#beth's birthday extravaganza

[tqgincorrectquotes]

Borgov [to Beth]: Congratulations on retaining your status amongst the living for another consecutive year.

[writinglionqueen]

RAW Recap (1/24/22)

~kicking things off with Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley doing a weigh-in prior to their match at Royal Rumble this Saturday

~Bianca Belair vs Queen Zelina

~Bianca Belair wins

~Damian Priest vs Kevin Owens for the US Championship

~Priest loses by DQ but is not the US Champion

~a 6 women tag team match between Rhea Ripley, Dana Brooke and Liv Morgan vs Carmella, Tamina, and Nikki A.S.H.

~Rhea’s team wins before Rhea is quickly decked by Nikki

~Alpha Academy vs RK-Bro in a spelling be for the Academic Challenge which leads into a match

~Randy Orton vs Chad Gable

~Randy wins

~Another therapy session with Alexa Bliss

~AJ Styles vs Austin Theory

~AJ wins

~An interview between Becky Lynch and Doudrop

~Doudrop goes to attack Becky

~The Street Profits vs Rey and Dominik Mysterio

~The Mysterios win before Rey through Dom over the top rope yet again

~Miz hosts Maryse’s birthday extravaganza

~Edge and Beth Phoenix interrupts them and runs through their security and ruins the presents and cake in the ring

[brooklynislandgirl]

Two brown paper sacks placed next to the coffeemaker, bearing the iconic surfing pig of Kono's restaurant. Fresh ground coffee from the North Shore. Next to it, a mug with the same logo, declaring "No Coffee, No Workee". Inside the mug, a small Stitch stuffie sits, little blue arms positioned to extend up towards the receiver. Tucked behind him, a handwritten note on a napkin, a homemade gift certificate for French fries from the place of her choosing.

Martin has some serious skills. She hadn’t stirred a muscle when he got up and slipped out of the suite...she couldn’t say bed, exactly, not when they’d wound up in a pile of pillows and blankets on the floor in front of the balcony doors, letting the perfect night air waft over them as they watched old movies until sleep imposed its will on them. And what made that all so impressive is the fact that she’s a light sleeper, and always had been, when she could get her mind to slow down and her body agreed to a cease fire so she could rest.

And she was impressed when he didn’t run away at the sight of her without her make up, and with her hair a little flat. But any worry she might have had of him running away faded away when the smell hit her. Something that took her back fifteen years and made her mouth water now as much as it would have back then.

Because while she was a conscientious vegetarian...she’d be a liar if she said she couldn’t throw down with some kalua pig...and that particular blend of smoke and bacon...was nothing less than a Chuns breakfast bomber.

Eyes darting around the coffee is next and the cup cracks her up because fair play, Martin, fair play. But maybe it’s the Stitch that gets her and there’s a look he gets as her eyes turn just the right hint of misty in the morning light. She doesn’t get a word out, just a strangled little sound in the back of her throat before impossibly tall and solid Texas gets over run by a very little, very touched Hawai’i. The invasion comes with arms wrapping somewhere near his centre mass as she buries her face in his chest with a muffled, “...mahalo nui...” something, something, something.

[fortysevenswrites]

Masterlist: FortySevens’ Kastle WIPs

Since @ck90 keeps CALLING ME OUT because she is the most enabling of enablers, I thought it would be a fun idea to compile a complete masterlist of my upcoming WIPs for after I finish @nxbodygoesafterher’s birthday fic, And World Peace (chapter 4 coming soon).

So, here’s the rundown, in no particular order, other than this is the order that they’re in on my computer.

Also ck90, no spoilers, because I know you know a lot of what all this vague nonsense means ;-)

FortySevens’ WIP Masterlist New Orleans Bath Bombs Post DDS3, Karen flees New York because Fisk puts a shoot-to-kill order on her head, and she accidentally gets adopted by the Thieves Guild. A year later, with a little help from Leo Lieberman, she’s reunited with Frank. Also with the help of the Lieberman clan, Karen gets to help one of her friends pull his head out of his own ass.

The Fourth Of July Post TPS1 - Inspired by my sister’s dog’s reaction to the Fourth of July fireworks show on the Charles River in Boston - Right before the Fourth, Karen realizes that Frank should NOT be in NYC for the holiday and takes him out of town for a couple days.

