Popular destinations

Popular destinations
Orlando, Fla. (No. 1), and Las Vegas (No. 2) are still the most popular destinations for Americans in the summer, but New York City and Hawaii are more popular than last summer, according to a survey of 400 travel agents.
New York moved from fourth to third place and Hawaii from sixth to fourth in the annual poll by the American Society of Travel Agents and Fodor's.
San Francisco was fifth and Los Angeles was sixth.
Michigan lighthouses
The "2002 Lake Michigan Circle Tour & amp; Lighthouse Guide," published by the West Michigan Tourist Association, maps out an 1,100-mile route around Lake Michigan. It lists about 100 lighthouses, current and historic, along the way.
Much of the 45-page booklet is devoted to advertising and promotional essays about areas near the lake.
More detailed descriptions of lighthouses can be found at www.wmta.org. (Click on "Light up your life!" at the bottom of the home page.)
You can order the brochure online or by calling (800) 442-2084, Ext. 1.
No St. Croix stops
Another major cruise line has canceled stops at St. Croix, citing safety concerns, according to Travel Weekly.
Holland America Line canceled 36 port calls for the coming season by its new ship, Zuiderdam.
In May, Carnival Cruise Lines canceled a total of 52 scheduled calls by two ships, the Triumph and the Victory, and cited safety concerns and lack of passenger demand at the port in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Among cruise ships still scheduled to stop at St. Croix this fall and winter is Celebrity Cruises' Constellation.
Island tourism officials said they were working to resolve cruise-line concerns over safety and crime.
Discounted hotel rates
From now until Labor Day, the New Yorker Hotel in New York is offering "Chill Out" room rates based on the high temperature the day before check-in -- 90 degrees translates to $90, good for the duration of a guest's stay and good for single or double occupancy.
The hotel, at Eighth Avenue and 34th Street near Penn Station, says its average room rate is $119 and the New York temperature averages are 85 degrees in July, 83 in August. The rate does not include tax.
For details or reservations, call (800) 764-4680 or visit nyhotel.com.
Virginia tourist booklets
"Shop Virginia," a free booklet with a map and list of notable retail areas, is available by calling (800) 847-4882.
Also available is Virginia's free 36-page "Heritage and Culture of African Americans in Virginia: A Guide to the Sites." Call (888) 476-8582.
The booklet describing more than 100 places was produced by the Virginia Tourism Corp. and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
Practice yoga at sea
The Yoga Cruise, billed by the Yoga Journal as the first yoga conference at sea, will sail from Fort Lauderdale aboard CostaAtlantica Feb. 2.
The seven-day Western Caribbean cruise will visit Key West, Cozumel, Jamaica and Grand Cayman. It will feature more than a dozen of the world's top yoga teachers, workshops and evening entertainment.
The cruise is being produced with Inner Voyages LLC.
For more information, visit www.yogacruise.com.
Liability waivers
Anyone who has gone rafting, taken an adventure vacation, or even rented a mountain bike has probably signed a liability waiver.
If you've wondered how such waivers hold up when there is an accident and a lawsuit, you'll want to read a story in the July issue of Outside magazine that focuses on a suit resulting from an ice-climbing fatality in Colorado.
The story says that outfitter insurance rates have risen dramatically recently, and that if the $10 million lawsuit is decided in favor of the victim's widow, it would be a landmark decision that could drive operators out of business.
It also would make such outdoor sports more expensive, because higher insurance costs would be passed on to participants.