Yes, the winter of our discontent may be over, at least in the Washington-Philly section of the Northeast Corridor. Birds are flocking the Potomac River on their way north and daffodils are emerging next to lingering snow piles.

For the past three years, I’ve missed DC’s signature event, the Cherry Blossom Festival. Don’t make my mistake. The National Park Service is predicting that the blooming period will start this year on March 31 and run through April 11, with a peak bloom date between April 3 and April 8, less than a month away.

(Wonder how they determine optimal flower power? The blooming period officially starts when 20 percent of the blossoms on the 3,750 trees have opened. The peak bloom date, usually landing around April 4, occurs when 70 percent of the flowers have emerged. The festival’s website has a good graphic that shows historical data).  

The National Park Service puts on some interesting tours geared around the trees, which were famously given to the U.S. from the Japanese in 1912. Ranger-led lantern walks will be held Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday nights, from March 27 through April 11. There’s also free ranger-led bike tours on the weekends, as well as six daily walking tours.

While I haven’t seen the trees, I’ve been told that the best time to go is on a weekday morning, when the light is pretty and the crowds haven’t arrived yet. If anyone out there has other tips to add, definitely tell me in the comments.

Built in 1933, when the Pennsylvania Railroad was at the height of its U.S. rail dominance, 30th Street Station broke ground for its time. It was one of the first rail stations to put its lines underneath the station, sparing passengers from the soot and grime of the tracks (back then, facilities were also built to allow small aircraft to land on the roof). It also had one of the first electric intercom systems for announcing train arrivals and departures.

History aside, what’s really impressive is the main concourse’s elaborate interior. Look around the 562,000 square foot expanse and take its massive Art Deco lights, intricately patterned ceiling and travertine walls. You almost expect to see men in bowler hats and women in 1940s-style suits sitting on the long wooden benches, as they wait for their departure time to flip on the old-fashioned schedule board (try to forget the McDonald’s and the Dunkin Donuts kiosks).

Walk outside to catch your cab and you’ll see the building’s neo-Classical pillars opening onto Center City, Philadelphia’s downtown – but before you go outside,stop to see the Pennsylvania Railroad War Memorial, an immense statue of Michael the Archangel carrying a soldier out of the fire. The Memorial honors Pennsylvania Railroad employees who died during World War II.

The Station has been used in several movies, including Trading Places, M. Night Shymalan’s Unbreakable (a resident of the Main Line, Shymalan has filmed numerous movies in the Philadelphia region, including The Sixth Sense) and Witness starring Harrison Ford (the murder scene takes place in a station bathroom).

Honestly, only New York’s Grand Central Station beats 30th Street for ambience (unfortunately, the Amtrak trains that depart Philly for New York arrive at Penn Station, which is one of the more depressing train stations around). A great entrance into a destination – be it a rail station, airport or highway view – can set the stage for a trip. I used to love driving Lakeshore Drive into Chicago, for example, or flying over Lake Pontchartrain into New Orleans. It establishes a sense of place, and engages your senses as a traveler.

Amtrak now owns 30th Street Station. On National Train Day (May 8), former baseball players will be on hand for a panel discussion on how teams usesd the rails to get to their away games.

Do you have a favorite entrance to a city, be in rail, airport or port? Tell me in the comments!

Believe it or not, I like moving. There’s something cathartic about picking up and heading for greener pastures, of casting off what’s behind you and moving forward into the unknown. It’s a fresh start, with new people and new opportunities.  I’ve lived in 10 states (and two countries) in 40 years, and I learn a little more about our country – and myself – in each location. I now enjoy making these moves with my husband, our hands entwined as we figure out out our future, together.  

But this move bummed me out in one respect: We have too much stuff. As in,WAY too much stuff. As in, one 27-foot U-Haul truck wasn’t enough to contain the sheer amount of stuff that my husband and I have accumulated between us. We had to rent two trucks total to get it all up I-95, and it’s now packed in the 100-year-old rowhouse that I bought back in 2003, more as an investment than a desire to set down roots.  For someone who moved across the country several times with nothing more than a futon packed into a Corolla, it’s a wake-up call for us to reaffirm our desire to focus more on the experiences that life brings instead of the material possessions placed on a credit card.

Don’t get me wrong, I do like nice things. I have a collection of turquoise Fiestaware that’s somewhat a symptom of insanity. My husband has immense amounts of photography equipment that he uses in his home studio. And even though I weed out my books before every mood, they still take up more room than we should. We did make two trips to the Salvation Army before we left, culling out our wardrobes and other items that might be of use to other people. So we keep trying to beat the piles down.

Still, the level of stuff we have is unacceptable. It’s cramping our mobility, tying us down with material things that are mostly without sentimental value. When we married, adventuring was a vital part of our vows (really, I wrote it in) and yet our stuff somehow multiplied, inhibiting us from taking full advantage of life’s possibilities. You can’t fly when anchors are tied around your feet.

