Friday, July 23, 2010

US Airways - Voucher

It has now been approximately one week since I contacted US Airways regarding the change in fare of our upcoming flight to Vermont.  You can read about this original issue by clicking here.

I am pleased to report that US Airways has responded to my inquiry in this matter.  They have decided to issue us the price difference in our tickets as a voucher for a future flight, which comes out to $20/ticket.  The only stipulation to the voucher is that it must be redeemed for a flight within the next year.

While this isn't as ideal as a cash refund, I am still very pleased with the outcome.  We will no doubt be looking to go on more trips before that expiration date is up, so I have no doubt that we'll be able to use the voucher.

This also makes me a happier customer and makes me much more willing to fly US Airways in the future.  I definitely want to thank the airline for taking a look at the situation and making the correct and ethical decision.  I would like to specifically thank Rose Reckas from their Customer Relations department for getting this approved, and Janet from reservations for pushing it through.

This should also show all of our readers that you should always keep companies honest and if you have any issues with a reservation price change, you should contact the company and not settle until you get a satisfactory answer.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

LOVE Park

Built in the 1960s in the "City of Brotherly Love", LOVE Park is located centrally in the city right outside of City Hall.  At all times during the day, you'll find this park packed with people.  The central fountain is gorgeous as it rises into the sky behind the famous LOVE sign that is displayed centrally in the park.


Also located here, on Wednesdays in the summer, is a Farmers' market.  Although it is quite small in size compared to other farmers' markets, it is something different than you see in the central part of most major cities.  

And for this summer only, you can find one of the city's 20 Philly Phanatic statues located right here.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Hershey Gardens

When most people think of Hershey they think of either the chocolate or the theme park.  If you look a little bit further though, you'll discover that across the street from Hershey Park are the Hershey Gardens.  There are 23 acres of gorgeous gardens located here with plant-life that ranges from beautiful flowers to delicious smelling herbs.



In addition to the various plant life you'll find here, there is also the Children's Garden, which features fun outdoor activities for children of all ages.  The final portion you'll find is the Butterfly House, which is open only during summer months.  Here, you can see many beautiful examples of various butterflies and stare in amazement at their varying color patterns.

It should be noted that to enter the gardens, there is a $10 admission charge.  However, before we entered the gardens, we went into the gift shop to browse.  After we were done there, we walked out the back exit into the gardens.  Doing this, we inadvertently never did pay to get in.  This seems to be a flaw in the entry system that you can take advantage of which we didn't even realize until we were leaving the gardens.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Pennsylvania State Capitol Building

Located in central Pennsylvania is the capitol of the state, Harrisburg.  In the center of this city lies probably the most impressive State Capitol building in all of America, as it has been chosen as such by many legislators over the years. At the dedication of the Capitol building in 1906, President Teddy Roosevelt described this structure as "the handsomest building I ever saw" and it was modeled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.


On a daily basis, free tours are offered through the building.  While on the weekends it is very quiet as the state lawmakers are at home, during the week it is bustling with activity.  It is also your right as an American citizen to be able to sit in on any discussions happening inside this building.  During the weekend tour though, you're able to go into the State Senate, State House of Representatives and State Supreme Court chambers.  

All of the rooms, as well as the main rotunda, were quite impressive to see.  Many portions of the wall decorations were even made out of solid gold.  Words cannot express how positively stunned I was at the site of the inside of the building and its various rooms.  This is a tour that is highly worth taking (and it's free!) and lasts approximately 45 minutes.