Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of HI-New York
On January 19th, 1990, Hostelling International New York officially opened its doors as a hostel. Over the past 20 years, the hostel has hosted millions from around the world. It has since become a well known Manhattan landmark and welcome site to visitors and the community it serves.
Come see why HI-New York is such a renowned hostel and truly experience all that this vibrant city has to offer!
In October 2009, the hostel took part in Open House New York where locals and guests were offered historical tours of the building. The tours did include images of the original Tiffany Window which were once in the hostel Ballroom.
Peace-ing Communities Together
at HI-San Diego
Hostelling International USA, San Diego Council is pleased to announce the 3rd Annual "Peace-ing Communities Together" - A Peace Building Conference for Young Adults.
The conference is organized for and planned by young adults (ages 18-35). The goal of the conference is to connect young adults through open dialogue and interactive program content; to help participants discover ways they can build peace through personal and social awareness; to assist in building leadership skills; and to foster a sense of accomplishment and confidence through community service.
We use cutting-edge leadership and facilitation techniques to engage and focus participants with integrative tools for deep listening and quiet reflection. If you are ready to embrace the leader within and become a committed, active citizen, do not miss out on this amazing opportunity!
This year's conference will be held at San Diego State University on Saturday April 10th, 2010. Registration opens March 1st.
Please contact Tiffany Olson for more information (619) 338-9981 ext. 15, email tolson@sandiegohostels.org or visit http://peacebuildingsandiego.org
New Cape Cod Hostel Opening in 2010!
The Eastern New England Council of HI-USA is thrilled to announce a new Massachusetts hostel in Hyannis on Cape Cod. In nine decades of living on Hyannis Harbor, Ruth Rusher knew the key roles travel and tourism play in the local economy, and in bringing the world to Cape Cod. In 2010, her legacy will be fulfilled, as her lifelong home becomes a new hostel named for her mother -- The Angeline Crocker Hinckley Hostel. The project is “shovel ready,” and through the generosity of Ruth Rusher and other lead donors, the project is 75% funded, though support is urgently needed to complete the project.
“We look forward to opening the new facility, though help is still needed to fund improvements so we can continue to provide the educational programming and opportunities for travel that makes a difference in our communities,” said Deborah Ruhe, Executive Director.
The demand for a Hyannis hostel is proven: HI-USA operated a 40-bed hostel in Hyannis until 1994, when the building became structurally unsound and limited finances prohibited its replacement. When complete, the hostel will feature 40 beds, across three buildings on a 1⁄2-acre campus. The main building is a historic Sears, Roebuck kit house, circa 1910. Extensive renovations are required to meet commercial safety codes and HI-USA national quality standards, and to improve environmental sustainability. The project budget is $1.6 million, with more than $1.2 million raised to date. From beaches and museums to sports and recreation, restaurants and shops, Hyannis, the largest of seven villages in the town of Barnstable, has much to offer hostel guests. Often referred to as the “Capital of the Cape,” Hyannis is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and is a popular vacation spot for travelers. The new hostel location could not be more ideal: across the street from the Hyannis ferry docks, steps to the free Hyannis trolley shuttle, less than a mile to the Hyannis bus station and in easy walking distance to museums, main street shops, beaches and other local historical, recreational and cultural attractions.
The new hostel is expected to open in summer 2010. For more information, visit http://hinewengland.org/hyannis.php
Hawaii
Hostelling International Waikiki kicks off the New Year with access to free activities around the island, as well as offering some of the best adventure tours at the best prices! You can participate in free lei making classes, hula lessons & beginner yoga lessons or watch free authentic hula shows, torch lightings, & weekly fireworks. There are also many area attractions that you do not need a tour to go to, because they are free or very cheap! Take a bus ride to the historic Pearl Harbor Memorial, which is free to get into, or go check out the spectacular view atop Diamond Head Crater, which is only $1! Want to see colorful tropical fish in a beach that used to be an active volcano? Borrow some of our free snorkel gear & head to Hanauma Bay, where for a price of $7.25 you can walk down to the beach at the bottom of this extinct volcano carved out by the powerful force of the ocean.
Don’t hesitate to contact our Activities Coordinator, Angel, who can help you organize group trips to waterfalls, the historic North Shore, ancient temples, pub crawls, & secluded beaches. He has visited all of the major islands & can give you tips on planning your trip as well!