The One With The Time Loop Inspired by @the-restless-brook’s time loop extravaganza, except this time it’s Karen who’s stuck reliving the mess at the hotel and enlists a very confused Frank and David’s help breaking the cycle.

Two Franks, One Brain Cell Post TPS2 - Frank from the future travels back in time to save Karen’s life, shenanigans ensue. Present Frank is NOT happy with any of this, and Karen knows it. (Inspired by @superrpowerlesshuman’s gif of Karen and Frank in the hospital in DDS2 and TPS2, except it was running with DDS2 Karen staring down at TPS2 Frank, and then went ahead and broke my brain thinking about how to make time travel happen).

What’s In The Folder? Post TPS1, Road Trip AU - Karen is summoned to the DA’s office for a meeting with Blake Tower, who gives her a folder with information about [REDACTED]. Karen and Frank go on a road trip to [REDACTED].

Blue (aka the one that’s @ninzied’s fault) DDS2 through TPS1 - It’s not until Karen Page locks eyes with Frank Castle in his hospital room that she realizes just how much shit she’s in. In which soulmates see in color when they lock eyes the first time.

Mud For reasons I have yet to determine, Karen gets covered in mud. It’s Matt’s fault. Karen and Frank share a shower.

The World’s Most Awkward Dinner Party The third in the series that started with I Wouldn’t Know Where To Start and There Is No Easy Way To Explain, featuring, well…the world’s most awkward dinner party. Frank agrees to it because he’s petty and it IS the cutest.

5 Times: Karen Finds Frank In Her Bed Post TPS2 - Exactly what it says on the tin. Frank sure has a weird way of apologizing…

The Underworld Fic Post TPS1 - Frank adopts a dog, but…it’s not actually a dog. Karen’s the only one who can see that though. It causes a lot of problems, and Frank insists in following Karen down to the underworld, even if she doesn’t know if she’s going to be able to get him out in the end.

Beth Quinn Takes A Vacation Post TPS2, Beth wins tickets to the Rangers/Red Wings Game 7 in New York, and while she’s in town she decides to see if she can find out if Frank is all right after all the season 2 nonsense. She goes to Karen to see if she can find him. Hilarity ensues.

Five Times Frank Brings Home Very Large Foster Dogs (And One Time He Comes Home With A Kitten) Exactly what it says on the tin.

The Big Indulgence Post TPS1 - Karen befriends Sarah Lieberman, Darcy Lewis, and Pepper Potts, in that order, and her life is turned upside down because of it. Frank starts going to group regularly and meets Bucky Barnes, and his life is also turned upside down. Featuring a couple different Marvel crossovers, a classic case of miscommunication, found families, lost families, lost AND found families, [REDACTED], [REDACTED], and [REDACTED] causing some serious problems for our heroes, and [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] in a relationship.

The Sequel To TBI Found families, weddings, Hawaiian vacations at Tony Stark’s compound, oh, and Frank Castle might actually be a little bit [REDACTED].

The Other Big Indulgence (aka The Camp Fic - inspired by my trip to California this summer for what I call Camp Week) Post TPS1 - Karen is assigned to report on a summer camp in Vermont that burned in a fire five years ago and is finally reopening at their home location. The only reason the camp is letting her come while campers are around is because she grew up there, but Karen is reluctant to go because her family history is clearly very complicated. Frank volunteers to go with her to help keep her sane. Tropes galore, including fake-to-real relationship, bed-sharing, cuddling, etc. Oh, and some WHAM.

Star Trek Discovery Season 1 AU The one in which Karen is the comms officer, Frank is the head of security, and the Discovery not-so-accidentally ends up in the MirrorVerse. It gets even more complicated from there.

So that’s what I got. Excited for any one in particular? Let me know!

[cinebeth]

Enjoy some crazy cult TV, aliens, swordplay, melodrama, a photo booth, bacon/pancetta bread, party favors (like this), and so much more for just a $20 donation. Reserve your spot online now! https://impactflow.com/event/beth-s-belated-birthday-cult-film-extravaganza-8268 #birthday #filmgeekssd #cultfilm #party @digitalgymsd @breadandcie (at Digital Gym Cinema)

[touristguidebuzz]

Destinations That Will Be Popular in 2018

In this February 3, 2017, photo, a boat passes through the entrance to the Grand Harbour in Valletta, Malta. Virginia Mayo / Associated Press

Skift Take: Some tourists are looking to get away from the throngs in places that range from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to Jordan and Morocco. It's not a bad idea, at all, as some of these destinations take advantage of troubles in other parts of the world.