This spring will be about paring down the stuff. I predict once that happens, our journeys will become longer, our dreams will become bolder, our long-term plans will become clearer. Stuff happens – but we now have a renewed will, as travelers and as people who want to move on the Earth a little lighter, to fight back.

If you have tips on how to keep the stuff from building up, let me know. Clearly, we need all the help we can get!

It was hard to miss Thirsty Girl at the New York Wine Expo last weekend: With banners, stickers, attention-getting T-shirts (“I don’t spit…”), the booth manned by high-energy women dispensing champagne was the buzziest corner of the room.

Thirsty Girl is the latest brainchild of Leslie Sbrocco, a multi-hyphened wine personality (author, writer, TV host, wine consultant, speaker, etc.) who is now adding community building to her list of credits. BeAThirstyGirl aspires to be a web community where women receive information on Thirsty Girl trips and events, share wine tips, order the afore-mentioned T-shirts, bond through social networking and order Leslie’s new book, Adventures of a Thirsty Girl.

While Leslie was mobbed by fans – many of whom had attended her Wine 101 seminar – I did manage a few minutes with her:

Favorite wine: Pinor noir – and champagne. “Anything pink and with bubbles, I’m in.”

Favorite wine region to visit: Her last trip was to New Zealand, which she has visited three times. But it’s hard to turn down Tuscany. “In my heart of hearts, Italy.”

What’s the philosophy behind Thirsty Girl? The slogan is “Life: Drink it Up!” but Leslie says that even non-drinkers can be Thirsty Girls. ”It’s about living life to the fullest. More and more people are doing what they love.”  She hopes to create Thirsty Girl chapters that support that zest for life. 

Watching Leslie in action, I couldn’t help think that Thirsty Girl is a stroke of marketing genius. Lord knows the web doesn’t need more communities, but judging by the would-be Thirsty Girls surrounding her booth, Leslie has the momentum to pull it off. One strength is that she’s not just targeting the young and fab. Her demographic is women between 35 to 50, both single and married (there were Thirsty Girl onesies for sale at the booth), a group that generally has more disposable dollars to spend.

As her marketing director put it, “It’s like a Red Hat society, only younger.” People are responding: I saw one woman literally strip down to her bra so she could put on her Thirsty Girl T-shirt.

Would you join the Thirsty Girls? Tell me in the comments below.

I’ve been around a lot of journalists in my career, but I have a special love for travel writers. It’s invigorating to be around others who have dedicated their lives to seeing the world. In their company, wanderlust is a virtue.

Which is why travel writer David Farley’s NYC reading series, Restless Legs, is such a great idea. Every other month, Farley hosts travel authors at Lolita, a bar on New York’s Lower East Side, to read from their books and articles. He’s been doing it for about 18 months, showcasing writers such as Tony Perrottet, Mary Morris, New York Times’ Frugal Traveler Matt Gross, as well as authors from WorldHum.

The readings are usually held on Wednesday nights, but Farley scheduled one on Saturday to coincide with the New York Times Travel Show, “an after party of sorts,” he told the packed downstairs room. The timing meant that we were able to hear Don George, a prolific and legendary travel writer (who has just signed on with Gadling as a senior features editor), read some of his favorite pieces. Few paint as vivid a scene with words as Don; there’s a reason that he writes the Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing.

Journalist and travel writer Douglas Rogers also read from his new book, The Last Resort, which tells the story of his parents coping with life in Zimbabwe under dictator Robert Mugabe. The passages that Rogers chose were hilarious, as well as thought-provoking; it’s a book that would appeal to a wide audience. I’ve added it to my must-read list.     

Look for the next Restless Legs reading sometime in mid-April; Farley hasn’t set a date yet. He advertises them through a Facebook fan page and through his Twitter account. If you’re in NYC or just passing through, check it out.

Of all the luck: the New York Wine Expo was going on at the same time as the New York Times Travel Show – in the same building, no less. So after the travel show, I headed to the other side of the Javits convention center for the Expo’s first Grand Tasting.

 I’ve been to a few of these big tastings before (my favorite is still the New Orleans Food & Wine Experience). They can be zoo-like, depending on the crowd, but the grand tasting wasn’t too crowded on Friday night (probably due to the crazy snow that had been falling all day). I imagine Saturday will be much more crowded.

Believe it or not, there is a strategy to getting the most out of  a wine show. If you go, here are a few tips:

1. Check out what wineries are going to be there in advance - and then pick out your favorites. When there’s more than 150 wineries in one place, it’s inevitable that some are going to be better – as in, A LOT better, than others. If you’re a novice and don’t know what to choose, share the list with a helpful sales person at a wine store. They should be able to tell you which wineries are the “must dos.”

2. Don’t taste every wine at a table. Instead, ask the distributor or winemaker for his or her favorite. Chances are, they’ll pick out their best (and often more expensive) varietal. Doing this also gives you insight into the specialties of that winery and how they see themselves. I always ask, “If I could only try one of your wines, which would you recommend?” It weeds out the lesser bottles.

3. Use the dump bucket liberally.  If you don’t love what you are drinking, feel free to dump it out and try something else. You don’t want waste the time (or calories) on bad wine.

