Taking off Travel blog

Remember when you were a kid in school and counted down days to the first break of the New Year, President’s Day?  Celebrated the third Monday of February, Presidents Day combines the celebration of both George Washington‘s birthday and Abraham Lincoln’s birthday into one national holiday.  One surprising fact is that during the last year of Washington’s presidency, the United States began honoring him by celebrating his birthday.  By the early 1800′s, Washington’s birthday was an unofficial national holiday celebrated with lavish balls and parties.  In 1880, his birthday on February 22, became a national holiday.

However, in 1968, legislation was passed that Washington’s birthday would be celebrated on the third Monday in February and the day would also honor Abraham Lincoln.  So, there you have it.  Why we (or some of us), have an extra three day weekend in February.  So, what should we do with that extra day?  Some schools have a winter break allowed for this time of the year.

In honor of this, I gathered a few Presidents Day travel ideas to celebrate these two great presidents who led the United States through some of its darkest times.  The first stop, Colonial Beach, VA.  George Washington was born near here and is one of the few smaller seaport towns along the Potomac River.   Washington’s birthplace is open daily.

This time of years is a perfect time to go visit Valley Forge, PA.  The Valley Forge National Park memorializes where Washington trained his Continental Army during the 1777-78 winter encampment.  Here, the army struggled to survive against hunger and disease.  Open year round, this is a perfect place to really see part of our early history.

After George Washington was elected president by the Electoral College, he traveled to the Federal Hall in New York City.  Here at Federal Hall, George Washington took the oath of office as the first President, the first Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Executive Branch.

George Washington retired to Mount Vernon, VA.  Here you can visit over a dozen of original buildings, as well as his mansion.  The site has several exhibits and recently opened up the restored grist mill and distillery.  You can also pay your respects to our first President by visiting his tomb.

Traveling to Knob Creek, KY you can view the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln.  He spent his first five years of life, here, in a small one room cabin.  During the winter, the park is only open on the weekends, so please check the website for availability.  From 1816-1830 Honest Abe spent 14 years of his life in Spencer County.  One of the highlights is the five sculptured panels that depicts Lincoln’s life.

Abraham Lincoln worked as a young legislator to name Springfield as the capital of Illinois.  He grew his law practice, ran for office, and was to retire in here after his Presidential term was over.  At the Lincoln House in Springfield, IL, you can view the small house which has been restored to when Lincoln lived there.  Donated to Illinois by Robert Lincoln, (the President’s oldest son), it is free to the public.

In the Washington D.C. area, you can visit Ford’s Theater where John Wilkes Booth shot the President.  Still a working theater, it is open during the day and has tours, a Lincoln museum and other displays.  Admission is free to this exhibit, as well.

Of course, probably one of the best places to pay tribute to all the Presidents, is to tour the National Mall in Washington, D.C.  From the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and all other memorials, statues, and monuments the history of the United States can be visited.  Even if you aren’t planning a trip on this President’s Day or Winter Break, add it to your to-do list for the spring, summer, or fall.

If you have been to any of these places, let us know in the comments.  We would love to know what you think of our tips!

If planning to fly to any of these locations, be sure to use ParkRideFlyUSA.com to secure your off-airport parking reservation.  Our vendors provide transportation to and from the airport terminal, luggage assistance, and you will have a guaranteed parking space with no hassles.

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You’re probably thinking, seriously, there’s no shocking truth about something as boring as parking.  Well, unless you had the experience of arriving at the Airport Economy Parking Lot and the LOT FULL sign is flashing through your windshield, you are late for your flight, and you just saw the airport shuttle whiz by, you don’t know how shocking airport parking can be!

Outside of living under a rock most of your life, you probably already realize that the holiday period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is the busiest time of year for airline travel.  All this leads us to the point that unless you take some preliminary precautions, someone is going to park their car in your spot, even though you yelled DIBS on it with your super powers.

Let’s say that you had researched the parking costs for your Thanksgiving flight back in August, when you made your plane reservations.  But, you arrived at the lot and instead of  the reasonable $5 per day rate, the “holiday rate” is now $10.00+ per day.  WHAT?  Arguing with the attendant won’t work, she’s just charging what the computer told her.  If you want your car out of Airport Parking hock, then you will need fork over whatever the Airport says.

Now, let’s get back to reality.  Airport parking doesn’t need to become difficult, nor do you need super powers to get a great parking space.  You can reserve your spot ahead of time for an off-airport parking lot and save not only some of your hard earned cash, but time and frustration as well.  You receive luggage assistance, a ride to and from the terminal, and peace of mind from having a parking space.

Check out the rates for your departure airport at ParkRideFlyUSA. We have the best parking lots listed for your airport.  Just a few clicks, and you will have a guaranteed parking space for your holiday trip.  Book early so you can lock in your rate and avoid any last minute blackouts.  With your paid receipt, you will have access to your reserved parking spot at the off airport parking lot you chose, guaranteed locked in rate, and peace of mind before you start your trip home to Mom’s house.

And, since Mom is making your favorite holiday dessert, wouldn’t you rather spend your extra money on a nice gift instead of airport parking?

We pride ourselves on providing an excellent off airport parking reservations service and we’re always happy to tell people about it. Today, it’s our customers’ turn to talk about their experiences of parking at our Chicago Midway airport parking facility.

“Easily the best airport parking facility I’ve ever used. Time and time again my family has used Midway Park Ride and Fly when traveling out on Southwest. The shuttle is always quick, our cars are always taken care of, and the price is certainly right. In fact, the folks at this parking facility even brushed and de-iced our car during a massive late-season snow storm that happened while our vehicle was in their care. Most of all, these folks know customer service.” – Amy G on Yelp.