— Dennis Schaal

From Malta to Minneapolis, here’s a look at some destinations around the world that will be making news in 2018. They include designated culture capitals, places hosting sporting events and even a couple of cities — San Antonio, Texas, and New Orleans — celebrating their 300th birthdays.

SPORTS

Minneapolis hosts the Super Bowl on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis. The city is encouraging visitors to embrace winter with 10 days of “Bold North” events and activities leading up to the big game. On the other side of the world, the snowy mountains of Pyeongchang, South Korea, host the Winter Olympic Games, Feb. 9-25.

Eleven cities in Russia — including Moscow and Sochi — host the FIFA World Cup, June 14-July 15. The dates coincide with St. Petersburg’s “white nights,” the summer solstice season when city skies never get completely dark. FIFA reports strong ticket sales from the United States even though the U.S. national team failed to qualify for the games. Host cities include lesser-known gems like Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan, while Yekaterinburg is a good jumping-off point for an adventure in Siberia.

TRICENTENNIALS

Two American cities mark tri-centennials in 2018. San Antonio plans a commemoration week in May, a “Summer of Spain” marketplace highlighting Spanish food, art and culture, Day of the Dead events Oct. 29-30 and a Witte Museum exhibition about the city’s frontier history under the flags of many countries. The exhibit will include the keys to the Alamo and Davy Crockett’s fiddle.

In New Orleans, tricentennial events include the Prospect.4 art exhibition, which is already underway; a blow-out Mardi Gras, Feb. 13, with the Krewe of Rex procession themed on New Orleans’ history; various spring festivals; Luna Fete next December; and a New Orleans Museum of Art exhibition showcasing works by Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt and others from the Duke of Orleans’ collection.

CULTURE AND DESIGN CAPITALS

Despite the recent car bomb murder of an investigative journalist in Malta, the island is on many “where to go” lists for 2018. Its capital, Valletta, is one of Europe’s 2018 capitals of culture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 7,000 years of history. Attractions include festivals, nightlife, ancient stone architecture, a rollicking Carnival in February and other festivals, plus World War II history, including scuba diving to wartime wrecks.

The other European capital of culture for 2018 is Leeuwarden in the Netherlands’ province of Friesland. Cultural extravaganzas include an Aug. 31-Sept. 1 event expanding an annual marathon across 23 villages with music, art, theater and unusual pop-up hotels.

Mexico City has been designated the sixth World Design Capital and the first city in the Americas to receive the title. It’s being recognized for sustainable design-led initiatives like bike-sharing, urban gardens, parks and playgrounds. Events will include exhibits, conferences and installations.

FROM ENGLAND TO ETHIOPIA

Elsewhere around the world, destinations on the travel industry’s radar for 2018 range from England to Ethiopia.

England is suddenly a pop culture darling. Fans of the Netflix series “The Crown” can visit one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite places, Sandringham House, April-November, while those intrigued by the May 2018 wedding of American actress Meghan Markle to Prince Harry can tour their wedding site, Windsor Castle. Oscar-watchers interested in “The Darkest Hour,” starring Gary Oldman as Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II, should visit the Churchill War Rooms museum in London.

Also to keep in mind: The Lake District was just named a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visits by Americans to England were up 31 percent January-June 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, thanks in part to the U.S. dollar’s strength against the British pound.

Concerns about terror attacks and unrest have dampened travel to Egypt, Turkey and other destinations in North Africa and the Middle East. But that’s prompted interest in places in the region that are perceived as safe and just as compelling culturally, including Morocco and Jordan. In Africa, Ethiopia also popped up on a couple of where-to-go lists. Its magical attractions include the churches in Lalibela, carved from soft stone and dating to the 12th century.

ASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

U.S. visitors to Japan increased 10 percent January-October 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, and the upward trend is expected to continue as Japan pushes tourism ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics. Where-to-go lists are highlighting not just Tokyo but also places like Sapporo and the Kii Peninsula, honored as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its pilgrimage routes and sacred mountains.

