How to organize fast-track travel
Many of us are trying to catch up on getting away from it all, but stumble over barriers to success. Sometimes one traveler has different work and family commitments than the other. Sometimes more than a couple of days off in a row are hard to come by now that work hours don’t seem to have many boundaries. Sometimes a pet-sitter or child minder isn’t available.
But vacationing can be accomplished within a 48-hour period if a good plan is in place.
When recently facing various combinations of the above drawbacks but needing to burn up some American Airlines credit vouchers from a trip abruptly canceled in 2020, I got creative. Here’s how:
1. After determining that a two-day getaway was in order, I narrowed destinations to those with direct flights to and from Little Rock. On American, that meant Chicago, Charlotte, N.C., Miami, DFW, and Washington, D.C.
Having spent four months in the District on loan from the Arkansas Gazette to USA Today a few decades ago, I got to know the city well. It’s hot in the summer (I usually visit in the late fall), but with that airline credit about to expire, it was now or never. And it’s fortunate that American’s direct flight to DCA leaves at 6 a.m., arriving at 9:20 a.m., and the return flight leaves at 7:50 p.m., arriving at LIT at 9:20 p.m.
That’s two full days in a destination that’s about 15 minutes from the airport on the Metro—plenty of time to totally exhaust ourselves taking in the area’s endless attractions.
2. Adding to the “let’s do this” side of the equation is the discovery of a modern hotel at a reasonable price and excellent Wi-Fi on 17th Street NW, just blocks from the National Mall, Dupont Circle, movie theaters, Chinatown, and shopping.
3. The clincher: Summer travel bag-packing for a brief visit means getting by with a carry-on containing cotton shirts, my MacBook Air, a book, some makeup, and my phone. Nobody is going to notice I’m wearing the same pair of cropped pants both days. My bag is practically weightless.
4. You can’t lounge around a hotel room (even if it’s got a king-sized bed, a Keurig coffeemaker, a refrigerator, Netflix, and an accommodating staff that checks you in at 10:30 a.m. instead of the industry-standard 3 p.m.) if you want to get the most out of fast-track traveling. After dumping off the baggage, wash your face, get out and get going.
5. If you design an itinerary based on walking, you’ll see a lot more than you will if you spend time trundling beneath the city on the efficient but none-too-scenic DC Metro. Suggestion: a two-mile walk northwest along Connecticut Avenue to the Smithsonian National Zoo.
Many of the Smithsonian properties no longer require signing up for free timed ticketed admission, but the Zoo still does. No wonder; there are hordes of people—mostly families with children of all ages—cheerfully milling around, staying semi-comfortable under cooling water-mist sprays, eating Dippin’ Dots ice cream, and making hilarious remarks about the animals they encounter. Example—Kid: Hello, pig. Kid’s mom: That’s a cow.
6. Even if you’ve visited the National Zoo before, there’s always something new. This time it’s a pair of Przewalski’s horses, handsome animals—the last truly wild horses in the world (most so-called wild horses are domesticated animals that become free)—who arrived in December 2020. Don’t waste time standing in long lines like those leading to the giant pandas (watch the Panda Cam instead; you’ll get a better view), the gorillas, the lions, and the elephants. Go where the crowds aren’t going.
7. Return to the National Mall (it’ll take a while to walk there) and cool off at a less-frequented museum like the Freer Gallery of Asian Art on the National Mall. That’s where I encounter Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1852-1938), who is not Asian but a native of Massachusetts, and painter of exquisite dreamlike portraits of subtly beautiful women. The serenity his work evokes is surprising and pleasurable. He led an extraordinary life, often not in a good way. Look him up on the flight home.
8. The National Gallery of Art always has something new to experience. Make a trek to the upper floors of the East Building, where the contemporary art resides. Don’t expect to come out anytime soon. Top find: “Study for a Running Dog,” 1954, Francis Bacon.
Other enticements that tend to be less crowded than, say, the Museum of African American History are National Museum of the American Indian (take a quick break upstairs in the cafe to savor the spicy Mexican hot chocolate, even on a steamy day), Renwick Gallery (quirky contemporary arts and crafts), National Portrait Gallery (be sure to view the Obamas’ portraits), and National Archives Museum (home of the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights). They’re all free; the nearby Museum of the Bible, which charges admission, is much more intriguing than you might expect.
9. Go back to the room, take a shower, get some drinks and dinner somewhere nearby, and turn in. Get up early. Clean up, check out, and ask the hotel to hold your luggage until later. Visit all the places you meant to get to the day before but didn’t. If the afternoon heat is too much, go to a movie. It’ll be expensive, but hey, you’re on vacation.
9. All of a sudden, it’ll be 6 p.m. and time to return to the hotel, fetch the stored baggage, and take a quick Metro ride to the airport. With luck and good weather, the return flight to Little Rock will depart on time and get you back a little after 9 p.m.
Arrive home, unpack that lightweight bag, get organized, and go to bed early enough to take on the next day.
It’s like you never left. But you did. It was fast and fun. And felt like a vacation.
Following up on a column I wrote recently about the use of illegal fireworks in central Arkansas, I asked two city spokesmen about the most effective way to report such activities.
From Little Rock’s communications and marketing manager Spencer Watson:
The email address FireworksViolation@littlerock.gov is operated by the Little Rock Police Department. It is activated shortly before, and then suspended shortly after, holidays on which the department receives the most fireworks complaints. The intent is to provide an avenue to report violations, and residents are encouraged to use it rather than call 911.
And this from Tracy Roulston, chief of staff, Office of the Mayor, City of North Little Rock:
The [NLR] police respond to firework violations within the city. Other city departments assist in watching for violations and then reporting them to police. Of course, the Fire Department responds in instances where a fire has possibly developed from fireworks.
The Police Department has a non-emergency number for reporting fireworks and other non-emergencies (501-758-1234). This is answered 24 hours a day. We encourage people to use the non-emergency number unless the circumstances warrant an emergency response, then we want them to call 911. Certain firework instances can warrant an emergency response if someone has been injured or it appears it is likely that will happen.
We do not have a dedicated email for firework violations, but they can be reported by email to the Police Department (pio@nlrpolice.org).
Our fireworks calls for service have increased over the last few years; however, they seem to be mainly occurring during a window of time around a holiday such as July 4. Outside of these holidays, our fireworks calls are periodic and minimal.