2018 Tour Preview
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9,359 Active Members • 48,335 Members Since 1979 JULY/AUGUST | VOL. 39 | NO. 8 2018 Now accepting reservations by phone for… 2018 Tour Preview Day Saturday, September 15th • 9am or 1:15pm Crowne Plaza Hotel Northeast (5321 Date Ave., off I-80 & Madison, same location as 2017) FREE parking • Admission $10 in advance • Get your exclusive advance copy of our Point, Woodstock, FDR sites, C.I.A., 2019 tour catalog, featuring over two Erie Canal), More of the Missions, A dozen new tours and cruises Mystery Tour Revisited, Lassen Nat’l • Participate in our “Traveler Talkback” Park, Solvang/Lompoc, the Corn Palace, session, where your input/opinions is/are Polar Bears in Canada, a Scandinavian seen immediately on the screen Cruise, a 2020 New Zealand – Australia • Breakout sessions featuring some of Cruise (2019 is sold out), Switzerland, our newest tours/destinations: Tulips in Machu Picchu/Galapagos Islands, CA Washington (state), San Antonio/Waco Presidential Libraries, Niagara Falls, 2 (featuring Fixer Upper), Irish Spring, additional mystery tours (list as of 7/3/19) American Portraits (New York State, West • Exclusive Preview Day Di$count coupons The Astoria Column, one of our stops on the Oregon Reservations required, event sells out quickly Coast, Carousels and Covered Bridges tour. It was Because we are collecting your $10 admission when you reserve your space, we are only a rare 70 degree perfect day in Astoria. BELOW: accepting reservations by phone, 9am-4:30pm, M-F Our gang learns about how carousel horses and other animals are made in Albany, home of a beautiful new carousel. INSIDE THIS ISSUE Just One Man’s Opinion ........................... 2 Clayton Place ........................................... 3 The Customers Always Write ................ 4-5 Day Trips ............................................... 6-8 Human Side.............................................. 9 The Barber Pole ............................... 10--11 New Vacations & Getaways .............. 12-16 Teasers ................................................... 16 Tour Calendar .................................... 17-23 Coupons and Tour Updates .....Back Cover H H H H H H H H H H H H Editor ..................................Mark Hoffmann Executive Editor .............Ramona Goodge Staff Writers ............... P. Hansen, M. Wong, S. Angeletti & C. Whitehead, D. Anderson Contributing Photographers ......... D. Carey, R. Goodge, C. Galloway 9812 Old Winery Place, Suite 1 • Sacramento, CA 95827 • (916) 361-2051 • Toll-Free (800) 951-5556Sports Leisure • www.sportsleisure.com Vacations / July – August • CA Travel 2018 #2011549-401 Just One Man’s Opinion by Mark Hoffmann Remember Herb Cahn? He was a San the outside to others. Such was the case with On a recent Travel Guys Radio Show Francisco Chronicle journalist whose daily Anthony. I missed the John Denver concert (Sundays at 3pm on KFBK, 93.1FM, column of local goings-on appeared in we attended just weeks before he died, and 1530AM), one of our guests was Justin the paper for almost 60 years. Born in I had to see Peter & Paul, after missing Boogaard, Professional Grandson. Justin Sacramento in 1916, one of Herb’sSUCCESS STORIES—Afavorite SpECIA l AdvERTISImanyng SECTIO nopportunities to see them as a trio has started a new ride-sharing company. He styles of writing was with Mary. I think there’s a moral to this story. calls it Go-Go Grandparent. You don’t have his famous “three Something about putting off until tomorrow to have a computer or an app on your phone dot columns.” In what you can do today. I shall always be like Uber and Lyft. You call a toll free number them, he offered a grateful for that night in November, when to order your car. Find out more about their series of related and we got a glimpse of a fascinating man. Rest services at www.gogograndparent.com. unrelated items, all in peace Anthony. You brought many of us H H H H H H H H separated by three great pleasure. Your stories made us think Thank you for all of your comments dots. So here, as and rethink how we look at the world and its on the new bus stops. If you go to a tribute to a great people. You were one of the world’s greatest www.sportsleisure.com, you can see a Sacramentan… missionaries… short video on how to get a ticket out of the We fight for you. All the time. One of our Thanks for all the “stuff”… to Lyn, Lea, parking machine at 18th & W/X Sts… biggest battles in recent years has been Joyce, Norma, Donna, David and Craig Preview Day reservations will roll in fast. Resort Fees. Added on to the room rate for the articles, pictures and contributions PLEASE reserve your space early. The by major resorts (first in Hawaii), it’s a way from previous tours and suggestions for $10 admission is donated to charity. It isn’t of adding $20-40 to your daily room rate, future ones. “Stuff” is valuable. Please keep refundable if you can’t attend, but your ten while giving you a list of “benefits.” Things sending it. I hesitate to make a name list, spot still ends up in the coffers of a local like extra towels, useSport of theS Lei businessSure Vacation centerS because I know I am leaving some folks out. group (Mustard Seed School at Loaves 9812 old Winery place, Sacramento, ca 95827 (916) 361-2051 and the exercise room,www.sportsleisure.com a morning • travelguysradio.com paper, I love what you sent even if you are not on and Fishes, the Sacramento Valley Military After working in the Mission Oaks Recreation and Park District, Mark Hoffmann founded Sports Leisure Vacations out of his Fulton Avenue apartment in 1979. Though Mark admits to ‘just sort of happening into it”, he found his niche in the retail tour business, enabling folks to achieve their travel etc. Of course, mostdreams. of Given thethose fact that Mark andthings his staff strive to exceedused customer wants, they’vethe been mostlist successful above… in serving a niche of mature travelers, Cemetery and our scholarship fund were often those who need a little extra consideration. Sports Leisure Vacations assembles and operates custom tours and vacations of one to fifteen days in length, and can accommodate a wide variety of travel interests. Check out the website to see an amazing array of travel options. The company culture has centered around refusing to put profits ahead of service, and a mantra: “We love our travelers and they love us back.” It’s working- not to be included in theonly iscost the company thrivingof yourin its 32nd year, room. but community support No and acknowledgement Donniehave resulted, including aAnderson prestigious award for contribu - is working on a brand recipients last year). It’s always easier to get tions to the Arts from the Sacramento Arts and Business Council. For twenty years Sports Leisure has been an underwriter of KVIE Public Television. VP Clayton Whitehead has served on the KVIE Board and Mark was president of the National Tour Association in 2000. Mark and Tom Romano host more. Adding a feethe onTravel Guys to on KFBK, the Sundays room2 p.m. to 3 p.m. rate is new series of day trips, focusing on the into the afternoon session… very advantageous106 januaryfor 2011the sacmag.com hotel. They don’t smaller communities around Sacramento. Speaking of our scholarship fund... have to pay commissions on that part of the The first one, focusing on things in and We offer a $2,000 scholarship each year, rate, or taxes (in most cases). Their room around Vacaville, can be found on the day trip awarded at Tour Preview Day, to a student rate looks cheaper. The traveler gets had. pages. Suggestions for future destinations, that is currently enrolled in a 4-year school, or It’s getting worse. Now, inner-city hotels and unique things to learn about in those is starting college this fall. The way to submit are adding “Urban Destination Fees.” I kid places, and actively solicited… an entry is easy. If you have a student who you not. There is no end to the creative might be interested in this stipend, please names they come up with. So we fight. We send me an email at [email protected] and I refuse to stay with a hotel that has a “fee.” will forward the simple criteria. Many will waive it. Some will not. In those If you are really lucky in life, you will own cases, we move on. Resort fees = BS. No your own business for 39 years and be other way to put it… supported by the best staff and the nicest A year ago November, Sports Leisure customers. You’ll spend your time making had a day trip to see and hear Anthony people’s dreams come true and traveling Bourdain at one of the San Francisco to wonderful places. If you are really lucky. theaters. I decided to go as a passenger, Thank you all… along with about two dozen others. It was a And so it goes… most fascinating evening, with Mr. Bourdain talking about TV chefs, his own television career, his CNN show, his philosophies and At the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore on our recent Ballparks Tour, I had the rare opportunity to much more. His was a complicated but have both Super Bowl and World Series trophies Mark Hoffmann, CTP, President exciting life. to be photographed with. The story of how a local museum came to be in possession of BOTH Those for whom life is complicated often treasures original pieces of hardware is one worth have demons which aren’t always visible on retelling on a future trip. 2 Sports Leisure Vacations / July – August 2018 Clayton Place Crazy for the Crown! Playhouse, the theatre that produced such Spanish) and visit the brightest diamond I’ll confess to having Royal Fever and recent mega hits as Tony Award winning in that crown, the Hotel del Coronado.