These days, many well-traveled millennials have already hopscotched around Western Europe by the time they’re done with college, so it makes sense that they’re turning to Asia for spring breaks and backpacking trips with stops in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, India and Singapore. The youth-oriented travel company StudentUniverse says bookings for 18- to 25-year-old U.S. passport holders to Asia from the U.S. have risen more than 700 percent since 2014. And many of those travelers stay in Asia three weeks or more.

Another area that’s starting to intrigue travelers as they expand bucket lists beyond familiar destinations is Central Asia, which includes the countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and others with names ending in “-stan.” The country of Georgia also turns up on several where-to-go-in-2018 lists. Geographically it’s considered part of Asia but culturally it’s more Eastern European.

Copyright (2017) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

This article was written by Beth J. Harpaz from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

[rollinbrigittenv8]

Destinations That Will Be Popular in 2018

In this February 3, 2017, photo, a boat passes through the entrance to the Grand Harbour in Valletta, Malta. Virginia Mayo / Associated Press

Skift Take: Some tourists are looking to get away from the throngs in places that range from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to Jordan and Morocco. It's not a bad idea, at all, as some of these destinations take advantage of troubles in other parts of the world.

— Dennis Schaal

From Malta to Minneapolis, here’s a look at some destinations around the world that will be making news in 2018. They include designated culture capitals, places hosting sporting events and even a couple of cities — San Antonio, Texas, and New Orleans — celebrating their 300th birthdays.

SPORTS

Minneapolis hosts the Super Bowl on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis. The city is encouraging visitors to embrace winter with 10 days of “Bold North” events and activities leading up to the big game. On the other side of the world, the snowy mountains of Pyeongchang, South Korea, host the Winter Olympic Games, Feb. 9-25.

Eleven cities in Russia — including Moscow and Sochi — host the FIFA World Cup, June 14-July 15. The dates coincide with St. Petersburg’s “white nights,” the summer solstice season when city skies never get completely dark. FIFA reports strong ticket sales from the United States even though the U.S. national team failed to qualify for the games. Host cities include lesser-known gems like Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan, while Yekaterinburg is a good jumping-off point for an adventure in Siberia.

TRICENTENNIALS

Two American cities mark tri-centennials in 2018. San Antonio plans a commemoration week in May, a “Summer of Spain” marketplace highlighting Spanish food, art and culture, Day of the Dead events Oct. 29-30 and a Witte Museum exhibition about the city’s frontier history under the flags of many countries. The exhibit will include the keys to the Alamo and Davy Crockett’s fiddle.

In New Orleans, tricentennial events include the Prospect.4 art exhibition, which is already underway; a blow-out Mardi Gras, Feb. 13, with the Krewe of Rex procession themed on New Orleans’ history; various spring festivals; Luna Fete next December; and a New Orleans Museum of Art exhibition showcasing works by Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt and others from the Duke of Orleans’ collection.

CULTURE AND DESIGN CAPITALS

Despite the recent car bomb murder of an investigative journalist in Malta, the island is on many “where to go” lists for 2018. Its capital, Valletta, is one of Europe’s 2018 capitals of culture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 7,000 years of history. Attractions include festivals, nightlife, ancient stone architecture, a rollicking Carnival in February and other festivals, plus World War II history, including scuba diving to wartime wrecks.

The other European capital of culture for 2018 is Leeuwarden in the Netherlands’ province of Friesland. Cultural extravaganzas include an Aug. 31-Sept. 1 event expanding an annual marathon across 23 villages with music, art, theater and unusual pop-up hotels.

Mexico City has been designated the sixth World Design Capital and the first city in the Americas to receive the title. It’s being recognized for sustainable design-led initiatives like bike-sharing, urban gardens, parks and playgrounds. Events will include exhibits, conferences and installations.

FROM ENGLAND TO ETHIOPIA

Elsewhere around the world, destinations on the travel industry’s radar for 2018 range from England to Ethiopia.

England is suddenly a pop culture darling. Fans of the Netflix series “The Crown” can visit one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite places, Sandringham House, April-November, while those intrigued by the May 2018 wedding of American actress Meghan Markle to Prince Harry can tour their wedding site, Windsor Castle. Oscar-watchers interested in “The Darkest Hour,” starring Gary Oldman as Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II, should visit the Churchill War Rooms museum in London.

Also to keep in mind: The Lake District was just named a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visits by Americans to England were up 31 percent January-June 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, thanks in part to the U.S. dollar’s strength against the British pound.

