A luggage rack is ideal to keep your bag neat instead of just laying it on the floor. In your room or when traveling, you should have a rack that you can simply unfold to place your luggage neatly in one place. This rack should be durable enough to hold even the heaviest load. You can find several brands of luggage rack in stores; however, it is better if you decide to purchase one that comes with a good price for such a wonderful quality rack.

Hence, look no further for a reliable rack for your bag; Luggage Pros features the top quality racks that you will love to have at home. Moreover, this rack brand is truly stylish in appearance; thus, you will definitely want one of these racks for keeping your luggage.

Luggage Pros Rack with Black Webbing

If you need to keep your bag off the floor, consider purchasing a rack such as the ones by Luggage Pros. This item uses durable material such as solid oak for the entire frame of the luggage rack. The top part where you put in your bag comes with four pieces of two-inch strap support. The tapestry can handle any weight of the luggage. You need not worry about the item breaking, as it is designed to accommodate even the heaviest suitcase.

You can easily unfold this luggage rack when not in use; thus, you no longer need to worry about storage and space. When unfolded, this rack measures 23.75” x 20” x 15.5” (H x W x D) and weighs 6 pounds.

Luggage Pros with Wall Saving Feature

Here is a luggage rack that allows you to place your suitcase neatly – without causing any damage on the wall. This item has a wall saver feature that prevents scratching on the wall. Moreover, its tan webbing is simply elegant-looking. You can even choose the tapestry color that you want to make the rack match the motif of your room. Any luggage fits perfectly on this sturdy rack. The frame comes in solid oak for an elegant finish and lasting durability. The four top straps are wide and sturdy enough to handle any luggage weight.

If the rack is no longer in use, you can simply fold in and store it away in the cabinet. Hence, you will love the space-saving feature of this truly useful item in your house.

This luggage rack measures 29.5” x 18” x 23.75” (H x W x D) and weighs 7 pounds. It can hold luggage up to 100 pounds.

At Luggage Pros, you can find several types of luggage racks that provides you with a reliable holder for your suitcase. You can truly rely on the durability and sturdiness of the frame; it uses solid oak for reliability of the rack that lasts for years. Moreover, the elegant finish of the wood simply exudes sophistication and charm. You can choose from the wide variety of colors for the tapestry; thus, you can make the luggage rack match the motif of your room.

Whether you ride a Harley, a sport bike, street cycle, cruiser, dirt bike, ATV, touring bike, Enduro, trike, or a custom bike, you know the importance of protecting yourself on the road. Today, there are more drivers on the road than ever before, and with a greater number of senior drivers, people texting, talking on cell phones, and driving illegally, cyclists have to not only be more aware than ever, but they also have make sure they have adequate motorcycle insurance. No one plans on having an accident, but if an accident happens and you and your bike are not adequately protected, the consequences can be severe.

So, what is adequate insurance coverage for you and your bike? In the state of Arizona, the Motor Vehicle Department only requires that you carry liability insurance. The minimum liability coverage amounts required for AZ motorcycle drivers are:

• $15,000 bodily injury coverage for one person in one accident
• $30,000 bodily injury coverage total per accident
• $10,000 property damage coverage per accident

The problem with only having liability coverage is that if you are in an accident, liability insurance will only cover the other person’s injuries; your injuries are not covered. And it doesn’t pay for any damage to your bike. This is why you need to make sure you and your bike are covered by both comprehension and collision insurance.

Think about it. If you are hurt in an accident, you need medical coverage. If your bike is damaged, you will want to either repair it or be able to afford to replace it. And if you find yourself broken down on a deserted stretch of highway—there are lots of those in Arizona—you might need a tow or roadside assistance. The Arizona motorcycle insurance you select should cover all these potential situations. Consider getting an Arizona motorcycle insurance quote.  Also, it is critical to know your state laws when it comes to insuring your motorcycle. Here in Arizona, the MVD only requires riders under age 18 to wear helmets, but even adult riders must wear goggles or some kind of eye protection. Unlike many states, Arizona MVD keeps track of who is insured. The MVD here takes it very seriously when your insurance lapses or gets canceled. They contact you immediately, and if you can’t prove you have adequate motorcycle insurance coverage, your registration, and possibly even your driver’s license, can be suspended. They don’t mess around.

Now, most adult riders in Arizona like the fact that they don’t have to wear a helmet, but the risk in not wearing a helmet means there is a greater chance of sustaining a traumatic head injury or other serious injury if an accident occurs. And if you do not have insurance that adequately covers your injuries, the hospital and doctor’s alone fees can literally bankrupt you and your family.