For those who are looking for more adventure, we offer only the best tours in Oahu. Hawaii is one of the best and cheapest places to tandem skydive! Want to get the chance to see endangered turtles, dolphins, manta rays, & whales (winter)? Book a two-tank beginner or certified scuba dive! How about going sailing & snorkeling to a place called Turtle Canyons, where all the sea turtles go to get “cleaned” by other fish! Did you know surfing was invented in Hawaii? Don’t leave the island without taking a private, semi-private, or group lesson from one of the best instructors on the beach! Want to get a great work-out in the sun? Try kayaking the beautiful beach of Kailua to a remote island that is a bird sanctuary & then catching a wave back to shore! Not enough adventure? Well, then this one is for you: take a 3-mile boat ride in the North Shore waters, where you will be put in a cage as sharks come up and circle around you, in our North Shore Shark Cage Adventure!Check all these tours out & more at our website.
Most Romantic Cities
By Robert Reid, US Travel Editor, Lonely Planet
A great romantic getaway can be had just about anywhere – and for this year here are a few atmospheric alternates to another trip to Paris or Venice.
Lisbon
Classical plazas, Moorish castles, 60-foot public murals, boutique hotels and dozens of nearby beaches, Lisbon is having its renaissance, making for a perfect couples retreat without the hordes and hustle of a Barcelona, Paris or Venice. The delights come in the Portuguese capital by roaming cobbled backstreets, such as the wandering alleys of Alfama, where Moms and Pops cook, wait tables and sing heart-wrenching fado ballads. Another lazy day is spent hopping on and off the vintage, mountain-climbing tram 28 to see sites like the serene, tiled Sa/~o Vicente de Fora church dating from the 12th century, finished with a candle-lit dinner on cobbled Calc/,ada do Duque with city-wide views.
Prague
Spanning half a century of European classical styles, Prague has been ‘the new Paris’ for over a decade – and for reason. Known as the ‘City of a Thousand Spires,’ it’s a timeless place, particularly off season, where you can watch mist before the looming castle from the pedestrian Charles Bridge at dawn, sip the best beer in the world in huge open-air beer gardens, laze at alley cafes and climb up the 14th-century Old Town Hall’s tower for views of one Europe’s loveliest squares.
Istanbul
Europe meets Asia here, but Istanbul is more its own thing. Take a slow walk through the confusing array of 4000-some stands at the Grand Bazaar in the heart of the old city, then stand awestruck in the Blue Mosque and 1500-year-old Aya Sofya and hop on a Bosphorus ferry ride. Across the Golden Horn River, the long sloping pedestrian alley of Istiklal Caddesi fills with thousands and thousands of locals, strolling past fish-market sidewalk stands, antique shops, cozy bars and tea cafes – look for rooftop bars for Istanbul’s greatest scenes.
Charleston, South Carolina
The sleepy southern city that ignited a Civil War, Charleston’s scene of drooping magnolias and sweeping antebellum mansions is a stroller’s paradise. And the food is fantastic. Charleston doesn’t overwhelm – there’s enough for several days, but you’re OK sticking with lemonade (or gin-and-tonic) from the rocking chairs on your B&B’s front porch, or a leisurely horse-carriage ride past the Greek Revival Market Hall on a B&B porch, and perhaps a Civil War tour. Just save enough time for the long, sprawling, stuffing meals of nouveaux southern dishes (plus all the gumbo and poboys you’d ever want), all served with heaping portions of cheese-covered grits, yams and collard greens on the side.
Dalat, Vietnam
More kitsch per square foot than Vegas or Niagara Falls, Dalat has long been the honeymoon hub for honeymooning locals who consider it ‘Le Petit Paris,’ a small city in the green mountains of South Vietnam that the French turned into a cool hill station with villas and hikes in the cool temperatures. It’s well worth a couple quiet days away from steaming coasts. Vintage 1920s French villas have been turned into chic guesthouses, with vintage cars onhand to whisk you to nearby waterfalls, plus you can tour the Vietnamese king’s summer palace and the ‘crazy house’ (an unreal hotel/gallery made by a former communist leader’s daughter), or pedal swan-shaped boats in the ‘Valley of Love.’
Visit www.lonelyplanet.com for more information on any of these destinations.