Concerns about terror attacks and unrest have dampened travel to Egypt, Turkey and other destinations in North Africa and the Middle East. But that’s prompted interest in places in the region that are perceived as safe and just as compelling culturally, including Morocco and Jordan. In Africa, Ethiopia also popped up on a couple of where-to-go lists. Its magical attractions include the churches in Lalibela, carved from soft stone and dating to the 12th century.

ASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

U.S. visitors to Japan increased 10 percent January-October 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, and the upward trend is expected to continue as Japan pushes tourism ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics. Where-to-go lists are highlighting not just Tokyo but also places like Sapporo and the Kii Peninsula, honored as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its pilgrimage routes and sacred mountains.

These days, many well-traveled millennials have already hopscotched around Western Europe by the time they’re done with college, so it makes sense that they’re turning to Asia for spring breaks and backpacking trips with stops in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, India and Singapore. The youth-oriented travel company StudentUniverse says bookings for 18- to 25-year-old U.S. passport holders to Asia from the U.S. have risen more than 700 percent since 2014. And many of those travelers stay in Asia three weeks or more.

Another area that’s starting to intrigue travelers as they expand bucket lists beyond familiar destinations is Central Asia, which includes the countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and others with names ending in “-stan.” The country of Georgia also turns up on several where-to-go-in-2018 lists. Geographically it’s considered part of Asia but culturally it’s more Eastern European.

Copyright (2017) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

This article was written by Beth J. Harpaz from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

[tqgincorrectquotes]

Jolene [to Beth]: Just wanted to be the first one to wish you a happy birthday so I can feel superior to your other well-wishers.

[tqgincorrectquotes]

Harry: Happy birthday, Beth! Make a wish.

Beth: It already came true.

Harry: It did?

Beth: No, I'm joking. I'm a very unhappy person.

[tqgincorrectquotes]

Levertov: Damn it, I ran out of icing before I finished writing on Beth's birthday cake.

Wexler: What did you want to write?

Levertov: "Beth's birthday."

Wexler: And what does it say instead?

Levertov: "Beth's bi."

Cleo: Works out either way.

[tqgincorrectquotes]

Benny [to Beth]: I'm pretty sure that of all the birthday wishes you get today, mine will be the wishiest.

[tqgincorrectquotes]

Beth: it's my birthday!

Alice: No, no, no. Can't be. I distinctly remember. Your birthday was last year.

[touristguidebuzz]

Destinations Leverage 2018 Events to Lure More Visitors

A boat passes through the entrance to the Grand Harbour in Valletta, Malta on Feb. 3, 2017. Malta's capital, Valletta, is one of Europe's 2018 capitals of culture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 7,000 years of history. Virginia Mayo / Associated Press

Skift Take: Cities like Paris and Shanghai always inspire wanderlust. But several other places, such as Malta, which is holding a year-long cultural festival., claim defining reasons for travelers to visit them in 2018.

— Sean O'Neill

From Malta to Minneapolis, here’s a look at some destinations around the world that will be making news in 2018. They include designated culture capitals, places hosting sporting events and even a couple of cities — San Antonio, Texas, and New Orleans — celebrating their 300th birthdays.

For example, Minneapolis hosts the Super Bowl on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis. The city is encouraging visitors to embrace winter with 10 days of “Bold North” events and activities leading up to the big game. On the other side of the world, the snowy mountains of Pyeongchang, South Korea, host the Winter Olympic Games, Feb. 9-25.

Eleven cities in Russia — including Moscow and Sochi — host the FIFA World Cup, June 14-July 15. The dates coincide with St. Petersburg’s “white nights,” the summer solstice season when city skies never get completely dark.

FIFA reports strong ticket sales from the United States even though the U.S. national team failed to qualify for the games. Host cities include lesser-known gems like Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan, while Yekaterinburg is a good jumping-off point for an adventure in Siberia.

Tricentennials

Two American cities mark tri-centennials in 2018. San Antonio plans a commemoration week in May, a “Summer of Spain” marketplace highlighting Spanish food, art and culture, Day of the Dead events Oct. 29-30 and a Witte Museum exhibition about the city’s frontier history under the flags of many countries. The exhibit will include the keys to the Alamo and Davy Crockett’s fiddle.

