September 2012 - Sightseers' Delight

Seeing America

Flagstaff statue pays homage to the men who built the railroads

September 26, 2012 Todd DeFeo

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The city of Flagstaff owes much to the railroad. On Aug. 1, 1892, the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad began serving Flagstaff. The railroad, by then part of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, was chartered in 1866 by President Andrew Johnson and tasked with building a road from Missouri to California. The workers who laid tracks across the country were known as Gandy Dancers. The name is sometimes attributed to a Gandy

What are America’s dirtiest cities?

September 22, 2012 The Travel Trolley

ATLANTA — Looking to take a trip? Your next destination may be among the nation’s dirtiest. Here are the top five dirtiest destinations in America, according to Travel + Leisure magazine: New York City New Orleans Baltimore Los Angeles Atlanta For more information, click here.

Golden Gate Casino completes $15 million expansion

September 22, 2012 The Travel Trolley

One of Las Vegas’ original casinos has completed a $15 million expansion. The Golden Gate Hotel and Casino opened in 1906 as the Hotel Nevada. This latest expansion is the hotel’s first in 50 years. Upgrades to the hotel include a 35,000-square-foot, five-story addition with 14 hotel suites that pay tribute tribute to notable guests from the past such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. The casino’s larger casino floor includes a

Ga. historical society places marker at first Waffle House

September 22, 2012 The Travel Trolley

AVONDALE ESTATES, Ga. — On Labor Day in 1955, two neighbors — Joe Rogers, Sr. and Tom Forkner — opened the very first Waffle House restaurant. “We never dreamed that Waffle House would be as big as it is today when we opened our doors in 1955. In the beginning, we thought we would open about 10 locations and then go fishing,” Rogers, Sr. said in a news release. With more than 1,650 Waffle House

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Early Television Museum showcases history of television

September 22, 2012 Todd DeFeo

HILLIARD, Ohio — After selling his cable business a little more than a decade ago, Steve McCoy started collecting early television receivers. Years earlier, as a teenager, McCoy worked in a television repair shop, fixing sets from the 1940s. At the time, he wasn’t aware television was even around before World War II. But, that soon changed. “When I started collecting I learned that there was no place the public could see early TV technology,” McCoy

Report: Hotel prices up 5 percent from 2011

September 18, 2012 The Travel Trolley

North America saw the second fastest rise in average hotel prices in the first half of 2012, with a growth of 5 percent. That’s according to the latest Hotel Price Index released by Hotels.com. The current index, which falls at 109, 10 points behind their peak in 2007 and remain cheaper than in 2006. The HPI tracks real prices paid per room by Hotels.com customers at approximately 140,000 properties within the Hotels.com network in major

New exhibit looks at history of Staten Island

September 18, 2012 The Travel Trolley

Ask any Staten Islander. The day the bridge opened, the island changed forever. A new exhibit — “From Farm to City: Staten Island 1661-2012” — puts the 350-year history of Staten Island into a new perspective. The exhibit, which just opened at the Museum of the City of New York, runs through Jan. 21. According to the AP: “There are a lot of surprises about Staten Island for people who don’t know Staten Island very

Georgia parks open at no charge Sept. 29 for National Public Lands Day

September 17, 2012 Todd DeFeo

ATLANTA — Georgia’s state parks will be open free of charge Sept. 29 in honor of National Public Lands Day. “We’re calling this celebration ‘Your State Parks Day’ to remind Georgians that state parks and historic sites belong to them,” Andy Fleming, executive director of the Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites, said in a news release. “Parks add so much to our lives. We’re hoping more people will visit the state park

Atlanta airport using sheep to control vegetation

September 14, 2012 Todd DeFeo

ATLANTA — Feeling a bit sheepish? Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will use 100 sheep as part of a test grazing program. The program, launched in conjunction with Trees Atlanta and funded by an anonymous donor, is aimed at controlling vegetation on a one-acre plot of land the airport owns along Riverdale Road. “We are constantly thinking of innovative ways to make the Airport more efficient, and we are eager to determine whether sheep grazing will