasbord of authentic German cuisine. The only traditional items were grilled bratwursts and strudel. Italian sausages and Hungarian chicken paprikash were dished up in an area reminiscent of a concession stand at a local craft fare. Sorry gang this experience was nowhere near what the press releases had hyped.

Was the show alone worth the drive? No. But when you add other regional activities to your itinerary then yes it did make a great diversion from the snow and ice outside.