In New Orleans, tricentennial events include the Prospect.4 art exhibition, which is already underway; a blow-out Mardi Gras, Feb. 13, with the Krewe of Rex procession themed on New Orleans’ history; various spring festivals; Luna Fete next December; and a New Orleans Museum of Art exhibition showcasing works by Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt and others from the Duke of Orleans’ collection.

Culture and Design Capitals

Despite the recent car bomb murder of an investigative journalist in Malta, the island is on many “where to go” lists for 2018. Its capital, Valletta, is one of Europe’s 2018 capitals of culture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 7,000 years of history.

Attractions include festivals, nightlife, ancient stone architecture, a rollicking Carnival in February and other festivals, plus World War II history, including scuba diving to wartime wrecks.

The other European capital of culture for 2018 is Leeuwarden in the Netherlands’ province of Friesland. Cultural extravaganzas include an Aug. 31-Sept. 1 event expanding an annual marathon across 23 villages with music, art, theater and unusual pop-up hotels.

Mexico City has been designated the sixth World Design Capital and the first city in the Americas to receive the title. It’s being recognized for sustainable design-led initiatives like bike-sharing, urban gardens, parks, and playgrounds. Events will include exhibits, conference, and installations.

From England to Ethiopia

Elsewhere around the world, destinations on the travel industry’s radar for 2018 range from England to Ethiopia.

England is suddenly a pop culture darling. Fans of the Netflix series “The Crown” can visit one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite places, Sandringham House, April-November, while those intrigued by the May 2018 wedding of American actress Meghan Markle to Prince Harry can tour their wedding site, Windsor Castle.

Oscar-watchers interested in “The Darkest Hour,” starring Gary Oldman as Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II, should visit the Churchill War Rooms museum in London. Also to keep in mind: The Lake District was just named a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visits by Americans to England were up 31 percent January-June 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, thanks in part to the U.S. dollar’s strength against the British pound.

Concerns about terror attacks and unrest have dampened travel to Egypt, Turkey and other destinations in North Africa and the Middle East.

But that’s prompted interest in places in the region that are perceived as safe and just as compelling culturally, including Morocco and Jordan. In Africa, Ethiopia also popped up on a couple of where-to-go lists. Its magical attractions include the churches in Lalibela, carved from soft stone and dating to the 12th century.

Asia and Central Asia

U.S. visitors to Japan increased 10 percent January-October 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, and the upward trend is expected to continue as Japan pushes tourism ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Where-to-go lists are highlighting not just Tokyo but also places like Sapporo and the Kii Peninsula, honored as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its pilgrimage routes and sacred mountains.

These days, many well-traveled millennials have already hopscotched around Western Europe by the time they’re done with college, so it makes sense that they’re turning to Asia for spring breaks and backpacking trips with stops in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, India, and Singapore.

The youth-oriented travel company StudentUniverse says bookings for 18- to 25-year-old U.S. passport holders to Asia from the U.S. have risen more than 700 percent since 2014. And many of those travelers stay in Asia three weeks or more.

Another area that’s starting to intrigue travelers as they expand bucket lists beyond familiar destinations is Central Asia, which includes the countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and others with names ending in “-stan.”

The country of Georgia also turns up on several where-to-go-in-2018 lists. Geographically it’s considered part of Asia but culturally it’s more Eastern European.

Copyright (2017) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

This article was written by Beth J. Harpaz from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

[rollinbrigittenv8]

Destinations Leverage 2018 Events to Lure More Visitors

A boat passes through the entrance to the Grand Harbour in Valletta, Malta on Feb. 3, 2017. Malta's capital, Valletta, is one of Europe's 2018 capitals of culture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 7,000 years of history. Virginia Mayo / Associated Press

Skift Take: Cities like Paris and Shanghai always inspire wanderlust. But several other places, such as Malta, which is holding a year-long cultural festival., claim defining reasons for travelers to visit them in 2018.

— Sean O'Neill

From Malta to Minneapolis, here’s a look at some destinations around the world that will be making news in 2018. They include designated culture capitals, places hosting sporting events and even a couple of cities — San Antonio, Texas, and New Orleans — celebrating their 300th birthdays.

For example, Minneapolis hosts the Super Bowl on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis. The city is encouraging visitors to embrace winter with 10 days of “Bold North” events and activities leading up to the big game. On the other side of the world, the snowy mountains of Pyeongchang, South Korea, host the Winter Olympic Games, Feb. 9-25.