So, while you cannot plan ahead to prevent an accident, you can make sure that you, your bike, and your family are protected if an accident should occur. That means choosing Arizona motorcycle insurance that is right for your lifestyle and the type of cycle you ride. But how do you know what insurance company to choose to ensure you get all that you need, without paying for extras you don’t want or need?

The answer is to choose a reliable, leading independent insurance agency, like Integra Insurance Group. Located in Peoria, Arizona, Integra’s agents have been serving of the needs of Arizona cyclists for many years and they know the laws, culture, traffic patterns, and terrain. They know what kind of coverage AZ riders need to be fully protected, and they work with a large network of insurance providers, including, Acuity, Austin Mutual, Fidelity, GMAC, The Hartford, Mercury, Safeco, and many other well known companies, to customize motorcycle insurance to every rider’s specific situation.

The benefit of working with an independent agent like Integra is that Integra’s agents are not employed by any insurance company, so they work for you—to find you the best insurance company and coverage to meet your individual needs, and to ensure that you get the best value for your hard earned money. Integra’s Arizona motorcycle insurance includes coverage for safety apparel (gloves, leathers, helmets, etc.), optional equipment (custom paintwork, chrome, side cars, anything not a manufacturer’s standard), and after-market accessories and parts.

With Integra, you’ll also get flexible payment plans, a choice of several deductibles and coverage limits, optional towing and roadside assistance, comprehensive and collision coverage, as well as courteous, personalized, expert service from an Integra agent you can count on to help you protect yourself, your ride, and your family.

While I have water skied many times, I have yet to experience the thrills of snow skiing. If and when that day comes, one of the places I will certainly keep on my list of “places to visit” will be Chestnut Mountain Resort.

Located in Galena Illinois, Chestnut Mountain has become a premier Midwest skiing destination with its nineteen trails that span 220 rolling acres with a total vertical drop of 475 feet.

The resort boasts state-of-the-art snow grooming and the largest snowmaking system in the Midwest. Chestnut’s hard working crew makes sure that the trails stay looking and feeling like fresh snow all the time. Thanks to two quads, four triple chair lifts, and three surface lifts, lines are virtually non-existent during the ski season.

Skiing is not the only activity Chestnut Mountain offers. Midwest snowboarding, Mississippi River cruises, mini golf, bike rentals and even a 2,050 ft Alpine slide are just some of many activities a traveler will find at this resort.

Not a skier but still looking for a special retreat? Chestnut Mountain offers some very exclusive Galena lodging options and amenities. How about an indoor pool, sauna, and jacuzzi, a game room, spa services, casual dining and free wireless Internet (very important for the tech-savvy traveler). Their rustic lodge includes one hundred twenty comfortable rooms, making this full service resort the perfect choice for everything from group and family trips to romantic getaways.

Be sure to check their events calendar for a list of things to do in Galena Il where you can even sign up to receive text messages on special promotions as well as ski conditions. They also offer news via email as well.

Chestnut Mountain is also happy to cater to conference, banquet and even weeding events with their 5,400 square feet of meeting and function space.

To check availability, visit their online reservations system or for more information, be sure to download their full-color brochure (PDF file).

There are many places to stay while visiting San Francisco. Depending on where you want to stay – Union Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, Nob Hill, or any other of the various districts and neighborhoods, hotels, motels and resorts are in abundance. One of our favorites is a small boutique hotel located adjacent to Union Square called Kensington Park Hotel.

Originally constructed in 1923 as the lodge for the San Francisco Elks Club, Kensington Park is one of seven boutique hotels owned by Personality Hotels. The organization moved into the building in 1984 and occupy the main lobby and floors five through 12. The Elks Lodge and the Post Street Theatre occupy the remaining floors.

We have stayed there twice now, the first time in August of 2007 and more recently in February of 2009. Both times we stayed in a king sized “Royal Court” room. These rooms are a little larger than the others and feature the following ammentities:

• Monogrammed Waffle/Cotton Robes
• In-room Coffee Makers
• CD/Radio Alarm Clocks
• Designer Duvet Covers, Feather Beds & Down Pillows
• Daily Newspaper
• Slippers

A couple of additional special touches in the room include a beautiful ornate ceiling fan, a rarity for hotel rooms, and a comfy fur throw on the bed, my wife’s favorite amenity. The hotel also provides complimentary coffee and tea in the mornings and tea and sherry from 4pm – 6pm.

