The BlackAtlas community did such a great job giving advice to member Melissa C on destinations for a girl’s getaway that we’d like you to help another member!
This week, we have a question from Dr. Hodges, a mature traveler who has been to some great destinations. He writes:
“I am interested in more travel to Africa (I have been to the continent exactly 92 times) and to Portugal, Spain, Bahia (Brazil), India, Egypt, etc. As an African-American, I am interested in traveling with primarily ethnic groups who have similar cultural and social experiences. I am a retired University professor who is active in scholarly and civic activities. I am a widower of 8 years. Please inform me of educational/cultural/social travel opportunities with mature people abroad. Thank you.”
BlackAtlas members…what suggestions can you offer?
Years ago, African Americans found inspiration in the city of lights. Now you can walk in their footsteps. American Airlines and BlackAtlas.com present the Soul of Paris Contest.
* Five nights’ accommodations at an historic hotel
* A private city tour
* A private walking tour of Paris including the literary Latin Quarter, artistic St.Germain-des-Pres, Champs-Elysees and vibrant Montmartre
* Dinner for two and a jazz concert
Just sign-up at BlackAtlas.com, if you aren’t already a member, then submit a video or article (articles must include a photo) of a day in your hometown or in any city from our featured cities list that you have visited. Your article could focus on any number of things: shopping, local music, arts, historical sites, activities for families or couples, sightseeing, etc.
Entrants will receive a link notifying them when their article is on the site. They will then be encouraged to share the link with their friends and social networks so that they can vote (like and comment). Make sure you’re following us on Twitter and Facebook; we’ll use these sites – and our blog – to announce when voting begins.
Participants will have two weeks (March 16 to March 31) to submit their entries and the community will have two weeks (April 1 to April 15) to vote. The submission that tops our leader board at the end of the 2-week voting period wins.
We want to know what types of vacations BlackAtlas members like to take. Not the location – rather, we want to know what types of things you are interested in doing, types of places you are interested in (small and quaint or big and vibrant) when you take that getaway.
American Airlines customers who depart from select airports can choose to receive their boarding passes electronically on their mobile phones or PDAs, saving time and bypassing the need to print and present a paper boarding pass at the airport.
Passengers departing on domestic flights from 19 additional airports now have the option to use mobile boarding passes. New airports added are:
• Albuquerque International (ABQ)
• Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)
• Cleveland Hopkins International (CLE)
• Denver International (DEN)
• El Paso International (ELP)
• Houston George Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
• Jacksonville International (JAX)
• Little Rock Adams Field (LIT)
• Memphis International (MEM)
• New York La Guardia (LGA)
• Oklahoma Will Rogers World (OKC)
• Orlando International (MCO)
• Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX)
• Salt Lake City International (SLC)
• San Antonio International (SAT)
• San Diego International (SAN)
• San Francisco International (SFO)
• Tulsa International (TUL)
• Washington Dulles International (IAD)
Mobile boarding passes, which use a two-dimensional (2-D) barcode, were introduced by American in late 2008, and were previously available for passengers departing on domestic flights from Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS), Chicago O’Hare International (ORD), Dallas-Fort Worth International(DFW),Los Angeles International (LAX), John Wayne Orange County (SNA), Las Vegas McCarran International (LAS), Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) and Minneapolis–St. Paul International (MSP) airports. American’s mobile boarding pass program is in partnership with the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The program will be extended to additional U.S. airports in the coming months.
To use the mobile boarding pass option – either with the traditional desktop version of AA.com or the mobile version – customers must have an active e-mail address where their boarding pass may be sent and an Internet-enabled mobile device where the 2-D barcode can be received. At this time, customers may list only one person in their reservation. Domestic destinations include those within the United States, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Customers who check in online and wish to print a paper boarding pass are still able to do so.
For more information on mobile boarding passes on American Airlines, including instructions on how to use the new system, visit www.aa.com/mobileboarding.
BlackAtlas community member Melissa C and her friends want to take a girlfriend’s trip and need a bit of help. Here’s what she wrote:
“Where would you recommend 3 single black women to go for a girl’s getaway? We are in our early/late 30’s and mid 40’s; we are looking for fine food, dancing (R&B/Certain Hip/Hop (nice version), spa and some interesting attractions for that particular city.”
Before BlackAtlas makes its suggestions, we’d like to know what the community would recommend, and why? Share!
Have a question for BlackAtlas? Email editor@blackatlas.com. We will respond to you as quickly as we can.
BlackAtlas traveled to Selma to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march. The annual Jubilee Crossing event has something for the entire family…a street festival, educational tours and more. We asked people who stopped by our booth why they came to the event and to tell us what the anniversary of the historic march meant to them.
After wrapping our trip to the Modern Art Museum of Bahia, we decided to hang out on the pier to catch the sun as it set. The museum’s grounds were full of locals – families, young people, couples – who had the same thing in mind.
This group of young men decided to add a soundtrack to this beautiful moment.
Don’t be alarmed – the ‘explosions’ you hear in the background are just fireworks!
Every year, during the first full weekend in March, thousands gather in Selma to commemorate the right to vote and remember “Bloody Sunday”
This year’s march will be held this March 5-13, 2010 and is a family-oriented celebration of the fight for a full and equal vote. More than 30,000 people will gather at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge for a street festival of music, art and history.
2010 is the 17th Anniversary of the Bridge Crossing Jubilee and the 45th Anniversary of the march from Selma-to-Montgomery…making the event that much more special.
It’s hard to imagine, given the East Coast is still digging itself out from the recent snow storm and the Midwest is unbelievably cold, but spring break is upon us.
With that in mind, we want to know: what are the best cities for family-oriented vacations?
We spent the first half of our second day in Bahia at the beach. Travel Expert-at-Large Nelson George and his director Diane were able to get some great shots of the local beaches, which were packed with families all enjoying the sun and surf. Restaurants dotted the beach, serving up cool drinks and local snacks. The kiwi and pineapple juices and the shrimp filled empanada like appetizer were among the favorites. “Hidden”, a meat baked under a potato like topping and covered with cheese ended up tasting just fine…much better than it looks.
After the beach, we trekked over the modern art museum. Housed in an old sugar factory, the museum is a beautiful mix of old and new and sits at the edge of the water. It’s a perfect place for watching the sun set, which is exactly what we did.
On Monday, we head to the Afro-Brazilian museum which is full of items that link Brazil to it’s African past.