Eleven cities in Russia — including Moscow and Sochi — host the FIFA World Cup, June 14-July 15. The dates coincide with St. Petersburg’s “white nights,” the summer solstice season when city skies never get completely dark.

FIFA reports strong ticket sales from the United States even though the U.S. national team failed to qualify for the games. Host cities include lesser-known gems like Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan, while Yekaterinburg is a good jumping-off point for an adventure in Siberia.

Tricentennials

Two American cities mark tri-centennials in 2018. San Antonio plans a commemoration week in May, a “Summer of Spain” marketplace highlighting Spanish food, art and culture, Day of the Dead events Oct. 29-30 and a Witte Museum exhibition about the city’s frontier history under the flags of many countries. The exhibit will include the keys to the Alamo and Davy Crockett’s fiddle.

In New Orleans, tricentennial events include the Prospect.4 art exhibition, which is already underway; a blow-out Mardi Gras, Feb. 13, with the Krewe of Rex procession themed on New Orleans’ history; various spring festivals; Luna Fete next December; and a New Orleans Museum of Art exhibition showcasing works by Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt and others from the Duke of Orleans’ collection.

Culture and Design Capitals

Despite the recent car bomb murder of an investigative journalist in Malta, the island is on many “where to go” lists for 2018. Its capital, Valletta, is one of Europe’s 2018 capitals of culture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 7,000 years of history.

Attractions include festivals, nightlife, ancient stone architecture, a rollicking Carnival in February and other festivals, plus World War II history, including scuba diving to wartime wrecks.

The other European capital of culture for 2018 is Leeuwarden in the Netherlands’ province of Friesland. Cultural extravaganzas include an Aug. 31-Sept. 1 event expanding an annual marathon across 23 villages with music, art, theater and unusual pop-up hotels.

Mexico City has been designated the sixth World Design Capital and the first city in the Americas to receive the title. It’s being recognized for sustainable design-led initiatives like bike-sharing, urban gardens, parks, and playgrounds. Events will include exhibits, conference, and installations.

From England to Ethiopia

Elsewhere around the world, destinations on the travel industry’s radar for 2018 range from England to Ethiopia.

England is suddenly a pop culture darling. Fans of the Netflix series “The Crown” can visit one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite places, Sandringham House, April-November, while those intrigued by the May 2018 wedding of American actress Meghan Markle to Prince Harry can tour their wedding site, Windsor Castle.

Oscar-watchers interested in “The Darkest Hour,” starring Gary Oldman as Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II, should visit the Churchill War Rooms museum in London. Also to keep in mind: The Lake District was just named a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visits by Americans to England were up 31 percent January-June 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, thanks in part to the U.S. dollar’s strength against the British pound.

Concerns about terror attacks and unrest have dampened travel to Egypt, Turkey and other destinations in North Africa and the Middle East.

But that’s prompted interest in places in the region that are perceived as safe and just as compelling culturally, including Morocco and Jordan. In Africa, Ethiopia also popped up on a couple of where-to-go lists. Its magical attractions include the churches in Lalibela, carved from soft stone and dating to the 12th century.

Asia and Central Asia

U.S. visitors to Japan increased 10 percent January-October 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, and the upward trend is expected to continue as Japan pushes tourism ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Where-to-go lists are highlighting not just Tokyo but also places like Sapporo and the Kii Peninsula, honored as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its pilgrimage routes and sacred mountains.

These days, many well-traveled millennials have already hopscotched around Western Europe by the time they’re done with college, so it makes sense that they’re turning to Asia for spring breaks and backpacking trips with stops in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, India, and Singapore.

The youth-oriented travel company StudentUniverse says bookings for 18- to 25-year-old U.S. passport holders to Asia from the U.S. have risen more than 700 percent since 2014. And many of those travelers stay in Asia three weeks or more.

Another area that’s starting to intrigue travelers as they expand bucket lists beyond familiar destinations is Central Asia, which includes the countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and others with names ending in “-stan.”

The country of Georgia also turns up on several where-to-go-in-2018 lists. Geographically it’s considered part of Asia but culturally it’s more Eastern European.

Copyright (2017) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

This article was written by Beth J. Harpaz from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.