Kensington Park Hotel King Bed Room

The king sized is extremely comfortable and makes getting out of bed each morning a difficult task. I also enjoyed the fact that there was a good sized flat screen television and free wireless Internet. You also can’t beat the 12th floor view overlooking Nob Hill (pictured below).

Our view of Nob Hill from Kensington Park Hotel

I’d also like to add that the guestrooms themselvesunderwent a $1.5 million restoration in Spring 2008.

Over the years, we’ve had good and bad lodging experience while visiting San Francisco. That is why Kensington Park Hotel is a safe choice for us each time we visit now and in the future. It’s clean, has all the amenities we enjoy, the staff are fabulous, it is conveniently located to all the areas we love to visit and best of all, it is very affordable for a San Francisco hotel ($127 per night).

So the next time you visit San Francisco, if you are looking for a clean and elegant boutique hotel experience near Union Square, check out Kensington Park Hotel. You’ll be glad you did.

While in Las Vegas recently on business, I had the opportunity to ride Canyon Blaster, an Arrow built double looping coaster that sits inside the Adventuredome at Circus Circus. I assumed the coaster would provide a rough and un-exhilarating ride. However the opposite was true.

While certainly not comparable to the modern day B&M coasters, Canyon Blaster delivered a very enjoyable ride. The ride was smooth and the theming was great. There is one element that is very enjoyable – just before you dart into a dark and scary tunnel, you feel your head is about to be chopped off. One cannot help but to duck even though there is plenty of space.

Built in 1993 and standing at 93 feet, Canyon Blaster reaches speeds up to 41 mph on a track that is 2423 feet long. There are four inversions, two loops and a double corkscrew. The ride is short (about a minute and a half) but is a good ride. I believe the cost was $7 which may be pricey to some but you can get a wristband for a bit more and ride all the attractions Circus Circus has in the Adventuredome and get more value for your dollar.

Overall, I give it a thumbs up. It is a typical Arrow double coaster of which I have rode many in other amusement parks. It seems as though this one is kept in good shape and the theming adds to the thrill of the ride.

While recently in Las Vegas on business and being the coaster enthusiast that I am, I took the opportunity to ride two of the three roller coasters that are located on the strip. The Manhattan Express is one such coaster and can be found at the New York, New York hotel and casino. At $14 a ride, it is pricey however if you are one who keeps an active list of all coasters ever ridden, it is a necessary expense to “add another” coaster to the overall count.

Prior to riding the Manhattan Express, I did not have high expectations for this or any other coaster located on the Las Vegas strip. Receiving a Twitter message from a friend a day earlier of how the coaster beat his body up did not improve my expectations. Nevertheless, I was going to ride it anyway.

After I paid the $14, I found no wait to board the train with the exception of the fact that they needed to put at least 10 people on a train that only holds 16 riders in order to send it out. This was not a good sign of things to come as you should be able to send a train out empty and know it will be able to run the length of the track with no issues. (More later on why they needed almost full trains in order for the coaster to run.)

After enough people arrived, we boarded. I sat in the front so I could experience a frontal view of the 144′ initial drop. As I engaged the restraining system, I already knew that this was going to be a rough ride. They use a lap bar that pushes down on your legs which is fine but then shoulder restraints that push down on your shoulders having padded extensions on each side of your head (see photo below).

The result is that your head bobs back and forth between the pads during the ride, giving you a pretty good beating. This is almost the same experience one may have on most stand-up coasters which I might add are not typically comfortable to ride.

While the initial drop was decent, the train rode pretty rough on the track. The loop itself was anything but smooth as you felt you were actually thrown into it. From there the ride just got worse and almost stopped at one point (the reason why they need almost full trains). The ending was so boring it almost put me to sleep. Overall a boring track design, horrible restraining system and just a really lame ride for how much it beats your body up.

Manhattan Express was originally built in 1997 by Togo. It stands at 203′ with an initial drop of 144′ and is followed by 2 inversions – a loop and a dive loop. Trains reach speeds up to 67 mph and track length is 4777 feet.

In August 2006, the original Togo trains were replaced by new trains built by Premier Rides, which makes me wonder how bad the first trains were. Also Premier Rides added a magnetic brake system in 2004.

I give the ride a thumbs down as one of the worst steel coasters I have ever ridden. Unless you are into coaster counts as I am, save your $14 for the slot machines.

Even if they replaced the restraints to a traditional over-the-shoulder system, it would not remedy the boring track design and the almost “put you to sleep” ending. They should at the very least lower the price so riders are only beat up rather than being robbed at the same time.