“Their service was exceptional. I work for a major corporation and have high expectations of my employees when it comes to customer service. The drivers go above and beyond – they are friendly, polite, and courteous. They are always helpful with your luggage and my driver even took a couple minutes to brush the snow off my car!” – UIC254 on Yahoo Local.

“On a late returning flight from Mexico I had a flat tire. It was dark, and I couldn’t see it, but the driver immediately said, “Oh, we saw your car had a flat tire during the week, we can get a air pump or help you change it if needed”. They came back in a few minutes and helped me change it after it wouldn’t take air. I thought that was extremely nice of them after a long flight. He easily could have just dropped me off and went on his way.” – Cameron R on Yelp.

“Door to door service. They picked us up at our car, dropped us off at the airport. We didn’t wait at all when we came back from our trip. The shuttle was waiting for us and promptly dropped us off right next to our car. This service was the cheapest, most convenient I have ever seen. The employees were all very courteous and the service worth it. Highly recommend.” – DB, on Yahoo Local.

“Who would have thought people would be writing reviews for parking lots. I never would have until I came across this gem. From the moment you arrive till the moment you leave, they have the system down packed (give you exact spot to park in, van follows you, driver helps with bags if needed, you text and the van arrives almost magically etc). And just when you think the experience couldn’t be flawless they surprise you with things like free water or a pleasant remarks at the payment booth … Great job guys!” – Moe A on Yelp.

“I’ve used it at least 50 times since my first review, and it’s still mighty stellar. I’ve never had any type of issue, it’s always speedy and convenient, and the staff is actually very friendly for a parking lot type of establishment. My repeated props: thanks for keeping my car for me while I wander around the country MPRF. ” – Colleen C on Yelp.

Thanks so much for taking the time to review our services on Yelp and other sites.

Want to experience this same level of service? Check out our latest discount airport parking deal.

Today we continue our series on airport parking locations with San Francisco International Airport. This airport recently did well in the Skytraxx World Airport Awards, which surveyed around 12 million passengers about 388 airports. San Francisco Airport placed third on the list of North America’s best airports, behind Vancouver International and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International. And its Terminal 2 was rated 4th in the world on the Best Airport Terminals list. However, an even bigger achievement was topping the list for Best Airport Service Staff in North America. Overall, it’s the second best American airport and is now in the top 40 of world airports.

San Francisco Airport History

Located 13 miles south of downtown San Francisco, SFO is the second busiest airport in California. Serving as the base for Virgin America, it is also a major hub for United Airlines. The airport first opened in May 1927 on land leased from Ogden L Mills. At that time it was called Mills Field Municipal Airport. In 1931 it became San Francisco Municipal Airport, gaining international status in 1955. The award-winning Terminal 2 is an extended version of the original Central Passenger Terminal, opened in 1954 and extended in 1984. (Find out more about the history of SFO.)

SFO Terminals

SFO has four terminals – 3 domestic and 1 international – and over 100 boarding gates. Its busiest international routes are to Hong Kong, London, Tokyo, Seoul, Frankfurt and Taipei. Domestic traffic is heaviest to Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Las Vegas and Denver. The airport handled more than 41 million passengers in 2011. Passengers tend to experience delays in bad weather, because of the location of the runways. Schemes to extend the runways have met opposition from those concerned about the environmental effects on the Bay Area. Meanwhile construction of a new tower is due to start later this year, as it is estimated that the existing tower could not survive a major earthquake.

SFO Passenger Amenities

SFO International Airport has a number of passenger facilities and amenities. These include luggage storage, showers, medical facilities, restaurants, bars and cafes, shopping, nurseries, Wi-Fi, charging stations, workstations, a yoga room and much more. An interactive airport map is available here. The airport is well served for ground transportation with the BART, Caltrain and SamTrans systems. Off-airport parking services are available from CL Parking, Ace Parking (Quikpark) and Park N Fly.

Things to Do Near SFO Airport

If you’re looking for something to while away the time at the airport, the SFO Museum offers exhibitions throughout the facility. If you have an extended layover, then take the BART into the city. If it’s early, Dottie’s True Blue Cafe is a great place for breakfast. The SFO airport shops are considered to be pretty good, but if you want even more variety, Union Square is within easy reach of the airport. Fisherman’s Wharf is a great place for a stroll and you can also enjoy the antique penny arcade machines at the Musee Mechanique. Check out the Victorian mansions on the “world’s crookedest street”, Lombard Street, take a ride on a cable car or tour the Golden Gate Bridge. If you have more time in the city, then these suggestions from Time Out may help.

What are your favorite things to do in San Francisco?

Visiting San Francisco? Check out our off airport parking coupon and save.

Image credits: coolcaesar; Christian Mehlführer

Once known as “The Farm” because of its isolation, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is now among the busiest airports in the US and the world. On the average day the airport handles more than 100,000 passengers and has 1,200 arriving and departing airplanes. It has 120 gates spread over 3 terminals. Most of these are in Terminal 4 which opened in 1990 and was expanded in 2005.

Phoenix Sky Harbor airport celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2010, dating its history to the purchase of an existing airport by Phoenix city in 1935 (which happens to be the same year that the Monopoly board game was released). An interesting fact about the airport is that it was once popular with couples wanting to make a quick marriage. It had a chapel next door (near where the Left Seat Restaurant is now) and there was no three day waiting period in Arizona.

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