Author: Jonathan Katz

Our love for Washington D.C. began when my wife, Maureen Katz, worked for the U.S. Air Shuttle. It was a perfect weekend with a very short hop via jet to Washington’s National Airport and a very short train ride to the hotel, and just like that, we had a weekend in a city we loved, with lots of museums and monuments to visit, excellent hotels to stay in, and as many restaurants as we could enjoy. Washington D.C. is dynamic, and we continue to travel to this city endlessly. Our weekend or day trip begins with a 48-minute flight from…

Due to the pandemic, airlines have given thousands of airline employees retirement packages. They are now reloading with all new personnel ready to work and enjoy the benefits of this fantastic industry. Airlines are seeking anyone – young, old, college-age, and retirement age to join a very stimulating and selective environment. I had worked in my own business for 30 years. During this time, I was so envious of my wife, Maureen, who entered the airline industry in the late 70s with small airlines, Evergreen International (before they went cargo) and Cosmopolitan Air, a small New York State airline. Her…

It is that Christmas Market time of the year again. Though you may miss many Christmas Markets this year, this is the time to begin thinking about Christmas Markets for next year. In our travels, Germany is still the country with the best Christmas Markets. We have visited the Christmas Markets in Nuremberg(the largest in Europe), Munich (the most Christmas Markets in one city), and Mainz(three small but very personal Christmas Markets). In addition, we know that both Dresden and Leipzig have wonderful celebrations, along with Cologne. For us, in second place, just behind Germany, are the three major Christmas…

In what clearly is our favorite 2-night trip to Europe, our semi-annual visit to both Nice and Monaco always radiates as the best. Our trip begins at JFK with Delta Airlines, in what used to be the only non-stop flight from JFK to Nice, France. For the first time in memory this summer, another airline (United Airlines) also flew the route, but from Newark to Nice. Upon our arrival to Nice, as always, immigration delays were minimal, and in moments we were outside of the terminal at the Airport Terminal Bus Station. There has always been a non-stop, direct bus…

We have been fortunate to have visited Spain’s best beaches a number of times. My wife Maureen and I consider the Island of Palma de Mallorca and the Beaches of Malaga (Torremolinos and Benalmadena) some of Spain’s finest beach destinations.  Our first beach trip to Spain this year was to the beautiful Island of Palma de Mallorca. We flew Delta Air Lines to Frankfurt, then Lufthansa to PMI/Palma, and returned directly to New York/Newark via United’s first direct non-stop flight to the United States ever from PMI/Palma. The first perception you feel arriving in Palma is the massive size of…

Dublin, Ireland is the perfect one-day non-rev quick trip. It is just a little longer than going to Los Angeles. This city is easy to travel to in that Delta flies twin 767–300 and A330 aircraft to Dublin from New York, Boston, and Atlanta.  We feel that Dublin has two sides to the city. One side of Dublin is the elegant Saint Stephen’s Green Area, virtually Central Park in New York and Central Park South. There are several excellent hotels and restaurants right on the park. Also on this side is the famous Grafton Walking Street and the Saint Stephen’s…

This trip was our fourth to Portugal, and as mentioned in previous articles, we were late to appreciate the beauty of Portugal. Still, we have caught up and have experienced and traveled to quite a bit of the country, both pre-pandemic and currently. This trip began as most European trips usually do, with the worry about applying for the Landing Card and the COVID Test for the European country we are visiting. However, this time filling out the Landing Card for Portugal was easier because we’ve learned two secrets from our last trip. First, when filling in your seat number…

Palm Springs is an absolute pleasure to visit in the wintertime. You are virtually guaranteed 75-degree weather every day with perfectly sunny, clear, and dry conditions. Palm Springs is also a resort area that is significantly less expensive than most vacation destinations in the winter. Located just two hours from Los Angeles, Palm Springs is easily reached by car from LAX, but most airlines fly directly into Palm Springs via their hubs – making your arrival into this city so much easier than into Los Angeles. The Palm Springs area has many major resorts, excellent restaurants, and great shopping. When walking down this city’s main…

Chicago has always been an excellent place for short visits. Whether visiting friends, relatives, football games, or others – Chicago offers many New York experiences, but with a mid-western flair. This trip was no different. The concept of the trip was to explore the beautiful town of Evanston, Illinois on Lake Michigan, and the home of Northwestern University. The scenery of Evanston and the university was wonderful, and the architecture of the buildings and homes was very impressive. Driving down Sheridan Road towards the City of Chicago was equally impressive, viewing the dazzling scenery of Lake Michigan and its shoreline. There…

In what was to become our second European trip since the beginning of COVID, this quick shot was a 3-day adventure to the picturesque city of Cascais, on the Atlantic ocean just 45 minutes west of Lisbon. What makes this trip different were the issues and difficult documentation of COVID status for this country and inconsistencies within Portugal. Lisbon claims to be 90% vaccinated and now in herd immunity and that was great. To begin this trip, as always, was a local COVID PCR test, 2 days ahead of the trip, though not required, but necessary to make sure that…