From the category archives:

Historic

The Great Explorers

by Alan Rider

I know traditional cruises aboard humongous ocean liners are wildly popular but, honestly, their formal dress code, glitzy stage shows, and endless buffets really aren’t my thing. I much prefer smaller ships that are able to go all sorts of places those floating cities can’t, while offering a much friendlier atmosphere and a more adventurous feel.
Which explains why this new around-the-world cruise aboard the 120-passenger Spirit of Oceanus caught my eye. The folks at CruiseWest have come up with a 335-day itinerary they’re calling The Voyages of the Great Explorers that will follow the travels of Marco Polo, Odysseus, Leif Eriksson, Christopher Columbus, James Cook, and Magellan. A fleet of [...]

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I Spy, You Spy

by Alan Rider

While I like a good Hollywood thriller full of international intrigue as much as the next guy, this isn’t about catching the latest summer blockbuster at your local cineplex. That’s because, as a general rule, I think it’s usually more fun to have your own extraordinary experiences than it is to sit back and watch someone else having them.
Which is why I was psyched to find these three different ways we can all leave our everyday lives behind and live out our own secret-agent fantasies this summer:
For Kids
I was crazy about both The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Get Smart when I was growing up, especially all the way-cool gadgets (some [...]

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Scream Machines

by Alan Rider

It’s been said that, since life has its inevitable ups and downs, the best thing any of us can do is to sit back and enjoy the ride. Which is precisely the point as far as roller coaster enthusiasts are concerned.
If you count yourself among them, you’ll want to check out this blog post from Kathika.com that lists 56 of the coolest coasters in the U.S., including everything from vintage wooden classics like Cedar Point’s Blue Streak (the first rollercoaster I ever rode—scared the heck out of me) to cutting-edge “giga-coasters” like Six Flags Great Adventure’s Kingda Ka that’s as tall as a 45-story building. Along with interesting factoids about [...]

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Tanks For The Memories!

by Alan Rider

Ah yes, Spring is in the air and a young man’s thoughts turn to…driving the biggest honkin’ machines he can find! Okay, well, at least mine do.
If that sounds like a heck of a good time to you too, you’ll want to check out this XTRORD.com feature story on what it’s like to play with 20-ton bulldozers and 30-ton excavators at Dig This in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. So much fun it’s hard to believe some folks actually get paid for this!
As much of an extraordinary experience as that was, however, nothing I’ve ever done tops the geeky thrill of driving a full-on 55-ton military battle tank. I had [...]

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'Shine On!

by Alan Rider

My hard liquor-drinking days may be behind me, but that doesn’t make me any less interested in visiting the Belmont Farms Distillery in Culpeper Virginia.
You see, while distillery tours have become commonplace, this family-run operation about 90 minutes southwest of Washington DC offers something truly unique: The chance to experience America’s only legal moonshine distillery.
Unlike fancier brews, the old-fashioned clear corn whiskey they make here isn’t aged in oak barrels. In fact, the 100-proof liquor isn’t aged at all, as moonshine connoisseurs (is that an oxymoron?) apparently insist this classic American liquor is best enjoyed fresh (their Virginia Lightning brew is actually guaranteed to be no more than 30 days [...]

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Shuttle Launch Sideshow

by Alan Rider

It’s one of the fundamental principles behind XTRORD.com: When it comes to extraordinary experiences, we figure you’d rather hear about them from someone who’s been there and done that.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to score a ride into outer space (not yet, anyway) so I can’t tell you what it’s like. But I found some folks who can on a recent visit to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
Besides some tasty grub (thankfully not the freeze-dried stuff they feed real astronauts), the hour-long Lunch With An Astronaut program serves up a light-hearted video presentation that should answer just about every question you ever had about life aboard NASA’s space shuttles and the [...]

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8 Great (Affordable) Gift Ideas

by Alan Rider

It’s time for XTRORD.com’s first-annual holiday gift guide. And, if you’re a regular follower of this space, you probably already know how I feel about giving and getting more stuff that, let’s face it, none of us really needs. But giving someone an extraordinary experience? Ah, well, that’s a different story altogether.
So with a nod to the dark clouds that seem to be hanging over the global economy in general and many folks personal finances in particular right now, I thought I’d focus on extraordinary experiences you can give that will blow the recipient’s socks off without breaking the bank (herein defined as under $200).
In no particular order then, here [...]

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