America, Countries, Deals

Cop a load of San Francisco

Its windy streets are ideal for car chases (think Steve McQueen and Bullitt), and you can see why when you cop a load of San Francisco with American Holidays?

San Fran famously boasts the Golden Gate Bridge, a gateway to explore Awesome Oakland.

Long and winding road: San Fran

But San Fran is. in truth, a gateway to a number of cool destinations.

Which is where AH come in with their multi-destination offers.

January Sales

Didn’t he do well? Michael Douglas

All backed up with their January Sale discounts.

Michael Douglas first came to our attention 50 years ago.

As the bulbous-nosed Karl Malden’s junior on The Streets of San Francisco.

And MD didn’t do too badly after bowing out in the final season to become a teacher!

By the time we got to Michael and Karl in 1972 our heads were already spinning from that car chase from Bullitt.

Bullitt proof

Fast car: The Bullittmobile

Frank spent ten minutes in his green Ford Mustang GT being chased by a black Dodge Charger 440 Magnum.

And took in Columbus Avenue at Chestnut Street, Chestnut Street between Leavenworth and Jones, Leavenworth Street at Chestnut and Kansas Street at 20th Street.

And, of course the Golden Gate Bridge.

Magnum opus

I can go fast too: Magnum PI

Talking of Magnums, of course, San Francisco is the gateway, albeit an aerial one, to the home of Magnum PI, Hawaii.

The moustachioed one, Tom Selleck, whom I was oft-mistaken for at the time, stomped his beat on the island of Oahu.

And that slice of heaven was also used for Hawaii 5-0 as well as Honolulu.

San Fran and more

Shirts required: The Hawaiian look

American Holidays offer a range of San Francisco multi-holidays with Vegas, or LA, or Seattle, or part of a Californian road trip.

Or with the 50th state, the Pacific idyll that is Hawaii.

All of which is reason enough to spread your wings.

And cop a load of San Francisco with American Holidays. And Hawaii.

Deal us in

Book ‘em Danno: Hawaii 5-0

You can see that here is a three-night in San Fran and a 15-night Hawaiian Princess cruise with flights from Dublin from €3355pp.

You’ll fly out from Dublin in October.

Book ‘em Danno!

 

 

 

 

America, Caribbean, Countries, Europe, Music

30 years of saltwater welling in my eyes

We are on UN’s red code to Save the World and 30 years of saltwater welling in my eyes since I first heard Julian Lennon’s song,  Rainy Days and Songdays now hails those singers who’ve been addressing the crisis for years.

When will there be?

Sweet music: Isley Brothers

Harvest for the World (Isley Brothers): Gather every man, gather every woman, Celebrate your life, give thanks for your children, gather everyone, gather altogether, overlookin’ none, hopin’ life gets better for the world.

The sonorous tones of Cincinnati, Ohio’s finest, carry on them a wonderfully stripped-back message we can all take on board.

My own focus on Cincinnati has been honed since sending one of my writers there back in the day.

I’d plan out the travel pieces they came back with early in the week for the weekend publication and was relaxing in the Dylan Hotel, Amsterdam (as you do) having mapped out the early draft.

When said writer texted me in a panic saying I’d misspelt Cincinnati and that this was jeopardising his contacts with them.

Despite it, of course, being an early draft and me being back in the office two days later. Hey ho, between us we gave the Cincinnatians what they wanted a justifiable celebration of their city.

Don’t it always seem to go?

Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell): And the Canadian chanteuse always caught the zeitgeist with her uniquely on-point lyrics.

‘They took all the trees and put ’em in a tree museum and charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em’ refers to the Foster Botanical Garden in downtown Honolulu.

Encroaching tourism is as big, if not bigger, threat than when Joni and the other hippies were trailing a blaze. Go and see it before they ruin it.  

Welling in my eye

Saltwater (Julian Lennon): It’s 30 years since John’s boy released this song, a classic in its own right.

And when I hear about the hole in the sky saltwater wells in my eyes.

And alas it’s getting bigger Julian. 

The right Cash

Don’t Go Near The Water (Johnny Cash): The King of Country was a lifelong advocate for ecology and the American landscape. 

And you can learn more about his passion for Nature at his museum in Nashville.

Johnny. of course, was a man of the land, Arkansas in his case, and he would turn in his grave…

Bob’s the job

The Sun Is Shining (Bob Marley): Marley, of course, loved the land so much he tried to smoke it all.

But joking aside his Rasta songs were inspired by a union with Nature.

Chicago‘s The Rock and Roll Playhouse knew it and held an Earth Day celebration concert featuring tunes by the great master of reggae two years ago.

To the rescue… here I am.

If only… because 30 years of saltwater welling in my eyes something has to be done.