An interesting piece on travelling "green" ... or what you are told is green but might not actually have any environmental benefit.

Quoted: Hotels are figuratively falling all over themselves to out-green each other. Most of their efforts look sincere but have a negligible effect on the environment. So you're washing fewer towels? Good for you. That's not saving the planet -- it's saving you money. You're recycling? Nice, but in many places, that's just following the law. You installed water-saving showerheads? Great, now can you convince those Americans who insist on taking two showers a day to cut back? Being socially responsible, say experts, isn't just about adopting one or even several "green" practices, but changing the way a resort and its guests think about the environment and their limited resources.

Good news for travelers ...

Quoted: Virgin America will offer seven new daily non-stop flights from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to San Francisco and Los Angeles starting in March of 2008. ...

Virgin America is the fourth new airline to announce service to Sea-Tac in 2007; earlier this year, Air France started non-stop service to Paris, AeroMexico started non-stop service to Mexico City, and Lufthansa announced non-stop service to Frankfurt. And, earlier this week, Northwest Airlines announced new non-stop service to London.

Seattle is smart and has good coffee. I could have told you that and let the other 59,999 people take a break!

Quoted: Earlier this year, Travelandleisure.com and CNN Headline News polled travelers and residents on what they like (and don't like) about 25 top urban destinations in the U.S. Turns out that people have some pretty strong feelings about New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, and other hot spots—we received nearly 60,000 responses.

Go Woodinville ...

Quoted: Over the last five years, Woodinville, Wash., a suburb of Seattle, has become home to more than 30 wineries, including Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia, two of the state's biggest producers. And it's about to get four more wineries in the form of the new $250 million, Tuscan-style Woodinville Village. Developers broke ground on the village in June, and its various offerings will open in phases starting in late 2008.

I think I voted once on these and picked all but one of them. I think that Petra is my favorite one.

Quoted: The New7Wonders organization is happy to announce the following 7 candidates have been elected to represent global heritage throughout history.

OMG ...

Quoted: Welcome to American Airlines AA.com/women – the airline industry's first web page dedicated to connecting women who travel, and an example of American's commitment to ...

I would love to go on a tour of haunted castles in Ireland ...

Quoted: Some castles claim to be haunted. Castle Leslie, in County Monaghan, has been in the Leslie family for generations -- and deceased members of the clan have allegedly turned up on more than one occasion. Leap Castle, in County Offaly, bills itself as the most haunted castle in Ireland.