4. Don’t be seduced by the marketing. A Chilean wine called Sassy Bitch had a huge line – and while the wine was OK, it was fairly standard and not too special. Meanwhile, a New Zealand winery at the next booth was MUCH better. Let’s face it, sizzle sells – but a cute name often masks the fact that it’s not all that good.   

5. Eat before you go. Even if you only taste a fraction of the 600 or so wines at the New York Expo, you’ll still consume enough to catch a buzz. Unless the event also includes food in its title, don’t expect a lavish spread – and few vendors that are giving away food are likely to be mobbed.

6. Pace yourself. Take a break, sit down with a glass of water. During peak hours, a wine show can get overwhelming and it’s easy to get buzzed early and tire yourself out.

Do you have any other wine festival tips to add? Tell me below!

Traveling is all about getting out of your comfort zone, right? So even though the New York Travel Show happened to fall on the snowiest day of Manhattan’s winter, I let my Minnesota out. Not only did I make it to the Javits Center, I walked.

 (Actually I was hoping that a cab would come by. But as you can see, the city’s taxi supply is either overworked or digging out).

Unlike Washington, New York doesn’t shut down because of a snowstorm. Indeed, like all challenges, people seem to revel in it. Lots of people out and shoveling so the 30 block walk wasn’t too bad. The worst part? The slushy lakes that form at street corners.

Most people were bundled up in their chic black uniforms. Of course, there were exceptions – check out this woman’s boots!

There’s so much snow that the Javits Center had people out, shoveling the stuff off the roof.

A Philadelphia Inquirer story today quotes Jersey Shore Realtors saying that the number of bookings for “June, July, and August is up about 10 percent over last year at this time.” Says Deedra Bowen, a real estate agent in family friendly Ocean City, in the artlce: Folks “get finished shoveling that driveway and say to themselves, ‘That’s it. We’re going to the beach this summer.’”

South Carolina tourism officials are also predicting a better summer for beach and golf on Myrtle Beach’s Grand Strand because of the long Northeast winter, according to an Associated Press article that quotes Chad Prosser, director of the state’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. “You see it very profoundly in the golf market. When they can’t golf up north it does increase our numbers,” he says in the story.

Of course, any booking increases in these markets can’t be tied entirely to winter, as 2009 was perhaps the most dismal year for leisure tourism since the period after 9/11. Although some Shore towns finished the season on a good note – thanks to people living in drive markets who were seeking values – the uncertain economy and poor weather led a prevelance of last-minute bookings.

And there’s no way to predict if Jersey’s experience will be seen throughout the Atlantic coast. In Delaware, the snow over President’s Day actually hampered people from coming out to look at rental properties, a WBOC report said. The story added that  business is about the same as last year.

What do you think? Does the thought of more snow make you more inclined to book a beach vacay? Any travel agents out there seeing an increase? Tell me in the comments!

In other news, I’ll be at the New York Times Travel Show this weekend, talking to vacation and destination providers, and I plan to ask them how 2010 is shaping up for leisure travel.

Early reports say that the luxury market – which suffered the worst during the Great Recession - is creeping back, but overall, rates are still way down from last year – like 13.2 percent, according to this post from Hotel Check In’s Barbara De Lollis.   That’s not necessarily bad for those of us who seek out luxury at a value price: The story says that “in certain markets, on certain days,” some five-star hotels may try to compete with four-stars such as Westin, InterContinental and Marriott, just to fill rooms. Now that, I’ll be looking for!

If you are going to be at the show and want to say hi, send me an email (chris@caroundtheworld) or tweet me on Twitter http://twitter.com/CAroundTheWorld). Hopefully the projected “snowicane” won’t be as bad as predicted.

This morning, I’ve been testing a new website/iPhone app that adds a new dimension to sharing travel photos. Fotobabble, currently FREE at iTunes and on the web, allows you to record sound to go with your pictures.

I’ve recorded a few samples here, just for fun (so ignore the not-so-professional commentary).

What I like about Fotobabble is that it’s incredibly easy to use. I’m not exactly a technical genius, but I had no problem uploading my photos, recording a short message and then pasting the code into my blog. The site has buttons on it that allow you to share your pictures on Facebook, Twitter or send them through email. (You can also edit and redo your messages in case you screw up – which I had to do the first time).

I haven’t tried it yet, but there’s also a Fotobabble iPhone app so you can record messages to photos taken on the road, then easily upload them to Facebook or send through email. It’s a natural tool for travelers (and for journalists!); I can see using it not only to narrate destination photos, but using it if you witness a breaking news event or if you want to send information immediately from a press conference.

The Fotobabble site itself seems to fashioning itself as a talking Flickr, with a similar layout to the popular photo-sharing site. You can view other peoples’ Fotobabbles if you want or share your own (or keep yours private). One tip: turn off the Autoplay; otherwise, your photo starts talking automatically, which could get annoying for your friends or readers.

Give it a whirl, then let me know what you think!