Destinations

If a trip to Palm Springs is in your future, don't leave home without your copy of "A Mobility Impaired Traveler's Guide to Palm Springs". It's filled with handy access information about hotels and tourist sights in Palm Springs and it's available free from the Palm Springs CVB. Call (800) 347-7746 or visit www.palm-springs.org to request your copy.

Since we are off to Palm Springs for some editorial research tomorrow, I've been leafing through this handy guide for the past few days. I especially like the great photos and detailed access descriptions of the properties.

This guide is the brainchild of Phil Kaplan, the ADA Coordinator of Palm Springs, and it's produced in conjunction with the Palm Springs CVB. I'm also looking forward to chatting with Phil while I'm in Palm Springs -- I'm sure he can give me some great first-person tips. The locals always have the skinny on the best places to visit; and I'm sure in Phil's case, he'll also know the most accessible places.

I'm really looking forward to this trip as I haven't visited the area for years, and it's a great destination for Emerging Horizons readers. I also think the desert is particularly beautiful in the fall, and I've got a good line on some accessible side trips.

Stay tuned!

We've been exploring Montreal for the past few days, and I'm happy to report it is a city you can enjoy regardless of the weather. We caught the tail end of Hurricane Katrina yesterday, and for most of the morning and some of the afternoon the rain just came down in buckets. Fortunately there are a number of excellent museums in Montreal, so we were able to enjoy some inside attractions during the deluge.

The inclement weather also gave me the opportunity to have an extended lunch with Isabella Duchesnay of Keroul. This Montreal-based organization works to encourage accessible tourism throughout the province and to distribute access information to the traveling public. Isabella shared Keroul's latest book with me, (Le Quebec Accessible) which is an excellent resource for travelers.

She was very pleased that the sixth edition of this access guide was published by a mainstream publisher for the first time this year. This will not only give the book more visibility, but also bring the whole subject of accessible travel to the mainstream public in bookstores throughout Canada. I can certainly identify with this, as it's exactly what happened to the second edition of my own Barrier-Free Travel title.

We also chatted about the importance of local and regional access-related organizations. In Kerouls's case they certainly have made a difference in local access. For example, their founder, (Andre Leclerc) lobbied local hoteliers to make their properties more accessible, and as a result the Le Centre Sheraton name a suite after him -- and of course it is an accessible suite. I can certainly attest to that fact, as I've been staying in that suite for the past few nights. So kudos to Andre for taking the time to address access issues and to the Le Centre Sheraton for being receptive (very receptive) to his suggestions.

In any case, if you're considering a trip to Montreal (or anywhere in the province) Keroul is an excellent resource. For more information visit their website at www.keroul.qc.ca.

As for me, today it's a beautiful day so it's off to explore more of this very diverse city. Old Montreal is calling my name...