News for January 27
| D.C. Hotels, Rooms Scare In Wake of Obama Inauguration, Says AAA (posted by Public Affairs on January 27 @ 13:45 ) |
| If you think tickets for the upcoming Presidential Inauguration are scarce; try booking a hotel in Washington D.C. this month, says AAA Connecticut Motor Club As many as 5 million people are expected to attend the inaugural activities of President-elect Barack Obama, our na-tion’s 44th President and first African-American to be elected. The crowd is expected to be four times larger than any previ-ous event held in Washington, D.C. An informal survey of Connecticut Motor Club’s travel agents indicates they’ve received nearly 100 calls since November from citizens interested in attending the inauguration. However, because of the enormity of the event, available hotels, motels and inns in the immediate Washington DC are now scarce. Although there may be last-minute cancellations where people may be able to book accommodations, it’s more than likely that rooms of any kind will be expensive. Accord-ing to club travel agents, “reasonably priced” hotels that are still available are about 75 – 100 miles away from the nation’s capitol. Washington D.C.-area prices range anywhere from $500 a night to several thousand dollars with a three- to four-night minimum stay plus prepayment. Connecticut Motor Club travel agents are willing to assist members in looking for and booking accommodations. However, people may want to do their own research via www.aaamaps.com, in and around Washington D.C. Other popular sources for accommodations, agents have learned, are EBay and Craig’s List. If you’re among the die-hard who plan to visit Washington to participate in the inaugural festivities, AAA Connecticut Motor Club provides the following tips: Be prepared for strict security checks. The FBI has deemed the Inauguration as a “special national security event.” Anyone attending Mall events will go through security scanning devices. Items such as small chairs, cookers, large bags and other items most likely will be barred from Mall grounds. Be wary of sources ‘selling’ tickets. Tickets to witness the inauguration ceremony are free through your U.S. Senator and congressional representative. However, according to reports, requests have exceeded the 240,000 available tickets. AAA recommends people not purchase tickets since they’ll be bogus. Tickets aren’t required for the parade route and it’s strongly recommended you arrive well in advance to secure a spot. The ticketed bleacher seats along the route are usually held for invited guests. Leave the car home. Driving isn’t recommended because of potential major street closings in every direction on the day of the event. There will be very limited public parking near the main observation areas. Expect packed buses and trains before, during and after the festivities. Although local bus routes may be sig-nificantly altered, there will be access to areas around the parade route via Metrorail and Metrobus. Your best bet, however, is to check bus and Metrorail route operations ahead of time. Some Metrorail stations will be closed; and those that remain open will operate increased “rush hour” from 4 a.m. – 7 p.m. The Connecticut Motor Club, a AAA affiliate, provides comprehensive travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services to more than 500,000 members in Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven Counties. Our website is www.aaact.com. |
| AAA Offers Battery-Saving Products To Keep You On the Go Failed Batteries Don't Have To Be A Drain, Says AAA (posted by Public Affairs on January 27 @ 13:44 ) |
| You’ve stored your Harley or JetSki for the winter; or you’re a snowbird, who leaves your car garaged while you winter in Florida. And when the first warm day of spring envelopes the region, you can’t wait to take your motorcycle, personal watercraft, or vehicle out of storage. But the question is will any of them start after six months of winter storage? Will any of those batteries fail because of New England’s cold, snowy winter? To ensure that the lead – acid batteries in your stored vehicles remain fully charged during the winter, AAA Connecticut Motor Club now offers a new line of battery-saving devices in its eight Travel Stores. The AAA Battery Tender® Plus and AAA Battery Tender® Junior are manufactured by Deltran Battery Tender® Corporation and now distributed by AAA clubs nationwide. The devices are designed to elimi-nate battery failure on a wide variety of lead-acid car, boat and motorcycle batteries by maintaining and keeping fully charged while in storage. The devices can be extremely useful to owners of motorcycles, RVs, ATVs, golf carts, boats, collectible cars and other vehicles that are stored and used seasonally. The AAA Battery Tenders use a technologically advanced charging and maintenance system with a quick-connect feature and BTP microprocessor programming. Battery tenders are available from through Connecticut Motor Clubs eight branches in Branford, Hamden, Orange, Stratford, Waterbury, Danbury, Stamford and Westport. The AAA Battery Tender® Junior retails for $39.95 but Connecticut Motor Club members are offered a discounted price of $29.95. The AAA Bat-tery Tender® Plus is $64.95 with a member price of $49.95. Battery Tender® products are designed and manufactured by Deltran, a 43-year-old family-owned com-pany specializing in microprocessor-controlled battery charging systems. Additional product and com-pany information can be found online at www.batterytender.com. The Connecticut Motor Club, a division of AAA Southern New England, Providence, provides com-prehensive travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services to more than 500,000 members in Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven Counties. Our website is www.aaact.com. |